The return trip was far quicker than the journey out. Driving their horses hard, they made it from Kutha back to Uruk in just a single day.
To avoid causing a panic among the people of Uruk, Ereshkigal donned a cloak, pulling the hood low over her face as she followed them into the city.
Once inside, the carriage stopped at the garrison within the city walls to rest and swap out the horses.
"I forgot to ask earlier—why did you join the Three Goddess Alliance to destroy Mesopotamia?"
During the rest period, Shiomi looked over at Ereshkigal, who was speaking with Sakura, and posed the question.
The question caught her off guard. She lowered her head, her face shadowed, her expression unreadable.
"...I can't forgive what Mesopotamia has become," she said slowly, her voice low. It was a sentiment she had meant to leave behind, something she hadn't intended to bring up while cooperating with Chaldea and Uruk. "I can't accept a world that casts aside its gods and tries to build something that belongs solely to humanity."
"And your reason?" Shiomi asked evenly, pressing for a clearer answer.
"Because that path only leads to pain. Humanity can't escape the suffering of life or the fear of death. Trying to fully accept reality as it is... their intellect has simply grown too much," she said. "You, of all people, should understand how fortunate it is to be free from death."
"...Fortunate, huh." Shiomi didn't offer a clear response.
What he saw was simply a more resilient life—one capable of carrying out its responsibilities and doing everything within its power.
"This is the Age of Gods. There are things here that humans can't understand. To place all the irrationality and cruelty of the world onto the gods, and then live with that as a kind of peace of mind... I believe that mindset is what you'd call 'good,'" Ereshkigal said. "It's how I've endured for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. That's why I joined the alliance."
"'Good'..." Shiomi let out a soft sigh. He wasn't eager to empathize with divine values, but even so, something about it resonated. "Sounds a lot like Angra Mainyu—bearing all the world's evil for the sake of humanity."
"It's not quite the same, but there are similarities. I don't hate humans. What I hate is a human world that no longer needs gods," Ereshkigal said.
"So in other words, you were never humanity's enemy to begin with," Shiomi finally understood.
And because she wasn't their enemy, when someone came along who could accept cooperation without prejudice, Ereshkigal was willing to give it a try.
"You really get it. No wonder you're Sakura's father," Ereshkigal said lightly.
Apparently, when she'd spoken privately with Sakura earlier, the girl had come to a similar understanding.
"There's something you might not know," Shiomi said. "The King of Magecraft said something similar. He, too, despaired over life's inability to overcome death. That's why he planned the grand undertaking of the Human Order Incineration."
"I don't know what kind of person the King of Magecraft was... but if he aimed to free life from death entirely, to recreate the world from the ground up... I can actually understand that," Ereshkigal said with a sigh.
Shiomi let out a dry chuckle. "Maybe your descent into this Singularity wasn't just coincidence. Maybe it was something deeper."
"Perhaps something like 'destiny,'" came a sudden voice from behind.
He turned in surprise. "Weren't you at the northern wall, Artoria?"
"The Demon God Pillars have eased up slightly, and the magical beasts have pulled back for now," Artoria replied. "I was worried about Master's safety, so I came to check in while you were entering the city."
When Shiomi and the others entered the underworld, they weren't the only ones to notice something was wrong.
As his contracted Servant, Artoria had also realized she'd lost contact with him.
If the flow of mana between them had been completely severed, she might have assumed something serious had happened and abandoned her post to pursue him in Kutha.
Fortunately, the interruption hadn't lasted long enough for that to happen.
"I only made a trip to the underworld and back. I already explained it to you via thought transmission," Shiomi said apologetically. "You didn't have to come all this way."
"Dun Stallion can cover a thousand miles in a day. From the northern wall to here is just the blink of an eye," Artoria stepped forward and firmly countered his words.
"...Fair enough." Realizing that continuing the argument would just seem insensitive, Shiomi chose to meet her concern with a silent, understanding gaze.
"Since I've confirmed Master is safe, I'll return to the front lines now. I'll ask about the underworld in detail once I'm back on rotation," Artoria said. Her clear voice held the faintest trace of gentleness, almost imperceptible.
"Honestly..." Shiomi gave a soft chuckle.
Turning around, he noticed Ereshkigal staring, clearly stunned.
"What's with you? You're a goddess too, aren't you? And not just any goddess—the one from the Tower at the End, right? Just what is going on with Chaldea?"
"Impressive that you recognized her so quickly," Shiomi said with a wry smile, unfazed by the reaction.
Gods could naturally sense each other's nature in an instant.
"I'm just a Servant now. I came here from Avalon to watch over my Master's path and lend what little strength I can," Artoria said calmly, offering a courteous greeting. "My true name is Artoria Pendragon. A pleasure to meet you, goddess of the underworld."
"...Likewise." Ereshkigal forced a smile.
In her understanding, the goddess of the Tower at the End should've been far more cold and emotionless. Yet Artoria radiated warmth and humanity.
...Then again, possessing a human might have made them more alike than she wanted to admit.
"The moment you caught your Master's scent, you galloped all the way from the northern wall? Is your nose sharper than any of the hounds you used to raise, Artoria?" Morgan walked over, teasing her.
"How rude! My Master isn't even—" Artoria flushed and was about to retort.
A thunderous boom erupted from Uruk's southern gate, instantly killing the mood.
"What was that?"
Positioned at the eastern gate, Shiomi immediately contacted Chaldea.
"Not sure yet. The Director and Gray are still inside the city—they're heading to the south gate now!" Romani responded quickly.
Most of Uruk's elite forces were stationed at the northern wall, leaving the inner city relatively unguarded.
Whether it was magical beasts or something else, a breach would mean devastating losses.
"There's no time! Master, I'm counting on you to handle things here—!"
Shiomi reached out, placing a hand on Artoria's and Morgan's shoulders. With a burst of wind, the three of them vanished from the east gate.