"Despicable."
Collapsed on the ground, Ereshkigal stared blankly ahead. After listening to Emiya Shirou's explanation, she fell into a long silence. In the end, she could only spit out that single word, filled with grievance and indignation.
"Ha. Despicable?"
Squatting in front of her, Emiya Shirou reached out impatiently and poked her cheek with his finger.
"You, who used an invincibility cheat, actually have the nerve to call me-someone who just stole the account-despicable?"
"That's the textbook definition of the pot calling the kettle black, alright?"
The duel between Emiya Shirou and Ereshkigal had been a clash between transcendents.
If it were compared to a game, Ereshkigal was the petty player using a GM account to duel an ordinary user.
And when Emiya Shirou realized the opponent was completely invincible, he became the worst kind of jerk-the one who hacked the account outright.
In that sense, the two of them were cut from the same cloth.
"I... I haven't lost yet!"
Humiliated and enraged by the constant poking, Ereshkigal scrambled to her feet and swung her lance at Emiya Shirou.
But her movements were riddled with openings.
Emiya Shirou casually dissolved her attack, flicked her weapon aside, and pulled her straight into his arms.
"You've already lost."
"Without the Authority of the Underworld, you no longer have the power to resist."
Once stripped of the Underworld's Authority, Ereshkigal was nothing more than a mid-tier deity.
In theory, the divinity she possessed should still have granted her tremendous combat power.
But just as Emiya Shirou had said earlier-aside from the Authority of the Underworld, her other abilities were practically nonexistent.
Even though that remaining divinity could still overwhelm everyone else present...
She couldn't bring any of it to bear.
Against Emiya Shirou-whose martial skill had reached a godlike realm, and whose physical strength was no weaker than hers-Ereshkigal was subdued without any chance to fight back.
"Let go of me!"
Feeling the warmth of his breath so close, Ereshkigal's face burned.
She had never been held like this before.
Driven by lingering defiance and her unwavering fixation on her goal, she struggled desperately.
"Save your strength."
"Your wish can no longer be fulfilled."
"As long as I don't use the Authority sealed inside that stone tablet, it will remain sealed forever."
"And without the Authority of the Underworld, whatever you intended to do... has already failed."
Ereshkigal's entire body trembled.
"So... I've failed completely?"
The moment she truly grasped that fact, her struggling stopped.
Her body went limp.
Tears gathered in her eyes, trembling on the verge of falling.
Seeing this, Emiya Shirou loosened his arms and let her collapse to the ground, allowing her to sink into the bitterness of defeat on her own.
...
"Is that... victory?"
On the side of the temple, Fujimaru Ritsuka-who had witnessed the entire exchange-asked in a daze.
Everything had happened far too fast.
While traveling deep into the Underworld, she had been constantly worrying about how they were supposed to fight.
After all, Ereshkigal was invincible here.
Before the battle even began, Fujimaru Ritsuka had already prepared herself for death-or imprisonment-if they failed.
But now...
It was over just like that?
"Even if it looked brief, that battle wasn't easy."
"The reason it looks simple is because you only saw the final moment."
Gilgamesh spoke calmly.
"There's no way to know how much preparation Emiya Shirou did beforehand, or how many tactical sets he devised specifically for Ereshkigal."
It was obvious.
Gilgamesh was extremely satisfied with Emiya Shirou's victory.
"Perhaps from the moment they agreed to duel, Emiya Shirou was already gathering intelligence on her and searching for weaknesses."
"We may not know the process, but the result proves everything."
"Emiya Shirou saw straight through Ereshkigal."
"For a counter-type hero like him-someone who can extract the precise weapon he needs from an endless array of projected Noble Phantasms-the outcome was decided before the battle even began."
"This is what it means to know both yourself and your enemy."
"A truly brilliant fight."
After hearing Gilgamesh's explanation, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others finally understood what had happened beneath the surface.
With the outcome decided, the four of them began walking forward.
"Hey, Ereshkigal!"
Ishtar strode over, her body now restored to its original state after losing the stolen Authority.
She covered her mouth and laughed loudly.
"You talked such a big game earlier, but you went down in an instant? How weak! Hahaha!"
Ereshkigal didn't even look at her.
She only said flatly, "Kill me."
"This is the ending befitting a goddess who was misled by the Mage King."
At those words, Ishtar's triumphant smile vanished.
What replaced it was an awkward, conflicted expression.
"...You've already made up your mind, huh."
"In that case, how about finding an excuse to live?"
"If you're willing to turn over a new leaf, we're willing to accept you."
"I don't need it."
"I will never beg for mercy."
Ereshkigal lifted her head, her gaze firm.
"A harvest goddess like you would cling to life by any means if given the chance."
"But I am different."
"If the Goddess of Death denies death, then she dies without even a burial."
"As a goddess who has taken countless souls, I will fall here."
"Her resolve is absolute..."
Mash, standing beside Emiya Shirou, clenched her fists.
"When Goddess Ereshkigal herself believes she is evil and longs for death..."
"What should we do, Senpai Shirou?"
"Obviously-ignore her choice."
"...?"
Everyone stared at Emiya Shirou in confusion.
In response, he placed his palm gently on Ereshkigal's head.
"Ereshkigal and I made a pact."
At those words, Ereshkigal's body jolted violently.
The firmness in her eyes wavered in an instant.
"If I had lost the duel, my soul would have remained here to accompany her forever."
"But since I won..."
"As the loser, she becomes my property."
"She must follow my orders, without resistance."
As if he had anticipated this outcome long ago, Emiya Shirou squatted down and met her gaze directly.
There was clear amusement in his eyes.
"So the current Ereshkigal has no right to decide anything."
"Her right to choose... belongs to me."
The next moment, Emiya Shirou stood up and called out to the side.
"Old man."
"You've been watching for long enough, haven't you?"
"How about lending a hand?"
"Maybe take a swing or two."
Pointing at the kneeling Ereshkigal, Emiya Shirou smiled.🔥🔥 You can find chapters ahead here
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