How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

"Honestly, you humans are far too fragile, aren't you?"

After passing through the seven gates of the underworld, Ishtar, now the size of a figurine, looked at the two who showed signs of exhaustion with a somewhat disdainful expression.

Because of the curse placed on her by Ereshkigal after her previous failed attempt to descend to the underworld, she now loses a portion of her divinity and her body shrinks with each gate she passes through.

Now, taking advantage of his size, he's using Fufu as his mount, looking quite relaxed and carefree.

"Ah, although I expected this, I won't be able to participate in the battles afterward with this body, so I'll have to rely on you guys when we face Ereshkigal!"

To avoid looking up at the two of them while speaking, Ishtar flew off Fou's back and floated at eye level with them.

"I will do my best to protect myself from being crushed to death by Ereshkigal!"

Poor Ishtar, she no longer dares to boast about her beauty as she did at the first door, for fear that Ereshkigal will hear her and slap her to death like a mosquito.

"Is that Ereshkigal's palace?"

Merlin led Anna down to look down. The group had already walked along the cliff-like path to the bottom and saw a large open space with two huge stone pillars standing next to a stone platform.

The temperature at the bottom of the underworld is significantly lower than that on the surface, and now when they open their mouths to speak, they exhale puffs of white vapor.

Even with just a rough estimate based on physical sensation, You Du felt that the temperature had definitely dropped below 0°C.

"This place... just looks like a wasteland..."

Mashu, carrying her shield, initially thought she would be surrounded and attacked as soon as she got down there. But after looking around at the open space, she was unsure whether to raise the shield or put it down for the time being.

"You're right, but this is what they call the underworld~"

To preserve her last shred of dignity as a goddess, Ishtar insisted on flying to eye level with the others after each sentence.

"There is nothing magnificent here, only endless desolation and loneliness. Am I right, Ereshkigal?"

After Ishtar uttered those words, countless crimson streams suddenly surged from the sole stone platform, and a chilling current swept around like waves.

Mash reacted quickly and raised her shield in front of Fujimaru Ritsuka. Under the onslaught of the cold air, a thin layer of ice began to form on the surface of the shield.

At the same time, Yuuto also summoned Yubel, who escaped the cold wave by being enveloped by the opponent's large bat wings.

Although the cold wave and low temperature wouldn't harm him, he's afraid of the cold!

Why would someone with nothing better to do want to experience the same treatment as a trident dragon?

The crimson currents coalesced and eventually formed a gigantic Garura Spirit wearing a veil, which gradually lost its crimson color.

"Fear, pray, despair, humanity..."

"I am the administrator of death, the mistress of the underworld, the one who treads upon the sacred peak—Ereshkigal!"

That's... Ereshkigal?

Fujimaru Ritsuka stared wide-eyed at Ereshkigal, who resembled Garura, her first emotion not being fear, but confusion.

She thought goddesses were all humanoid like Ishtar, but she never imagined there were goddesses who looked like ghosts...

But with such a huge difference in size... how did they manage to share the same body with Ishtar?

Is it really possible to get in?

However, she soon had no time to think about such things, because the increased workload on her heart due to the high air pressure caused a sharp pain in her heart, and she couldn't help but squat down with a painful expression on her face.

Fortunately, Yuuto noticed something was wrong and gave her a drop of angel blood, which brought her back to health.

Of course, no one except Yuuto knew that it was a drop of angel blood; they only thought that Yuuto had given Fujimaru Ritsuka some kind of magic potion.

"Ereshkigal, I'm here to negotiate!"

After confirming that Fujimaru Ritsuka had recovered, Yuuto stepped forward and stood in front of the group, facing the empty shell of Garura spirit constructed by Ereshkigal.

Unfortunately, no one understood the joke he was making.

Ereshkigal's voice carried a hint of disdain as he felt he had been underestimated.

"Oh? A mere unknown heroic spirit dares to negotiate with the mistress of the underworld? There should be limits to arrogance!"

But just when everyone else thought that the negotiations between Yudu had broken down and that a battle was about to begin, they became more vigilant, only to hear Ereshkigal change the subject.

"However, I am very satisfied with your answer when you passed through the Gates of the Underworld. I will make an exception and give you a chance. State your conditions, Heroic Spirit!"

She also wanted to know why Ishtar, that brutish fellow, would dare to go to the underworld again after suffering a loss once.

Ishtar, floating in the air, understood the meaning behind her words and was so angry that she gritted her teeth. However, after looking at her own figure-like, exquisitely detailed body and comparing the size difference between herself and the other person, she ultimately chose to swallow her anger.

Damn it, there's no chance of winning against Ereshkigal in the underworld when he's been stripped of his divinity!

Setting aside Ishtar's impotent rage for the time being, Yudu told Ereshkigal his terms.

"I hope you can release the souls of the citizens of Kusa City, withdraw from the Three Goddess Alliance, join us, and become our ally!"

Chapter 81: The Joy of Losing and Finding

Ereshkigal:?

Even though Ereshkigal had a good impression of the Wanderer, he couldn't help but frown beneath that Garula spirit's outer shell.

"Heroic Spirit, do you really understand what you're saying?"

To actually try to take a soul from the goddess of the underworld is no different from stealing Ishtar's jewels right in front of her.

This isn't how you provoke someone!

Moreover, she was forced to withdraw from the Three Goddess Alliance. It was better that she was dealing with someone who didn't care about the alliance. If it were the other two goddesses, she would probably lose her life immediately!

She was already overwhelmed with work, and they still wanted to cause her more trouble!

"I am certain."

You Du gave an affirmative answer.

"Is that so...? Then I refuse. My choice will not change!"

After a moment of silence, Ereshkigal firmly rejected Yudo, refusing to even listen to his conditions, and directly conjured a huge spear of light with magic in his hand.

"I will conquer Uruk before Gorgon, seize the Great Cup of Uruk, kill all the humans of Mesopotamia, and gather their souls in the underworld!"

"I want to make all of humanity my possession!"

Ishtar listened and couldn't help but click her tongue in annoyance.

"This is the first time the goddess Ereshkigal has made a decision based on her own will. If you intend to hinder me, then I will crush you!"

The enormous Garuda spirit raised its spear of light, as if it were about to swing it down and split the earth in two, causing several huge stone pillars to rise from the ground around it.

Knowing Ereshkigal's true nature, Yudo remained calm inside, but outwardly wore a solemn expression.

"If that's the case, then we have nothing to talk about?"

Ereshkigal remained silent, only wielding the spear of light in his hand, striking several huge stone pillars protruding from the ground towards Youdu and his group.

"Master, be careful!"

Seeing this, Mash, who was constantly on guard against Ereshkigal's attack, immediately raised her shield to block the stone pillar's flight path, intending to intercept and destroy it halfway through its flight.

However, Yubel was faster than her. In the blink of an eye, she saw the half-human, half-dragon body extend a hand to block the stone pillar, easily stopping it.

After that, one of the giant Garura's arms shattered as if it had suffered a severe injury.

Ereshkigal: "Shi—!"

Reflecting damage? A curse? Or simply a teleportation spell?

Realizing something was wrong, but unsure which of her guesses was correct, she stopped using the stone pillars to attack and instead swung the giant spear of light directly at Yubel while her arm was recovering.

This time, Yubel didn't even try to block, letting the blade of the light gun fall on him, a mocking smile on his face.

The final result was almost identical to the previous one: Yubel was unharmed, but a deep wound appeared on Ereshkigal's massive Garura spirit shell, nearly splitting it in two diagonally.

However, even though Yubel could defend Ereshkigal one-on-one, Yuwatari did not intend to continue this stalemate. After all, as the only living person among them, it would not be good for Fujimaru Ritsuka's health to stay in the Underworld for too long.

The drop of angel blood she ingested needed time to be absorbed and wouldn't immediately transform her into a superhuman.

Moreover, the contract of the Three Goddesses Alliance on Ereshkigal must also be dissolved.

He summoned the D-Wheel and placed the Duel Disk on it.

Those who had already experienced this once immediately understood that Yuwatari was going to use his Noble Phantasm. Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had embarrassed herself once before, immediately sat down.

To prevent a repeat of the situation where someone thinks they are sitting and wants to stand up, but is actually already standing and ends up bouncing around in place.

"I'll confirm it one last time."

Yudu raised his head and looked at Ereshkigal.

"Ereshkigal, mistress of the underworld, are you willing to release the souls of all the citizens of Kusa City, withdraw from the Three Goddess Alliance, and become our companion?"

"What a joke... I am Ereshkigal, entrusted with the god of the underworld, and it is my destiny to bring all humans and all souls into the underworld!"

"I have fulfilled my duties wholeheartedly, and I have no regrets or remorse for it!"

Ereshkigal continued to wield the spear of light, showing no sign of stopping even though each strike was blocked by Yubel.

"Is that so? I understand. Then let's duel! Let's stake everything on this duel! In this duel, I'll reveal your true colors!"

Yuto unfolds the Duel Disk, activates the D Wheel, and the space of the Underworld is gradually replaced by a modern, bustling metropolis.

This time, however, since the duel took place in the underworld, almost all the spectators in the stands were souls that had been captured, and the barriers on both sides of the track had been transformed into walls made of blazing purple flames.

In this space where all blessings, magic, and Noble Phantasms have been nullified, even the mistress of the underworld could only watch helplessly as the Garula spirit shell she had constructed shattered and dissipated.

A goddess in the form of a blonde girl landed on the ground, looking incredulously at the unfamiliar surroundings.

Having never stepped out of the Underworld before, and even when summoned this time only to see the outside world through Ishtar's body, this was the first time Ereshkigal had stood on land outside the Underworld on his own two legs.

"So that was Ereshkigal's true form? She looks so much like Miss Ishtar!"

Seeing the blonde girl appear in the arena, Fujimaru Ritsuka, feeling refreshed after changing venues, noticed that the girl had a face exactly like Ishtar's.

Ishtar, whose body had returned to its normal size, was experiencing a kind of joy called "lost and found," and snorted after hearing Fujimaru Ritsuka's words.

"There's nothing I can do about it. That guy is my other half, so naturally he'll have a beautiful face just like mine."

After receiving the information transmitted into his mind, Ereshkigal, having calmed down, realized that this was not the real outside world, but rather inside Yudo's Noble Phantasm.

A gold and red D-Wheel appeared beside her, and she stroked the deck of cards inserted in the Duel Disk.

"Duel... Is this your Noble Phantasm, Heroic Spirit?"

She tried to use her powers in the underworld to break free from this space, but it was like sinking into the ocean without making a splash, so she had no choice but to give up.

...Never mind, she really couldn't think of a way to break through that strange familiar in the short term. It was too bizarre that even the god's attack had no effect!

Ereshkigal awkwardly mounted the D-wheel, carefully activated the autopilot mode based on his knowledge, and rode with Yudo to the starting line. At the end of the countdown, they simultaneously turned the handlebars.

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!"×2

【Ereshkigal LP: 4000】

【Yoto LP: 4000】

Chapter 82 The Goddess of the Underworld Who Rules Over Immortality

A crimson trail trailed behind the two D-wheelers, leaving a bright afterimage, before Yudo and Ereshkigal simultaneously burst off the starting line and charged toward the first bend.

Despite it being her first time piloting the D-Wheel and not having any riding skills when summoned, Ereshkigal, as a goddess, quickly mastered the extra knowledge in her mind and became proficient in piloting the D-Wheel.

Feeling the gusts of wind rushing towards him as the D-wheel accelerated, Ereshkigal, who had never experienced anything like this before, felt a sense of unbridled exhilaration.

The D-wheel beneath her hummed as the tires screeched against the ground, and she finally beat Youdu to the punch, turning the first bend first and gaining the upper hand.

However, Yudo didn't intend to compete with her for the initiative.

After all, Ereshkigal's deck is most likely related to the underworld, and he doesn't know if it will contain something like "Hades Barrier Wave".

If he sets up a bunch of fields first, only to have them removed by a barrier wave, then he will be in a very dangerous situation after consuming most of his resources.

It's better to hold back and see if there's a chance to finish off the opponent in one turn.

"First strike is mine! My turn!"

Ereshkigal's gaze swept over the cards he had drawn.

"I activate the Field Spell [Temptation Δ] from my hand!"

Countless rock peaks sprang up one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain on both sides of the track, layer upon layer, with a scarlet river flowing between the rock peaks and converging into a lake in the open space.

"When this card is activated, I can send 1 Level 5 or higher Zombie monster from my Deck to the Graveyard!"

A massive figure, draped in the skeleton of some kind of creature and with a body like a snake, emerged from the crimson lake before slowly sinking to the bottom.