—I'm coming with you, Enkidu-san! We need to bring a gift to say sorry!
"Fuhaha! This is what one calls 'collateral damage.' A necessary sacrifice for the conquest of the Underworld."
"W-Wait, what?! Ereshkigal?! She's here?!" Ishtar looked horrified. Had she really not known?
"I'm supposed to be the only divinity left in this land! Why is that gloomy, shut-in goddess manifesting here?!"
"That's because, Ishtar, when you were summoned, Ereshkigal was summoned with you."
The Magician of Flowers, Merlin, appeared in a flurry of petals, Kotaro at his side.
"We confirmed that the High Priestess who supposedly summoned Ishtar is dead. We assumed the strain of the summoning killed her, but..."
"The deity summoned was not a single entity. Isn't that right, Merlin?" Archer Gil smirked.
(You total scumbag.)
Merlin chuckled, looking as if he were enjoying a particularly good play. "The girl used as your vessel must have had a fascinating personality. Her 'goodness' and 'evil' were split perfectly down the middle. One side became you, and the other became Ereshkigal."
"Exactly! In other words—the Evil Ishtar! And the Good Ereshkigal! How fittingly elegant! Fuhahahaha!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING EVIL?! I'm the Good Ishtar! She's the Evil Ereshkigal!"
"Haha... quite so. Haha." Shiduri's laugh was hollow—the sound of a woman who didn't want to agree but didn't have the strength to argue.
—My heart goes out to you, Shiduri-san...
「In mythology, Ishtar and Ereshkigal are like cats and dogs,」 Olga Marie explained. 「Ishtar, the Queen of Heaven, once descended into the Underworld for no reason. She was stripped of her divinity by the Seven Gates and killed by Ereshkigal. ...It wasn't a friendly visit.」
"Yeah, so what?! I had authorities prepared to deal with her, but those damn gates stripped me bare, and I was dragged before her completely naked!"
"How pathetic," Gilgamesh noted.
"SHUT UP! ...She stabbed me to death with spears without a second thought. I've hated her ever since... But why is she back?! And in the Three Goddesses Alliance?!"
(She was too soft. If it were me, I would have torn your limbs off, thrown them into the abyss, and used your torso as a centerpiece.)
Setting aside Enkidu's terrifying commentary...
—Ishtar-sama, you really do hate her, don't you?
(Yeah. I wish she'd just perish already.)
「Ishtar, goddess of fertility, represents the Great Earth Mother of human life. In contrast, Ereshkigal is the Terrible Mother who represents human death.」
"These two troublesome goddesses are two sides of the same coin, born from the same divine essence," Gilgamesh explained. "The goddess who nurtures life eventually transforms into the goddess who symbolizes death. It's the same in Japanese myth, is it not? In other words—"
「If Ishtar was summoned, Ereshkigal was summoned as a chain reaction. And since they share the same essence, the world counted them as 'One Sumerian Deity.'」
As Roman, Gilgamesh, and Mary unraveled the mystery...
"Ugh... so wait, has she been secretly using this body this whole time!?" Ishtar asked.
"Whether you realized it or not, the possibility is high. Ereshkigal cannot leave the Underworld. To observe the world... using your vessel would be the perfect method. Likely while you were asleep."
Rikka nodded, a look of sudden realization on her face. "I see..."
"The scent of death in Uruk... it's permeating through the barriers. When people lose their strength, the Galula Spirits take their souls. King Gilgamesh's soul was likely taken to the Underworld via that dish."
—No, well, Ereshkigal-sama is innocent... the King just...
"I UNDERSTAND! But it's the perfect excuse to visit the Underworld! We'll surely need that goddess's power as well!" Quetzalcoatl added enthusiastically.
...So Quetzal-sama is part of the 'Enjoyment' squad too.
"Then there's still time! The King's body was only just placed in state! If we can liberate his soul from the cage of the Underworld, he will surely wake again!"
"Exactly! We cannot afford to lose my wiser self yet! Before he enjoys too much leisure in the abyss, he must finish all his paperwork! Oh, don't look at me. I only rule Chaldea! —The path is set!"
Gilgamesh (Archer) struck a heroic pose.
"From this moment, we descend into the Underworld to reclaim the soul of my wiser self from Ereshkigal! This shall make for a splendid addition to my epic! No need to fear the cold; I shall be your guide! Do not worry, I have visited the Underworld many times! Fuhahahaha!! Let us go and behold Ereshkigal's gloomy face!"
And so, the Chaldean party prepared to reenact a myth. They would join forces to tackle the 'Descent into the Underworld'—the very journey where Ishtar was once brutally slain.
—To save the King trapped in the abyss...! Please wait for us, Wise King! We're coming for you!
(Crap, this is a bad trend. I need to get out of here while I can—)
Having no good memories of this myth, Ishtar tried to slip away, but—
"Oh no you don't! Ishtar? You know the way to the Underworld, don't you? Then you're our guide! It's fine, Rikka-chan will win over the third goddess too!"
Quetzalcoatl locked Ishtar in a firm headlock. She thrashed, but the strength of a Lucha Master was absolute.
"Whether we win her over through words or through fists remains to be seen!" Rikka said, shadow-boxing the air.
"Yes! Everyone is eventually knocked down by Senpai's overflowing hero energy!"
"At least call me a heroine, Mash!"
「Don't worry, Rikka. Whether hero or heroine, you are just Rikka.」
"Stop talking about me like I'm a concept!"
(Ereshkigal... yeah. We pinned a terrible crime on her, but... I'm actually happy to see her again.)
(Enkidu, do you like Ereshkigal?)
(Yes. She is a very serious and kind goddess. I made sure to pay my respects to her as well.)
"HEY! You muscle-brained Latin goddess! Let—go—of—me!!"
"Well done, Sun Goddess! Don't let that useless creature escape!"
"It's the Underworld! A world that neutralizes any Heroic Spirit or Divine Spirit! Even you, 'Big Brother,' will be trapped there without exception! It's a world where Ereshkigal is the absolute law! Whatever you do, you'll be caught and impaled! There's no shepherd god Dumuzid to save us this time! If you die there, you don't come back! Why do you want to go to the Underworld so badly—!!"
—Because the King is there!
Ea answered firmly. Gilgamesh smiled, satisfied.
"Well said! A King rescues his people on a whim, but his people must always rescue their King! —However, I place one restriction on you, Ea."
—A restriction?
"'While in the Underworld, do not take a single step outside my vessel.' That place is not meant for souls to wander freely. —Observe my words, lest you become a living statue of ice."
(Don't leave Gil's side, Ea.)
—Yes! Let's go! To save the Wise King!
Dragging a struggling Ishtar along, the party set off for the road to the Underworld—
Kutha
「And so, we arrive at Kutha—the city where 900 people are said to have died in a single night, with Ereshkigal as its patron deity.」
"Ugh... if it weren't for Quetzalcoatl, I could have escaped by force..."
"Don't be so anxious. At worst, you'll just get impaled again. You may flee if you wish, though I only expect anything useful from Gugalanna anyway. A useless goddess is just baggage. Thanks for the directions. Now, get lost."
" (Twitch) —Fine! I'll see this 'Descent' through to the end! Only Rikka, Mash, Fou, and you are falling into the pit, Gilgamesh. Big Brother and Quetzalcoatl will wait here."
"? Why, Yucatan?"
"Divinity is useless in the Underworld. The weak remain weak, but the strong are brought low. The only god permitted to wield power in the Underworld is Ereshkigal. —Not even a Heroic God is an exception."
"Right. We can't have you going 'Don't mess with me, I'm not dead!' and rampaging back to the surface, can we? The laws of life and death are extremely strict. —Even for a god, once you die, you belong to the Underworld. Death is equal."
"Therefore, the Underworld has strict measures to restrain and humble gods. —If we brought Marduk's power there, we'd have to be prepared to seize the Underworld by force. We cannot take such a path."
"Even so, Ishtar-san, you once challenged the Underworld anyway. That's amazing."
"Mash... you're so sincere it's hard to tell if you're being sarcastic... I can't even get mad... I descended back then out of arrogance. In myth, I was spoiled, praised, and feared nothing. I laughed at the terrors of the abyss and challenged it with seven authorities. I thought there was nothing I couldn't do after conquering Mount Ebih."
"And the result was being brutally murdered after touching Ereshkigal's nerve. Truly pathetic, shallow, and foolish."
"I would have loved to see that! ¡Increíble!"
"Hmph. Say what you want. —Let's get started, Rikka."
"To the Underworld! It's got to be better than Hell!"
"Good spirit! I'll ride that momentum! Big Brother, don't help! I'm going to show you my full power!"
Ishtar flew into the air, aiming the sights of Maanna toward the [Earth].
"Hmph. This is usually Irkalla's domain... but fine. If you have the will to work, I'll leave it to you. I was starting to wonder why you were even here."
"You don't have to back off, goldie! I'll blow you away while I'm at it! —Maanna bow gates, loading Tide-Convergence Rounds! Output: one-third Lapis Lazuli isosceles! —Shatter the lid of the Underworld! Let the light of heaven pierce the sunless land! In short...! Get out of the way! I'm blowing a hole in the ground!!"
A blast of transcendent power was unleashed. It tore through the earth of Kutha, obliterating the structures nearby as Ishtar's full-power shot roared—!
"Ea, as I told you. Do not let your soul leave my vessel for even a second."
—Yes! Gil!
"Now, it has been a long time since I visited the abyss. I feel as if I've come here on the back of a joke, but... let us enjoy the ride—!"
And so, the Chaldean party plummeted into the Underworld.
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