Chapter 512
Ana said hesitantly, "Because, in my haste, I said your name..."
"Shirou will take responsibility and bring the old lady's soul back from the Underworld," she had just assured people.
When Ana was clearly in a panic and could only vouch for her with the name of the Uruk hero.
But after calming down, I realized I had truly let Shirou down... How could I possibly be qualified to make a promise on behalf of someone else?
Shirou said, "It's alright. Even if Ana hadn't said anything, that was what I was planning anyway."
"But..."
Ana still felt extremely guilty.
"At times like these, we should help each other out."
Shirou laughed and said, "It's not just me, Ritsuka and the others are the same—"
Ana is always reluctant to get involved with others, but how about she occasionally and frankly accepting other people's kindness?
Hmm.
After hesitating for a moment, the girl nodded gently.
"Since you put it that way... I believe Shirou. Shirou is different from the heroes I know."
"It's an honor, though I wouldn't call myself a hero... Alright, let's go then, to the Tower of Gods to discuss this with Gilgamesh."
Let's go.
That must not be an illusion.
Shirou saw a faint, sweet smile on the face of the cute girl hidden by the hood.
Although Shirou confidently assured the citizens that he would discuss the matter with King Gilgamesh, unfortunately—
Gilgamesh also died.
The audience hall of the Uruk Tower was eerily silent.
"Pfft! Hahahaha!"
Is it really that quiet here now that the laughter of the Golden King is gone?
"Hahahaha! It was actually death from overwork! That's hilarious! Hahahahahahahahaha!"
Well, if you ignore Ishtar's jeers, the atmosphere is actually quite solemn.
When I returned, the king had already fallen into eternal sleep...
Siduri covered her face.
The body was very clean.
Ritsuka Fujimaru, holding an air pipe, pretended to examine the site of King Gilgamesh's death (the throne).
"The conclusion is correct; it can be concluded that it is the same cause of death as the recent series of frail deaths in Uruk."
Dr. Roman's voice immediately burst through the communicator. "No, no, this is just too outrageous! I can't ignore the idea of someone dying from overwork!"
That's King Gilgamesh!! If he could die from something like that, he would have died countless times by now!
Shirou nodded. "That's right, this wasn't simply death from overwork. Gilgamesh's weakened immune system due to excessive work allowed the virus to take hold of him."
Without a doubt, this is what Ereshkigal did.
Gilgamesh, that fellow, has turned a blind eye to Ereshkigal's actions until now, and in the end, disaster still befell him.
"It was the goddess Ereshkigal who took the king's life... Shirou, what should we do now?"
Having lost King Gilgamesh, Siduri's only remaining support was Shirou.
"Leave it to me, Miss Siduri... I will take responsibility for bringing Gilgamesh's soul back from the Underworld."
"Shirou- sama...!"
As Siduri threw herself into his arms, Shirou felt Ana's disdainful gaze from behind... But let's put that aside for now.
"Wait... wait, you've been saying strange things since just now? Ereshkigal? Why is that child's name here?"
Everyone stared at Ishtar as if she were a fool.
"Huh? So... the goddess Ishtar didn't actually know?" Mash asked in surprise.
"Don't know what?" Venus asked in return.
"The mistress of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, has also appeared in this Mesopotamia."
"You, you, you... what did you say?!?!?!?!?!?!"
The shout of the goddess Venus echoed throughout the top floor of the entire tower.
Shirou returned to Uruk from the Underworld on the evening of the day of the funeral.
Although Ishtar attended Shirou's funeral, she did not stay until the end, so she did not learn of Shirou's resurrection immediately, and therefore did not hear any information about the Underworld.
Later, to avoid causing unnecessary panic and demoralizing the front lines, Gilgamesh imposed information control on the return of the goddess of the Underworld.
Ishtar, of course, had no way of knowing.
Quetzal looked speechless. "Hey you, haven't Coatl ever wondered why Shirou could come back to life?"
"That... that's because..."
When Ishtar saw Shirou resurrected, she was so overjoyed that she completely forgot to investigate why he had been resurrected in the first place.
She stammered, "Because Shirou received my blessing... or something?"
"The blessing of the goddess Ishtar... will it only bring destruction to humanity?"
"Hehe, you just said something quite interesting."
The goddess Venus gave the orange-haired girl a devilishly beautiful smile.
"By the way, you're coming to my dorm (Eanna) in a bit, Fujimaru?"
"Will I let you experience something more terrifying than the Underworld?"
The truth has come to light.
Ishtar was not actually a member of the "Three Goddess Alliance"; it was Ereshkigal, who shared the same Spirit Origin with her.
"The one we were actually talking to back then was the goddess Ereshkigal..."
Upon hearing Mash's words, Venus Goddess paled.
"Wait, what's going on? Does that mean that child frequently uses my body? I never noticed!?"
"Isn't it Coatl you've been living such a muddled life?" Quetzal added insult to injury.
"Gurgle...!"
"Alright, let's decide on the members who will go to the Underworld to rescue King Gilgamesh."
Merlin clapped his hands and said with a smile.
"Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash, and then Shirou and Ishtar, who have experience traveling to the Underworld, these four..."
Ah, Ishtar has escaped.
Sensing that something was wrong, Venus, the goddess of Venus, decisively chose to sneak away.
Although Ishtar usually acts all high and mighty, even the mistress of the heavens has things she's not good at dealing with.
In Sumer mythology, the goddess Ishtar once went to the Underworld without any apparent reason.
Although he had gathered the Authority to deal with Ereshkigal beforehand, his divinity was stripped away one by one by the seven gates of the Underworld.
Finally, the Goddess of Heaven, stripped naked, was dragged before the Queen the Underworld and mercilessly pierced with a gun, leaving a hundred transparent holes in her.
Since then, she has had a strong PTSD related to the Underworld.
"It's alright, I'll go and bring her back."
Quetzal Coatl said this as he walked to the entrance of the hall, then leaped into the air like a cannonball.
A dozen seconds later, Ishtar, who was struggling desperately, was brought back by her by locking her joints.
"Hey, you Monstrous Strength Latino! Let go, let go of me now!"
"There's no more Shepherd God (Dumuzi)!? He won't come back to life after he dies! Why would you still want to go to that awful place, the Underworld!"
The goddess's screams echoed through the dome of the divine tower, but Human Order.
The expedition team heading to the Underworld was decided without any suspense amidst this noisy atmosphere.
"It's been a while since I teamed up with Mr. Shirou. Nice to meet you."
"It is I, Mash. Nice to meet you."
I had a premonition about this when I left, but--
After three months, are we finally going back to the Underworld?
Even though I see Ereshkigal every night.
"Shirou ~~~"
Ishtar floated to the boy's side, revealing a pitiful expression.
"You'll protect me in the Underworld, won't you?"
"Of course."
Why hesitate?
--
Volume 7: Chapter 329 The Incompetent Wife (Ishtar) and the Goddess Who Fawned Over Her (Ereshkigal)
"Maanna's bow guns are loaded with tidal cluster shells! Output is one-third the lapis lazuli's isometric power!"
The resounding voice of Venus, the goddess of the planets, echoed throughout the City of Kussa.
The bow-shaped Sky Ark Maanna, began to spin at its master's command, and the golden magic it emitted illuminated the entire sky.
Ishtar gracefully swung down her right arm.
"Shatter, Gate of the Underworld, grant the land of emptiness the light of heaven!"
In other words... they blew the ground up, creating a huge hole!
Sky Ark Maanna fired a beam of light.
A golden meteor with a long comet tail blasted a bottomless hole in the streets of City of Kussa.
Ishtar looked at her destructive work with satisfaction. "Excellent, it worked! As expected of me! Now, it's the Underworld."
Let's go, Shirou... Wait! Why are you so close to Mash?
When Ishtar forcibly blasted open the Underworld portal, Shirou hid behind Mash's shield.
"It's all because you were too reckless... Are you alright, Mash?"
"Um... I'm fine. I managed to block it with my shield. Are you alright, Master?"
I'm fine too.
The girls said, still shaken.
Thanks to Mr. Shirou for winning Ishtar over beforehand, otherwise we would have had to confront this berserk goddess head-on...
After that, the group bid farewell to Quetzal and Merlin, preparing to enter Coatl Underworld.
The Underworld in Mesopotamia had absolute rules.
Even Quetzal supreme god Coatl would be of no use there, merely becoming a toy for the goddess of the Underworld.
She and Merlin will stay on the ground.
If everyone is imprisoned in the Underworld, they will have to negotiate with Ereshkigal —this is a last resort.