Anime Crossover: Master is Not Here Today

"My choice will not change."

"I will conquer Uruk before any other goddesses, seize the Holy Grail, kill all the humans of Mesopotamia, and gather all their souls in the underworld!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 442 Although, the conquest was successful.

As expected, Ereshkigal decisively rejected Gudao's request and, maintaining his giant undead form, launched an attack on Gudao and his companions, thus beginning the battle.

As Fujimaru Ritsuka observed the battle unfolding before her, she reflected on her own experiences.

At that time, Ereshkigal was quickly exposed by Ishtar's provocation, and was then seriously injured by Ishtar after she pointed out the situation during their night talk, causing Ereshkigal to lose most of his fighting spirit.

After a heart-to-heart talk, Ereshkigal understood her attitude, and the battle ended with a very simple fight, which brought Ereshkigal to their side.

The whole process was relatively easy and pleasant, except that Ishtar was persecuted.

—Perhaps this is the difference between parallel worlds?

After all, it's clear from the conversation that she and Gudao have somewhat different personalities.

Back to the point.

Although an unexpected battle occurred, Gilgamesh in this world is in much better condition than Gilgamesh on her side. Most importantly, he has not yet died from overwork and has entered the underworld as a living person.

Furthermore, Ereshkigal herself was not a goddess who was particularly skilled in combat.

Soon, she was defeated by Gilgamesh, who was empowered by both divine and royal authority. Her undead body was shattered, and she finally revealed her true form to everyone.

"I lost..."

Ereshkigal slumped helplessly to the ground, head bowed, and said:

“I am a god entrusted to the underworld to bring all humans and all souls into the underworld. This is the meaning of my existence and my destiny. I have no regrets or remorse for carrying out this task wholeheartedly.”

"Since I have lost, I am willing to have my head taken by you."

"...But before that, I have a question for you, Fujimaru Ritsuka."

"For a long time, I have been here managing the souls of the dead. I have no joy, happiness, sorrow, or friends of my own, I can only gaze at my own half soaring freely in the sky."

"You intend to hold me accountable for this? Even now, you still think my actions were wrong?"

"Is it that no one is willing to praise my efforts in doing this job all by myself?"

"..."

Upon hearing Ereshkigal's words, Ishtar's expression became somewhat conflicted, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how to begin.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others watched Gudao silently, waiting for his answer.

'One should not express praise to someone who is suffering.'

After a moment of silence, Gudao finally spoke:

"I'm sorry, I can't compliment you."

"Because if I praise you, it would be to tarnish your pride."

"Huh?...Even you don't want to understand what I'm saying..."

Upon hearing his reply, Ereshkigal's tone became even more subdued, and Mash's expression showed a hint of reluctance. However, Gilgamesh and Fujimaru Ritsuka, who were watching from the sidelines, smiled with satisfaction and nodded gently.

"Still don't you understand, you idiot?"

Seeing that Ereshkigal himself still didn't understand, Gilgamesh reluctantly took the initiative to speak:

"You may lament your responsibilities or abandon them to seek other paths. However, to belittle the obligations you have never shirked and have continually fulfilled is an evil."

"To praise such pain is an insult to yourself!"

"What deserves praise is the great achievement you have accomplished! As for your suffering, that is your own alone. Outsiders cannot understand your pain, but your work is worthy of respect..."

"That's what Fujimaru Ritsuka meant."

At that moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was standing nearby, also came over and said with a smile:

"Simply put, what Fujimaru is unwilling to praise is not your actions, but the pain you suffered in fulfilling your duties. In any case, suffering itself should not be praised."

"exactly!"

Gilgamesh nodded appreciatively, then looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and slightly curled the corners of his mouth, saying:

"You little girl are quite savvy."

Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and said:

"You flatter me, you flatter me. Isn't Wang the same?"

As she spoke, she came to Gudaofu's side, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder to express her encouragement and praise.

Although the process was a bit of a letdown, they managed to hold up at least in the crucial moments, so overall their performance was passable.

"I see!"

At this point, Mash finally understood the meaning, and Ishtar's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. Looking at Ereshkigal before her, she murmured softly:

"However, I can understand her desire to be understood..."

But she also understood that Gudao's judgment was correct, so she ultimately kept her mouth shut and said nothing.

Meanwhile, Ereshkigal cautiously raised his head and looked at Gudav.

"……is that so?"

Under her expectant gaze, Gudao smiled and nodded in affirmation. Seeing this, Ereshkigal finally revealed a relieved smile.

Then, she asked with some doubt:

Why would you think I'm not a bad goddess?

Gudao laughed upon hearing this:

"Because you've always been worried about humanity, you told me a lot of things during our conversations, and I already understood that then."

"……Eh?"

Ereshkigal was stunned for a moment, and after understanding the meaning of the other party's words, his face turned red instantly, and he said somewhat incoherently:

"You...you...you already knew it was me?!"

"Well, it is."

Gudako scratched his head and laughed:

"After all, you look completely different every time you sneeze."

"Then the terrifying goddess image I've been pretending to be...!"

"I think you must have some personal reasons."

"babble--?!"

Ereshkigal let out another mournful cry, crouched down on the ground, and wanted to find a hole to crawl into in shame and anger.

“Why is this happening?!”

"What a blunder! There's nothing more embarrassing than this!"

Seeing this, Gudao and Mashu exchanged a smile, and Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow and said:

"So, is this all there is to it?"

Gudao replied with a smile:

I think so.

Now that Ereshkigal's attitude has softened, and she is not a truly evil goddess, once the souls of those humans are returned, she can join them like Ishtar and become part of their fighting force.

After squatting on the ground to calm down for a while, Ereshkigal chose to forget everything that had just happened, stood up again and looked at Gudao, just about to say something.

"Fujimaru..."

But just then, an old man in a cloak appeared silently behind her.

Zheng——

The next moment, the blade slashed down vertically, as if splitting him in two. Ereshkigal's body stiffened slightly after being attacked, and then he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Ereshkigal!"

The sudden attack caused everyone's pupils to shrink slightly. In the instant they reacted, Ishtar angrily fired a magic bullet at the opponent, but the opponent's body seemed not to exist, and the magic bullet passed straight through it.

"Eh?!"

"calm down."

At this moment, the old man said in a deep voice:

"What I severed was not her life, but her contract with the Three Goddess Alliance."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 443 Ereshkigal Joins the Team, Gudako's Advice

"Whoa-!"

At this moment, Ereshkigal, as if waking from a nightmare, suddenly sat up from the ground and exclaimed in panic:

"That scared me to death! Was I just split in two, in the mythical sense?!"

"Miss Ereshkagil...!"

Seeing that the other party seemed to be alright, everyone finally felt a little relieved and turned their attention to the old man who had suddenly appeared in front of them.

Gilgamesh questioned:

"So, who exactly are you, old man? You are not a living person, but you don't look like a dead person either. The special skill you just used is not something an ordinary person can do."

"Not me. Not the King of Magic. Not from Chaldea. You—who summoned you?"

"—Who knows?"

The old man answered calmly: