One-way traffic

Merlin, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised.

"Just as I expected, Accelerator. You were able to persuade Dai to return to Uruk, even Quetzalcoatl. Your potential is truly astonishing!"

"Stop with the overly flattering."

After the two approached, Accelerator re-examined their expressions.

Merlin is of course fine.

But Anna's expression... seemed a little off.

The first person glanced at it casually, but didn't say anything.

"Did those two little girls go down to the underworld on their own?"

"Regarding this, the goddess of Venus, Ishtar, also went down with them."

"Ishtar... I see. So you've also brought that goddess to Uruk?"

Quetzal is the feathered serpent god of Venus, while Ishtar, the goddess represented by this goddess, is also the goddess of Venus.

That's why she cared a little about that goddess.

Merlin nodded, accepting the decision to have Quetzalcoatl join their ranks.

"Anna and I stayed in Uruk to handle things just in case, while Fujimaru and the others went to the Underworld to bring Gilgamesh's soul back from there."

"Just in case, what do you mean?"

"That's the underworld, the realm of the goddess Ereshkigal. If something really happens, those people won't be able to return from the underworld at all, you know?"

King Gilgamesh's soul has now fallen into the underworld. If he wants to leave, he must deal with the problem of Ereshkigal, the goddess who governs the underworld.

If Fujimaru Ritsuka, Matthew, and Ishtar are unable to return from this, then it will be Merlin and Anna's turn to find another way to rescue them.

"Ha! So, according to you, that goddess of the underworld must be very powerful?"

Accelerator noticed the meaning behind the words.

With a goddess, Matthew's strength, and even the power of King Gilgamesh, although he is a spirit, he should have no problem fighting.

With so many people, how could they not easily escape from the clutches of that goddess of the underworld?

"No, Ereshkigal himself is not very strong."

Merlin shook his head and began to explain the key point.

"But that is the territory of the underworld. If he himself is in the underworld, it can be said that he is an invincible being."

"The authority to leave, enter, and even fly in the Underworld is in the hands of Ereshkigal. Without her permission, Matthew and Fujimaru Ritsuka would not even be able to return. In battle, they would also face many Ereshkigals empowered by the power of the Underworld."

"Moreover, in the underworld, the concept of divinity is rendered powerless, and if a goddess with divinity enters it, her power will be greatly reduced."

"Under such circumstances, even with so many people fighting, it would be very difficult to win."

The situation has been basically clarified.

After listening to Merlin's analysis, Accelerator looked back in the distance.

Located east of Uruk, below Mount Aibif... the city of Kusa.

"Is the underworld below that place?"

“That’s right. The way to get to the underworld is very simple. Ishtar has already opened a large hole in the ground nearby. Anyone can go to the underworld by passing through that hole.”

"Wait—is the underworld a place you can reach simply by making a hole in the ground?!"

Theoretically speaking, shouldn't there be some kind of grand, sophisticated world division...? Why is it that opening a hole in the ground leads directly to the underworld?!

"This is Kamishiro, Hatsune Miku."

"Eh?"

"In the age of gods, the heavens and the underworld coexisted with the human world."

Merlin began to explain again, picking up a finger as if he were a teacher.

"The world above the clouds is the heavens, and the land below the ground is the underworld. This is quite common in this era. If this modern concept were applied to the age of gods, it would probably be considered unbelievable by the people here... right?"

Then, he had just finished speaking.

They then noticed that one person was missing from the area.

“…Um, Hatsune Miku.”

"…Excuse me?"

"Where did Accelerator go?"

Just a short while after he finished explaining, Accelerator completely disappeared from sight.

Looking around, he couldn't be seen even inside the temple.

"It's okay, don't worry about him."

Hatsune Miku sighed helplessly.

The girl spoke in a tone that suggested she had expected this.

"This situation is exactly how that person usually does things."

——————————————————————————————————————

Accelerator left Uruk without explaining to anyone.

Explaining it would be too complicated; acting alone is actually the style that suits him best.

The light of dusk shone on the front of the mountains.

This is near Kusa, near Mount Aibif.

Accelerator was standing on the top of a cliff on one of those mountains.

Looking down, you can see a sinkhole that is clearly not naturally formed, not far from the city.

The depths of the cave entrance stretched endlessly, utterly dark.

It was as if it truly was a passage leading to another dimension.

Once you cross this point, you can go directly to the underworld.

Accelerator did not hesitate.

He took a light step, and his body flew directly into the pit.

Subsequently.

He felt the wind wings that had appeared behind him slowly dissipate.

Bang-!

It was as if a force had forcibly taken away the concept that allowed him to "fly" in this place. Accelerator felt that the wind wings he had obtained by manipulating vectors to fly could no longer be maintained normally.

But he did not fall to the bottom of the abyss because of this.

By simply changing the direction of his energy, he regained the power that allowed him to walk through the void.

"What's it like to play word games with different meanings? Well, that's about it."

Now, he is not manipulating the wind vectors to move in a flying posture.

Instead, it directly manipulated the vector of gravity itself, achieving a state of vertical balance.

This phenomenon does not fall under the category of "flight," nor even the act of floating.

This is why the underworld's defense mechanisms cannot determine whether this phenomenon is actually "flight".

Thud—the first one landed on the cold ground.

The light of dusk should be shining above the pit.

However, the interior of this enormous pit exuded an extremely cold atmosphere.

This is a kind of icy aura that is difficult to avoid even if you rely on reflection to deflect the cold air.

Accelerator was no stranger to this feeling at this moment.

He recognized the atmosphere because he had been there before.

"...So this is it, the so-called underworld."

Just a few days after arriving in Uruk, he was transported to a dark and damp place by accident, where he even encountered dead people who should not exist in this world.

Now it seems that place is indeed the underworld.

The first person looked back at the road in front of him. It was a winding stone path, surrounded by cages filled with eerie blue flames.

It looks like a birdcage.

Accelerator paid no attention to those things. He walked calmly on the road, as if this so-called underworld was no different from an ordinary street to him.

——Boom.

After only a few steps, you can feel the shaking coming from the deeper part of the pit.

It couldn't have been a simple earthquake, nor could it have been an impact that erupted without any reason.

"It's over there."

That's the kind of fluctuation that only occurs during battle.

With Accelerator locked at the end of the road, there's no longer any time for leisurely strolls.

Manipulating the vector direction under its feet, the monster's body instantly crossed the speed of sound.

And it flew straight towards the bottom of the underworld.

"The goddess of the underworld...?"

He couldn't help but smirk as he thought of what Merlin had said earlier.

A belligerent expression appeared on his face.

"Interesting. Let me see just how far I can go in your territory."

Today, in this land of the dead, which governs countless souls.

A white monster, transcending all concepts of death, has arrived.

Chapter 623 Ereshkigal, Goddess of the Underworld

This is the underworld.

It is only natural, the land of the dead.

——Bang! ! !

But now, in this land of the dead, sparks of conflict have erupted.

"Gu——!"

"Matthew!"

Holding a shield, Matthew poured all his power into the armor in front of him to protect Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was behind him and had been empowered by magic.

Nevertheless, it was still difficult to withstand the attack that was about to break out.

Zzzzt—!! A dazzling red lightning bolt flashed and shattered at the very front of the shield.

It was an enormous spear.

The one gripping the spear was an even larger figure.

Like a ghost, its entire body exudes an eerie, ghostly white color. Its surface resembles a spirit draped in a pure white wedding dress, sending chills down one's spine.

The aura of death emanated from this enormous, ghostly figure.

The red spear of light he held was flashing with despairing lightning, overwhelming Matthew's shield with its power.

"Are you alright, Matthew?"

"Yes... Master...!"

To say that nothing is wrong is completely impossible.

Because the true identity of their adversary, that enormous ghostly figure, is none other than the Goddess of Death, who rules over this land of the underworld.

—Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld.