[Humbaba]
In Sumerian mythology, Humbaba was the powerful divine beast that guarded the Cedar Forest and the Golden Capital. In the epic, the once-golden king, Gilgamesh, broke out in a cold sweat upon first seeing it. If it weren't for Enkidu's encouragement, the proud king might have been the first to fall.
But even after overcoming his fear, Humbaba's power remained at the pinnacle of Phantasmal Species. Not only did it possess strength rivaling that of the gods, but coupled with the seven great Authorities bestowed upon it by the King of Gods, it could exhibit some truly broken abilities within the Cedar Forest.
For instance, it could exercise the Authority of Judgment from the [God of Law, Utu] to temporarily strip Ishtar of her divinity. This was a special power granted to the guardian of the Golden Capital.
Therefore, at this very moment...
Early the next morning, faced with a surprise attack from the guardian beast Humbaba, Li Lin didn't hesitate. He scooped up the still-snoozing Ishtar and immediately made a run for it.
Are you kidding me?
Humbaba wasn't a top-tier divine beast, and it certainly couldn't compare to a weapon of war like the Bull of Heaven, which possessed the Authority of three creator gods. But it was still the privileged top dog of this territory. Li Lin had no intention of getting wiped out because of a moment's carelessness.
"NIGERUNDAYO~~!"
Li Lin's legs moved at lightning speed, his body disappearing in a flash like an arrow released from a bowstring. However, for Ishtar, who had just woken up with a bit of drool still at the corner of her mouth, this speed was pure torture.
"Hey, hey, hey?! What's going on? Why are you running?!" Ishtar, slung over his shoulder, yelled in utter confusion. She clutched her mouth, feeling like her stomach and waist were about to be shaken to pieces. Finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer. The violent jolting made her throw up.
Bleeegh~
And thus, a spectacular sight was born: Li Lin running at full speed, trailing a vibrant, multi-colored arc behind him...
Ennnn, the ancients were right after all. The vomit of a beautiful girl really is a rainbow. (smirk)...
...
A long time later, Li Lin stopped in a dense part of the forest. It wasn't that he didn't want to keep running, but if he did, Ishtar was going to kick the bucket.
At this moment, Ishtar's face was ashen, as if her soul had left her body. A transparent mochi-like spirit was even floating out of her mouth...
Seeing this, Li Lin gave her soft little butt a firm slap...
SMACK—
A crisp sound echoed through the quiet forest...
A visible ripple, like that on the surface of water, spread across Ishtar's bottom.
"Yaaah?! Wh-what are you doing!" Ishtar yelped, clutching her rear and glaring at Li Lin with a face full of shame and anger.
"Nothing, just waking you up," Li Lin said, spreading his hands as if to say he was only doing it for her own good.
"Waking me up? Isn't it your fault for throwing me over your shoulder without a word in the first place?" Ishtar was so angry she almost laughed. "I'm a goddess, you know? A goddess! Don't you know how to be a little more gentle?!"
When had she, the favored daughter of heaven, ever been treated like this? If she hadn't lost all her divinity, she would have definitely taught him a lesson.
"Alright, it was an emergency. Humbaba was chasing us with its fear aura first thing in the morning. I didn't have a choice."
"Hmph, couldn't you have woken me up gently?" Ishtar pouted, still indignant.
"Oh, so you'd rather I left you behind then?" Li Lin retorted, raising an eyebrow. "Or is this how the great goddess of heaven treats her savior? You know, I was fully capable of handing you over to Humbaba. After clearing my name, I could have left on my own. After all, you're the criminal, not me. If I wanted to leave, it couldn't have stopped me. But I didn't do that. I chose to run with you. And now, you're turning around and blaming me."
He spread his hands, an expression of disappointment on his face.
Ishtar opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but after thinking about it, she realized he was right. Her face flushed, and she turned away with a tsundere huff, muttering under her breath, "Hmph, you're always right. It's not like I wasn't suffering too."
...
Heh, got her.
A small smile formed on Li Lin's lips as he watched Ishtar's tsundere act. In truth, he had said all that on purpose. He wanted to test her reaction. The result was just as he expected. The Ishtar before him was completely different from the one he knew from the myths of his past life. At least, you could reason with her, and her tsundere side was quite cute.
"Speaking of which," Li Lin said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. "Are you sure you failed the theft? Or did you actually get something and just hid it from me?"
"From the very beginning, I felt something was strange," he continued, crossing his arms and studying her. "If you really didn't take anything, Humbaba would have just kicked you out. Why would it trap you here and refuse to let you go? Spit it out. What did you take? If we return it now, we might still have a chance."
Ishtar averted her gaze, her expression extremely unnatural. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't know?" Li Lin's eyebrow shot up. He closed the distance in an instant, pinning her against a large tree. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"
"Humbaba trapped us here but isn't attacking. It's obviously hesitant about something. Aside from our status as gods making it cautious, the only other reason must be that you took something from it. Now, tell me, you idiot goddess. What did you take?"
"..."
"I-I didn't take much."
Faced with Li Lin's close proximity, though his face was obscured by his black hood, Ishtar still felt an indescribable pressure. As a proud goddess, this was the first time she had ever felt such a strong masculine presence. Her heart began to beat faster, and a lovely blush crept onto her cheeks.
Li Lin: "......"
Why the hell are you blushing like a teapot?!
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