Chapter 475
This means that the Magical Beast are unconsciously staying away from the city—as if they are terrified of City of Kussa.
Tomoe Gozen swallowed nervously. "There's no sign of life, only a terrifying silence; it could even be described as a Serenity death."
"Alright, let's prepare for the Underworld."
As Siduri spoke, she took out the Magic Crest that Gilgamesh had given her.
She had already learned from the King how to enter the Underworld.
Only Shirou will venture into the Underworld; she, Tomoe Gozen, Ushiwakamaru will remain in City of Kussa.
The preparations seemed to be taking quite a while, with Siduri constantly inserting what looked like weapons into the ground.
While waiting, Shirou suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him.
... here we go again.
I've been spending more time in my dorm lately, so I haven't noticed many peeping eyes...
No, this time seems a little different from before?
And—it's very close.
"My lord, where are you going? I want to come with you."
Tomoe Gozen noticed Shirou preparing to leave and quickly followed him.
"I need to use the restroom," Shirou said.
"Oh... I see." Tomoe Gozen lowered her flushed cheeks.
Using the excuse of needing to urinate, Shirou and Tomoe Gozen made an excuse to leave, and then walked in the direction of the gaze they had sensed.
He circled the desolate and Serenity streets, eventually finding himself at a dead end.
"I was definitely here just now..."
Shirou frowned and fell into deep thought.
The moment he stepped into the city, he sensed an unprecedentedly eerie atmosphere—
According to Siduri, Kussa is the city closest to the Underworld, and its citizens once worshipped the goddess Ereshkigal as their city god.
This land, having been connected to the world of the dead for many years, also exhibits similar characteristics.
However, this is far too strong!
Shirou suddenly realized something.
Could it be that...?
Just then, a chill enveloped Shirou.
It was a chill that went straight to the soul, unlike a drop in temperature.
Shirou turned around abruptly—and in the next instant, he was taken from consciousness.
When Shirou opened his eyes again, he found himself in an unfamiliar environment.
It doesn't seem like a dream.
All around was an endless wilderness.
This is... the underground of City of Kussa!?
A world that is absolutely impossible from a geographical and physical point of view is now presented to Shirou.
There were no flowers, no grass, no trees.
There were no temples, no sky.
There was no sunlight, no north wind.
There was nothing beautiful, only cold air and an all-encompassing darkness and Serenity.
Shirou noticed countless points of light floating in the air.
Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that those are not specks of light drifting in the air.
Instead, they were confined inside some kind of slender, birdcage-like cage.
Tens of thousands of magnificent cages contained tens of thousands of points of light, which were inserted into the ground rocks, creating an incredible and bizarre spectacle.
The truth behind those birdcages and specks of light is actually...
The Cage of the Spear of Ereshkigal, the Mistress of the Underworld and Goddess.
The points of light imprisoned within are the souls of the dead humans on Earth.
Souls imprisoned underground can never return to the surface.
When the physical body dies completely, the soul gradually thins out and eventually disappears.
However, the goddess Ereshkigal would not allow this.
Legend has it that the wicked and cruel goddess would lock the soul of her chosen one in a cage and play with it for tens of thousands of years for her amusement.
A prisoner's soul has no freedom.
Humans would feel cold if they didn't have a physical body. Extremely cold.
Therefore, only in the state of a soul will the ice start to freeze from the hands and feet, eventually turning into living blocks of ice.
The pain was so intense that I wished I could just disappear.
But the soul imprisoned in that cage will not disappear.
This suffering will continue indefinitely until Ereshkigal gets tired of it.
The above is what Shirou heard from the citizens.
The number of souls in the gun cell is astonishing... Are all these souls the ones left behind by Ereshkigal before he disappeared?
Shirou thought that was unlikely.
In other words--
Are you here?
The red-haired boy took a deep breath, then looked up at the bottom of the Land of the Dead and proclaimed loudly.
"Queen of the Gallu Spirit who gaze upon the dark sky, goddess Ereshkigal."
--
A long silence fell over the underground.
For some reason, Shirou didn't sense solemnity, but rather an awkward atmosphere.
Finally, as if to break the awkward silence, an ancient and solemn voice echoed through the desolate wilderness of the abyss.
Fear! Pray! Despair, humanity!
"!"
The chilling cold that had previously struck Shirou in City of Kussa returned.
The air temperature has not changed, but the perceived temperature is dropping rapidly.
What appeared before the boy was a gigantic skeletal undead with a terrifying appearance reminiscent of a horror movie.
"I am the administrator of death, the mistress of the Underworld, the one who tramples the sacred peaks, Ereshkigal."
That is the true face of the goddess Ereshkigal...?
Shirou narrowed his eyes involuntarily.
--
Volume 7: Chapter 309 Ereshkigal, the Light-Speed Freebie
That is the true face of the goddess Ereshkigal...?
Looking at the enormous skeletal spirit before him, Shirou couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
I knew it!
Upon entering City of Kussa, he immediately felt a sense of unease.
He then used the Projection "Fae Eyes" to observe the remaining traces of undead activity in City of Kussa.
The "Fae Eyes" is the vision that allows one to switch between worlds; the highest-ranking Fae Eyes can even detect lies.
The lower-level "Fae Eyes" have strong "spiritual sensitivity" and can see fantasies that ordinary people cannot see.
For example, one can vaguely see ghosts when passing through a cemetery—so this kind of physique is very suitable for being a gravedigger.
Shirou noticed that something invisible to the human eye had made City of Kussa its lair.
Combining the rumors of City of Kussa's sudden destruction and the disappearance of all its citizens, Shirou connected this to the spirit Queen Gallu Spirit, who ruled the Underworld—
She, too, has likely descended upon this era, just like the goddess Ishtar!
"..."
Shirou swallowed hard.
Although I was mentally prepared, the Queen the Underworld was rumored to have a terrifying appearance that could stop Sumer children from crying, but...
Miss Siduri!
Didn't you say that Mesopotamia gods had blond hair, red eyes, and extraordinary appearances?
Didn't you say Ereshkigal was a very majestic Queen of the Underworld?
This has completely deviated from human form; it's become overly imposing!
He also noted that the arrival of the Queen of the Underworld not only caused a sharp drop in perceived temperature, but also created an environment similar to a gravity field.
Shirou recalled the explanation he had heard on Earth: Ereshkigal is absolutely invincible in the Underworld.
Humans or gods alike.
The more powerful a being is, the weaker it becomes upon entering the Underworld; neither the living nor the dead can defy Ereshkigal.
Gilgamesh and Merlin both missed it...
Besides the "Three Goddess Alliance," a fourth goddess also descended upon Mesopotamia.
This matter must be brought back to Uruk as soon as possible.
"Human, it's quite remarkable that you even noticed my presence."
The spirit of the enormous skeleton spoke in a solemn and heavy tone.
A chilling omen, as if the air temperature dropped a notch with every syllable uttered by the goddess.
When Shirou answered, he used the honorifics he had learned throughout his life:
"Yes, I noticed the gaze in City of Kussa. Your Majesty, you've been watching me all along."
Upon hearing this, the Queen of Gallu Spirit said in an extremely cold tone, "Any insect that dares to step into my kingdom without any offerings shall atone with death."
"I brought the offerings with me."
"...?"
Ereshkigal's voice wavered violently.
"You... cough cough, what did you say?"
It's not surprising that the goddess of the Underworld would react this way.
If Shirou had known beforehand that he was going to visit the terrifying and imposing Ereshkigal, he would have certainly done everything in his power to show proper respect, just like Enkidu in the myth.
But--
At the time when the Age of Gods ended, Shirou could not possibly know that Ereshkigal still existed.
Even Merlin and Gilgamesh, who possessed the highest level of Clairvoyance—
Even the wise men who surveyed the earth (the present) and the King who foresaw destiny (the future) were completely unaware of Ereshkigal's coming.
Shirou, of course, couldn't possibly know.