Type-Moon, joins the Lion King at the beginning

Chapter 229 Seven Gates of the Underworld
The world fell into silence, as if everything in the universe was dead, and only the faint flames of souls lit up this quiet underground world.

After many days, Li Ye stepped into the underground underworld again and immediately noticed the faint gaze coming from the depths of the underworld.

And in this underground world, there is only one person.

'...'

Tread.

Li Ye landed straight on the ground and took a few steps with Fujimaru Ritsuka to buffer the inertia. Then Ishtar put away Ma Anna and stepped on the ground of the underworld with her white feet without any hesitation.

Mashu, who came down from the Sky Boat, also followed Li Ye and Fujimaru Ritsuka, looking around at the underworld with curiosity.

It is quite novel to visit the realm of the dead in the body of the living.

As Li Ye, Fujimaru Ritsuka and others officially entered the underworld, Chaldea also began to observe the underworld.

"Great, we've connected successfully. I thought we'd lose contact with him when he said he was going to the underworld!"

Roman let out a long breath and said with a smile: "It seems that I was worrying too much!"

"After all, this is just the underground of Kusa. I have to say that Kamijou is really powerful!"

"It's really amazing, doctor!

I didn’t expect the underworld to be connected to the real world!”

Mashu said in surprise as he looked at the underworld.

"Of course—"

Ishtar, who was walking in front, shook her hair and said, “The afterlife and the sky world became metaphysical existences only after you entered the human world.

In this Age of Gods, the world remains one."

After hearing the explanation, Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly realized what was going on, but his attention was soon attracted by the birdcage-like things that were everywhere in the mountains.

"This is--"

Ritsuka Fujimaru stared at the faint soul fire on the side of the road. The cold firelight attracted all of Ritsuka Fujimaru's attention, and countless spots of light floated in it.

"Senior, what is this? There are so many light spots, and——"

Mashu seemed to hear a wail coming from that birdcage-like thing.

The two people's attention was attracted by the birdcage until Li Ye's action interrupted Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Li Ye raised his hand to block Fujimaru Ritsuka's sight and then looked at Ishtar not far away. Ishtar was also looking at these ghostly soul fires, and her tone was a little emotional: "These are the souls of people who died on the earth, imprisoned in the gun prison, and they are not even allowed to disappear.

The soul imprisoned in the gun prison is absolutely not allowed to return to the ground. When the body dies, the soul gradually fades away, but Ereshkigal will not allow this.

Ereshkigal would keep the human soul she liked by her side and play with it for tens of thousands of years."

“Of course, imprisoned souls have no freedom. Humans will feel cold without a body, extremely cold. In this state where only the soul is left, the hands and feet will start to freeze until the whole person is frozen into ice. The pain is so severe that you want to disappear.

But the soul imprisoned in the gun prison is not allowed to disappear, and will suffer forever until Ereshkigal is tired of playing with it. "

Ishtar swept across the ghostly soul fire that covered the mountains, paused for a moment, and continued, “It seems that the number of souls has not changed much now, but if Ereshkigal continues, many humans on earth will be pulled down to the underworld.

Is she trying to establish a kingdom of the dead?
You weren’t such a cruel goddess before!"

After hearing Ishtar's explanation, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu's expressions suddenly became serious. Mashu even asked, "Then will King Gilgamesh's soul also be imprisoned in here?"

"Ha, if that Gilgamesh is really locked in a cage by Ereshkigal, I'll laugh until he dies."

Ishtar waved her hand and said, "But in this underground underworld, divinity is forbidden. Ereshkigal is undoubtedly the strongest. Even Gilgamesh, who is only a soul left, cannot resist Ereshkigal."

"Eliminate divinity?"

Hearing this, Li Ye looked at Ishtar with a ripple in his eyes.

After entering the underground underworld, Li Ye realized the lack of Ishtar's divinity. It was not the kind of active silence, but the fundamental denial of the use of divinity.

This also reminded Li Ye of Ishtar's first trip to the underworld.

"Ms. Ishtar, you are very familiar with the underworld!"

Just as Li Ye was thinking alone like a sullen weirdo, Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled naturally and said, "Not only does he know the location of the underworld, he also knows a lot about the underworld!"

"In that case, it is true..."

Mash slapped her fist and said in sudden realization, "Ms. Ishtar knows a lot!"

"Because Ishtar has been here once. In mythology, the goddess Ishtar, who conquered Mount Ebif, broke into the underworld and wanted to take out the goddess Ereshkigal, who was sent to the underworld at birth. But challenging Ereshkigal in the underworld is not on the same level as challenging Mount Ebif."

Li Ye, who was thinking, said casually.

Ishtar continued with a fake smile, "Yes, after challenging Mount Ebifu, my confidence grew. I even went down to the underworld to take Ereshkigal out. But the result was that all the divine tools given to me by the Father God were confiscated by Ereshkigal. He stripped me naked, poked me like a hornet's nest and threw me in front of that man, making me lose all my face."

When mentioning this dark history, Ishtar showed no shame, but rather a little melancholy.

Ereshkigal...

Amidst the occasional casual chat, Liye, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and Mashu continued to go deeper into the underworld under the guidance of Ishtar.

"Where is the goddess Ereshkigal?"

After walking for more than ten minutes, Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Over there, across the narrow cliff path, past the seven gates, is Ereshkigal's palace."

Ishtar raised her hand and pointed to the narrow cliff path at the end. Seven stone doors stood silently, blocking the way of Li Ye and Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Ereshkigal is right there, because that guy is a goddess who can't leave that place even for a moment."

Upon hearing this, Mashu immediately showed a surprised expression: "In other words, she was... imprisoned there?
Is the goddess Ereshkigal imprisoned as well?"

"Who knows? It seems to be the decision of the gods. I have no say in it."

Ishtar showed displeasure when she mentioned this, and then said: "Li Ye, Fujimaru Ritsuka, I will leave it to you later. First break through the first gate, so that you will understand the rules of the underworld!"

After finishing his thoughts, Li Ye waved his hand and said, "Let's go!"

"Then let's take a closer look!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu continued.

A few minutes later, Li Ye, Fujimaru Ritsuka and others finally arrived at the first door.

The moment Li Ye arrived at the ancient stone gate, an inexplicably familiar voice rang out:

"Answer—

Answer it——

The living who have fallen into the underworld——

Please answer the question about the existence of the soul——"

When he heard the familiar voice, Li Ye raised his eyebrows immediately, but before he could think about it, Ishtar's reminder sounded: "Be careful, Li Ye, Fujimaru Ritsuka, there will be a question of choosing one of two options!

The Gate of the Underworld is a fair and rational gate that questions the soul about good and evil.

Good and evil are equal, only the human values ​​that change when making choices, so no option is correct.

Anyway, there will be annoying tests no matter which option you choose, so just choose the option that looks easy."

Ishtar, who had no intention of answering the question, said casually: "Later..."

At this moment, a voice rang out from the stone gate again: "Then, let's ask the extremely evil Li Ye—"

"What? They actually designated someone to answer the question. This is different from before! Did you guys change the generation?"

Ishtar frowned, and immediately felt that something was wrong. "The standards of beauty may seem varied, but there is still an absolute existence. Black can overcome white, and earth can overcome heaven. In this case—"

"Who is beautiful, Ereshkigal or Ishtar?"

'? '

When Li Ye heard the question raised by the solemn stone gate, he immediately raised his eyebrows and said, "This is really a difficult question."

“It’s really difficult!”

Mashu looked serious, as if she was thinking about who was more beautiful.

And Fujimaru Ritsuka also pinched his chin and looked at Ishtar, thinking about the difference between her and Ereshkigal, whom he had never met before.

"Wait a minute! This is different from before!"

Ishtar became anxious and shouted quickly.

Roman's voice with a hint of laughter followed: "Come on, this is an irrational question. Which one should I choose, Liye?"

"I would definitely choose Ereshkigal!"

Li Ye looked at the stone gate without hesitation and said, "I choose Ereshkigal."

Jingle Bell!
A strange sound effect as if the game was completed was heard.

"What! I was betrayed after just the first gate——?
Oh, is that so? I must have made a mistake! This is psychological warfare, that must be it, by flattering Ereshkigal, to weaken the enemy's power, right? ! "

Shocked by Li Ye's decisive answer, a divine golden light flashed in the depths of Ishtar's eyes, but it soon turned into a blush of self-deception.

"It looks like I've passed. Keep going. I'm now curious about what the next question is!"

At this moment, Li Ye seemed to have foreseen what kind of problems would arise later. His heart was filled with curiosity, making Li Ye eager to try.

Fujimaru Ritsuka beside him also made the same gesture and said with a smile: "It's very interesting, Mr. Liye!"

"What a malicious question. Will it be the same tone from now on?"

Unlike the excited Liye and Fujimaru Ritsuka, Ishtar had a sad look on her face.

"No, it's just a coincidence, right?

Ishtar, you and Ereshkigal are the goddesses of heaven and earth. This is the simplest basis for evaluation, right? "

"I hope so. Next we have to go through the gate—"

Ishtar looked sad, with a lot of emotions that she had no place to vent.

In this mood, Li Ye and Fujimaru Ritsuka walked straight through the stone gate.

"I passed the first door successfully. It doesn't look like there is a trap."

After Mash successfully passed through the first door, she found that Ishtar had not moved, and then smiled and said, "Ms. Ishtar, look, I came through and nothing happened."

Li Ye stood behind Mashu and stared at Ishtar who was about to pass through the stone gate. Although he didn't know Ishtar's concerns, Li Ye felt that Ereshkigal would not let Ishtar pass like this.

As Ishtar passed through the stone gate, dazzling lightning quietly bloomed.

Boom!

"Yeah!"

Lightning appeared from the void, occupying everyone's sight, and only Ishtar's scream remained forever.

When the white light dissipated, Ishtar reappeared in front of Li Ye and others with her body charred black and wisps of black smoke rising, but this was only an insignificant part.

"Ms. Ishtar, what happened?"

Seeing Ishtar being struck by lightning for no apparent reason, Mash immediately showed a look of worry and quickly asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"It hurts, well, it's just a little numb."

Ishtar shook her head and quickly recovered. She said, "It's okay. I'm just--"

As she spoke, Ishtar fell silent and stared silently at Li Ye and Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"By the way, isn't there something a little strange?"

Ishtar asked in disbelief: "Why do I feel——"

"You've shrunk, Ishtar."

Li Ye, who witnessed all this, smiled and said, "It seems that something terrible has happened. The underworld has deprived you of your divinity."

The miniature version of Ishtar looks funny.

Li Ye almost wanted to burst out laughing.

"As expected! I really shrunk!!"

Ishtar shuddered when she noticed the change in perspective, as if she had foreseen what was about to happen.

"Yes, you now fully understand your own stupidity, Ishtar."

The ghost that appeared out of nowhere made a voice, the voice of the goddess that Li Ye was very familiar with: "Your descent into the underworld has failed. As long as this mythical fact still exists, you cannot escape the curse of the underworld.

The crown symbolizing the wilderness, the reed measuring ruler, the glass jewelry, the beaded bracelet, the gold bracelet, the charming brooch, and finally the noblewoman's clothing, these seven treasures were taken away by me from your past self.

This rule is still valid. Since you have lost the power of the corresponding treasure, you can only repay the debt by yourself.

Do you understand? Every time you pass through a gate to the underworld, you shrink a circle and lose one seventh of your divinity.

When you pass through the second door, you will become a lower-level spirit. When you pass through the fourth door, you will become a spirit lower than the Garula spirit. Finally, you will become a powerless flying insect, a poor butterfly that I will crush with one hand. "

“What bad taste!
You have become even more twisted! Ereshkigal!"

When Ishtar heard Ereshkigal's mocking words, her voice rose several pitches.

"That's not true. I'm already being very considerate—"

The ghost continued, "Originally, you would have fallen to the bottom of the underworld if you had brought the living into it, but since you are determined to accept the test of the seven gates, according to the rules of the underworld, your answers must be tested."

"I see, Ereshkigal, I will definitely see you this time."

Li Ye, who had been listening for a long time, stared at the ghost and said with a smile: "This is the first time we have met so formally, right? I feel it's a pity that I didn't get to see you before--"

"If you can pass the test of the seven gates, I will welcome you as the master of the underworld—"

As Li Ye spoke, the ghost disappeared after saying something.

Only Li Ye, Ishtar and others were left looking at each other in bewilderment.

"In this case, Miss Ishtar won't be able to move forward!"

Having understood what kind of situation awaited Ishtar, Mashu said with a worried look on her face.

"No, I will keep moving forward. I was only deprived of my divinity."

Ishtar shook her head, rejecting Mash's opinion, "It's just this level, I'm already prepared.

Whether it's me, you, or Gilgamesh, as long as we are in the underworld, there is nowhere to escape. If we don't defeat Ereshkigal and leave before we get used to the cold of the underworld, Uruk will perish."

"In this case, we can only fight with all our might.

Liye, Fujimaru Ritsuka, make up your mind. "

'Strange, then how did I leave the underworld?'

Only then did Li Ye realize that something was wrong. How did he leave the underworld?
If Ereshkigal disagrees, then he shouldn't be able to leave the underworld.

(End of this chapter)