Someone in the Multiverse, Starting as Fu Hua Chapter 8

If it were her alone, she would certainly lack the courage to approach the busy Gilgamesh and disturb him. But now, wearing the appearance of the Crimson Kite Immortal, she felt much bolder, and imitating Merlin's manner, she walked right up to the throne.

Gilgamesh, who was examining a clay tablet, lifted his head slightly and saw Amber before him: "Why are you here?"

A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, but his Clairvoyance quickly showed him her actions after returning to Uruk. Understanding dawned, and he said, "You're looking for Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others? Unfortunately, not long ago, I dispatched them to investigate Kusa City, northeast of Uruk."

"Thank you for the information. Then I'll take my leave." Having obtained what she needed, Amber turned around.

"Wait."

Gilgamesh set down the tablet: "Since you also intend to contribute to Uruk, you are now an ally of Uruk. As you can see, Uruk currently has no treasures left to reward its allies."

Amber didn't understand why he was saying this, so she replied flatly, "Ensuring the continuation of the seeds of civilization is my mission."

Although Ishtar had told her not to say such things to those being protected, Gilgamesh certainly didn't fall into that category.

Well, honestly, she just thought it sounded cool, so she said it.

Protecting the seeds of civilization, huh.

Gilgamesh's expression softened considerably. He then looked back down at the tablet in his hands, signaling that he had nothing more to say.

Completely baffled, Amber didn't care much about his attitude and simply walked out of the palace.

Fu Hua, however, fell into thought.

That king's behavior just now earned quite a few points in her book. Since Amber arrived, she had been acting freely for several days. With Amber's power, having no restraints within the city was like a bomb that could go off at any moment.

Yet Gilgamesh had never imposed any restrictions on her. Only now, when Amber finally showed her inclination, did he speak up to confirm her stance.

While it was undeniable that Uruk currently lacked the strength to fight Amber, this also revealed Gilgamesh's magnanimity. He had techniques for dealing with subjects and techniques for dealing with those worth recruiting—truly a born king.

But this had nothing to do with Amber anymore.

Fu Hua stopped pondering this matter and turned to the next: "Amber, although you've now entered the threshold of Tai Xu Sword Qi, you must not become arrogant or complacent."

"Huh?" Amber froze.

"It's good to be confident in your abilities, but you mustn't think that means you can solve everything." Fu Hua said, "When you spoke with Gilgamesh just now, why didn't you ask what Chaldea was investigating?"

"Uh..." Because... she didn't really care. She just wanted to go somewhere crowded to relieve her boredom.

At the root of it, she felt no one could threaten her, so she feared nothing. Simply put, she was a bit reckless.

Suddenly gaining immense power, breezing through every fight, only ever losing in sparring sessions within Feathered Dust—and even then, to someone she admired.

All these things piling up would indeed make anyone swell-headed.

Fu Hua wasn't surprised. She had sensed this tendency long ago, which was why she had always hoped Amber would get a good beating.

In the past, she would have stayed silent. When trouble came, Amber would naturally understand, and Fu Hua could always clean up the mess. But thinking of the fates of all her previous disciples, this time she decided to do the opposite—nip this tendency in the bud.

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Chapter 17: The Underworld

Amber wasn't someone who refused to listen to advice. In fact, she was very receptive to it, especially when it came from her waifu and master.

She understood the principle. She didn't even need Fu Hua to tell her that she shouldn't be arrogant. But when it actually happened, she hadn't even realized she was getting carried away.

"I understand." Amber nodded. "I'll be more careful from now on."

Fu Hua hadn't taught many disciples, but she hadn't taught few either, and most of them she had raised herself. Amber was one of the more obedient and well-behaved ones. Changing a person's character wasn't something that could be done overnight, so she wasn't in a rush to make Amber change immediately.

At Amber's speed, the outline of Kusa City soon appeared before her eyes, and the situation within the city was also taken in.

Her first reaction to the scene in the city was that it was strange.

Too strange. It was a sizable city, yet completely empty of people. She could only see the presence of Chaldea's members.

For some reason, Chaldea's group had chosen to split up. But oddly enough, Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had no combat ability, wasn't with Mash. Even more peculiar, she couldn't sense his presence anywhere in the entire city.

After a moment's thought, Amber chose to land beside Merlin.

"I didn't expect the Crimson Kite Immortal to come as well. Could it be that the ungracious king sent you to spy on me?" Merlin noticed Amber descending and put on a fake smile as she landed.

"Not at all." Amber had long since learned how much Merlin loved pulling cheap tricks, so she didn't bother with his teasing and cut straight to the point: "Where is Fujimaru Ritsuka?"

"Fujimaru Ritsuka...?" Merlin instinctively thought she had business with Ritsuka, but quickly realized that wasn't the case.

Just as she had been able to spot him from the air, the Crimson Kite Immortal, who could easily sense everyone's presence, wouldn't need to ask around to find someone in a city.

With that thought, Merlin immediately used his Clairvoyance.

"Trouble...!" He frowned, waved his staff, and two spells made of flower petals flew out. Then, as he moved, he said, "Fujimaru Ritsuka is over by the plaza!"

By the plaza? Was he unconscious?

Amber followed.

Because they had been searching with the plaza as the center, all three parties converged almost simultaneously.

Seeing Ritsuka collapsed in the center of the plaza, Mash rushed over, trying to wake him. But Amber and Anna could tell that Ritsuka wasn't just unconscious—he had lost his life signs. He was dead.

Through the special wristband from Chaldea, Roman's voice immediately rang out: "Mash! Fujimaru Ritsuka's life reactions have disappeared! What's going on!?"

"What...? Mr. Merlin!? Senpai!?" Hearing this, Mash looked in shock at Merlin, who had gathered everyone together.

"..." Merlin's expression was grim. He had a vague idea, but couldn't grasp the key point.

"There's no consciousness inside his body, but his organs are strangely intact, as if he died suddenly without any warning while walking." After touching Ritsuka's body, Amber repeated Fu Hua's exact words: "It's not sudden death, nor any sudden organ failure—he's truly dead, perfectly intact."

Hearing this, Mash stared in disbelief at Fujimaru Ritsuka's corpse.

"No, wait... perhaps this isn't death... no... if that's the case, it'd be even more troublesome..." Merlin's expression suddenly turned grim, and he began speaking in riddles.

"Mr. Merlin? What's going on?" Mash asked urgently.

"The sky, the earth, the underworld—in most myths, they're separate realms, but in this era where gods and humans coexist, that's not the case." Merlin explained: "Walking to the underworld on foot is something achievable in this age."

Mash wasn't stupid; she understood immediately: "So Senpai is in the underworld now? Then if we just bring his soul back..."

"Bringing a soul back is an extremely difficult task."

Merlin's face scrunched up, feeling once again that things were slipping out of control.

"A difficult task...?" Mash's expression turned fearful, then she looked to Amber, whom she considered equally reliable.

Faced with a beautiful girl looking at her with a face on the verge of collapse, Amber's heart raced with anxiety, but when she checked the Navigator's mission guide, she saw no task like 'Bring Ritsuka Back' nor any hints.

"If there's a way, please speak plainly." Helpless, she could only turn to Merlin.

Merlin opened his mouth, about to explain the underworld and the Underworld Goddess, when suddenly a muffled groan rang out.

The familiar sound drew everyone's attention.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had been utterly lifeless, slowly opened his eyes, a look of confusion on his face.

"Fujimaru Ritsuka's vital signs are returning!" Roman's voice sounded again.

"Senpai!?" Seeing this, Mash could no longer hold back her emotions; tears streamed from her eyes. Anna, who had remained silent, also breathed a sigh of relief.

Surrounded by everyone, Ritsuka was still a bit dazed, but seeing Mash's tears snapped him back to his senses. He quickly comforted her, then told everyone about how he had accidentally wandered into the underworld and been saved by an old man named Ziusudra.

Merlin pointed at the clay tablet pressed under Ritsuka's hand: "That tablet in your hand should be the Heavenly Mandate Tablet, right? Did that man calling himself Ziusudra give it to you?"

"Uh... I guess so?" Ritsuka scratched his head, then asked in confusion: "Calling himself?"

"Ziusudra, in Sumerian myth, symbolizes the guardian of the abyss, the bell-ringer, and the witness of all things that die—the sole survivor of the Great Flood, equivalent to the Bible's 'Noah'." Roman explained: "Like Merlin, I don't think that's the real person... but then again, since Ishtar and Enkidu have both appeared, it might not be impossible..."

"Probably someone with a similar role—after all, that's not a name you can just impersonate on a whim." Merlin said, then frowned and lowered his head: "But still... the underworld is also intact... which means that Underworld Goddess has descended here too... if so, then what about Ishtar of the Three Goddess Alliance...?"

Everyone was drawn in by his muttering, but aside from Fu Hua, no one caught it all.

Just then, Amber suddenly sensed Ishtar's aura rapidly approaching.

Roman also issued an alert through the wristband: "A large magical reaction is approaching fast!"

The next moment, hundreds of golden beams rained down from the sky. Mash quickly stepped in front of everyone to block them, nearly getting blasted away.

Seeing this, Amber caught Mash's body with one hand while raising the other, wielding pitch-black flames to deflect the remaining attacks.

"Found you!" Ishtar's figure appeared in midair out of nowhere, her face full of displeasure: "I just happened to drop by my city on a whim, and here you are! Don't you know how reckless it is to investigate a goddess?"

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Chapter 18: Down the Goddess

"Oh my, a goddess who extorts money from the people has appeared—she's probably already marked us as her next target." Merlin still had the leisure to joke: "After all, she's already slandering us with talk of investigations. Who knew a goddess would also seek justification for a surprise attack?"

"Ha? Slander? If there's no reason, why come here? What else could it be but an investigation?" Ishtar said irritably: "And what I take is a fair fee! Forget it, I'm not saying that twice. The price for offending me earlier—now you'll pay it in full! Perfect timing! That Golden Sparkle, who has nothing to offer but wealth, must have given you plenty of goodies! I'll gladly take them!"

With that, she looked down at Amber, who had just protected the Chaldea group: "Hey! You were sweet-talking me this morning, and by afternoon you've already sided with my enemies?!"

Morning?

Everyone looked at Amber in confusion.

"I have no intention of becoming your enemy." Amber said. Before Ishtar could smile, she continued: "But I also don't want to see the Chaldea group, who are my friends, get hurt."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ishtar frowned.

Amber didn't explain right away. Instead, she directly used Feathered Dust, covering the surrounding area in an extremely crude manner.

Such an unsubtle use of technique naturally made everyone immediately aware something was off.

"Is this... a Reality Marble?" The scenery hadn't changed much, but the sensation of being covered by something was clear, so Mash guessed.

"It's not a Reality Marble—it's something like an illusion... an Authority." Merlin looked at Amber with an unreadable expression.

He was an expert in illusions, but as he'd said before, no matter what magecraft he used, its effects were far inferior to an Authority. If Ishtar had used her Authority back at the Divine Tower, even with Gilgamesh holding the line, the three of them would have been defeated in no time.

Authority wasn't magecraft—it was a technique that manipulated the rules constituting the world, something generally only gods could master.

But Amber, or rather the Crimson Kite Immortal, though called an immortal, possessed no divinity whatsoever.

That was why Ishtar hadn't taken Amber seriously from the start. Though people often called divinity a debuff, at the same time, having divinity was a ticket to true strength.

Those without divinity weren't necessarily weak, but those with divinity were definitely strong.

"So this is how you got close to me this morning." Ishtar finally understood how she'd been approached without noticing, then asked curiously: "What kind of Authority is this? I've never seen anything like it in Mesopotamia."

"It's the Authority to control consciousness." Amber didn't beat around the bush: "This place is now a domain of consciousness, and all its laws are under my control. Don't worry—fighting here won't cause injury, and time flows much slower than outside."

This was considering that Fujimaru Ritsuka, as an ordinary person, had limited mental strength; accelerating his consciousness too much might cause damage.

"Don't worry about your real bodies—I'll protect them properly."

"You... you're surprisingly self-centered, aren't you?" Cold sweat dripped from Ishtar's temple.

She could sense that she could forcibly break through this consciousness space, but consciousness itself was a concept she had never encountered before, and even she couldn't be certain what would happen if she forced her way out.

"Settling our grudges here isn't bad either." After nervously checking his own condition and confirming that his original body's magecraft was still maintained, Merlin finally relaxed and chuckled, "At least my wallet won't get swiped by a goddess."

"I told you! That was just compensation for your rudeness!" Ishtar had long been annoyed by this white-haired man. Beside her, Ma'anna suddenly fired a cannon blast, then she took out three Star Stones Amber had given her this morning, instantly amplifying the magical power within her body as she waved her hand and fired off hundreds more magecraft barrages.

Speaking of which, Amber hadn't expected Ma'anna to be able to enter as well. So Ma'anna did possess a faint consciousness, after all.

"Striking at the drop of a hat! Is this also the character of a goddess?" Merlin immediately fled in panic, his pathetic display not surprising Mash or Anna in the slightest—whether that was good or bad remained to be seen.

Though she still didn't understand consciousness space, Mash, eager to accumulate experience fighting against deities, naturally wouldn't pass up any training opportunity. She raised her shield and leaped into midair, intending to interrupt Ishtar's attack, but Ishtar dodged nimbly and kicked her back to the ground.

Anna's chains seized the chance to wrap around Ishtar's ankle, dragging her downward, but Ma'anna's cannon fire directly severed them. Anna herself was then forced to retreat by a barrage of follow-up shots.

Troublesome.

Both Anna and Mash felt a headache coming on.

Without Gilgamesh's interference, Ishtar's magecraft faced no restrictions at all.

"What's wrong? If you can't reach the sky, you can't hit me." Ishtar laughed from midair.

"How cowardly! Come down and fight fair and square!" Merlin shouted.

"Who would give up their advantage?" Ishtar mocked.

Seeing this, Mash and Anna had no choice but to continue fighting by leaping, but their efforts yielded little. With abundant magical power and unrestricted use of magecraft, Ishtar had no intention of landing to fight them on the ground.

Finally growing bored, Ishtar decided to end the battle. She gathered magical power that put immense pressure on both Anna and Mash, but suddenly vanished from the space.

"Huh?"

Not only Anna and Mash, but even Merlin was bewildered.

Where did she go?

Amber, however, understood the situation. As the user of Feathered Dust, she could not only keep constant watch over the consciousness space but also operate in the real world without interruption.

Sensing that Ishtar's consciousness had suddenly gone silent, Amber deactivated Feathered Dust, returning everyone else's consciousness to their bodies.