Devil's Luck[Arc 5: Worlds Apart]

The next day

"So, how are we going back to the underworld?" Zenkichi asked Ereshkigal as they exited the vast jungle. He glanced back to find both Quetzalcoatl and Jaguarman interacting well with Gudako and the rest.

'As expected of the protagonist of FGO, her charisma is at EX rank!' Zenkichi inwardly nodded in respect and admiration. Gudako's natural charisma and communication skills had a way of bringing people together, even those from vastly different backgrounds and experiences.

Watching her interact with Quetzalcoatl and Jaguarman, Zenkichi couldn't help but smile at their interaction—reminding him of his circle of friends in his homeworld.

'Damn, I'm feeling a bit homesick now....' Zenkichi inwardly chuckled bitterly before shaking his head.

Ereshkigal walked beside him, her expression thoughtful. "....There's a lot of ways to head into the underworld, like the obvious Underworld Gates, but that's obviously a bad idea since we're basically entering through the front door. But almost all of the other paths need a long preparation time."

She crossed her arms, "Since we're in a hurry...there's only one viable option for us to head into the underworld in the most shortest and least expected way." Ereshkigal paused, her gaze steady as she looked at Zenkichi and the others. "We're heading towards Kutha."

Zenkichi, Gudako and the rest looked at her in confusion, except for Merlin who rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Kutha? Isn't that the city of death? Where all of its residents inexplicably died at the same time, without any explanation to their deaths?"

"Ah...." Ereshkigal coughed, her cheeks red and eyes shifting around suspiciously. "T-That was my fault..."

"....Huh?!" As expected, those who didn't know what she was talking about gasped in shock.

Gudako blinked, trying to process her admission. "Wait, you caused all those deaths? How did that happen?" any other normal person would've freaked out, but she had went though six singularities that a genocide on a city-scale wasn't enough to freak her out.

Heck, she met the mastermind behind the incineration of humanity! In her opinion, there was no one else in history that could rival that guy's malice and kill count. 

Ereshkigal rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I... It was honestly for their own good really," she sighed and looked up, watching as the clouds slowly drifted. "Simply put, I want to save humanity. I....had found the end of the Mesopotamian world before my eyes when I descended into this vessel and I decided I at that moment to save the humans—in my own way."

She closed her eyes and turned to smile at them. "I won't deny the fact that I'm a villain, but evil, as it is, has its uses for humanity."

Zenkichi raised an eyebrow, he already knew about it but he acted as if this was the first time he heard about it. "So, wiping out an entire city was your way of saving humanity?"

Ereshkigal let out a small sigh, nodding. "It might sound absurd to you all, but as the goddess of the underworld, my role is to gather souls and protect them. The world of Mesopotamia was on the brink of destruction. In my eyes, taking them early into the safety of the underworld was better than letting them suffer in the chaos that was coming."

Gudako crossed her arms, her usual optimism tempered with a thoughtful frown. "I guess that makes sense in your position, but it's hard to see it as salvation when you're the one deciding when they die."

Ereshkigal's gaze dropped, her earlier confidence wavering. "I know. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but the situation was desperate. I acted as I thought best, even if it meant becoming a villain to the living."

Brunhilde, still processing the conversation, looked at Ereshkigal carefully. "So you really believe you're doing the right thing, even if others don't see it that way?"

Ereshkigal nodded slowly. "I know my methods are harsh, but in the end, all life returns to the underworld. It's my responsibility to make sure they're safe, even if they resent me for it."

Zenkichi scratched his head. "Well, I can't say I fully agree with your methods, but I get it. You're trying to protect them in your own way."

Quetzalcoatl, always full of energy, clapped Ereshkigal on the back, causing her to stumble slightly. "You did what you thought was best, amiga! Heck, in order to fulfill my part in the alliance, I had to kill a hundred people everyday."

Those that didn't know about it, stared at her in disbelief.

Jaguarman laughed nervously and clarified the matter, "Hahaha. What Kuku failed to add here, nya, was that she resurrects those who died. So....no hard feelings, nya?"

"..... Although I already know about it, and as the Goddess of the Underworld, I have some issues with what you did but," Ereshkigal sighed deeply, her expression caught between exasperation and resignation. "I can't blame you since we're both bound to the contract of the alliance of killing humanity, I guess I don't have to right to scold you for it."

Quetzalcoatl grinned sheepishly. "Eh, close enough, right? I mean, I bring them back! So no harm, no foul."

Gudako rubbed her temples, still trying to process everything. "So... you're saying you kill them daily... and then just bring them back? Like a routine?"

"¡Exactamente!" Quetzalcoatl chirped, her tone light as if she didn't see the problem. "It's like a workout for their souls! Keeps them nice and strong."

Mash, finally able to speak after processing the absurdity of it all, chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I guess that's one way of looking at it. Though... you have to admit, it's still a bit terrifying."

Jaguarman waved her paws playfully. "Nya, don't worry about it! Everyone in Kuku's world is used to it by now. They even expect it—kind of like getting dinner or brushing your teeth!"

Brunhilde shot a glance at Zenkichi, her eyes wide in disbelief. "I don't think I'd ever get used to something like that. The idea of dying everyday..."

"Aren't you Valkyrie? Also, isn't Valhalla all about warriors dying and coming back to life every day?"

Brunhilde crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at him. "That's different! Although Valhalla is somewhat different than what humans think of, which is similar to heaven really, but the warriors or heroes like Sasaki Kojiro who're there to continue fighting on don't die everyday, like brushing one's teeth!"

She huffed, looking a bit annoyed. "They're warriors, they how to dodge and and block, so it's not like they die every day on purpose. They're there to train, to sharpen their skills for a day when they're called to duty—like Ragnarok. It's not just about death; it's about getting stronger. There's a reason why they're called the best of the best."

Zenkichi raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying teasing her. "So basically....they're doing what they've always done, but with the added bonus of not dying permanently? Sounds like a pain, considering that only twelve of them could be chosen to fight in Ragnarok."

Brunhilde narrowed her eyes at him, slightly irritated but not entirely disagreeing.

"....Wait, did I piss someone off when I participated in Ragnarok?"

"....A couple few, but the guy who was supposed to fight against Odin didn't really care you replaced him and quite liked the spectacle you made, according to Göll." Brunhilde said with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Wait, how is Ragnarok not done yet? It's been a couple weeks now!"

Brunhilde laughed and pinched his cheeks. "And why is that, I wonder? Zenkichi, what would you think if a otherworlder appeared and crashed an important event that decides the fate of humanity with the help of the former head of the Valkyries? Not only did you kill the head honcho of one of the most powerful pantheons, but also usurped another divinity right in front of all the Gods and Humans."

"The aftermath of that, as you can imagine, was absolute chaos. You turned what was supposed to be a decisive event into... well, a complete mess. So no, Ragnarok isn't exactly 'done' yet. They've had to reorganize everything."

Zenkichi groaned. "Great.... Listen, Brunhilde. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused. I promise you, I'll—"

Brunhilde pinched his lips shut, cutting him off. "Don't even start with that 'I'm sorry' nonsense," she said, rolling her eyes. "You did what you thought was right, and to be fair, it wasn't entirely your fault. You're a wildcard, yes, but you're my wildcard that I chose. I wouldn't have picked you if I didn't think you could handle it and creating such chaos."

Zenkichi blinked, his lips still caught in her grip, trying to mumble something unintelligible.

Brunhilde smiled fondly and released him. "You're always too hard on yourself. Besides, it wasn't just your fight—we messed up Ragnarok together, remember?"

Zenkichi rubbed his lips and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I just can't help but feel guilty, what if I was the reason that pushed the Gods to just screw with the tournament and just eradicate humanity all together?"

Brunhilde's expression hardened, her eyes fierce. "When that comes, we'll be ready to fight them. No one's wiping out humanity on my watch—not without a battle they'll regret. So we have to get stronger—you, have to get stronger if you want to face Takamagahara that are out for your blood."

Zenkichi chuckled, but there was a serious and deadly undertone to his voice. "Takamagahara, huh? Well, if they want to come at me, they're welcome to try. Let them know what a God Slayer could really do."

A few hours later

"So that's Kutha?" Zenkichi muttered, staring at the eerily silent city that reeked of death.

Through his Empathy Skill that easily enveloped the whole city, he didn't sense a single living mind.

There was only death within.

Ereshkigal stood beside him, her expression somber as she gazed at the desolate landscape. "Yes, this is Kutha. A city of death," she chuckled a bit, looking more melancholic than amused. "After I fled the temple of where I was summoned, this was the first place I stumbled into. This is when I decided that I would save humanity, thus Kutha became my first my attempt to forge a path for humanity's survival."

Zenkichi frowned, studying the empty streets lined with crumbling buildings. " So how do we get into the underworld in this city?"

Ereshkigal smiled, "When I damned this place and head into the underworld, I didn't really close the entrance completely."

"Do we need a key or something to head into the Underworld?" Gudako asked.

Ereshkigal shook her head. "Although some of my authority has been striped off, I am still the Ruler of the Underworld. Getting into the Underworld isn't hard," she glanced at Quetzalcoatl, Altria, Merlin and the rest. "Except for some of you."

Altria frowned, getting a bad feeling. "What do you mean by that?"

"....Aside from me, Servants and Gods aren't allowed inside the Underworld. All their powers would be striped from their bodies." Ereshkigal explained.

Zenkichi's frown deepened at Ereshkigal's words. "Wait, are you saying that if they enter, they'll lose their powers? That's... not ideal."

Ereshkigal nodded, her expression serious. "Yes. It's a safety measure I put in place to prevent any potential threats from disturbing the balance of the Underworld. Only the souls of mortals and those who have been deemed worthy may enter freely."

"But then how did Envy get into the Underworld?"

"....I don't know."

"Can't you just give them some sort of blessing to be allowed inside of the Underworld?" Brunhilde asked.

Ereshkigal shook her head. "Normally, that would've been the case...."

"...But Envy now has some authority over the Underworld." Gudako added.

"That's right. Even if I gave you my blessing, Envy could just take it away and you would all be powerless."

"But then why did you let us accompany you then, nya?!" Jaguarman interjected, her ears perked up in curiosity. "If you knew we wouldn't have our powers, why bring us along?"

Ereshkigal turned to Jaguarman, a small smile playing on her lips. "Because I believe in backup plans. If something goes awry, you guys be ready at standby."

Altria frowned and turned towards her master, "Zenkichi..."

Zenkichi smiled, reassuring her. "It's going to be fine, Altria. If something does happen, I'll use my command seal."

Altria was reluctant but nodded, her grip tightening around the hilt of her sword. "Just promise me you'll be careful. I can't afford to lose you again."

Zenkichi placed a hand on her shoulder, his gaze steady. "You won't lose me. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

"Good luck, little bro!" Quetzalcoatl wrapped her arms tightly around Zenkichi, giving him a kiss to the cheek.

"Good luck, nya!" Jaguarman grinned and gave them a thumbs up.

Zenkichi nodded at them.

"Well," Zenkichi rolled his shoulders and smirked at his friends that would go with him into the underworld; Brunhilde, Gudako, Mash and Ereshkigal, "shall we?"

...

AN: This was supposed to be posted yesterday....but I got the dates wrong and had it set for next year😅 Also, sorry for any misspellings, the autocorrect in my keyboard is being an ass with me for a while now.

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