Chapter 632

By assimilating his own Spirit Origin with the concept of "death," which is omnipresent in any era and any place, Noble Phantasm that no one else can wield is revealed to the world at this moment.

"------Zabaniyah (Meditative Sensitivity)."

Everyone on the battlefield noticed the anomaly.

Whether it's Enkidu, who possesses the best sensory abilities among the Heroic Spirit, or Berserker, who manifests as a mad beast.

A large number of "shadows" emerged from the ground and began to spread to the surrounding area.

"Meditative Sensitivity".

According to the cult's records, this was a unique skill possessed by an unnamed leader.

By assimilating with Shadow, one can perceive the flow of wind, water, electricity, and magic, thereby mastering the technology of the surrounding terrain.

The True Assassin read this version, and she learned it in that direction.

However, that is not true Meditative Sensitivity (Zabaniya).

The true Meditative Sensitivity is Noble Phantasm that can only be activated when one is certain of their own death.

An avatar of the pseudo-concept of death, obtained through connection with the Shadow of the World, forcibly guides its targeted opponent to the Land of the Dead.

This is the signature move of Hassan -i-Sabah, known as the First Shadow, Noble Phantasm that guarantees a swift and mutual destruction with the enemy.

"... Aren't you going to attack me?"

Shirou was surprised to find that the "Meditative Sensitivity" was not targeting him.

Shadow abandoned the red-haired boy and moved directly towards the battlefield where Ishtar and Enkidu were.

It seems that, compared to Shirou, the goddess is the one that Lurking Shadow Hassan truly wants to eliminate as soon as possible.

"..."

Therefore, this Noble Phantasm must have some kind of limitation, and it cannot devour everyone present at once like the "Pale Rider".

That's true. This is Noble Phantasm that guarantees death upon contact. If it could attack multiple units, wouldn't it be invincible?

Lurking Shadow Hassan chose Ishtar as the target of his Noble Phantasm release.

Countless shadows continued to grow and spread, beginning to chase after the goddess who sat in the sky.

Touching it will lead to your death.

As long as they run away, the pursuit will continue indefinitely.

If it were a one-on-one situation, Ishtar would at least have room to devise a strategy and deal with the shadows, but now she also has to face Enkidu.

This won't do...

Shirou thought to himself: It would be troublesome if Ishtar were lost now; I must stop Lurking Shadow Hassan.

"... Your Noble Phantasm is very powerful, but do you know it has a fatal weakness?"

Shirou spoke to Lurking Shadow Hassan, whose body had long since turned to stone.

The assassin's consciousness remained, but he had completely merged into the world and was unable to answer Shirou's question.

"..."

Shirou looked behind Lurking Shadow Hassan, where all color and radiance had been lost, leaving only a pitch-black opening.

The shadows poured out from that crack.

It was unclear whether it was space or a barrier; no light could return from there, and its depth was completely indiscernible.

Not only light, but also sound wave reflections and magic could not be sensed from the other side of that pitch-black boundary.

Anyone who dares to take a step there will vanish instantly, even a goddess, for that is the true Land of the Dead.

Shirou had such a strong, almost certain Instinct in his heart, and then—

"Wait! Shirou! Don't do that!"

The goddess's voice called from above.

The astute Ishtar guessed what he was thinking.

Ignoring the goddess's cries, Shirou resolutely stepped into the shadows.

Since the Gates of Land of the Dead had fulfilled its requirement of allowing one person to pass through, the release of the "Meditative Sensitivity" was immediately halted.

The momentum of the emerging shadows began to weaken and eventually disappeared completely.

As the Shadow attached to the ground rapidly disappeared, Shirou plunged into the abyss.

When I came to my senses, the sky had been altered to resemble the night sky, and the surroundings had transformed into a scene of an underground abyss.

"Just as I thought."

Shirou gazed at the familiar scenery before him, a complex expression on his face.

Upon learning of the goddess Ishtar's appearance in this era, Shirou had been pondering a certain possibility—

Now, that speculation has become a reality.

"... Nice to meet you, goddess Ereshkigal."

Volume 8: Chapter 394 Second playthrough: Skip the walkthrough and go straight to the end?

The woman who appeared before Shirou had exquisite features that were exactly the same as those of Filia, the last descendant of the Einzbern Family.

The only difference was that her originally snow-white hair had turned into a brilliant gold.

Although it's just a difference in hair color, the overall vibe they give off is completely different.

Compared to Ishtar, who reached the pinnacle of beauty and whose mere presence could leave one mesmerized, she possessed a haughty, aloof beauty that kept people at arm's length.

"..."

Until now, Shirou had only speculated, but now his speculation has become reality.

The goddess Ereshkigal.

As the elder sister of the goddess Ishtar, Queen of Underworld who rules over the underworld, which is the counterpart to the sky.

The sisters once clashed, Ishtar entered Hell only to be killed by Ereshkigal.

Similar legends are found throughout the mythology of Central Asia, where Hassan Sabah lived.

The relationship between the two goddesses is like two sides of a coin; if one side manifests, the other side also has a chance of manifesting.

In this Holy Grail War, many beings with deep ties to the Underworld and death, besides Ishtar, have also appeared.

The Pale Rider.

Hassan of the Lurking Shadow.

Even the manifestation of storms and lightning, the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna.

The largest and most powerful divine beast in Sumer mythology, renowned as a servant of the goddess of the heavens, but—

In early Sumer mythology, it was the companion of Ereshkigal, who jointly managed the Underworld.

Therefore, Shirou has always suspected that Ereshkigal, as a remnant of the gods, has also awakened in this world.

Based on Shirou's understanding of Ereshkigal, her personality would be the type to hide her existence until the final crucial moment.

Since they're unwilling to show themselves, I'll have to take the initiative and go to them.

Ereshkigal stared at Shirou with cold eyes before slowly speaking.

"Human from another world, this is not your first visit to the Underworld, is it?"

Regarding your origins... I have already heard about them from Ishtar.

The goddess spoke in a majestic tone.

Shirou fondly recalled that affected Queen tone, remembering their first meeting.

... Ereshkigal knows about my situation now.

Shirou thought to himself: Since she had been lurking inside Filia's body all along, she must have secretly overheard Ishtar (Rin Tohsaka) recounting what happened in the Seventh Singularity.

The three months Shirou spent with her in the Underworld, and the past he planted a flower field at the Temple of Fever before leaving...

How would Ereshkigal react when he heard about those things?

Since she is not in Rin Tohsaka's possession, her perception of Ereshkigal differs slightly from Shirou's.

If Ishtar's situation is one of even greater cruelty, arrogance, and self-centeredness, then she is the mistress of the heavens.

Then Ereshkigal's situation should be even more ruthless and merciless, Queen of the Underworld who looks down on humanity from the perspective of a judge.

She wasn't the goddess Shirou knew, though he told himself that...

Shirou felt that Ereshkigal's nature would never change.

Even without being influenced by Rin Tohsaka's personality, she would still be that girl who loves the Underworld, longs for warmth, values life, and upholds her responsibilities.

If it were Ereshkigal, he would definitely also----

"Unforgivable."

"Huh?"

Shirou was surprised to find Ereshkigal glaring at him with an angry expression.

Undisguised killing intent and hostility emanated from those bright red eyes.

Ugh... why? What did I do wrong!?

Just as Shirou was in a state of confusion--

"I will imprison your soul forever in a cage."

As he spoke, Ereshkigal slowly raised one hand.

The next instant, a bone-chilling cold seeped into Shirou's body, rendering him unable to move.

Unlike his previous experiences of entering the Underworld as a living person, this time Shirou chose "death" himself.

Therefore, he was like Gilgamesh whose soul had been taken away, completely powerless to resist Ereshkigal's Authority.

"...!!"

Shirou felt his body temperature constantly decreasing, and he also felt as if his soul was leaving his body.

If this continues, I'll become a light body (soul) locked in a gun jail!

"Wait... wait a minute! My goddess!"

Shirou shouted immediately.

Ereshkigal remained expressionless and coldly asked, "What else do you have to say?"

"Of course I have something to say! Why do I have to be imprisoned by you? What did I do wrong?"

Seeing Shirou's innocent expression, the goddess of the Underworld was slightly taken aback and murmured:

"... Seriously, how long are you going to keep playing dumb?"

I never imagined you could be so shameless, human.

Huh? Shameless? Me?

Shirou was even more confused. What on earth was going on?

"Wait a minute, I'm not pretending to be stupid. I really don't know what I did wrong."

Upon hearing this, Ereshkigal frowned slightly and began to observe Shirou.

Gradually, her expression turned to fury.

"Oh, I see. You've forgotten everything?"

"... It's really... awful."

As he spoke through gritted teeth, tears welled up in Ereshkigal's eyes.

Now Shirou was certain that there was definitely some misunderstanding between them.