Episode 248: Descending into the Underworld Once More?
『 "Break through every obstacle!" Ishtar roared, her battle cry ringing out like a prophecy of the end, shaking the very heavens.
She herself displayed a dashing and extraordinary heroism, leaving all who witnessed it filled with awe.
"AN GAL TA KI GAL SE—!!"
⦍Kindling of Venus that Shook the Mountains⦎
As the words fell, a violet arrow, reinforced with dense magical energy and inscribed with mysterious runes, surged toward the target with unprecedented speed—so fast, in fact, that it left not even a ripple in the air.
Accompanied by a thunderous, earth-shattering boom.
RUMBLE—!
A shockwave of immense power, trailing destructive magical fluctuations, descended upon Tiamat's colossal form, wreaking catastrophic damage…
Successive, deafening explosions followed, echoing continuously throughout the battlefield.
Before it all ended, a white light, so intense it rendered sight impossible, illuminated the surroundings, leaving everyone temporarily blinded. The scene was nothing short of spectacular and awe-inspiring.
"Fujimaru, Mash! Initiate defensive maneuvers immediately!" Dr. Roman's urgent voice transmitted through their communicators.
Far away in Chaldea, Dr. Roman issued the warning to the two still standing in the center of the battlefield.
His voice carried an inescapable sense of urgency, as if he had foreseen some ominous possibility.
At that magnitude, at that proximity, they could be caught in the blast.
To be struck would result in catastrophic consequences…
The Venus Goddess's assault continued for a full ten minutes. That golden beam of light, like divine punishment descending from the heavens, relentlessly carved into Tiamat's gargantuan body.
Every beam was like a blade, mercilessly slicing through this colossal enemy.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash, battered by the overwhelming shockwaves, could barely keep their eyes open, struggling just to maintain their footing.
Their bodies felt as if they were being bound by an invisible force, threatening to sweep them from the ground.
The sheer terror of such magical power and its destructive capacity threatened not only their physical forms but also inflicted profound psychological distress, as if they were dancing with death with every passing second.
The three standing on the ramparts were like passengers on a sinking vessel, teetering amidst the towering waves.
The very air around them seemed to vibrate, as if the world itself were trembling.
Even so, Fujimaru Ritsuka fought to overcome the suffocating pressure, attempting to steady his stance… yet.
The rampart, at that moment, was pulverized by the immense force, shattering into countless fragments.
The debris sprayed everywhere, like the final throes of an apocalypse.
Fujimaru Ritsuka kept his eyes wide, trying to pierce through the blurred vision to find Gilgamesh, who seemed so close yet remained unreachable.
In that moment, his face wore an expression of both pain and fury, brimming with unwillingness to accept this outcome.
Under the weight of such a powerful attack, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash could only huddle together, crouching to minimize their exposed surface area, evading the crushing pressure that descended like a falling mountain.
"Mash!" Fujimaru shouted his companion's name, his voice filled with trust and reliance.
"Yes! Master!" Mash replied firmly, her gaze resolute.
The two youths supported each other as if they had found a glimmer of light in an abyss of despair.
But… in the midst of this perilous situation, not far away stood a figure apart from the rest—the half-god king, Gilgamesh.
Facing such an incredibly powerful air current, Gilgamesh stood as steady.
Though everything around him had been reduced to rubble, he maintained his calm and composed demeanor from beginning to end.
He chose not to take any defensive measures to protect himself like the other two…
Because within his heart, there existed a more important conviction. As long as he stood tall, the city under his leadership would never fall.
This unshakeable resolve would not allow anyone to defeat him easily!
It was this fearless attitude that made him a true leader, earning the reverence of all.
However, the rubble beneath their feet began to roll uncontrollably, making it increasingly difficult for the two to maintain their balance as they felt the void opening up beneath them.
Even so, Fujimaru desperately stretched out a hand, hoping to touch the person in front of him.
BOOM—!
A thunderous sound shook the heavens! The rampart finally succumbed to the pressure and collapsed entirely, with massive amounts of debris raining down toward the ground.
As Fujimaru tumbled along with the avalanche of stones, his final gaze fixed upon Gilgamesh's profile—a calm, confident smile.
Then… everything returned to darkness, as if his entire being had been pulled from reality.
His vision blurred until it vanished entirely. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "That's incredible." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "After all that effort, this time, it should work, right?" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "But, it seems, on their side, also in the end…" ]
[ Fujimaru Ritsuka (Type-Moon): "It's fine, as long as we can defeat her, that's all that matters." ]
[ Mash Kyrielight (Type-Moon): "Senpai?" ]
[ .....]
〜KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World〜
Aqua, watching Ishtar unleash this terrifying strike, felt deeply that she was useless.
Although… she had used it once before, a while back.
But clearly, this time, the power was even more monstrous.
In the past, she could pretend not to see it, but now—
With the comparison, she realized just how useless she was, and even Aqua herself began to doubt her own worth at this moment.
"Trash Kazuma! It's all your fault!"
"Huh… It's my fault again!"
For no apparent reason, Kazuma found himself shouldering yet another burden.
However, he was used to it.
—
〜Attack on Titan World〜
Eren Yeager watched the scene before him, a happy smile slowly spreading across his face, but then…
"If I could possess power like that, retaking Wall Maria wouldn't require so much manpower. They wouldn't have to risk their lives going beyond the walls, facing those mindless titans."
In Eren's mind, images of his comrades in the Survey Corps slowly surfaced.
Whether it was Armin, Jean, Mikasa, Sasha, Connie, or even the bad girl Ymir—at this moment, his memories emerged before his eyes like fragments of stars.
For their sake, Eren had long ago decided that no matter what stood in their way, he would eradicate every obstacle.
—
〜Classroom of the Elite World〜
"The battle that follows is the true key to victory."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka remained expressionless.
"But…"
"But… even so, the probability of winning is still difficult to calculate… isn't it?"
Horikita Suzune watched the scene, mirroring Ayanokouji, unable to show even a hint of a smile.
She knew very well that, having lost so much combat strength, even if the plan succeeded, even if that Goddess of Beginning, Tiamat, was dragged into the Underworld, it was still too early to talk about winning with their current capabilities.
"Horikita… no matter how many times I say it, you still don't take it to heart…"
As if resigned, or perhaps reflective, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka let out a slow sigh.
"What do you mean by that!?"
Seeing Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's disappointed expression, Horikita Suzune felt quite displeased, and her demeanor turned fierce.
Could it be… that I'm wrong? No… I must be right!
Such thoughts could not help but surface in Horikita's mind.
After a period of hesitation, Horikita Suzune chose herself once again.
She firmly believed that the battle before them was unwinnable.
"You are too focused on the factors in the field. To win a battle, external factors are the key."
"Moreover…"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka paused deliberately, leaving Horikita Suzune feeling quite confused, and even…
A little exasperated.
"Moreover, what!?"
"Moreover… the will and vitality that humans burst forth with when driven to the brink of despair are something you could never imagine. Or rather, it is precisely because they are driven to the brink that they can unleash power they never believed they possessed."
Although these words seemed very abstract to Horikita Suzune, and even a bit exaggerated.
Isn't it just the desperate struggle of dying men? But in the face of absolute strength, all of that is futile.
Right now, that was exactly the case.
However, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was different. Even if he hadn't experienced it himself, he had witnessed it far too many times—children in the White Room who, when driven to the edge, displayed sights never seen before.
Although… the final result was exactly as Horikita Suzune thought: in the face of absolute strength, everything was in vain. The people from the White Room, in the end, did not overcome the obstacle of their own absolute strength.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, despite being the strongest of the White Room, felt this thought was contradictory, yet he still believed.
He believed that the epic of humanity would not end here.
After all, the fact that he was able to make it this far proved the strength of humanity.
"As I said, the results will tell."
After leaving those words, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka ignored Horikita Suzune, who shifted slightly away, as if pouting.
Their gazes returned to the video once more.
In this video of the final battle of Uruk, would it be Tiamat destroying the old humanity to create a new world, or would Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash achieve a reversal, safeguarding the future of humanity and winning this battle?
In this video, it will eventually be revealed.
—
『 On screen. In the endless depths, the two saviors of humanity held hands as they plummeted from the heights.
After being struck by Ishtar's attack, the land of Uruk had been blasted straight through toward the Underworld.
And the place they were falling to was the Underworld, governed by Ereshkigal.
"AHHHHHHH!"
The two, along with Fou beside them, kept screaming.
But soon, as they grew accustomed to the sensation of weightlessness, they began to wave their sleeves, attempting to block the intense air pressure.
"Master! I can't see anything down below!"
The scene shifted.
On the vast, desolate land of the Underworld, Fujimaru Ritsuka's mood suddenly turned very somber.
The cold, desolate environment made him feel a chill.
Not long ago, he had been standing there, silently watching King Gilgamesh's departing figure.
Now, facing the impending crisis, Fujimaru Ritsuka's heart was filled with complex emotions, and it was hard to pull himself back together.
It wasn't that he had fallen into despair because of this parting, nor had he lost faith, but his heart was still troubled by that lingering sense of sorrow.
After all, parting with such a wise and great king was always an unsettling affair.
But… intense air currents whistled past, bringing an unprecedented sense of pressure, coupled with the fear brought on by the seemingly bottomless abyss beneath his feet, all of which made Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly realize how critical the situation was.
He knew that no matter what, he could not continue to wallow in grief.
No matter how difficult the situation, he had to grit his teeth and persist to the end.
Because this was the promise he had made to King Gilgamesh—that no matter what, he would press forward.
So…
As if reborn after a spiritual cleansing, a light of hope flickered once again in Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes.
At this moment, he resolved not to worry about the past but to bravely face the challenges that might arise in the future.
Almost at that very instant, a deafening sound pierced the silent space, echoing incessantly throughout the Underworld.
"Hum, hum, hum…"
Golden light surged from the ground like a waterfall, spreading rapidly until it formed rings of dazzling radiance.
Eventually, these golden rings converged, tightly enveloping the bodies of Fujimaru and his companion, Mash.
When the two young people realized they could ignore their own weight and the strange sensation of weightlessness in their surroundings under the influence of this power, their hearts were filled with shock and confusion.
"What is going on…" Fujimaru Ritsuka muttered to himself, his gaze revealing both astonishment and irrepressible curiosity.
Just as the words left his lips, a dashing figure quietly appeared within their sight—the Goddess Ereshkigal, that legendary ruler with exquisite beauty and long golden hair, had finally descended.
Facing this unexpected yet welcome, powerful reinforcement, both Fujimaru and Mash couldn't help but feel a warmth in their hearts.
They knew that the woman before them was not just a deity; she was like a straw to a drowning man, capable of guiding their path and bestowing the courage and strength to overcome all the difficulties and obstacles to come.
"Kept you waiting, did I…" Ereshkigal looked with a smile at the two adventurers landing safely, her tone containing a rare gentleness.
It had been a very, very long time since anyone had stepped into this place so openly.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
At the same time, the trace of loneliness hidden deep in her heart, which had not dissipated even after thousands of years of baptism, vanished the moment she saw Fujimaru and Mash, turning into fragments of infinitely warm memories deep within her heart.
Upon seeing Ereshkigal, the two, whose hearts had been hanging by a thread, finally relaxed.
The tension began to ease as they confirmed their safety.
"Ereshkigal!"….
"Miss Ereshkigal!"….
The deafening calls rang out from the two simultaneously, as if the entire space were filled with this joy, and this loud sound instantly caught her attention.
Facing their enthusiastic calls, Ereshkigal also opened her arms in welcome.
Her posture was like a host welcoming guests, displaying a high level of courtesy and hospitality toward the two visitors.
"Welcome to the Underworld," She said in a warm, gentle tone.
With the utterance of these words, a mysterious and solemn aura permeated the air, causing one to involuntarily feel a deep sense of reverence for her….
As she said this, a hint of smugness appeared on Ereshkigal's face, just like a child feeling incredibly proud of having accomplished some task, tilting her head as she looked at the two.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation, making one unable to resist wanting to know more about the story behind this unique girl.
"As a special exception, I have granted you the right of existence and the right of levitation in the Underworld…" This sentence not only expressed Ereshkigal's special care for the two but also implied that they would have treatment different from ordinary people in this unknown world.
"By the way, you are no longer considered living beings while in the Underworld," She paused slightly, allowing the information to be fully digested and understood.
"If you wish to move faster, simply concentrate your magical energy on your feet and imagine the image of flying, and you can easily achieve this goal." 』
『 .....』
( Translator-kun: Ohhhh, we have Ayanokouji and Suzune moment... )