Miracle Summoner

Compared to other mythologies, the South American mythological system possesses a fundamentally different nature.

Essentially, most deities in other mythologies are considered embodiments of nature—an integral part of the world.

One could view them as high-ranking spirits, simply existing on a higher level and plane than typical spiritual beings.

However, the gods found in South American mythology are different.

The divine entities in that region were not originally born of this planet—they came from the distant cosmos.

They were beings that attached themselves to asteroids, arriving on Earth through phenomena like meteors or meteorites, and survived by parasitizing living organisms.

In South America, people believed that illnesses caused by microbial infections were curses from the gods.

There were even customs of offering such afflicted individuals as live sacrifices to the gods.

Eventually, even mutated animals affected by such parasitism were regarded as gods—seen as creatures possessed by divine beings.

In other words, to the people of South America, gods were not all that different from microorganisms. These divine entities would frequently inhabit human hosts, using them as vessels to manifest on Earth, and even to build civilizations.

Because of this, the divinity of South American gods was uniquely characterized by a symbiotic or parasitic relationship with humanity. When the gods of other mythologies retreated from Earth to higher dimensions with the end of the Age of Gods, these foreign-born deities simply ceased activity, returning to the depths of the jungle, falling into slumber rather than departing.

In other words, the South American gods did not vanish after the age of mystery ended—they merely fell dormant.

Being alien species from beyond the stars, some of them were able to reactivate through special means even in the post-Common Era, continuing their activity for a while longer.

Thanks to this, South American gods essentially possessed the traits of Servants with skills like Independent Action or Independent Manifestation, allowing them to appear even in an era when mystery had faded.

Under such circumstances, summoning a South American god during the twilight of the Age of Gods was not difficult at all.

"The Goddess of the Jungle was awakened because of this, occupying the southern part of Mesopotamia, where she summoned an entire forest and took up residence within it."

At this point, Ishtar paused slightly before speaking again in a lower voice.

"As for the Goddess of Beasts, she is the most unusual of all."

Upon hearing that, Rozen spoke up without hesitation.

"The most unusual?" Rozen looked at Ishtar and asked, "How so?"

"She…"

Ishtar wanted to explain but seemed unsure how to begin. After a moment of internal struggle, she sighed and said, "In short, just know that even among us in the Three Goddess Alliance, she is the most unique—and also the one who harbors the greatest hatred for humanity."

"Although all three of us aim to bring mankind under our rule, the Goddess of the Jungle appears to have her own views and doesn't blindly seek to annihilate humans. I, too, have only been gradually expanding my dominion from the shadows. But she truly desires to wipe out every last human being."

Saying this, Ishtar added with a deep seriousness:

"Perhaps in terms of pure power, the Goddess of Beasts isn't the strongest among us. If the Goddess of the Jungle were to get serious, her divine rank might even exceed hers. But for you humans, that goddess is undoubtedly the most dangerous. If you encounter her, don't be overconfident. Absolutely—"

Before she could finish, Rozen interrupted.

"You're not about to tell me to run, are you?"

Rozen looked at Ishtar with a somewhat strange expression.

"Is that… not allowed?" Ishtar, clearly flustered by Rozen's gaze, tried to act stern.

"That goddess is truly dangerous. Even with Servants supporting you humans, you still…"

"Still very dangerous?" Rozen interrupted again, skeptically. "Are you saying this Goddess of Beasts is more dangerous than Altera?"

"…!"

Ishtar was struck speechless.

She had forgotten—standing beside Rozen was a Servant who even the gods of ancient times feared.

As dangerous as the Goddess of Beasts might be, compared to Altera, she was no more than a petulant girl.

After all, there were many gods whose divinity matched or exceeded that of the Goddess of Beasts. But all of them together had once been destroyed by Altera.

That alone made it abundantly clear who the more terrifying, more dangerous existence truly was.

Of course...

"B-But… that girl's power has diminished a great deal, hasn't it?" Ishtar muttered nervously.

"Compared to her ancient self, her strength has dropped significantly. If you let your guard down, even a single goddess can pose an enormous risk..."

"Is that so?" Rozen suddenly grinned, half-laughing. "Then why are you so afraid of her?"

Ishtar was completely at a loss for words.

Seeing this, Rozen actually felt a mischievous urge to tease her.

"By the way, I didn't expect you to give me so many warnings—and share so much intel. And here I thought you were also one of the Three Goddess Alliance."

Rozen teased, "Don't tell me... you actually care about me?"

That remark made Ishtar's beautiful face flush bright red.

"You…"

Rozen was clearly enjoying himself and tried to say more to tease her—

But Ishtar exploded first.

"Enough! I'm done with you!"

With that shout, Ishtar sprang to her feet, turned away, and stormed off—her face burning red.

Watching her go, Rozen was both amused and slightly reminded of something, prompting him to call out:

"Wait!" Rozen said, "Since we've come this far already, why not tell me the true names of the other two goddesses as well?"

At this, Ishtar halted in her tracks.

However, she neither turned around nor answered Rozen's question.

Because...

"That, I cannot do."

After taking a deep breath, Ishtar responded with that single line.

"You can't?"

Rozen was taken aback.

Ishtar explained:

"The Three Goddess Alliance is actually more of a non-aggression pact than a true alliance. Though we appear to be on the same side, each of us has our own objectives. All of us seek to rule Mesopotamia, and we're just using our own methods to do so."

Her tone grew serious again.

"So we agreed: whoever reaches Uruk first, kills the King of this Era, and seizes the Holy Grail from his hands—that goddess shall rule this land. The other two must either retreat or become subordinate deities."

Given that, none of the three could interfere with the others. They were bound to compete fairly.

Therefore...

"Under the terms of the pact, we cannot divulge any information that would put the others at a disadvantage—nor take any action that would harm them. What I've already told you was the absolute limit. Any further, and I truly might be struck down by divine punishment."

So said Ishtar to Rozen.

"If you wish to defeat the goddesses, you'll have to do it with your own strength, step by step."

"That includes me as well."

"If you intend to fight me—then come."

"I'll be waiting."

With those words, Ishtar ascended the stairs.

Rozen watched her departing figure, his eyes shimmering with subtle emotion.