Fate: I Heard After Death, You Can Ascend to the Throne of Heroes?

The latter gave her a warm smile but didn't answer her question.

Instead, he turned his head slightly, gazing in Rin Tohsaka's direction.

"First, as I said, let's start with a greeting."

As Promise spoke, his eyes once again transformed into dazzling golden orbs imbued with divinity as a golden lyre appeared in his hands—the seven-stringed instrument bestowed upon him by Apollo, the god of light.

Once, when Promise escorted Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, into the underworld, he played this lyre during a trial that stripped him of all five senses. Its divine response illuminated the dark realm, bringing light to the depths of the underworld.

Today, history was about to repeat itself.

Promise gently plucked the lyre's strings, closing his eyes.

The melody that followed was one capable of moving even inanimate objects, subduing feral beasts, and stirring the hearts of all who heard it as it resonated through the dark expanse of the underworld.

With the sound of the lyre, light emanated from the instrument in rippling waves, like droplets falling into a still lake.

These ripples spread outward, illuminating the underworld as described in myths.

In Ishtar's astonished gaze, Promise's performance even seemed to seize part of the underworld's authority.

Enkidu closed her eyes, listening intently.

She had missed this song before, back when she was on her way to meet Gilgamesh.

Now, she finally had the chance to experience it.

Even Gilgamesh, who was usually anything but silent, kept quiet, listening to the melody without a word.

After a few minutes, the music ceased, and Promise slowly opened his eyes.

The once-dark underworld was now fully illuminated.

Finally, everyone could see the entirety of the underworld.

And they found it… vast, empty, and utterly dull.

Ishtar, seeming to read Shirou Emiya and the others' thoughts, pouted and complained, "See? This is why I didn't want to come back here!"

Amidst the reactions, none noticed Rin Tohsaka's eyes, which had somehow shifted from sky blue to gem-like crimson as her face held a faint trace of melancholy.

Promise, having finished playing, turned his gaze to Enkidu.

"Enkidu, could I trouble you to assist me with something?"

Hearing this, Enkidu, who had also reopened her eyes, looked at Promise with a hint of curiosity.

Then she noticed the painting in his hands.

It looked familiar.

In the simulated underworld created by the Pale Rider, Enkidu had seen Promise use this very painting to perform a beautiful piece of magic for a little girl.

So that's what this is about…

Understanding dawned on Enkidu as she smiled warmly and nodded. "It would be my honor."

With that, she took a deep breath and began to sing.

Her song carried the power of nature, her entire body radiating an immense magical energy.

Ishtar and Gilgamesh both looked at Enkidu in confusion, unsure why she was expending so much effort on what seemed to be a futile act.

After all, the laws of the underworld severed all ties to life.

At this moment...however, the winged horse, which had been quietly standing to the side and lamenting the lack of grass to graze on, suddenly sprang into motion.

Without needing any direction from Promise, the pegasus, perfectly attuned to his will—unfurled its wings and began galloping through the air above the underworld.

It scattered seeds across every corner illuminated by the light.

As the seeds fell, Enkidu's power, combined with the authority borrowed from Persephone by Promise, transformed the barren wasteland of the underworld.

Green began to spread.

Flowers, vibrant and alive, broke through the soil under Ishtar and the others' astonished gazes.

"Death, silence, desolation, suffering, and darkness—they are the essence of the underworld,"

Promise spoke, cradling the golden seven-stringed lyre in his arms as he stepped across the now-flowering underworld soil.

He approached the newly arrived mistress of the underworld with steady confidence.

"However, there is one exception to the desolation of the underworld.

It is the paradise known as the Elysian Fields… a sanctuary of happiness and beauty built by a kindhearted queen of the underworld, a place where only the purest souls can reside."

Having spoken, Promise stopped in front of her.

Her once jet-black hair now shimmered with radiant gold, and her crimson eyes, a mix of daze and joy, took in the transformed underworld and the man standing before her.

For a moment, the beauty seemed lost, uncertain of how to react under the gaze of his luminous, divine eyes.

"Good evening," Promise said with a gentle smile. "Lady of the Underworld, the goddess Ereshkigal."

It was indeed evening, as he had enlisted the help of Nyx, the goddess of night, to ensure that the sun would not rise.

At his words, Shirou Emiya and the other students stared blankly at Ereshkigal...or, more precisely, at Rin Tohsaka, who was now possessed by her.

"So, it really is you!"

The first to recover was Ishtar, whose expression twisted as she looked at the newly descended Ereshkigal.

"I deliberately chose to possess a homunculus, yet you still managed to follow me here!"

Ereshkigal frowned, clearly about to respond, but before she could, Ishtar waved dismissively. "Forget it, that's not important. What I really want to know is something else."

As she turned to Promise, Ishtar raised her voice. "The beautiful and adorable goddess you mentioned earlier… don't tell me you were referring to her!"

She pointed at the stunned Ereshkigal, her face filled with disbelief as she stared at Promise.

When the latter nodded lightly with a smile, Ishtar couldn't hold back anymore. "Wait, no, Promise, you've got it wrong! This is Ereshkigal, the ruler of the underworld! Don't let her fool you!

Whether it's her personality or appearance, she's utterly hideous!"

"If you're talking about beauty and adorableness, it can only refer to me, Ishtar! She's completely unworthy of such praise!"

However as soon as Ishtar's words fell, red lightning crackled across the skies of the underworld and struck her directly, with no hesitation or mercy as her anguished screams echoed through the air, and for a moment, everyone..including Shirou Emiya and his group—felt the lightning strike was well-deserved.

Even the Bull of Heaven seemed to nod in silent agreement.

Gilgamesh, however, remained silent, his brows deeply furrowed.

His gaze alternated between Ereshkigal and Ishtar before settling on Promise as he replayed Promise's earlier words in his mind: a glimpse of fate.

Gilgamesh, as a man of great intellect, was beginning to piece together the threads of what Promise might have foreseen.

Meanwhile, Promise remained composed.

Watching Ishtar get struck by lightning didn't faze him.

Instead, he continued to smile softly, turning his attention to the angry and slightly flustered Ereshkigal before him.

"Oh beautiful mistress of the underworld, Goddess Ereshkigal.

"Would you be willing to help me?"

"Please, lend me your strength. Take Ishtar and the Bull of Heaven away and grant me victory in this Holy Grail War."

Ereshkigal was momentarily stunned by Promise's words.

But after a brief pause, she nodded lightly, meeting his gaze.

Then, the crimson lightning continued to strike down within the underworld, enveloping the struggling Bull of Heaven and the dazed Ishtar, who was left speechless after being repeatedly struck as the two disappeared into the depths of the underworld.

With Ishtar gone, Ereshkigal's presence also began to fade, as her time here was tied to Ishtar's.

However, before leaving, her lingered for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the now brightly illuminated and flower-filled underworld before her eyes instinctively turned back to Promise.

"We will meet again," The latter said, with a warm smile on his face. "And when that day comes, O lovely goddess, please allow me to paint a portrait of you."

His words echoed through the vast, empty underworld.

As she departed, the ruler of the underworld left behind a radiant and beautiful smile.

With the departure of the divine beings from this Holy Grail War, the underworld ceased to exist.

The butterflies that had perched on everyone's shoulders fluttered their wings once more, transporting everyone back to the human world...well everyone except for Promise.

After everyone was send back..

Carrying the glowing underworld butterfly, Hecate, the veiled great goddess, emerged from the darkness once again and came in front of Promise.

"I thought you wouldn't come to see me again."

Looking at her, Promise couldn't help but tease, "And here I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"I originally didn't want to come," Hecate replied bluntly, showing no courtesy. "I just couldn't resist... Seriously, you've got some nerve.

Aren't you even slightly afraid that Athena or one of the Fates might show up the very next second?

"With things already as chaotic as they are, you still dare to flirt with other goddesses!"

Of all the people who reunited with Promise, Hecate was probably the least surprised.

After all, from the very beginning, she had known the truth about Promise.

Like the Moirai, the goddesses of fate, Hecate, who also wielded authority over destiny, had long foreseen their future encounters.

And as the number one "tool goddess" on Promise's personal list, Hecate was all too familiar with his antics and secrets.

In fact, she knew full well that Promise didn't really need Ereshkigal's help, after all, this guy probably had dozens of other ways to deal with the Bull of Heaven and Ishtar without breaking a sweat, but he still did it.

Promise fell silent for a moment but didn't hesitate to answer her. "I'll need her help in the future. Without her, I might not be able to change the fate I've seen. And besides... covering her realm in flowers and illuminating her with light was something I really wanted to do."

Hecate looked at Promise's sincere expression and let out a long-suffering sigh, her face clearly showing her exasperation.

Just keep pushing your luck.

'Sooner or later, the chains Hephaestus crafted to imprison gods will bind your hands and feet again... Hmm, now that I think about it, wouldn't that technically set me free.'

The question is, which goddess will end up benefitting from it in the end?

Hecate, who didn't want to get involved, turned around and wanted to leave.

But after taking a few steps, something seemed to occur to her as she stopped, turned back around, and walked up to Promise again.

The latter gave her a puzzled look as Hecate stood before him.

She removed her veil, set down the underworld lamp, and stared at him, muttering, "Why do you keep growing taller... Come here, squat down."

"What are you trying to do?"

Promise asked, feeling a bit confused, but obediently squatted down.

And then—

Hecate wrapped her hands around his neck and began to choke him.

"Hey, I don't know why I'm doing this either or what it means, but here's a free bit of advice," she said as she tightened her grip. "In the futures I've seen, this is going to be your daily routine for a long long time~~."