Davidian's Holy Grail War

Ritsuka could also see that although it was a three-on-one battle, her side had no advantage whatsoever. Despite being a comedic character, she was surprisingly strong, which was quite an expected contrast.

Merlin agreed with him; although it seemed comical, that person was indeed an extraordinary Servant. However, their primary task was to first reach Ur and ascertain the situation there.

And just as Mashu said, they finally arrived at Ur after walking for about twenty minutes.

Judging from the size of the city, it is not much different from Uruk. In fact, Tomoe Gozen, who has good eyesight, can already see the people who still live here. It seems that the Forest Goddess has not harmed the people here.

Merlin briefly surveyed the surrounding environment before leading the group inside.

They hadn't gone far when they ran into a group of Ur people who had come out to fetch water, and their unease immediately subsided.

As long as the people of Ur are alive, there's no problem. The next step is to rescue them.

"Hello, we are from Uruk, and we have come on the orders of King Gilgamesh to investigate the situation in Ur."

Ritsuka took the lead in stepping out of her own ranks to communicate with the people of Ur. The people were surprised to see Ritsuka and her group, but they still warmly welcomed them.

“It’s great that everyone is still here. Although we’re only here to investigate, we’ll send a large-scale rescue team to King Gilgamesh as soon as we get back.”

Merlin also explained his plans, but this did not make the people of Ur overjoyed.

Instead, the leader among them bowed to the crowd and indicated that no rescue was needed.

They will not leave Ur, and the monsters will not enter this forest. As long as the laws of the Forest Goddess are followed, Ur will be absolutely safe.

Chapter 243 The God of Snakes

【Hate/h ...

Ritsuka turned and exchanged a glance with Merlin. They both understood each other's meaning in their eyes: Let's stay in Ur and see how things go; there's no need to rush off.

Several people also inquired about other situations, and Tomoe Gozen even asked why the people of Ur lived in cramped conditions here and never thought of leaving.

The woman in the lead immediately showed a look of terror. They could not leave Ur; if they did, they would lose their lives.

This dense forest treats both intruders and those trying to escape equally—it takes lives on equal terms.

Therefore, doing nothing is the best form of defense, and everyone understood this concept.

Now that the other party is willing to receive them from Uruk, they naturally have to stay for a day.

As dusk fell, the group met again. Merlin looked at Ritsuka, believing that Ritsuka had also discovered what he had found.

Since that's the case, why not ask this Ur properly tomorrow morning what's going on? If we can provoke the Forest Goddess to appear, that would be even better.

The peaceful night passed, and the next morning Merlin summoned all the surviving people of Ur.

He stood in the crowd and shouted, "I heard you don't need support. We understand that you can survive without resistance."

After all, this is a common tactic used by those who have given up on themselves. So... how many people were chosen to be sacrificed?

His last words sent a shiver down the spines of every citizen of Ur present. Merlin's words tore away the thin veil of pretense in everyone's hearts, bringing naked fear back to their minds.

"About one a day? I looked up Ur's population before I came here, and after a rough comparison, I came to the answer. The number of men here is really too small."

It is an obvious fact that the largest number of people in Ur are women, followed by the elderly, and then children.

It is unusual that there is such a small number of adult males in Ur, even though no battle has taken place there.

That's the best way to understand it: God demanded a sacrifice, and Ur satisfied God's request.

"There's no other way! In order to survive in Ur, living sacrifices are necessary!"

"Everyone makes their choices based on acceptance and agreement."

"Just send one person to the Temple of Elidu each day, and that demon will be satisfied!"

Such explanations arose among the crowd, suggesting that sacrifices were always necessary to survive, especially in such a chaotic era.

Who would want to do this if they had a better option?

"Is this your choice..." Ritsuka murmured to herself with a complicated expression. How could things have developed to this point?

Would the goddess of the forest really find pleasure in human sacrifices? It seems the old man was right; one should never condone such a person who harbors such joy.

Mashu, however, could not condone this approach. She shouted at the crowd around her, "Is this how you protect yourselves?!"

Tomoe Gozen and Kotaro remained silent; they had both witnessed the dark and cruel era. But deep down, they believed that Mashu, who could utter such words, was worthy of such a cry because of her purity.

"What do you outsiders know! You haven't seen that terrifying goddess, that's why you can say such stupid things..."

"Even if everyone in Ur came together, it would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and they couldn't even communicate. What more do you want from us!"

"That's nothing but a monster that lives in the forest, a monster that only knows how to hunt and kill!"

"Human relationships and ethics no longer exist in Mesopotamia; this is the only way for humans to survive now."

In this situation, let alone gathering intelligence, even communication is extremely difficult.

Even those who came from Uruk couldn't help but show a look of disappointment on their faces. How could they possibly take it any further under these circumstances?

Even they are powerless to save Ur from its current state.

"I'm sorry, it seems my words caused trouble." Mashu was well aware that her words had stirred up everyone's fear and anger, but no one would blame her for the current situation.

Rather, it would be more appropriate for her to say such things.

However, at this moment, a burst of laughter came from the treetops around them. Everyone looked in the direction of the laughter and saw the strange leopard-man servant they had encountered in the jungle standing on a treetop.

And judging from her excited expression, she had clearly overheard everyone's conversation.

"No need to worry about that, meow! The sacrificial offerings are all still alive. If I kill them, I'll be called an old-fashioned person! By the way, my favorite food is the heart of a hero~"

She stood atop the tree, looking down at the crowd below. Because of her arrival, all the citizens of Ur had fled back to their homes; to them, the leopard-woman was the embodiment of fear.

Then she leaped in front of Ritsuka, casually turned around, and continued:

"Those people have all been dragged to the Temple of Eridu for forced labor! By the way, I like birds, I like fish, and they eat people! Leopard warriors, descend upon this place!"

"Although I don't think this girl is the Goddess of the Forest, she is clearly related to her! Ritsuka, give the order!"

Tomoe Gozen gripped her naginata tightly, ready for battle. This time, she was determined to capture this strange Servant alive!

Ritsuka nodded, then looked around; the crowd of citizens had already dispersed. With Merlin by her side, Mashu could fight without restraint. It was a four-on-one battle, and their chances were high.

"Kotaro will hold them off, Anna and Tomoe Gozen will take the lead! Mash! You'll provide support, understand?"

Ritsuka immediately gave the order, and all four Servants charged out. She was already seething with anger, so she decided to vent it on the leopard-man!

However, even with four against one, they couldn't suppress the leopard-man in front of them. Ritsuka stared wide-eyed as the leopard-man ignited golden flames and thrashed back and forth on the battlefield like a real cheetah.

She swung that ridiculous, indescribable weapon and sent Mash flying with a single blow, then blocked Tomoe Gozen's attack, which was aimed at her with a pheasant-shaped sword.

The battle between the two sides became a complete stalemate, and even Kotaro, known for his agility, struggled to match the leopard-man's speed. Merlin realized at this moment that the leopard-man's divinity was probably quite remarkable; this guy was definitely not an ordinary Servant.

After repelling four more Servants charging at her with another attack, the leopard-woman was still able to stand up straight and wipe the sweat from her brow. One could even say she was in the most comfortable state, as if she had just finished a workout.

"I won't allow you to take the living sacrifice away~ All my efforts so far will be wasted, and Kukul will make me cry." With that, she raised her baton, pointed it at the crowd, and said...

"This is our world, the land of spiraling serpents. Humans who cannot discern the definitions of God, depart now!"

Chapter 244 Retreat

Continuing the battle will likely result in a stalemate... The opponent's speed and agility are extremely high. Our side lacks Servants who can forcibly control or restrict the opponent's movements. This situation is indeed dire...

Ritsuka had already compared the two sides in her mind based on the battle just now, and neither side had a way to win in one blow. Dragging it out would only be a waste of time, and the intelligence gathered this time was already quite good.

He turned around and called out Merlin's name, and Merlin immediately understood what he meant.

Ritsuka immediately beckoned everyone to come closer, and Merlin's staff struck the ground at that moment.

Petals drifted through the sky, and a pink magic sphere enveloped everyone, after which they all disappeared into the petals.

"Roar, they've already escaped? A wise decision, because..." The leopard-woman looked up at the sky as she spoke, a huge shadow swept over her head, and the roar of a pterosaur echoed through the dense forest.

The true goddess of the forest stood atop this enormous pterosaur, and in her excitement, she wanted to run out and meet the last Master of humanity.

But there's no need to rush. Even the Goddess of Warcraft is patiently refraining from making a move. Why should she, the goddess of the sun and Venus, be in such a hurry to meet those lovely people?

However, the little boy's voice was quite pleasant to hear, indicating that he was also a courageous person.

By the time Ritsuka and the others realized what was happening, they had already left Ur and were now on the road they had come from outside the dense forest.

Now that they've come out, they can return directly to Uruk to report this to the king. Hopefully, this will be news that pleases King Gilgamesh.

When they returned to the tower, David arrived just in time to report the situation on the North Wall to Gilgamesh.

Under Leonidas's training, the soldiers of the North Wall have made significant progress. Even without Davian, the North Wall's current military strength is sufficient to handle Tiamat's monster hordes.

After Ritsuka and her group finished reporting the events in Ur to King Gilgamesh, King Gilgamesh angrily punched the armrest of his throne, shouting that he wanted to see something so interesting too!

What is that leopard man? Just hearing about him sounds amazing. It's much more interesting than dealing with these tedious things in this dilapidated divine tower!

"Your Majesty, please make some. What's more important right now is Ritsuka and the others' achievements. After all, they came back alive and obtained a lot of information, which is a world of difference compared to before."

Siduri advised Gilgamesh to restrain himself, and Gilgamesh calmed down in time.

Gilgamesh coughed twice to bring the atmosphere back on track, then waved his hand magnanimously and praised:

"Indeed! In any case, thank you for your help with this investigation in Ur! Let's put aside the aid to the citizens of Ur and the issue of the leopard people for now."

Because this so-called goddess of the dense forest and the goddess of the northern monsters clearly have completely opposite plans.

Davidian was also pondering the information Ritsuka and the others had gathered. Leopard Man, Kukul, living sacrifices, the Land of Serpents… Really? No way!