The fall of Kutha into silence coincided precisely with the ti the goddess Ishtar appeared in sopotamia.
But that was all it was—a coincidence in timing. There was no direct evidence to prove Ishtar had slaughtered the city's entire population.
In just half a year, the city had crumbled under the wind and rain. The buildings were so worn down they barely resembled anything from the sa era as Uruk. Anyone would have thought the place had been ravaged by Magical Beasts.
Yet the truth was quite the opposite. Not only had Magical Beasts never entered the city—they avoided it entirely, almost as if sothing inside terrified them.
Because of that, despite being an abandoned ghost town, Kutha was relatively safe. So the group decided to split up, starting from the city center and moving outward in four directions to search for the Tablet of Destinies.
However...
"How'd it go?"
An hour later, the four regrouped at their starting point using Magecraft to communicate. Shiomi asked as they gathered.
Each of them shook their head to varying degrees. Just like him, they had found nothing.
"Maybe Gilgash rembered it wrong?" Sakura offered.
"There's another possibility," Scáthach said. "The Gilgash of this Singularity never returned to Uruk. If that's the case, then the whole event of 'using Clairvoyance to foresee the future during ditation on his way back and recording it' never happened."
"But we have no reliable clue to even confirm when Gilgash disappeared," Morgan countered. "We don't know why he vanished, either."
"Hmm..." Shiomi lowered his gaze in thought. "How about this—we don't split up this ti. Let's sweep through the city again, starting from here. With Magical Beasts unable to enter, the risk should be minimal."
He looked up at the three of them, and each gave a different kind of smile—quiet support for his decision.
One person searching would always miss sothing, but if all four of them moved together, the chance of overlooking sothing would shrink significantly.
Though the road ahead was uncertain, the unity among them ward Shiomi's heart. He smiled and looked east—toward the towering Mount Ebih, where the temple of the goddess Ishtar stood tall.
With Kutha lying so close to Ishtar's domain, perhaps this city that even Magical Beasts shunned could serve as a forward base for their assault on the temple.
Resolved, Shiomi turned to head west—only to be yanked back by the collar so hard he almost choked.
But it wasn't that his master was objecting. It was that sothing had just changed underfoot.
Shiomi slowly stepped back from the massive hole that had appeared and crouched down in surprise.
"Ground collapse?" he narrowed his eyes.
He wanted to believe that, but there'd been no warning. No shaking. This was spatial distortion—an entrance had simply manifested out of nowhere.
"Kutha was built on quite a risky spot," Morgan muttered, half-teasing but clearly serious. "One earthquake and the whole place would vanish underground."
Sakura instinctively shrank back. "It's pitch black... and bottomless. I get the feeling if we fall in, we're dead."
"Because it's the Underworld," Scáthach said flatly. "I ntioned this before: Kutha's guardian deity is Ereshkigal, the sopotamian goddess of the Underworld."
So it wasn't all that surprising that the land beneath Kutha could connect directly to the Underworld.
"But for the entrance to just appear right under our feet like this... Is that really okay for a city under her protection?" Shiomi said with a touch of irony. "The citizens could literally die from one careless step."
"Or maybe," Scáthach leaned down to examine it, "their souls are being welcod into the hands of the Underworld goddess. So, what now, my dear disciple? We were going to investigate the entrance to the Underworld gradually. But now that it's right here, shall we change our priorities?"
"No ti like the present," Shiomi decided.
After casting Feather Fall on the group, Shiomi took the lead and jumped into the dark abyss.
Though the Underworld was directly connected to the surface, that didn't an entering it was easy.
There was no path.
They plumted for what felt like several minutes, as if falling into a bottomless pit, before their feet finally touched the soil of the Underworld.
"Everyone okay?"
Shiomi, the first to land, turned back to check on the others.
"Yeah." Sakura took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.
She'd grown up hearing countless tales from Shiomi about the Land of Shadows, but this was her first ti stepping into a realm so akin to it—a kingdom of death. The unease that crept into her chest was unlike anything she'd ever felt before.
"Ugh..." Morgan raised a hand and lowered her gaze slightly. "So this really is the Underworld. Just standing here, I can feel my power being suppressed."
Only Scáthach looked completely at ease. "Is that so? I actually find this place quite familiar… even if there's no sky."
"Guess this counts as ho turf for you, Master," Shiomi said with a grin. He reached out and took Morgan's hand. "Co on, let's start with a local investigation—"
Just as he was about to lead Morgan, Scáthach, and Sakura down the sloping path, a deep and solemn voice called out from behind.
"Please, halt."
None of the three won had sensed anyone's presence until that mont. In an instant, all three drew their weapons and stood on full alert. Only Shiomi quickly squeezed Morgan's hand, signaling her and the others to stay calm.
It was an old man, cloaked in coarse brown robes, leaning on a long sword that reached up past his waist.
He stood there like death itself.
If he had ant to kill them, only Shiomi would've been able to react in ti to the presence of "death."
Fortunately, he had no such intention. In fact, he radiated no hostility at all.
"We et again, old man," Shiomi said, bowing slightly, his voice filled with respect.
Even though the man's true form was hidden, Shiomi had recognized him imdiately.
He was the First Hassan—the Old Man of the Mountain—who had twice aided both him and Chaldea.
"The road ahead leads to the heart of the Underworld. Seven gates stand in your way. Even so, do you still wish to pass through them and seek audience with the mistress of the Underworld?" the old man asked, his tone calm and asured.
Shiomi stepped forward, stunned. "The mistress of the Underworld? Ereshkigal has manifested in sopotamia too?!"
"You have conquered death, and yet you still hold life in reverence. You choose to fight on, for the sake of humanity. Your resolve is clear to , Master—I will not hinder your path." The old man offered a faint, almost invisible smile. "Pass through the seven gates, and present the answer you believe in. That will lead you to the center of the Underworld."
"Who are you?" Scáthach asked.
"I am Ziusudra, the one who sounded the bell that heralds the end of the world. The storm shall co three tis, and still, the Underworld will endure."
With those final words, the old man's figure faded into the night like a drifting wind, vanishing without a trace.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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