VII / Sabnock, the Chamber of Life

Activate. Activate. The nine pillars that control the Chamber of Life:

Shax. Viné. Bifrons. Vual. Häagenti. Crocell. Furcas. Balam.

We nine pillars celebrate birth. We nine pillars praise the union.

In the name of the 72 Demon Gods, we pronounce that disdain will never come to this adoration...!

It is not to threaten, but to exterminate everything...! Name yourself, fiend...!

Haha, ha, ha, ha! Did you just say "adoration"? Did a bunch of fake demon gods say the word "adoration"!?

You really should learn to hold your tongue! I can't let that slip by when I hear that word.

I fight for beauty! I am the avatar of harvest and Venus!

I am the celestial goddess Ishtar, and I've come to settle a debt with the King of Mages!

Ack! What was that!?

Hey, watch out, Enkidu! Did you fire that off knowing I was here!?

Oh, sorry, my hand slipped. I was aiming for your head, but I didn't think you'd manage to dodge.

Hehe. I guess you're broken to the core.

Did you make sure to oil yourself? You're saying things you really shouldn't, you piece of junk♡

Don't make me get too mad in front of Fujimaru.

So the rumors were true. You became a lot more modest by borrowing the body of a human.

That's not like you, Ishtar. You're supposed to be a lot more selfish, vulgar, and strange.

Why not collect the fragments of the Demon God Pillar? They'd look great in your hair.

You're both evil gods that bring peril to the world of man. How about showing people what you're really about?

...

I'm sensing a bloodlust from Ishtar like I've never felt before! The smile on her face and lack of words makes it even worse.

Leave her be. They've been rivals since the Age of Gods. They'll never be able to get along.

While Kin...Enkidu and Ishtar kill each other, it would be great if they could take down the Demon God Pillars around them.

Gorgon!? You're going to help us too...!?

...I do not know the name Ana, but if you mean me, I am here.

She's there. I know she's so small you can't see her, though.

...Bigger isn't always better. You should lose a little weight.

？！

...Fujimaru, right? Gorgon and I are not the Heroic Spirits you know, but...

The spirits at our core are desiring to show gratitude towards you.

I'm sure you don't want monsters like us to remember you, but please let us help.

...Not to repay any debt. Gorgon and I genuinely want to do so.

...I don't really care either way, but that girl over there just wouldn't shut up about it.

Sí, of course! If we don't earn points here, Gorgon will be alone forever, yes!

As a fellow snake-type goddess, I can't leave her be when she says she has no one to contract with, no!

The same goes for Kuku too, meow.

You'd go on about how a lucha goddess is too niche and you can't find someone to marry, and how much you wanted to see Fujimaru.

She was so annoying on the Mesoamerican chatroom that I decided to... Ow!

A-ahem... Anyway, that's that, yes!

It is true I used Gorgon as an excuse to come, Fujimaru.

Since you're putting it all on the line for this fight...

I can't be adhering to the goddess pact rule of "not to help people for free."

I know. Though I don't feel the same way. I couldn't care less about that human there.

I just came here because the Heroic Spirits who fell at least once to my underworld asked me to carry them back up. That's all.

... (Come on, be calm! Play this cool. Just be cool!)

(Show your face this time! Show your face, Ereshkigal...! This is your chance to rebrand yourself as a cool goddess...!)

Seriously!? You've completely forgotten meee!?

？！

Well, whatever. Let's get to work.

Come forth, Heroic Spirits that have trained in Kur! I release you from your repair work in the underworld!

HaaaaaaAAAaaa! I'm baaack with a roar and ferocious flesh!

Sorry to keep you waiting, Fujimaru! Lancer Leonidas I is totally back!

King Leonidas...! Oh, also

Musashibou Benkei has arrived. Come, Lord Ushiwakamaru. Don't look away. Say something.

I know it's awkward, but I believe Fujimaru will forgive you.

No, it's not awkward. I wasn't really at fault.

Besides, that wasn't really me, anyway. I haven't been able to remember what happened in Uruk for some reason.

I'm going to use these Demon God Pillars to cheer myself up. When I return to the Throne of Heroes, it'll be like nothing happened.

Yeah... And now you're being silly. You look exactly the same as when you're trying to make excuses to Lord Yoritomo.

Our apologies, Fujimaru.

Normally the three of us should have disappeared, but since it was the Age of Gods, that goddess over there captured us.

Actually, our Spirit Origin has continued on since Uruk.

Yes, Ereshkigal forced us to... I mean, as a condition for us to leave we had to repair the underworld...

We finished everything we needed to, and we were ready to leave, but Ushiwakamaru negotiated with Ereshkigal.

"I don't want to leave like this. I'll commit seppuku if I can't apologize to Fujimaru."

And then threw a complete fit. Hahaha. Hahaha. Hahaha.

Ereshkigal, I'm offering Benkei to the underworld! Use him for hard labor for fifty thousand years and then throw him away!

Uh...no thanks. I don't need a stuffy-looking guy like him. He'd ruin the majesty of the underworld.

Hey, you guys! The battle's already started!

We can chat later. Let's get Enkidu and the Demon God Pillars...

Ereshkigal!? Why are you here!? And you look the same as before!? Didn't you disappear!?

Shh! Shh...! Don't say anything about that. It's just going to get more confusing!

It's true that I broke the rules of the underworld and fell to the abyss. But after that... What was it? I Rayshifted?

That's where... Fujimaru did... Uh... What was it...

In any event, stuff happened, and I came back with this Spirit Origin! Yep, that's all that needs to be said about that!

Anyway, I'll be leaving now! Try your best! Come and save me someday!

...She got all of my depressing side... I know she's a part of me, but she's kind of a pain sometimes...

Sorry, but please leave if you're not going to fight. Gorgon's and my aid will be plenty.

I'm not planning on competing with Ana, but that monster over there is different.

It didn't work out before, but it's different this time.

The enemy is inexhaustible. Large and pointless, and makes good target practice.

Why you little... You went to hell and got quite a mouth, I see.

Heh. I've seen hell three times. A fourth won't matter.

I didn't come back carrying my shame to search for a place to die. I came to help my lord's battle.

Let's go, Benkei! The two of us will open up a path for Fujimaru!

Yeah, leave it to me! I shall accompany you to the depths of hell!