How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

Yu Du was very satisfied with what he had said.

Seeing that he had already entered Kusa City, the others followed suit.

However, even though he's inside, finding the Destiny Tablet in such a large city won't be much easier than drawing five Exodia parts at the start of the game.

These are all jobs that rely on luck. You never know, you might even have to rely on your ancestors to pull some strings in the afterlife so you don't get taken down with you when your lifespan runs out...

As for the entrance to the underworld, it's not hard to find since Ishtar, who has been to the underworld, can guide us. We can go there after we find the Tablets of Destiny.

Considering that there wasn't much time left before nightfall, they decided to split up and search the city of Kusa in pairs.

Yuwatari was paired with Ishtar because, out of the group, Ishtar only found him and Fujimaru Ritsuka agreeable; she would have refused to team up with anyone else.

So Yuuto and Ishtar, Anna and Merlin, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu, plus a little Fou, split up into groups and dispersed in the east, south, and north directions.

The West was not within their search area, because that was the direction they came from.

Before setting off, Yuto specifically sought out Fujimaru Ritsuka and emphasized to her that if she encountered anything unusual, she should not hesitate to use a Command Spell to summon him immediately.

He wasn't sure if the other person would still accidentally wander into the underworld if they came to Kusa at this time, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

Although Chaldea's Command Seals are formed using electricity, their effectiveness is somewhat weakened compared to ordinary Command Seals, and they have fewer functions. However, they can still summon Servants over short distances.

However, this is something that can only be done in the Age of Gods, where the Underworld and the Earth are connected. At other times, it is impossible to summon Servants in the mortal world to the Underworld using Chaldea's Command Seals.

Houses, vendors, markets...

Yudu led Ishtar, who was lying idly on Maana, around all the places they had traveled along the way, as if he were holding a balloon. He would even pick up a pottery jar and shake it to listen for any sounds inside.

Why don't you just break each brick open and take a look...?

Looking at Yudou's behavior along the way, Ishtar couldn't help but mutter a complaint in her mind.

Unaware of what the other was thinking, Yuwatari continued working, his eyes scanning the surroundings, searching for King Hassan who might be in the vicinity.

After all, in the original story, it was after he rescued Fujimaru Ritsuka from the underworld that he handed him the Destiny Tablet, so it's likely that the tablet was in his possession.

“Hey Ishtar, why don’t you come down and lend a hand…”

As Yudou rummaged through the items, he helplessly turned to Ishtar behind him and started talking.

"Huh? Why should I help that arrogant Gilgamesh find his lost things? Also, remember to call me Goddess Ishtar!"

Ishtar casually picked up a small gem and tossed it in her hand, letting out a soft snort to indicate that she was only there to take them down to the underworld, not to help that golden-haired guy find something.

“Speaking of which, I’m quite curious about this.” You Du walked into another house and, looking at the dishes and bowls on the table, asked Ishtar seemingly casually.

"I noticed your relationship with Ereshkigal didn't seem very good before. When I asked you to take us to the Underworld, I thought you would at least refuse once, but I didn't expect you to agree so readily..."

"Is there any reason?"

Chapter Seventy-Seven: I'll remember this debt!

"It was just a whim... Besides, she dared to treat me like that when I went down to the underworld last time. I haven't settled that score with her yet, so this is a good opportunity to settle it all at once."

Upon hearing Yudu's question, Ishtar stopped tossing the gems up and down and gave a perfunctory reply, pretending not to care.

Her relationship with Ereshkigal was indeed not good, but as for why she was still willing to bring others to the Underworld after suffering a great loss there once...

Hmph, what other reason could there be?

She is Ishtar, the goddess of beauty, harvest, and battle, the Venus goddess who is most beloved by the gods—no, she is the most favored by the gods!

It's just because she can't stand it.

She was unable to leave the underworld because of the gods' orders. How could she sit idly by when faced with such an infuriating situation?

We can just leave the underworld alone!

Go out whenever you want, do whatever you want.

She agreed to lead the ferrymen on another trip to the underworld only so that she could say these things to Ereshkigal.

Actually, she had said these things the first time she went to the underworld, but Ereshkigal seemed to be in a bad mood at the time and beat her up without listening to her...

We absolutely have to find a way to get her out of the underworld this time!

Recalling that experience, Ishtar was so angry that she gritted her teeth. With a little force, she squeezed the gemstone and cracked it.

Kara -

Upon hearing the crisp sound, Ishtar froze on the spot, a look of heartache appearing on his face.

Damn it, she doesn't have many gems left!

She decided to hold Ereshkigal accountable for this as well!

Seeing this, You Du smiled and was about to say something when he suddenly felt a force pulling him, as if it wanted to take him somewhere.

Good heavens, it seems that even though she arrived early, Gudako still couldn't escape her fate of accidentally ending up in the Underworld...

"It seems Master has run into some trouble. I'm going over there. Ishtar, you should go and meet up with the others too!"

He only had time to finish speaking these words to Ishtar in a hurried tone before disappearing from her sight in the next second under the effect of the Command Spell.

……

Fujimaru Ritsuka felt like she was having a bit of bad luck.

She had only caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye while searching for the Tablets of Destiny with Mash, and instinctively took a few steps after them.

She clearly realized something was wrong after taking those few steps and stopped where she was, but she still inexplicably found herself in this dark, cave-like place.

Recalling Yutaka's instructions, Fujimaru Ritsuka did not hesitate and used a Command Seal the moment she realized something was wrong.

"By Command Spell! Come to my side, Rider!"

Golden light converged, and in almost an instant, Yuwatari rode his D-Wheel towards Fujimaru Ritsuka's side and rear, directly swishing his tail and knocking away the Garula Spirit who had just approached in human form.

Fujimaru Ritsuka was startled.

She hadn't even noticed that someone had been beside her just now... wait, that didn't seem like a person?

Seeing the 'person' who had been knocked aside by Yuuto and landed lightly on the ground, Fujimaru Ritsuka instantly became alert.

Soon, more Garura spirits emerged from the darkness.

"A living person, a living person..."

"Why would a living person appear in the underworld...?"

Is this the underworld?!

Fujimaru Ritsuka was startled. Before she could figure out why she had suddenly appeared in the underworld, she saw Yuuto beside her suddenly take out a card.

"Take them down! New Universe Warrior!"

Because the space didn't seem very big, Yuuto was worried that summoning a large monster like Stardust Dragon would cause him to get stuck, so he chose to summon Neos.

The pure white hero leaped out, his fist wreathed in shimmering light, and with a single punch, he shattered a Garura Spirit.

The remaining Garula spirits remained unmoved and continued to surround them, chanting incantations.

"We were brutally murdered..."

"No dignity, no prayer, just abandonment..."

"Did you come here to mock us... or to plunder us..."

"Did you come here to escape... or to abandon..."

“None of them are forgivable…”

As they spoke, Shin-Uchi was also scattering the gathered Garula spirits one by one with his punches. However, Yuuto still felt that this was a bit too slow, so he threw out another card.

"To deal with the undead, we'll use demons! Come forth, [Yubel]!"

With its exaggerated bat wings spread wide, it wiped out a patch of Garura spirits. Its male-female body was divided into black and white, one hand resembled a dragon claw, and the vertical pupil on its forehead was wide open. Just one glance was enough to make one feel an endless invasion of malice.

Relying on its bat wings, Yubel began to traverse back and forth in this space, scattering several Garura spirits with each attack. Even when attacked, it was not afraid at all. Instead, the Garura spirits that launched the attack disappeared one after another after the attacks hit.

It was probably only a few breaths or a dozen breaths?

With the combined efforts of Shinyuk and Yubel, the Garura spirits here were quickly cleared out.

"What are all these things...?"

After the danger was over, Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was hiding behind Yuuto, finally breathed a sigh of relief. All the Garula spirits that had transformed into humans looked the same.

He was emaciated, with pale skin, and although he had only a few teeth left, he insisted on keeping his mouth open for some reason.

Honestly, it looks pretty scary...

"Are you alright, Master?"

Instead of immediately recalling Shinju and Yubel, Yudo first inquired about Fujimaru Ritsuka. After learning that she was alright, only frightened by Garura's appearance, Yudo nodded and then turned to look at the old man who had been standing inside the cave.

Cloak, cane, old man...

Hmm... judging from the characteristics, it should be King Hassan.

As expected of an A-level aura concealment technique?

Even he almost didn't notice the other person's presence...

Fujimaru Ritsuka hadn't noticed the person standing there until Yuuto turned in that direction. She looked at the old man, whose appearance was different from the Garura spirits from before, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, this person seems to be someone you can communicate with...

"who are you?"

You Du pretended not to recognize him and asked.

The old man leaned on his greatsword and said in a slow and unhurried tone, "My name is Jusulad, nothing special. I'm here only because I owe your Master a favor."

His eyes looked at the puzzled Fujimaru Ritsuka: "Although they are all unworthy disciples, you have held fast to your beliefs. Faith is sometimes synonymous with life, which means you are worth saving."

Fujimaru Ritsuka:?

Chapter 78 Ishtar: Fire!

To be honest, Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't quite understand what the old man in front of her meant, but she could still feel the kindness he showed her.

Fujimaru Ritsuka was already quite familiar with this process of encountering unexpected events and then receiving randomly dropped helpers. Although she didn't know who the unworthy disciples the other party was talking about were, she quickly realized what was going on.

"Is that so? Thank you very much, sir."

"However, as you can see, I already have a very reliable servant protecting me!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka stood beside Yuuto with her hands on her hips, looking smug. Yubel and Shinjuku stood on either side of them, their black and white figures clearly distinct. The fact that these two had taken down Garura spirits with a single punch earlier gave her a great sense of security.

It feels like watching a horror movie alone in the middle of the night, getting scared by a scene, when suddenly a Shiba Inu wearing a straw hat appears out of nowhere and slices the terrifying scene in two with a single cut.

It gives people a strong sense of security.

"So I appreciate your kind offer, but there's no need to trouble you this time!"

King Hassan didn't seem to care that Fujimaru Ritsuka had rejected him.

He came to help Fujimaru Ritsuka because the latter had helped the other Hassans in the previous singularity. However, before he could even make a move, Yuto, summoned by a Command Seal, had already wiped out the entire group of Garura Spirits.

"Then let me give you a couple of pieces of advice..."

Since the sun goddess Quetzal Koyatar had already withdrawn from the alliance of the three goddesses and joined the Yudus, King Hassan simply ignored her.

He tapped the ground with his wooden cane and spoke slowly in a voice that sounded remarkably similar to that of a certain Mako priest.

"Don't show understanding to those who harbor hatred."

“Don’t show admiration to someone who is in pain.”

'One should not express agreement with those who are in a state of joy.'

You Du silently filled in the missing sentence for Wang Hassan in his mind.

Unfortunately, after that duel, Quetzalcoatl said he would bring her people over, so he took the leopard-men back to Eridu and should still be on his way back to Uruk. Otherwise, he really wanted to have King Hassan say that to her face.

"It is foolish to talk about humanity with God."

After saying this last sentence, before Fujimaru Ritsuka could even understand what it meant, a golden light suddenly descended, pulling Fujimaru Ritsuka and Yuwatari upwards.

"Oooh!"

"F——!"

The sudden weightlessness startled Fujimaru Ritsuka, who instinctively grabbed Fou's tail, eliciting a cry of pain from the little white beast.

Yudo didn't resist. He had originally planned to fly away with Fujimaru Ritsuka using the D-Wheel, but now that King Hassan was willing to help, it saved him a lot of trouble.