The Winds of the Underworld Howl Past

In the deepest, darkest depths of the Underworld, only cold stone covered the ground.

Flickering wisps of faint blue ghost fire reflected each other.

These were the last vestiges of warmth from the souls of the dead, and the only light in the Underworld.

And amidst the clusters of light, within a desolate temple built of piled stones, the Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, looked up from her divine seat, a hint of surprise on her delicate face framed by her golden hair.

She... couldn't believe it.

She had heard the voice clearly, both its origin and its content.

She heard someone in the Human World saying... they admired her?

And that voice, that presence, was exceptionally familiar to a goddess who lingered in the silent, desolate Underworld.

"Is it you... the one who allowed me to see the daylight once more?"

The goddess thought, closing her eyes slightly.

You... admired me?

The word "admire" was both familiar and strange to Ereshkigal.

It was normal for gods to be admired, as admiration was a form of faith. Gods were admired for their brilliance and became the faith in people's hearts because of that admiration.

But those were ordinary gods.

Ereshkigal, as the Goddess of the Underworld, was not well-regarded among the gods. In the Human World, she was feared as the embodiment of death.

She had never had faith, let alone been admired.

And now, someone said they admired her.

And it was the very person who had let her see the light of the Human World after such a long time.

Who was he?

Did he... tear open the rift between the Underworld and the Human World for her sake?

She wanted to know who he was.

She wanted to see his face, his appearance.

She wanted... to go to the Human World.

A chilling wind echoed through the icy realm in an instant.

The goddess's shadow remained on the throne.

But her soul seemed to have already traveled far away.

Towards the Human World—

"You... you really mean it?" After a long silence, Ishtar's voice rang out again from a deep alley in Uruk Royal City.

Time flowed on. The last of the sunset had long since vanished below the horizon, and the vast night sky enveloped the heavens, illuminating the starlight like countless brilliant fireflies.

A sliver of moonlight silently slipped through the gaps in the rooftops, falling upon Rovi.

He looked at Ishtar, whose expression was complex, a mixture of surprise and anger. He raised the corner of his mouth and smiled, "Do I have any reason to lie to you?"

"Don't underestimate me, Goddess—after all, I was once a Temple Priest in Uruk!"

Yes, Ishtar at this moment did not yet know that Rovi had challenged the gods who sought to interfere with his fate and dictate his future. In the eyes of this Venus Goddess, Rovi was not someone utterly disrespectful to all gods, but a priest who had served as a temple attendant at a young age.

He wouldn't lie about something like this.

Therefore—

If you want to act, then hurry up and act!

Towards me, a mortal who is indifferent to you, even insults you, and yet admires your sister...

Rovi, who had the advantage of information, spread his hands, appearing ready to accept whatever came next.

However, all he received was a soft sigh from Ishtar. Her previous surprise and anger seemed to have been an illusion.

Rovi blinked.

Had he failed after all?

He wasn't surprised.

He had known all along that Ishtar, influenced by 'Rin Tohsaka,' wouldn't want to kill him just like that.

In Rovi's estimation, When he said those words, her reaction would either be anger or... perhaps contemplation.

"She already heard it," Ishtar said inexplicably.

The night was cool as water, the moonlight like frost.

As the goddess's words fell, Rovi, with his eyes open, watched the figure before him, and in an instant, it seemed to distort.

It was as if two shadows appeared in the same place, similar yet not identical.

"She heard your words, and her heart yearns to see you," Ishtar's voice drifted with the wind. "However, she is very afraid."

The Goddess's crimson eyes were filled with complexity.

Ishtar had always felt sympathy for her sister, who was like a prisoner, forever confined to the deepest part of the Underworld.

But as the daughter of the Sky Gods, the Mistress of Heaven, just as the Goddess of the Underworld could not leave the Underworld, she would not set foot in it either.

Because besides sympathy, she also feared Ereshkigal.

However, this was the first time someone had told her that they admired her sister, who symbolized death.

Something even she herself had never achieved.

Yet, he had spoken it aloud.

Firmly and without hesitation, publicly.

It was also under this inexplicable emotion that Ishtar reconnected with the shared spiritual link that had always existed between her and Ereshkigal, but had been severed for countless years due to various reasons.

She knew Ereshkigal had heard Rovi's words.

Ereshkigal was also moved.

She wanted to see Rovi.

So Ishtar accepted a part of Ereshkigal's consciousness, just as she herself had descended through possession.

Allowing it to merge into a superimposed shadow on her body.

Now—

"She's here, but she doesn't dare to see you,"

Ishtar whispered, repeating the words.

"She just wants to see you."

"See you, the only person in the Human World who admires her."

"And then she'll leave."

The repeating shadow gradually gathered on Ishtar's body.

Rovi saw a goddess extremely similar to Ishtar, hazy and not entirely real, yet he could still see her golden hair and the same crimson eyes as Ishtar.

Ereshkigal.

Or rather, she should be called the Goddess of the Underworld.

Ereshkigal.

Just like Ishtar, she had also descended through possession into this body.

But she hadn't fully revealed herself.

As Ishtar had said, she just wanted a glimpse, to see the appearance of the one who had, for the first time ever, admired her.

She was also afraid that if Rovi truly interacted with her, he would show fear.

That the 'admiration' would vanish completely.

Truly...

She didn't know how to describe her personality.

An extreme opposite to Ishtar.

But at the same moment, the wind swirling in the air suddenly turned intensely cold, and darkness descended like a curtain, obscuring the Mistress of the Underworld behind it, transforming her into a hazy shadow.

The descent of the Underworld Goddess through possession naturally brought the wind that symbolized death from the deep earth.

It blocked the path, obstructing Rovi's potential forward steps.

It was a wall that mortals could hardly touch.

—However.

The Underworld Goddess appearing directly did not exceed Rovi's expectations; in fact, it was just perfect for him.

Even though death, representing the end, was a terrifying thing, whether for humans, objects, or even divine envoys.

But Rovi was different.

He was currently very much... yearning for death!

How could he possibly let this opportunity slip away?

Since she's already here.

Could he let her run away?

Rovi stepped forward, reaching out to touch the wind from the Underworld.

His heart was filled with excitement.

Today, this could be considered the moment he was closest to death since his transmigration.