Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King [153]

Credits: jhose abrego

"Hmm?"

As Alaric stepped down from the carriage, he noticed Gilgamesh pointing toward a towering building. However, before Alaric could ask why, Gilgamesh stormed off in a whirlwind of urgency.

This left Alaric standing alone, subjected to curious stares.

Following the direction Gilgamesh had indicated, Alaric naturally found himself standing in front of a tall, imposing structure.

"This is—"

Sensing the powerful waves of magical energy emanating from the building, Alaric raised an eyebrow.

Even from the outside, he could feel an intense concentration of magical energy converging within, radiating from multiple sources.

It was normal for individuals from the Age of Gods to have strong magic circuits, but the aura emanating from this place gave Alaric an instinctive sense of trouble.

"This is the residence of the High Priestess. Leave immediately."

As Alaric approached, the guards stationed around the building moved to block his path, intent on driving him away.

Seeing this, Alaric decisively grabbed one of the guards by the neck and rendered him unconscious before the others could react.

Although he had learned a suggestion magecraft from Da Vinci, Alaric lacked confidence in his magical proficiency and wasn't particularly skilled at using it.

Instead, he preferred utilizing the assassination techniques he had learned from the Old Man of the Mountain—methods streamlined into straightforward and efficient techniques for incapacitating human targets.

Effortlessly knocking the guard unconscious, Alaric used the opportunity to slip in unnoticed.

After spending some time navigating the halls, Alaric successfully infiltrated the residence of the High Priestess without alerting anyone.

Tap, tap.

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor as Alaric followed the trail of magical energy, easily locating the High Priestess's position.

What met his eyes was an unexpected scene—

"What is this?"

In a state of concealment, Alaric silently approached the High Priestess and her companions from behind, carefully observing the room.

The space was simple yet majestic, giving Alaric the impression of a ritual chamber.

Based on his years of experience traveling and conducting archaeological research—

This was indeed a place for rituals and a highly significant one at that.

What deity is worshipped here again?

Alaric didn't have an immediate answer. Instead, he quietly observed as the High Priestess and her attendants engaged in prayer.

The task assigned by King Gilgamesh could wait—Alaric was more interested in how the High Priestess of the Age of Gods communicated with deities.

The prayer, repeated countless times, once again filled the air:

"O Mistress of Harvest, Lady of the Heavens, Goddess who roars like a lion!

Please save us from our suffering, and grant us your radiant blessings!"

Their devout prayers, infused with magical light, poured into the stone altar. Intricate patterns on its surface began to glow, and a luminous liquid slowly took shape atop the altar.

It was at this moment that Alaric finally saw what lay upon the altar.

It was a nude girl with black hair, her slender figure exuding a youthful charm.

The slight rise and fall of her chest confirmed that she was still alive.

"This girl—"

Alaric was momentarily stunned as he took in the girl's features.

Unlike himself or the people of this land, the girl had the distinct features of an East Asian. Despite having never met her before, a name surfaced in Alaric's mind:

Tohsaka Rin.

A young magus from Japan, Fuyuki City—she was someone from the Fate Series.

Tap, tap.

Instinctively, Alaric stepped forward.

In that brief moment before the descent of a deity, his fingertip brushed against the sleeping girl.

Tohsaka Rin's eyes slowly opened, meeting Alaric's pale golden, slit-pupiled gaze.

Without exchanging a single word, Alaric understood it clearly—a bond had been formed.

In the next instant, Tohsaka Rin's eyes turned golden under Alaric's gaze.

A surge of divine energy radiated from her, forcing Alaric to take several steps back.

Suddenly, as if transformed into someone else entirely, the girl rose from the altar. Even though she remained unclothed before Alaric, she was completely unperturbed.

She ignored Alaric altogether and walked toward the High Priestess.

"Ah, at last... has the goddess finally answered us?"

Even the High Priestess disregarded Alaric, the uninvited intruder, and focused entirely on the revered girl before her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke.

"Ah, we have waited so long, Lady Ishtar. Please deliver us from the scourge of the beasts!"

With that, the High Priestess and her attendants prostrated themselves, pleading for divine grace.

Meanwhile, Alaric silently observed the girl's naked figure from behind.

The divine aura emanating from her made her elevated status unmistakably clear.

Alaric also realized what had just occurred—what the High Priestess had done.

A Divine descent.

Through the High Priestess's ritual, the goddess Ishtar had successfully descended by possessing the body of the highly compatible girl summoned from the future—Tohsaka Rin.

At this moment, the being standing here was akin to the Lion King—a true divine spirit.

But—

Why do I sense the presence of death?

It was the same sweet sensation of death that Alaric had experienced during his time with the Old Man of the Mountain.

Instinctively, Alaric activated the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—

And then, the change occurred.

The raven-haired, nude girl on the altar suddenly transformed, her hair turning golden. Though her figure remained the same, her aura and presence shifted entirely.

"!"

This is—!!

A surge of intense foreboding gripped Alaric's heart. His instincts screamed at him:

Run. Run. Run. Run!

Buzz!

Invisible divine authority spread outward, instantly enveloping the entire city.

What appeared before Alaric's eyes was the overwhelming presence of death—far greater than any he had ever witnessed. The golden-haired girl standing above countless deaths was like the goddess of the underworld herself.

Ereshkigal.

At last, Alaric remembered the true name of the girl—no, the divine spirit before him.

She was the Mistress of the Mesopotamian Underworld, the ruler of death and the dead.

A deity who shared a connection with the Lady of the Heavens, Ishtar. Ereshkigal existed as the Mistress of the Underworld in Mesopotamian mythology.

Because of their bond, when Ishtar successfully descended into Tohsaka Rin's body, the goddess of the underworld, Ereshkigal, was also summoned in tandem. Sharing the same divine vessel, Ereshkigal had divided the godhood, also manifesting through Rin's body.

The divine grace so desperately sought by the High Priestess and her attendants had resulted in the appearance of two goddesses in one form.

And in response to the High Priestess's prayers, Ereshkigal demonstrated her love for humanity in her way—

By embracing humanity through death, using death as a symbol of her affection.

To love humanity was to envelop them in the arms of death!

The gods and divine spirits of the Age of Gods are directly connected to the vortex of the Root, using it to exercise their inherent powers. Their strength is something that the current Alaric is completely incapable of resisting!

"Please wait a moment!! Goddess Ereshkigal!"

Sensing the almost irresistible power of death emanating from her, Alaric hurriedly called out: "Please, wait just a little bit!"

"Hmm? Hmm??"

After Alaric spoke, the golden-haired girl, Ereshkigal—who had maintained a cold expression all along—finally noticed Alaric's presence. Upon realizing her current state—

With a "thump," her small face was suddenly dyed crimson.

"Ehhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"