Flowers Bloom in the Underworld · False

As expected, the subsequent gates of the underworld asked similar questions in almost every different way.

Its content, of course, is to have Samael, who at that time possessed two divine seals, judge the merits of the two goddesses.

Ishtar, who had previously tried to stand up for herself, finally backed down after being struck by lightning and left charred and battered. She tearfully nodded to the Shepherd Priest was answering the question.

Thus, amidst the question setter's frantic attempts to insert his own agenda and the respondent's tactful flattery, the six gates leading to the Underworld Temple opened one by one.

Ishtar, who was under special care by the six gates of the underworld, had her divinity stripped away piece by piece, and her body shrank rapidly, turning her into a tiny sprite about three inches in size.

The ancient serpent looked at the rows of Spear Cage along the way, and the ghosts moving around and whispering among themselves within the barrier, and a slight smile appeared on its lips.

Ereshkigal heeded his advice and was willing to give these souls more freedom.

Even if this indulgence would drastically shorten the ghosts' lifespan, it at least gave them another taste of "being alive."

Just as their thoughts were in turmoil, a demonic laugh came from a dark rock wall, and everyone instinctively looked back towards the source of the sound.

Sure enough, before anyone could see him, King Gilgamesh's voice was heard, and he emerged from the shadows with a delighted expression.

He first engaged in a war of words with his old rival Ishtar, each bringing up their past wounds and mocking each other. Then, he offered a rare affirmation and appreciation for everyone's efforts.

"You actually did this behind the King's back, and almost succeeded! You're something else, Ereshkigal!"

Gilgamesh's lips twitched slightly as he recalled what he had seen and heard in the underworld after his death from exhaustion, while he was hiding from Garula Spirit's pursuit.

"Pfft... Haha, died from weakness? Got your base raided? That's hilarious! You Gilgamesh guy, you've finally met your match!"

"You call yourself Wise King? If Uruk had been handed over to the Goddess of the Void, this situation would never have happened!"

"Even Samael, who just took over as Shepherd Priest, is stronger than you!"

"You should just step down as soon as possible, stop making a fool of yourself here!"

Ishtar, never one to forget his sarcastic remarks, leaned on Samael's shoulder, gloating.

"Hehe, I seem to remember that a certain goddess once came to the underworld to challenge Ereshkigal."

"In the end, it seems he was stripped of his powers and dragged to the temple where he was stabbed to death with a bunch of guns, right?"

"You've become a barking, defeated dog again. You seem even more amusing this way."

"Samael, you'd better take good care of your little pet, or it might get stepped on and killed."

Merlin and the Ancient Serpent coughed in succession, finally causing these two long-time rivals to each let out a cold snort and temporarily focus their attention on the more pressing issue.

"Let's go, let's go see the goddess who almost sank Uruk into the underworld."

"I'm afraid without her permission, the souls of the dead in Kusa and Uruk cannot be returned to the surface."

Immediately afterward, Samael pondered for a moment, then stepped forward and familiarly entered the voice password "Ereshkigal" into the seventh door.

Shepherd Priest? This woman chose him? Interesting...

Gilgamesh, lagging behind the others, stroked his chin, watching with a subtle expression as the figure carrying Ishtar entered.

As the group entered the depths of the vast, dark area, a terrifying low pressure swept over them, and the sinister divine power made the creatures on the ground feel an unprecedented oppression and threat.

Suddenly, a massive red skull aggregate, crowned and draped in a light veil, materialized from the composite power of [17 Plagues], rose from the dead fog and emitted a cold, stern rebuke.

"How dare you lead such a harlot to so brazenly defile my temple! Unforgivable! Unforgivable!"

Fear! Pray!

"You arrogant fools who, as living beings, dare to trespass into this death trap, are you prepared to bear my wrath?"

As the beam of light slammed down, sharp spikes began to spread across the ground, and a black tide of deathly mist, imbued with seventeen curses, swept in.

Merlin!

At that moment, Samael roared and charged towards the terrifying, enormous skull.

The dream demon recalled the strange request that the leader had made to him privately on the way, and immediately gripped his staff tightly with both hands. While chanting a spell, he quickly pointed the end at the ground.

In an instant, a dreamlike sea of flowers spread from the foot of the Merlin, transforming the deathly mist and earth spikes into layers upon layers of flower stamens.

Flowers? Is my underworld really blooming?

Hidden within the giant skeleton, Ereshkigal looked bewildered. Instinctively, she reached out her bony hand, gathered up the scattered pink petals, and murmured softly.

"No! Why is my power failing! In the Underworld, I am the strongest!"

The Underworld Goddess, who had just come to her senses, gripped her halberd tightly, somewhat incredulous.

Merlin's illusions rely more on his thoughts.

"The reason you succeeded so easily is because your heart is full of flowers, Ereshkigal..."

The figure that walked through the sea of flowers whispered softly, and the moment it looked up, the giant skeleton where the goddess was hiding revealed a faint smile.

In an instant, that familiar call opened the floodgates of Ereshkigal's memories.

The past that surfaced in her mind gradually outlined a slender silhouette, which made her look at the human-looking newcomer in astonishment. She then shook her head repeatedly, her lips moving.

"No... impossible! You can't be it!"

"I told you I owed you a sea of flowers, do you remember?"

The words Samael uttered seemed to possess a terrifying magic, causing the enormous skeleton afflicted with the seventeen plagues to stagger backward.

There is only one being who can make this promise, and that is naturally the snake that has been with him for more than half a year.

After a moment of disorientation, Ereshkigal gritted her teeth and recalled the scenes she had witnessed through Ishtar's body. Her blood surged, and she angrily slammed down the light-shaped gun wheel in her hand.

"You're not dead?! Then why did you lie to me! Why did you run away from me?!"

"Does my existence only evoke fear in you? Does it only make you want to run away?!"

"Fraud!"

However, when the gun wheel struck one side and cut open the several bags that were thrown upwards, particles of various sizes and shapes were scattered everywhere.

"This is..."

A suppressed, trembling voice came from the giant skull, and the fingers gripping the gun barrel swayed more and more violently.

"Flower seeds..."

Samael sighed slightly with regret, bent down and picked up the scattered little things one by one, explaining as he gathered them up.

"These are herbs I collected especially for you from all over Mesopotamia. I wonder if the improved soil of the underworld will be able to make them bloom..."

At this moment, the giant skull turned into red and black dust and dissipated inch by inch. The goddess with golden hair and wearing a red and black Sumer dress revealed her true face and stood there blankly.

"You left the underworld... to gather seeds of the Hetian flower for me?"

"Of course! I said I'd give you a sea of flowers! I have to keep my promise!"

Samael tossed a pomegranate seed into his pocket, looked up with a serious expression, and answered decisively.

Then, the ancient serpent glanced back at the fading illusory flowers around it, its expression somewhat helpless.

"Merlin is a nightmare; his illusions can only last for a while. I said I would give you real flowers, so this naturally doesn't count!"

"So you left without saying goodbye. I thought..."

The goddess gazed at the Snake Molt wrapped around her arm and gently bit her lower lip.

"It's so dangerous outside, you wouldn't care even if I told you."

"Move your foot away first, there's another one underneath..."

"Oh..."

The ancient serpent uttered a casual remark, which caused the God of the Underworld, who governs death and terror, to give way.

Immediately, feeling flustered and at a loss, Ereshkigal crouched down and searched around for the scattered flower seeds.

"I'll help you pick them up..."

"Keep an eye on it, make sure you put the wrong type of item in the box, so you don't have to pick them all over again when you get back."

"Good!"

The crowd stared in disbelief at the two figures who were engrossed in searching for flower seeds on the ground, whispering amongst themselves. Their minds went blank, and their thoughts became a jumbled mess.

What are we here for? Something doesn't seem right.