Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King [155]

However, even Ishtar, who retained the utmost amount of goodwill, was still a foolish goddess who caused trouble wherever she went—

A rain of azure light fell, and a storm formed from countless precious gemstones.

Each gemstone contained the power of an A-rank spell, and the explosion from them was enough to leave craters several meters deep in the ground near Alarifc!

 Even Alaric would be injured by these attacks!

"What a troublesome goddess—"

Alaric didn't sense hostility from Ishtar—or rather, in Ishtar's eyes, Alaric wasn't even an enemy, just a mere human who had offended her. Thus, in her view, these punishments were necessary.

Crackle.

As the holy lance fell into his hand, a dark aura surrounded Alaric, with strands of crimson lightning entwined within, causing the air around him to instantly heat up.

Instead of using the opportunity to dodge the falling rain of light, Alaric raised his holy lance toward the goddess.

"Holy Lance, Release."

Words spoken like a self-hypnosis echoed from the depths of his heart, and a surge of magical energy poured into the holy lance from his palm. It did not connect to any mysteries—it was simply the pure radiance of Alaric's power.

The light of the stars burst forth from the spiral tip of the lance, radiating a lonely brilliance from the heavens above.

This was the purest application of Mana Burst. Just as Ishtar infused her gemstones with magical energy to attack, Alaric similarly poured his magical energy into the holy lance before unleashing it.

Boom!

 A pitch-black aurora burst upward, swallowing the azure rain of light in an instant before surging toward Ishtar!

"You've got some skill—"

Riding her Heavenly Boat Maanna, Ishtar easily evaded the oncoming beam of light, instinctively glancing back at the dark aurora.

For some reason, in that darkness, Ishtar seemed to see a reflection of herself. But before she could look closer, all she could see was a darkness that filled her with aversion.

Beyond that, there was nothing more.

It felt as though everything she saw was an illusion, and Ishtar quickly dismissed it from her mind, thinking no more of it.

"Hmph, let me show you the brilliance of a goddess!"

Floating in midair, Ishtar once again assumed a shooting stance—one that Alaric was all too familiar with.

"She's too high up, I can't reach—"

Alaric estimated Ishtar's altitude—about 30 meters high, with the ability to freely ascend and descend. Even if he could leap 40 or 50 meters, he would only have one chance, unable to sustain a prolonged aerial battle.

That left him with only one option—

"NIGERUNDAYO!!!!! (Run!)"

Crackle.

Crimson lightning flickered, and before Ishtar could fire another round of gemstones, Alaric turned and bolted.

Like a streak of crimson lightning, he darted across the hundred-meter street in an instant!

"Hmph, trying to run?"

Seeing Alaric turn tail, Ishtar smirked without hesitation. "Be a good human and accept the goddess's punishment!"

Whoosh!

 Thus began a game of cat and mouse.

With her aerial vantage point, Ishtar unleashed an absolute barrage of firepower, toying with Alaric below like a cat playing with its prey.

One massive crater after another appeared along the streets. Ironically, the city, which had been spared destruction by the demonic beasts, was now being ravaged by the divine punishment of the summoned goddess herself.

Seconds turned to minutes.

"Gemstones aren't created from thin air—"

While continuously accelerating to evade Ishtar's gem attacks, Alaric noticed that the gemstones weren't purely magical constructs; they were physical objects infused with magical energy by Ishtar for her attacks.

"If that's the case—" Alaric's mind hatched a plan. He glanced at the sky, where Ishtar was thoroughly enjoying her hunt, fully immersed in her predatory delight.

Choosing not to counterattack, Alaric continued running through the streets. The beams of light rained down behind him like cold, beautiful judgments from the heavens.

After three minutes:

"Huh? I'm out?"

Ishtar tried to fire more gemstones, only to realize she couldn't summon anymore. It dawned on her that the gemstones she had borrowed from the temple priestess had been completely used up!

And that meant—

"You've finally run out of gemstones, huh—"

Alaric's sinister voice echoed nearby, sending chills down Ishtar's spine.

It was like the feeling of being startled by someone sneaking up behind you while hearing a ghost story as a child.

 Even worse, the influence of the mortal body she had possessed amplified her reaction. Almost simultaneously with Alaric's words, Ishtar let out a scream.

"Kyaah!"

But Alaric didn't give Ishtar any chance to recover. Closing the distance between them, he decisively stowed away his holy lance.

Engaging in close-quarters combat, he delivered a sharp, unrelenting punch directly to Ishtar's abdomen.

The goddess who ruled the skies, Ishtar, was sent plummeting to the ground!

Boom!

 While uninjured, Ishtar's face was covered in dust from the impact, leaving her looking rather disheveled.

Before she could wipe the dirt from her face, the crisp sound of footsteps reached her ears.

It was none other than Alaric, who had also landed back on the ground!

Boom!

 A muffled sound rang out.

Ishtar managed to catch Alaric's strike with her hand. Although her body trembled slightly, she was now locked in a contest of raw strength with him.

In that brief moment of physical contact, Alaric sensed the vast divine energy and magical power surging within Ishtar.

The sheer magnitude of her magic was unimaginable to Alaric. Other than the Lion King, who had never unleashed her full power, Alaric couldn't fathom anyone capable of possessing such overwhelming magical energy.

In terms of raw magical power, Alaric was completely outmatched by Ishtar!

 Was this the power of a god?

 Moreover, Ishtar's physical strength was formidable, allowing her to engage in a direct contest of strength with Alaric without faltering.

Unlike Gilgamesh, whose god-like strength stemmed from his half-human, half-divine lineage, Ishtar's power came from the divine enhancement of the mortal body she had possessed.

Her strength was such that she could either match or overpower Alaric in a direct contest.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Alaric focused his gaze on Ishtar before him.

"Goddess Ishtar, I think—"

Whoosh!

 Before he could finish, Ishtar released his grip and launched a side kick at him!

As the goddess of war and destruction, Ishtar, combined with the combat instincts of her host, was no slouch in close-quarters combat!

Boom!

 The sound of pure physical impact echoed, stirring up gusts of wind and sand around them.

Just like before, Alaric caught Ishtar's leg with one hand, dissipating the force of her attack before it could cause any damage.

When Alaric seized the opportunity to counter with a punch, Ishtar responded in kind, her speed matching his perfectly.

Bang! Bang!

The successive impacts sounded like thunder. Ishtar not only demonstrated extraordinary physical prowess but also used a martial art.