The Irish goddess immediately turned to see if she could still spot Tania. The Punic goddess stood completely motionless several meters away.

  “Tania?” Ana asked as she walked toward the red-haired goddess.

  Tania was standing there, trembling and sweating. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, and her skin had gone pale.

  “Let me go! Leave me alone! I didn’t know!” she screamed, still trapped in a state of shock.

  “Tania, what’s wrong with you?” Ana asked in alarm, grabbing her by the shoulders and trying to bring her back to her senses.

  “It’s useless, Morrigan. She’s trapped inside my nightmares,” a man’s voice echoed from afar.

  What Ana saw next left her frozen in place.

  A tall man stood there, his body wrapped in the still-bloody hide of a bull. Ribs and intestines protruded grotesquely from the bovine tunic of the monstrous god, whose face remained hidden.

  “I see Mahrem was no match for you. That’s unfortunate—but I have no interest in fighting you. My mission was simply to stop Tannit, the most dangerous of the gods who entered,” the terrifying god said calmly.

  “Who are you?! Answer me!” Ana shouted furiously, assuming a combat stance as she summoned her sword, Dyrnwyn.

  “Gurzil. Keres number two of Ares. A Berber god. I’ve known this girl since she was a child, and I know her weaknesses well. Right now, she’s facing her own trauma. I doubt she’ll overcome it,” the god said, turning his back on Ana and slowly walking away.

  “Undo this or I’ll kill you!” Ana screamed, slashing her sword and releasing a shockwave of dark energy that tore across the ground and struck the god—yet it did not harm him in the slightest.

  “Perhaps we’ll meet again someday, Morrigan—assuming you manage to survive,” Gurzil said before vanishing.

  “Bastard!” Ana shouted in frustration as she rushed back to Tania and began shaking her.

  “Tania! Wake up! You’re stronger than this! Wake up!” the Irish goddess cried out.

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  But Tania remained the same—pale, drenched in cold sweat.

  “Forgive me! It wasn’t me!” she continued screaming in terror.

  Her cries grew more anguished by the second. Then the Punic goddess collapsed to her knees and began to raise her power.

  The entire planet Mars started to tremble. Violent flames erupted from Tania’s body, forcing Ana to leap back to avoid them.

  “No, Tania! If you raise your power too much, time will move faster! This dimension averages our divine power—and yours is far too high right now!” Ana shouted.

  But Tania couldn’t hear her.

  The sky over all of Mars turned crimson, and pillars of fire burst from the ground like geysers.

  “Don’t worry, Morrigan. We’ll kill you both here so you can finally stop suffering,” a woman’s voice said from behind Ana.

  Ana turned and saw two women accompanied by a retinue of malakim.

  The first woman had tanned skin, pink eyes, and chestnut-colored hair. She wore a crown with horn-like spikes and a rather sensual suit of armor that barely covered her chest. A red skirt with two slits revealed her legs. She had white wings and wielded a sickle-shaped sword.

  The second woman was also tan-skinned, but with blonde hair and beautiful green eyes. She wore a smaller horned crown, her horns shaped more like those of a bull. She was dressed in a long blue gown that reached her feet, held up by a thin strap over her left shoulder. The fabric clung tightly, nearly revealing her right breast.

  “My name is Ninshubur,” said the blonde woman, raising one arm and placing the other hand over her heart as if delivering a proclamation.

  “I am the humble servant of the greatest warrior goddess—the Queen of Heaven, the Conqueror of the Underworld, the Destroyer of Mountains, the Morning Star, the Queen of Uruk and Guardian of the Me; the magnificent and exalted Inanna, also known as Ishtar! Keres number six of the great Ares!” she declared, gesturing openly toward the other woman.

  The first woman—Ishtar—placed her foot atop the shattered statue of a lion, planted her sword into the ground, spread her wings wide, and flashed an enormous smile.

  “Yes! It is I, the great Ishtar! Thank you for the applause, thank you!” the winged goddess proclaimed as the malakim clapped and cheered enthusiastically.

  “What the hell is wrong with this woman…?” Ana thought.

  “Morrigan, you must be thrilled to face me,” Ishtar continued.

  “Sorry, but I don’t know who you are,” Ana replied bluntly.

  Ishtar, Ninshubur, and the malakim all fell silent, their faces twisted with frustration.

  “How can you not know the great Queen of Uruk, of ancient Sumer? You uncultured savage!” Ninshubur shouted angrily.

  “I’m barely over five hundred years old. I don’t know ancient Mesopotamian gods from more than two thousand years ago,” Ana replied.

  “Ancient… me?” Ishtar muttered, her frustration boiling over.

  She turned to the malakim.

  “Men,” she said, “bring me the head of that blasphemer. And don’t worry about the girl throwing that fiery tantrum—the more she raises her power, the faster time will move. Leave her trapped in her nightmares!” Ishtar commanded, and all of them nodded.

  The malakim lunged toward Ana, who awaited them with her sword drawn.

  “Tania, you have to wake up now. Otherwise, Anpiel will die—and that will be yet another nail driven into your soul,” Ana said to her friend, hoping she could hear her.

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  The next part will be released at Monday.