Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

The rooftop suddenly fell into silence.

Ereshkigal, bound by the Chains of Heaven, stared blankly at the young man before her, her face flushed: "You... are Nameless?"

Though not as tall as Nameless, he seemed more youthful and inexperienced compared to the battle-hardened Nameless.

However, this person could wield the Chains of Heaven and possessed that unforgettable aura that left a deep impression on her.

Just from their first meeting, Ereshkigal felt an eerily familiar sense of lethality.

"You've got the wrong person!"

Souma offered an awkward yet polite smile.

She had finally descended into the mortal world with great difficulty, only to end up in such a state because of him—how embarrassing!

The problem was, he genuinely couldn't control the Chains of Heaven right now!

It wasn't like he deliberately wanted to see her in this bound-up position.

But Enkidu, who had always been hostile toward Ishtar, sensed her presence and immediately acted without hesitation.

She was bound so tightly that escape was impossible.

The Chains of Heaven weren't actually that effective against true gods.

After all, this divine weapon had been forged by the gods specifically to restrain the demigod Gilgamesh.

Its restraining power was strongest against demigods with divinity.

Ishtar, who had descended via possession, just so happened to qualify as a demigod—making it impossible for her to break free.

In the end, Ishtar fled without hesitation, leaving Ereshkigal in her place.

Seriously, were they all in such a hurry to experience some bondage play?

"Ahhhh—!"

Ereshkigal suddenly let out a high-pitched scream, fully realizing her current predicament.

She was so overwhelmed with shame that she felt like exploding on the spot.

She had crossed time and worlds to descend into Souma's era.

And she had even laid eyes on the youthful, inexperienced Souma—this should have been double the joy.

But why did their first meeting have to be like this?!

This was all Ishtar's fault—that woman had deliberately set her up!

Ereshkigal silently swore to herself.

Oh, my dear sister… This time, I'll definitely make you walk through the Seven Gates again, strip you bare, and hang you up for a beating!

Damn you, Ishtar—you're dead!

"Uh… If I said this wasn't my fault, would you believe me?"

Souma coughed lightly.

But before he could even finish explaining—

The terrifying and ruthless Queen of the Underworld, feared by countless people, had run away again!

She ran off… again.

The lingering divine fragrances of two different goddesses dissipated at once.

All that remained was an ordinary tsundere young lady, unconscious on the ground.

"Well… As expected, Ereshkigal really is shy and adorable."

Souma sighed softly.

Now there was absolutely no way to explain himself.

If Ereshkigal ended up thinking he had deliberately humiliated her, she would definitely hold a grudge.

Souma reached out and touched the golden belt. "Enkidu, the goddess is gone. You can withdraw now."

Hmm—!

The golden chains tightly wrapped around the girl instantly retracted.

After a brief flash of golden light, they transformed back into an ordinary-looking belt.

"Wait… Why does the position feel a little off…?"

Souma blinked in confusion.

The belt was fastened around his waist, its head positioned right below his abdomen.

If it were in human form, that would mean Enkidu's charming little face was right at—

No, no, no—terrifying! Absolutely terrifying! Must not think about it!

He had no idea when Enkidu would return to normal.

Would they have to wait until Alaya released the exposé video about fighting Tiamat?

The Chains of Heaven had completely concealed their presence—even if he searched with all his might, he wouldn't be able to detect their true identity.

Now, the only remaining problem was how to handle the aftermath.

After a moment of thought, Souma simply scooped up the troublesome child in his arms and poured all the power he had extracted back into her.

He also added a few more layers of seals for good measure.

Every time he extracted power, it would awaken a portion of the child's origin, requiring repeated reinforcement of the seals.

Holding her like this, he couldn't help but feel like he was carrying a live nuke.

This is getting harder and harder to handle…

As for Miss Rin...

Well, you'd better rest for now.

I hope you can still maintain that shocked expression when you realize all the gems have been used up by that useless goddess.

By the Three Pure Ones, Buddha, God, and the Jade Emperor—good luck to you~

After erasing all traces of his presence, Souma vanished without a trace, taking the troublesome kid with him.

If he didn't leave now, that sharp-nosed fox would be knocking on his door any second!

Buzz~

Less than five seconds after his departure, another figure instantly appeared on the rooftop.

Three fluffy golden tails swayed gently behind her.

She sniffed lightly, her golden eyes filled with curiosity and surprise. "This... the scent of gods? And not just one, but two?"

The newcomer was none other than the headmistress of Fuyuki Magecraft Academy—

The nine-tailed fox, Tamamo-no-Mae!

Alarmed by the overwhelming divine energy that had erupted in the city, she had rushed to the scene immediately.

However.

Everything seemed to have already settled, leaving only a disheveled girl lying unconscious on the ground.

"What an interesting little thing."

Tamamo-no-Mae examined the girl closely.

This girl had actually served as a vessel for divine descent, allowing two gods to manifest in succession!

What on earth had happened here earlier?

Tamamo-no-Mae sniffed again, trying to gather more clues, when suddenly, a pungent odor assaulted her senses.

The scent made her feel nauseated, her body and mind utterly revolted.

It was like a snake catching the smell of realgar—completely unbearable!

"Bastard, who the hell did this?"

Tamamo-no-Mae was seething with anger.

Whoever had struck knew her far too well—uncomfortably so.

The problem was, she couldn't recall anyone like that in her memories.

Just who was this bastard?

Right then.

The unconscious girl finally stirred awake.

Tamamo-no-Mae instantly regained her composure and greeted her. "You're awake?"

"What… happened to me?"

Rin Tohsaka felt a slight dizziness in her head.

It was as if she had been trapped in a dream she couldn't wake from, completely unable to control her body.

She was exhausted, her legs trembling faintly.

Tamamo-no-Mae remained calm. "A god possessed you earlier. Let me check your condition first."

"Eh, a god?"

Rin was utterly bewildered.

Her foggy, confused mind immediately jumped to one possibility—

Could it have been Ishtar, who looked exactly like her?

Was she really a goddess in her past life?

She glanced down at her disheveled clothes, and her thoughts spiraled into chaos.

Just what had that goddess done with her body?

Rin checked herself over, and her face instantly turned deathly pale, as if she had seen something horrifying.

"What's wrong? Is there an issue with your body?" Tamamo-no-Mae asked, puzzled.

"All my gems are gone! Every single one!"

Rin clenched her teeth, barely holding back tears.

After scrimping and saving every day, the precious gems she had painstakingly accumulated had been completely wasted by that useless goddess!

Not a single one was left for her!

Tamamo-no-Mae waved it off casually. "Oh, that's no big deal. Once you properly complete the task of hosting the Heroic Spirits, I can give you some gems as research funding."

"Thank you, Headmistress!"

Rin blinked in surprise before hurriedly expressing her gratitude.

As long as she did a good job hosting the Heroic Spirits, she could get even more gems later!

This was a sure win!

The Headmistress before her spoke up again. "You, Illya, Julian… all of you recommended an ordinary person named Souma to be the student representative for hosting the Heroic Spirits?"

***

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