Someone in a Multiverse, Starting as Fu Hua

"Now... saying this now! I still won't forgive you!" Ereshkigal recalled how she had been made both wronged and angry by a few words last time, ultimately fleeing in disgrace, and her cheeks flushed red as she shouted, "I just think you barely count as my friend! That's why I came to warn you! If you get taken out by another goddess before facing me, even if you fall into the underworld, I won't let you off!"

"Ah..."

Amber, who had only meant to be polite, hadn't expected the other to still be angry.

She didn't think she'd said anything too harsh last time. It was the same words, so why were Ereshkigal and Quetzalcoatl's reactions completely different?

Thinking back to Ishtar's earlier remarks about 'she is good, I am evil; she is evil, I am good,' Amber couldn't help but wonder if she really had said something offensive.

Or maybe her way of thinking just aligned more with the South American alien side?

"Don't tell me you didn't even take it to heart!? Unbelievable!" Ereshkigal saw Amber's wandering thoughts, and her face, already slightly flushed, grew even redder—this time clearly from anger.

"That topic from last time! Why not tell me about it?" Seeing this, Ritsuka quickly interrupted.

"Hmph, fine."

Ereshkigal had a decent impression of Ritsuka as well, and after hitting a wall twice with Amber, she decided to let a third party judge. She recounted her conversation with Amber, including many lines Amber herself barely remembered.

It was clear she cared deeply...

Amber was already thinking about how to soothe this goddess of the underworld.

After hearing the entire exchange, Ritsuka simply nodded thoughtfully and said, "I see."

If she hadn't talked with Amber before, Ereshkigal wouldn't have cared much about any evaluation. No matter what, she would still act the same way. Though she longed for praise and recognition deep down, having never received them, she didn't exactly expect it.

But now, angered by Amber, Ereshkigal wasn't satisfied with Ritsuka's attitude.

"So, what do you think, Master?" she pressed.

"Uh..." Ritsuka's mouth twitched as he realized he'd picked up a hot potato.

"Are you going to say something similar to Fu Hua too?" Ereshkigal's expression turned unhappy—a mix of anger and sadness that made her look pitiful. "Do you not approve of my thoughts either?"

"Ah..."

Ritsuka wanted to say yes, but how could he with that look on her face?

Amber noticed the goddess's fire had shifted to Ritsuka and, unable to bear it, tried to mediate: "I don't think this is a matter of right or wrong, but of stance and choice."

Ereshkigal knew that too, but she just wanted someone to acknowledge her.

When she had no friends, she never received recognition or praise. Now that she had friends, it was still the same—so what was the point of having friends?

She knew that compared to that South American Chief God, her thoughts, feelings, and even actions were a bit willful. But maybe, influenced by the owner of this body, she no longer wanted to suppress her thoughts and heart—she wanted to express them.

"I'm going to sleep."

Not wanting to keep being unreasonable, Ereshkigal pouted, stood up, and left.

Amber and Ritsuka exchanged glances, both seeing the awkwardness in each other's eyes.

Realizing this, Ritsuka couldn't help but find it amusing. The more he interacted with the Immortal, the more he sensed she wasn't cold-hearted. Beneath that icy, otherworldly exterior lay a warm heart—she just wasn't good at expressing it.

Time quickly arrived at morning.

Ritsuka had ultimately failed to resist sleep, or rather, he understood that to stay alert, even three or four hours of rest were necessary. He forced himself to sleep in the latter half of the night.

Everyone pulled themselves together and discussed how to infiltrate Quetzalcoatl's temple. The best opportunity was when Quetzalcoatl left for Uruk again, leaving the temple unguarded for them to destroy at will. But Ritsuka vetoed that.

After last night's thoughts and resolve, Ritsuka didn't plan to aim directly for destroying the temple.

Just like with Ishtar, he hoped to win over the full Quetzalcoatl to their side.

If that was the case, not facing that goddess's passion head-on would never earn her recognition or help.

Chaldea was never a decision-making body, but a support body. Its support target was, of course, the last human Master, who had already been through six Singularities.

In the Singularity, Ritsuka's will was also Chaldea's will.

Merlin had no objections either. Though he wanted to safely recover the Holy Grail and get through this Singularity, the Grail's location was still a mystery. To deal with the potential greatest threat, a complete Quetzalcoatl was certainly more worth recruiting than a weakened one.

And so, with a mindset of head-on confrontation, everyone followed Jaguar Man into Eridu, the city where Quetzalcoatl's temple stood.

Today's a bit no good too! Only one chapter! Hontou ni gomen nasai! (Bows)

But tomorrow I'm really completely free. Let me sleep well today! Haven't slept well in days! 5

Chapter 34: The Contradictory Feathered Serpent God

"You've come."

As everyone passed by rows of stone pillars, they finally saw the massive altar at the end. The altar had over a thousand steps, and at its peak stood a huge circular stone statue.

Quetzalcoatl was standing before the statue, looking at them. Her smile was gentle, yet it carried a hint of danger.

"If you'd planned to destroy my temple while I was out, I might really have killed you," Quetzalcoatl explained why she was happy. "Facing a strong enemy head-on without retreating—that's the most likable side of humanity. The time I spent waiting here, believing in you, has become worthwhile."

As she spoke, her expression turned terrifying.

"We're here to talk!"

Ritsuka stated his intent from the start.

"Talk. Indeed, both that Crimson Kite Immortal and the Venus goddess Ishtar seem to be allies you've won over through words." Quetzalcoatl smiled. "But I'm different. What I want to do can't be shaken by words alone."

Can't be shaken by words alone—in other words, there was another way.

Noticing that the goddess didn't seem so unreasonable after all, Ritsuka's face lit up with surprise, but he quickly straightened his expression. "So, what do we need to do to get Quetzalcoatl to join us?"

"Haha, I don't actually dislike such a direct question." Quetzalcoatl's smile widened a little, but soon fell. "However, unfortunately, that's something you humans need to figure out on your own. Think of it as a goddess's whim—a test~ Besides... I seem to spot a little stupid face that shouldn't be here in the crowd."

She shifted her gaze to the Jaguar Man, who had joined Chaldea yesterday and was acting as a guide today.

The Jaguar Man flinched, shoving Amber in front of herself as a shield. "Oh crap... If I get dragged into a fight, I'll be the first to get slaughtered..."

"Of course, I'd have no hesitation in tearing you limb from limb~" Quetzalcoatl flashed a brilliant smile. "Since you're here, it means you've come to destroy the temple, right? So, Master, and you, immortal—will I be the one to take you down, or will you manage to destroy the temple before I beat you?"

"Is this the test?" Ritsuka asked.

"Hmm~ Does it count? I can't tell you the answer directly until the mystery is fully revealed." Quetzalcoatl showed no intention of explaining, then added, "But before that, I have one request."

Seeing everyone turn serious, Quetzalcoatl suddenly laughed. "Let's enjoy the fight without holding back~"

"She's the type who enjoys fighting, who finds joy in battle, huh." Ishtar twitched her mouth. Though others saw her as a lunatic goddess who solved problems with force, she actually didn't find any pleasure in fighting itself.

Fighting was just one of her means to gain happiness.

"Sorry, I can't enjoy fighting." Ritsuka said.

"Same here." Amber nodded.

Anna and Mash nodded as well, while Merlin, the instigator, stayed silent—he hadn't been taken seriously by the goddess from the start anyway.

"Ah... I'm about to stiffen from excessive grief. This is a total rejection of me."

Her only request denied outright, Quetzalcoatl put on a sad face, but quickly recovered and countered, "Why do you say that? What is fighting to you?"

"It's something you have to overcome to get the happiness after the fight." Ritsuka's meaning was clear: fighting never brought joy, only hardship.

Quetzalcoatl frowned, looking over at Amber.

'Contradictory.'

Amber had been observing the Feathered Serpent God alongside Fu Hua the whole time—not just today, but they had discussed it all night.

As the pinnacle of good, the Feathered Serpent God was undoubtedly a benevolent deity. Legend said she vehemently opposed human sacrifice and occasionally appeared as a king of men to guide humanity—all proving her goodness wasn't 'goodness toward gods,' but 'goodness toward humans.'

Yet this goddess who opposed sacrifice demanded a male offering every day in Ur, though Jaguar Man later revealed those men weren't actually killed as offerings.

As a king of men, she surely understood what humans were. But understanding humans, she still claimed that toying with them was her reason for living and kept them penned up.

She acknowledged that 'some can fight, some can't—the breadth of that tolerance is a unique trait of human society,' yet now she said she 'hoped they enjoyed the thrill of battle.'

If she were a goddess like Ishtar, prioritizing herself over reason, these actions would be fine. But as said before, her goodness was 'human goodness.'

"I feel the same as Ritsuka." Amber said.

This Feathered Serpent God spoke contradictory words, held unspoken truths, and spun lies to hide them.

"I see. So you're that kind of human... What a perfect answer—so perfect I want to kill you."

Hearing their replies, Quetzalcoatl's previously gloomy face broke into a smile.

It wasn't a dangerous smile, but one of genuine joy. Through Feathered Dust, Fu Hua could confirm that.

"Then words are useless. Let's begin!" Quetzalcoatl stopped wasting time, leaping straight off the altar and landing heavily in front of Amber. In her eyes, besides the two of them, everyone else could at most be spectators.

Ishtar was strong, but that strength was relative. To join their fight, one would need to be at least on the level of a Sumerian chief god.

Compared to a chief god, Ishtar—who only held a portion of a chief god's power—was meaningless, even as the strongest deity below that rank, even with local buffs.

Amber didn't waste words either. Ink-black flames ignited in her hand as she clashed with Quetzalcoatl.

The battle erupted instantly.

"Mash! Anna! Ishtar! I'm counting on you for the fight!" Ritsuka knew Quetzalcoatl wasn't someone to overpower head-on. According to the immortal herself, their combat skills were roughly equal, with the immortal having the edge in physical ability. But in actual combat, since neither could hurt the other, they ended up in a forced stalemate through trading blows.

With a Garuda-factor body, she shouldn't fear trading injuries, but... the one using the body wasn't Fu Hua—it was Amber.

Though her wounds healed instantly, the pain was real. Even after being harshly trained by Fu Hua, Amber didn't have that iron-blooded warrior mindset, so she naturally dodged when she could.

This made it hard for either to gain the upper hand.

Thus, Ritsuka could only hope the others would tip the scales of victory, while he—rather than getting in the way—headed straight for the altar to destroy Quetzalcoatl's Noble Phantasm.

Quetzalcoatl was indeed hard to write; it took me a while. But the problem with the small knife is still huge. Even if it's hard to write, it should be writable. The small knife isn't even about whether it can be written—it's about writing according to one's own understanding. Writing it and getting it wrong is the worst.

Then, for the next world, after discussing with the authors in the group, it should be Jujutsu Kaisen. Any recommended characters?

Chapter 35: The True Threat

Quetzalcoatl watched Fujimaru Ritsuka retreat, her smile growing richer. Her gaze flicked to Merlin, who stood idly by, and she showed some disdain.

But that disdain was quickly interrupted by a fist flying toward her face.

She dodged the jab with a quick sidestep, bending her knees and springing like a coiled spring over Amber's figure, punching the Jaguar Man—who had tried to ambush her—flying. Just as she moved to pursue, Amber's closing fist cut her off.

Despite her absurd resistance, that didn't mean she could completely ignore Amber's attacks.

She wouldn't get hurt, but the inertia from the force couldn't be lessened.

"Looks like you're finally getting serious?" Quetzalcoatl smiled at Amber.

"My duty is just to hold you back. But if you try to hurt my companions, that's different." Amber replied.

"But it's big sister me who'd get hurt, though I can't be injured."

Quetzalcoatl winked playfully.

"What exactly are you hiding?" The two exchanged blows, and in the span of mere conversation, they had already traded hundreds of moves. Black and golden flames occasionally spilled from around them, making it impossible for anyone to approach. Even the rocky ground beneath their feet had melted into large patches from the sheer heat.

Everyone became even more aware that when the two of them were truly serious, only Ishtar could intervene in their battle.

But Ishtar merely furrowed her brow and did not continue attacking.

Though she was extremely reluctant to admit it, this fight between the two was no longer something she could influence. Even if her long-range support struck true, what use was it? To Quetzalcoatl, it would be no more than being brushed by a few grains of sand or specks of dust.

Even if she truly unleashed her divinity, leaving aside the fact that it would affect Ritsuka, even disregarding that, Quetzalcoatl would at most be knocked back by the sheer force.

Returning to the battlefield between the two.

Hearing Amber's question, the smile on Quetzalcoatl's face grew even more enigmatic: "Merlin should be well aware of this too, but unfortunately, that guy never intended to tell you."

"Merlin?"

Amber and Fu Hua knew very well that Merlin had kept things from them, even from Chaldea, but they had assumed it was a companion's secret and hadn't pressed further.

Now, however, seeing Quetzalcoatl also acting like she knew everything, it was a different matter.

"Ah... even this can stir up hatred for me." Merlin said with some helplessness.

It wasn't that he was deliberately hiding things, but if his plan succeeded, then there would be no need to bring this matter up at all.

In fact, all the current enemies were not the greatest threat in this Singularity. The real threat was Tiamat, who lay dormant in the Singularity, not yet awakened. The reason he was currently so useless was largely because he was using ninety percent of his magical power to construct a dream for Tiamat.

However, he hadn't expected Quetzalcoatl to know this as well.

Merlin's expression turned strange. If Quetzalcoatl's knowledge of this was taken as a premise, then most of her contradictions would make sense.

"What exactly are you two hiding?" Amber asked, her hands moving without slowing as she called out to Fu Hua to deploy Feathered Dust.

This time, it was different from the casual use of Feathered Dust before—it was deployed at full power.

The moment Feathered Dust unfolded, everyone except Ritsuka stopped moving simultaneously. Though it was only for a brief 0.01 seconds, it was enough for Amber to see all of Quetzalcoatl's thoughts.

Why the contradictions, why she loved humanity yet did not act against Gorgon, who killed humans.