From the pit where the offerings had been sacrificed, thousands of evil spirits burst forth. They surged in like a tidal wave and began slaughtering the giants. The bodies of giants torn apart by the spirits began to boil, rapidly decaying and melting away. The giants concentrated around the city wall started to fall like straw before the invincible legion of evil spirits. The spirits could not be harmed by attacks, ignored defenses, and spread lethal corruption.

  As the evil spirits swarmed over the goddess’s body like ants, her mountain-like form was torn apart, gnawed away, and began to rot and melt.

  (Kraaaaaah!)

  Ishtar struggled violently to shake off the spirits, but they did not fall away even slightly. Seeing the flailing goddess, Elaton dashed forward like lightning and slammed his body into her foot. Reeling from the impact, the goddess tilted heavily before crashing backward, smashing buildings as she fell.

  Her flesh, eaten away by the spirits until bone was exposed, began to shrink little by little. At last, returned to her original size, she was dragged by the spirits toward the pit where sacrifices had once been offered. In her final moment, she let out a dying scream and vanished into the bottomless hole of death.

  (Did you not… did you not love me! Kraaah!)

  Along with the goddess, the legion of death was sucked into the pit and disappeared. When everything finally vanished, the darkness lifted and sunlight poured down.

  The ability to command the invincible legion of evil spirits— that was Azael’s power.

  With Ishtar’s death, the citizens who had been transformed into giants returned to their original forms. The slaughtered giants reverted into human corpses, and the survivors, suddenly naked, checked their bodies before spotting the five men and women and fleeing in panic.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  After a brief silence, the slaves who had fled returned and cautiously gathered around them. One by one, they prostrated themselves and bowed.

  “Well… this is embarrassing.”

  Tamar, who had regained consciousness, scratched her head awkwardly. Azael, having expended himself rather excessively, collapsed heavily onto the ground. Riana, possessing Ella’s body, used her power to heal the injured slaves. Eshiel, apparently uncomfortable with the awkward atmosphere, leapt lightly back onto the city wall.

  Elaton spotted Ishtar’s massive staff lying on the ground and lifted it. It was a black staff taller than a man.

  “Tamar, this looks like it belongs to you.”

  At Elaton’s words, Tamar sent vines to wrap around the staff. Covered in vines, the staff gradually shrank to a size perfect for her to hold. As soon as she grasped it, rain suddenly began to fall. It was not the torrential rain of Ishtar’s time, but a gentle drizzle.

  “Haha… this is interesting.”

  After finishing the healing, Riana approached her brothers.

  “I’m going to sleep now. When I wake up, let’s talk about everything we’ve missed.”

  As Riana’s soul fell asleep, Ella slowly collapsed. Elaton quickly stepped forward and caught her in his arms. He laid her down carefully and spoke to the slaves.

  “There are no soldiers or goddess left to bind you. You are free to return to your homes.”

  They rose, bowed once more, and slowly dispersed, leaving the city. The citizens of Eridu hid inside their homes. Having realized the goddess’s death, they feared retaliation and dared not stop the slaves.

  After a while, Ella awoke. As memories of her moment of death surfaced, she clutched her side and gasped for breath. When Azael approached and gently tried to touch her shoulder, she roughly knocked his hand away. Ella glared at him with eyes burning with hatred and rage.

  A flustered Azael explained.

  “The evil goddess Ishtar is dead. What happened to your family is tragic. But your revenge has been fulfilled.”

  Trembling violently, Ella spat out the curses she had been unable to finish before dying. As she showed signs of panic, Azael looked toward Tamar. Tamar sent vines to wrap around her, and Ella gradually fell asleep.

  Elaton carried her on his back as the group prepared to leave. The drizzle had stopped, and a clear sky was revealed. When they disappeared, a rainbow bloomed across the sky of Eridu.