"Keep it down! You don't just call a goddess's name so lightly!"
Ereshkigal appeared in the Mirror of the Underworld, clad in an apron and a headscarf. Was she... cooking?
"I'm busy trying to turn this insanely spicy Mapo Tofu into something healthy and easy on the stomach that everyone can eat! Besides, I didn't give you the Mirror just for idle chat—"
"Hey there, Eresh-chan!" Ritsuka waved.
"Ri—"
The Goddess of the Underworld immediately set down her ladle, scurried off-screen to fix her hair, and reappeared with refined grace.
"Good afternoon, Ritsuka. It is I, Ereshkigal, mistress of the Underworld, making a grand and elegant appearance. What is the nature of your business?"
(She went back and did it over!)
(Hehe, that's what makes her so charming.)
"Oho. Compared to that 'Mistress of Heaven,' you are quite the lovely sight. It seems your 'girls' night' in the Underworld has improved your feminine charms."
"Why are you looking at me, Goldie?!" Ishtar snapped.
"I speak only the truth. But now is not the time for goddess rankings."
The Sage King smirked as the Hero King nodded.
—Um, did you end up liking the Mapo Tofu?
"Oh, Ea. Well, it's delicious, but the spice is just... agonizing. I wanted to see if I could make it something we could all share."
"Ereshkigal, listen. The Tiamat we face is immortal so long as life exists on the surface. Therefore... I've decided to hand the 'hospitality' of her arrival over to you."
"...Huh?"
"If she claims to be invincible in a world full of life, then we shall give her cause to grieve in a world where life does not exist. In the Underworld, she would be the only 'living' thing left. Wouldn't that make her vulnerable?"
Everyone's eyes widened.
—Of course! That's the key!
"Hmph. It was the only logical conclusion. We must force her into that state."
"Wait... you're going to call my Mother into the Underworld? Are you saying you're going to drop her in right now?!"
"Indeed! Ereshkigal, Goddess of the Underworld! By my authority as King, I command you! Open the Gates of the Underworld beneath Tiamat's path and bind that Beast of Calamity to the depths of the earth! That is your role—your one chance to atone for your transgressions as part of the Alliance!"
"That's impossible! Open the Underworld right in front of Uruk?!"
"'Possibility' is not the issue. There is only 'will.' Can you do it, Ereshkigal?"
"I'll do it! I have to, or Mesopotamia is finished! I've been listening to the plan... I admit, I didn't see that coming."
"Good, good. The Underworld Goddess is truly reliable. The one from the Heavens should take notes!"
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