After the battle meeting ended, the group dispersed once again.
The operation against Tiamat would officially begin at dawn. On one hand, Tiamat wouldn't act at night; on the other, everyone had been through two straight days of brutal fighting and needed at least some rest. That included core fighters like Shiomi, who still hadn't fully recovered.
As she walked through the streets of Uruk, Ereshkigal looked around at the once-bustling roads, now completely deserted. The shelves that had been filled with goods were now bare, with only scraps left behind.
All the citizens had gathered at the northern city walls, where Leonidas I and Tomoe Gozen led the army to fend off the scattered Laḫmu attacks. Uruk itself had become the final line of defense against Tiamat.
"What a hopeless battle..."
A voice echoed out, but Ereshkigal didn't stop walking. It wasn't someone speaking to her—this voice came from deep within her mind.
"I know."
Even if they managed to seriously wound Tiamat and drag her into the underworld, Ereshkigal wasn't confident she could actually defeat her there. Still, Tenkei Shiomi had insisted on holding back, hoping for one final "conversation" with Tiamat.
If it were anyone else, Ereshkigal would have thought they were out of their mind to want to communicate with the Mother of Origin. But with Shiomi, it somehow made sense. In fact, it almost felt inevitable.
Ereshkigal and the underworld existed as the final contingency in case Shiomi's attempt failed.
"You're probably laughing at how foolish I am—siding with humans, helping them fight our former allies, and now I'm about to step forward, wield my Authority and the underworld to kill our mother," Ereshkigal said aloud.
Ishtar was silent for a moment, then replied slowly, "No. Not at all."
"You're not?" Ereshkigal sounded surprised.
"If I were in your place, I'd do the same. If we just let her continue, eventually even I'd have nowhere left to exist," Ishtar replied.
"Yeah," Ereshkigal nodded in agreement.
"But you seem to be enjoying life up there," Ishtar grumbled. "If you like it so much, why not just leave the underworld completely? Why insist on using my body?"
Ereshkigal stopped at a crossroads. "Don't talk like that. You know perfectly well what would happen to the underworld if no one's there to keep it in check."
"...Hmph." Ishtar didn't argue further, only huffing in response.
"You heard what was discussed earlier. If I give your body back to you now, will you take my place and fight alongside the others on the surface?"
There was no one else around. Ereshkigal asked bluntly.
"Fighting our mother is one thing. Helping Chaldea and Gilgamesh is another. Once Mother's defeated, I'll take advantage of Uruk's weakened state to kill Gilgamesh and seize the city," Ishtar said without the slightest attempt to hide her intentions. "If you're fine with that, I don't mind lending a hand."
"You two really don't get along," Ereshkigal said.
"You already knew that," Ishtar replied flatly.
Ereshkigal thought it over for a moment, then turned and started heading back toward the Divine Tower.
"Once the operation starts at dawn, I'll return your body to you. After that, I'll go open the path beneath Uruk that leads to the underworld. Whether you want to destroy Uruk or fight Mother, that'll be your call."
"Even in your underworld, if you push your Authority too far, you know what the consequences will be," Ishtar warned.
"Then I'll just have to make sure it doesn't come to that," Ereshkigal replied calmly. Her mind was already made up.
"Do whatever you want. I won't care what happens to you."
After that, Ishtar went completely silent. Ereshkigal could no longer hear her voice.
She slowly climbed the steps and headed toward the side hall where Chaldea's group was staying—only to find an unexpected sight waiting for her there.
"What are you all doing?"
In the kitchen of the Divine Tower's side hall, Ereshkigal looked at Sakura and the others bustling about with cooking and asked curiously.
With no maids around, they had to rely on themselves for this final meal before the battle.
"Cooking, of course! We need to eat well tonight and also prepare rations for tomorrow. No one knows how long the fight will last," Sakura said, smiling brightly and earnestly.
Her cheerfulness was so radiant that Ereshkigal found it almost blinding.
"Then... can I help?" she offered.
"No need. You're not exactly experienced in the kitchen, Lady Goddess. You don't have to force yourself to do something unfamiliar," Sakura said cheerfully, clasping her hands in front of her chest. "Besides, you're a key part of the coming battle—there's no need to waste your time on something like this."
"Well, I guess that's true..." Ereshkigal replied, a bit bashful. "It's just... I've never done anything like this with so many friends before, so..."
She wanted to make more memories.
Once the Singularity was repaired, her and Ishtar's duty as Divine Spirits would end. The next time they manifested, it might not be like this.
"...I see." Sakura tilted her head slightly, then seemed to understand what Ereshkigal meant. "Then please join us. We don't have many ingredients, so it won't be a lavish dinner, but—"
She took Ereshkigal by the hand and led her to the center of the kitchen, motioning for the others to pause for a moment.
"Um, the goddess Ereshkigal would like to help us make dinner. Please teach her," Sakura said earnestly, palms pressed together as she looked to the girls.
"Eh? Lady Ereshkigal is going to cook too?" Mash said, wiping flour from her face.
Ereshkigal looked flustered. "I don't have any experience, so I hope I won't be a burden."
"If we're being honest, aside from Sakura-senpai, none of us are really good at cooking," Ritsuka said with a grin.
Gray raised her hand. "Actually, I know a bit..."
Back when she first stayed at the Shiomi residence, she had learned a lot, wanting to contribute while she was under their roof.
"Me too," Caren added with a nod.
"…So it's just the two of us who don't know how?" Ritsuka glanced at the Director and Mash.
"Seems that way," Olga Marie admitted.
Siduri spoke up, encouraging everyone, "Let's all do our best together with Lady Ereshkigal!"
"Yeah!"
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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