Chat rooms are also thriving today.

The further along you go...

He could feel the surrounding temperature getting lower and lower.

But thinking about it carefully, words like 'light' and 'warmth' rarely appear in the underworld, right?

I'm so lonely.

Lin Nai felt that even his mood was somewhat affected.

Not long after.

Linnaeus then arrived in front of a huge space.

If I were to give a proper introduction, the official name of this place would probably be 'The Temple of Ereshkigal,' but actually...

This place is just a wilderness.

Nothing at all.

Hmm... especially with this environment, if you add some dry ice, then stick in five crosses with names on them, plus the current temperature...

Linna felt that she should cosplay one of the Ultra Brothers.

what……

That's really bad luck.

After mentally complaining, Lin Nai walked to the center of the open space.

call--

next moment!

Two pillars in the open space emitted lightning-like special effects.

A cold wind suddenly blew against Linnaeus's body, and the temperature was so low that it felt as if he had fallen into icy water in winter without any warning.

However, it had no effect on Linnaeus.

Linnai looked toward the center, where a deep red liquid was forming in the air and gradually converging.

just now.

Gazing at the dark sky, Ereshkigal, the queen of the Garura spirits and the goddess of the underworld, makes a grand entrance!

boom!!

From within the dark red liquid, a skeletal figure emerged, looking down at Linnai below.

"Fear it, pray it."

"Fall into despair, humanity."

"I am the administrator of death, the mistress of the underworld, the one who treads upon the sacred peak—Ereshkigal!"

Hehe.

That's disgusting.

That's incredibly blatant.

Lin Nai glanced at the footage recorded on the video camera he was pointing to and nodded in satisfaction.

It would be really interesting if it were released again sometime later.

"Well? After seeing my figure, you can't think of anything to say?"

"Absolutely not."

Linna put the video camera away and said seriously, "I'll say it again, I admit that you—the goddess of the underworld, Ereshkigal—are unparalleled in beauty!"

It wasn't because of his appearance or deeds.

It is the heart.

Even through this skeleton, Linnaeus could feel the heart of the person who controlled it.

of course.

This approach still won't work.

There's no reason to drag people all into the underworld just to protect them.

"you……"

Ereshkigal's tone was somewhat incredulous.

why?

Linnaeus's eyes met the skeletal skeleton created by Ereshkigal, and he raised his hand, where a holy sword, like the starry sky, gathered.

"As a goddess, you deeply love humans who are destined to die... In a way, I like you very much, Ereshkigal."

"Huh?"

happiness……

Likes and dislikes...

Ereshkigal became somewhat hesitant.

"But precisely because of this..."

Clang!

"Saber draws his sword!"

"The Ten Holy Blades of the Blade King! The Cross of Creation!"

"A miracle descended alongside that dazzling nebula!"

"O sublime and great power, you will ignite the raging fire of courage!"

"The fused ten swords!"

clang!!

next moment!

A warm light filled the underworld in an instant.

Thin, tender green shoots peek out from the cracks in the rocks, initially just a timid little yellow, but in the blink of an eye they unfold into supple blades of grass.

Among the grass, flower stems quietly rose up, then bloomed one by one, covering the entire underworld almost instantly.

Ereshkigal stared blankly at all of this.

And the man wielding the Sword of Creation issued a declaration—

"Ereshkigal, the ending of your story... is up to me!"

Chapter 253: The Goddess Towards Freedom

warmth.

peaceful.

Ereshkigal never imagined that one day such a scene would appear in her underworld.

The wind blew gently, carrying warmth, passing through the boundless meadows and sea of ​​flowers, like an invisible hand soothing her body.

If you just look down, you can see the grass blades swaying gently at your feet.

With just a simple breath, she could smell that it was not an illusion, but a rich and fragrant scent of flowers from the mortal world.

Ereshkigal stood there, staring blankly at the sea of ​​flowers.

It's all like...

"Dream……"

"It's not a dream."

Ereshkigal turned her head and saw that the knight holding the Sword of Creation had deactivated her transformation and was standing with the skeleton she had created.

"Ereshkigal, you've done a great job managing the underworld since your birth."

Linnaeus spoke gently.

"Well……"

Ereshkigal paused.

“Do you remember what I just said? Ereshkigal, I will change the ending of your story.”

Linnaeus reached out his hand to the goddess who had been in the underworld since birth, and who, under normal circumstances, knew nothing of the surface world or freedom, had disappeared with the Age of Gods.

"Come with me, Ereshkigal, let's go to the earth, enjoy the sun, enjoy the earth, enjoy freedom."

Sun, earth, freedom...

Can she do it too?

Can she enjoy these things too?

The skeleton slowly dissipated, and a golden-haired goddess appeared before Linnaeus, instinctively reaching out her hand as she looked at him…

But the instant their fingertips touched, Ereshkigal snapped back to reality like a startled fawn and withdrew his hand.

"No...no...I am the goddess of the underworld, it is my duty to stay here...I cannot..."

“Then I will carry it.”

"Huh?"

Ereshkigal was startled and before he could react, he found his hand being gently held.

“I will bear your fate, your responsibility, and everything, Ereshkigal.”

hum-

next moment.

Linnaeus's body radiated a dazzling light that gradually spread outwards, sweeping over all the souls trapped in the cage of spears.

ka ka ka-

The cages of guns shattered one by one.

Ereshkigal stared blankly at the scene, while simultaneously noticing some subtle changes occurring in the underworld.

Eh?

This is……

"Well……"

Before Ereshkigal could react, he felt an undeniable force on his hand and was pulled by Linnaeus into the sky.

Countless souls surrounded them, embracing them.

And the dome created by Linnaeus with the holy sword is now opening up layer by layer, revealing an even brighter world—the present world.

Freedom...

Ereshkigal was still somewhat dazed.

It all felt like a dream, as if everything would disappear if she woke up now, as if it were all just an illusion.

When she wakes up, perhaps she will still be in the underworld, without flowers, without light, and even less... freedom.

but……

Ereshkigal turned his head to look.

The person who had led her by the hand, who had vowed to bear her fate, was right beside her. Everything he said seemed to tell her—

This is not a dream.

this is the truth.

She is leaving the underworld and will soon enjoy the freedom outside, just like her sister.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Age of Gods has ended; this is an unchangeable fact of this world, and not all worlds can remain as intact as Linnaeus's Britain.

Once the Age of Gods disappears, the Underworld will vanish along with other things from that Age of Gods.