EBE Chapter 226 Ereshkigal's Faith and the Death of the King
Chapter 226 Ereshkigal's Faith and the Death of the King
Chapter 227 Ereshkigal's Faith and the Death of the King
"ah!?"
Standing before the temple of Ishtar, both Shirou Kotomine and Ritsuka Fujimaru were stunned.
The style of this temple is simply too bizarre.
Leaving aside the others for now.
What on earth are those two giant lucky cat statues standing on either side of the temple?
This desire for money is just too obvious.
"Although I knew beforehand that the goddess Ishtar cared a lot about money and treasures, I didn't expect her to be so blatant about it!"
""
Fujimaru Ritsuka's lips twitched involuntarily.
Kotomine Shirou, on the other hand, looked as if he hadn't expected it.
Although this scene was far more shocking than the scene he remembered.
"Let's go."
After a moment of surprise, Shirou Kotomine took the lead and walked forward.
At that very moment, a golden magic cannon shot out from the temple, aimed directly at Kotomine Shirou.
Shirou Mine was not surprised by this.
He instantly received the attack and then used his spear to destroy the incoming magic cannon.
Shirou Kotomine chuckled and looked towards the temple: "Is this how the goddess Ishtar welcomes guests?"
"Guests, I did not grant you permission to set foot on my territory."
After swiftly flying out of the temple, Ishtar took in all the visitors and then spoke to Kotomine Shirou with an annoyance.
"There's nothing we can do about it; after all, you didn't install a doorbell at the foot of this mountain, did you?"
Kotomine Shirou retorted.
"We have come to visit the goddess Ishtar because we have important matters to discuss with you. Would you be willing to give us this opportunity?"
Kotomine Shirou asked respectfully.
Upon hearing Shirou Kotomine's words, Ishtar gave him a deep look.
Ishtar still has a deep memory of Shirou Kotomine.
After all, they had fought each other in the skies above Saku City before.
Although Ishtar no longer remembers the specific details, the final victory seems to have been won by the opponent.
Without a doubt, this is a strong person she should take seriously.
Similarly, Shirou Kotomine, with his strength, is qualified to speak with her.
"Yes, I will allow you to state your purpose."
The aircraft named "Ma'ana" landed steadily behind Ishtar, who sat on it as if she were sitting on her own divine throne.
An aura of majesty arose spontaneously from her body.
But Shirou Kotomine didn't think so at all.
Having grown up with Rin Tohsaka, he simply couldn't shake the other person off his impression of Rin Tohsaka.
He even wanted to laugh when he saw this scene.
"In that case, please let our representative explain the purpose of our visit."
Kotomine Shirou winked at Fujimaru Ritsuka.
Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly came up from behind.
Meanwhile, Shirou Mine retreated.
At this point, his mission was almost complete.
Given Ishtar's thirst for money and jewels, the jewels and promises Gilgamesh prepared for their journey were more than enough to overwhelm her.
But the most troublesome part is not the negotiation.
Instead, they entered the negotiation stage.
After all, in Ishtar's eyes, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others were mortals, while she was a goddess.
The two sides are not equal in terms of either status or strength.
In this way, she might not give Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others a chance to speak at all.
As for what Mine Shirou had to do, it was to secure this opportunity for them.
Originally, Shirou Kotomine thought he would have to fight Ishtar.
As a result, Ishtar actually viewed Shirou Kotomine differently because of the previous battle, so the two sides smoothly transitioned to the negotiation stage.
Therefore, Shirou Kotomine's remaining task is simply to protect Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others.
But with Ishtar joining, there will be no danger even without Shirou Kotomine, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and the others.
Although the Ishtar here is not the real Ishtar.
But her strength at this moment is by no means weak.
"It seems like I don't need to do anything from now on."
Kotomine Shirou smiled slightly.
He leaned against the carriage, smiling as he enjoyed the performance before him.
Faced with jewels and treasures, Ishtar, who instantly lost all divine brilliance and divinity, ultimately succumbed to the 25% of ore in Gilgamesh's treasury.
And just like that, the group recruited Ishtar with ease.
"I feel like I didn't need to come at all."
On the way back, Shirou Kotomine, lying in the carriage, couldn't help but sigh.
It was already night, and Shirou Kotomine, lying in the carriage, admired the stars in the sky.
"How could that be? Although we didn't encounter Kingu when we arrived, perhaps it's because you, Shirou, are here that they didn't come."
"How can you say it's unnecessary?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka comforted her.
"Alright, I was just venting, you don't need to comfort me like that."
Kotomine Shirou shook his head.
He quickly sat up and then immersed himself in his research again.
With his improvements today, the new version of the Time Wind-Up Magic is now nearly complete.
"It should be finished by tomorrow."
Kotomine Shirou thought to himself.
This is indeed not a difficult task.
Seeing that Shirou Kotomine had entered a state of research, Ritsuka Fujimaru stopped talking to him and started chatting with Ishtar, who was flying in the sky.
Although it was supposed to be a chat, it was actually mostly Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash praising Ishtar.
Hearing these compliments, Ishtar's smile grew even wider.
It wasn't until they started talking about the "Bull of Heaven" that Ishtar slunk away and quickly disappeared from their sight.
Shirou Kotomine, who was secretly watching this scene, couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
The Bull of Heaven is Ishtar's ultimate weapon.
This is also why Gilgamesh recruited Ishtar.
But by this time, Ishtar's Heavenly Bull had been lost, and she could no longer find her Heavenly Bull.
Therefore, whenever she hears anything about the Bull of Heaven, she always slinks away.
Or try to change the subject.
This scene was particularly interesting to Shirou Kotomine, who knew the whole story.
He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Kotomine Shirou and his group did not travel overnight.
After finding a suitable place, they temporarily set up camp there to rest.
However, when resting in the wild, someone must keep watch at night.
Kotomine Shirou readily accepted the task and did not arrange for anyone else to relieve him.
He can do this kind of thing all by himself.
At night, Shirou Kotomine sat on the hillside next to the camp, enjoying the evening breeze as he continued to study the great magic trick of the time-winding mechanism.
But a sudden sound jolted him out of his research.
"You're really serious!"
A gentle voice rang in Kotomine Shirou's ear.
Stopping what he was doing, Shirou Kotomine said without turning his head, "It's you, Goddess Ereshkigal. This is our second meeting, isn't it?"
"You're really perceptive; I haven't even said anything yet."
Seeing that his identity had been exposed in an instant, Ereshkigal complained with some dissatisfaction.
"It's not that I'm perceptive, but rather that you and the goddess Ishtar are very different."
Turning around, Shirou Kotomine looked at the underworld mistress who looked exactly the same but had a completely different aura, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"The difference between me and Ishtar? What is it!"
Upon hearing the topic that interested him, Ereshkigal quickly pressed for more information.
"Hmm, how should I describe it?"
"In that case, the goddess Ishtar always speaks in a rather aggressive way, while you, Ereshkigal, speak very gently."
"That must be the feeling."
Kotomine Shirou said thoughtfully.
This is exactly what Shirou Kotomine experienced.
Am I gentle?
Upon hearing Shirou Kotomine's praise, Ereshkigal quickly covered his blushing face.
Having spent almost his entire life in the underworld and rarely interacting with other humans or deities, Ereshkigal was exceptionally thin-skinned.
Kotomine Shirou's words were hardly a compliment.
Even so, it still made her feel shy.
"Yes."
Kotomine Shirou nodded.
He completely agreed with what he had said.
Upon hearing Shirou Kotomine's affirmation, Ereshkigal immediately blushed and was speechless.
Several minutes later, she nervously asked, "May I sit next to you?"
"Of course, please don't be so polite."
Shirou Kotomine was filled with respect for this gentle deity.
He knew that the other person was actually somewhat introverted.
Therefore, he needs to guide the other party.
Seeing that Shirou Kotomine did not refuse, Ereshkigal cautiously approached Shirou Kotomine and then quickly sat down next to him.
Although there was actually a small distance between the two.
But this had already exhausted Ereshkigal's courage.
And so Ereshkigal fell silent once more.
Left with no other option, Shirou Kotomine took the initiative to steer the conversation, and the two began a hesitant exchange.
However, as time went by, the communication between Shirou Kotomine and Ereshkigal became smoother and smoother, and the topics they talked about became more and more diverse.
Before I knew it, most of the night had passed.
"By the way, when I arrived you seemed to be studying something. What was making you so focused?"
"That's my effort to save the world!"
Kotomine Shirou said casually.
But these words silenced Ereshkigal.
After a moment, Ereshkigal asked earnestly, "I wonder what your opinion of me is, Shirou?"
After talking for most of the night, Ereshkigal finally remembered his original purpose.
"What do you mean by 'how I see you'? Are you asking me to evaluate you?"
Shirou Kotomine did not quite understand what Ereshkigal meant.
After all, he only remembered some general events related to this world; he had long forgotten the detailed conversations.
"I cannot forgive Mesopotamia as it is now, and I cannot accept that humanity abandoned the gods to create a world that belongs only to itself."
Ereshkigal said earnestly to Kotomine Shirou.
"What's the reason?"
"Because this only brings suffering, humans cannot escape the pain of living and the fear of death, but such suffering can be alleviated in the age of gods, because there are things here that humans cannot understand."
"6
"Blaming all the unreasonable and cruel things on the gods, and thus living a carefree life, I've always believed that this way of being is good."
"I have endured this for thousands, tens of thousands of years, so I have joined this alliance to transform your human world into a world of humans and gods."
"In short, I am not the enemy of any particular kind, but the enemy of the entire world of all kinds."
Ereshkigal's gaze grew increasingly resolute.
She looked at Shirou Kotomine, waiting for his reply.
"I knew I wasn't wrong, you really are a gentle deity."
Kotomine Shirou praised from the bottom of his heart.
Ereshkigal's will deserves such praise.
"Buddha, what are you saying?!"
Ereshkigal, who was waiting for Shirou Kotomine's reply, quickly blushed and became shy.
She hadn't expected Shirou Kotomine to say that.
"I'm asking for your opinion."
"My assessment is that she is a gentle god!"
"And what's your opinion on my ideas?"
Ereshkigal, who had been attacked again by Shirou Kotomine, quickly pressed for an answer.
She was afraid that she would be unable to withstand the other party's offensive and would run away.
Besides, she doesn't have much time left.
The sun is about to rise, and daytime is approaching.
Ishtar is about to awaken; she is about to leave this body.
Before leaving, Ereshkigal was eager to know Kotomine Shirou's answer.
"My opinion?"
Kotomine Shirou paused, his thoughts drifting into his own mind.
His brain began to think rapidly.
But he couldn't get an answer for a while.
"I'm sorry, I can't give you the advice you're looking for right now."
"I can't believe it," said Shirou Kotomine apologetically.
"Can't you offer an opinion?"
Disappointment was evident in Ereshkigal's eyes.
"Yes, after all, this is an idea you've held onto for tens of thousands of years. I can't possibly come up with an answer instantly. Please give me some time to think about it."
"How about this: I'll give you my answer when we meet again, Buddha!"
Kotomine Shirou asked earnestly.
"OK!"
Ereshkigal quickly agreed.
She had already abandoned her feelings of disappointment.
Seeing how seriously Shirou Kotomine was taking it, Ereshkigal was also incredibly happy.
"See you next time!"
See you next time!
Having said that, Ereshkigal quickly fled from Shirou Kotomine's sight and disappeared without a trace.
Only Shirou Kotomine remained on the hillside, watching the sunrise.
"A new day has begun."
Kotomine Shirou sighed with a smile.
Shortly after sunrise, Shirou Kotomine and his party, having eaten their rations after getting up, set off again.
After a long and arduous journey, they soon returned to Uruk.
But before they even entered Uruk, they sensed a strange atmosphere.
Before they could figure things out, Siduri quickly walked out of Uruk, followed by many people familiar to Shirou Kotomine.
These buildings are the administrative center of Uruk.
"What's wrong, Siduri? Why did everyone come together?"
"Your Highness, the King has fallen into eternal sleep on his throne due to overwork. We beseech you to assume the throne and lead the people of Uruk in the fight."
Siduri said sadly.
"ah!?"
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