At the border of Kutha, four Quetzalcoatlus broke through the thunderclouds and hovered midair.
After exchanging nods with the group, Ishtar leapt into the sky and called out to her divine vessel.
"Let's go, Maanna!"
In response, the Bow of the Heaven materialized before her.
"Open the gate—converge the concept of Venus! Load tidal cluster rounds!"
With a solemn incantation, a spatial path linking the heavens unfurled above. Venus, resonating with Ishtar, radiated a dazzling brilliance that poured into the celestial vessel, Maanna.
"One-third lapis lazuli output—grant the void below the light of the heavens. An Gal Ta Ki Gal Šè: Kindling of Venus that Shook the Mountains—fire!"
With a swift motion, the goddess of war mimed an archer's stance and swung her hand downward. A colossal beam of light shot into a depression on the outskirts of Kutha.
Boom!
The earth quaked violently. Thunderous tremors rolled for miles as a massive mushroom cloud surged into the sky.
Where the light arrow struck, a deep, cone-shaped crater formed. From its depths, faint traces of death, rot, and sinister energy began to seep out.
"All done!"
Refreshed after the strike, Ishtar gracefully descended with Maanna, landing on solid ground. She lazily stretched, clearly pleased with the result.
As the dust settled, the others followed and landed one after another.
Ishtar approached Samael with a bright smile, subtly fidgeting her fingers.
"That blast cost me a lot of stock, you know. I've nearly run through what Gilgamesh gave me."
Samael gave a weary glance toward the now fully exposed inner city of Kutha, his tone dark.
"If I'm not mistaken, the embassy still has seventy percent of its gems untouched."
"And you might want to start thinking about how to explain to the Kutha locals why their outer wall has mysteriously collapsed."
Ana and Merlin both turned to look at the gaping hole where the outer wall once stood. They gave Ishtar a long, strange look.
"It was just a minor misfire," Ishtar muttered with her head lowered. She shot a glare at the so-called followers who dared question a goddess's will, then snorted and withdrew her hand.
"Tch. Fine, don't give me anything. Stingy."
Samael knew her—once she let herself go, her greed knew no bounds. He didn't even bother responding.
Immediately, the ever-pragmatic Samael called over Merlin and Ana to help set up a concealed Magecraft array around the area, masking their presence while also sealing off any leaking death energy.
Just before they were about to enter the Underworld, Merlin slyly pulled out a flask of potion and poured it over the back of Samael's right hand.
At once, the wedge-shaped rune of Protection of the Underworld dimmed slightly.
"This thing can blur divine signatures to target specific individuals. That way, you and Ishtar can make contact and help each other out—prevents any accidents when it really counts."
"So you and the Magi at the Astrology Tower were working on this last night?"
Ishtar leaned over, curious but clearly skeptical.
"Seriously, does this thing even work? You're not pulling a fast one, are you?"
"Look! There's something in the clouds! Looks like... a bull!"
Just as Ishtar hesitated, a startled voice rang out beside her.
Where? Where?! Gugalanna! My little darling!
The Goddess of Heaven lit up with joy, hurriedly looking up at the sky, scanning the clouds again and again.
"Huh. Guess it does work…"
A quiet murmur behind her made Ishtar spin around—and freeze when she saw an arm draped over her shoulder.
"You—you—you… How dare you! That's blasphemy!"
Realizing she'd been played, the proud goddess turned pale with fury.
"Worked out just fine. We're on a tight schedule, no time to wait for you to brace yourself."
Unfazed, Samael led Merlin and Ana and jumped straight into the conical pit leading to the Underworld.
After a brief free fall, their feet landed on solid ground once more. Samael called out softly to the earth, letting a glimmer of blue light leak from between his fingers.
"They say the dead carry precious grave goods to bribe the Underworld's guardians. We might stumble on a few. It's finders keepers, folks—may luck be with you."
"Tch, like I'd fall for that."
Reluctantly following, Ishtar's eyes caught a glint of sapphire wedged in a crack. While no one was looking, she quickly snatched it and slipped it into her robe.
It's real?!
"I know the Underworld's paths. I'll lead the way. Everyone conserve your strength and beware the creeping death aura."
With a look of heroic resolve, Ishtar strode forward.
Behind her, Samael, Merlin, and Ana exchanged knowing glances and chuckled quietly.
Completely unaware she'd just been expertly baited, the goddess took the lead without complaint, sneaking glances around in hopes of scavenging more loot.
The group advanced through the thick gray mist. The wandering Gallû Spirits, deterred by Merlin's banishment spells and Ishtar's divine pressure, kept their distance.
Eventually, they reached a massive stone gate carved with images of animals—dogs, horses, cattle, and sheep.
Bottomless ravines, pale phosphorescence, dim surroundings, winding paths, and choking death fog...
The familiar setting made Samael's heart pound. He felt a strange rush of nerves, like a man approaching his old home.
"Hey! Stop spacing out. This 'fair and rational' gate of the Underworld wants your answer!"
Snapping out of his daze, Samael heard Ishtar's irritated shout from ahead. Her charred figure, still smoking from divine lightning, scowled at him.
When she stressed the words "fair and rational," Samael couldn't help but give a bitter chuckle. It was clear the Underworld goddess had hijacked the soul-assessment protocol to push her own agenda.
The seven supposed questions judging the morality of a soul had somehow turned into loaded questions comparing the two sisters' looks, power, and charm.
Earlier, before Samael could even respond, Ishtar had jumped the gun and claimed she was more beautiful than her sister, the goddess of death.
Naturally, she got struck by lightning right on the spot—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.
"It's a binary choice. Don't overthink it. Just answer honestly!"
Before her next turn, Ishtar narrowed her eyes and leaned in with a threatening smile.
"I pick Ishtar!"
Samael took a cautious half-step back, playing along with the act, and cast his vote for the goddess beside him.
"Oh ho! Let's see what you have to say now—"
Boom!
Ishtar hadn't even finished celebrating before another lightning bolt came crashing down on her.
The "honest and simple" ancient serpent answered three more times—all the same way.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three more lightning strikes, one after the other, all on Ishtar.
"I—"
"Say no more! Pick Ereshkigal!"
Half-crying, half-pleading, the scorched goddess slapped a hand over Samael's mouth, desperately trying to change his answer.
Once the new response was accepted, the "fair and rational" gate lit up with divine runes and slowly opened.
"That's cheating! You can't play like that!"
The moment she crossed the threshold, Ishtar felt a layer of her divinity stripped away, her body shrinking slightly. She turned and pouted at the gate in frustration.
But when she heard distant thunder overhead, she flinched like a spooked bird and immediately hid behind Samael, urging everyone to hurry up.
...
Meanwhile, inside a radiant hall blazing like sunlight, the goddess of the Underworld watched the group through a mirror. Her gaze fixated on the now-dimmed Protection of the Underworld etched into the back of Samael's hand. She narrowed her eyes with a cold smirk.
"You slut. Is this your idea of defiance?"
But the serpent-shed skin wrapped around her wrist gave off a faint coolness, calming her slightly as the cold glint in her eyes faded.