"Indeed, humanity survives despair and disaster precisely because such great individuals emerge generation after generation."
Nameless likewise gazed at the projection screen with profound admiration.
The cruel famine the old man experienced in his childhood could never happen again on the land of China.
Now, everyone could eat their fill and live happily.
The old man resting under the shade of rice stalks could finally drift peacefully into sleep.
In his dreams, perhaps there were rice plants taller than a man, heavy with bountiful harvests...
Demeter grew even more admiring. "You could have taken all the credit for yourself... Yet, not only did you not do so, you even revealed it to me."
"That would make me a thief—I couldn't do that." Nameless shook his head, answering with calm composure.
"Honest child, you will bring hope and the future to mankind. Congratulations on completing your trial."
Demeter's immense divine power surged forth, pouring wildly into his body. "In the name of Demeter, I bestow upon you the favor of the Goddess of Agriculture. You shall have endless life!"
The spectators, who had only expected to witness an epic tale of heroes, were deeply moved—
-[Praise the old man! Being able to eat our fill truly is happiness!]
-[Sigh... I won't dare waste food anymore. I'll finish every grain of rice!]
-[Honestly, if it were any other transmigrator, they would've claimed all the achievements as their own and declared themselves the God of Agriculture!]
-[That's just how it is. From the very beginning, Nameless has been a righteous companion—a perfect hero!]
-[Alaya definitely didn't choose randomly. It clearly picked Nameless with deliberate intent!]
...
"Sigh... I really feel a deep ache in my heart."
Tears welled up in Roya's eyes.
In the video Dr. Roman had played earlier, the old man had done so much, yet he never got to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Souma couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair. "He was a mortal who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the gods—a truly great man. From now on, don't waste food."
Walking through human history had allowed him to witness countless heroes, each one dedicating everything to securing a happy future for humanity.
It was these heroes, chasing the light, who had forged the peace they now enjoyed alongside him.
"Mm, I won't waste anything!" Roya wiped her tears and nodded firmly.
Eating well was the greatest tribute she could offer to that old man.
Beside them, Artoria's ahoge swayed slightly as she spoke with perfect calm. "Can I have a little extra for dinner?"
"No!!!"
Roya answered without hesitation, eyeing her warily.
As a small, pitiful little loli, she couldn't eat much no matter how hard she tried.
The problem was, this woman was a bottomless pit—one meal from her could last Roya and Nameless three days.
At this rate, they'd be eaten into poverty!
It made Roya increasingly suspect that Artoria was like Kanna—a dragon in human form!
"But I never get full," Artoria replied, puzzled.
"..."
Roya was momentarily speechless.
If this was her not full, how much would it take to actually satisfy her?!
"Ahem, eating until you're 70% full is best. Overeating isn't good for your health," Souma coughed lightly from the side.
As the King of Knights, she naturally possessed the stomach of a king.
After all, the Saber with the ahoge had the heart—and appetite—of the Red Dragon of Britain!
The video continued.
After completing the trial of the Goddess of Agriculture, he had immediately set off for the next challenge.
The next destination was shrouded in darkness and oppression, with countless shadowy figures drifting about.
That's right—this was the most terrifying place of all: the Underworld!
After defeating Cronus, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had divided the world among themselves.
Zeus drew the skies, Poseidon the seas, and Hades the Underworld.
Hades was one of the few honest men in Greek mythology, arguably one of the two most decent gods among the Olympians.
Even his abduction of Persephone had been the result of a curse from Eros, which made him fall madly in love with her in an instant and whisk her away to the Underworld without a second thought.
"Senpai, this is really scary!"
Mash held her shield tightly, scanning their surroundings with caution.
Ghostly figures watched them from a distance, more terrifying than any nightmare.
"Don't worry. I'm here."
Nameless gently patted her head.
The two of them stepped forward until they reached the banks of the River Styx, where they could clearly see countless wailing spirits in the water, reaching out to drag them under.
This was the River Styx—whether you tried to fly over it or swim across, you would be pulled beneath the surface.
The only way to cross was by boat!
After a while, an ancient, weathered boat arrived.
The ferryman of the Underworld rasped, "Human, do you wish to cross?"
"Yes. I seek an audience with Hades," Nameless replied politely.
In his hand, he already held a small pouch of gems.
The other party spoke with utmost seriousness, "I am the ferryman of the Styx, the one who holds the authority over the boundary between life and death. I cannot just let anyone cross the river so casually! What do you mean by this?"
"I don't mean anything else, just a little gesture."
"You're quite the interesting one."
"Actually, it's nothing much."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Beside them, Mash stared blankly at the two interacting.
These gems… weren't they the ones they had swindled from the King of Heroes back then, about thirty percent of them?
Even as she sat on the boat, the Shield Maiden still hadn't quite processed it—had they really passed just like that?
Witnessing this scene.
Inside Rin's mind, a meeting was taking place.
Ishtar couldn't help but gnash her teeth, "Ahhh, those are my gems!!!"
They had clearly agreed to give them to her earlier, but in the end, Nameless took a twenty percent toll.
The most infuriating part was that as the wealth within [Gate of Babylon] grew year by year, the gems she received amounted to less than one percent of his total!
"Who told you to lose the Bull of Heaven, you disgrace of a goddess!" Ereshkigal retorted.
If it weren't for losing the Bull of Heaven, none of this would have happened, and the King of Heroes wouldn't have been so furious he wanted to kill you first.
Giving you that many gems was already excessive—a total loss!
"How on earth did you manage to lose something as big as that bull?"
Rin finally couldn't hold back and asked.
"I… I don't know either…"
Ishtar's demeanor instantly weakened.
It seemed something—or someone—had outright stolen the Bull of Heaven.
The problem was, with the gods gone, the Bull of Heaven was her exclusive mount. No one else could control it besides her.
Could it have been another version of her from another world who took it away?
As she pondered this.
On the screen.
Before Nameless and Mash, who had just reached the shore, appeared a terrifying beast.
A creature of great renown—
Cerberus, the three-headed hound of hell!
Standing dozens of meters tall, its heads and back were covered with terrifying snakes, more horrifying than any Gorgon.
Behind it was a thick, scaly dragon's tail, adding to its majestic and fearsome presence.
The saliva dripping from this guardian of hell's gates fell to the ground like the strongest acid, corroding the earth into massive pits.
It roared menacingly, "Turn back! Proceed, and you die!"
"Senpai, is this the trial of the Lord of the Underworld?" Mash raised her shield, standing between the beast and her companion.
"Perhaps. But without defeating this beast, we have no right to meet the Lord of the Underworld."
Nameless stepped forward, looking up at the creature. "You are no match for me. Stand aside!"
Roooar!
Cerberus let out a ferocious draconic roar.
From its three monstrous mouths spewed terrifying venom, seeking to utterly dissolve the puny humans before it.
However.
Nameless projected a mighty Noble Phantasm into his hand.
It shone with a dazzling radiance, as if gathering the vast power of the sun itself.
It was none other than the sister sword of Excalibur, wielded by the Sun Knight Gawain—
The Holy Sword of the Sun!
Within it was simulated solar energy, making its power truly terrifying.
Under the gaze of all present.
The holy sword in Nameless's hand erupted with blinding light, transforming into a brilliant pillar—
[Excalibur Galatine!]
Boom!
In the gloomy darkness of the underworld, it was as if a miniature sun had risen, flooding the area with endless radiance.
The ground beside Cerberus was completely melted into magma, blasted into a massive crater.
Faced with such a terrifying strike, the Hellhound showed no fear. Instead, it stepped forward with majestic pride.
Just as everyone expected a fierce battle to erupt—the hellish beast suddenly dropped to its knees in a tiger-like bow, lunging right before Wuming and wagging its tail frantically!
As one of the mighty three-headed hounds of the underworld, how could it possibly—
have such a death wish?
Woof! Woof! Woof!
The three-headed Hellhound wagged its tail obsequiously, clearing a path with utmost deference: "Please, come in!"
Joking aside, that was the power of the sun—enough to roast it alive on the spot!
The battle ended before it even began.
Nameless and Mash strode confidently through the gates of the underworld city, arriving before Hades himself.
Seated upon a resplendent golden throne, the Lord of the Underworld gripped his bird-headed scepter and spoke calmly: "Master from another time and space, the trial I set for you is—to make my wife smile!"
Ever since he was cursed by the God of Love and forcibly brought Persephone to the underworld, not a single smile had graced her face.
As an honest and dutiful god, this weighed heavily on his heart.
"Very well!"
After agreeing, Nameless sought out the Queen of the Underworld, who stood in the palace gardens.
Though called a garden, not a single plant grew there.
This was, after all, the underworld—no living thing could survive.
Persephone turned to look at him. "Oh, so you've received my mother's blessing?"
"Indeed. The trial given by the Goddess of Agriculture was to ensure farmers could reap bountiful harvests without relying on the gods." Nameless concealed nothing.
He then handed her the same seeds he had given to the Goddess of Agriculture.
Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, held dominion over the authority of [Seeds].
Having once eaten six pomegranate seeds of the underworld, she was bound to spend six months of each year in its depths.
When she resided in the underworld, it signified winter—when seeds slumbered in darkness.
And when she returned to the earth, the seeds would sprout anew.
"What's the use? I, the Goddess of Seeds, can't even grow a single flower!" Persephone sighed softly.
This scene—
Ereshkigal could empathize.
The Underworld was like this—a place where all things met their end, utterly devoid of life.
Fortunately, back when Nameless ventured into the Underworld and mentioned that flowers existed there, it lifted her spirits somewhat.
Just then.
Nameless smiled and said, "This Underworld does have a flower—and that flower is you, Persephone!"
"Eh?"
Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, froze in shock.
The more she looked at him, the more she found him pleasing.
Of course, his handsome appearance wasn't what mattered to her—it was simply that his words were so sweet.
Truly, he was the Child of Fate prophesied to save the gods.
???
Ereshkigal also stared at him in a daze.
I was here first—why are you saying this to another woman?
How are you so smooth at this?!
Just how many times have you said this behind my back?!
Ishtar couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Hahaha, as expected of Nameless."
"..."
Rin was momentarily speechless.
Then again, it made sense. As a hero of justice who had walked through human history and interacted with countless heroic spirits and deities, he naturally had a way with words.
Under the gaze of the three women.
A red seed quietly appeared in Nameless's hand. "This is a seed I cultivated using a trace of creative power I obtained from Tiamat in another world—a flower suited to grow in the Underworld."
"I've named it—the Red Spider Lily."
***
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