No one knew how much time had passed before the undead monsters invading Uruk were finally wiped out or driven away, and peace returned once more to the city.
Thanks to the retreat of Ryougi Shiki, Rozen and his companions were able to join the battle.
Combined with Gilgamesh's prior preparations against undead monsters—having already devised countermeasures—the invasion was successfully repelled.
Fortunately, the undead monsters attacking Uruk relied primarily on overwhelming numbers.
If enemies on the level of the northern demonic beasts like Ugaal or Bashmu, or southern army elites like wyverns, had appeared among them, this crisis would have been far more difficult to resolve.
Thus, one could say this crisis was a narrow escape—dangerous, yet ultimately managed without catastrophe.
However, that's not to say it came without any cost.
Even though Gilgamesh had ordered the citizens to remain indoors and avoid releasing the scent of the living—so as not to attract death-type monsters—how could ordinary people possibly hide the presence of life?
The citizens of Uruk were just regular humans—not Magi, not warriors.
Even if they wanted to suppress their presence, it wasn't something they could just do on command.
As a result, Uruk still suffered casualties.
This time, a total of 824 people were attacked by undead monsters.
After being wounded and falling into a weakened state, their souls were directly taken away by the Garula spirits.
Adding the 113 casualties from before, nearly a thousand lives had been lost in Uruk over just two days—souls taken to the underworld and cast into eternal slumber.
This was no laughing matter.
How many people lived in Uruk to begin with?
To have such a high death toll in just two days—when the problem wasn't even fully resolved—was unquestionably a serious issue that could not be ignored.
Due to this incursion, the scent of death blanketing Uruk had grown even more intense. Many within the city were now displaying signs of physical weakness.
At this rate, more and more souls might be forcibly dragged into the underworld.
"Looks like we'll have to deal with the Underworld Goddess first."
That day, Rozen and company were summoned by Siduri to the King's Hall of the Divine Tower, where Gilgamesh, seated on his throne, wasted no time dropping this matter on them.
Mash and Anna were stunned.
Merlin, having spent the previous night erecting new protective wards, was currently nodding off—his face occasionally swatted by Fou, perched on his shoulder.
Only Rozen sighed, as if he had already anticipated this development.
Because this meant one thing.
"You want us to go down to the Underworld and find Ereshkigal, don't you, King Gilgamesh?"
Rozen voiced what was clearly on Gilgamesh's mind.
"Correct," Gilgamesh replied, without the slightest attempt to hide his intentions. "Ereshkigal will not leave the Underworld. To resolve her issue, one must descend there. And since only your group has the power to face a goddess, there's no alternative."
For Gilgamesh to speak so plainly, it showed there truly was no other way.
Rozen didn't object.
After all, Chaldea and Uruk stood on the same side.
If Uruk fell, human history would fall with it.
Both parties shared the same goal: protect humanity and protect Uruk.
That meant a direct confrontation with the Three Goddess Alliance was inevitable.
In that case, Rozen had no choice but to go.
But still…
"Do we… really have to enter the Underworld?"
"It is the Underworld, after all."
"We're the living—are we really supposed to go there?"
From the communicator on Rozen's wrist, the anxious voices of Chaldea's staff rang out one after another.
Understandably so. Even Chaldea, which prided itself on Spiritron Transfers across time, felt uneasy about this.
The Underworld—by definition—was a place for the dead.
It was essentially Sumer's hell, or its version of Yomi.
Even in the Age of Gods, the Underworld was simply another world beneath the surface—but that didn't change the fact that it was a realm of the dead.
To enter such a place might very well mean never returning—losing one's life, vanishing from the world of the living, and becoming one of the dead.
A one-way trip. A death sentence.
Ishtar was a prime example. That proud goddess, armed with countless authorities, forced her way into the Underworld—and still ended up being torn limb from limb.
Thus, even though the Underworld was technically just a subterranean realm in this age, nearly no one who entered ever returned.
Those who did… would go on to be remembered as legends.
Like the one seated on the throne—the King of Uruk—a living testament.
Only such a king could speak as he did:
"It's just the Underworld. With your power, surely you won't be trapped down there, will you?"
That was Gilgamesh's assertion.
"I don't expect you to retrieve every soul already taken and resurrect the dead. But at the very least, have Ereshkigal withdraw the scent of death and the Garula spirits."
Even that would be exceedingly difficult.
After all, she had sent those very things for the purpose of reaping lives. To expect her to recall them now… was a laughable idea.
It might be easier to simply defeat her.
Though Ereshkigal was nearly invincible within the Underworld, a true goddess whose authority none—god or hero—could resist, there was one exception:
The living.
Only the living could resist the laws of the realm of the dead.
So, if Rozen were to enter the Underworld as a living being, Ereshkigal's invincibility would no longer apply.
That was precisely why the Underworld was off-limits to the living—not just because it was sacred, but because they posed a threat to its goddess.
Of course, even without her invincibility, Ereshkigal was still a goddess.
Her divinity and authority might only be mid-tier, but she was still far beyond what any normal human could handle.
That was why Gilgamesh said that Rozen and his companions were the only ones capable of confronting her.
"So? Will you accept this commission?"
Gilgamesh still asked, for formality's sake.
At that moment, Rozen recalled Ryougi Shiki's words:
"If you truly wish to resolve the issue with the Three Goddess Alliance, then come to the Underworld."
"That goddess, who's been forcing herself so hard, probably needs you."
Remembering those words, Rozen fell silent in thought—
And made his decision.