[After spending a long and beautiful time in the Underworld with Ereshkigal and Tiamat, you discussed all plans and prepared for the future counterattack against the gods.]
[Bidding farewell to Ereshkigal and Tiamat, instructing Ereshkigal to continue tunneling beneath Uruk, you once again emerged from the highest mountain, Mount Ebih.]
[This time, possessing the Ultimate Being talent and the bloodline of the Fairy of Avalon, you could hear the mountain spirit's emotions. You witnessed the truth of Mount Ebih's destruction that day.]
…
The icy, gloomy sky showed not a trace of sunlight. The air, chaotic with magical energy, heralded the arrival of the Golden Age.
Fatigue, toil, and confusion filled his eyes, brimming with self-doubt and questioning. The mountain spirit named Mount Ebih couldn't believe, dared not believe, that the gods had truly exiled Tiamat, viewing their Mother Goddess as a formidable enemy.
"What... are you doing?"
"What... are you thinking?"
"Have you... lost all sense of morality?"
Born alongside the first-generation gods, the spirit of Mount Ebih had witnessed the world's growth and everything the Mother Goddess created.
Never imagining the gods would commit such an act of ultimate betrayal, the mountain spirit couldn't and wouldn't believe it.
But...
The exile of the Mother Goddess Tiamat had become fact. What meaning was there in living in such a world?
Not wanting to see this ruined world, not wanting to witness this fading world, not wanting to endure more pain, Mount Ebih quietly faded away.
Though its spirit remained, it was equivalent to a dead mountain.
This existence continued until...
"Eh? So you're the spirit of Mount Ebih? You look like an old man."
"Really, everyone says you're great, but you don't seem that interesting now."
With the development of the Golden Age, the Goddess Ishtar, beloved by the gods, excitedly came to see Mount Ebih. She found the mountain spirit differed slightly from the rumors she had heard.
"Yes, this old man is just a spirit who isn't great at all, very weak, very lost, very cowardly."
Smiling at Ishtar, Mount Ebih sensed the future in this child, 'If it were her, perhaps the Mother Goddess wouldn't have been exiled back then?'
With this thought, Mount Ebih began to converse with Ishtar, sharing his past experiences with this goddess who felt like a granddaughter.
"Mountain Spirit Grandpa, was the Diamond Age really that magnificent? I'd love to see it."
"Mountain Spirit Grandpa, how did Goddess Tiamat disappear? The first-generation gods all told me the Mother Goddess sacrificed herself for the world, but I feel something's not right."
"Mountain Spirit Grandpa... Mountain Spirit Grandpa..."
Finally, after a long time, having lived long enough, Mount Ebih sensed it… the end of the Golden Age.
The gods created the king named Gilgamesh. They wanted to unify all of Mesopotamia and then destroy it.
Only through destruction could there be rebirth, the vast land of the Silver Age, the nutrient for the named Golden Age.
As for the rest, the gods didn't care. Their eyes were always only on themselves, just like when they abandoned Goddess Tiamat.
This time, the gods prepared to discard all life in Mesopotamia to continue their advance.
"Ishtar-chan, could you do this old man a favor?"
"Mountain Spirit Grandpa, just say it. I'm the famous Ishtar! There aren't many things in this world I can't do!"
"Is that so? That's wonderful."
"Then, Ishtar-chan... please pierce my core, annihilate me from this world."
"Hahaha, no problem, of course... Wait, what are you saying, Mountain Spirit Grandpa? How could I..."
"It's alright, Ishtar-chan. You are the best child. If it's you, you can definitely do it."
"Go, seek the truth. Become the god you want to be."
Under the setting sun's afterglow, the tearful Venus Goddess destroyed the mountain spirit who had accompanied her for so long, telling her so many stories. The attack that pierced heaven and earth even made the day brighten.
Afterwards, following Mount Ebih's instructions, the proud Ishtar gave the reason that the mountain spirit was too arrogant, so she couldn't stand it. This further reinforced Ishtar's image of pride and tyranny.
…
[After witnessing Mount Ebih's memories, you understood everything. You also knew why you had felt a sense of release on this mountain before… Mount Ebih truly left with a smile.]
[And Ishtar, that tough-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside one, was quite interesting indeed. Worthy of being Ereshkigal's twin sister.]
["Long-departed Mount Ebih, the Mother Goddess has now returned. Don't you feel regret lying here any longer?"]
["Eternal Nation, without shame before heaven and earth… Rise!"]
[Under the King's Burden, Worthy of Heaven and Earth, you saw the path of 'Life'. Pulling Mount Ebih back from vanishing into the world at this moment, you saw that aged old man.]
["Why revive me, unknown King?"]
[Surprised by the many auras on you, Mount Ebih was tired. He didn't want to witness Mesopotamia's destruction helplessly again, like the passing of Mother Goddess Tiamat.]
["Mount Ebih, Tiamat has returned. I am here to change this world."]
[You told the Mount Ebih's spirit that Tiamat had returned. You trusted this spirit born in the Diamond Age… he was undoubtedly powerful, not inferior to second-generation gods.]
["The Mother Goddess... the Mother Goddess has returned? Is it true?"]
[Seeing the figure who created everything within the Underworld, the Mount Ebih spirit choked up.]
[Never imagining he could serve the Mother Goddess again, he declared that this time, he would never let any god harm this beautiful land.]
[Bidding farewell to the Mount Ebih's spirit, you emerged from the mountain on a completely different timeline from the previous simulation. But perhaps guided by fate, Ishtar once again landed near you.]
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... You! Why did you crash into me?"
[Holding her head, the pitiful Ishtar, just like in the previous simulation, expressed great resentment towards your presence, then demanded you serve as her divine attendant as compensation.]
[Differing from your previous refusal, this time you recalled the Venus Goddess who, despite having met only twice and spent barely two days together, remained neutral in the final battle.]
[Unlike Tiamat and Ereshkigal, your relationship with Ishtar was very faint. As the leader of the third-generation gods, she could have enjoyed everything, ascending to the peak of the Silver Age as the third-generation God King under the gods' expectations. But she didn't.]
[Based on a mere encounter, simply because her foolish sister Ereshkigal stood on the opposite side, Ishtar abandoned everything. Many third-generation gods followed her lead, choosing neutrality.]
[Admittedly, they didn't aid Uruk, but their actions were enough. After all, no one owed you anything inherently, and they had no obligation to dedicate everything for a nation of an old era destined to pass.]
[Even so, you felt content. Because upon returning, you knew that beneath this seemingly brash, proud, and tyrannical goddess's hard exterior lay a heart so gentle and lovely.]