The underworld was an incredibly deep space.
The further one descended, the stronger the power of the underworld became.
Li Lin walked cautiously along the winding path, his legs shaking uncontrollably.
He bent over slightly, peered at the bottomless abyss beside him, and felt his eyelids twitch violently.
If I misstep and fall, he thought, I'll definitely be smashed into a pixelated mess.
Fortunately, while the narrow path looked dangerous, nothing actually happened. Li Lin soon arrived at a new, wider road.
"Phew, that scared me to death."
Li Lin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at the road, which was wide enough for about three people to walk side-by-side, he knew he had truly set foot on the path to the underworld.
Legend has it that seven ancient gates stand on the road to the underworld.
These seven gates are a manifestation of the underworld's power and are the absolute scales used by the goddess Ereshkigal to judge the good and evil of the dead.
Only by passing through these seven gates can a wandering soul enter the true place of rest, no longer needing to fear the corruption of the outside world eroding the last remnants of their consciousness.
Li Lin walked through the passage and soon saw the stone gate he was expecting.
To be honest, facing a divine object that could see directly into one's soul made Li Lin a little nervous.
He was worried that his identity as the Demon King of the Seven Deadly Sins would be exposed.
Although the system was concealing him, and this was just a simulation, he couldn't afford to take any chances.
Therefore, Li Lin decided to use a different method to answer the gate's questions.
[Wandering soul, answer! Answer!]
[In this world, good and evil take many forms. In your heart, what is the embodiment of goodness...]
"It is Lady Ereshkigal! All hail Lady Ereshkigal!"
[Eh?!]
Before the stone gate could even finish its sentence, Li Lin blurted out the standard answer.
Hearing Li Lin's response, the stone gate actually froze for a moment.
At that very moment, in the temple of the underworld, Ereshkigal, who had been watching this scene out of boredom, nearly choked.
Li Lin crossed his arms, a slightly smug look on his face.
That's right. The so-called "different method" was to strike first and seize the opponent's weakness before the gate could even ask about good and evil.
Based on her performance in the story of FGO's seventh singularity, Li Lin knew that the gate was actually connected to Ereshkigal herself.
In other words, whatever he said in front of the gate, Ereshkigal could hear it clearly from her temple.
A faint smile graced Li Lin's lips.
After all, how could a soul who praised the goddess of the underworld so fervently possibly be a bad person?
Sure enough, after a moment of silence, the tightly shut stone gate slowly swung open.
Seeing this, Li Lin walked in without hesitation.
For the next six gates, Li Lin repeated the same process, inputting his cheat code.
Gate: [In this world, subjective views on beauty are many. Who is the most...]
"It is Lady Ereshkigal!"
"Ereshkigal is the most beautiful goddess!"
Gate: [...]
[The most gentle...]
"It is Lady Ereshkigal!"
Gate: [...]
Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.
Right now, in the depths of the underworld, Ereshkigal was completely stunned.
Her small mouth was slightly agape, and a blush crept onto her cheeks.
As the goddess of the underworld, this was the first time she had ever seen a man pass through the gates like this.
Well, I'll be damned. That's a new one.
However, even though she knew Li Lin's words were most likely just flattery, for some reason, Ereshkigal couldn't stop herself from wanting to open the gates for him.
And for a man who had arrived in the underworld in such a special way, Ereshkigal felt a rare urge to go and meet him in person.
...
Meanwhile, Li Lin, having just passed the seventh gate, was happily skipping along the final stretch of the path.
For him, being able to clear the seven gates so easily was a pleasant surprise.
It suggested that in this Age of Gods, Ereshkigal was likely not as dark and ruthless as she was in the original myths. Instead, she was probably closer to the version fused with Rin Tohsaka.
Of course, a guess was just a guess. Nothing was certain until he met her in person.
Just as Li Lin was cheerfully walking down the path, hoping his theory was correct, his foot suddenly stepped on a small pebble. He stumbled and fell right off the cliff!
"Aaaaaahhhhh—!"
A fierce wind roared in his ears!
Just as Li Lin thought he was about to be smashed to death, an unexpected cry of surprise suddenly sounded from beneath him.
"Kyaa—?!"
Thump—!
He didn't feel the hard ground he expected. Instead, a warmth and softness emanated from beneath him.
Li Lin frowned in confusion. He felt his mouth had touched something.
It was soft, springy, and warm, with a slight parting in the middle.
In that instant, for reasons unknown, Li Lin subconsciously stuck out his tongue.
"Mmph—?!"
Ereshkigal, pinned to the ground, was utterly shocked!
Her red eyes widened, and her brain began to short-circuit.
Time seemed to stand still.
In the land of the dead, the two of them held each other in an embrace.
An unknown amount of time passed.
A crystalline thread of saliva was slowly drawn between their lips, connecting them like the lingering strands of a broken lotus root.
"..."
Li Lin looked down at the blonde goddess lying beneath him.
Her delicate face was completely flushed, and a faint trace of moisture glistened at the corner of her mouth.
Because the situation had been so intense and sudden, her chest was heaving, and her long, slender legs were pressed tightly together.
As if... she were guarding against something?
"Uh..."
Li Lin's eyelid twitched violently. He had a feeling that disaster was imminent.
However, for the sake of his own life, he wanted to try and struggle just a little bit.
And so, holding his breath, Li Lin began to carefully climb off Ereshkigal.
Phew~~, that was close~. Gotta run before she comes to her senses!
Li Lin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and then, on tiptoe, tried to sneak away.
However, just as he took his first step, an incredibly strong hand clamped down on his shoulder from behind!
"And—where—do—you—think—you're—going!"
A voice that sounded like it had crawled out of the depths of hell slowly rose from behind Li Lin!
Accompanying the voice was the image of a figure with furious, arched eyebrows, narrowed eyes, and a cold sneer, seemingly wreathed in flames.
Eek—!!!!!
...
Inside the great cavern in the depths of the underworld.
An endless aura of death permeated the air.
Li Lin knelt on the ground, his head bowed low.
Like a child who had done something wrong, he awaited judgment from the superior being before him.
And seated on the throne of the underworld was Ereshkigal. She had her arms crossed and her legs propped up, her red eyes staring daggers at the man kneeling before her.
"Um, if I said this was all a misunderstanding... would you believe me?"
Kneeling on the ground, Li Lin's eyelid twitched. He looked up with a bitter expression and asked weakly.