"—"
Silence.
A deathly silence.
As the white light surged forth like a tidal wave, all movement and sound within the Underworld was suppressed—vanishing completely.
Perhaps… this was the first time such an intense light had ever appeared in the Underworld.
Perhaps… this was also the first time in history the Underworld had been so violently shaken.
Space itself trembled.
The earth wailed as it shook continuously.
The countless spirits imprisoned within the spear prisons let out cries in succession.
In that instant, the heavens and earth seemed to change color entirely.
And this great disturbance—it was impossible to tell how long it lasted.
When the white light finally receded, and the trembling of the Underworld ceased, the realm had undergone a transformation unlike anything before.
Looking closely, cracks had formed across the rock walls and ceiling in all directions of the Underworld, shedding fragments of stone.
Yes—
The Underworld had split open.
This land of death, existing only in myth and legend, now lay as though battered and wounded, endlessly cracking apart.
At the center of the conflict, the wasteland in the deepest part of the Underworld had already become a field of ruins.
— Photon Ray.
One of Altera's only two Noble Phantasms, the very weapon she prided herself upon.
Formed of tricolored light, the Sword of the War God was said to be capable of destroying anything existing upon the earth.
Once its True Name was released, it would unleash prismatic magical light, and like a meteor, charge into the enemy's formation to carry out wide-area annihilation—a Rank A anti-army Noble Phantasm.
The power of this Noble Phantasm was formidable to begin with, and after Altera's Saint Graph had been elevated to the Grand Servant level, even EX-rank anti-army Noble Phantasms could be suppressed head-on.
Combined with her special attack against civilization and the world itself, even the Noble Phantasm that Ereshkigal had unleashed—drawing upon the entirety of the Underworld's power through her divine authority—was no match.
And so—
Crack…
Amid the sound of splitting, fissures began to spread across the red spear of lightning.
Bang!
With no suspense at all, the Spear of the Underworld shattered completely, vanishing without a trace.
As for its wielder, the colossal skeletal giant whose body was filled with flesh-like crimson light also began to crumble while still frozen in its thrusting posture.
Boom!
In the next moment, the skeletal giant shattered apart and disappeared entirely.
From within its form, a figure appeared.
It was a young girl dressed in a pitch-black, tight-fitting formal outfit, draped in a long red cloak. Her golden hair reached her waist, tied into twin tails, and her face was identical to Ishtar's.
The girl had been inside the skeletal giant's body.
As it vanished, she kept her eyes shut tight, surrendering to gravity, and fell toward the ground.
"Ereshkigal!"
Ishtar popped out from Rozen's clothes, calling out in alarm.
Hearing her, Rozen instinctively moved to fly forward and catch the girl—but he was a step too late.
Because someone else acted first.
Swish!
With the sound of air being cleaved, Ryougi Shiki had somehow darted over and caught the falling Ereshkigal, landing gently upon the ruined ground.
"Senpai!"
Mash rushed over as well, panting heavily. She bore no obvious injuries—apparently, despite their poor compatibility, Mash had managed to hold out against Ryougi Shiki until the end.
Altera lowered the Sword of the War God, its rainbow-like magical light fading away, and simply gazed quietly at Ereshkigal.
Rozen, shielded on both sides by Altera and Mash, stepped forward after a moment's silence, passing between the two to stand before Ereshkigal.
Ryougi Shiki, still kneeling on one knee with Ereshkigal in her arms, looked up at Rozen without raising her weapon or activating her Mystic Eye of Death Perception—only watching quietly.
Everyone else also watched—some at Rozen, some at Ereshkigal, some at the two of them together.
"…Ugh"
Perhaps sensing the gazes, Ereshkigal slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Rozen standing before her.
Seeing this, Rozen smiled faintly.
"As I thought—this is your true appearance."
Yes—this was Ereshkigal's true form.
That skeletal giant earlier was merely a transformation she had assumed.
Since Ereshkigal had been summoned in tandem with Ishtar, and they were sisters—indeed, different aspects of the same being—their appearances were naturally identical, save for their hair color.
Of course, both Ishtar and Ereshkigal were currently borrowing the appearance of the magus girl they had merged with.
It seemed that magus girl's compatibility was extraordinarily high—not only with Ishtar, but with Ereshkigal as well.
Ereshkigal hadn't expected Rozen's first words after defeating her to be like this.
But it did not affect her resolve.
"…Since you've won, kill me."
Ereshkigal spoke quietly after a brief silence.
"Why?"
Rozen didn't seem particularly moved, only asking the question calmly.
"Why not?" Ereshkigal replied without hesitation. "Since you've won, taking my life is the natural course of things. That way, you'll have officially defeated one pillar of the Three Goddess Alliance."
Her manner suggested she had already steeled herself for it.
"But you still haven't told me your true reason."
Rozen's expression didn't change as he spoke.
"What reason?"
Ereshkigal asked softly.
"What else?" Rozen said evenly. "The real reason you joined the Three Goddess Alliance—which you lied about before."
Indeed—her previous explanation had been false.
Her true motive was still unknown to him.
"Is that so important?"
Ereshkigal lifted her gaze to meet his.
"Yes."
Rozen met her eyes as well.
Their gazes locked—each seeing the emotion in the other's eyes.
One was utterly calm.
The other was unbearably bitter.
The former—Rozen.
The latter—Ereshkigal.
Time passed in their silent staring.
No one around them spoke.
Not Ryougi Shiki.
Not the people in Chaldea.
And so—
"…Very well. I'll tell you."
Perhaps sensing Rozen's unwavering stance, Ereshkigal let out a sigh and spoke.
"Because—I, the Goddess of the Underworld, love humans."
That was the only reason.