Chat group, if you have anything to say to my Holy Sword,

Xiling briefly explained the situation on her side. After reading it, Danheng looked up at Merlin, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and the others, and calmly announced: "Xiling has sent word that the Beast Goddess Gorgon has been dealt with."

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Matthew exclaimed almost simultaneously, their faces instantly breaking into excited smiles.

One of the biggest threats looming over Uruk has been eliminated in such a short time!

Anna, standing at the edge of the group, trembled slightly under her hood. Upon hearing the news of the Gorgon's demise, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her—a sense of relief mixed with emptiness.

But in the end, she let out a soft breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

That might be for the best...

Quetzal Koyatl was also shocked when he heard the news.

......

Just as people here were getting excited, things were getting a little tricky for Xiling.

Something's not right.

The creator goddess of Mesopotamia was trapped in a dream by Merlin and did not wake up. Therefore, Kingu devised a plan to synchronize Gorgon with Tiamat's consciousness and power. So when Gorgon was killed, Tiamat, whose consciousness was synchronized, would be awakened from her dream.

However, Gorgon had already vanished from this world, and Tiamat showed no signs of waking up. Kingu, who was holding the Holy Grail, had disappeared without a trace. Most importantly, at the moment he swung the Holy Sword...

Someone ambushed me.

Xiling looked at her chest, where a huge hole had been pierced through it. An ordinary person, or even some heroic spirits, would probably be dead from such an injury, but Xiling wasn't an ordinary person... oh, I misspoke.

Xiling wasn't human at all; the pain was real, but since she wasn't dead, it was as if nothing had happened.

"Alright, I'll remember this grudge."

"Goetia"

Xiling took a deep breath, and the flesh on her chest seemed to flow backwards, even the clothes that had been pierced through were restored to their original state, as if the horrifying wound had never existed.

Only the lingering, burning sensation beneath the skin testifies to the ruthlessness of that blow.

Now, of the three goddesses who once graced Uruk, only one remains.

Ereshkigal, the mistress of the underworld and the controller of death.

The original plan was for Fujimaru Ritsuka to take Ishtar on a mission to win her over, using her unique charm to sway the goddess of the underworld, just as had been expected. But now it seems…

"The efficiency is too low," Xiling muttered to herself.

The Gorgons' unusual behavior, Goetia's intervention, Tiamat's unresponsive silence...

"Who knows what other unexpected trouble might arise..."

"As expected, we still need to deal with this last problem as soon as possible. Today... let's put an end to this so-called Three Goddess Alliance completely!"

......

Meanwhile, in that abyss where sunlight can never reach, and only eerie blue ghostly flames flicker and shimmer.

"Phew... Good! Another one done!"

A clear, melodious voice, tinged with a hint of accomplishment, shattered the deathly silence of the underworld. The owner of the voice was a beautiful goddess with dazzling golden hair and crimson eyes. She gazed at her newly completed creation—a cage she had crafted herself?

Ereshkigal nodded in satisfaction, then gently placed the newly made cage next to the mountain of his kind.

That's right, this is the last of the Three Goddesses Alliance, Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld, who is now completing her daily tasks.

When they learned that Mesopotamia was destined for a devastating end...

She chose a path different from others.

She wants to protect the human souls on this land in her own way.

Guiding the souls of the living to the underworld is the method she chose as the goddess of the underworld.

So now she is making cages for the dead in preparation for the day that is coming soon. After she finishes this batch, she will have to dig the tunnels.

Digging a tunnel—this was a crucial part of her grand plan.

She will exact her revenge on Uruk! When the day of reckoning arrives, she will suddenly open a massive passage to the underworld beneath the city of Uruk!

Just thinking about Gilgamesh and the bewildered expressions on the faces of the Uruk people as they fell, especially the possibly disheveled state of that golden-haired fellow, Ereshkigal couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle, his shoulders shrugging as he laughed. His clear, slightly smug laughter echoed forlornly in the empty, deathly silence of the underworld.

However, before the echoes of that laughter had completely faded—boom boom ...

As if a colossal beast were writhing in the depths of the earth, the entire underworld trembled violently! A deep and terrifying roar pressed in from all directions, and the entire land of death wailed!

"Whoa!" Caught off guard, Ai Lei was almost knocked to the ground by the sudden violent tremor. She staggered a few steps and grabbed a stone pillar to steady herself. The smile that had remained in her eyes was instantly replaced by horror.

"what happened?"

As the sole ruler of this realm of death, her senses instantly locked onto the source of the anomaly!

It's actually in front of the Seventh Gate!

Something... forced its way in! It wasn't a careful infiltration.

It was a pure, brutal, physical breakthrough—a violent breakthrough!

"Damn it!" Ereshkigal's anger surged to the top of his head, his fair cheeks flushed red with rage, and his long golden hair seemed to sway slightly with the rising divine power.

Such blasphemous acts have occurred on her own territory, under the very order she has carefully maintained! A weapon instantly materialized in her palm: "Whatever you are... daring to trample on the boundaries of the Underworld like this, I will absolutely nail you to the Underworld!"

Ereshkigal gripped his spear tightly, his magical power erupting as he prepared to annihilate this reckless madman.

Just as she was about to go, she discovered that it seemed to be no longer necessary.

Because...it was too fast!

She didn't even need to look for them! The other party had already... arrived!

boom--! ! !

A beam of white light pierced through everything and descended upon Ereshkigal like a thunderbolt.

Ereshkigal tensed up, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints! Instinctively, she held her spear horizontally in front of her, the tip pointing directly at the approaching figure!

The person turned their head slightly, a smile like that of someone bumping into an acquaintance on the street appearing on their face.

"Oh, nice to meet you."

"Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld"

"One last favor for you."

Xiling gazed at the girl in front of her with a smile.

Can you surrender?

ha?

-

-

One of the easiest women to win over

Chapter 86 Confessing your feelings? Making friends!

You are a homebody.

Every day, she stays cooped up in her dark, deep, and sunless little room in the underworld (though it's a bit big), passing the time through her imagination—imagining herself flying freely on the sunlit earth like Ishtar, trying all sorts of novel and exciting adventures, and even... being loved and needed by the people on earth.

Unfortunately, you can't do that because you're a responsible homebody with many things to take care of, so you can only stay at home.

But today! A guy radiating an aura of social butterfly actually broke into my house and started a forced demolition! (Seven Gates: Do you have any manners?)

What's even more outrageous is that this guy called out my name precisely! Then he gave me that...sunny, gentle smile, called out my name, and asked me if I could surrender.

What would you do if you were a homebody?

Of course, it's about showing off your authority as the homeowner!

"Who...who are you?!" Ereshkigal's voice rose eight octaves, punctuated by obvious stuttering and panic, his weapon pointing erratically and utterly in the direction of Xiling. "Why...why did you manage to break into the Underworld?! And why...why did you come here?!"

Too fast! Too fast! I didn't have any time to prepare! At least let me change my appearance! Let me get into position to sit on the throne! Right now, I look like I just finished work, my hair is probably still a bit messy, where is the majesty of the Lord of the Underworld!

Looking at the goddess in front of her, who was as nervous as a primary school student being called on by the teacher, Xiling suppressed her original idea of ​​making a quick decision and convincing her about physics before talking.

I always feel... a sense of guilt when I punch a face like that, which is filled with social anxiety and panic.

Ignoring the trembling spear tip pointing at her, Xiling smiled at the other person with the gentlest expression she could muster, hoping to soothe their restless emotions. "Oh, my name is Xiling, and my profession is a hero. I came to the Underworld specifically for you."

To prove her harmlessness and friendliness, Xiling even took a small step forward and extended her hand, a symbol of peace and friendship, to the goddess of the underworld.

I hope the other person can feel my sincerity.

However, he seemed to have overdone it.

"He came for me?! Specifically for me?!?!" Ereshkigal's brain instantly overloaded, every syllable exploding like fireworks in her mind. The man before her, with his warm, sunny smile, and the hand reaching out to her...

boom--! ! !

This, this, this! Isn't this the scene from those human stories she'd secretly read, where the hero endures countless hardships to reach the cursed place and confesses his love to the one he cherishes?! Although the location has changed from the earth to the underworld, the core elements are all there! All for her! He forced his way through seven gates! He reached out his hand with a sun-like smile!

"Could it be... could it be that it came to the underworld to pursue me?! Like in the stories?!" Ereshkigal felt his cheeks burning as if they had been set on fire, and his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.

"Could it be... that he came to the underworld to pursue me?!" Ereshkigal's face began to burn.

But the next second, the cold reality, like the chilling winds of the underworld, instantly shattered her bubble of fantasy.

"No, that's not right! Ereshkigal, what are you thinking!" She shook her head violently, golden hair brushing against her burning cheeks, the shyness in her eyes instantly replaced by self-mockery and sadness.

"How could anyone like a goddess of the underworld? People only fear death, fear the underworld that brings death... and even more, fear me, the god who controls death..."

Forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, Ereshkigal gripped his spear again, attempting to arm himself with an even harsher tone: "Stop joking! Tell me the truth! What was your purpose in going through all that trouble to break through the seven gates and force your way before me?!"

Xiling tilted his head, seemingly puzzled. He appeared completely oblivious to the other's complex emotional journey, simply and earnestly repeating what he considered a self-evident fact: "But I came here for you."

The tone is flat, stating the facts.

But this overly direct and certain statement instantly shattered the walls that Ereshkigal had built for himself.

The weapon was now mercilessly abandoned by its owner, crashing onto the cold, dark earth with a dull thud.

Ereshkigal seemed to be petrified, but the next second he suddenly covered his burning cheeks with both hands, turned his back to Xiling, and squatted down, shrinking himself into a ball.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!" A suppressed scream escaped from between her fingers. "He's serious! He really came specifically for me! But... but I don't know him at all! I don't even know his name! I've never seen his face before! What is this?!" Ereshkigal's fingers unconsciously drew circles wildly on the ground, her speech so fast it was as if she were casting some kind of high-speed earthbinding spell, the content almost inaudible:

"What to do, what to do, what to do... Saying something like that right off the bat... It's so sudden... Even the goddess of the underworld needs to be mentally prepared... A person scaring a god can scare her to death, okay... Ugh, so embarrassing! Did I just say something weird? She must have heard me, she definitely heard me, I'm doomed..."

Xiling stood there, looking at the figure with its back to her, exuding a strong aura of escapism, and frantically drawing circles on the ground, and fell into deep confusion.

"Huh? Staying in the underworld for too long... can it turn a person into this? Is it a mental breakdown caused by too much stress?"

Xiling tentatively took a step forward.

"that……"

Almost the instant he approached, the crouching girl sprang up like a startled rabbit! She whirled around, her face still flushed, her long golden hair slightly disheveled and plastered to her cheeks from the sudden movement. With her eyes tightly shut, she seemed to shout at Xiling, as if using all her strength:

"I'm so sorry!! I'm very grateful that you came all the way to the Underworld for me! But! I have absolutely no intention of doing that right now!!" She took a deep breath, as if reciting a prepared defensive line, "So! You're a good person! Really!!"

Xiling: "..."

The world seemed to have been put on pause. Xiling's gentle smile froze completely, and her thought process short-circuited entirely.

Xiling blinked blankly, tilted her head, and looked at the goddess before her with a puzzled expression. After several seconds, she finally managed to squeeze out a very short syllable from deep in her throat, filled with confusion and bewilderment:

"what……?"

Why am I following whatever they're saying? How did I suddenly get friend-zoned?

However, the goddess's attack was clearly not over yet. She closed her eyes and unleashed a barrage of attacks.

"And what's more! Mesopotamia is facing a very, very serious crisis of the end times! I have so much important work to do! The Soul Cage needs to be built! The tunnel needs to be dug! And the takeover plan for Uruk needs to be prepared! I really, really don't have time to think about anything else! So, so! You should go now!! Please!!"

Faced with the other person's incessant chatter, Xiling could no longer help but take a step forward and place her hands on the other person's shoulders.

"Please calm down, can you listen to me for a moment?"

"Ugh!" Ereshkigal suddenly opened her eyes, like a startled fawn. She was forced to raise her head and met Xiling's serious eyes.

The two were closer than ever before; she could even feel the aura emanating from him that didn't belong to the underworld. She lowered her head as if burned, her blush deepening, her hands twisting together helplessly, her voice barely a whisper: "...Okay, okay..."

Because they were so close, Xiling could see Ereshkigal's current appearance more clearly; his hands were fidgeting nervously, and his cheeks were slightly flushed.