A Chronicle of Leaving the Underworld

He whistled and then praised Merlin's illusion, to which Merlin shook his head slightly.

"It's just a small trick, all part of Rovey's plan. It would be impossible to accomplish something like this without two illusionists of A rank or higher using it at the same time."

"You're all very interesting." Tezcatlipoca nodded, then added to Ereshkigal, "Alright, Queen of the Underworld, the deal we agreed on to help each other has been completed. Now, according to the agreement, your Holy Grail belongs to me."

As he spoke, he swiftly snatched the Holy Grail from Ereshkigal's hand, a smile spreading across his face.

"Wait a minute!"

Goodbye, my former boss~

Ereshkigal hurriedly reached out to stop her, but she was also part of the dual illusion. Her entire body turned into petals and scattered at that moment, unable to grasp her Holy Grail, and could only let the other party take it away.

At that moment, a smile appeared on the lips of the man in the Tezcatlipoca. He then directly shattered this illusion that had turned reality upside down, and he was holding Ereshkigal's Holy Grail in his hand.

By this point, he could be considered to have gained a great deal.

Next, all he needs to do is think about what good things he can get in exchange for this magic cup.

——

——

Meanwhile, on the other side, in front of the first major gate of the Underworld.

"What a scoundrel! This is utterly outrageous!"

Gilgamesh had been squatting there for almost a whole night, looked in the direction from which they had come and let out a helpless shout.

"What are those bastards doing? They're so slow!"

Beside him, the Crimson Demon Spear, who had been waiting there, couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

She looked at Gilgamesh and asked, "What exactly is going on? Didn't you say that as long as we waited here, we would definitely run into them?"

"How would I know?!"

Chapter 256 The Journey Out of the Underworld

'Snap!'

A sound, almost like shattering glass, came from the darkness, followed by—

"Shatter, you illusion, you mirage."

A flippant voice suddenly rang out, followed by an excited shout, "A resounding victory! As expected of the great Merlin!!"

"Alright, stop being so abstract. If we hadn't been prepared, we might have really messed things up this time. Let's wake them up quickly."

At the same time, from within the darkness, another voice slowly rang out.

"No problem, leave it to me."

Upon hearing Rovey's voice, Merlin gave a soft response, then raised his wand again and lightly swept it across the eyes of the others on the wasteland.

The darkness shattered, and the sleeping group suddenly felt a dizzying sensation around them. The illusion and reality of the entire world were reversed. As soon as they opened their eyes, Black Lancer Artoria and Nitocris found themselves brought back from the Underworld. The surrounding environment had once again become that dark wasteland, and Ishtar, who was possessed by Ereshkigal, was also completely bewildered.

"—?!"

She looked around in disbelief, then stared blankly at her own white palms, murmuring to herself.

'The divinity I lost has returned...'

Moreover, it's not just the divinity affected by the weakening of the Gates of the Underworld; the Underworld Legion destroyed by Rovey and the Skeleton Queen who was destroyed are still there.

"What just happened? Why is it that everything I'm sure I lost is still there?"

She spoke, still shaken.

Black Lancer Artoria looked at Merlin, who was still pretending to stand high in the sky, and Rovey, who was holding a blue rose. His eyes flashed slightly, and he clearly understood everything.

She turned to Merlin and asked, "Your illusion magic?!"

Merlin smiled and said, "That's right, it is indeed our illusion."

As he spoke, he took out a golden cup from his pocket. It was the Holy Grail that Rovey had given him. At this moment, Rovey also held one in his hand, which he used as a medium for casting spells.

Similarly, it was precisely because of Lev and Gilgamesh's early assistance with the Holy Grail that the two of them were able to combine two illusions of level A or higher, thus creating a super illusion that could reverse reality and cause everyone to fall victim to it.

"Did you just cast an illusion?"

Compared to Artoria, who knew a lot about Merlin, Nitocris, who had personally experienced a journey through the Underworld, had a much more incredulous expression.

After all, she hadn't noticed anything amiss with Merlin casting an illusion.

"Oh, when did you get the idea that I've never used illusion magic? It seems that my legend is most famous for my illusion magic, isn't it?"

Merlin tilted his head and asked in return, "Isn't it only natural for Nightmare, renowned for its illusions, to use illusions against its enemies?"

"And don't underestimate Rovey. His illusion magic was learned from another version of me. Although I'm reluctant to admit it, in terms of illusion magic alone, the female version of me, that is, Merry, is even more powerful than us, so there's nothing hard to understand about that, is there?" he explained.

"But... it still feels so strange."

Artoria and Nitocris were still puzzled. They asked, "The Underworld just now was too real. It felt almost like reality. Was what happened there really an illusion? Or did you teleport everyone out?"

"It's definitely not teleportation. The Underworld has barriers that prevent it from teleporting instantly; even Command Seal can't achieve that. If you really want to describe it, just think of it as a dream," Merlin said with a smile.

"Dream?"

"That's right, it was just a dream."

Merlin chuckled softly, then looked at the even more bewildered Ereshkigal and said, "Everything we just experienced was constructed based on the perception of this Hades. Similarly, everything we did began according to her beliefs, and the final outcome was also arranged by her. However, due to the magic of the Holy Grail and the illusionary transformation between me and Rovey, the ending just now was real. That Hades, the Tezcatlipoca, naturally exists as well. And he stopped finishing me off only after discovering this. You could say that our consciousness just took a trip through the Underworld."

"So, your plan has been completely exposed, Ereshkigal."

Rovey turned to Ereshkigal and said, "Now you're out of options, aren't you?"

"Impossible... This is impossible! How could I be trapped in an illusion without realizing it? Even if I am only appearing in the form of a Servant, someone with top-level divinity like me should be able to distinguish an illusion... What exactly is going on with you?"

Ereshkigal still refused to believe the absurd fact that he had been under an illusion.

However, sensing that the seven gates of the Underworld had not been breached, coupled with the presence of the dead Underworld legion and the Skeleton Queen, she had no choice but to believe it, even if she was unwilling to admit it.

"Well, it's really unlikely, but if you take the initiative to make contact, the situation will naturally be different."

Merlin kindly explained it to her from the side.

"A flaw? Could it be...?!"

"Looks like you thought of that too."

Upon hearing this, Ereshkigal's eyes widened in surprise. She immediately turned to look at Rovey, and when she saw the blue rose in his fingertips, she immediately understood what it meant to have voluntarily entered the illusion.

"That's right, this is it."

Without further concealment, Rovey nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then extended the blue rose in his hand and dispelled the Magecraft, revealing a golden cup, different from the Holy Grail in Merlin's hand, in its true form.

This is Gilgamesh's Holy Grail.

Using the Holy Grail as a medium, they disguised it as a rose and gave it to Ereshkigal, letting her lower her guard and touch it. In just a moment, they could pull her into the illusion. Meanwhile, Merlin, on the other side, used Lev's Holy Grail to silently pull the other two goddesses in as well, thus ensuring that the process was flawless. It could be said that the two of them had just constructed a dreamlike journey to the Underworld for everyone.

"In other words..."

Upon hearing this, Nitocris roughly understood the situation. She asked, "So Tezcatlipoca we saw when we destroyed the Underworld legion, harmed the Skeleton Queen, and passed through the seven gates was real, but also an illusion. We were just wandering around using Ereshkigal's memories. The damage suffered in the illusion wouldn't carry over into reality. The damage Lord Ereshkigal suffered was actually just because..."

Merlin: "It's her subconscious that's guiding her."

Rovey nodded and said, "It's because of the desire hidden in her subconscious. Although she's unwilling to admit it, she wants someone to destroy the legions of the Underworld, the Skeleton Queen's shell, and the divinity of the Seven Gates, so that she can leave the Underworld. The reason I just caused such destruction was because I heard her voice and wanted to fulfill her wish. However, Ereshkigal's will, though hesitant, is also very firm. After all, I should have destroyed all seven gates, but I only destroyed three. The reason is that—although she yearns for freedom, she also cannot let go of her responsibilities."

"She really is a quirky and contradictory goddess."

Rovey glanced at Ereshkigal was still questioning his existence behind him.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Hearing that the faint desire he had occasionally felt in the illusion had been exposed, Ereshkigal shouted in shame and anger, "I, I am the Mesopotamia! If I abandon my duties, who will be responsible for the cycle of life, old age, sickness, Mesopotamia? Who will maintain this vital balance!"

Ereshkigal shouted angrily.

She absolutely denies such a thing.

Especially since he was completely fooled, his ideas were exposed from the beginning, and now he was trapped with nothing left but his underwear.

She knew the outcome was already decided.

They already know all her plans and schemes, and she has no chance of winning anymore. She has lost completely this time.

Those two guys are really too cunning. They set a trap for me from the very first meeting, and I didn't even realize it, which led to my crushing defeat.

"So this is what you've been longing for all along? No wonder you were so happy to see me."

Nitocris looked at Ereshkigal with a mixture of sympathy and admiration.

Now she fully understood this goddess; she was a pitiful goddess who, though lonely and in pain, could not let go of her responsibilities.

Black Lancer Artoria: "You are remarkable. Compared to Ishtar, you are worthy of the name Hades."

After understanding all this, even the Black Lancer Artoria, who had always disliked the goddess of the Underworld and her sister Ishtar, expressed her respect without reservation.

Despite being enemies, their will and awareness were indeed worthy of her heartfelt admiration.

"——"

Merlin remained silent. Having witnessed so many capricious gods and fairies, this was actually the first time he had ever seen a goddess like this.

"What do you mean? How can you look at me like that? Are you pitying me?!" Ereshkigal kept shouting.

This time, Rovey bent down again and handed her a blue rose that he had originally intended to give her.

"What? Are you trying to pull me into the illusion?!"

Ereshkigal glared angrily at the guy who had tricked her so easily, and she had never hated flowers as much as she did now.

"No, these are genuine flowers, and the most suitable flowers for you. I'm sorry, I just lied to you."

"But the respect everyone has for you is genuine. As the god of the underworld in Mesopotamia, you have been working tirelessly in the dark Underworld, bearing the weight of the life system. This will deserves everyone's respect."

He gently placed the flower into Ereshkigal's palm, and then, after saying what was on his mind, Rovey slowly stood up.

"Huh? What, what are you talking about?"

Looking at the puzzled Ereshkigal, Rovey simply smiled and said, "It's nothing. I was just relaying to you some things that I couldn't say to you in time that night when we were suddenly interrupted. Anyway, you've worked hard all these years, Goddess Ereshkigal."

"What are you talking about... I already said, it wasn't me that night..."

Just as Ereshkigal was about to deny it again, he heard Rovey say:

"Well, then just take this as me talking to myself."

Ereshkigal: "..."

"Actually, I found it strange just now. So, you knew Hades all along?"

Hearing Merlin's words, which seemed to deliberately bring up a sore spot, the Black Lancer Artoria and Nitocris around them also looked at her.

Clearly, the two of them care a lot about this matter.

"I only met her once by chance when I was teaching Ishtar a lesson. However, since Ereshkigal has been denying it, perhaps I have mistaken her for someone else."

Rovey gave a casual, perfunctory reply, clearly not wanting to elaborate further.

"I see... then it's not surprising."

Merlin then smiled and said, "But what you just said is indeed true. Everyone who appears here bears the heavy burden of their responsibilities. Even if they fight in this era, no one will know or understand. But so what? This doesn't need any deliberate praise or comfort, because everything they have experienced and the people they have met so far are the most precious rewards in this process."

"Merlin ..." Rovey looked at Merlin, who had suddenly spoken human language, with some surprise, and then said with some disdain, "You're the only one here who has no right to say such things. Not only are you always lazy, but you also like to slack off. Can't you learn from Merry?"

Although he hadn't spent much time with Merlin in this world, Rovey already found the guy quite distasteful.

He's constantly lazy and slacking off, and even when he could be more useful, he always hides his talents and encourages others to work harder while he sits on the sidelines watching the show. He's a perfect example of someone who doesn't understand people's hearts.

"Hahaha, isn't that because you were there? And this time, big brother has already played a very important role, hasn't he?"

Faced with Rovey's disdain, Merlin showed no shame whatsoever. Instead, he scratched his head and laughed. For him, slacking off was the norm; it would be strange if he didn't. He had long since discarded such insignificant things as self-esteem.

After the encouragement and casual conversation, Merlin's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Now we know pretty much everything about the Underworld. First, Ereshkigal's plan fell apart on its own, so she's no longer a threat. Then, there's the matter of the other Hades being Grand Servant."

"However, I never expected that the other Hades would be the Tezcatlipoca. This is a bit tricky. Grand Servant, and he's also the Lord of the Underworld from Aztec mythology. Either legend proves that he's a genuine powerhouse. Perhaps without using your trump card, you really can't defeat him today."

Merlin couldn't help but sigh at the thought of that being who suddenly emerged from the black mist and almost disemboweled him in the illusion.

"Is that guy that strong? Even if they all attacked together, they wouldn't have a chance to take him down?"

At the same time, after hearing his description, Black Lancer Artoria couldn't help but ask. When she fought that guy in the illusion just now, he was clearly fighting with a playful attitude, so she didn't feel the overwhelming strength that was different from ordinary Servant. But since even Merlin said so, then he must not be underestimated.