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

As he spoke, he took out a golden cup from his pocket. It was the Holy Grail that Lovi had given him. At this moment, Lovi also held one in his hand, which he used as a medium for casting spells.

Similarly, it was precisely because of Rafe and Gilgamesh's early assistance with the Holy Grail that the two of them were able to combine two illusions of level A or higher, thus creating a super illusion that could reverse reality and cause everyone to fall victim to it.

"Did you just cast an illusion?"

Compared to Artoria, who knew a lot about Merlin, Nitocris, who had personally experienced a journey through the Underworld, had a much more incredulous expression.

After all, she hadn't noticed anything amiss with Merlin casting an illusion.

"Oh, when did you get the idea that I've never used illusion magic? It seems that my legend is most famous for my illusion magic, isn't it?"

Merlin tilted his head and asked in return, "Isn't it only natural for a dream demon, renowned for its illusions, to use illusions against its enemies?"

"And don't underestimate Luo Wei. His illusion magic was learned from another version of me. Although I'm reluctant to admit it, in terms of illusion magic alone, the female version of me, that is, Mei Li, is even more powerful than us, so there's nothing hard to understand about that, is there?" he explained.

"But...it still feels so strange."

Artoria and Nitocris were still puzzled. They asked, "The underworld just now was too real. It felt almost like reality. Was what happened there really an illusion? Or did you teleport everyone out?"

"It's definitely not teleportation. The Underworld has barriers that prevent it from teleporting instantly; even Command Seals can't achieve that. If you really want to describe it, just think of it as a dream," Merlin said with a smile.

"dream?"

"That's right, it was just a dream."

Merlin chuckled softly, then looked at the even more bewildered Ereshkigal and said, "Everything we just experienced was constructed based on the perception of this Hades. Similarly, everything we did began according to her beliefs, and the final outcome was also arranged by her. However, due to the magic of the Holy Grail and the illusionary transformation between me and Lovi, the ending just now was real. That Hades, the Smoke Mirror, naturally exists as well. And he stopped finishing me off only after discovering this. You could say that our consciousness just took a trip through the Underworld."

"So, your plan has been completely exposed, Ereshkigal."

Lovi turned to Ereshkigal and said, "Now you're out of options, aren't you?"

"Impossible... This is impossible! How could I be trapped in an illusion without realizing it? Even if I am only appearing in the form of a Servant, someone with top-level divinity like me should be able to distinguish an illusion... What exactly is going on with you?"

Ereshkigal still refused to believe the absurd fact that he had been under an illusion.

However, sensing that the seven gates of the underworld had not been breached, coupled with the presence of the dead underworld legion and the Skeleton Queen, she had no choice but to believe it, even if she was unwilling to admit it.

"Well, it's really unlikely, but if you take the initiative to make contact, the situation will naturally be different."

Merlin kindly explained it to her from the side.

"A flaw? Could it be...?!"

"Looks like you thought of that too."

Upon hearing this, Ereshkigal's eyes widened in surprise. She immediately turned to look at Lovi, and when she saw the blue rose in his fingertips, she immediately understood what it meant to have voluntarily entered the illusion.

"That's right, this is it."

Without further concealment, Lo Wei nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then extended the blue rose in his hand and dispelled the magic, revealing a golden cup, different from the Holy Grail in Merlin's hand, in its true form.

This is Gilgamesh's Holy Grail.

Using the Holy Grail as a medium, they disguised it as a rose and gave it to Ereshkigal, letting her lower her guard and touch it. In just a moment, they could pull her into the illusion. Meanwhile, Merlin, on the other side, used Lev's Holy Grail to silently pull the other two goddesses in as well, thus ensuring that the process was flawless. It could be said that the two of them had just constructed a dreamlike journey to the underworld for everyone.

"That is to say..."

Upon hearing this, Nitocris roughly understood the situation. She asked, "So, the smoke mirror we saw when we destroyed the Underworld legion, harmed the Skeleton Queen, and passed through the seven gates was real, but also an illusion. We were just wandering around using Ereshkigal's memories. The damage suffered in the illusion wouldn't carry over into reality. The damage Lord Ereshkigal suffered was actually just because..."

Merlin: "It's her subconscious that's guiding her."

Luo Wei nodded and said, "It's because of the desire hidden in her subconscious. Although she's unwilling to admit it, she wants someone to destroy the legions of the Underworld, the Skeleton Queen's shell, and the divinity of the Seven Gates, so that she can leave the Underworld. The reason I just caused such destruction was because I heard her voice and wanted to fulfill her wish. However, Ereshkigal's will, though hesitant, is also very firm. After all, I should have destroyed all seven gates, but I only destroyed three. The reason is that—although she yearns for freedom, she also cannot let go of her responsibilities."

"She really is a quirky and contradictory goddess."

Lovi glanced at Elekingal, who was still questioning his existence behind him.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Hearing that the faint desire he had occasionally felt in the illusion had been exposed, Ereshkigal shouted in shame and anger, "I, I am the King of the Underworld of Mesopotamia! If I abandon my duties, who will be responsible for the cycle of life, old age, sickness, and death in Mesopotamia? Who will maintain this vital balance!"

Ereshkigal shouted angrily.

She absolutely denies such a thing.

Especially since he was completely fooled, his ideas were exposed from the beginning, and now he was trapped with nothing left but his underwear.

She knew the outcome was already decided.

They already know all her plans and schemes, and she has no chance of winning anymore. She has lost completely this time.

Those two guys are really too cunning. They set a trap for me from the very first meeting, and I didn't even realize it, which led to my crushing defeat.

"So this is what you've been longing for all along? No wonder you were so happy to see me."

Nitocris looked at Ereshkigal with a mixture of sympathy and admiration.

Now she fully understood this goddess; she was a pitiful goddess who, though lonely and in pain, could not let go of her responsibilities.

Black Gunner: "You are remarkable. Compared to Ishtar, you are worthy of the name Hades."

After understanding all this, even the Black Lancer Artoria, who had always disliked the goddess of the underworld and her sister Ishtar, expressed her respect without reservation.

Despite being enemies, their will and awareness were indeed worthy of her heartfelt admiration.

"—"

Merlin remained silent. Having witnessed so many capricious gods and fairies, this was actually the first time he had ever seen a goddess like this.

"What do you mean? How can you look at me like that? Are you pitying me?!" Ereshkigal kept shouting.

This time, Lo Wei bent down again and handed her a blue rose that he had originally intended to give her.

"What? Are you trying to pull me into the illusion?!"

Ereshkigal glared angrily at the guy who had tricked her so easily, and she had never hated flowers as much as she did now.

"No, these are genuine flowers, and the most suitable flowers for you. I'm sorry, I just lied to you."

"But the respect everyone has for you is genuine. As the god of the underworld in Mesopotamia, you have been working tirelessly in the dark underworld, bearing the weight of the life system. This will deserves everyone's respect."

He gently placed the flower into Ereshkigal's palm, and then, after saying what was on his mind, Rovi slowly stood up.

"Huh? What, what are you talking about?"

Looking at the puzzled Ereshkigal, Luo Wei simply smiled and said, "It's nothing. I was just relaying to you some things that I couldn't say to you in time that night when we were suddenly interrupted. Anyway, you've worked hard all these years, Goddess Ereshkigal."

"What are you talking about... I already said, it wasn't me that night..."

Just as Eleshenkigal was about to deny it again, he heard Lovi say:

"Well, then just take this as me talking to myself."

Ereshkigal: "..."

"Actually, I found it strange just now. So, you knew Hades all along?"

Hearing Merlin's words, which seemed to deliberately bring up a sore spot, the Black Gunner and Nitocris around them also looked at her.

Clearly, the two of them care a lot about this matter.

"I only met her once by chance when I was teaching Ishtar a lesson. However, since Ereshkigal has been denying it, perhaps I have mistaken her for someone else."

Luo Wei gave a casual, perfunctory reply, clearly not wanting to elaborate further.

"I see... then it's not surprising."

Merlin then smiled and said, "But what you just said is indeed true. Everyone who appears here bears the heavy burden of their responsibilities. Even if they fight in this era, no one will know or understand. But so what? This doesn't need any deliberate praise or comfort, because everything they have experienced and the people they have met are the most precious rewards in this process."

“Merlin…” Rowe looked at Merlin, who had suddenly spoken human language, with some surprise, and then said with some disdain, “You’re the only one here who has no right to say such things. Not only are you always lazy, but you also like to slack off. Can’t you learn from Merlin?”

Although he hadn't spent much time with Merlin in this world, Rowe already found the guy quite distasteful.

He's constantly lazy and slacking off, and even when he could be more useful, he always hides his talents and encourages others to work harder while he sits on the sidelines watching the show. He's a perfect example of someone who doesn't understand people's hearts.

"Hahaha, isn't that because you were there? And this time, big brother has already played a very important role, hasn't he?"

Faced with Loewy's disdain, Merlin showed no shame whatsoever. Instead, he scratched his head and laughed. For him, slacking off was the norm; it would be strange if he didn't. He had long since discarded such insignificant things as self-esteem.

After the encouragement and casual conversation, Merlin's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Now we know pretty much everything about the Underworld. First, Hades's plan fell apart on its own, so she's no longer a threat. Then, there's the matter of the other Hades being a Grand Servant."

"However, I never expected that the other Hades would be the Smoke Mirror. This is a bit tricky. He's a Grand Servant, and he's also the Lord of the Underworld from Aztec mythology. Either legend proves that he's a genuine powerhouse. Perhaps without using your trump card, you really can't defeat him today."

Merlin couldn't help but sigh at the thought of that being who suddenly emerged from the black mist and almost disemboweled him in the illusion.

"Is that guy that strong? Even if they all attacked together, they wouldn't have a chance of taking him down?"

At the same time, after hearing his description, Saber Alter couldn't help but ask. When she fought that guy in the illusion just now, he was clearly fighting with a playful attitude, so she didn't feel the overwhelming strength that was different from ordinary Servants. But since even Merlin said so, then he must not be underestimated.

“There is a chance, but if we continue to drag this out, the result will definitely be heavy casualties.” Merlin pondered for a moment, then said seriously.

"Grand Servants are already far superior to ordinary Servants in terms of performance, not to mention that the opponent is a supreme god of a pantheon, who is a being that surpasses Grand Servants in terms of ability. Therefore, the risk of fighting him is extremely high."

"Then we can just ignore him, right?"

Upon hearing this, Nitocris pondered and said, "Since he is a Grand Servant, he will eventually appear on the battlefield to subdue the Beasts, so there is no need to be his enemy."

"That can't be done."

Merlin shook his head and continued, "After all, Gilgamesh is still down there, and might even be in their hands. So we have to bring him back. We've already wasted so much time because of Ereshkigal, so we need to speed things up even more. If that guy is still down there, we won't be able to get past him no matter what. We have to get past him no matter what."

As he spoke, Merlin glanced at Rowe beside him.

He saw that Luo Wei was sitting on the ground and slowly closing his eyes, keeping his consciousness connected to the power of the Temple of Time, preparing for the worst.

Meanwhile, the demon pillars in the Temple of Time cheered as they once again felt the power of the king.

Luo Wei slowly opened his eyes, raised his palm, and gathered a golden light—the magic light gun extracted from the Great Light Wheel.

At the same time, he was also ready to use the Temple of Time.

Although doing so would likely invite the Goetias, there is no other choice now.

"I'm ready. Don't worry, I won't lose to any of the enemies ahead."

"I'm counting on you from now on."

Seeing this, Merlin nodded, then said with a solemn expression, "If there is really no other way, then we will have no choice but to personally eliminate a Grand Servant of Humanity."

Seeing that Merlin and Loew had made their plans, Black Lancer Artoria and Nitocris naturally understood the seriousness of the situation. The two nodded in agreement, then turned to Ereshkigal and said, "So what do you think, Lord Ereshkigal? We'll have to trouble you to open the entrance to the Underworld once more."

"Ha, you think I'd help you?"

Ereshkigal shook his head dismissively. "I have no intention of helping you."

then……

And that was the end of it.