The Entrance to the Underworld

"You're so filial... Anyway, hurry up and come with me."

Rovey smiled slightly, then stepped out of the warehouse, gesturing for Ishtar to follow.

The moment he turned around, Ishtar dropped the fawning expression on her face and replaced it with a sinister smile.

"—That damn rich bastard! He's even more arrogant than Gilgamesh stone into gold! Does such a lawless skill even exist in this world? Why can't I do it? I'll let you be smug for a while, then I'll find a chance to take you down and make you willingly become my gold-making machine!!"

'I am the goddess of love and beauty, and I will make you submit to my feet. Don't laugh, don't laugh... hehehehe.'

Thinking this, Ishtar lay down and kissed the Gilgamesh ground. Just as she was about to take a swim in the Gem Sea, her Black Lancer Artoria voice came from outside the door.

"What are you doing? Hurry up, do you hear me?"

"Okay, I'm coming."

Ishtar didn't have time to embrace the warehouse full of treasure; instead, she ran out.

Rovey stroked his chin, pointed to Ishtar behind him who had completely submitted, and said, "Look, Lily, the most appropriate way is to deal with a goddess like this."

"You're the one who comes up with the solution."

Upon seeing this, Black Lancer Artoria smiled.

However, she wasn't laughing at Ishtar's agreement to lead the way, but rather at the thought of what his expression would be like after he discovered the truth.

Midas touch?

How could something that violates the rules like this exist? And naturally, Rovey couldn't possibly have that much money.

On the contrary, she had seen this scene many times before. Merlin used this method to perform miracles in front of people when he was trying to fool them.

It was all just a smokescreen. She noticed it when she smelled the flowers and tapped the gold brick, but some fool was kept in the dark.

Similarly, Ishtar, though smiling obsequiously, was deeply displeased at being manipulated like this as a goddess. She wanted to shout a rebuke, but—

He gave so much!

Money makes the world go round, but today she has defied that adage.

—Even God can do it!!

However, what Ishtar didn't know was that the moment the dungeon doors closed, the Gilgamesh bricks inside had turned back into mud bricks, and the piles of gems were nothing more than scattered pebbles.

——

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Damn Tiamat...!"

At one foot of the Arabian Sea, Goetia sat facing the ocean, his face grim.

Unlike before, he was no longer accompanied by the Demon God Pillars; he was all alone and had become completely isolated.

Although Goetia was almost omnipotent, he was not a saint and therefore could not control his emotions well.

Not to mention, in a short period of time, he experienced the joy of finding Solomon, the pain of learning the truth, the hesitation of Solomon apologizing, the sorrow of being betrayed by the Demon God Pillars, and the humiliation of being driven back by Tiamat when he finally wanted to go back and even devised a plan for the best time to appear.

Everyone says things will be full of twists and turns, but he's already gone through so many ups and downs. It would be strange if he could stay calm.

He was especially annoyed by the fact that Tiamat had beaten him up.

Solomon hitting him was one thing; their relationship was more like father and son, there was no real resentment. The Demon God Pillars hitting him was at most a family feud; they were both angry, but not to the point of hatred.

So, which one is Tiamat?

It's ridiculous that a forgotten creature, a monster whose very existence is a calamity, claims to have always loved humans.

And that's how I got beaten back by guys like that.

Although he might have been able to retaliate at that time, he was out of the Temple of Time and without the Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars to replenish his strength, his endurance and immortality could not keep up. If he had continued fighting then, he would have been the one to lose. That's why he fled when he saw that things were not going well.

There's nothing we can do about it.

After all, he is now all alone, unlike before.

"Well..."

Sitting on the cliff, watching the sea breeze, Goetia felt inexplicably melancholy, or perhaps more accurately, lonely and desolate...

Looking back, although everyone in the Temple of Time had their own duties and didn't interact much, at least there was always someone to keep him company. He didn't think much of it back then, but now that everything is gone, he misses the days when the Demon God Pillars were arguing in front of him.

And of course, there's... Solomon.

Betrayed, having learned the truth, and having caused things to turn out this way, Goetia, who had lost the possibility of Humanity Incineration, couldn't help but wonder if she had really done something wrong? If she apologized now and returned the body, could they reconcile?

It should be possible, right?

After all, he knows his own kindness best. He probably only needs to cry a few times, apologize, and the matter will be resolved, and then everything will be over.

But--

He couldn't bring himself to do it.

If Barbatos and Flauros hadn't defected, Goetia might have actually gone without hesitation, but now it's not possible...

He could imagine how he would be mocked by Flauros and Barbatos if he slunk back now. He would have no hope of becoming the First Demon God, and might even be trampled on by these two traitors. This was something he absolutely could not tolerate.

So, going back is fine.

But you have to produce some tangible results before you can go back.

"Tiamat, just you wait—the day you return will be the day you die!"

Goetia looked out at the boundless sea and thought to himself, just as he had been away alone for so long and couldn't help but feel curious.

How are those Demon God Pillars and the king doing now? Have they remembered me at all? Should I go back and check on them?

——

"I slept so soundly. It's been so long since I've had such a long rest. Why didn't Siduri wake me up?"

"Huh? Where am I!?"

"Holy crap! Is this still in China? Where have I ended up?"

Suddenly opening his eyes, Gilgamesh had taken a nap on his throne, was shocked to find that his surroundings had become pitch black, with strange rubble everywhere and an endless darkness and abyss. This startled him, who was still a little dazed.

He sat on the ground, looked around at his surroundings, and felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had been here before. He then thought carefully about what had happened.

Gilgamesh remembered that after discussing with Rovey how to use the Temple of Time to cover up the Singularity, he suddenly felt a bit tired. Considering that there were many things to do, he decided to take a nap to recover his energy before getting up to work again.

After all, taking proper rest is necessary to better handle more tasks, and then...

He felt himself falling asleep quickly and soundly, with a light and carefree feeling, so comfortable that it was as if his soul had left his body, and then...

No, out-of-body experience?

Suddenly, Gilgamesh seemed to understand something directly.

He slammed his hand on the ground, then stood up, staring in astonishment at his surroundings and the endless, dark dome above him. He immediately realized what was happening.

Now I understand why it felt so familiar...

So this is the Underworld! A place I visited once when I buried my dearest friend.

"What exactly is going on?"

Gilgamesh stared blankly at his surroundings, then muttered to himself, "How could I, the King, suddenly die? Could it be..."

"Has this king worked himself to death from overwork?!"

Suddenly, an outrageous yet perfectly reasonable conjecture popped into his mind.

Gilgamesh's face turned incomparably ugly at the thought of this possibility.

If that's really the case, then I'd be the only king in history to have to work overtime all the way to the Underworld —that would be incredibly humiliating.

Moreover, he could imagine the chaos that would ensue in Uruk after his death!

No, no...

He had to get out of there quickly, no matter what.

Tiamat is about to emerge, and instead of considering how to manage affairs, he runs off to the Underworld. This is not something a king should do...

Thinking this, Gilgamesh frowned as he looked at the dark, seemingly endless path before him, pondering how to get back.

However, at this very moment—

"Everyone, follow me this way. I'll take you to report to the Lord of the Underworld here."

"Huh? You're asking me if she's scary, or if she's prettier than me?"

A female voice came from the darkness, Gilgamesh immediately hid.

"It's not as terrifying as the legends say. Ereshkigal is very cute. She's a wonderful goddess and doesn't eat souls. She'll even assign you places to stay."

"He actually confessed his feelings to me? Disrespectful, utterly disrespectful! I already have a husband."

"You ask me why I captured you? It's because you're already dead. I don't know much more, after all, I'm not a goddess of the Underworld here, just an outsider working for me. Anyway, everyone, come with me, there are many more people in line behind you."

The sound passed by him, Gilgamesh looked at the leading goddess. She had long white hair adorned with rabbit-ear-like decorations, a unique style. She wore clothing completely different from Mesopotamia style, like a combination of the sky and the Underworld, and was now holding a golden scale to guide the souls of the dead.

"That guy's little lover? What a coincidence, I've run into her so soon..."

Gilgamesh murmured something, but did not show himself easily. He still planned to use his wisdom to find a way to escape from here.

Moreover, he was quite certain that Rovey would be finding them soon, so it was best to play it safe for now and absolutely not let Ereshkigal capture them. Just as Gilgamesh was preparing to explore in the opposite direction after Nitocris led the souls away—

He suddenly noticed that there was a teleportation aura not far ahead, followed by the appearance of a crack.

Gilgamesh was pleasantly surprised by the discovery. He assumed it was Rovey who had come looking for him, and was about to praise them for arriving at such a timely time. But the next moment, two unfamiliar figures emerged from the rift. One was a middle-aged man dressed entirely in green, and the other was a blue-haired man in a black trench coat with a melancholy expression—a figure completely resembling the young Matou Zouken.

"Who are those two...?"

Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched them appear.

Chapter 250 The Entrance to the Underworld

On a dirt road carved into the jungle, Black Lancer Artoria, riding his divine horse, stopped and looked at the intact city in the distance with some surprise. Then, he said in a puzzled tone, "Is this... the entrance to Underworld Mesopotamia?"

"Indeed, it's a bit different from what I imagined."

Looking at the city, which was completely different from the one in the original story, and which seemed to have not only escaped the attack of the Demonic Beast on the wasteland, but was actually very prosperous and full of life, Rovey fell into deep thought.

"Hmph, what's so surprising about that, my dearest Master?"

Upon arriving at their destination, Rovey immediately dismounted. Seeing this, Ishtar, who was floating in mid-air, landed beside him, cupped her hands to her heart, and then asked with Gilgamesh Venus.

"Master, were you just wondering why a city would be built in the Underworld?"

"Um..."

Ishtar didn't care whether Rovey wanted to ask or not. She was busy building up her favorability and of course wouldn't miss any rare opportunity, so she hurriedly explained.

"In other mythological systems, there can be no human footprints above the Underworld. After all, the Underworld is also the domain of the gods. Even though it is different from the heavens, it is still a forbidden zone that mortals cannot set foot in. Death must remain unknown, death must remain terrifying, and death must remain awe-inspiring. Therefore, humans cannot get too close to death. Am I right?"

As she spoke, Ishtar blinked.

"Yes, you're right. Whether it's Hades' Underworld in Greek Mythology or Hell in Christianity, these are areas that people would avoid at all costs. Even the Land of Shadows, which is not a normal Underworld, would not allow mortals to get so close. Similarly, humans would not be so foolish as to build cities on them."

Black Lancer Artoria nodded, and said with a similar sense of doubt.

What exactly is going on here?

"It's actually quite simple. In Mesopotamia, the oldest land, death is not simply an end, so there's no fear of death like in other mythological systems. In this culture, death is a liberation, a release and rest, a new beginning to escape a life of toil. So, while the people here still have reverence, they don't resist death. Am I right, Ishtar?"

Just before Ishtar was about to show off her knowledge and offer an answer, Rovey gave the answer directly.

"Ah... yes, you're pretty much right."

Ishtar was somewhat surprised to see that Rovey was so knowledgeable about Mesopotamia culture.

Why do pagan gods know so much about the stories of their own pantheon? And even more surprisingly, they know so much about themselves, which really puzzles her.

"I see, it's because of cultural differences..."

Having cleared up his confusion, Black Lancer Artoria, then looked at Ishtar, who was clinging to Rovey almost to him, with twitching eyelids, and asked coldly, "By the way, aren't you getting a little too close?"

"Oh dear, how could that be? After all, I am now the Master's Servant, and close protection is so that I can serve the Master at all times."

Ishtar blinked and said sincerely, "Isn't this the mission of a Servant?"

"Mission? If it's for money, just say so. Why use such a noble and righteous banner? You're such a hypocritical goddess."

Black Lancer Artoria also ruthlessly pierced Ishtar's last veil.