"...I won't beg for my life. If the Goddess of Death denies death, she invites a truly wretched end. As the goddess who captured so many souls, I will fall here."
[—...]
"...You're kind, so you're probably looking for some reason to be lenient. But it's useless. I intended to kill every human in Mesopotamia. I wanted to gather their souls here in the Underworld and rule over them. —I tried to exterminate humanity out of a desire for dominion. See? Could anything be more evil?"
[...]
"...So, take my head. As the Master of the Dead, I lost to humans; as a goddess, I lost to Ishtar. —In the first place, I was compromised the moment I didn't kill you when we first met. —The living and I can never understand each other. —In the end, you and I were just—"
[—How foolish. In the end, that is as far as you can see, Ereshkigal.]
"? Senpa—AAH?!"
A flash. A severance.
"...No way—Rikka... I—"
With a single, masterful stroke from Rikka, she was split—cleaved in two. Blood spray danced, staining the earth.
[Immature. Utterly immature. If you were going to be stubborn, you should have saved it for after this.]
"That's—That's not Rikka! You! Who are you?!"
Rikka brushed aside Ishtar's arrow with a single flick of her cloak.
[Calm yourself. Look closely. What I severed was not her life. —It was the contract of her alliance.]
Just as she said, she wiped the 'Blood-Stained Yasutsuna' and sheathed it.
"Whoa, you scared me—! Mythologically speaking, I thought I was a goner?!"
"Ereshkigal-san...!"
—Who... who are you?
"Not the Wise Me, not the King of Mages, not Chaldea... You, don't tell me—"
[Now—this was getting nowhere, so I borrowed this body from the abyss to move the needle forward. Call it a courtesy between fellow dwellers of the boundary. —Ereshkigal. You hid the truth and spun falsehoods. If you have the capacity to feel shame for that, then answer. The reason you tried to create a kingdom of the dead—]
She flared her cloak and spoke.
[Was because, as the goddess entrusted with their souls, you loved humanity.]
"! I knew it...!"
"It was an obvious fact. But I know how to read the room."
"Wh-What are you talking about... That's impossible. I only love what is mine. The souls I've locked in my cages! Look at this country! A sky without light, a ground without warmth, mud where no flowers bloom! It's true there's no entertainment, there's nothing. Even with the help of my subordinates, all I could build was that tiny mansion! But the peace of death here... it wouldn't lose to any other country! I only love those who fall into this land! How could I possibly—love the humans on the surface?!"
[————]
"To be so covered in wounds... like this..."
"I won't let anyone hurt you! So—become mine!!"
"—That's not right, Ereshkigal."
"What... what is? It's not wrong at all. I only care about dead humans..."
[—No. You are wrong, Mistress of the Underworld. O blood-colored flower offered to the depths. You did not love humans because they were dead. 'You loved humans because they were destined to die.' You are the goddess who sought to protect the souls that remain, honoring them rather than letting death fall into loathsome terror. You joined the alliance solely to protect as many souls as possible within this kingdom of the dead.]
"...Even if no one ever understood you, even if you were branded a traitor to Mesopotamia."
(—Protecting the peace of death was your pride all along, wasn't it, Ereshkigal?)
"...But, I've already... so many people..."
『Ea, tell her. Her worries are for naught.』
—Yes! Rest easy, Lady Ereshkigal. The Wise King has already preserved the bodies of those who died of weakness. If you release the spear-cages, they'll all just pop back to life!
"REALLY?!"
"Of course. Compared to the damage Gorgon caused, your 'death by weakening' is hardly worth mentioning."
—900 people from Kutha, 10 from Uruk. 910 in total! They're all being kept in the basement of the Ziggurat! In conclusion... in terms of actual damage caused, Lady Ereshkigal is in dead last!
"TH-THAT'S ACTUALLY REALLY DEPRESSING! I worked harder than I ever have before—!!"
"And none of my staff have had their souls shattered. —That's why I said it, did I not? Ereshkigal the Good, Ishtar the Evil."
"Well, obviously! Of course I'm going to treat fellow dwellers of the Underworld who are leaping into another world with care!"
(Wait, so it was like a trap or something?)
[—Ereshkigal.]
"Y-Yes..."
"...Will you become mine?"
"Y—Y—YES..."
(She's fallen. Definitely.)
(Her soul shines with a brilliance that rivals even Ea's, so it was inevitable.)
"So, Ereshkigal-san, you will help us defeat Tiamat?!"
"Huh?! W-Well, yeah. I mean, if I don't, Rikka will..."
"?"
"...Was it my imagination? ...No, it couldn't be... huh...?"
"Hehe. I'm counting on you, Ereshkigal."
"Yeah! I won't attack Uruk anymore. You guys are going to save the world, right? I'll help. As the Goddess of the Underworld, I'll show you I'm nothing like that useless goddess over there!"
"Good. You shall be the linchpin of our strategy. I will send the details later. Give me a Mirror of the Underworld. You are to attend the war councils."
"Understood. —I'm going back to my work managing the Underworld. I'll give you and your staff exit permits, so hurry back! —Oh, and one more thing."
—?
"Tell them: 'Thank you for making the Underworld a better place with me.'"
—I will. But... I think they already know.
"Eh?"
—That Lady Ereshkigal is a wonderful Goddess of the Underworld!
"—If someone with a soul as beautiful as yours says so, then I can have some confidence. Thank you, Ea. Take care of that King of Heroes. He'll probably wail and cry if you disappear, just like he did with Enkidu."
"You cheeky brat. —Well, the loss of a supreme treasure that can never be replaced is the worst-case scenario for a collector. It will never happen... but should it, I suppose one tear might be forgiven."
—King of Heroes...
"—Consider this a reward for making me entertain such a dull thought. I shall show you the true form of this world."
"Eh—?"
"Ea."
—Yes! ...One last job, please. 'Ea'—
And then, the Sword of Rupture roared, cleaving the world to reveal its true visage.
"Waaaah—!!"
White mountains, the sun, red stars, and a piercing blue sky. A beautiful world that stretched forever...
"This is the world... so beautiful...! The world I dreamed of...!"
Ereshkigal couldn't take her eyes off the view. Like a young girl dreaming, like an innocent child.
Her eyes sparkled, her face alight with pure joy.
"—The pieces to defeat Tiamat are finally gathered. We begin the council as soon as we return to Uruk."
"Yes!"
"I'm so glad, Ereshkigal."
"Yeah! Everyone—thank you for coming to the Underworld—!"
Amidst the world of silver and blue, Ereshkigal continued to frolic.
Upon the Wise King's return, he launched the "Congratulations on your Third Return from the Underworld Campaign."
Clay tablets were crafted depicting: 'The King fighting fairies in the Underworld,' 'The King falling off a cliff in the Underworld,' 'The King standing proud in the Underworld,' 'The King laughing loudly in the Underworld,' 'The King enjoying the Underworld,' and 'The King finding pleasure in the Underworld.'
Among them were clay figures of a tiny, adorable dragon; a lovely girl with a shield; and a small beast.
And on the lookout of the Ziggurat, a statue of a peerless beauty made of gold and lapis lazuli was enshrined, titled: 'The Noble One Who Saved the King of the Underworld from His Predicament.'
Only the King of Heroes and the Wise King knew the true motif.
...At the same time, Mapo Tofu came to be revered as 'The Crystallization of Ereshkigal's Divine Authority,' a food of the gods offered up to her.
Leaving a bewildered Ereshkigal wondering, "What is even happening...", the group enjoyed three days and nights of feasting.
And then...
"——Aaaaaa..."
The battle entered its final phase.
-------------------------------
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