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"Haha, so what if I'm being excessive?"
Ishtar burst into laughter, completely disregarding Enki.
"Do you really want to seize my followers?"
The Water God Enki's face turned unsightly.
"Ready to fight? I'm all in!"
Ishtar sneered contemptuously, summoning the sky vessel Maanna, which resembled a giant bow, as powerful divine energy surged around her.
Xu Zong sized up the divine power of Ishtar and Enki, comparing them in his mind, and realized that Ishtar's power was far greater than Enki's. Although this woman was arrogant and mad, as the goddess of war, her strength was indeed top-notch.
"Is this the power of a god?"
Xu Zong mused silently.
Seeing Ishtar brandishing her weapon, Enki's expression changed.
"Fine, fine, fine, we'll take this to the Father God!"
Enki, gritting his teeth, transformed into a beam of light and returned to the heavens.
"Tch, too scared to even fight, just running to tattle. Let's see who Father God favors more!"
Ishtar's face was filled with disdain for Enki, then she turned to Xu Zong with a smile.
"We had an agreement, Gilgamesh. After Enki's temple is torn down, you're to build mine!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ishtar too turned into a beam of light and disappeared, needing to confront Enki in the heavenly court.
"The temple will certainly be torn down."
Watching Ishtar vanish into the sky, Xu Zong narrowed his eyes.
"But as for rebuilding it, that opportunity will never come."
At his command, the heroic soldiers cheered and charged into the depths of Eridu, toppling Enki's temple. The king of Eridu, his face the picture of defeat, chose to surrender.
Seeing the king surrender, the soldiers laid down their weapons.
Before long, all of Eridu's population, under the watch of the heroic soldiers, were escorted to Uruk. In this era, the most important resource was not metal or food, but people.
The soldiers of Uruk easily took down Eridu, and the neighboring city-states were immediately filled with dread.
In this era, there were few city-states on the Mesopotamian plain, with the most famous being Nippur, followed by Uruk, Eridu, Kish, Babylon, and others.
Big and small, famous or not, there were less than ten in total.
The night Eridu was conquered, Ishtar sent a message through the new high priest, proclaiming her victory over Enki in the heavens.
This was an expected outcome.
Throughout Sumerian mythology, although Ishtar was a madwoman, almost all the gods were on her side. She was the darling of the Sumerian pantheon, even the great god Anu doted on her immensely.
"My king, it's terrible! The city's water source has been contaminated!"
The next day, Siduri came running in a panic.
In just one night, all of Uruk's water sources were contaminated. Those who drank the water were poisoned and died on the spot.
"Don't panic, this is within my expectations."
Xu Zong remained calm, as if he had been prepared.
"Summon the officials in charge of the water supply to the central courtyard's well."
In the center of Uruk, there was a well that led straight to the underground.
It was built long ago at Xu Zong's command. People of this era might not understand, but those from the future would recognize it at a glance as a water well.
However, this well was not yet functional, a deliberate choice by Xu Zong. Otherwise, if people understood its purpose, the concept of the well would spread and could be manipulated by Enki, who controlled fresh water.
"No one is allowed to enter here."
Xu Zong set up a maze around the well, then summoned a few heroic soldiers, instructed them on how to draw water from the well, and had them distribute it throughout Uruk.
In this way, the concept of the well would not spread, and Enki could not control the water within it.
If he dared to come to Uruk, then they would simply close the doors and unleash Ishtar!
"Gods are such a hassle."
Xu Zong scoffed, inadvertently exposing his people to great trouble. This was the tricky part about conceptual beings; they could silently strip you of your vital water source.
He immediately decreed that no one was allowed to worship the Water God Enki.
A god's power is linked to faith. With Enki's temple toppled, his power was surely waning. Once his followers dwindled to a certain level, he would die as well.
Having dealt with Eridu, Xu Zong did not hesitate to send troops to Ur.
The god of Ur was an easy target, known as Nanna, the Sumerian moon god. Although a moon god, Nanna was actually male and the son of the wind god Enlil.
Enlil was quite formidable, second only to the great god Anu in the heavenly realm. But Ishtar cared little for such power, relying on Anu's favor to act recklessly!
That day, the heroic soldiers of Uruk marched towards Ur. The guardian god Nanna didn't even show his face, and Xu Zong easily defeated the king of Ur, toppled his temple, and transported all the people to Uruk.
Nanna's power was very weak, weaker than Enki's, and he didn't even seek revenge afterward.
With the people of Eridu and Ur entering Uruk, the population of Uruk doubled overnight. Fortunately, Xu Zong had issued an expansion order six months prior, and the city-state of Uruk rapidly expanded into the surrounding plains. Initially, the people didn't understand the need for expansion, but now they praised the king's foresight.
After taking down Ur, the remaining three targets became more challenging.
The guardian god of the Babylon city-state was Marduk, Kish's guardian god was Ereshkigal, and Nippur's guardian god was the wind god Enlil!
The smaller city-states with only a few thousand inhabitants could be ignored. After some thought, Xu Zong chose Babylon as his next target.
Marduk was a formidable god, having risen to the head of the gods by defeating Tiamat, but that was a story for later, or rather, a later myth. At present, Marduk was not so strong; he was still a newborn god, and among the three, he was the easiest to deal with.
The tireless heroic soldiers headed straight for Babylon.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a giant axe, over ten meters long, fell from the sky and smashed into the plain in front of Babylon, creating a trench dozens of meters wide, killing many heroic soldiers instantly without a chance to fight back.
"Gilgamesh, how dare you!"
A young-looking god, full of murderous aura, appeared in the sky outside Babylon. He reached out, and the giant axe flew straight into his hand.
"Ishtar!"
Xu Zong frowned and shouted to the heavens without hesitation.
The next moment, a blinding light, like the Sword of Damocles, descended from the sky and struck Marduk. The immense light, like a planetary explosion, sent Marduk flying.
The goddess Ishtar, standing on Maanna, appeared in the sky with a defiant look, provocatively curling her finger at the young god Marduk.
"Ishtar, you wretched whore!"
Marduk roared in fury, charging at Ishtar in a frenzy.
Ishtar's expression darkened at the insult.
"A mere newborn god dares to insult me?"
With a grim face, Ishtar raised her arm high, and a golden planet suddenly appeared above her, crashing down on Marduk like a meteor. Marduk, refusing to back down, swung his giant axe to strike back.
In the sky, a tremendous magical tsunami rippled out.
Below, Xu Zong gave the order.
"Attack!"
The heroic soldiers, as if commanded, charged towards Babylon.
Babylon was clearly much more fortified than Eridu and Ur, with layers of magical arrays covering its walls. This city-state's king was far more capable than the previous two.
"Hum!"
Golden ripples appeared behind Xu Zong, and a short spear, shimmering with golden light, shot out, striking the city gates from afar.
In an instant, countless cracks spread from the point of impact, and in the blink of an eye, the magical arrays covering the walls shattered!
"Impossible, how could so many layers of magical arrays be destroyed so easily?"
"It's an anti-magic attribute! That spear has the effect of nullifying magic!"
"Damn you, Gilgamesh!"
The heroic soldiers pressed their advantage, blasting open the gates of Babylon and storming the city.
Xu Zong stood at the rear of the army, looking from afar at a splendid temple within the city, where a statue of Marduk was enshrined.
The golden ripples hummed to life once more.
This time, the golden ripples appeared directly above the temple, expanding to dozens of meters wide, and a massive sword was flung out, spinning like a top, crashing down on the temple.
"No!"
"Stop!"
The king of Babylon and Marduk in the sky cried out in anger.
The next instant, the giant sword smashed Marduk's temple to pieces!
Marduk's divine presence in the sky suddenly weakened, and Ishtar took the opportunity to smash a golden star onto his body, sending him flying back, blood spewing from his mouth.
"Ishtar, Gilgamesh, this isn't over between us!"
Marduk's angry roar echoed throughout Babylon, and then he vanished into light.
The citizens of Babylon watched their guardian god flee, feeling as if they had lost their faith, and the soldiers, faces filled with disappointment, dropped their weapons.
The heroic soldiers swarmed in, capturing the king of Babylon and his soldiers.
"Gilgamesh!"
At that moment, Ishtar descended from the sky, looking at him with a face full of surprise.
"I didn't expect you to be so capable. Now, among the main city-states, only the city-states of Ereshkigal and Enlil remain unconquered. By the way, is my temple built yet?"
"You think it's only been a few days?"
Xu Zong gave her a look as if she were an idiot.
"Even if work started immediately, a temple of the highest standard would take years to complete."
"The highest standard of temple?"
Ishtar's eyes lit up at the term, her smile radiant, no longer caring about Xu Zong's offensive gaze.
"Hm?"
Xu Zong suddenly furrowed his brow, looking towards the horizon.
"What's wrong?"
Ishtar looked at him curiously.
"Nothing."
Xu Zong sneered.
"It seems the heavens are finally stirring!"