Someone in a Multiverse, Starting as Fu Hua

Gilgamesh said in a low voice: "But the enemy's situation is even more troublesome than Quetzalcoatl's—no, even more troublesome than Quetzalcoatl's."

"What level of Divinity does Ereshkigal have? Is it higher than Ishtar's?" Roman took the chance to gather information.

"She was sent to the Underworld as a cornerstone when it was created, a goddess who had to govern it because a deity was needed to manage the realm," Gilgamesh said. "As a goddess who has remained in the Underworld for millennia, she has never set foot on the surface or in the heavens... but in exchange, when she is in the Underworld, Ereshkigal is invincible—even the gods cannot defy her laws."

"However, if she is not in the Underworld, her Divinity is probably only middling."

"So... we have to find a way to lure her out of the Underworld to fight?" Roman frowned.

"That's impossible."

Ishtar dismissed Roman's idea: "She doesn't leave the Underworld not because she doesn't want to, but because she can't. Whether it's her own will or not, she is bound to the Underworld."

"This..." Ritsuka and Mash exchanged glances. Wasn't that basically unbeatable?

If they wanted to take King Gilgamesh out of the Underworld, they would need the goddess's consent. But they couldn't gamble everything on her goodwill—without a way to deal with her, they had no leverage for negotiation.

"It's not entirely hopeless."

Gilgamesh said: "If the opponent is a living being, then they are not subject to the law of 'must kill' in the first place. In other words, in the Underworld, Ritsuka, Mash, and Crimson Kite are all beyond the reach of her laws. Though her own power boost remains, at least they won't be taken out in one blow."

"I see..." Roman and Ritsuka finally understood why Ishtar had insisted on bringing Amber along.

They weren't surprised that Amber, a living person, appeared here as a Servant—after all, Merlin was in the same situation. For top-tier Heroic Spirits like them, rules were never that rigid.

Besides, as an immortal hermit from Shenzhou who was not a deity, it was no wonder she had survived to this day.

As they talked, the group arrived at the lowest level of the Underworld—a 'palace' surrounded by a sea of nothingness.

"Though they call it a palace... it's more like a wasteland... If this counts as a palace, it's just too... heartbreaking..." Mash said sadly, looking at the flat ground with only a stone floor and a few pillars, not even a proper building.

"This is what the Underworld is."

Gilgamesh's expression was equally flat: "There is no splendor here, only eternal solitude and the sea of nothingness that constantly stirs with its waves."

"You speak as if you know it well, half-blood king."

A voice identical to Ishtar's, but far more somber, rang out as the group surveyed their surroundings.

When they turned around, Ereshkigal, clad in a red cloak with golden hair, was already standing in the center of the palace.

Her voice carried sorrow, utterly lacking Ishtar's flamboyance: "So you've finally come. Let me introduce myself—I am the mistress of the Underworld, the Trampler of the Sacred Mountain, one of the Three Goddess Alliance, Ereshkigal."

Ereshkigal's gaze fell on Amber and Ritsuka: "Let me say this first—I won't let you take that king away. Not only him, but all of you will stay here as well. Then I will claim the Holy Grail of Uruk, and with that, the human world will come to an end."

"So you want to imprison us?" Ishtar sneered. "That's just like you—gathering all ugliness unto yourself, it's only natural you'd have such an unrefined approach."

"You've always been like this! All talk and no action! When you fall into my hands, you'll remember the fear of once descending into the Underworld!"

Ereshkigal, hearing herself belittled in front of her friends, immediately flared up with anger.

"What are you so mad about! You're the one who came out with that 'fight to the death' attitude!" Ishtar said in exasperation.

"Hold on, let me cut in first," Gilgamesh interjected.

Ereshkigal was about to retort but was stopped, making her even more irritated: "What do you want? The King of Uruk who fell down here before I even planned to strike at him?"

"Heh, you're really stubborn. You clearly need my Holy Grail, don't you?" Gilgamesh chuckled. "You're just as childish as that Ishtar."

"What do you mean 'just like her'! I'm not that kind of embarrassing girl!" Ishtar had no intention of accepting that comparison. She had never thought of destroying humanity, and comparing her to that filthy, ugly goddess was just insulting.

Ereshkigal couldn't hold back: "Where am I embarrassing! I am the terrifying goddess of death! You're the one who was easily manipulated by humans for treasure! Unthinkable for a goddess!"

"Ha!?" Ishtar bristled as well.

"Enough! Let the Uruk comedy show end here! You can act it out wherever you like, as long as I don't have to see it!"

Gilgamesh interrupted the two goddesses' quarrel again: "Ereshkigal, as the city goddess of Kusa, you have colluded with the other two pillars of the Three Goddess Alliance. This sin far surpasses that of the other goddesses. Though I am now a dead man, I can still pass judgment on you by royal authority."

"Invaders are repelled by force, while the betrayal of kin is judged by the world. You understand this—this is kingship."

"Indeed, in this world of Divine Right of Human Granting, a king of men like you could, if you abandoned everything, punish a god. But so what? Will you kill me at the cost of your own life?" Ereshkigal's expression darkened.

Gilgamesh's move was useless against the other two goddesses, but as a native deity, she was bound by this restriction.

"That depends on your answer, Ereshkigal."

I bought a new keyboard today, but it's not as comfortable as the one I'm using now. I was looking forward to it for nothing...

But my current keyboard is very stiff, and lately my left hand has been hurting. I need to switch keyboards soon. Does anyone have any recommendations? 6

Three chapters today as well, and this volume is almost over—around chapter fifty-five? 1

Chapter 44: The Door to Imaginary Space

"Why have you colluded with the Three Goddess Alliance!? Do you intend to deny your duty to protect Sumerian civilization and the people of Sumer!?"

Gilgamesh's loud accusation echoed through the empty palace, and anyone could see the anger written on his face.

"I thought you were going to ask something else."

Ereshkigal's expression did not change at all: "My duty has not changed one bit. I was entrusted with the Underworld itself—I am its mistress. Taking human souls into the Underworld is my fate and my meaning. So what is wrong with what I have done?"

As she spoke, she raised her spear and pointed it at Gilgamesh: "I have no regrets about my actions! As for you, if you dare to stand in my way, be prepared!"

"You've already left us no way out, and you still talk about being prepared!" Ishtar retorted.

Gilgamesh's face darkened. The other side's stance was unshakable, and her actions were recognized by the world—this meant his royal authority had lost its effect.

"In that case, there's no need to interrogate you! Just hand over your head directly! Let your defeat serve as the judgment for your deeds!"

Though he shouted these words with great momentum, Gilgamesh immediately shielded himself behind Amber after finishing.

There was no helping it—if kingly authority was useless, then as a dead man, he could do little against Ereshkigal. Not that he was entirely useless in battle, but if even Crimson Kite couldn't solve this, then one more of him wouldn't make a difference.

Amber felt a bit speechless inside, but she still stepped forward two paces.

"I couldn't ask for more. I'll cast aside all reproach and pierce every last one of you with my spear!" Ereshkigal paid no heed to Gilgamesh's harsh words. In her eyes, victory was already assured—as long as she was in the Underworld, nothing could harm her, so she dismissed his words as mere wind.

But for her friends, she still had something to say.

"Before we start fighting, I have a question for you." Ereshkigal turned her gaze to the living: "Throughout the long years, I've been here managing the souls of the dead, without my own happiness, joy, sorrow, or anything like friends—only able to gaze at my other half soaring freely through the sky."

"Do you also intend to condemn me? Do you still plan to argue that collecting souls is wrong, even now?"

"Is no one willing to praise me, who has always fulfilled her duty alone?"

At this moment, she didn't seem like a goddess.

Her fragile expression made it hard to imagine she'd just been clamoring to kill them all, but both Ritsuka and Amber could see she truly wanted to kill them—and truly hoped they would acknowledge her efforts.

Amber fell silent.

"I cannot praise you." Ritsuka's expression didn't waver in the slightest at Ereshkigal's words: "That is... your duty."

"Eh...?"

Having never possessed friends, she yearned for them infinitely, and naturally expected them to reciprocate with the same weight of that yearning.

But the answer she got was completely different from what she'd imagined.

"Didn't you get it? Fool, even this Master knows not to praise things that are taken for granted." Gilgamesh interpreted flatly: "You may lament your duty, or abandon it to seek another path."

"However, belittling a duty you haven't fled and continue to fulfill—even if it's you yourself doing it—that is evil."

"Praise for such pain is nothing but an insult to you, who fulfills your obligation."

"—How arrogant!" Ereshkigal's expression didn't improve in the slightest; instead, obvious anger flared up, and she turned to Amber, who had been silent: "Is that what you think too?"

Somehow, this scene felt familiar...

Amber's feelings were actually a bit complicated, because she wanted to praise the other.

For Amber, just living already took everything she had. Doing things she found hard, even if there was nothing to complain about—wanting to offer encouragement was only natural, wasn't it?

No matter how sound the logic, the mental burden could still drive a person mad.

"I think... you did well..." Amber's words seemed to still the very air.

Everyone's eyes fell on her. Amber took a deep breath and continued: "A chef has a chef's work, a doctor has a doctor's work. If you chose this job and then complain about it, that's certainly not good, and also... cowardly."

Ereshkigal's originally expectant expression immediately soured.

"But..."

Before Ereshkigal could get angry, Amber spoke first: "But... I think... being cowardly isn't so bad either. The strong have their place to stand, and the weak have theirs too."

Ereshkigal: "That is..."

It was something she had said to Amber and Ritsuka before.

But soon, her face darkened again: "Even if you understand, you won't approve of my methods, will you."

"..." This silence was undoubtedly an admission.

Gilgamesh and Ritsuka also withdrew their gazes from Amber.

Gilgamesh: (I see—this one is far more emotional than I imagined...)

Ritsuka: (As expected, the Immortal isn't cold-hearted. Faced with friends and companions, her heart is incredibly soft. Even knowing the other is wrong, she offers understanding and recognition.)

"If you don't approve of my methods, then don't say you understand me!" Massive crimson lightning flickered through the palace, instantly gathering immeasurable magical energy.

Tears spilled from Ereshkigal's eyes: "Sing of your pain in the depths of the Underworld! Let's see how you correct what I call my faults! If you won't become my dead (my possessions), then don't try to understand me!"

"Looks like we have no choice but to fight."

Gilgamesh retreated further back. Ishtar retreated even farther, even using Gilgamesh as a shield.

"A sky without light, a land without radiance, soil without flowers—there is nothing here!"

A golden spear bloomed with light in Ereshkigal's hand. The Underworld corrected her parameters at maximum speed. The lightning, once as thick as two men, converged in an instant onto the spear in her hand, dyeing it red and white. Unstable magical energy was compressed to its limit. Everyone felt as if their bodies were sinking into a swamp, struggling to move in this space condensed with mana.

'Master...'

'I've already opened it—the gate to Imaginary Space.' Fu Hua's voice carried no fluctuation. She didn't dislike Amber's actions; rather... she admired them.

Just like herself, who had known the danger of the Herrscher of Void yet still acted on emotion in the end.

'If words can't make you understand, then let this strike explain.' Amber closed her eyes, drawing on the endless Imaginary Energy at her will.

"The divine is the ultimate of change, the mystery that gives form to all things, beyond the reach of shape."

What to cut, what not to cut, the force of the cut—she understood it all inexplicably.

"Tai Xu Sword Qi—Divine Aggregate."

I spent quite a while researching today, so the third chapter might not happen.

Mainly because I type too slowly...

Tiamat will be appearing soon too.

Actually, I really wanted to write about Hina, but there don't seem to be any popular anime set in an academy... Jujutsu Kaisen's academy is a bit niche—it doesn't revolve around the school.

High School DxD wouldn't be bad... but I haven't watched it...

Chapter 45: Tiamat

The golden sword shadow swallowed Ereshkigal's figure in an instant.

This great golden sword, as if connecting heaven and earth, had appeared before Gilgamesh for the third time, but this was the first time he had truly observed it up close.

The sensation of being pressed by death made his hair stand on end—this was not a power of this world, but a power from beyond it, he could be certain of that. Yet, thinking that the Crimson Kite Immortal was originally a fictional Heroic Spirit from a novel, he felt somewhat relieved.

But... that was the aura of Imaginary Space. If so, this could be quite troublesome...

At the same time—

Merlin, who had been watching the battle from the ground with a relaxed expression, suddenly changed color. The backlash from the spell on his main body had caused problems for this illusionary clone as well.

The Herrscher of Reason and Quetzalcoatl also noticed the issue and stopped their fight, strolling over slowly.

Neither of them had any goodwill toward Merlin. Seeing him injured stirred no reaction in them; instead, they discussed their own battle.

"I didn't expect that, having been born so recently, your strength would be this high. I wonder what it would be like if Crimson Kite went all out." Quetzalcoatl wore a smile.

"You're not bad either. Looks like you haven't lived that long for nothing. Too bad, though—when it comes to martial arts, your so-called wrestling can't compare to our Tai Xu Sword Qi." The Herrscher of Reason puffed out her chest, first offering a compliment, but quickly added: "But don't misunderstand—I'm no worse than that old fossil. If we fought, who knows who'd win!"

"Oh? That's true, since you are her, just another side of her."

Quetzalcoatl nodded thoughtfully.

"Hey! I'm not her!"

The Herrscher of Reason refused to accept that, shuddering all over: "Originally, I was going to let you off saying you lost to me by thirty moves, and I was even planning to let you tell people it was fifty! But now you'll have to stick to the exact number, no more, no less!"