Rozen could think of the connection between Ishtar and Ereshkigal—so of course Merlin could too.
The helper that Merlin mentioned before departure was, in fact, Ishtar.
Though Ishtar is a goddess—and had once descended into the underworld only to suffer a miserable defeat—due to her relationship with Ereshkigal, and the fact that things may go smoother the second time, having Ishtar's assistance in descending to the underworld might significantly reduce complications.
That's why Merlin previously brought up the idea of seeking help—he wanted Rozen to find Ishtar.
Naturally, Rozen had considered that as well.
But he originally thought that Ishtar would refuse to help.
After all, her previous descent into the underworld ended so tragically.
Under such circumstances, it would be surprising if the goddess dared set foot in the underworld again.
And yet, upon hearing the news that Ereshkigal had manifested and that the underworld still existed, Ishtar surprisingly agreed to help of her own accord.
Considering the relationship between Ishtar and Ereshkigal, perhaps there was something unknown between them that gave Ishtar the courage to help Rozen descend to the underworld—even after suffering such a miserable defeat.
Regardless, having Ishtar, someone familiar with the underworld, join them was undoubtedly a good thing.
"Anyway, I don't want my body to be tampered with again. Might as well go face that girl and give her a proper scolding."
Ishtar emphasized this.
"You all just follow me closely and obey my instructions on the way. Got it?"
After saying that, Ishtar began taking deep breaths, as if bracing herself mentally.
"Okay!"
After adjusting her state, Ishtar soared into the sky, even crushing several gemstones to refill her mana, letting waves of energy flow into her body.
"Miss Ishtar?"
Seeing this, Mash grew nervous.
"What are you trying to do?"
Even Rozen felt a sense of foreboding.
"Fou! Fou~!"
Fou, who stood on Rozen's head, trembled slightly as well.
A mischievous grin spread across Ishtar's face, radiating an evil aura.
"Even though I agreed to guide you, just thinking about how I lost to you twice really pisses me off, so don't blame me. Just think of it as punishment for your disrespect toward a goddess—take this!"
As she declared this, the mana she had just recovered from the gemstones was all unleashed in an instant.
"Maanna!"
Ishtar pointed toward Rozen and Mash below, summoning the Sky Boat Maanna to circle quickly overhead, gathering all her mana into a massive arrow of light.
"Miss Ishtar!?"
Mash cried out in alarm.
"What are you doing!?"
Everyone back in Chaldea panicked.
"This is bad!"
Rozen instantly realized what Ishtar was about to do. Without thinking, he grabbed Mash, and the jet-black feathered cloak on his body flared without wind, spreading outward to shield the front.
"Take this!"
Without mercy, Ishtar pulled the trigger on her magical power, and the arrow of light shot forth like a meteor, slamming toward the earth.
BOOM!
The next second, a deafening explosion echoed across the land.
One corner of the city of Kutha collapsed entirely.
Rumble...!
In a pitch-black cavern like a bottomless abyss, the ground gave way with a massive crash, and countless boulders poured down like a torrential rain.
A figure wrapped in a jet-black feathered cloak fell alongside the rubble, plummeting deeper and deeper underground.
"That idiot goddess!"
Rozen muttered in exasperation. Holding the still-shaken Mash in his arms, he fell through the abyss under the protection of Kinu.
Eventually, the ground emerged beneath them. The falling rocks slammed into it with a heavy crash.
Rozen descended lightly, still cradling Mash.
"Are you okay?"
He asked the girl in his arms.
"Y-Yeah..."
Mash finally snapped out of it. Though still a little shaken, she managed to calm down.
Meanwhile, Ishtar also descended from the sky.
"Perfect! One blow directly opened the path to the underworld! As expected of me!"
Ishtar puffed up with pride.
In response, a hand chop came flying.
Whack!
"Ow—!"
The impact exploded on Ishtar's head, and the unruly goddess clutched her head and squatted down in pain.
"I should never have trusted you!"
Rozen retracted his chopping hand with a cold snort.
"You dare strike a goddess on the head? That's blasphemy!"
Ishtar cried with teary eyes.
Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!
However, her protest only earned her more hand chops.
"I'm performing a public service!"
Rozen kept chopping at her head while smiling without warmth.
"Oww! Stop! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Please stop!"
Ishtar cried out repeatedly, trying to fight back—but with no mana left, she could only protect her head and whimper, her voice carrying a hint of tears.
"Enough, Senpai. Please forgive Miss Ishtar. She didn't mean any harm. It's not her fault the underworld happens to be under Kutha."
Mash hurried forward to mediate, grabbing Rozen's hand mid-swing.
"Still, using such a reckless method to enter the underworld? Couldn't she have picked a more peaceful way?"
Rozen rolled his eyes but finally stopped.
After all, repeatedly chopping someone's head hurt his own hand too. It was far more comfortable to just be held by his voluptuous kouhai.
"Ugh... you're going to be cursed..."
Ishtar muttered, clutching her head and sobbing quietly.
Rozen ignored the airheaded goddess and raised his eyes to survey their surroundings.
They now stood in a dim and lightless underground world.
Rock walls surrounded them on all sides.
The temperature was extremely low.
There wasn't a trace of light—only ghostly flames floated around, flickering up and down.
They stood on ground like a stone bridge, with bottomless cliffs on either side. Below the cliffs, nothing could be seen—but an unnatural chill surged upwards.
"So this is the underworld?"
Rozen could sense that the miasma of death here was unimaginably thick.
If an ordinary person stayed in a place like this, their body temperature would probably drop to freezing in minutes—and they'd weaken and die soon after.
Fwoosh...
Rozen's jet-black feathered cloak flared as though burning, emitting motes of fire.
Shing...
The fine ring on Rozen's finger shimmered, radiating warmth.
Kinu and Gyokuto were doing their utmost to shield Rozen from harm.
But as these two familiars exerted their power, deep within the underworld, a girl lifted her head.
"This presence..."
Her quiet murmur echoed through the surroundings.
It was cold—and filled with loneliness.