Someone in the Multiverse, Transformed into Fu Hua at the Start Chapter 20

"So this is your friend?" Quetzalcoatl was momentarily stunned by their identical appearance, with only their temperament and hairstyle showing clear differences, but quickly noticed the biggest distinction: "This friend is the Crimson Kite's divine aspect?"

"So this is how you separate Divinity?" Ishtar nodded in understanding.

"Rather than accepting Divinity, separating it to create another avatar—truly a brilliant method," Merlin added his assessment.

"What part of me looks like a god? Compared to me, that old fossil is way more of an immortal, right?"

The Herrscher of Reason hadn't expected to be met with commentary the moment she appeared before she could even speak. She dropped a warning with displeasure: "Let me make this clear, I don't have that old fossil's good temper. You'd better choose your words carefully."

Merlin, completely unafraid, chuckled: "You say that, but the Divinity on you and your personality really do fit the image of a 'goddess.'"

Everyone looked at the Herrscher of Reason, then at Ishtar, and had to nod.

True enough—lawless, willful, and self-centered. That was practically textbook goddess behavior.

"Ha? Are you deaf or just pretending not to understand?" The Herrscher of Reason had long been annoyed by this cryptic slacker and planned to teach him a lesson.

"Spare me, please. If we really fought, I wouldn't last a single exchange against the Crimson Kite Immortal," Merlin said with a full smile, feigning weakness. "And the Crimson Kite Immortal wouldn't want to bully a helpless mage like me, would she?"

"It's too late to realize how tough I am now," the Herrscher of Reason laughed. "I've thought this for a while—every single one of you has a screw loose. You could easily solve the crisis, but none of you lift a finger. Whatever, I'll just beat all of you up first, then find the Holy Grail. Problem solved."

"Haha, if only it were that simple," Merlin shook his head. "The thing is, we don't even know where the Holy Grail is. We thought it was with one of the three goddesses, but the Beast Goddess and the Jungle Goddess we've encountered so far don't have it. The only possibility left is the Underworld Goddess."

"If you ask me, that Holy Grail is definitely with Tiamat," the Herrscher of Reason offered a blunt hypothesis. "Treasures of the world go to the strong. Tiamat's that powerful, so the Holy Grail's with her."

That was the worst-case scenario, and also the most likely one. That was why Merlin and Gilgamesh had been trying to boost their combat power—if the Holy Grail really was with Tiamat, then a battle with her was an unavoidable trial.

"Xiao... Xiao Shi, don't cause trouble." Amber, who had instinctively wanted to call her Xiao Bao, quickly corrected herself. "Tiamat, as the Mother of Creation, is no enemy to be taken lightly. It's safer to wait until we bring Gilgamesh back from the Underworld before making plans."

"You..."

The Herrscher of Reason wanted to mock Amber for being just as old-fashioned, but remembering that Amber was currently acting in the old fossil's identity, she barely held back her words.

Then, thinking that Amber was the one who let her out for some air, she suppressed her mood: "Fine, fine. I'll listen to you this once."

With that, she looked at Quetzalcoatl and flashed a healthy grin. "But since I'm out for once, there's no harm in stretching my limbs, right?"

Amber paused. Knowing that Xiao Bao had always wanted to fight Quetzalcoatl, she didn't want to stop her and turned to Quetzalcoatl with a questioning look.

In response, Quetzalcoatl winked, then smiled at the Herrscher of Reason: "Sure. A spirited, head-on challenge—face to face. Big sis has no reason to refuse."

"Ha, don't get it twisted. You're the challenger here." The Herrscher of Reason's grin widened.

Amber: ...Maybe keep that talk to a minimum..?

Herrscher of Reason: What? You think I'll get cut in half?

Amber: ...Forget it. As long as you're both happy.

Trusting the Herrscher of Reason to know her limits, Amber turned her attention to Ishtar: "Let's handle the main business first. Xiao Shi isn't one to ignore the bigger picture. Leave what's up there to them."

Ishtar had no objections. She flew high into the air, blasted a massive hole through the plaza, and led the three of them down.

As their figures vanished, the three left on the surface sized each other up anew.

"Now that the old fossil's gone, we can cut loose." After so long in peace, following Fu Hua on a journey until her bones felt stiff, the Herrscher of Reason stretched with eager anticipation.

"No problem at all, but let's wrap it up quickly, okay? I still need to find time to train the soldiers," Quetzalcoatl said, equally looking forward to this pure battle lust. If anything, her two previous fights with Amber hadn't been satisfying, and she welcomed the chance to continue now.

Too bad she still had duties—she couldn't indulge too freely.

Seeing how relaxed Quetzalcoatl was, the Herrscher of Reason remembered that her Herrscher core had been lent out. Using Feathered Dust as her vessel meant she couldn't use Imaginary Energy either.

That would make this no fun.

"Alright, three hours. We'll count wins by rounds," she quickly came up with a plan. "But don't you dare use 'carelessness' as an excuse. Unlike that old fossil, I won't go easy, so I suggest you take this seriously!"

"So when I fought her before, the Crimson Kite wasn't using her full strength?" Quetzalcoatl was a bit surprised, but it only fueled her fighting spirit. "Then..."

"Let's begin!"

The vote for the next volume goes up tonight or tomorrow morning!

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Chapter 42: Ishtar's Wrath

"Great, this is the Underworld. How do you like it?" Ishtar, slowly descending, looked at the three on the ground and asked with a smile.

"Barely... managed to block the landing impact with my shield..." Mash glanced at Ritsuka beside her. "Senpai, are you injured?"

"I'm fine... no injuries, but doesn't Ishtar have a teleportation spell?"

Feeling his whole body stiff from the impact, Ritsuka asked with a pained expression.

"Of course I know a simple teleportation spell like that," Ishtar said helplessly. "But what comes after teleportation is terrifying, isn't it? What if my power gets sealed the moment I arrive and I fall to my death? As long as we can dig our way here, it's better to avoid teleportation!"

"Communication's connected. I was worried about whether I could observe the Underworld's condition, but it seems I was overthinking it."

Roman's voice came through the wristband. "Though, this is just beneath Kusa City, right...?"

"Huh? I thought it was another dimension... Is this the Age of Gods?" Mash looked at Ishtar.

"I can't speak for other Ages of Gods, but in Mesopotamia, the heavens, the earth, and the Underworld are all on the same 'loom,'" Ishtar nodded. After all, this was an era where humans and gods coexisted, but there was no need to explain too much. Seeing that everyone was fine, she took the lead and walked ahead.

"Anyway, follow me. I've been here once, so I know the way pretty well."

Amber followed Chaldea as they advanced, while sensing the state of her power at this moment.

Although this was the underworld, the density and quality of mana here surpassed even that of the surface world.

Was it because no life existed here, or because everything was spiritual bodies? Regardless, her power had not declined.

Under Ishtar's lead, they soon arrived before a gate. Though called a gate, it looked like nothing more than a pile of three stone pillars stacked together.

"This is the first entrance," Ishtar explained. "The Underworld Gate is a Gate of Axiom that questions the good and evil of souls. Good and evil are equivalent; only human values change when making choices, so neither option is necessarily correct."

"Either way, both choices are annoying, so just pick whichever feels easier for you."

As she spoke, she pointed. "When you hear the question, just think of your answer as you walk through the gate."

No sooner had she finished than the Underworld Gate rang out.

"Answer me—"

"Answer me—"

Isn't that Ereshkigal's voice? Why is she lowering her pitch like that...?

Amber was puzzled.

"A living being who has fallen into the underworld—Fu Hua."

"Huh? Does this gate designate who answers?" Ishtar blinked, then looked back at the three behind her. "Speaking of which, who's Fu Hua?"

"Eh..?"

The question caught Ritsuka and Mash off guard.

Mash, always straightforward and innocent, swept her puzzled gaze between Ishtar and Amber, unable to help asking, "Aren't you two friends? Fu Hua... is the Immortal's true name."

Ishtar: "..." Come to think of it, Crimson Kite Immortal was a title the emperor bestowed on her...

Amber: "..." I introduced myself to Chaldea at the very beginning, but since everyone kept calling me 'Immortal' this and that, I forgot I hadn't reintroduced myself in ages...

The Underworld Gate suddenly flashed with dazzling light, then slowly faded.

A heavy yet melodious voice continued: "Standards of beauty are diverse, yet absolutes still exist. Black can overcome white, earth can overcome heaven. With that in mind—Ereshkigal and Ishtar, which one is beautiful?"

"...?" x4

"Wait!? This is different from before, isn't it!?" Ishtar's eyes turned gold in panic.

"Excellent, a thoroughly irrational question. So, what is the Immortal's answer?" Roman, who had been spectating from the back, couldn't help but laugh at the question.

"You know how to answer, don't you!? Fu—Hua—!"

Ishtar whipped her head around to glare at Amber. Her golden eyes radiated obvious menace and coercion. Amber, already feeling guilty, could only nod. "It's Ishtar..."

"Right, just choose what's easier, what follows your heart."

Hearing this, Ishtar's expression instantly brightened. She smoothed her long hair, confidently and gracefully flaunting her charm. "I'm sure you'd say that—after all, one is the goddess of plants and decay, the other the goddess of beauty and harvest. The answer is obvious, but I'll thank you anyway."

"Are—you—stupid—!"

The stone gate, which had been glowing blue, turned red. A massive bolt of lightning crashed down onto Ishtar.

"Ishtar!?" Ritsuka and Mash quickly caught the goddess, who was briefly stunned by the strike.

As for Amber...

Amber didn't dare to help.

Ereshkigal and Ishtar were both her friends. Now that Gilgamesh had accidentally fallen into the underworld, she was here as a guest asking for a favor—to get Gilgamesh back. Even if a fight became unavoidable later, that was for later. Right now, she had to maintain a supplicant's attitude.

But the very first gate had thrown out a question that made it hard for her to face Ishtar, so she answered without thinking, not wanting to upset Ishtar further.

And that answer got Ishtar struck by lightning.

"It's... Ereshkigal..."

"Cor—rect—"

Hearing this, the red glow on the gate finally vanished, and the entire gate turned into unremarkable stone.

"There's no need to go against your true heart, Fu Hua!" Ishtar snapped back to her senses, her face flushed with anger. "It has nothing to do with your answer—that woman is slowly chipping away at my Divinity! Just answer what's correct!"

"This is Ereshkigal's territory after all. Unless absolutely necessary, there's no need to force a confrontation."

Seeing Ishtar's obvious unwillingness to admit defeat, Amber reminded her.

"Ereshkigal!?"

Ishtar's expression grew even angrier. "Since when!?"

She wasn't surprised that the Underworld Gate had spoken Amber's name—that was the gate's nature. But Amber casually using the intimate nickname 'Ereshkigal' was a completely different matter. It meant these two clearly knew each other from before!

"..." Amber felt sweat trickling down her back. Feigning ignorance to sidestep the core issue, she answered, "Well, her name is Ereshkigal... In Shenzhou pronunciation, calling her Ereshkigal just rolls off the tongue."

"Hmph! Fine!"

Ishtar didn't press further, but: "From now on, you must answer every question 'correctly'! I won't let that gloomy goddess keep gloating!"

"...Alright."

Next Volume Poll

To be honest, I've thought of quite a few ideas for the next volume, but most of them don't satisfy me. The problem is that what I want to write isn't very popular, and I need to pick something with high popularity at this launch point to avoid an immediate crash.

After weighing everything, I chose Jujutsu Kaisen as the dungeon. Originally I was considering fz and fsn, but everyone's point is valid—those two are too old, too many people have written them, and I don't have the confidence to make them bloom anew.

Jujutsu Kaisen isn't exactly my optimal choice either. Let me just lay out my brainstorms, and everyone can add to them.

Jujutsu Kaisen:

Shier (Special Grade Cursed Spirit Black Hikiya)

Mei

Dreamer's Heart (Special Grade Cursed Tool, Old Man)

These are the ones above. They're relatively popular, and mainly I find these three characters easier to write. (Though Shadow's popularity seems to have dipped compared to before.)

Everyone can also give suggestions—preferably characters with high popularity. For the first three volumes, I want to build an audience, so once my popularity stabilizes, I can write something more niche.

For example, Liuying and Code Geass, Vita and Witch from Mercury, Blade Lady and Jingliu having a duel in a wuxia-style imperial city (though Blade Lady would be easily taken down), Sorazaki Hina as the Shadow Master—I'm interested in all of these.

(Though I've only watched the anime for Shadow Master.)

Chapter 43: Uruk Comedy

Ishtar, whose pride soared higher than the heavens, refused to let Ereshkigal gain even an inch of advantage, despite already knowing her feelings. Precisely because she could obtain everything, she naturally believed that everything related to her should rightfully belong to her—even friendship was no exception.

When facing others, this mindset could be suppressed, but when confronting Ereshkigal, who was her other half yet completely opposite, this thought reached its peak.

Thus, after crossing the seven stone gates, Ishtar's body, along with her Divinity, had been reduced to one-seventh of its original size—literally to the point where Ereshkigal could crush her with ease.

"Well now, this king originally found it amusing, but now I can hardly bear to watch." Gilgamesh, whom they had encountered at the third gate, wore a grim expression. "This is undeniably a decline in combat power. If Ishtar remains in this useless state, things will turn very bad."

"Huh? But we have the Immortal on our side..." Mash looked over at Amber beside her.

"Hmm... In terms of strength, Crimson Kite Immortal might already be considered the pinnacle among basic Servants, and even among Divine Spirit Servants, she's top-tier."