Eresh Is So Cute!

"Naive? Weak? Are you sure?"

Upon hearing this description, Ishtar had once been turned into skewers by Ereshkigal, shuddered. She subconsciously recalled her experience of being stripped naked and hung at the gates of the Underworld.

No matter how you look at it, the guy who summoned tens of thousands of gun cages to cover himself the moment they met was completely incompatible with gentleness.

"Of course, after all, after defeating me, she released me based solely on my side of the story, and even generously told me—"

"If you're really here to take over my territory, there's no need for all this trouble. You could just tell me directly. After all, the Underworld is so vast and I'm the only god here. I'm quite lonely by myself. Besides, if you come, I'll have partners to help with the work. So, would you like to work here? All you need to do is guard the gate and receive some souls. You can get paid whatever you want from the Underworld, and you get weekends off, 9 to 5."

"Then she very generously gave up a portion of control over the Underworld, saying it was an advance on her salary."

Nitocris said this, and then she slowly raised her palm, a faint blue light appearing on its surface, a sight that Ishtar found utterly outrageous.

As a Sumerian god, she knew all too well what this thing was. It was the same as the secret of her grandfather Enki, the treasure of the Father God En, and a part of the divine office of the chief god. Even a mortal could be elevated to godhood if he obtained a small part of the divine office.

Her sister, Ereshkigal, was actually so generous as to share some of her divine office with an outsider god? You know, even her most doting grandfather Enki, would only give away his divine office after he was drunk.

Therefore, Ishtar couldn't understand what she was seeing.

"And then you agreed?"

Upon seeing the small portion of the divine authority on Nitocris's palm, Rovey asked with a smile.

"Hmm," Nitocris nodded gently and said, "This is the divine duty of the gatekeeper of the Underworld, responsible for helping to guide the souls of the dead. It is the same job that Lord Anubis did in Egypt. In addition, I am not bound by the Underworld, so I often travel between the human world and the Underworld now."

"Yes, this responsibility suits you very well."

"You're joking."

Nitocris smiled and shook her head, then continued to explain to Rovey her reasons for agreeing.

Originally, she had no interest in being Ereshkigal's servant god in the Underworld and wanted to go out to find Rovey. However, the mistress of the Underworld kept holding her back and wouldn't let her leave. Later, she showed her what was happening outside and saw how this continent had been ravaged and how even this city was constantly under the watchful eyes of Demonic Beast.

Upon witnessing this scene, her sense of justice and law-abiding nature made it impossible for her to stand idly by. So she agreed to help Ereshkigal protect the city and planned to set off to search for him once things calmed down. In fact, Nitocris had wanted to resign and leave as soon as she saw the chaos of the Demonic Beast subside, intending to investigate Uruk. However, she never expected to meet the person she had been looking for here. This made Nitocris very happy, as could be seen from her constantly twitching rabbit-like ears.

"Thank you for your hard work, Nitocris. I can see your efforts in every corner of this city."

After listening to Nitocris's account, Rovey nodded, naturally very satisfied with her actions and choices, and equally happy for her. After all, she had undoubtedly made a significant contribution to governing this city-state in this way.

"No, no, I just did what I was supposed to do. Compared to you and Rameses II, I am still far behind."

Nitocris waved his hand, his words still humble, but no longer as insecure as before.

Seeing this, Rovey shook his head, while Black Lancer Artoria glanced at Ishtar with disdain and said sarcastically.

"Look at the gods of the underworld and the wild gods you speak of, aren't they all more responsible than you?"

"You..."

Ishtar gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with envy, jealousy and hatred as she looked at Nitocris, who had actually obtained a portion of the divine authority.

Later, Rovey asked Nitocris if he could open the gates to the Underworld and take them in.

Nitocris replied that she could manage on her own with the souls, but she couldn't take the living with her. Her role was that of gatekeeper and guide of the Underworld, leading only the souls of the dead. If they wanted to enter the Underworld, they had to wait until nightfall.

After confirming again, Rovey asked about the Tablet of Destiny. Had she seen them? After all, she was now the goddess of the Underworld and might have some clues.

And surprisingly, this question actually led to a clue.

Nitocris replied, "The Tablet of Destiny? Never heard of it, but the tablet itself looks familiar. I feel like I've seen it somewhere before, perhaps in this city."

Upon hearing this news, Rovey and Merlin exchanged a glance, then decided not to waste any more time and split up to handle different matters.

Now, after all this fuss, the sun is almost setting, and the time to break through the Underworld is fast approaching. The Black Lancer Artoria, who possesses the Holy Lance, is naturally responsible for opening a gap in the Underworld from above, while Ishtar is in charge of leading the way.

Merlin, Rovey, Nitocris went together to find the mud tablets.

Nitocris pointed in two possible directions. To save time, Merlin went to find it alone, while Rovey went with Nitocris. When they chased away the troublesome guy, Nitocris boldly took his hand and led him through the city, causing many pedestrians to gasp in surprise.

Looking at the smile on her face, Rovey suspected that Nitocris had deliberately mentioned a few locations just to get Merlin away, but he didn't say it out loud, since that would be too unromantic.

Led by Nitocris, Rovey and she followed a road, asking questions and looking for corners where they could hide items. They searched all the way until they entered the Ereshkigal's Shrine. Suddenly, the surrounding space began to distort. When he came to his senses, he found that Nitocris had led him into a cave.

"Here it is...?"

Just as he was about to ask a question, six beams of light suddenly appeared around him, followed by six pale white skeletal ghosts floating out from behind him.

"Having arrived in the Underworld, the living cannot return, and the dead cannot be reborn..."

The one speaking was a large ghost who seemed to possess considerable intelligence. However, before he could finish speaking, a pitch-black mirror appeared above Nitocris's head. On the smooth, black surface of the "Mirror of the Mirror Grimoire," a dark vortex suddenly appeared with a "whoosh!" and then unleashed a terrifying suction force, directly sucking the six skeletons into it.

This sudden turn of events left the ghosts, who had initially believed the goddess had brought them food, completely stunned. They gripped the mirror and screamed in agony.

"Why? Why? Goddess, why are you doing this to us..."

However, Nitocris didn't want to pay them any attention. They were just six drama queens. At most, her mirror would only send their souls to the Underworld in Egypt. For them, who were already souls, there was no pain at all. At worst, they would be Egypt in their next life.

Who are they?

Looking at Nitocris, who seemed to have expected this, Rovey asked a question.

"The guards left behind by Ereshkigal, or rather, the trials, are what I've learned. She gave me this tablet and told me to bring anyone who comes to me asking for it back here to undergo the trials."

"Since you are the one who came looking for the clay tablet, there is naturally no need for the trial, so I sent them all away."

Nitocris said with a smile.

"You..."

After a few seconds of silence for Ereshkigal, who had been betrayed by her own employee without her knowledge, Rovey was about to reach for the slab of clay placed on a high place when a frivolous male voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Wow, you found it so quickly? That's really boring. I was planning to trade it for something with you later, but it looks like I won't have the chance now."

The unfamiliar voice, and the magical Spirit Origin that made his body react involuntarily just by its appearance, made Rovey turn around abruptly. However, all that appeared there was a cloud of black smoke, and a slender figure was hidden in the black smoke.

"You are... a Grand Servant?"

Although he couldn't discern the opponent's lineup, Rovey immediately sensed the Grand Rank Spirit Origin aura emanating from them, while Nitocris sensed an Underworld aura that originated from the same source as hers, yet was completely different, and even more powerful in scale Ereshkigal's.

"Are you the God of the Underworld?"

She summoned the Golden Scales and questioned them.

"Hehe, you really have a good eye."

The figure glanced at Rovey, then at Nitocris, and said happily, "Interesting. One is a future god, and the other is a fused god. Both are extremely powerful warriors. You are much more interesting than I thought. But don't worry, I am not your enemy, at least not now."

"Were you summoned here to defeat Goetia?"

Rovey looked at him intently.

"Hmm... maybe so, but I'm here more for fun. I don't really care about Human History, since my era ended a long time ago."

The figure in the smoke smiled, then, seemingly deciding that it was about time, turned to leave. "Alright, we've talked enough here, it's about time we went. Anyway, we're almost at the Underworld, we'll definitely meet again soon. We'll talk then. As for my real name, I'll tell you next time we meet. Besides, the Underworld below is much more lively than you imagine."

As he spoke, the figure completely disappeared into the black mist.

The next moment, the space inside the temple distorted once again.

Rovey frowned slightly, and when he came to his senses, the surrounding environment was no longer a cave, but had once again transformed into the Temple of Ereshkigal.

He had already gently removed the prepared clay tablet from his hand.

This is precisely the Tablet of Destiny that Gilgamesh lost.

The timing was perfect; the sky outside had now completely fallen into night.

Chapter 252 Ereshkigal is so cute!

The lowest point of the Mesopotamian Plain.

In the Underworld, in front of the palace courtyard of Ereshkigal.

Although this is supposed to be the goddess's palace, it doesn't resemble a goddess's palace at all. There are no buildings or altars adorned with gold, no sculptures, not even a proper gate. The surrounding environment is pitch black, with only black rocks and ruins besides the eternal darkness.

If they hadn't sensed that this was the core area where the aura of the Underworld was strongest, Lev and Barbatos would have wondered if they'd come to the wrong place. After all, how could a goddess not even have a decent place to live?

However, at this moment, having almost pinpointed their location, Lev and Barbatos had no time to consider why the goddess here was so frugal. The two of them were kneeling on the ground of the Underworld, constantly drawing teleportation arrays with tree branches—top-tier teleportation arrays capable of crossing interfaces, Age of Gods Magecraft surpassing even grand Magecraft, with effects so terrifying that they could even forcibly remove beings from the Underworld.

Leaving without passing through the gates of the Underworld is almost impossible for ordinary Magus, but it's not a big challenge for these demon gods who possess the knowledge of Solomon and are nearly omniscient and omnipotent.

Logically speaking, all 72 Demons possess the highest level of Caster adaptability, and each demon god can appear as a Caster in the Holy Grail War. Moreover, they are all at the level of top Magus of the Age of Gods. Given enough time, creating the Holy Grail by hand is not a dream at all. In a normal Holy Grail War, almost summoning just one demon god is enough to secure the final victory.

(Unfortunately, the Holy Grail War has never been a normal one.)

"Yes, just as planned, we slipped in very successfully."

"Ah, if we can bring the king's wife back, I think the king will be very happy. After all, the king has a new life now, and Sheba is not by his side. He must be very lonely. It would be best if someone could accompany him. If we can accomplish this, the position of the king's right-hand man will be a sure thing."

Seemingly lamenting the king's current predicament, a sorrowful-looking Lev silently quickened his drawing pace. He had originally intended to use the Holy Grail to summon Sheba to present to the king and claim credit, but for some reason, the Throne of Heroes in this Singularity was locked, and even the Holy Grail could not Heroic Spirit Summoning. The entire Singularity could only spontaneously begin summoning the Heroic Spirit it needed.

Lev and Barbatos, of course, knew exactly what had happened.

Without even thinking, the two of them knew it was the Counter Force that was behind it— Final Battle Formula: Heroic Spirit Summoning.

It's definitely because of Goetia and Tiamat. With both Beasts appearing at the same time, the entire Singularity has to enter a countdown state. The Counter Force is determined to fight a decisive battle here and is determined to eliminate Goetia. There's even a chance that Grand Servant will appear.

If it were before, Lev and Barbatos might have panicked, but now...

They both just wanted to laugh.

Having already become traitors, they have no say in what happens to Goetia, and they don't care at all.

Similarly, they didn't expect these Heroic Spirit to cause any damage to Goetia. After all, the [Anti-Summoning] ability was there, and it was obvious that in the end, the Demon God Pillars and the King would join forces to subdue the traitor. The Heroic Spirit only needed to cheer them on.

Furthermore, the Final Battle Formula: Heroic Spirit Summoning is Counter Force used by the Counter Force to fight against enemies who intend to destroy the world. Now that they have reformed and transformed from murderers of the world into Hero of Justice, they naturally have no reason to be opposed. Now they only hope to return to the King's side.

Thinking of the king's smiling face, and what he might say—'Thank you, Flauros. You truly are my most loyal and capable subordinate. From now on, you will assume the position of the First Demon God.'

Lev's smile became as hard to suppress as an AK.

First, take the king's wife back, and after Goetia is dealt with, summon Sheba. Then, rise through the ranks step by step, stepping on the heads of all the demons. That way, his life will be completely fulfilled.

He still dreamed of that wonderful future.

"By the way, Flauros, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."

"What?"

Although Lev wanted to continue working, he had been moving faster because he had just thought of Wang Luomo's expression, causing some parts of the teleportation array to be drawn shaky and needing to be redrawn. So when he heard Barbatos's words, he answered while looking down, trying to erase the mistakes and redraw them. He was almost finished.

"Although your plan is excellent, it will undoubtedly please the king. By waiting on the inevitable route, you can bring his concubine back. But have you considered what would happen if, what if the person who passes by later is not the king's concubine?"

Barbatos had actually wanted to ask this question for a long time. The teleportation node was designed with the divinity of the Underworld in mind; any god of the Underworld who approached would be forcibly teleported to the King's side. They intended to give the King a huge, unexpected surprise. After all, back in the Sixth Singularity, these guys were all recognizing the King one by one while he was slacking off, constantly firing lasers, and even killing the King's friend at the pyramid—something that still bothered him deeply, making him feel extremely derelict in his duty. He had expected to be punished by the King afterward, but to his surprise, Rovey didn't hold it against him.

After all, Barbatos was clearly not qualified to defeat Rameses II; the real culprit was Goetia. Even though Rovey didn't pursue the matter, recalling that experience still filled Barbatos with immense emotion and guilt. Just thinking about it made him want to perform a great hero's Noble Phantasm and set off fireworks to amuse the king. This was also a major reason why he readily agreed to help Lev carry out his plan.

However, while these two Demon God Pillars are very confident in themselves, they aren't stupid. They might be able to talk tough to Gilgamesh, but actually sending Barbatos and Flauros together to break into Ereshkigal's palace and bring him out would be suicide. Moreover, they've heard that the goddess there is incredibly terrifying, evil, and extremely ugly, and has therefore been imprisoned underground for many years. That's why Lev used this trap-based teleportation method to minimize the risk.

When Barbatos first heard about this method, he considered how Lev could possibly ensure the person would be teleported there with absolute certainty. After all, there was more than one god in the Underworld, and the location was right in front of Ereshkigal's palace. Wouldn't this setup teleport Ereshkigal there? But he held back. Seeing Flauros's confident demeanor, asking the question would clearly make him appear incompetent.

However, seeing that Lev had no precautions at all and had placed the teleportation array directly in the middle of the road without any plan to prevent any unexpected situations, he still revealed his plan, wanting to ask if Rafe had prepared some means that he was unaware of, and then planned to take most of the credit for himself.

Although they were indeed all from the same faction that had defected from the Demon God Pillars, there was still competition between them, so he needed to understand the situation clearly.

"——"

Normally, when faced with Barbatos's question, Lev would likely wear a knowing smile and arrogantly explain to Barbatos, showcasing his superiority. However, that's the usual scenario.

"Flauros?"

Barbatos waited for a long time for an answer but didn't get one. He turned around in confusion and found that Lev had suddenly frozen in place. Out of curiosity, Barbatos leaned over, but he found that Rafe's expression was not one of complete control. Instead, he looked like a certain character who often pranks other anime series and causes natural curly hair to become useless, with a twitching, drunken grin. Yes, that's the one you're thinking of.

"???"

Damn it! When Barbatos saw Lev's expression and the scene turn black and white, Barbatos knew that this unreliable StarCraft player had not only lost his eyesight but also his brain. All he could see was bringing the person back, completely ignoring any contingency plans. Damn it! Realizing this, Barbatos now wanted nothing more than to tear him apart for scrap. You're supposed to be one of the 72 Demons Gods, aren't you? What happened to your supposed near-omniscience and omnipotence? You couldn't even consider this situation? Where did you come from, a follower of Axis?

Why the hell didn't you say so sooner?!

When Lev finally realized his mistake after being reminded, he immediately shifted the blame, showing no remorse whatsoever, instead passing the buck to Barbatos, who had just kindly reminded him. After all, it's better to blame others than to reflect on one's own actions; they're all brothers, and helping each other take the blame is commonplace.

"You have the nerve to ask me?! Didn't you swear you'd be fine, that you'd take me with you to explore the Underworld, and then draw up the teleportation array?!"

Although Barbatos was simple-minded, he wasn't stupid. He certainly wouldn't take on such a huge burden. In fact, because he had been tricked by this idiot, he didn't hold back and punched Lev right in the eye, knocking him down, and then looked furious.

"I really believed your lies. We've launched so many operations, and apart from successfully destroying Chaldea, what else have you succeeded in? I think you've lost your mind playing StarCraft. You're a disgrace to us 72 Demons Gods!"

"So what do we do now?"

Lev asked while covering his swollen eyes.

"Is there even a question? We should definitely wipe out the teleportation array first. We must eliminate this threat before Ereshkigal comes out. It's not too late to start now!"

Barbatos was ruthless and didn't talk much. He kicked Lev to the ground and then gave his solution.