"I only told you to lead the way, Shiki. I didn't ask you to say so much."
A voice descended from above, halting Ryougi Shiki's words. It was like the wailing of a ghost rising from the depths of the earth, instantly echoing across the entire wasteland.
"—!"
Everyone's expressions changed in that instant.
Because almost at the same time as the voice resounded, a chilling cold, like a flurry of snow, swept through the entire space.
The actual temperature of the air had not changed, yet everyone's perceived body temperature plummeted rapidly.
"A Spirit Origin reaction!"
"Be careful! It's a Servant!"
"No! It's a god!"
Da Vinci, Olga Marie, and Roman shouted in succession.
It felt as if everyone had been caught in an icy storm, buffeted until they nearly lost their footing, their body temperatures dropping without end.
Boom!
The Kinu robe on Rozen's body had completely ignited in flame, driving away the cold for him.
Clang!
Mash slammed her shield heavily to the ground, deploying a magical barrier to block the incoming cold wave.
"Angry, are you?"
Ryougi Shiki raised one hand before her face, murmuring softly.
"Fou!"
Even Fou let out a startled cry and dove into Rozen's robes.
As for Ishtar, she clung tightly to Mash's shoulder, shouting loudly:
"Stop with the ghostly theatrics and come out already, Ereshkigal!"
Her voice carried far, echoing through the entire space.
In such a situation—
"Still as loudmouthed as ever. Even though your body's become so small, you still dare to be this arrogant. It seems the lesson I gave you before wasn't enough, Ishtar."
As those words were spoken, in the center of the wasteland, amidst the icy wind, a platform resembling an altar emerged.
Boom!
At one corner of the altar, ghostly blue flames burst upward in a column, burning as they rose.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In several other directions, more columns of ghostly blue fire erupted one after another.
The entire altar was now surrounded by these pillars of flame, as if some kind of ritual were taking place, and from the altar's center a surge of spiritual light flared.
Within that light appeared an enormous, terrifying figure.
It was a massive skeleton, as if veiled beneath a shroud.
Inside its bones glowed a red light, like a mixture of magma and flesh, and it stood over ten meters tall. It had no lower body—simply rising from the ground, looming over all.
One skeletal hand tightly gripped a spear.
It was a spear of light, its entire form seemingly forged from pure radiance, its tip splitting into two prongs. It was enormous—matching the skeleton's own towering height.
This giant skeletal figure holding a colossal light spear now stood upon the altar.
"I am the mistress of the Underworld, one pillar of the Three Goddess Alliance, the goddess of death and the spear prison—Ereshkigal."
From her lofty vantage point, the giant skeleton looked down at them all, her voice rumbling.
"I have waited a long time for you—Master of Humanity, Demi-Servant, and the foolish goddess who once met a pathetic death here."
Ereshkigal spoke with disdain.
With her words, the cold sweeping the wasteland grew denser still, causing everyone's body temperature to plummet further, their breath turning into white mist.
"So that's… Ereshkigal…"
Mash gripped her shield tightly, her voice trembling as she looked upon the fearsome goddess.
"Oh?"
Ryougi Shiki raised an eyebrow, as if seeing a willful daughter before her.
"Ereshkigal…"
Rozen's eyes flickered, as if deep in thought.
Only Ishtar, looking upon Ereshkigal, trembled with rage as she shouted:
"So you've finally shown yourself! After what you did to me, you still dare to bring up the past?!"
Ishtar's demeanor was that of someone at last able to vent her fury.
Unfortunately, Ereshkigal's only response was a cold laugh and scorn.
"Why shouldn't I bring it up? Your disgrace has long been branded into myth, a tale known to all. There's no need to cover your ears and pretend otherwise."
Her tone was inexplicably mature and aged, completely different from when she had previously manifested in the mortal world using Ishtar's body.
But that only further enraged Ishtar.
"That was all your fault!"
"You're just trying to push the blame onto others again? Of course you are—that's your way. No matter how reckless, how selfish, you've never had the slightest self-awareness."
Ereshkigal's voice turned cold. "I thought the fate you earned after foolishly challenging the Underworld would have been a bitter medicine for you. But now I see… I was far too naive."
"Ha? You want me to believe that skewering me like a hornet's nest with your spear until I was full of holes was just to 'teach me a lesson'? Don't make me laugh, idiot! If anyone knows the truth, it's me—you killed me not because I challenged the Underworld without knowing my limits, but because of your own jealousy and ugly envy! You can't even admit that—what kind of goddess of the Underworld are you?!"
"You…!" Ereshkigal's voice now carried open anger.
Watching the two sisters locked in confrontation, everyone else didn't even dare to breathe.
Rozen, too, watched the scene and sighed inwardly.
Because perhaps… Ishtar was right.
Think about it—these two were sisters, yet how vastly different their lives had been.
One was the mistress of the heavens, free to soar through the skies, adored and indulged by the gods, gathering countless divine authorities into her hands—the pampered daughter of the sky.
The other had been sacrificed from birth, confined forever in the dark, sunless Underworld, living in a barren palace in the wastelands, managing the dead for thousands upon thousands of years—receiving nothing, and cared for by no one—the abandoned child of the earth.
These two were two sides of the same coin, yet their fates and treatment were opposites: one possessed everything, the other nothing—a stark contrast.
In such circumstances, who wouldn't feel jealousy? Who wouldn't envy?
Even if, as Ryougi Shiki had said, Ereshkigal had dutifully managed the countless souls of the Underworld without complaint, having no complaints was one thing; feeling envy toward another was quite another matter.
Seeing your sister live a life completely different from your own—bathed in glory, cherished by all—it was only natural to feel jealous.
Perhaps this was why, when Ishtar descended to the Underworld, Ereshkigal had unhesitatingly stripped her of all divine authority and slain her on the spot.
Yes, Ishtar's arrogant belief that she could conquer the Underworld had been a major cause, making her fate well-deserved—but Ereshkigal's act of seizing the chance for revenge… was not unthinkable.
Yet Ishtar refused to let the matter drop.
"What's wrong? Don't want to admit it? Still trying to play the obedient little girl? The Age of Gods is almost over! Haven't you had enough of your act?!"
"Silence!" Ereshkigal roared. "It is not your place to lecture me!"
The moment her words fell, a storm of freezing wind erupted from Ereshkigal's body.
Rumble…
The ground began to tremble.