Passing through the Seven Gates, they would finally stand before Ereshkigal, the mistress of the Underworld.
And then... defeat her!
Romani's voice came through, heavy yet calm:
["Pick up the pace, Sir Alaric and Fujimaru Ritsuka. Although this Underworld is connected to the living world, your physical stats and fate energy will continue to decline as long as you remain here.
Fate energy refers to the natural luck that living beings use to survive. Whether you're aware of it or not, we all rely on the fortune of avoiding danger. When that force diminishes, accidents naturally occur—like being hit by a car just walking down the street.
The Underworld is filled with death. It doesn't need fate energy or the survival-driven luck of the living."]
"That's true. Once you grow accustomed to this place, even if you return to the surface, you won't live long," Ishtar said, nodding with uncharacteristic gravity.
"Then let's hurry to the next gate! I'm fine, but Fujimaru can't afford to be in danger," Alaric said, determined to pick up the pace.
...
One Minute Later.
They arrived at the second gate of the Underworld.
["Answer this—]
[Answer this—]
[Wealth is meant to flow, but only one is worthy of possessing it. All the riches of the surface world should be entrusted to a single guardian.]
[So—who is the goddess worthy of safeguarding this wealth?]
[Ereshkigal or Ishtar?"]
"Wonderful! Another easy question! Alaric, surely the answer is me, right?" Ishtar said confidently, ready to step through the gate the moment Alaric gave his answer.
"I choose Ereshkigal," Alaric said with a sly smile.
"Wha—what?!" Ishtar stammered. "Oh, I get it! You're choosing Ereshkigal on purpose to expose her incompetence and make her look bad! To show the world the gap between us... That's the plan, right?!"
Once again, Ishtar deceived herself into accepting the situation.
[Ding-ding-ding!]
The stone gate emitted strange sounds, and spectral creatures—Garula Spirits—emerged, launching an attack on Alaric and his companions.
Before Ishtar or Mash could react, sword light flashed through the air, instantly cutting down the Garula Spirits.
In just a few strikes, all seven spirits from the gate were vanquished without anyone stepping beyond the gate's threshold.
"You've grown again, haven't you?" Ishtar said, visibly impressed.
Summoning Maanna, she floated over to Alaric, scrutinizing him with a curious expression, almost as if he had become a stranger to her.
"Sir Alaric is as amazing as ever!" Fujimaru said with a bright smile. "At this rate, we'll pass through all seven gates in no time!"
"Of course," Alaric replied, his nose slightly upturned from the praise as he confidently strode through the second gate.
Ishtar followed closely, her expression resolute as she gritted her teeth and stepped through.
A familiar lightning struck Ishtar, diminishing her form even further.
Now smaller than before, Ishtar flushed with embarrassment. "I knew it! Another curse... Even if I use all my divine power to defend, it's no use... At this rate, I won't just be unable to fight—I'll be crushed to death by Ereshkigal!"
"Don't worry, Ishtar," Alaric said, his back turned to her. He hid his grin, but his voice betrayed his amusement. "You're still cute, even when you're small."
"You rude jerk! You are laughing at me, aren't you?!"
Ishtar, now perched on Maanna, was fuming with shame and frustration. She wanted to kick Alaric, but her shrunken body made it difficult to move properly.
"Ishtar is still amazing," Mash said kindly, trying to comfort her. "It's just a change in size. Your bow's power is still just as formidable."
["Thankfully, we have Sir Alaric with us,"] Romani sighed. ["Otherwise, the battles ahead would be much harder."]
Alaric and his group reached the third gate of the Underworld.
"If we choose Ereshkigal, the difficulty of the battles seems to decrease," Mash observed with a smile. "The Garula Spirits we've encountered so far haven't been too strong. If we choose Goddess Ishtar, Ereshkigal might send even stronger spirits to fight us."
"That won't do," Ishtar responded, shaking her head. "No matter how challenging, there are lines a woman cannot cross, Mash.
When facing other goddesses, it's fine as long as I seem relatively superior. But there's no way I'll lose to that one.
Especially not to an infuriating rival who feels like a mirror of myself."
Fujimaru, intrigued, glanced at the shrunken Ishtar with amusement.
Meanwhile, Alaric instinctively turned his gaze toward the darkness nearby. A golden figure emerged, accompanied by familiar laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! I wasn't planning to show up just yet, but after seeing something this extraordinary, even I couldn't hold back! HAHAHAHAHAHA! What's with this comical size?"
The Heroic King Gilgamesh stepped out of the shadows, laughing uproariously. "At first, I thought you might have matured enough to speak with dignity, but this size—HAHAHA—it's ridiculous! Even I couldn't maintain my composure upon seeing it! Little girl? No, more like a tiny girl! HAHAHAHAHA!"
"YOU GOLDEN GLOWSTICK!" Ishtar, teary-eyed, lunged to kick him, but Gilgamesh easily sidestepped her attack.
"HA! The Underworld must be in chaos now," Gilgamesh said, still laughing.
"King Gilgamesh, you're alive? You escaped Ereshkigal's imprisonment?" Alaric asked with a grin.
"HAHAHA! Of course! Thank you for coming to receive me, Alaric and Fujimaru Ritsuka," Gilgamesh replied. "The Underworld is nothing more than my backyard. I've visited countless times! Though I may have died, I hid in the shadows and used my EX-level Presence Concealment to evade the Garula Spirits. I've just been waiting for you to arrive."
"Your vigor is commendable, King Gilgamesh," Fujimaru said with a small clap.
"His energy is more annoying than I expected," Ishtar muttered. "If he were cursed like me, I'd feel better about it—"
"Foolish girl," Gilgamesh interrupted. "The curses of the Underworld only affect the living. I'm already dead, so they don't apply to me. However, that also means I cannot leave the Underworld without Ereshkigal's consent."
"To reclaim the souls of the dead, we must gain the mistress's approval," Alaric said, gazing at the next gate. "It aligns with our goal."
"You're as sharp as ever, Alaric," Gilgamesh remarked, before turning his attention back to Ishtar. "Now, what's with this absurd form of yours? Have you finally realized your foolishness and shrunk in fear?"
"I told you already—it's Ereshkigal's curse!" Ishtar snapped, her golden eyes blazing. "I should've left you to rot here instead of coming to save you!"
"HAHAHA! Save me? You?" Gilgamesh laughed mockingly. "Is this a joke? Perhaps I've died twice and am now hallucinating!"
"Yeah, sure," Ishtar retorted. "Then I can watch you fall into the abyss of the Underworld while I enjoy myself on the surface!"
"Ah, that sharp tongue of yours proves you're no illusion," Gilgamesh said with a smirk.
Gilgamesh nodded and said, "But that doesn't make any sense. If not for my dream, what on earth is this slightly cute version of Ishtar supposed to be? Could it be a probability shift? Are you planning to act like a super innocent goody-two-shoes in front of Alaric?"
"Ew! Cute? Ugh, that gave me goosebumps! And for the record, I'm not pretending at all," Ishtar retorted with a look of utter disdain at Gilgamesh.
"Alright, you two comedians from Uruk, that's enough. We should get back to answering the questions," Alaric interrupted their banter, turning his gaze toward the Gates of the Underworld, which had been calling to them since their arrival.
["…Answer me…]
[…Please, just answer my question…"]
The voice of the question grew weak and pitiful as if it had lost all confidence.
["Aww, that's so sad! It's been calling out to us all this time, but it's been completely ignored,"] Roman remarked with a precise assessment.
"Well then, I permit it. Go ahead, ask your question, Third Gate—what is your judgment?" Gilgamesh declared naturally, asserting his authority as he addressed the Gate of the Underworld.
["Among the two—Ishtar and Gilgamesh—who is the partner worthy of trust, admiration, and victory?"]
"Obviously, it's me!" Gilgamesh answered without hesitation.
[Ding ding ding!]
The sound of success rang out from the Gate of the Underworld, and Garula spirits appeared as a result.
The ensuing battle ended quickly. With the combined efforts of Alaric and Gilgamesh, the Garula spirits were defeated in less than a minute.
"Hahaha! Ridiculous! Even now, the so-called rulers of the underworld are no match for Uruk!" Gilgamesh laughed heartily and then turned to Alaric. "You did well, Alaric. Truly worthy of being a knight of that king."
This marked the first time Gilgamesh had fought alongside Alaric, and it gave him a newfound appreciation for Alaric's qualities as a warrior.
"Not bad at all!"
They passed through the Third Gate once more, and a familiar light descended upon them. A smaller version of Ishtar appeared before them, causing Gilgamesh to burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Fujimaru Ritsuka, Doctor Roman, don't you have something to record this moment with? You know, something that goes click—a device that can capture this perfectly?"
"I already told you, stop mocking me!"
An enraged Ishtar charged at Gilgamesh with such force that she sent him flying off the narrow cliff path and plummeting toward the abyss below.
Smack!
Quick as lightning, both Alaric and Mash reached out and grabbed Gilgamesh, pulling him back to safety. A shaken Gilgamesh immediately shouted, "What are you doing, you idiot! That impact was terrifying! If it weren't for Alaric and Mash, I'd have fallen straight into the abyss!"
"It's like being hit by a large feline with the same momentum as a speeding truck—you'd fall," Alaric estimated, judging Ishtar's headlong charge as enough to pulverize someone.
But Alaric was more curious about something Gilgamesh had mentioned: the abyss.
"King Gilgamesh, is there something called the abyss beneath the Underworld?"
"Of course. The Mesopotamian world is composed of the heavens, the earth, the Underworld below, and even deeper—the abyss," Gilgamesh explained casually. "The abyss is the Sea of Nothingness. Abzu and Tiamat emerged from that dark sea to create the Mesopotamian world.
In simple terms, it's the primordial sea before the dawn of life. And with the disappearance of Enki, the god who governed the abyss, anyone who falls into it will never return."
Hearing this, Alaric instinctively glanced at the seemingly endless darkness below where Tiamat had emerged.
"Isn't that where you sought the herb of immortality, King Gilgamesh?" Mash asked with a knowing smile, her extensive knowledge shining through. "Speaking of the Underworld, I've also heard that the hero Enkidu had some connection to it. Didn't Enkidu enter the Underworld on your orders to report on its state?"
"—"
Gilgamesh's smile remained unchanging, but he seemed reluctant to answer Mash's question.
Seeing this, Ishtar, ever eager to stir up trouble, chimed in with a grin: "Mash, you've got your facts right, but the truth is even more ridiculous! It was this golden king here who got so obsessed with a new invention that he celebrated for three days and nights. Ereshkigal fed up with the noise, cracked open the gates of the Underworld. And guess what? This drunkard accidentally dropped his instrument into the pit! I've never seen him panic like that before!"
"Eventually, Enkidu, unable to bear the sight of it, volunteered to descend into the Underworld. After observing its workings and paying his respects to Ereshkigal, he returned to the surface," she added smugly.
"Ridiculous! It's all because of you screaming, 'There's a snake in the Huluppu Tree—save me!' If I hadn't cut down that tree, there wouldn't have been an instrument to begin with!" Gilgamesh countered angrily.
"So, Enkidu even interacted with Ereshkigal?" Mash asked in surprise.
"That's right. Although he disliked Ishtar, he treated Ereshkigal with respect. And it was Ereshkigal who accepted Enkidu's body after his death. After all, the remains of a divine weapon cannot be left on the surface. It was thought that placing him in the Underworld would ensure eternal rest, but—"
"Tiamat's power even disrupted the Underworld, reactivating Enkidu's corpse and turning him into Kingu," Alaric noted with a snap of his fingers.
"Exactly. Enough about that. The Fourth Gate is here. Let's see what question it has in store for us," Gilgamesh said, changing the subject as he glanced toward the next gate.
["Answer me—]
[Answer me—]
[Faith is given without expectation of return—]
[Prayers are offered without reward—]
[Humans do not seek blessings from gods; they only offer them, becoming lifelong servants—]
[So tell me—]
[Who among the pure goddesses deserves this noble labor?"]
"Ereshkigal," Alaric answered without hesitation.
Another question, another battle—but this time, even Roman couldn't hold back anymore.
["Sorry, but can I just say something? Isn't this a goddess beauty pageant?"]
"It is, isn't it?" Alaric agreed matter-of-factly. "Choosing the most beautiful goddess, right here, right now."
"Doctor, is there a problem? As Lady Ishtar said, these are very important questions. I've learned a lot!" Mash said with a cheerful smile.
But her innocent expression left Roman utterly shocked. ["What did you just say?! Oh no, Mash is turning into a bad kid! Ishtar's lifestyle is terrible for moral education!"]
"What do you mean by that? These questions came from Ereshkigal, not me! Don't pin this on me!" Ishtar protested indignantly.
But Gilgamesh was unconvinced: "Oh? Ereshkigal's questions are your questions, aren't they? If your roles were reversed, you'd be asking something similar."
"No way! If it were me, I'd make the questions more subtle and wise—absolutely!" Ishtar stammered, her face turning red as she tried to defend herself.
"You're not planning to change the questions, are you?" Alaric teased with a smile.
Passing through yet another gate, Ishtar's form shrank further. Looking utterly defeated, she muttered to herself, "I got zapped again… I'm starting to fear how used to this I'm becoming."
Even Gilgamesh seemed to lose interest after a while. "Hmm, at first, this was amusing, but now it's just sad. I won't deny that her combat ability is waning, but this makes our fight against Ereshkigal even more difficult."
"It's fine. I'll take care of it," Alaric said with a calm smile. "I can cover for Ishtar's weakened combat ability."
Curious about Ereshkigal's divine strength, Roman asked, ["What level of divinity does Lady Ereshkigal have? Is it on par with Ishtar?"]
"No, it's slightly weaker than Ishtar's. While both are ancient goddesses, Ereshkigal is more cautious and reserved," Gilgamesh replied.
Ishtar is the beloved daughter of the heavens, a goddess who can obtain anything she desires. The gods adore her immensely, and as long as she acts coy, they will grant her anything she wants. Not to mention Enki, the god who governs the Abyss—he even once got drunk and was tricked into giving away all his possessions to Ishtar.
"That incident was truly outrageous; it could be considered the most severe fraud in the Mesopotamian world and the greatest joke among the gods," Gilgamesh said, holding back laughter. "Enki was thoroughly drunk and gave all his divinity to Ishtar. When he woke up, he found himself completely penniless.
Meanwhile, Ishtar had already loaded all the treasures onto Ma'anna and was driving them back to the surface.
Although Enki sent his servants to chase after Ishtar, she fled at an astonishing speed. Enki could only weep bitterly and cry out in despair: 'At this rate, the ruler of heaven and earth will become that foolish woman! Someone save me!'
The gods and humans, who could only watch helplessly, couldn't help but exclaim: 'What superb driving skills! Can the Heavenly Vessel really corner at such high speed? There's no way anyone can catch her! This is a race record that will go down in mythology; at this moment, the strongest racer in Uruk has been confirmed!'
Damn it, even though I was furious, I couldn't help but think: *'Did that woman Ishtar save a trick for this exact moment?!'"
"Oh, that time, the autopilot just happened to break down, so I switched to manual driving!" Ishtar said, waving her hand somewhat embarrassedly. "But to always be prepared, I always keep some nitrous oxide on the Heavenly Vessel."
Seeing Ishtar's pride, Gilgamesh turned his head to look at Ritsuka Fujimaru and Alaric. "So, what do you think? This is the city goddess of Uruk. Do you now understand the hardships this king endures?"
"You must have it tough," Ritsuka and Alaric said in unison, exchanging glances and laughing. "The goddess Ishtar is amazing in every sense."
"Ishtar is a goddess who constantly desires and grows," Gilgamesh continued. "On the other hand, Ereshkigal desires nothing. She was created as a cornerstone of the Underworld when it was formed. Since a god had to reside in the Underworld, the responsibility was thrust upon Ereshkigal. She was sent to the Underworld as soon as she spoke her first words, becoming the mistress of the earth.
As the goddess who has managed the dead for millennia, she has never, not even for a moment, stood on the surface or in the heavens."
"—"
This was a fact that Alaric had long known, and he felt no guilt about it. Whatever pity he might have harbored had long been shattered by his resolve to fight.
Gilgamesh continued: "In exchange, Ereshkigal is invincible in the Underworld. Even the gods cannot defy the laws she sets there. It's like that little, little, little, little girl over there.
But the moment she leaves the Underworld, she loses that privilege. In terms of divinity and authority, she's only mid-tier.
Furthermore, if her opponent is a living being, they are not bound by the Underworld's law of must kill. In other words, within the Underworld, the only individuals Ereshkigal cannot impose her laws upon are Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash, and you, Alaric."
Gilgamesh gazed at Alaric's figure. At this moment, Alaric blended perfectly into the environment of the Underworld. If Gilgamesh hadn't known he was alive, he might have mistaken Alaric for one of the dead.
"So battles can only happen with the living?" Alaric murmured, having now fully grasped the rules of the Underworld. The dead could not challenge Ereshkigal, the mistress of the Underworld.
"Exactly. That's why this king has been waiting for your arrival. My only concern was whether Ritsuka would be killed by the Gallu spirits the moment she fell into the Underworld. But with you and Ishtar here, stopping that was easy.
Hahaha, Ishtar! Your intelligence has improved, hasn't it? Did those conflicting traits of the frivolous woman and the miser in your vessel cancel each other out?"
"Who are you calling a frivolous woman?! And who are you calling a miser?! You don't know anything about me, so stop spouting nonsense!" Ishtar shouted angrily. "And for the record, the part about this vessel being miserly is just an objective fact! Don't just take everything Goldy says at face value!"
Amid the lighthearted banter, Alaric and his group passed through the remaining gates of the Underworld. The cost of doing so was Ishtar truly transforming into a butterfly-like being—so small that even Fou was much larger than her.
"Waaaah, in all of Sumer's gods—no, in all of Mesopotamian mythology—is there anyone as miserable as me?" Ishtar wailed, utterly despondent.
Unmoved by Ishtar's lamentations, Alaric and Gilgamesh turned their gazes toward the desolate place ahead, known as the palace. It was no less barren than the peak of Mount Ebih, which Alaric had previously crushed underfoot.
"So this is Ereshkigal's palace?"
"This is the Underworld. There is no splendor here, is there, Ereshkigal? The queen of the Garula spirits who gaze upon the dark sky," Gilgamesh said, his expression calm as he stared into the darkness.
The darkness churned, and with it emerged a massive wraith, roaring in the kingdom of death.
"You speak as if you know much, mere half-god king.
Tremble, pray, and despair, humans."
The towering wraith unfurled its form, and a surge of divine energy swept across the Underworld, overwhelming Mash and Ritsuka Fujimaru with crushing pressure.
"I am the ruler of death, the mistress of the Underworld, the one who tramples the peaks of the sacred mountain—one of the Three Goddess Alliance: Ereshkigal."
Powerful and cold, her very presence embodied all that symbolized death and annihilation.
The temperature plummeted rapidly, seemingly approaching the boundary of life and death.
Warnings from Romani and Mash's cries of astonishment rang out simultaneously, expressing their shock at the harshness of the current environment.
"So we finally meet, Ereshkigal," Alaric said, ignoring the aura of death. He smiled faintly and added, "It's our first meeting, so let me introduce myself. I am Alaric, a knight of the Round Table, a wandering knight. To continue moving toward the future, I will challenge the gods."