Everyone had emphasized more than once that the Seven Gates of the Underworld were fair and rational existences.
But in this moment, Rozen had only one thing to say:
"You call this fair and rational?"
How foolish he had been to believe that.
He clearly knew that in the Underworld, Ereshkigal was the supreme ruler, the absolute sovereign, an invincible existence.
Even gods couldn't defy her here. They couldn't oppose her.
From this, it was obvious: all laws in this place were under Ereshkigal's control. So-called fairness and rationality—those were only relative.
When facing others, the Seven Gates were, of course, fair and rational.
But when facing someone Ereshkigal held personal feelings toward, those Seven Gates naturally became her greatest line of defense.
"No wonder you said the punishments differ based on one's answers, yet when you descended to the Underworld last time, all seven questions led to your powers being stripped. Clearly, she was out to get you."
Rozen looked at the dumbfounded Ishtar beside him with eyes full of pity.
"Miss Ishtar…"
Mash also looked at Ishtar with considerable sympathy.
In this situation, Ishtar lowered her head, her delicate body beginning to tremble.
Just as everyone worried this goddess might die on the spot from sheer rage, Ishtar suddenly snapped her head up.
"Since it's come to this, this time I'm going to succeed in descending to the Underworld! Just you wait, Ereshkigal!"
With a furious roar, she stormed toward the Gates of the Underworld, radiating an intense intent to settle the score.
However, before Rozen or Mash could stop her, a sudden change occurred.
"BOOM!"
The moment Ishtar stepped through the Gate of the Underworld, a burst of lightning exploded across the gate, like divine thunder delivering judgment—it struck her directly.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh…!"
Ishtar let out a shriek of agony, her whole body convulsing as the lightning slammed into her.
"W-What!?"
"Miss Ishtar!"
Rozen and Mash both cried out in alarm.
As they were about to rush to her, the lightning ceased, leaving only a charred Ishtar, who slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Wh…Why…?"
Ishtar let out a sound like a dying person's final breath.
From the stone gate, the familiar voice rang out again.
"You still have the nerve to ask why, Ishtar?"
The voice echoed coldly.
"Don't forget—in your myth, your descent to the Underworld ended in failure. As long as that myth remains, you can't escape the curse of the Underworld. Even if you avoid the questions posed by the gates, each gate you pass will still strip away one of your powers."
But Ishtar's powers had already been taken long ago—during the age of myth—by Ereshkigal, and now belonged to her.
Thus, in place of those powers, Ishtar could only offer her divinity to bear the weight of the curse.
"From now on, every time you pass through a gate, one-seventh of your divinity will be stripped away. After the second gate, you'll fall to the level of a low-ranked deity. By the fourth, you'll be weaker than a Garula spirit. If you pass all seven gates, you won't just become a fragile human—you'll be no better than an insect. Any random person could crush you with one hand. Do you understand how serious this is?"
Cold laughter echoed from within the gate.
"Damn it…"
Ishtar lowered her head in deep regret.
"Miss Ishtar!"
Mash quickly ran over and picked her up.
"Seriously…"
Rozen could only sigh.
Just then, another voice came from within the stone gate.
"If you have come to defeat Ereshkigal, to bring down the Goddess of the Underworld, to destroy the Three Goddess Alliance… then pass through the Seven Gates."
This time, the voice wasn't aimed at Ishtar, but at Rozen.
"At the end of the Seven Gates, in the palace at the deepest part of the Underworld—I will be waiting for you there."
With that, the voice disappeared.
"Miss Ishtar! Miss Ishtar!"
Mash continued shaking Ishtar anxiously.
"Looks like things just got a lot more troublesome."
"As expected of the Underworld—this place is terrifying."
"So… what do we do next?"
Olga Marie, Da Vinci, and Roman all sighed one after another.
Only Rozen stared toward the end of the Underworld, deep in thought.
In the following journey, Rozen and his group did indeed pass through the Seven Gates unimpeded and arrived at the deepest part of the Underworld.
However, with each gate they passed, while Rozen and Mash were unaffected, Ishtar was absolutely struck by lightning again and again—each time having one-seventh of her divinity stripped away.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…!"
In the Underworld, Ishtar's screams rang out again and again.
Even when she tried everything—using magic to shield herself, dashing forward faster than the lightning could strike—nothing worked. She was still bathed in the Underworld's lightning, over and over.
As previously stated, this was a curse. As long as her mythic failure in descending to the Underworld existed, the curse could not be removed in any way.
Even if Rozen tried to use Cleansing without drawing on High-Grade Mana, it still wouldn't work to dispel the curse.
Thus, Ishtar could only endure the pain and the relentless extraction of her divine essence.
Which naturally drove her into a fury.
"This time… I will successfully descend to the Underworld! I swear…!"
Enraged, Ishtar ignored her condition and charged through gate after gate.
Eventually, they cleared all Seven Gates.
Once they did, both Rozen and Mash looked up at the floating Ishtar with speechless expressions.
"Ugh…"
Ishtar floated in midair, smoke rising from her body, her face full of misery.
Looking closely, the goddess had actually shrunk—like a miniature figurine. She was so small, Rozen could let her lie in his palm.
"Fou! Fou!"
Fou stared happily at Ishtar, as if he had just found a new toy.
Rozen and Mash could only exchange bitter smiles.
"It's all right now, Lady Ishtar. It's over. There are no more gates."
Mash gently picked up Ishtar and comforted her softly.
"Ereshkigal… I won't forget this…"
Ishtar could only sob, tears brimming in her eyes.
Rozen let out another silent sigh.
"All that's left is to move forward, right? Then we'll reach Ereshkigal's palace."
Rozen muttered.
And a voice answered him.
"Yes. Ahead lies the domain of the Goddess of the Underworld."