One-way traffic

"...Were you the one chatting with me the night before last?"

"—You, you already guessed it?!"

"Ah... I was just guessing... So it's true?"

Although both of them were supposed to be young girls, Ereshkigal couldn't help but blush.

"I...I've clearly made a lot of terrible mistakes..."

“It’s nothing… I can tell that Ereshkigal is genuinely doing these things for the sake of humanity.”

Although she may have had some reasons for joining the "Three Goddess Alliance," Fujimaru Ritsuka only wants to focus on the present situation.

Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld.

She would never have done these things with evil intentions.

The girl took a small breath and, somewhat shyly, made her approach Fujimaru Ritsuka.

——Crack.

The slash, delivered in an instant, sliced ​​right through her body.

"Eresh... Gigal?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was standing in the closest area, was completely stunned.

"Master! Please leave immediately!"

Matthew rushed over immediately, Gilgamesh's expression hardened slightly, and Ishtar also suddenly flew into the air.

only one person.

With only one way to pass, he didn't pay attention to his surroundings.

He couldn't help but stare at Ereshkigal lying on the ground, vaguely—

He seemed to see something being cut open, and thus he came to understand some areas that he could not previously penetrate.

It is something more, more abstract.

—A vector belonging to "death".

"—Is that you?!"

Ishtar clearly saw a figure, intending to gather magic power to attack it.

But it had no effect whatsoever.

The figure, clad in a black robe, stood there like an old man, holding a long sword.

But he paid no attention to anyone around him.

"I see."

The person slowly approached Xiang Yitongxing's side.

"Have you already begun to understand and comprehend the subtle mysteries of life and death within the power you possess?"

Chapter 624 The Story About You

"Ereshkigal!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Matthew rushed to check on Ereshkigal after seeing her collapse.

Only Accelerator didn't pay attention.

His gaze, which had been fixed on the goddess of the underworld, shifted to the old man.

--"die".

That feeling was drawn directly from the most direct gaze.

"Well…"

Accelerator couldn't help but cover his forehead, feeling a slight discomfort.

The computational capabilities... have not encountered any problems.

His brain, with its immense computing power, continues to operate endlessly, almost infinitely.

However, the reason he felt dizzy was definitely not because his calculation ability was insufficient.

That's because he gradually began to focus on a certain area that he couldn't access in the past.

“You have already subtly penetrated the realm of death and life, something never seen before in a mere human body.”

"...What did you do to that guy?"

That feeling only lasted for a moment.

Accelerator took a deep breath and banished the discomfort from his mind.

"It's nothing. I didn't take his life; I simply cut off other things."

"You should have realized this yourself just now."

At the same time, Ereshkigal, who had fallen to the ground, began to move again.

"What...is this?"

"…I see."

Even Gilgamesh, who was standing by and watching, understood what had happened.

"Is it not the life of the goddess of the underworld that was severed, but the covenant that bound her?"

The "Three Goddess Alliance" consists of different agreements among the three goddesses.

The three goddesses were unable to attack each other, as they all wanted to conquer Uruk for the Holy Grail in Gilgamesh's hands.

Now, the rules that had been binding Ereshkigal have been severed by that old man.

Rather.

"All I've done is to 'die' the concept of alliance."

Everything has a state of birth and death.

Whether it's organic matter, inorganic matter... or even a pure concept.

"Once you reach a certain realm, even a pure concept can be given absolute death. This is the realm I stand in now... But it is still not the strongest position in the realm that controls life and death."

Swah——

The old man's body began to become ethereal and indistinct.

Just before he disappeared, he looked back at Accelerator.

"If you could penetrate that domain, you would surely be able to master a power many times stronger than what you have achieved so far, wouldn't you?"

The moment he finished speaking, he vanished.

Accelerator remained silent, looking at the spot where he had left.

Then he turned around and prepared to leave.

"What, aren't you going to check on Ereshkigal?"

Halfway there, Gilgamesh asked him a question.

"That's not something I should be doing at all."

"Is that so? If that's the case, then why did you venture into this underworld? And why did you choose to defeat the goddess of the underworld here?"

"There's no great reason; it's just a matter of shared interests."

He stopped and answered the king's question in return.

"The bastard I'm currently fighting against is in the 'Three Goddess Alliance' camp. If we defeat him here, we can weaken his power and reduce unnecessary trouble for us."

"Didn't you say that the enemy who has no enemy is the friend?"

"Yes, that's exactly it."

Two pairs of red eyes met.

"What I'm doing now isn't for those little girls over there."

"It's purely for my own benefit, it's that simple."

Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes slightly.

Ereshkigal has already been persuaded by them.

When they turned around again, the white figure had completely disappeared from the spot.

"Hey...who exactly is that guy?"

Ishtar, who had been watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but ask a question.

"At first glance, he looks like an ordinary human, but he possesses power far beyond that of ordinary people. Even goddesses are no match for him. I've never heard of such a person in all the history of this age of gods..."

“That’s right, that guy really shouldn’t belong to this Age of Gods.”

Gilgamesh closed his eyes and spoke thoughtfully.

"...In my opinion, such a person should walk on the stage of countless diverse worlds themselves."

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

There was still a full day left before the Gorgon attacked.

A day earlier, the group had successfully subdued the goddesses Quetzalcoatl and Ereshkigal, so they spent the day resting.

Of course, the warriors of Uruk would not stop there.

The warriors will prepare for tomorrow's battle. According to Gilgamesh, his clairvoyance foresaw that a massive number of monsters, like a tidal wave, would indeed appear tomorrow. Therefore, he needs to have the forge produce as many anti-monster weapons made from that ore as possible to maximize Uruk's current combat strength.

The Chaldea members, on the other hand, rested for a day.

Now, it is night.

Siduri returned to the house called the Chaldea Embassy and prepared a banquet for everyone with Hatsune Miku.

…Yes.

This will probably be their last dinner in Uruk.

"It's a little deserted now."

Ushiwakamaru, Leonidas, Benkei.

Of the three, one has already sacrificed himself, while the other is still recovering from the injuries inflicted by Gorgon.

Upon learning that Ushiwakamaru had died in battle, Benkei disappeared alone into an unknown location.

The lively atmosphere at the beginning was quickly reduced to just six people.

Quetzal Coyatter did not come here; according to her, the goddess's appearance in such a crowded place would cause a huge riot.

"There's nothing we can do about it. After all, the final battle with Gorgon is about to begin."

Merlin, as always, drank Uruk's ale, hiccuped, and acted like a playboy.

…but his words were clear-headed.

"Our ultimate goal in coming here is to repair the anomalies of this era. Now that the other two members of the 'Three Goddess Alliance' have left, once the Gorgon problem is resolved, our reason for staying will no longer exist."

"In other words...after tomorrow, we'll be completely separated, right?"

Whether it's Fujimaru Ritsuka and Matthew, or Merlin and Anna, they all exist here for this reason.

but.

"That's certainly true of us."

Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the other person sitting at the table and gave him a concerned look.

"...But, Hatsune-san, what are your plans for what to do next?"

"It's okay."

Hatsune Miku chuckled naturally, as if to completely break the heavy atmosphere.

"After everything is over, Yifang and I will leave this world... and then move on to the next world, and so on. That's how we've always lived."

"An almost endless... journey?"