Value

There's nothing here—no soil for flowers to grow, no sunshine to warm the body. Countless times I've looked up and seen my sisters flying freely in the air, enjoying happiness and joy.

But that's not what I'm asking for; I don't want anything.

I'm fulfilling my duty, guarding this part of the Underworld. What? I'm much better than her, who does nothing all day. I have my own pride, even if that pride is so cold and so lonely.

That day, I saw something sent by a god of the Underworld, and I saw a human who had been following his own path from beginning to end, even at the cost of his life, in order to realize his vision and complete what needed to be done.

At that time, I couldn't help but fantasize... If it were him, he would definitely understand me. If it were him, seeing me fulfilling my duties, he would surely praise me.

Ereshkigal's hands hung down, her head bowed, like a crying little girl.

"Besides denial... what else is there to say? Even if it were you, Bai Mo, I would never forgive you for saying such a thing!"

The spear pierced the heavens, causing the vast Underworld to tremble as if a cake had been sliced open. The spear in Ereshkigal's hand seemed to become a double-edged sword, tearing everything apart with its swing.

Bai Mo remained floating in place, not dodging much. He simply turned to the side from time to time, avoiding all the attacks without any unnecessary movements.

"Really... she throws a tantrum over something she doesn't like. Is she really Ishtar's sister?"

Don't lump me in with that kind of scum!

Ereshkigal flew directly over, his spear surging with power, even forming a massive spiral drill that carried terrifying power capable of shattering everything, aiming to completely destroy Bai Mo.

But this spiral capable of shattering everything was blocked by a large, yellow and white Great Saber. Bai Mo gripped the Mad Giant Shark in his backhand, letting the spiral rage, but it couldn't touch him at all.

"Why... You should understand this power gap better than I do, you should have witnessed far more sacrifices than I have, and now such a choice is placed before you, why, why do you deny it!"

Ereshkigal roared, her voice hysterical, filled with unbearable resentment and grievance.

If one's duty is to protect humanity, and if living is incredibly painful, then why, why not come here?

"Ereshkigal, your initial intention was to protect humanity, but as the Stone Gate said before, humans are not domesticated beasts. If one cannot do what one wants to do, cannot live according to one's own thoughts, then that is a complete tragedy."

When these words reached Ereshkigal's ears, she felt even more aggrieved. Wasn't this exactly what the stone gate meant—that this Underworld had nothing at all?

"Since that's the case... since that's the case, then come and help me!"

As she roared, her power erupted once more, as if she had poured her very soul into the furnace. Unlike other Heroic Spirit, she could use Magnetic Field Power to compensate for the deficiencies of her Complete Realm to a certain extent by applying it to her Noble Phantasm.

"Nammu Abzu!"

The spear tore everything apart. Looking at Ereshkigal's hysterical state, Bai Mo sighed deeply and said:

"No way, you really don't understand at all."

He stopped blocking and swung his sword, the same 500,000 units of power merging into the Ereshkigal's Noble Phantasm. Then he swam in like a fish, heading straight for Ereshkigal.

"You idiot, I wasn't just talking about humans, I was talking about you too! Locking everyone up in the Underworld? There's a limit to self-torture. Haven't you had enough of serving thousands of years in prison?"

Bai Mo turned like a ballerina, and in an instant, an incomparably powerful force, like an exploding missile or a compressed tornado,

Heavenly Martial Killing Way - the Heaven-Severing Way!

With a deafening bang, as if the air itself had been shattered by the attack, the enormous ghost slowly dissipated, revealing Ereshkigal within. She looked at the Bai Mo charging towards her and slowly closed her eyes.

The expected pain did not come; instead, a series of sounds were heard.

The craftsman said, "Alas, I never thought I would die like this. I wonder if the stone carvings I left behind were destroyed by the monsters."

The woman said regretfully, "They weren't killed by the monster, but died of illness instead? I want to go back, I want to cook one more meal for my child, she's still so young..."

The scholar let out a frustrated growl, "The task the King assigned me, I'm almost done with the last step... Why can't you give me a little more time?"

Ereshkigal opened her eyes, and these voices appeared directly in her mind. Looking up, she saw Bai Mo standing in front of her, surrounded by souls.

The Heaven-Severing Way destroyed some prisons, and the souls there flew towards Bai Mo like starving people seeing food.

He did not stop them, allowing these souls to enter his body; his face was somewhat pale. Forcibly bearing the obsessions of the dead was like branding a scorching hot iron directly onto their souls. But only in this way could the torrent of emotions from the deepest recesses of countless souls be transmitted without reservation.

The Magnetic Field Power resonated in Ereshkigal's ears.

Having experienced Arcueid's incident, he now has a clear understanding of why he always manages to anger others with his words.

Bai Mo didn't say much, but his words were enough to convey his meaning.

Countless voices, countless unfulfilled wishes, countless yearnings for life's most insignificant yet most precious aspects, washed over Ereshkigal's mind like a tsunami. Gilgamesh looked at Bai Mo, nodded silently in his heart, stepped forward, and said to Ereshkigal:

"Did you hear that? This isn't logic; it's the answer they wrote with their unfinished lives. What people yearn for is never the peace of the Underworld, but that world you deny—a world full of pain yet also full of possibilities."

Just then, a child's voice rang out.

"Lady Ereshkigal, I always feel she's so lonely. I wish she could go out and see the world."

The child, who could utter such words, must have grown up under Uruk's protection, only to be dragged to the Underworld by Ereshkigal's curse.

Ereshkigal was stunned. Bai Mo also closed his eyes and slowly said, "What you did was to protect humanity in your own way. This is undoubtedly an act of love for them, and they have all seen your efforts."

But this kind of responsibility is just torture.

Hearing Bai Mo's words, Ereshkigal raised her hand to take her arm. She lowered her eyes and slowly said, "Even if it's torture... it's my duty..."

"That's why I say it's a complete tragedy. I would praise the great deeds of the goddess of the Underworld, but I would never condone the tragedy of Ereshkigal. Maintaining the Underworld is your assigned duty, but enjoying the pleasures of life is the inherent right of every intelligent being."

Even a goddess of the Underworld should at least live for herself once in her life.

Upon hearing Bai Mo's words, Ereshkigal lost all will to fight. She lowered her head and remained silent.

Seeing her familiar expression, Bai Mo frowned. She was truly unbearable to watch. He waved his hand and said, "Don't look like you've been bullied after you've vented your anger. You were so energetic the whole way."

Upon hearing this, Ereshkigal's expression froze instantly, while Ishtar raised an eyebrow, as if she had realized something.

"You... you knew all along?"

"Ishtar isn't nearly as gentle as you... Impersonating someone takes a lot of hard work."

Bai Mo shrugged, but Ereshkigal's pearly cheeks instantly flushed red.

"Then... then all the majestic goddess image I've cultivated over the years has collapsed, hasn't it?"

Ishtar suddenly interrupted, yelling, "Wait, what did you do with my body? And you weren't even in that kind of state when you first came in!"

"Those who only think about jewels have no right to talk to me like that!"

Ereshkigal and Ishtar disliked each other intensely. Although they both looked like Rin, the feeling was somewhat similar to that of Arcueid and Ciel back then.

The serious atmosphere eased, and perhaps everything was over. Bai Mo looked towards the palace of Ereshkigal and found a stone tablet standing there, a stone tablet standing in an inconspicuous corner, seemingly blending into the environment.

Suddenly, a strange unease welled up in Bai Mo's heart.

Get out of the way!

Bai Mo instantly appeared behind Ereshkigal. The stone tablet suddenly emitted light, and an invisible band of light pointed directly at Ereshkigal. Bai Mo waved his hand, trying to grab the band of light, but it passed right through his body, like a heavy whaling spear, piercing through Ereshkigal.