The Infinite Dragon God Cannot Find Silence

"Wait, wait... Priestess, please step back..."

Although Orpheus found it strange, he nodded and let the priestess leave. Then he looked at Enkidu, who also looked back at him seriously and placed his hands on Orpheus's shoulders.

"Ophis, listen to me, this is a very important decision."

"Do you intend to turn your back on the gods?"

Chapter 19 Two Choices

The incident may have been caused simply by Ishtar's meddling—Enkidu didn't bother to investigate why she was causing trouble.

But Anu, the king of the gods, who also agreed to this, also had the intention of testing Orpheus, the 'wedge'.

The choice was to summon priests and witches to pray, hoping to appease God and strengthen the bond between humanity and God amidst this farcical drama.

Alternatively, they could choose to defeat the gods with their own power, declaring that "the gods' punishment has been broken by the human king" as humanity's first step in officially breaking away from the gods.

This was a gamble by the gods, a choice given to Orpheus.

"Do you intend to turn your back on the gods?"

That's why Enkidu asked such a question.

Looking directly into Enkidu's emerald green eyes, even Orpheus couldn't help but take it seriously.

Orpheus may look foolish, but she's not really. Once she thinks about it more deeply, she understands what Enkidu is really asking.

Orpheus wasn't truly unaware of the responsibility for the 'wedge'.

However, although she knew this, she had never thought about it deeply. In her view, this so-called responsibility was just junk information like noise, and had no importance at all.

So she chose to ignore it.

But now, it's time to make a real choice.

There is no option to ignore it; it's a simple choice between two options.

However… Orpheus's thinking is also simple…

"Enkidu, you want..."

"Ophis!"

However, before he could finish speaking, Orpheus was interrupted.

"This choice has nothing to do with my will; it's something you have to decide for yourself!"

"..."

When Orpheus heard Enkidu speak to him in such a serious and determined tone for the first time, he fell silent.

She understood that she really had to make the decision herself.

However, this is also a very simple choice.

Although Orpheus prefers quiet, it doesn't mean she rejects battle. On the contrary, now that she needs strength to defeat the Great Red, Orpheus welcomes any training that allows her to grow.

And surely Enkidu wouldn't like a god who manipulates people so easily, right?

However… just as Orpheus was about to reveal his answer…

The light in her right eye flickered almost imperceptibly, and a series of images, seemingly from nowhere, were reflected in her vision.

The defeat of the Bull of Heaven... and the subsequent death of Enkidu.

"Waaah..."

"Ophis?"

Orpheus suddenly took a few steps back and broke free from Enkidu's grasp.

"Let me think about it first."

Enkidu was somewhat surprised to see the wavering that Orpheus never showed in his eyes. He nodded reflexively and then watched Orpheus slowly walk out of the hall. He scratched his head, looking a little lost.

"Was it because I was too hasty?"

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On a hill outside Uruk, Orpheus propelled himself with magical power beyond his control, ultimately crashing into the hill.

I just ended up here without thinking...

After calming down, Orpheus looked around in a daze, then pressed his hand to his chest.

My heart aches so much.

This is how she felt after seeing those clips.

Orpheus was not unaware of pain, but she had always dismissed it as an 'unnecessary factor' that would affect her thinking and fighting.

However, this time, it is impossible to ignore...

Is this the power of emotion?

Completely unnecessary burdens, offering no help in defeating the Great Red, and potentially impairing judgment and hindering oneself, are factors that must be discarded...

Orpheus could sense that, if he wanted, he could seal away most of his emotions... or even destroy them completely.

And it's quite easy.

Orpheus didn't know why she could do this so easily, nor why it was only 'most', but she knew that once she did it, all her troubles would be easily resolved.

However, the blood in her body was resisting this action.

The ouroboros is perfect, but she will no longer be perfect after losing her emotions.

Her infinity will collapse.

Most importantly, she had a feeling that if she really did that, she would inevitably lose something that was infinitely more important than feelings.

In the end, Orpheus couldn't bring himself to do it.

Now that he has awakened what appears to be clairvoyance, Orpheus has come to have considerable faith in intuition.

'Did you make it through...?'

In Orpheus's sea of ​​consciousness, Qi wiped away his cold sweat.

Does NMB even know how long it took her to cultivate this tiny seed of affection before it finally blossomed?

'Seriously...you scared me awake...but I can't hold on much longer myself...'

After confirming that Orpheus wouldn't actually do anything foolish, Qi fell into a deep sleep again.

Even after making a decision about matters of the heart, Orpheus still couldn't make a direct decision about the choice Enkidu offered.

Whether Enkidu's kindness towards him was due to replacing the original Gilgamesh, fate, or simply because he was too adorable, Orpheus could no longer ignore Enkidu's existence.

Her death... Orpheus could not accept it.

However, after receiving images of the future, Orpheus also developed a certain aversion to the gods in the heavens.

I felt very unhappy about simply giving in to their wishes.

However, Orpheus also knew that she only had one choice left.

She couldn't possibly let Enkidu really die.

She doesn't yet have the power to overthrow the entire Babylonian pantheon. For one thing, some god-kings are still quite active in this era.

Even... the ancient beings at the creation level haven't completely disappeared.

Orpheus's strongest attack is Ea, but the power of Ea... isn't actually that overpowered.

Ea is touted as a weapon against the world, not because its energy is actually strong enough to shatter the world, but because it has the concept of 'severing the world,' so it can directly attack the world itself.

In terms of sheer power, Ea is significantly stronger than Curry Stick when he's sealed, even with the same amount of magic power, but that's about it; there's no dramatic difference.

Overall, Orpheus's damage output is no match for that of the gods, and the gods probably can't kill him either... It's just unknown whether he has any means of sealing him away.

And who knows if gods might have an indestructible ability like Orpheus?

Some deities do not have the concept of death.

Even if Orpheus could use his infinity to destroy the gods, the price would be the entirety of Uruk and even Mesopotamia, and the time it would take would be enough for the gods to kill Enkidu.

In short, waging war against the gods is a very unwise act.

So, is there no other way but to back down?

Orpheus sighed inwardly, but for Enkidu's sake, it wasn't something he couldn't accept.

"Are you considering my affairs, King of Uruk?"

At that moment, Enkidu's voice suddenly came from behind Orpheus.

Chapter 20 Oath

"Are you considering my affairs, King of Uruk?"

“...Enkidu.”

Orpheus then realized that Enkidu had appeared behind her, kneeling on one knee, without her noticing.

Have I thought about this too deeply...?

Perhaps it's because I no longer have any sense of caution towards this person...

"what happened?"

Although he was stunned for a moment, Orpheus quickly recovered and asked.

"Is what you're worried about the death of this body?"

The air suddenly seemed to freeze.

Orpheus was completely taken aback by Enkidu's sudden remark... Well, she never expected anyone to say anything, but Enkidu's words truly surprised her.

Why...why would you know?

Enkidu gave a faint smile.

“I understand the nature of the gods better than you do. If I cannot stop your betrayal, then I am nothing but a useless piece of trash, with no reason to continue existing…”