"Hey, hey, hey! Stop ignoring me! At least look at me, the goddess of wealth, love, and beauty!"
"Are you a block of wood or something?!"
Ignoring Ishtar's relentless theatrics beside him, Roy kept his gaze fixed on the dark path of the underworld ahead. Tezcatlipoca exhaled a faint smoke ring, and the two continued their steady pace toward the deepest reaches of the underworld.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
This scene finally pushed Ishtar over the edge.
Furious and exasperated by Roy's utter disregard, she stomped her feet in a fit of rage.
"Damn it! Don't you want to ask me about Ereshkigal? You didn't come to the underworld to save me, so you must be here for Ereshkigal, right? That woman is nowhere near as easygoing as I am!!"
At last, Ishtar leaped in front of Roy, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and shook him vigorously as she spoke.
"You're… easygoing?"
Roy silently studied Ishtar for a moment before shaking his head without hesitation. "No."
"Agh, you clueless jerk… I'll take you down!"
Unable to endure being ignored any longer, Ishtar snapped. Back in her prime, she was the center of attention, fawned over by gods and humans alike.
Now, out of consideration for Roy saving her and being somewhat intriguing, she'd gone out of her way to engage him, only to be met with dismissal and distance. Her proud ego couldn't take such a slight, so she lunged at him in mock fury.
Naturally, Ishtar, weakened by the underworld's oppressive aura, was no match for Roy. As expected, within just two exchanges, he easily subdued her.
"Settle down, Ishtar…"
Roy's face was etched with exasperation.
"No way! You jerk, don't think you can bully me just because the underworld's holding me back! Let's fight again on the surface!!"
Ishtar kept up her defiant shouting.
"Yo, how lively." Tezcatlipoca remarked.
Watching the scene, Tezcatlipoca, trailing alongside, made no move to intervene. He merely smacked his lips, smirking as he observed Roy and Ishtar's antics.
This kind of bickering had played out at least four times already, and he'd grown accustomed to it.
Ishtar, that slightly unhinged Venus goddess, was a mystery. Despite being saved, she insisted on tagging along with him and Roy.
Not only that, she kept prattling on about herself and Ereshkigal, trying to bait Roy into asking her about the Mesopotamian underworld.
But his Master was utterly unfazed, ignoring the noisy Ishtar and pressing forward in silence.
Unable to take it, Ishtar would launch into another reckless stunt.
Time and again, it was the same cycle: Ishtar attacked, Ishtar got defeated.
Then she'd rally and cause trouble again, repeating the process.
After a few rounds, Tezcatlipoca had grown familiar with their dysfunctional dynamic.
This useless goddess had probably figured out her Master's nature: as long as you weren't truly evil or an actual enemy, he wouldn't go for the kill. That's likely why she kept dancing on the edge of his patience.
All in all, Tezcatlipoca found their squabbles rather amusing.
Compared to a god like himself, Ishtar, manifesting in a possessed state, was far more entertaining.
At least she was more interesting than those rigid or aloof types. No wonder the Sumerian gods doted on her.
"Had enough?"
Roy gripped Ishtar's arm, pinning her down with ease, his expression tinged with resignation.
"What do you want, Ishtar? I've already saved you, so why are you still following me? Even if you attack me, it's just pointless bickering, not genuine anger or revenge. What are you after, Ishtar?"
"No way! I'm not done! You're just taking advantage of the underworld suppressing my power to pin me down so easily."
Ishtar turned her head away, her expression stubborn. "And don't flatter yourself, human. I'm not following you! I came to the underworld to find Ereshkigal too."
"…You're here for Ereshkigal too?"
Roy's expression shifted slightly at Ishtar's response. He slowly released her arm and pressed further. "What do you want with Ereshkigal? Didn't you learn your lesson last time? Or are you here to storm the underworld again?"
Roy knew quite a bit about the relationship between Ishtar and Ereshkigal, the Sumerian goddess sisters.
Unlike Ishtar, the beloved Mistress of Heaven, Ereshkigal was born to be sacrificed to the underworld, a taboo among the gods and the world itself.
In the beginning, aside from the God-King and a few ancient chief gods of Sumerian myth, the other gods only knew of Ereshkigal's existence as the underworld's mistress. None had actually seen her.
Not even Ishtar, nor her brother Shamash, the god of the sun and law.
The God-King Anu forbade other gods from entering the underworld to meet Ereshkigal.
But Ishtar had always defied her father's commands.
After all, if anything went wrong, she had Ninsun and Enki to back her up.
So, when Ishtar learned of her sister's existence and the endless darkness she endured in the underworld, she donned her seven prized Divine Constructs, blasted open the earth, and ventured alone into the underworld to meet this sister she'd never known.
The outcome?
It was Ishtar's greatest defeat ever.
Not only was she thoroughly trounced by Ereshkigal in the underworld…
But as she passed through the seven gates Ereshkigal had set, she was stripped of all her divine constructs and powers. In the end, she didn't even see Ereshkigal before the underworld's mistress pierced her from afar with a sharp cage of spears, leaving her dangling naked at the underworld's gates until Enki hurriedly came to retrieve her.
That underworld journey left a profound mark on Ishtar's young heart.
After being thoroughly disciplined by Ereshkigal, Ishtar never mentioned returning to the underworld again.
So Roy knew well that, despite being sisters, Ishtar likely understood less about Ereshkigal than he did.
Rather than asking her about Ereshkigal, he'd be better off meeting the goddess himself.
And to win Ereshkigal over, he'd brought along some thoughtful gifts this time.
"You don't think I'm following you into the underworld just to pester you, do you?"
Ishtar glared at Roy's skeptical expression, then shouted, "Do I look like some idiot goddess who'd linger in the underworld just to mess with someone?"
"Only a fool would do something that stupid."
"Then what are you here for? You can't beat Ereshkigal on her turf. You're not here to catch up with her, are you?"
Seeing Roy's clearly doubtful gaze, Ishtar's expression grew exasperated. She continued, "Gramps sent me here to find Eresh."
"Gramps? You mean Enki, the god of water and wisdom?"
Roy's expression shifted slightly at the mention of Enki's name.
Unlike the infamous Ishtar, Enki, one of the four ancient chief gods of Sumerian myth, was far more powerful.
Not only that, he was the god who loved humans most, second only to the God-King Anu in strength.
He even fought his brother, Enlil, another mighty ancient god among the Sumerians, for humanity's sake, ultimately banishing him to the abyss.
So when Ishtar mentioned this powerful deity Roy had never met, his curiosity was piqued.
Was this mighty god planning to aid humanity?
"Of course! Who else in all of Mesopotamia would dare call themselves Enki besides Gramps?"
"What's going on? What did Enki say to you?" Roy asked, intrigued.
"Not long ago, Gramps, still in the divine realm, sent me a dream. He said Tiamat is about to awaken and will soon return to this land with the Authority of Regression. Gramps and Father tasked me with fulfilling my duties as a goddess to help Uruk overcome this crisis."
At this, Ishtar sighed. "But I have a terrible relationship with that annoying Gilgamesh in Uruk. If I showed up offering help, he'd probably mock me for ages."
"So… I stayed in my temple for two days, waiting for Gilgamesh to apologize before I'd help Uruk."
"…"
So she neglected her goddess duties and defied the will of the God-King and Enki just because of a grudge?
Roy fell silent, giving Ishtar an odd look while inwardly marveling.
Classic Ishtar.
But he didn't bother pressing her on it and instead asked, "So why did you come to the underworld? And in such a spectacularly foolish way?"
"Isn't it obvious? It was Maanna. Maanna brought me here."
The mention of this sparked a flash of irritation in Ishtar. She glared at the celestial bow Maanna floating beside her and gave it a fierce kick.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out, followed by…
"Ow, ow, ow! That hurts!! Damn it, I forgot my divine power is mostly sealed in the underworld!!"
Tears welled in Ishtar's eyes as she clutched her swollen foot, launching into another round of theatrics.
Roy and Tezcatlipoca were momentarily at a loss for words.
Though he was reluctant to indulge this foolish goddess, Roy wanted her to continue explaining about Enki. He crouched down and used magecraft to heal her foot.
"Huh? It doesn't hurt anymore. Not bad, mortal, your healing magecraft is impressive…"
"Touching a goddess's body is a capital offense, but since you had a reason, I'll let it slide this time."
Ishtar wiggled her foot, instantly reverting to her usual lively self.
"Alright, human, that hand that touched this goddess, you have my permission to treasure it. Don't wash it when you get back."
Ishtar declared this with utmost seriousness, smirking at Roy's… thoroughly unimpressed expression.
"What's with that look, you jerk?!"
"Believe me, I could toss you off this path right now."
"I believe you! Please don't!"
Seeing Roy's expression turn serious, Ishtar immediately backed down.
"Enough fooling around. Finish telling me about Enki, Ishtar."
"Oh, the rest is pretty simple."
"Seeing I wasn't doing anything, Gramps probably got impatient. That night, I dreamed he told me to go to the underworld to seek Ereshkigal's help. He said her aid is essential to defeating Tiamat."
"Then I woke up to find Maanna, which I'd been using as a bed, flying on its own. It zoomed toward the underworld at a speed I couldn't control. You know the rest."
Ishtar's expression turned sour as she began to complain.
"Asking me to help defeat Tiamat is already a hassle, but saying I need Ereshkigal's help? Don't they know I have a terrible relationship with that awful underworld goddess? Gramps and Father sure know how to boss me around."
"You brought that on yourself by showing up in her domain decked out in your divine construct." Roy couldn't help but retort.
"Huh? So you know about our history too."
Ishtar, who'd been facing away, suddenly turned back, slightly annoyed. "You don't think I wore my seven Divine Constructs just to show off to her, do you?"
"Probably not. You're vain, but not so foolish as to risk entering the underworld just to provoke Ereshkigal. That'd be too stupid, right?"
"Exactly! No idiot would take that kind of risk just to taunt her!"
Ishtar's eyes lit up at Roy's words, and she eagerly nodded. "At least I wouldn't waste my time on something that pointless."
"I just wanted to show her how wonderful the outside world is."
"?"
That's not showing off?
Roy and Tezcatlipoca were both baffled by Ishtar's bizarre logic.
"Don't you get it?"
Ishtar sighed and continued, "She was sacrificed to the underworld by the gods from birth, never seeing the outside world. I heard from Shamash and the other gods that she doesn't like me. Please, I'm the Mistress of Heaven, adored by all gods. If she dislikes me, she must be jealous, right? After all, she's stuck in that gloomy underground."
"So I went down there to show her how amazing the outside world is. If she loves it so much, she should just come out. There's no need to stay in that place."
What kind of tsundere sister act is this?
Listening to Ishtar's explanation, Roy and Tezcatlipoca's expressions shifted.
Roy was stunned by the convoluted tsundere dynamic between the sisters, while Tezcatlipoca had completely given up on Ishtar's intelligence.
What underworld goddess could just quit her role?
That would collapse not just the human world but the entire order of existence, causing chaos even the King of Gods couldn't resolve.
Such reckless, blasphemous behavior could only come from this spoiled Venus goddess.
During their conversation, the trio arrived before a massive stone gate.
The aura of the underworld washed over them.
"We're here."
Having been here before, Ishtar was far more familiar with the place than Roy or Tezcatlipoca, who were visiting for the first time.
"This is the gate to the Mesopotamian underworld?"
"Obviously, yes. The deathly aura here is a bit different from mine, but there's no mistaking this is the underworld."
Tezcatlipoca glanced at the gate and spoke.
"Alright, move aside. What are you standing there for?"
While the two were still pondering how to open the gate, Ishtar brushed past them, striding boldly forward. Facing the towering underworld gate, she raised her arm without hesitation, channeling mana into the massive celestial bow Maanna beside her,
"Open the door, Ereshkigal!!"
Without waiting for a response from the other side, a blue energy beam gathered at the center of Maanna, growing larger and radiating terrifying mana,
"Wait a second…"
Roy's heart skipped a beat at this audacious act. He moved to stop Ishtar's recklessness, but Maanna had already drawn its bowstring.
Boom!!
A powerful surge of mana slammed into the underworld gate, unleashing a piercing sound.
The ripple of mana sent tremors through the entire underworld.
Fortunately, the gate wasn't so fragile as to shatter under such an attack, or negotiations would've been impossible.
"That was utterly reckless…"
Tezcatlipoca frowned at Ishtar's brash actions.
It was his first time seeing a god dare to bombard an underworld gate like that. If someone tried that in his underworld, he'd toss them into the abyss for punishment without a second thought.
"Who goes there?" Just as Roy was about to reprimand Ishtar, a voice, youthful and similar to Ishtar's, echoed from the other side of the gate.
Clearly, it was their target.
The Mistress of the Sumerian Underworld, Ereshkigal.
___
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