"So," Brunhilde started, crossing her arms as she looked up and stared at Zenkichi with a dirty look. "mind explaining yourself as to what is going on here?"
Zenkichi rubbed his head, looking around the room to find everyone staring at him. "Well, first off, Ereshkigal kidnapped me."
They turned towards her, Ereshkigal let out an "eep" sound when Brunhilde and Altria glared at her. "I-It wasn't intentional! I was severely injured a-and out of desperation....I used a spell to get help. But I didn't expect to kidnap Zenkichi! I swear!"
"Really?" Brunhilde leaned forward, narrowed eyes, scrutinizing Ereshkigal's eyes. "Hm. You don't seem to be lying. Alright. I'll let you off the hook, for now."
"However!" She then turned back towards Zenkichi. "It's been about a week since you were gone, and it's hard to believe that helping out this Goddess over here would take you that long."
Zenkichi blinked. "Wait, what? A week?! But I've only been gone for about a day!"
"Huh?" Brunhilde, Altria and the rest looked at in confusion. Brunhilde placed a hand over his forehead and said, "What are you talking about? It's been days! Oh Gods, did you hit your head or something? I don't think you have a fever though..."
Zenkichi frowned as Brunhilde placed her hand on his forehead. "No, I didn't hit my head," he said, gently brushing her hand away. "And I am pretty sure I've only been gone for a day, not a week."
"Nuh-uh."
"Yeah-uh."
Ereshkigal raised her hand nervously, stepping forward. "Um, excuse me..." she muttered. When everyone turned to look at her, she cleared her throat. "T-That might've been my fault as well..."
She froze up, a chill running down her spine. 'Bloodlust?!'
"Hmm? Now, what do you mean by that?" Altria sweetly smiled at her. However, in Ereshkigal's eyes, it was like she looking at a demon.
Altria was normally a gentle and kind person, outside of battle that is, and she would regard most people with compassion and fairness. Some people would also think of her as 'mommy' after getting to know her for a bit.
However, when the situation called for it—especially when it involved her master, friends or something important—her demeanor could shift dramatically. In battle, or when she felt a sense of duty or protectiveness, she could become a force of nature, and right now, Ereshkigal was seeing the latter.
Her usually warm and composed expression was overshadowed by the weight of her concern for Zenkichi, and even though she was trying to remain polite, her intensity was palpable.
"I understand accidents happen," Altria said slowly, her gaze piercing through Ereshkigal. "But when it comes to the safety of my master, I don't take kindly to....surprises like this."
Ereshkigal swallowed hard, nodding quickly. "I-I swear, it was an accident. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I promise! See, what happened was...." she then quickly explained to them the time dilation between the underworld and the living realm.
"....And tearing through the barrier that separates the underworld and the human realm probably even distorted time further," Ereshkigal explained hurriedly, wringing her hands nervously.
Altria furrowed her brows. "So you're saying that because of the rift between the realms, Zenkichi experienced time differently? While we were searching for him for a week, it only felt like a day to him?"
Ereshkigal nodded quickly. "Exactly! The time distortion was an unintended consequence."
Brunhilde huffed, rolling her eyes. "Great. So we were running around, worried sick, and all because of some underworld time glitch."
Zenkichi scratched the back of his head. "I had no idea that was happening. Honestly, it felt like I'd only been here for a day… maybe a bit more."
Altria sighed, her tense shoulders finally relaxing. "Alright. As long as he's safe."
"Um, so, Zenkichi." Gudako stepped forward, looking up at him with a raised brow. "Mind explaining what exactly happened here? Why are you hanging out with Quetzalcoatl?"
Zenkichi gave an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, like I said, Ereshkigal kind of....accidentally pulled me into the underworld. After that, Jaguarman found us first, we then....met a few of those monsters of sin and then we met Quetzalcoatl." he then recounted his encounter with Greed and Sloth.
"That happened before I arrived? Aaah..." Quetzalcoatl pouted, crossing her arms.
"They appeared here as well...? This is troublesome." Merlin muttered with a deep frown on his face.
"As well? What do you mean by that?" Zenkichi's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, did another monster of sin appeared as well?!"
Gudako, Brunhilde, and the others shared a look.
Gudako nodded and said. "While you were gone, the northern wall was under heavy attack once more. The King ordered me to guard some weapons he would sent over to the walls to help fortify it, and I thought we might find some clues about you there as well—Myself, Mash and Ana decided to do it."
"When we arrived there—it was a literal bloodbath." Gudako's face went completely pale, pinched her nose and closed her eyes, seemingly trying to erase the memory. "The stench of death was overwhelming, and the ground was soaked in so much blood that it was almost an ocean! Oh god, I can still smell it."
Zenkichi's face hardened. "That bad, huh.... Then, the northern wall?"
Mash shook her head and said. "Fortunately, it hadn't fallen when we arrived. It was only thanks to the sacrifices of the many soldiers and the help of Leonidas, Ushiwakamaru and Benkei..."
"...How are they?"
Mash closed her eyes, "Physically, they're fine. Mentally however...."
"Benkei almost went on a murderous rampage, like a beast, a while after waking up from a nightmare." Ana softly added, sadness within her eyes.
Zenkichi's expression darkened, his fists clenching. "Benkei.... developed PTSD?"
Ana nodded solemnly. "Whatever he experienced that day when the northern wall was under heavy attack... it broke something inside him. The weight of the bloodshed, the deaths of his comrades—he's been haunted by it ever since."
Zenkichi's fists tightened further, his knuckles turning white. "What the hell happened?"
Mash said, "From what Leonidas told us, it was similar to Gluttony—it looked humanoid demon, but with a skeletal build, with deep red skin almost like blood, and prominent long horns and sharp crimson blades protruding out of its shoulders."
(AN: Think of the Yaksha King from Black Myth Wukong)
Gudako then added, "That....monster, completely overwhelmed them. It wasn't anything like Gluttony, from Leonidas and Ushiwakamaru's statements, it fought like a seasoned warrior. Saying that although it radiated intense hatred, anger, and desire to kill....it still managed to maintain a terrifying level of control and precision."
"Every strike was calculated, every movement deliberate. It wasn't just driven by rage—it wielded it, like a weapon." She shuddered, recalling the reports. "The soldiers stood no chance against it. Not even Leonidas, Ushiwakamaru and Benkei could take it down directly."
Zenkichi clenched his jaw, his mind racing. "A warrior monster....fueled by wrath but not blinded by it. That's a whole different kind of threat."
"Oooh! ¡Interesante! That monster would be a worthy desafiador," Quetzalcoatl exclaimed excitedly, clasping her hands and grinning happily, her eyes burning intensely.
They sweatdropped at her.
"The Monster of Wrath....well, that's a no brainer." Brunhilde commented.
"How did they make Wrath retreat?" Zenkichi asked, realizing that they hadn't defeated the monster but only temporarily.
Gudako hesitated for a moment before answering, her voice quiet. "They didn't exactly make Wrath retreat....Leonidas said it seemed like Wrath suddenly lost interest in the fight. Right in the middle of the chaos, it just... stopped. It looked around, almost like it was searching for something, then it turned and walked away."
Mash nodded, "The scouts said that they saw it taking residence to a fortress city beyond the wall called Niddur, but its residents..."
They went silent for a brief moment.
Zenkichi frowned deeper, the gears turning in his mind. "That doesn't make sense. A creature driven by wrath... walking away from a battle it was clearly winning? Something must have diverted its focus, but what?"
Brunhilde crossed her arms, thinking aloud. "Maybe it sensed something more important to its nature. If it's a manifestation of Wrath, it could be seeking out a specific target or source that fuels its anger."
"Or," Altria suggested, her voice steady but serious, "it could be waiting for something—or someone."
Zenkichi's mind raced with questions as he processed the situation. 'Niddur... that's where Wrath has taken residence. In the original timeline, they would have encountered the false Enkidu there, but this feels different. Did something happen to change the order of events? Shouldn't they have gone to the observatory first?'
He clenched his fists, trying to focus on the immediate threat. "So, Wrath is still in Niddur now?"
Gudako nodded, her expression tense. "Yes. Scouts have been keeping an eye on the city. Wrath hasn't moved from Niddur since it took over."
Zenkichi hummed, arms crossed.
"Zenkichi? What's the plan?" Brunhilde asked.
".....Although the situation in the Northern Wall is tensed, but since Wrath isn't moving around for a while, I have destination we need to get to."
"And that is...?"
Zenkichi furrowed his brows and turned towards Ereshkigal, "Everyone, we're going to the underworld!"
.....
AN: Heyo! I'm back! I hope everyone was doing well and I appreciate everyone's support. Now, I am back to writing!
....I seriously don't know what to say, you guys don't want to read what I've been doing for the last couple of weeks right? There's really nothing much to say, considering it's been raining for a while, which meant staying at home.
So, yeah. I just lazed around at home, staring at the ceiling and contemplated about my purpose of existing and what anime to see next.
Welp. See you all next time!
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