Disrespect! This Is Utter Disrespect!

At the border of Kusa, four Quetzalcoatlus broke through the rain clouds and hovered in mid-air.

After exchanging glances and nodding with the others, Ishtar leaped into the air and, with a shout, waved her hand to summon her chariot.

"It's coming, Ma'anna!"

The Sky Bow answered the call and appeared at the front of the mistress.

"The gate opens, Venus Concept Convergence! Load the tidal cluster missiles!"

Under the solemn chanting of divine words, a spatial path connecting the stars of the universe was formed above, and Venus, which echoed Ishtar, projected a brilliant light that poured into the Sky Ark Ma'anna.

"Output is equal to one-third the isosceles of lapis lazuli, granting the empty land the light of heaven—shatter, Mountain Tremor the Starfire!"

As the Divine Comedy of war posed for a shot, he swung his sword, and a massive beam of light struck a depression near Bakusa.

"Boom!"

Amidst the earth-shaking tremors, soil flew everywhere, and the rumbling vibrations stretched for thousands of miles, as a massive mushroom cloud rose into the air.

The central area struck by the light arrow formed a bottomless cone-shaped crater, from which a sinister aura of death and decay seeped out.

"Done!"

After firing her first shot, Ishtar, feeling refreshed, piloted the Celestial Bow Ma'anna to land, jumped onto the ground, and lazily stretched her body, quite satisfied with her achievement.

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, the group landed.

Ishtar greeted her shepherd priest with a smile, subtly fidgeting with her fingers.

"This time it really used up a lot of my supplies. The little bit Gilgamesh gave me is almost gone."

The ancient serpent gazed at the unobstructed view of Kusane City with a gloomy expression.

"If I remember correctly, at least 70% of the gems in the embassy are still there."

"Also, you should think about how to explain to the Kusa people that the outer wall here has completely collapsed after they wake up."

Anna and Merlin stared eerily at the money-grubbing goddess from the side of the blast hole, at the large section of collapsed city wall.

"They nitpick over the smallest mistakes."

Ishtar muttered to herself, glared at the false believer who had defied God's will, and withdrew her hand with a soft hum.

"Tch, if you don't want to give it to me, then don't! You're so stingy!"

The ancient serpent was well aware of this woman's insatiable nature once she was given free rein, and remained unmoved by it.

Immediately, the prudent Samael instructed Merlin and Anna to set up a concealed Sorcery Array around them, not only to hide their presence but also to prevent the dissipation of Death Qi.

Just before entering the underworld, Merlin mysteriously took out a bottle of Magic Potion and poured it on the back of the ancient serpent's hand.

Immediately, the Cuneiform Rune of [Underworld Protection] receded slightly.

"This thing has the effect of blurring the divine seal to attack specific targets. In this way, you and Ishtar can contact each other and help each other to avoid accidents at critical moments."

"You and those Magecraft at the Astrology Platform were researching this last night."

Ishtar, who was leaning closer, looked curious and somewhat suspicious.

"So, does this thing really work? You're not kidding me?"

"Look! There's something in the clouds! It looks like a cow!"

Just as Ishtar was hesitating, a surprised shout suddenly came to her ears.

Oh no, oh no?! Gugalanna! My little darling!

The Sky Goddess was overjoyed and hurriedly looked up at the clouds, observing them repeatedly.

"Hmm, looks like it worked..."

The whispers echoing behind her startled Ishtar, who had been searching in vain. She turned around in surprise and caught sight of an arm that had somehow landed on her shoulder.

"You... you... disrespectful! Utterly disrespectful!"

The goddess, realizing she had been tricked, blushed slightly with anger.

"Just try it out. We're pressed for time; we don't have time to wait for you to prepare mentally."

Samael didn't take it seriously and immediately led Merlin and Anna to jump into the cone-shaped pit leading to the underworld.

After a brief moment of suspended in the air, everyone's feet touched solid ground again. Samael spoke softly from the ground, and then a glimmer of blue light leaked through his fingers.

"I've heard that after death, the deceased take precious burial items with them to bribe the Underworld Guard. Maybe we can find a few along the way. It's all up to luck, first come, first served."

"Tch, I thought I'd fall for it."

Ishtar, who was reluctant to follow, was suddenly drawn to a sapphire in a crevice in the rocks. Taking advantage of the others' inattention, she quietly picked it up and put it in her bosom.

Yes, there really is!

"I know the way to the underworld well, so I'll lead the way. Everyone, please conserve your energy and be careful of the Death Qi."

Immediately, Ishtar stepped forward, displaying a selfless spirit of dedication.

Merlin, Anna, Samael, who were behind Luo, exchanged smiles and nodded to each other.

The goddess, oblivious to the fact that she was being completely manipulated, led the way without complaint while secretly peeking around, hoping to find more bargains.

Along the way, the four great beings traveled through the gray mist, and under the influence of the wandering Garula Spirit, Merlin's dispelling spell, and Ishtar's divine power, they wisely kept their distance.

The group arrived safely at a stone gate carved with images of dogs, horses, cows, sheep, and other animals.

Bottomless abysses and ravines, eerie phosphorescent lights, a dim environment, winding roads, and a pervasive gray fog of death...

These familiar scenes made Samael's heart race, and he felt a bit apprehensive about returning home.

"Hey! What are you daydreaming about? This 'Just and Rational' Gate of the Underworld is here to answer your questions!"

Just as the ancient serpent was distracted, Ishtar, who was leading the way, snorted unhappily at his shepherd priest, braving the black smoke from being struck by lightning.

Upon hearing the words "Just and Rational" with added embellishments, Samael was both amused and exasperated, knowing that this must be the Underworld Goddess, Menka, smuggling her own agenda into the conversation.

The seven questions supposedly used to assess the goodness or evil of a soul, in her case, became accusatory inquiries about who was stronger or weaker between the two sisters in various aspects.

Just now, Ishtar, before Samael, who had been chosen by the light spot, could answer, took the initiative to side with herself, believing that her beauty surpassed that of her sister who controlled death.

As expected, when this God of the Underworld tried to fight back on his own territory, he was struck by lightning from the sky and charred black and blue.

"It's a choice between two options, there's nothing to hesitate about, you have to speak from your conscience!"

Just before going on stage, Ishtar squinted and grinned maliciously, gritting her teeth as she pressed him for answers.

"I choose Ishtar!"

Samael stepped back slightly, feigning coercion, and cast his vote for the goddess beside him.

"Hahaha, let's see what you have to say now..."

"Boom!"

Before Ishtar could finish her smug display, she was struck by a bolt of lightning that fell from the sky.

Then, the "honest and simple" ancient snake chose the same answer in each of the three consecutive inquiries.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

As a result, three bolts of lightning struck Ishtar in succession.

"Yi..."

"Stop talking, choose Ereshkigal!"

The Sky Goddess, who had struggled to her feet, hurriedly covered Samael's mouth, her voice half-crying and half-pleading, asking the person answering the question to change their answer.

As new content was introduced, the Gate of the Underworld, which were described as "Just and Rational," lit up with divine runes and slowly opened.

"That's a foul! You can't play like that!"

Having just passed through the gates of the underworld, Ishtar, whose divinity was stripped away and whose body shrank by a size, pointed at the stone gate and complained bitterly.

However, upon hearing the faint rumble of thunder overhead, the goddess, like a frightened bird, hurriedly hid behind her shepherd priest and urged everyone to hurry on their way.

Meanwhile, inside the grand hall, which radiated light like the sun, the God of the Underworld, who was observing the group's movements through a mirror, fixed his gaze on the Underworld Protection, which shone with a golden luster on the back of the leading human's hand, and sneered.

"You slut, are you trying to provoke me?!"

However, the Snake Molt on her wrist brought a moment of coolness, which slightly softened the coldness in her eyes.