The Smoke Mirror (Continued)

After all, in her mind, although the human in front of her was disrespectful to the goddess and extremely hateful, he was definitely not evil, and it was perfectly reasonable for him to do such a thing.

But--

"Sorry..."

After being freed from her restraints, she suddenly lowered her head and murmured softly.

"What?"

Hearing her words, Rovey was somewhat puzzled.

But the next moment—

Rumble!!

As her voice faded, the surrounding Underworld scenery underwent a dramatic and earth-shattering transformation.

"I command you all to leave this place with the power of the Lord of the Underworld!"

Under Ereshkigal's command, the gathered undead scattered in the shortest possible time, while an ominous premonition buzzed in everyone's ears.

What on earth is this...?!

Sensing the drastic changes in the Underworld environment, everyone had an extremely ominous premonition.

As the sounds continued to ring in her ears, Ereshkigal, or rather Ishtar, emitted a burst of intense light, and then a golden figure emerged from it. The instant the figure appeared, Ishtar, whose body had been possessed, collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Merlin: "Ereshkigal!"

Nitocris: "Lord Ereshkigal!"

However, compared to the unconscious Ishtar, the people present were more concerned about Ereshkigal, who had revealed his true form before them.

Looking at her, Rovey asked, "What exactly happened?"

She turned her head slightly and looked at Rovey and the others, a hint of disappointment appearing in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Rovey, I just lied to you."

"You lied to us?" Upon hearing her words, Rovey pondered, "What do you mean?"

"There are indeed other gods in this Underworld, and he is also a god of the underworld. I have kept this from you. Moreover, I will still not return Gilgamesh's soul, and you will all remain here."

Ereshkigal said, "Although my sudden appearance on the ground was unexpected and caught me off guard, I had anticipated your arrival and made preparations in advance. I originally planned to use the power of the Underworld in my courtyard to break the seal on my body before making my move. However, there is no need for that now, and I no longer wish to hide it."

"Actually, whether it's the Underworld Legion or the Seven Gates of the Underworld, they are just my way of lowering your guard. What follows is my real plan."

"—Unleash your full power, will of the Underworld, slumbering spirits of death! In the name of Ereshkigal, Lord of the Underworld, I summon you! Help me capture all the outsiders!"

As she spoke softly, Ereshkigal raised her hand to disperse the surrounding souls, then looked in a certain direction in the Underworld. With a wave of her hand, a golden cup quietly appeared in her palm. Then, under her earnest control, the entire Underworld was activated by the Holy Grail in her hand, and countless streaks of crimson lightning crashed down from the sky, sweeping towards the people in front of her.

Without hesitation, Rovey summoned the crimson hand to shatter the lightning. Black Lancer Artoria his Holy Lance and summoned a storm. Nitocris, on the other hand, was not attacked because he possessed the divinity of this Underworld. Apart from Ishtar, who was lying on the ground and about to wake up but was suddenly stunned by the electric shock, and Merlin, who was fleeing in panic, he was not seriously injured.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ereshkigal shouted, "Otherworldly Hades, now is the time for you to fulfill your promise. As long as you help me kill them, this Holy Grail will be yours."

Upon hearing this, Nitocris was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected that Ereshkigal would actually deceive her, that there was a Hades in this Underworld, and that he had even reached an agreement with Ereshkigal.

If that's the case, then doesn't that mean...?

"—Ugh!!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Merlin behind him suddenly let out a scream.

He clutched his bloodied abdomen, then squatted down with a pained expression.

Merlin!

This sudden scene stunned Artoria, who was right next to him, and she hurriedly looked at the situation in his direction.

At this moment, Merlin's abdomen had been pierced by a hand that appeared out of nowhere, leaving a huge hole. His white robes were covered with deep crimson blood, and behind him appeared a cloud of dark mist, within which a figure was slowly coalescing.

"A new enemy?!"

The unexpected attack took everyone present by surprise.

"We're really too late."

Ereshkigal complained to the figure hidden in the mist, then looked at the others in the Underworld and said, "I don't know how you knew about this guy's existence, but you didn't expect this, did you? My real backup plan has always been this."

"So that's why you let us in so easily? You were using yourself as bait!"

At this moment, even Nitocris understood, and now she understood what had caused her previous sense of unease.

While it's true that Ereshkigal was caught off guard by being suddenly transported into Ishtar's body and captured, he should have realized what was happening when the Gates of the Underworld were Fairy Transformation.

If it were Ereshkigal, she wouldn't have been as calm as she had been throughout the journey; she should have panicked the moment she was captured.

"That's right. Although some unexpected things happened, I finally chose to turn the tables and lure you all into a trap to wipe you out in one fell swoop."

"Don't blame yourself, Nitocris. Although you are indeed my friend, we have only known each other for a month. Goddesses are the most complex beings. You have never truly known the real me."

Ereshkigal looked at her and said, "Because you possess my divinity, you will pose no threat to me in the upcoming battle. Therefore, it's a fair second-on-two."

After glancing at Nitocris, who couldn't harm her, and then at the heavily injured Merlin beside her, she felt certain of victory.

The region is the Underworld, and both she and that guy are genuine Hades. Ereshkigal doesn't think the other side has any way to turn the tables under these circumstances.

"They actually managed to fool Merlin's eyes..."

On the other side, Artoria attacked the black mist with her gun, but she could not reach the target.

The other party did not seem to have a physical form; it was like a wisp of fog or a gust of wind, difficult to fathom.

At this moment, Merlin, who was lying on the ground, also spoke with difficulty. He said to the merging black mist, "Be careful, Lily, Rovey! The mist that can deceive my eyes is Hades, and with such an attack and performance, Grand Rank Spirit Origin, I think I know who you are—I never thought that [Grand Berserker] would actually be the legendary Black Smoke Mirror, the god of Aztec mythology, Tezcatlipoca!"

Upon hearing Merlin's words, the deity who had just landed a blow and whose body was still hidden in the black mist spoke up as if he had heard something interesting.

"As expected of Merlin, a candidate for Grand Caster. You saw through me after just one attack? I thought I was pretty good at hiding my true intentions. But you're not simple either. The feeling of that stab I gave you just now was really strange."

Once its true name was revealed, the figure hidden in the black mist ceased its pointless disguise.

While concealing one's identity is sophisticated and classy, it would be foolish to continue hiding it now that one's real name has been discovered.

"Whoosh!!"

As the evening wind howled through the darkness, the indistinct, impenetrable black mist before them suddenly coalesced. From within this newly formed mist, footsteps sounded, and the figure of a tall, slender man emerged.

"Stop being mysterious and come help me."

Seeing that this guy even had to go through such a ritual to appear, Ereshkigal, who controlled the Underworld, voiced his dissatisfaction.

"Okay, boss."

Urged on by Ereshkigal, the man in the black mist finally revealed his true form to everyone.

He was a very tall figure with long golden hair, dressed in a black bodysuit, walking barefoot, with a black tail trailing behind him. He also wore a mask similar to that of Jaguar Man or a savage native, adding to his mysterious and primal aura. Furthermore, his right leg was not flesh and blood, but a jet-black substance constructed of obsidian, giving him an overall impression of being rough yet wild.

"Grand Servant..."

Rovey looked at him, his eyes becoming serious.

"Yes, I am indeed Grand Rank. The Counter Force told me to come here and check the situation, so they forced this on me. And coincidentally, that male bird was here too. I guess this is what they call compatibility. Although it doesn't matter whether I get this or not, since for me, Grand Rank is just another form of demotion."

The Blond Man, known as Tezcatlipoca, said, "Anyway, we meet again, kid. Although that guy already revealed my real name, let me introduce myself first. I am Tezcatlipoca, a god in Aztec mythology, the Black Smoke Mirror, the ruler of the Underworld, the supreme god who governs the winds of uncertainty, death, and disharmony. But right now, I'm just a laborer. It's nice to meet you, future god."

The other party didn't seem to be in a hurry to make a move, and instead showed a relatively friendly smile.

Seeing him appear, Merlin, who was lying on the ground, said speechlessly, "You, a Grand Servant and a Hades, instead of waiting to fight against Evils of Humanity at the last moment, you've come to work in the Underworld in Mesopotamia? The Underworld you rule is crying!"

"Haha, that's true. But my Underworld only has warriors, and they're all resting now. I'm also very eager for battle, so I've come to join in the fun. Besides, I, as a god, have always preferred fair trade. Although we are all underworld kings, since the trader can offer me satisfactory terms, what harm is there in me personally taking part in?"

"But aren't Grand Servant here to protect Human Order?"

"That's right, I'm here to fight the beasts and protect Human Order. But protecting Human Order doesn't conflict with my job, does it? Isn't retrieving the Holy Grail itself a form of protection?"

Upon hearing this, Merlin's lips twitched violently.

He realized that the guy in front of him was clearly a very troublesome person, and ordinary words couldn't sway him at all.

Moreover, this guy is also a being from ancient mythology, and his strength is unfathomable. If we don't count Goetia, he is even stronger than King Hassan and Solomon. He is a true supreme god.

How could someone like that become Grand Servant?

He couldn't quite understand it.

The principle that gods cannot be summoned dates back to the Holy Grail War. He exploited a loophole in the Goetia 'Humanity Incineration to obtain a Grand Rank Spirit Origin from the Counter Force, essentially creating a secondary account. Moreover, this guy also formed some kind of cooperative relationship with Ereshkigal.

He also told Rovey that the Underworld would be quite lively from now on—

Is this what he meant? So he gave a heads-up beforehand.

This action made it even more difficult for Rovey to understand this being.

If he's on their side, why would he help Ereshkigal do such a thing? But if he really is Ereshkigal's ally, why would he reveal this information to make them more vigilant?

Is it just because it's fun, or is it because of absolute confidence in one's abilities?

"Stop talking to them, hurry up and arrest them all."

The urging voice rang out again, Ereshkigal summoned his divine weapon, a red spear of light. He then glanced at Tezcatlipoca, who was still doing nothing, and then at Merlin, who was lying on the ground, before questioning Tezcatlipoca.

Why didn't you kill him just now?

"Kill him? Boss, I was aiming for his heart, but he managed to dodge the fatal blow. Don't underestimate him just because he's a Caster; his skills are far better than you think."

Tezcatlipoca glanced at Merlin, a smile spreading across his face, his eyes narrowing as if he saw through something. "Besides, it doesn't matter whether you kill him or not."

"Forget it, it's just a Nightmare, it's really not that important. We can kill it after we take care of the others, and then we'll be all done."

Ignoring Merlin's problem, Ereshkigal's attention remained entirely on Rovey.

"Although I don't want to deny your efforts, the ending is too cruel for you. Just leave it all in this dead Underworld. That way, you won't have to worry about Goetia or Tiamat."

Ereshkigal said calmly, "Let us build a new kingdom in the Underworld together and live together. I will do my duty to protect you until the end of this world."

Are you still clinging to that dream that will drag everyone into the Underworld?

"That's right."

Rovey shook his head and said with some helplessness, "Are all your goddesses this single-minded?"

"Because it's the only way."

Ereshkigal sighed, "Give up. Your Fairy Transformation is indeed powerful, even capable of weakening gods, but the preparation time is too long. As long as you are not given the opportunity, you have no way to demote us. And your Light Wheel outside is borrowed from the light band in the sky. The Underworld does not have such a thing to support your use. In the Underworld, you have no chance of winning against me, who holds the Holy Grail, and another Hades. Now it's all over."

"The best way out is to go to the Underworld and escape disaster together."

"Do you think it's all over?"

Hearing Ereshkigal's repeated invitations, Rovey sighed and then looked at her and asked.

At this moment, Merlin, who was lying on the ground, slowly stood up and slowly said, "Entering the Underworld means no overtime work. That's quite an attractive suggestion. If we can ignore it, who would be willing to risk their life? It's a pity that simply running away won't solve any problems."

"Do you really think you have a chance of winning?" Ereshkigal questioned.

"In this situation, we are indeed at a disadvantage. Even if we want to win, we would have to use all our cards in the end, which is obviously not what we will do." They looked at Ereshkigal and said in unison, "Therefore, we have prepared countermeasures in advance."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Ereshkigal suddenly had a bad feeling.

Do you really think we would so rashly step onto your territory?

As they spoke, their bodies began to turn into withered petals and fall away. It wasn't just them; Ishtar, Nitocris, and Artoria also turned into petals and fell at that moment.

"What is this...?!"

Ereshkigal was clearly terrified by what he saw.

Nitocris, who was ready to fight, and Black Lancer Artoria) clearly realized something.

"Could this be...?!"

"Illusion."

Tezcatlipoca grinned; he had seen through it all along.

After all, he had given Rovey a hint before that there was more than one god in the Underworld below, including himself and other gods.

Rovey was clearly a smart man. After telling Merlin all these things, how could he be so foolish as to go to the Underworld without any precautions?

He knew what was going on when his claw pierced through Merlin.

—It's all an illusion, from beginning to end, even I am part of the illusion.

However, this illusion is not the ordinary kind; it's the kind that reverses reality and illusion.

"The power of the Holy Grail? Even with the Holy Grail, he's still incredibly powerful. A candidate for Grand Caster, truly remarkable..."