What Remains
Marduk fell.
His lower half was nowhere to be seen, and nearly half his upper body had vanished as well. Naturally, the wings of light that had bloomed from his back had long since disappeared. Without even the strength left to keep himself aloft, he simply plummeted endlessly toward the earth.
I lost.
The quality of their techniques may have been equal, but in terms of raw output he had been completely overwhelmed. It was a perfect defeat with no room for excuses. And this was the result.
He no longer had any energy left, so regeneration would not take hold. Death, which had once seemed as if it would never come, now stood right before him.
And yet—why didn't he feel all that bad about it?
Fear and unease weren't entirely absent, but a sense of relief was stronger. Because he had poured everything out for the first time, not a shred of regret remained.
Well, I had fun, so I guess that's enough?
He was sleepy. A heavy drowsiness was consuming Marduk. The end was drawing near.
Marduk was about to yield and quietly close his eyes—until someone seized him by the scruff of the neck.
"You…"
It was Sunya.
Seen up close, Sunya was in no better shape. One arm had been blown off, his left eye had burst and was weeping tears of blood, and his skin was twisted red from burns and the like. But even those wounds were gradually regenerating, which suggested he still had some strength remaining.
"What are you smiling so contentedly about? It's unpleasant."
"You picking a fight?"
"I was simply sharing an observation. I didn't care for the way you were accepting death so freely after losing a fight."
"What?"
"If it bothered you, you should have won."
"…Fine. Mock me all you want. You won, after all. Taunting the defeated is a victor's privilege."
"If you put it that way, then I won't particularly decline, Mr. Loser."
Marduk furrowed his one remaining eyebrow.
"…But why the sudden formal speech? And why are you closing your eyes for no reason?"
"For a loser, you sure have a lot of questions."
"…"
"If you want to know, win next time. I'll tell you then."
"Next time?"
Strange. It was as if the other party was speaking as though he intended to spare Marduk's life. Marduk wondered if there was some scheme, but decided to keep it simple.
"You're saying that after looking at the state I'm in?"
"Do you know my name?"
He didn't. Even after fighting so hard, he had never even heard his opponent's name. But he was about to die soon—did he really need to know now?
"I'm going to die anyway, so what does a name matter?"
"Shouldn't you know the name of the one who handed you defeat, so you can challenge him again later?"
"Challenge again?"
"So you were planning to end it just because you lost once? My, I already knew you were young, but it seems your will is frail as well. Giving up after a single loss. At this rate, I feel like a fool for being so pleased about defeating a reasonably strong opponent."
"No, seriously…"
Mocking the defeated might be fun, but wasn't this going too far? At this point, even Marduk, who had been ready to accept his end quietly, was starting to get irritated.
"What the hell are you trying to say?"
"I just wanted to tell you not to give up."
What was this now? As Marduk looked confused, Sunya continued.
"You hit pretty hard, you know. Thanks to that, I had quite a bit of fun for the first time in a long while. It was very enjoyable. Enough that I'd like to thrash you again sometime if the opportunity arises."
"…You crazy bastard."
"Isn't 'crazy bastard' better than 'loser'?"
"You little shit!!"
Marduk, who had seemed on the verge of death, finally exploded.
"Hang on with everything you've got. Even frail humans often overcome death through sheer will. You wouldn't say you can't do something that humans can, would you?"
"…What's a human?"
Marduk had been sealed away around the time the world was first created, so he knew nothing of humans. For his sake, Sunya explained the creatures called humans simply and easily.
"They are the weak ones. Most don't even live a hundred years. Fragile as mere flowers, easily trampled, and even if they survive, they eventually wither—pitiful beings who nonetheless strive to overcome their fate."
"…You're comparing me to creatures like that?"
Just from the description, he couldn't quite grasp how weak they were. Having lived as a powerhouse from birth, Marduk found it all the more so. And the fact that he was supposedly inferior to them rankled him.
"If you don't want to be compared, you'll have to try a little harder."
"…"
Marduk still couldn't understand what Sunya was trying to say. But unlike before, he no longer wanted to quietly accept death.
He wanted to live. He wanted to live and fight again. He wanted to repay the humiliation he felt right now.
"Those are good eyes. Fortunately, others are coming, so you might actually survive."
"…I am Marduk."
"I see."
"What's your name?"
"Sunya."
And so the two exchanged belated introductions.
Not long after, just as Sunya had said, the gods who had learned the battle was over came rushing from afar.
"Are you okay, Sunya? You're not hurt anywhere?"
The first to arrive was Inanna, followed by Enki. Then Sunya and Inanna's children and the other gods gathered around them.
"What is this? Your handsome face is all ruined!"
"Haha, don't worry. Something like this will heal right up after a little rest."
"Even so!"
Inanna wore a tearful expression, and Sunya tried hard to reassure her. Though decades had passed since their marriage, the couple still made others' faces twist with their displays of affection. Among them was their daughter Nanaya.
"…This is a bit awkward to say, but could you perhaps hand over that thing you're holding? Ugly as he is, he's still my son."
Enki cleared his throat uncomfortably and pointed at Marduk.
"Of course."
"…Thank you."
Receiving his son from Sunya, Enki placed Marduk inside a massive water droplet. Then, little by little, Marduk's body began to recover.
"Thankfully, he's not dead yet."
Even Enki, the god of magic and wisdom, couldn't save someone whose corpse had been damaged this badly. The reason he was recovering in the water droplet was because Marduk was still alive—and at the same time, because the will to live still remained in him.
"Damn father…"
"I'm sure you have a lot to say, but rest for now. Once you sleep and wake up, all your injuries will be healed."
"Why? Planning to lock me up again?"
"…I'll do my best not to this time. I swear it on my name and my life."
"…"
Marduk soon lost consciousness. Enki let out a sigh of relief and bowed his head to Sunya.
"Thank you for showing mercy in your hand."
"That's creepy, so please speak as you normally do."
"If that's what you want."
Enki felt conflicted, yet there was one thing he couldn't help but ask Sunya now.
"I'm hardly in a position to ask this, but… what do you plan to do from now on?"
Enki's question carried many meanings. Having turned the divine realm upside down, there was no way he could return to life as before. Moreover, Sunya had attempted—though unsuccessfully—to kill the King of Gods. It wouldn't be strange at all to charge him with treason and take his head right now. Setting aside whether that was even possible, of course.
"I don't know. I acted on emotion myself. Could you wait a little while?"
"Very well. It's not as if there's anything we could do even if we didn't wait."
Enki nodded quietly. No matter how exhausted Sunya was, subduing him would require accepting considerable casualties. Moreover, Inanna beside him—and their children as well—would hardly stand by quietly.
Having thus struck a brief peace agreement, Sunya turned to Inanna.
"I'm tired. Shall we head home for now?"
"Yeah."
Sunya and Inanna took each other's hands and returned to the palace where they lived. Their children followed their parents at a distance, prepared for any unforeseen situation.
"Mm, I'm tired. Could I lean on you for a moment?"
"As much as you want."
"Thank you."
Sunya leaned his body against Inanna's shoulder. Naturally, Inanna showed not the slightest sign of strain supporting a man larger than herself.
"I'm sorry, Sunya."
As they continued walking, Inanna spoke.
"For what?"
"For failing to protect the things you hold dear."
"…I actually think it's fortunate that you weren't hurt, Lady Inanna."
He meant it. Sunya cherished Inanna more than anyone. Had anything happened to her, he would not have been able to control himself to the end.
Suddenly he looked back. There, his sons and daughters were watching him with worried faces.
"Still… I didn't lose everything like I did back then."
"What?"
"It's nothing."
Sunya offered a meaningless smile.
And so that long, long day came to a close.