In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

"Stop being mysterious and come help me."

Seeing that even his entrance required such a ritual, Ereshkigal, who controlled the underworld, voiced his dissatisfaction.

"Good boss."

Urged on by Ereshkigal, the man in the black mist finally revealed his true form to everyone.

He was a very tall figure with long golden hair, dressed in a black bodysuit, walking barefoot, with a black tail trailing behind him. He also wore a mask similar to that of a leopard man or a savage native, adding to his mysterious and primal aura. Furthermore, his right leg was not flesh and blood, but a jet-black substance constructed of obsidian, giving him an overall impression of being rough yet wild.

"Grand Servants..."

Luo Wei looked at him, his eyes becoming serious.

"Yes, I am indeed a Grand rank. The Counter Force told me to come here and check the situation, so they forced this on me. And coincidentally, that male bird was here too. I guess this is what they call compatibility. Although it doesn't matter whether I get this or not, since for me, Grand rank is just another form of demotion."

The blond man, known as Smoke Mirror, said, “Anyway, we meet again, kid. Although that guy already revealed my real name, let me introduce myself first. I am Tescatlipoca, a god in Aztec mythology, the Black Smoke Mirror, the ruler of the underworld, the supreme god who governs the winds of uncertainty, death, and disharmony. But right now, I'm just a laborer. It's nice to meet you, future god.”

The other party didn't seem to be in a hurry to make a move, and instead showed a relatively friendly smile.

Seeing him appear, Merlin, who was lying on the ground, said speechlessly, "You, a Grand Servant and a Hades, instead of waiting to fight against human evil at the last moment, you've come to work in the Underworld in Mesopotamia? The Underworld you rule is crying!"

"Haha, that's true. But my underworld only has warriors, and they're all resting now. I'm also very eager for battle, so I've come to join in the fun. Besides, I, as a god, have always preferred fair trade. Although we are all underworld kings, since the trader can offer me satisfactory terms, what harm is there in me personally taking part in?"

"But aren't Grand Servants here to protect humanity?"

"That's right, I'm here to fight the beasts and protect humanity. But protecting humanity doesn't conflict with my job, does it? Isn't retrieving the Holy Grail itself a form of protection?"

Upon hearing this, Merlin's lips twitched violently.

He realized that the guy in front of him was clearly a very troublesome person, and ordinary words couldn't sway him at all.

Moreover, this guy is also a being from ancient mythology, and his strength is unfathomable. If we don't count Goetia, he is even stronger than King Hassan and Solomon. He is a true supreme god.

How could someone like that become a Grand Servant?

He couldn't quite understand it.

The principle that gods cannot be summoned dates back to the Holy Grail War. He exploited a loophole in the Goetia's incineration to obtain a Grand Spirit Origin from the Counter Force, essentially creating a secondary account. Moreover, this guy also formed some kind of cooperative relationship with Ereshkigal.

He also told Luo Wei that the underworld would be quite lively from now on—

Is this what he meant? So he gave a heads-up beforehand.

This action made it even more difficult for Luo Wei to understand this being.

If he's on their side, why would he help Ereshkigal do such a thing? But if he really is Ereshkigal's ally, why would he reveal this information to make them more vigilant?

Is it just because it's fun, or is it because of absolute confidence in one's abilities?

"Stop talking to them, hurry up and arrest them all."

The urging voice rang out again, and Ereshkigal summoned his divine weapon, a red spear of light. He then glanced at Smoke Mirror, who was still doing nothing, and then at Merlin, who was lying on the ground, before questioning Smoke Mirror.

Why didn't you kill him just now?

"Kill him? Boss, I was aiming for his heart, but he managed to dodge the fatal blow. Don't underestimate him just because he's a Caster; his skills are far better than you think."

Smoke Mirror glanced at Merlin, a smile spreading across his face, his eyes narrowing as if he saw through something: "Besides, it doesn't matter whether you kill him or not."

"Forget it, it's just a nightmare, it's really not that important. We can kill it after we take care of the others, and then we'll be all done."

Ignoring Merlin's problem, Ereshkigal's attention remained entirely on Rowe.

"Although I don't want to deny your efforts, the ending is too cruel for you. Just leave it all in this dead underworld. That way, you won't have to worry about Goetia or Tiamat."

Ereshkigal said calmly, "Let us build a new kingdom in the underworld together and live together. I will do my duty to protect you until the end of this world."

Are you still clinging to that dream that will drag everyone into the underworld?

"Yes."

Luo Wei shook his head and said with some helplessness, "Are all your goddesses this single-minded?"

"Because it's the only way."

Ereshkigal sighed, “Give up. Your fairy transformation is indeed powerful, even capable of weakening gods, but the preparation time is too long. As long as you are not given the opportunity, you have no way to demote us. And your halo outside is borrowed from the light band in the sky. The Underworld does not have such a thing to support your use. In the Underworld, you have no chance of winning against me, who holds the Holy Grail, and another Hades. Now it’s all over.”

"The best way out is to go to the underworld and escape disaster together."

"Do you think it's all over?"

Hearing Ereshkigal's repeated invitations, Rowe sighed and then looked at her to ask.

At this moment, Merlin, who was lying on the ground, slowly stood up and slowly said, "Entering the Underworld means no overtime work. That's quite an attractive suggestion. If we can ignore it, who would be willing to risk their life? It's a pity that simply running away won't solve any problems."

"Do you really think you have a chance of winning?" Ereshkigal questioned.

“In this situation, we are indeed at a disadvantage. Even if we want to win, we would have to use all our cards in the end, which is obviously not what we will do.” They looked at Ereshkigal and said in unison, “Therefore, we have prepared countermeasures in advance.”

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, Eleshenkigal suddenly had a bad feeling.

Do you really think we would so rashly step onto your territory?

As they spoke, their bodies began to turn into withered petals and fall away. It wasn't just them; Ishtar, Nitocris, and Artoria also turned into petals and fell at that moment.

"What is this...?!"

Ereshkigal was clearly terrified by what he saw.

Nitocris, who was ready to fight, and Alter Alter (Black Lancer) clearly realized something.

"Could this be...?!"

"Illusion."

Smoke Mirror grinned; he had seen through it all along.

After all, he had given Luo Wei a hint before that there was more than one god in the underworld below, including himself and other gods.

Lowe was clearly a smart man. After telling Merlin all these things, how could he be so foolish as to go to the underworld without any precautions?

He knew what was going on when his claw pierced through Merlin.

—It's all an illusion, from beginning to end, even I am part of the illusion.

However, this illusion is not the ordinary kind; it's the kind that reverses reality and illusion.

"The power of the Holy Grail? Even with the Holy Grail, he's still incredibly powerful. A candidate for Grand Caster, truly remarkable..."

He whistled and then praised Merlin's illusion, to which Merlin shook his head slightly.

"It's just a small trick, all part of Luo Wei's plan. It would be impossible to accomplish something like this without two illusionists of A rank or higher using it at the same time."

“You’re all very interesting.” Smoke Mirror nodded, then added to Ereshkigal, “Alright, Queen of the Underworld, the deal we agreed on to help each other has been completed. Now, according to the agreement, your Holy Grail belongs to me.”

As he spoke, he swiftly snatched the Holy Grail from Ereshkigal's hand, a smile spreading across his face.

"Wait a minute!"

Goodbye, my former boss~

Ereshkigal hurriedly reached out to stop her, but she was also part of the dual illusion. Her entire body turned into petals and scattered at that moment, unable to grasp her Holy Grail, and could only let the other party take it away.

At that moment, a smile appeared on the lips of the man in the Smoke Mirror. He then directly shattered this illusion that had turned reality upside down, and he was holding Ereshkigal's Holy Grail in his hand.

By this point, he could be considered to have gained a great deal.

Next, all he needs to do is think about what good things he can get in exchange for this magic cup.

-

-

Meanwhile, on the other side, in front of the first major gate of the underworld.

"What a scoundrel! This is outrageous!"

Gilgamesh, who had been squatting there for almost a whole night, looked in the direction from which they had come and let out a helpless shout.

"What are those bastards doing? They're so slow!"

Beside him, the purple-clad figure holding a crimson magic spear, who had been waiting there, couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

She looked at Gilgamesh and asked, "What exactly is going on? Didn't you say that as long as we waited here, we would definitely run into them?"

"How would I know?!"

Chapter 256 The Journey Out of the Underworld

'Snap!'

A sound, almost like shattering glass, came from the darkness, followed by—

"Shatter, you illusion, you mirage."

A flippant voice suddenly rang out, followed by an excited shout: "A resounding victory! As expected of the great Merlin!!"

"Alright, stop being so abstract. If we hadn't been prepared, we might have really messed things up this time. Let's wake them up quickly."

At the same time, from within the darkness, another voice slowly rang out.

"No problem, leave it to me."

Upon hearing Rowe's voice, Merlin gave a soft response, then raised his wand again and lightly swept it across the eyes of the others on the wasteland.

The darkness shattered, and the sleeping group suddenly felt a dizzying sensation around them. The illusion and reality of the entire world were reversed. As soon as they opened their eyes, Black Lancer and Nitocris found themselves brought back from the underworld. The surrounding environment had once again become that dark wasteland, and Ishtar, who was possessed by Ereshkigal, was also completely bewildered.

"—?!"

She looked around in disbelief, then stared blankly at her own white palms, murmuring to herself.

'The divinity I lost has returned...'

Moreover, it's not just the divinity affected by the weakening of the Gates of the Underworld; the Underworld Legion destroyed by Lovi and the Skeleton Queen who was destroyed are still there.

"What just happened? Why is it that everything I'm sure I lost is still there?"

She spoke, still shaken.

Black Gunner looked at Merlin, who was still pretending to stand high in the sky, and Lovi, who was holding a blue rose. His eyes flashed slightly, and he clearly understood everything.

She turned to Merlin and asked, "Your illusion magic?!"

Merlin smiled and said, "That's right, it is indeed our illusion."