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

“I know, after all, this is exactly what I thought.”

He was indeed laughing.

What are you doing...?

Merlin was somewhat surprised, and also somewhat curious.

"It's nothing, I just thought of something interesting. Anyway, let's go now, we'll see each other again soon."

Lovi turned to Merlin, Mash, and Ritsuka and said, "Let's leave together. Time waits for no one. If we continue, Gilgamesh will definitely lash out."

"Eh? But Miss Anna, she—"

Seeing Lovi so calm, Mash and Ritsuka couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Don't worry, we'll meet again.

Faced with their doubts, Luo Wei spoke with absolute certainty.

-

"Gorgon is dead, the Blood Temple has collapsed, and the campaign was a great success."

Mashu: "Whoa! In the end, we didn't help at all. It was over as soon as we got here. All the work was done by Lovi-senpai and Anna-san. In the end, we almost got buried in the rubble. What a terrible experience, right, senpai?"

Dr. Roman: "It's all Merlin's fault for being such a useless piece of trash, always complaining about being tired, wasting so much time on the road."

"Romani, have some conscience! If I hadn't lured away so many monsters, would things have gone so smoothly?"

Before the ruins collapsed, the group sped up and ran out of the Blood Temple, finally managing to leave at the last moment.

"But what's going on with Mr. Merlin? You kept saying you were tired the whole way, so how did you run so fast? Your stamina is amazing...?"

At the back of Luo Wei's group, Ritsuka, who had just run out, said while panting heavily.

Compared to the others, although she had the aid of her Mystic Code, she was still human after all, and her stamina was no match for Mashu and Merlin. But when she thought that the fastest runner was Merlin, who was carrying the camera and kept complaining about being tired, she found it strange.

"Haha, that's because I've been training in Avalon all along! Ritsuka, before I became a magician, I always trained my body, and I wielded the Holy Sword for much longer than I used this staff I bought from the Amazon, so your physique is something you can't compare to."

"Huh? Holy Sword? You're clearly a Grand Caster candidate, and what the hell is Amazon?!"

Before Ritsuka could even complain, Dr. Roman on the other side of the screen couldn't hold back any longer.

"Oh dear, it seems you completely misunderstand, Romani. After all, chanting spells is boring and you're bound to bite your tongue, isn't it? Instead of memorizing those nonsensical and tongue-twisting incantations, it's much more satisfying to just walk over and deliver a fatal blow. It's like some guys who clearly possess master-level boxing skills capable of killing gods; they don't really need to study magic at all! Just go in and you'll win, right?"

"Ha, I don't understand what you're saying at all."

Dr. Roman responded with a cold laugh; he had already made a sacred separation from his past self.

"Well then, let's talk about the situation that Sheba has detected. According to our detection, the number of magical beasts around the forest centered on you is decreasing rapidly. It has been confirmed that after a large number of them were killed by Lovi, the remaining magical beasts have also begun to self-destruct due to the death of Gorgon."

There was no time for jokes with Merlin; Dr. Roman used the Sheba that Da Vinci had just finished repairing to report on the situation there.

"That's only natural. After Gorgon, the mother, was destroyed, the remaining magical beasts naturally fell into self-destruction. From the moment they were born, they were transformed into magical beasts that had no intelligence or ability to reproduce, and were only specialized in killing... In this respect, even before Gorgon went berserk, it had completely lost the status of the [Mother Goddess] and was just a tool."

Because he was also of mixed race, Merlin felt somewhat saddened by this situation.

"But this is only the beginning."

As someone who already knew what would happen next, Luo Wei had already explained the situation to Merlin and the others, so no one was foolish enough to think that this was the end. On the contrary, everyone knew that this was just the prelude to the final battle.

“That’s right. Gilgamesh’s side, as well as Melly and my clairvoyance, all saw it. The situation afterward is pretty much as what Lovi said. After Gorgon’s death, a new round of purges belonging to Tiamat has begun. And this time, the army is not the previous monsters, but life forms called Neo-Rahmu created using [Rahmu] as a template. Now everyone must be on high alert.”

Merlin's expression was very serious. Even he couldn't joke around when faced with Tiamat and tens of thousands of Rahmu.

"That's right! Just as expected, the observation has been interrupted! Sheba, Sheba, has been damaged again, this time due to overload. I have detected tens of thousands, no! hundreds of millions of life forms rushing out of the Persian Gulf and are attacking Uruk at an alarming speed. Although this situation is as you expected, it is still too astonishing!"

On the Chaldea side, even Roman, who was already shocked by all sorts of unexpected events and didn't know how to evaluate them, was still quite frightened after seeing this result.

The result caused by Tiamat is far more shocking than the scene brought about by the appearance of Goetia.

"Now that Gorgon is dealt with, let's proceed as planned. Ritsuka and Mash will return to Uruk, while Merlin and I will join Gilgamesh. The battles to come will be no joke."

"Ah."

Without any pretense of bravado, Ritsuka and Mashu nodded in agreement after realizing that their strength was not suitable for the front line, and then turned and left.

Although they wanted to contribute their efforts, they knew they had to be realistic about the situation. Everyone has their best role to play, and they can only be effective in a specific position. Forcing their way in would only cause trouble. So they left without hesitation, ready to return to their posts in Uruk and continue to shine.

Meanwhile, after seeing them leave, Lovi and Merlin didn't sit idle either. With Merlin giving directions, they began to rush towards the direction Gilgamesh had indicated as quickly as possible.

Chapter 282 The Angel of Death

When I opened my eyes again, all I could see was a pale yellow world.

Then the pale blue candlelight illuminated my face like fireflies.

It wasn't glaring, nor was it cold; on the contrary, it had a strange warmth to it.

Is this the afterlife?

No, I'm already dead. Shouldn't this be called the Throne of Heroes?

but--

A vague, novel feeling made Anna realize that something was wrong. She opened her eyes and found herself lying in a flowerbed full of yellow flowers. The sky above her was pitch black, with no sun in sight, and the surrounding environment was unusually quiet, without any breeze. This made her wonder where she was.

"Lost souls..."

However, an empty voice began to echo in Anna's ears the next moment. Following the direction of the voice, Anna saw a huge figure with a dog's head, or rather, a jackal holding a scepter.

It spoke softly: "Child who has fallen to the earth, Mother Earth who has fallen to the mortal realm, though fallen into the form of a demon beast, still retains the purity of a goddess. What is it that you have come here to seek? Have your sins been cleansed? Has your heart found peace? As the god of the underworld, I will make you pay for your sins and judge you. Are you ready to accept it? — Hey! What are you doing, boss?"

The enormous god Anubis strode up to Anna, scales in hand, exuding divine majesty and great style. But before he could finish speaking, the sudden sinkhole beneath his feet ruined his performance.

"Are you Miss Nitocris? Or the goddess Ereshkigal?"

The atmosphere was instantly ruined, and Anna immediately remembered the two goddesses of the underworld that Rowe had introduced to her.

"Ah? So you've heard of us after all?"

When Anna called out her real name, Nitocris looked helpless. She dispelled the illusion of Anubis and appeared before Anna, holding the Scales of God.

Below, Ereshkigal, who was still diligently tending to the flowerbed like a gopher, was also helplessly pulled out by Nitocris and lifted into the air, looking rather cute.

Looking at the goddess who looked exactly like Ishtar except for her long golden hair, Anna knew that she must be Ishtar's sister, Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld here. So without any hesitation, she hurriedly asked about the situation behind her.

"Lord Hades, what's going on?!"

Anna immediately asked the question she most wanted to know—

Why am I still alive?

She couldn't possibly be alive; she shouldn't be alive.

"Eh? Hades, Lord Hades? Hmm, this is the first time I've ever heard someone call me that..."

Being addressed so respectfully by Anna, Ereshkigal, who had been pondering how to introduce himself without being impolite upon seeing her arrive in the Underworld, was immediately overjoyed.

This was a rare way for her to be addressed, and it felt quite peculiar.

"hey-hey……"

She gave a strange smile, then realized that both of them were looking at her. She coughed a few times to get her thoughts back on track.

"Okay, to put it simply, the two of us saved you."

"They're saved?"

“That’s right. Just as you destroyed Gorgon and plunged her body into the pit, and then fell in yourself, I had Nitocris intervene. She used the authority of the gatekeeper of the underworld to open the gate as you fell, protecting your soul and allowing it to be absorbed into the underworld before it completely dissipated, bringing it to us and thus saving your life.”

Ai Lei touched her long hair and explained with a proud expression, her look clearly saying—

How about that? Pretty impressive, right? Go ahead and praise me!

"You were rescued? You mean he anticipated that I would fall with Gorgon, so it was something he arranged on purpose, right?"

"Yes, just as he predicted. Although he is a human madman who deceived and bullied God, I have to admit that he is really capable."

"When he left me, he pulled me and Nitocris aside and said some mysterious things that I couldn't understand at all. He told me to carve a separate path from Gorgon to the Underworld. Fortunately, the result was pretty much what he expected, and..."

Eresh stepped forward and gently pulled Anna up from the flowerbed.

"How is it? It looks great, doesn't it?"

She asked with a smile.

"what?"

Anna was slightly taken aback, but when she realized where she was and saw the grapevines and many flowers around her, she immediately understood and asked in surprise, "Is this the underworld? But why are there so many flowers growing here?"

"Yes, it's all thanks to Lord Lowe."

This time it was Nitocris's turn to answer the question. She said, "To apologize for his rudeness last time, Lord Lovi gave Ellie a seed, saying that it was made by two flower magicians and could grow into the plant that the planter most wanted to see. He then helped Ellie plant it in the Underworld and irrigated it with divine blood, so the previously desolate Underworld became what it is today."

As she spoke, she pointed to the endless expanse of pale yellow flowers and the wildly growing grapevines in front of her, and said to Ai Lei with a somewhat helpless expression, "It won't be long before most of the Underworld is covered by flowers and plants, but is that really a good thing? Won't it make the Underworld lose the dignity it should have?"

"No way, isn't this great? Ghosts sleeping in this environment is much better than the old underworld."

Clearly, this goddess of the underworld didn't see anything wrong with her underworld becoming Avalon. That's why she kept digging burrows underground, trying to create more living space for so many flowers.

"This is truly wonderful..."

Watching the two goddesses of the underworld communicate, Anna nodded silently. However, she quickly realized something and said somewhat flusteredly.

"But...! If I'm still alive, doesn't that mean Gorgon is still alive too?!"

She and Gorgon are one, their lives completely intertwined. Therefore, only by burning her spiritual essence and life force can she successfully kill Gorgon. She has thus come to this realization. But since she is still alive, doesn't that mean Gorgon is also...?

Upon realizing this, Anna's eyes immediately filled with panic.

"You don't need to worry about this... Lord Lowe has told us that he will find a way to handle everything properly, and I believe he can do it."

"You really believe him."

Ai Lei said with a hint of envy.

"Of course, after all, he's the one who gave me a second reason to live, and you, Boss Ereshkigal, trust him a lot, don't you? I remember when he helped you fill the Underworld with flowers, your eyes were just..."

"Don't say that! I'm just too excited. I didn't cry. After all, this is the only thing that has made me happy in thousands of years... um."

"puff--!"

Seeing these two goddesses of the underworld bickering and exposing each other's shortcomings without any restraint in front of her, especially Ereshkigal's flustered appearance, Anna couldn't help but laugh.

Yes, now all I can do is trust him.

"Then, may I go back, you two goddesses? I would like to continue helping them."