Ishtar shone like the morning star in the dawn sky. Her hair had turned a silvery white, and so had her eyes. The goddess hovered above the ground, her white wings beating slowly.

  Ana, for her part, hefted her enormous sword Gram. It had a golden hilt with two dragon faces carved into it, and its pommel was a golden dragon’s head with red eyes. The blade itself was gigantic and pale, with a dark guard as black as night. The colossal weapon exuded dark energy shaped like raven feathers.

  In that moment, Ana felt Epona’s energy nearby.

  “Guys, I found it—I found Areophagus. I need your support for the final battle,” the Irish goddess heard inside her mind, in Epona’s clear, concise voice.

  “Well, that’s embarrassing. Epona achieved her goal, and I’m still stuck here in a fight,” Ana said with a smile.

  “Don’t worry, Ana. I’ll finish you very soon,” Ishtar said as she began to rise into the firmament, a rainbow forming behind her.

  Once she was positioned above, she pointed her ivory-bright sickle at the Irish goddess.

  “Incredible, Lady Ishtar… will you use that technique?” Ninshubur asked excitedly, staring at her mistress.

  “Farewell, Ana,” Ishtar said, sweeping her sickle as the rainbow arced behind her.

  At once, multiple swords made of white light began to appear beside the goddess, arranged like a carousel. At the same time, the sky darkened—and the planet Venus loomed close behind the rainbow.

  “Inannamul Zalag Shegh (Lightning shower from the planet Venus),” Ishtar said, and the countless swords became beams of light that fell like lightning toward the ground.

  Ana shouted, “Crág Dubán (Dubán Shield)!”

  From her wings, her legendary shield appeared, and she placed it above herself to block the Mesopotamian goddess’s attack.

  “This time, your shield won’t save you!” Ishtar screamed, as Ana saw her shield begin to crack under the relentless rain of blades.

  Ana tried forming multiple shields with her wings, but they fractured as the storm grew more intense—until they shattered.

  Yet just before Ana could be fully struck, she swung Gram, releasing a dark gust that deflected the spears of light. She tried to escape by turning into ravens—

  —but the ravens began to fall one by one. No matter where she fled, the rain did not end. Ana returned to her human form, kneeling on the ground. She covered her head with her hands, her wings straining to endure the barrage of light that pierced her body like needles.

  “I… will not… lose… here!” she roared, forcing herself upright through the storm, even as the lights stabbed through her flesh.

  “How is she enduring this? It’s sacred power, and she’s a Saturn!” Ishtar wondered, still sustaining the attack.

  Then Ishtar aimed her sickle at Ana and cried, “Tir-An-Na Tedeti (Attack from the Rainbow)!”

  Like a meteor, the so-called Queen of Heaven plunged toward Ana, descending upon the Martian surface while radiating a surge of white light. The impact unleashed a massive explosion that spread in every direction, forcing Ninshubur to shield her eyes.

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  To everyone’s shock, Ana stopped Ishtar’s dive by bracing Gram as a guard—one hand gripping the hilt, the other gripping the blade. The force gouged a massive hole beneath Ana’s feet.

  Both goddesses clenched their teeth from the strain. Then Ana shoved forward, driving Ishtar back, and seized Gram properly by the hilt—unleashing an immense slash.

  The energy from that cut seemed to carve Mars from end to end, splitting the ground beneath them and forming a vast cliff. Though it struck Ishtar, it did no damage due to her transformation.

  Ana immediately leapt after her, attacking again with Gram. Ishtar raised her weapon to defend—

  —but her sickle was severed in two on the first blow, and Ishtar was split along with it. A violent explosion erupted behind her from the grotesque force of the strike.

  Ishtar restored herself at once, thanks to her ability.

  Ana kept pursuing her, sword drawn.

  The eight-pointed star burned on Ishtar’s forehead as she screamed, “Zi-sha-ghal Nigh-si-sá (Divine Justice)!”

  The sky—cleared after the earlier attack—now flared white. Ishtar formed a sphere of energy between both hands and hurled it at Ana. Venus appeared behind Ishtar, enormous and brilliant.

  Ana tried to cut the sphere—

  —but it exploded in her face. She was thrown backward, still holding her sword up as a shield.

  “Not yet!” Ishtar shrieked. With both hands she formed blades of energy and launched them in rapid succession while chanting, “Shu hul Kur dú (Mountain Destructor)!”

  The blades were too fast to dodge. They began carving Ana’s body—yet the Irish goddess gathered herself for another massive strike. She spread her wings and lunged.

  Her blow landed cleanly.

  Ishtar was hurled at incredible speed across to the far side of Mars and slammed into the dimensional wall—still uninjured thanks to her transformation.

  Ana followed, drove her sword down vertically, and struck Ishtar, blasting her toward the Martian ground like a spear.

  Mars shook violently. Ishtar’s impact formed an enormous crater.

  Ishtar lay in the crater—yet she remained unharmed.

  Ana felt a spike of frustration. Her attacks weren’t doing anything.

  No… I have to drain her manná until that stupid transformation collapses, Ana thought.

  Ishtar smiled, calm as ever.

  “Aratta Anzakár (Tower of Aratta).”

  A colossal blue-and-white tower erupted from the ground, imprisoning Ana inside it.

  It resembled a ziggurat: a trapezoidal base with two white stairways. Above it rose an enormous spire that climbed until it reached the dimensional wall—the highest point possible.

  “This is the Tower of Aratta. No one can destroy it. You’ll stay there until you admit defeat!” Ishtar shouted.

  Ishtar stood tall—then felt a small pain where Ana had struck her earlier. She touched the spot, looked at her hand, and saw fresh blood.

  Her transformation was no longer healing her.

  Summoning the magnificent tower had drained too much of her manná. Her sacred form was failing—meaning her wounds would no longer instantly mend.

  Then the tower split diagonally in half, the upper portion collapsing—only to vanish as the structure dissolved.

  Ana had cleaved the Tower of Aratta in two with Gram.

  Her forehead was streaked with blood; it was clear her ichor was running thin as well.

  “Impossible! She destroyed my best technique!” Ishtar said, staring in disbelief at Ana’s power.

  “Indestructible? Don’t make me laugh,” Ana laughed, emboldened now that Ishtar looked close to defeat.

  Ishtar tried to invoke another technique—“Sagh-gaz Galla aka”—but nothing happened. Her manná was nearly empty. She couldn’t call forth more.

  Then Ishtar’s sacred transformation finally collapsed, and she dropped to her knees, overtaken by dizziness.

  Ana unleashed a furious barrage of slashes with Gram. Ishtar, with her remaining ichor, managed to reattach her sundered body and dart away from Ana’s violent strikes. At last, she landed atop a mountain, standing before Ana—who came flying in at full speed, sword raised to cleave her again.

  “This is bad… this is bad,” Ishtar muttered, teeth clenched. “Fine. If I’m going to lose, I’ll do it with style”

  The Mesopotamian goddess pressed her legs together and raised her arms in a ‘V,’ palms open.

  Ana mistook it for surrender and halted abruptly.

  “I haven’t surrendered, Ana. And that was your biggest mistake in this fight,” Ishtar said. And then she repeated the mantra:

  “éd Bar Kur (Descent into Hell).”

  Ana watched as Ishtar’s skin turned a milky white. Her legs began to become the legs of a bird of prey. Her wings darkened to the color of night, as did her hair. Ishtar’s eyes turned red, and owls appeared behind her like ghostly illusions.

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