Ereshkigal

Not to be outdone, Lion Saber glared back angrily.

"Where did you come from, you silly cat? What's with that human? Where did he come from? What's he going to do? I don't really care, but I'll tell you anyway," Panda Jeanne d'Arc asked, arms crossed.

Seeing this, the little lion became even angrier! It roared, "This is none of your business! Shirou is my master now! You panda, don't come any closer! Get as far away from me as you can!"

Panda Jeanne d'Arc, grinned, revealing her sharp teeth. She slammed the bamboo she was holding onto the ground, stood up, and said, "Ha! What? You're the ones who trespassed on my territory! Look closely! Isn't that tiger over there the one who came to steal my bamboo?!"

"Gah!" Feeling guilty, Fujimura the little tiger quickly threw the bamboo spear behind him and hid behind Shirou's legs.

At this moment, Panda Jeanne d'Arc raised her eyes slightly and met Shirou's smiling hand and waving in her direction. When their Shirou met, she blushed and quickly looked away.

Composing herself, Panda Jeanne d'Arc continued:

"Since it's on my territory, it's my property! That human over there is called Shirou, isn't he? He's nothing special, but I'll take him!"

'What are you saying, you panda?! Shirou isn't anyone's prey, he's mine!'

The little lion and the panda were arguing fiercely in animal language. Lion Saber raised a bone club made of manga meat, and sparks flew from the mouth of the silver-haired little panda. A great battle was about to break out!

At that moment, two hands reached out from behind, lifted the two small animals up at the same time, and placed them on either side.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Because he often deals with altered characters, the irritable Artoria and Jeanne d'Arc are already quite adept at arguing. Now, even as a primary school student, Shirou finds it easier to deal with the two baby-sized creatures.

"Gah! Gah!" The little lion, lifted up, waved its paws and cried out, "Shirou, get out of the way! This is a matter of honor for the King of Beasts! How can the mighty Lion King be looked down upon by a panda rolling around on the ground!"

"Here, this is for you." Shirou handed the snacks he had prepared the night before to Lion Saber.

"..." The little lion held the meatball, revealing a peaceful and happy expression.

That leaves only the other side to deal with.

"Woof woof woof!!" The black and white panda barked threateningly, saying fiercely, "Human! Don't think that just because your eyes are pretty, you can suddenly come close to me and burn you! I really will burn you!"

Shirou wasn't worried about getting hurt at all. After all, pandas were so gentle and cute, and since it had made a connection with Jeanne d'Arc, it meant it couldn't be a bad child. So he crouched down, facing the Panda Jeanne d'Arc, and softly said:

"Okay, don't be angry. No one here will hurt you, so calm down and let's be friendly. I actually came here to make friends with the cute pandas."

"... woo woo... chirp chirp" Panda Jeanne d'Arc gazed into Shirou's friendly and sincere eyes, and was so captivated that she quickly turned her head away. But after a while, she couldn't help but turn her head back to peek over there, only to see him smiling at her.

"Yes, these are meatballs as a gift. I don't know if they'll suit your taste." Shirou took out the meatballs and handed them to the girl.

Pandas are omnivores. Zoo pandas are fed bamboo, which looks much more appealing, to prevent disease, maintain their image as a source of revenue and cuteness for children, and to contribute to world peace and stability. Bamboo shoots are given as rewards and snacks, at least during exhibitions.

However, wild pandas are not so picky; they will eat anything, from insects and small animals to carrion from large animals.

Panda Jeanne d'Arc accepted the gift, turned her head away, and walked to the other side with the plate in one hand, slightly distancing herself from Shirou.

The little lion looked at Panda Jeanne d'Arc with disdain, 'What was that tiny sound you made just now? Was it a courtship gesture?'

"Woo-ga!!" Panda Jeanne d'Arc seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and jumped up in a rage, throwing the plate in her hand without a care, yelling and waving her arms, "I'm furious! What's wrong with you, you cat! Want to fight?"

The little lion seized the opportunity to leap up and catch the plate, then caught each of the flying meatballs and ate them leisurely, not forgetting to mutter a diss, 'What a childish panda!'

"I'm furious! Damn it!!!" Panda Jeanne d'Arc was about to pounce.

"Don't make a fuss, there are still plenty of dumplings." Shirou, who couldn't understand animal language, just thought that the beast girl were arguing over snacks like children, so he reached out and caught the panda that was rushing towards Lion Saber from mid-air, hugged it in his arms, and stroked its head to comfort it.

"Waaah..." Panda Jeanne d'Arc, fell silent as Shirou hugged her. Her face flushed, and she opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word. 'What's going on! This... this human, he just suddenly hugged me like that, doesn't he feel... embarrassed at all? But... it feels so good~!'

Holding her in Shirou's arms and being petted, Panda Jeanne d'Arc' Shirou could not resist Shirou's charm and finally showed a Matsushita expression of being healed.

Fujimura, the little tiger sitting on the other side with a meatball in his mouth, watched the scene unfold.

'Wow, Shirou is so popular! Should I try harder too? No, that seems like too much trouble. So, I'll just stay by Shirou's side and eat.'

And so, the young boy prevented a world-shaking battle. The needle-like green leaves in the bamboo forest swayed gently in the wind, and everything was so peaceful.

However, on the other side, a group of once high and mighty beings were arguing fiercely. Located in the west of the great forest, on a mountain that the locals regarded as a sacred mountain, stone houses, some of which looked like miniature temples, had been built there at some point.

The inhabitants here settled here twenty years after a golden treasure fell from the sky and a white light enveloped the world. Unlike the surrounding native humans, who generally have black hair and brown skin, the inhabitants here all have blond hair and white skin.

"That little outsider boy is getting closer and closer to the heart of the forest; we must stop him."

"We can't wait any longer. Let's go and drive him away. If he doesn't obey, killing him is fine too!"

"Hmph! He already has three magical creatures by his side! If you want to kill him, why don't you try it yourself? Do you still think you're living in the past?"

The presence of these people arguing here is so shocking that even ordinary people, if they were indigenous people, would be so astonished that they would kneel down on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

The first man to speak, a middle-aged man with a long beard and a tearing sound, was Anu, the sky god of this place, the chief god known as the father of all gods.

The man with long, straight hair is Enlil of storms, while the other man with a deep, steady voice and a thick beard is Ea, the god of the earth.

However, no one knows their identities now. The reason is that twenty years ago, the gods in the heavens were also shrouded in white light. That was the Creative Power that had the ability to reshape the rules of the world. Although it was incomplete, the invading white light was still a terrifying threat.

So Anu, the god of the sky, summoned all the gods of the Babylonian Pantheon to use their Divine Power in an attempt to eliminate this foreign divine power.

The white light was eventually cleared away, but at the same time, all the gods' divine Divine Power was exhausted.

This world, under the influence of the white light, ceased to generate Divine Power. However, due to its incomplete power and the resistance of the gods, the power of the Divine Beast was preserved. With the Throne of Heroes, and thus, by chance, various wondrous creatures came into being.

Having lost their Divine Power and fallen to the mortal realm, the race of gods had to face the reality of survival, so they settled down in the mountains.

Aside from their physical abilities, which are several times stronger than those of mortals, and the unique knowledge of gods, they are no different from ordinary humans. If they continue like this, even if they don't get sick or injured, their lifespan will eventually run out.

From the day they lost their powers, they have been thinking about restoring the world to normal, but twenty years have already passed.

That's why they started arguing so fiercely at the rally.

"Silence! Put down your pointless arguments and talk things out. The most important thing now is to stop that outsider's child from getting close to the Holy Grail, no matter what." The Sky God slammed his cane heavily on the ground as he spoke.

The arguing gods calmed down and said, "Hmm! If you have any ideas, come out quickly."

Some deities shrugged dismissively and said:

"That's an exaggeration! I don't think it's necessary to make such a fuss. What's wrong with letting a kid from another time come into contact with the Holy Grail? We've already tried everything to get rid of the Holy Grail that absorbed the white light energy, but we still can't do anything about it. We can't destroy it, and even when we tried to shoot it out like a shooting star, it just flew back."

However, this immediately provoked strong opposition from other gods.

"Don't talk nonsense! We have no idea what he'll do with that Holy Grail! If the white light inside the Holy Grail is released, our very existence might be wiped out! It's outrageous that a creator would want to eliminate all mysteries!"

"Have you become less courageous since you fell to the mortal realm?"

"What!"

Just then, a haughty young girl's voice rang out, interrupting the gods' argument.

"Father, Uncles, there's no need to worry. As long as I'm here, none of this will be a problem!" Lifting the animal skin curtain, a little girl with blonde hair, red eyes, and twin ponytails walked in and said with great arrogance.

"Oh! As expected of my beloved daughter, Ishtar, the Bull of Heaven has finally agreed to help!"

The little girl looked embarrassed and hesitated before saying, "Uh... the Bull of Heaven went to play in the back mountain a few days ago and hasn't come back yet..."

"So who's going to stop that outsider kid now? He's been adding more and more magical creatures to his party during this time. Those monsters—if we encounter them now, our only option is to run for our lives," the Bearded Uncle asked.

"Um... Father, Uncle, how about I go?" At this moment, another little girl with blonde twin ponytails walked in from outside the door. She looked exactly like the one who had walked in before, except that she had a gentler temperament and seemed a bit introverted in front of so many relatives.

"Ah... Ereshkigal, you..." The God of the Sky looked at his daughter, whom he had placed in the Underworld since childhood and had hardly seen since, and showed a surprised expression.

Because Ereshkigal was chosen as the ruler of the Underworld, it also meant that she would be forever trapped in the Underworld, destined never to leave the underground. Moreover, her power in the Underworld was extremely strong, controlling not only human lifespans but also those of the gods. Therefore, she was feared and ostracized by her own kind, who feared being dragged into the Underworld.

If it weren't for the white light incident that caused drastic changes in both the Heavenly Realm and the Underworld, she would never have been able to see the light of day again and live with her other relatives. However, even so, there is still a barrier between her and the gods in the heavens.

But now, upon hearing Ereshkigal's self-recommendation, the gods' relatives all laughed with delight and said:

"Oh! That's right! I didn't realize that! Ereshkigal is also a powerful magical creature with multiple members!"

"That's right, I remember it's a dog wielding the Crimson Spear of Causality, a Magecraft, and a berserk red-black Dragon species —each one a superior magical creature. Against those three the human found, they'll definitely be no problem! Add to that our physical abilities, which are several times stronger than mortals, and we can do it!"

"But, is it really alright for Ereshkigal to be alone?" the goddess, the girl's biological mother, asked worriedly.

"It's alright, Mother! Don't worry! I'll go with you! As long as I'm here, everything will be fine!" Ishtar said from the side.

"Yes, Ishtar, if you come too, then I'll be relieved." The goddess smiled and nodded in agreement upon hearing her youngest daughter's words.

"Yes, yes. If the two of you are together, there will definitely be no problem." The surrounding gods echoed, clearly agreeing with Ishtar.

Although she said she was worried, her words sounded so harsh. In Ereshkigal's eyes, her relatives' behavior was clearly biased and showed a lack of trust in her. What hurt her even more was that her parents' attitude was the same.

Chapter 334 Ereshkigal

Ereshkigal looked at Ishtar defiantly and said, "Stop nagging! Ishtar, I don't need your help!"

"Hmph! You think I want to be with you?" Ishtar retorted angrily upon hearing this.

"If you don't want to, then don't come with me! I can handle it all by myself!" Ereshkigal shouted, turned around and rushed out of the hut, running down the mountain.

Only when facing her beloved younger sister, she showed no fear. Instead, she took the initiative to confront her, willing to use any means necessary to defeat her only rival.

Ishtar, who had walked out the door behind her, crossed her arms and watched her sister run away, pouting as she said:

"Fool, if I weren't here, you've never even seen a man before. If you met someone even slightly kind to you, you'd easily fall head over heels for a pretty boy and become head over heels in love."

Ereshkigal returned to her small house where she lived alone, and buried herself in packing her bags. The girl, feeling wronged, stubbornly refused to shed a single tear.

At that moment, three hands placed on the girl's head and patted her gently a few times without saying a word.

The blonde girl looked up and saw that her three humanoid magical creatures had somehow jumped onto the stone bed.

"Woof woof woof!" The blue-haired, dog-eared guy pounded his chest hard with his other hand, using a simple Celtic- style pumping technique.

"Ereshkigal, no matter what happens, we're on your side," said the most intelligent druid with the buzz cut.

The black dragon turned its head away from the girl, remaining cool and silent, but its hand remained on the girl's head.

They have the same face and similar appearance, even like triplets, but their abilities are different. One is a dog-eared boy wielding a crimson spear and wearing a bodysuit. Another is a druid holding a wooden staff and wearing Magecraft's robe. The last one is a dragon with tattoos on his face, dressed in black thorns.

Ereshkigal wiped her slightly moist eyes, smiled, and said, "Thank you, everyone."

These magical creatures initially sought out companions in the great forest simply to oppose Ishtar, the sister who had been gifted the Bull of Heaven by her father. Other gods, unwilling to take the risk, merely tamed giant beasts to help transport and hunt prey.

Unexpectedly, in her interactions with them, she was mostly the one being taken care of.

The girl rallied her spirits and said to her companions, "Let's go! Let's find that boy who traveled through time!"

"Ooh! Woof! Roar!" the three magical creatures responded with their raised fists.

Packing all the necessary daily necessities, food, and her cat plush toy that she could only cuddle with to fall asleep at night, the blonde girl arrived at the edge of the cliff at the mountaintop.

Looking out at the scenery beyond the sky, with the expansive view and clouds floating beneath my feet, I have to admit that this is a wonderful place, like a fairyland.

This mountain originally belonged to a mountain god from another system, a being of power no less than the father of all gods. Even the gods of the older generation dared not confront that mountain god directly in this place. However, it was a treasure land that Ishtar seized through her indomitable struggle. Now that she has lost her Divine Power, it has become a place of refuge for her family and relatives.

Although her younger sister Ishtar is willful, domineering, self-centered, and lawless, even so, she has indeed done some good deeds and has undeniable achievements. At least now, all her relatives are grateful to her.

"This time, let me do something for everyone!" Ereshkigal said, having made up her mind.

"If that boy is willing to listen and leave, that would be good. Hmm, let's do that. Anyway, let's have a good talk with him." The blonde girl with pigtails nodded, even though she hadn't spoken to a boy her own age since she came to the mortal world as a little girl.

"Go for it, Ereshkigal! You can do it!" The girl clenched her little fist, cheering herself on.

At the edge of the cliff, Ereshkigal blew her bone whistle, and a loud cry echoed through the sky. A giant eagle with a wingspan of nearly ten meters flew over. Although its combat power could not compare to that of the magical creature, it was still the most outstanding among the birds and beasts tamed by the divine race, a very convenient means of transportation that saved them from climbing up and down mountains.

The giant eagle landed on the cliff edge, crouched down, and Ereshkigal jumped onto its back, followed by the three magical creatures of Cú Chulainn. It took them less than half an hour to find Shirou on the giant eagle, and less than ten minutes to travel from the mountain to the forest. Looking down at the earth from the air, they saw that it was gradually getting dark. Using the giant eagle's eyesight, they easily spotted a fire in the dark forest. They landed at a distance that wouldn't disturb their target and slowly approached on foot.

When Ereshkigal arrived at the bamboo forest, she indeed saw the boy busy around the fire, seemingly cooking, and an indescribable, wonderful aroma was wafting over from there.

At this moment, the three magical creatures couldn't resist the temptation and jumped off. Ereshkigal quickly reached out and grabbed them back, then squatted down.

"Honestly! You lot! Be quiet!" Ereshkigal muttered under her breath.

"Who's there!" But they had bumped into the bamboo earlier and made a strange noise, so Shirou noticed them.

"Awooo!!!" Lion Saber and Panda Jeanne d'Arc jumped out, vying for the first spot, raised their weapons, and stared into the dark bamboo forest.

"Gah!" Panda Jeanne d'Arc spewed a small ball of fire from her mouth towards the bamboo forest, directly towards the spot where the girl was crouching.

A rapidly spinning crimson thorn spear appeared there, extinguishing all the flames spewed by Panda Jeanne d'Arc.

Three magical creatures from Cú Chulainn emerged from the bamboo forest, led by the Dragon Cú Chulainn, each displaying an aura that should not be underestimated.

"I didn't expect the three of us to be discovered so easily! Honestly, I didn't expect to lose to my instincts. What a terrifying kid. Are those fragrant things the tools you used to lure the enemy out?" The only one who could speak, the elven-looking Cú Chulainn, spoke up.

Facing three formidable enemies, Lion Saber and Panda Jeanne d'Arc had no choice but to concentrate, not daring to reveal the slightest weakness. They gripped their weapons, gritted their teeth, and the battle was about to begin.

"Shirou! Back off, back off!" At this moment, Fujimura the little tiger also realized the danger and pulled Shirou back.

"Wait a minute! We're not at the point where these children have to kill each other! Can you please stop?" At this moment, Ereshkigal, who was inside, took the initiative to come out and shout.

"Wait! Don't make a move yet! You are... Tohsaka? You've turned into a child too?" Shirou looked over in surprise, and unexpectedly found a familiar face standing there, although his hair had turned blonde. Then he looked at the three miniature Cú Chulainn.

The words spoken by Cú Chulainn, the druid disguised as Magecraft, were clearly meant to protect the girl. Even if her identity in this world is that of a beast, she is still connected to the proud Cú Chulainn. Anyone who can gain Cú Chulainn's approval is obviously not someone who would resort to despicable means.

"I know, come here." Shirou made his judgment and waved to the girl.

Ereshkigal knew there was no point in hiding anymore. After hesitating for a moment, she suppressed her nervousness and, determined not to lose face, walked over, hands on her hips, and said defiantly, "What?! I'm not some Tohsaka! My name is Ereshkigal! The master of the underworld! Understand?! Tremble, human!"