★ ★ Horizon between both battlegrounds ★ ★
"Have you eyed anything, Atalanta?"
"Negative. Nothing abnormal or resembling the orb has shown itself on the south, west, or east fronts."
I never would've believed the catastrophe a beast class threat could bring if it wasn't being displayed before my eyes...
The sea's influence has engulfed the entire scope of the battleground, and at this rate, the possibility it could swallow Earth isn't looking like a mere chance anymore. Everyone has no choice but to fight in the air now with Merlin's spell, I only pray master can reach the surface before it floods even the Underworld...
"-Atalante." A gentle call shook my thoughts, pulled from the recesses of my mind, my gaze drifted back to the saint whom I shared a wyvern with.
"Y-Yeah? Is there a problem, Ruler? Did we miss the orb unlike we originally thought?"
"Nothing quite that grave... just a question. You've been absent since you decided to take this task. You almost missed boarding the wyvern on our flight out of the forest, and you didn't say a word in the final strategy meeting. It's uncharacteristic for you to be so inattentive."
"...What's been causing you substantial worry, Atalante?"
"I... Is my face portraying how I'm feeling that clearly? I threw my hands to my face, astonished, running them all over to feel the expression I was making.
"A tad. It's more than the tepid expression normally seen on you, so it speaks volumes. What thoughts refuse to leave you at peace?"
"I see..." Striking in the momentary pause our talk turned to, a herald of light sparkled in the far distance, cleaving the melancholic atmosphere between Jeanne and me as from the scattering light emerged the rise of a dragon.
Watching the majestic purplish-white scales of the mythological creature Silva transformed into shimmer in the warm atmospheric light, the halfling took flight. Countless golden portals took place in the sky surrounding him, letting loose the weapons held within them as consecutive blasts violently echoed on the faraway warzone front.
Debris from the tremoring shockwaves blew in, flying past the heads of Ruler and me as coming up out of the smoke appeared Silva, the path of my eyes following wherever he went across the battlefield as the bleak words I'd been reigning in flowed out. "I guess you could say... my misdeeds of the past are... resurfacing... reminding me that they still refuse to let me break from them."
Noting my tail swishing around, unable to settle down from the nervousness I felt, I brushed my greenish-yellow hair in place, taking in a breath.
"I was... surprised Silva was happy with my being here when he first arrived. Our relationship didn't start with a particularly happy first exchange of words."
"The fire he caused in his desperation to save Kosmos, I blamed him for it. I couldn't- the part of me that adores children couldn't allow myself to forgive him for burning them to ashes. They were kids, one of life's most innocent wonders, and I clung to that hatred I felt for what he did. I berated him for it, chastised him at any moment I could remind him that if he had protected Kosmos better those kids could still be alive."
Thinking back on it now, however, even before we got over the hurdle and became friends, he never refuted anything I said or directed the slightest showing of anger at me. Silva only ever replied with a formal, "I know," or pat my head to my annoyance, as if me being friends with Kosmos was enough for him.
"Lost in my hate, I forgot he was a victim in it all too. I... failed to look at him that way, I... disregarded the pain he experienced. After all, Silva was no different from them when it happened, just a kid himself. I learned to accept and embrace that fact, thanks to Kosmos no less forcing me to talk with him while we were out hunting.
"For minutes, just peacefully trading words, it became apparent he felt remorse for the children he annihilated; "There exists no such thing as evil kids, just innocent kids influenced and shaped to the will of their immoral adult role models." That was the very thing he told me."
"Since that day, we chatted more often. About hunting, beautiful spots in nature, racing, things we suffered dealing with our dad or stepdad, and on occasions when we watched over the ship while the others rested he would teach me methods on how to counter traditional close-quarters fighters and more beast-like fighting styles as well should I find myself cornered. The time I dedicated to getting to know him was pleasant, but proved to be just as unkind... a day arrived in our adventure when he never returned to the ship. He left without nary an explanation as to why, and eventually, Kosmos herself left to seek out where he and Sephira had disappeared to."
"The personal reason I mentioned for wanting to take a suicide dive after the last of his memories, was this. I never got the opportunity to apologize for the unfair way I treated him, so I thought attempting this risk would be my way of conveying that. To make amends. There's that and... some part of me was hoping I'd get to see Sephira for a final time."
My secrets spilled to Jeanne, I felt the lift in my shoulders naturally return. My tail lay across my lap in quiet silence and I couldn't keep myself from touching the soft fur I easily forgot I had as the tension in it dispersed with the pent-up emotions I'd finally let free.
"These things you revealed to me, it's why you stayed away from him in the beginning in case he grew to hate you in secret the years you weren't in contact. And once it became known his memory was gone you were hoping to redo your friendship from the start. You've been forcing yourself to neglect the things you've wanted to say to him since he arrived, the dam you've built has come tumbling down... see."
Lending a finger to my cheek, the pressure it radiated with Jeanne's warmth was comforting as she slid the forefinger up just past my eye.
On display, was the tiniest life of a tear held by Ruler, her other hand making a quick break for my face as I felt others flowing down. "Let them fall, something tells me by the incredulity you're exhibiting on your face this is the first time you've realized the strong bond of friendship you had with these people. The things you experienced with them, the value of how much they considered your life to be important to them... it's alright for you to accept the reality that you were cherished. That not only the beasts you befriended in your myth can come to like you, Atalanta."
"...Funny, Kosmos said roughly the same words. At the time, I thought it was just fluff she was speaking. Hearing them again now though I can't help but ponder if Sephira and Silva felt the same of me as she did."
"You consider highly of their opinion, archer?"
"Maybe secretly, but I doubt that's it. I'm sure it was because the three of us were similar to one another in ways most of the others couldn't understand, the fact that we had a more beastly side lurking deep within that we kept hidden. That sole connection belonging to us is what makes me wonder if they held me in higher regard than the words Kosmos said to me that day. I feel it's also why I confidently say that if Sephira was here, this fight with Silva wouldn't be happening. He wouldn't have given in to the dark temptations of his mind if she was by his side."
"You speak of her a greater deal more than Nero did previously. Did you know her longer?"
"I think it would be more accurate to say Nero merely knows of Sephira through the various letters I saw Kosmos address to Rome throughout our travels and has never met her as I have. If she ever did, I'm sure she could immediately tell that Silva considered Sephira and another halfling his closest friends. Sephira alone though suffered through the same pain as Silva."
"You mean they were both halflings rejected by the dragons?" Jeanne inquired, peering north over the wyvern for the third time since our conversation initiated.
"There was that," I half nodded to Ruler's guess, taking a breather to do much the same as she had and check the remaining directions, immediately brought with disappointment when no sightings of the orb breaking the black waters' surface greeted me.
"Sephira as well had no emotions to speak of. While Silva had sealed his away to help deal with the regret he felt failing Kosmos, the abusive trauma he faced at his stepdad's hands, and other hells he endured, Sephira's were stolen by an immortal."
"The duo of those two were seldom seen apart. Despite them being incapable of feeling anything, they complemented one another- were anchors to each other in everything they did. The way they fought, talked, and managed to make up the broken piece of the other's heart... their souls were nothing less than in harmony. If they'd managed to gain their emotions back... I believe they would've realized the deep love they'd unknowingly developed for the other."
"Once Nero gave the idea, I couldn't see any possible memories aside from those of Sephira existing inside. By being the one to take the dive and retrieve the orb I thought I might be able to see her for even a short while and ask for her thoughts, yet if such a thing proves not to happen, I'll be grateful as long as the sphere pacifies Silva."
"...What are you smiling about Jeanne?"
Assaying to shy away from the interrogative scrutiny I cast her way, the saint hid behind the curtain of her blond hair, casually trying to ward off the light laugh she held in.
"Nothing. I just... As much as you say you have a long path ahead to understand master and humanity... it's times like this when attempting to maintain your god-like appearance while sorting through the complex emotions you feel that you seem more human than those at Chaldea despite being a benevolent goddess. Fujimaru-san and Mash seem to have rubbed off quite a bit of themselves onto you."
"You think? I'm pretty sure it's just an effect of hanging around someone as naively innocent as our master." I chided, separating from the teasing atmosphere Jeanne was creating before I said anything that would embarrass me further.
So... back then... not huntress, not archer, nor simply Atalante but your friend, even with all I said and did you considered me something dearly irreplaceable. I guess I can't go letting you down now when you need help now more than ever.
"Hey, Maiden of Orleans-eh?"
There came a call for my name, snatching my attention away from Ruler. While I didn't hear any verbal or mental communication hail for me, some manner of invisible force continued its advances to summon me to their aid, growing louder in their cry.
Yet nothing about the voice, the bewitching way it allured me in and captivated my senses felt unpleasant, instead rather, the very depths of my soul quivered with great expectation the more frequent the quiet shouts for me grew.
"Atalante... Atalan-!!!"
Despite how shoulder-to-shoulder- close we were, Ruler's voice melted away until even my subconscious couldn't identify it. My ears and tail twitched and thrashed in perfect tandem as I ran to the rear of the wyvern, leaving my bow rattling noisily behind in the spot I was just sitting.
My hunter side involuntarily took over. Like I was tracking prey in a winding forest I pranced on all four over the wyvern's thin tail, coming to a halt at its pointed tip to gaze out over the black muddy waters.
There's nothing here... then what is... am...? But this voice I'm hearing sounds identical to-
Woooossshh!!!
A rough wind shut me up, swallowing my complaint by nearly suffocating me in my hair as I saw green and yellow obscure my sight.
Fighting back against the swarm of long, golden locks, my hands ended on the top of my head and began to move from there. Letting the breeze blow the strands into my palms they naturally flowed on their own, the movements second nature as they tied my let-down hair into the long-forgotten hairstyle of twin-tails I'd stopped wearing.
Giving one last twist to complete the task, a pale purple flower floated down before my eyes and rested softly in my palm, the wind finally dying to a standstill as if its true purpose was to deliver the sprouting bud from the beginning.
I've... seen this flower before... on the Argonaut. What was it named again? They named it themselves, it was the only one of its kind ever spotted in Greece because they made it. It was a...
"A Tulip?"
Arriving at my side carrying her flag doubling as her weapon, Ruler peered over my shoulder at the delicate bud sitting gently resting in my hand.
"These don't grow here... or I'd never seen any around. Did you bring it in Atalante?"
"No, but I'm sure it's meant for me. All the same, it helped us find what we've been seeking out.
Following the downward path my pupils took, Jeanne's breath hitched as she took in the view I'd been led to.
Blackness dominated the entire surface of the water, yet, a deep yet dim dazzle the casual untrained eye would miss shone somewhere within the waves fifty meters behind where we'd flown past.
"That's..."
"Yeah. The missing third orb, it has to be. It's the only thing Typhoon ever saw when she was swimming in the waters." I confirmed the synonymous thoughts of mine and Jeanne verbally.
"Now all we have to do is get the wyvern to turn back and dive a little closer to the sea so our dive won't be too deep."
Rushing to the beast's head I took up the reigns and began to direct the creature within the vicinity where our goal lay. Positioning above the location, I stripped free any heavy articles that might weigh me down and increase my time spent in the Primordial Sea as Jeanne greatly illuminated with light, readying her protective Noble Phantasm... until I felt chilling shadows descend upon me.
"Ruler, is something wrong amiss with the spell, what..."
My question answered itself in time as I turned to find Jeanne still shrouded in light, her attention upturned towards the sky, however. Following her example, I happened upon what she had. Dropping the pair of gloved arm guards I'd wrestled off my hands, my face mirrored the massive shock I could see available on the Ruler-class servants'.
Hands trembling, I dared not say out loud my fears, only questioning internally the why of the spectacle I witnessed.
What... are you doing... Silva?
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"Humph!"
Our state of attrition was locked in a firm stalemate.
The gates we controlled were spawned behind us as we let loose flying blades after flying blades as many were shot down like birds being hit by an arrow.
Getting in close would certainly be optimal in taking him down quicker but that's what he's likely expecting. Like me, I can all but bet Gilgamesh has bags and bags of tricks up his sleeves.
Who winds here will come down to who can outcraft the other with intellect and trickery.
...Like so. Haven't used this method in a while...
"Five-Layered Barrier: Gates of Heaven, layer three... red."
In a pentagram formation, several scepters brimming excitedly with magic divulged themselves for portals that had opened up around me.
Now... Eh!?
Bound by the iron-clad swiftness of Gilgamesh's chains abruptly enclosing on my arms, the activation of my third layer timelessly unraveled.
"HA! You take me for a fool, idiot lizard? Like I'd let you activate that particular technique."
Unperturbed by the plasma attacks that hit, I flexed my arm captive in the chains, facing the golden king whose expression remained firm.
"So you know about it then? I half figured I might try and see if you knew what that trick did. That's too bad, I really wanted to show you a nice flower."
"The only gift I'd accept from you is you bending the knee in defeat."
More chains. Slithering from multiple angles, the legendary chains said not even a god could escape from, rolled me up like a snake would a mouse. Tugged at the end of its rope, I was yanked forward as Gilgamesh reeled me towards him.
"See King of Heroes, the thing about being a god killer is...you know how to shut down divine weapons."
"...Divinity Zero."
With my magic sealed by the chains, the flames of my soul burned in their stead, exerting its commanding influence over the area. Subtle jitters fluctuated in the taut hold of the weapon. Like a puppet suddenly being severed from its strings, the chains loosened, wiggling themselves free from their place around my arms, neck, torso, and legs.
"Just like that, one pair of the infamous Chains of Enkidu neutralized. Thanks for the meal, demigod. Now they're nothing more but rusted chains you find in the streets."
"You..."
"Ate their divinity, yeah. While not as well known, there were rumors that I ate whatever gods I slew... guess they were accurate in a way. I don't consume deities, I devour their divinity from time to time though, and then completely erase that it ever existed. I wonder what other divine snacks you'll provide as a snack, assuming the rumors of your arsenal being limitless hold true."
"...Or better yet, I wonder if you'll even be able to wield your arsenal if I should say... make you entirely mortal... after I feast on your watered-down divinity."
On pins and needles couldn't even half describe the venom figuratively burning the air between us. The thought of our power not being enough to topple the obstacle blocking our goal seemed to irritate us both alike, yet neither of us dared show that weakness on our faces.
Choosing a careful selection of phantasms to launch from his gate, Gilgamesh withdrew a single axe from his treasury and placed his feet on the ground. A declaration of challenging me to close quarters the intent behind his simple movement.
"An invitation, huh? In that case, I extend one for you to look up. Well, your attention will inevitably be attracted in that direction whether you want it to be or not with my surprise unable to keep itself hidden any longer."
Like an eclipse had decided to plunge the world into perpetual twilight, light on Earth was felled by a large shadow falling over the planet. Verbal shock from the distant shores of Mesopotamia to those on the battlefield close by was received by my sharp hearing as Chaldea's servants' eyes challenged the looming subject above their heads they were seeing.
"You idiotic fool, so you do plan on committing such a nuclear act."
"Wasn't exactly my plan, but I don't see much fault in it. Though it's far more work on my end."
Aiming my sword arm at the sky, I referenced the spherical object silhouette in question- a growing planet.
"New Earth or that's the purpose it shall serve once I've finished it. A new planet, our first one in the starting phase of Mother Tiamat's ambition I suspect."
"And the spare energy you found to carry out this task while fighting us?"
"Spare energy? This is all mine King of Heroes, the amount I've expended simultaneously constructing my project in secret while battling your allied forces would be equivalent to a few snowflakes in a cosmic-sized snow globe. No dent whatsoever."
"...Don't tell me... You thought I was using the souls of the people missing from Uruk's population? How foolhardy. However, an idea has come to mind."
Overtook by a shroud of darkness, small wisps of my void enveloped my hand, evaporating away afterward like water on a sunny day once it extracted what I sought from its inner depths.
Radiant energy, a well in the shape of a glowing azure orb swirling with lively spirits sat in my palm. Construed in stricken grief, Gilgamesh's tongue clicked as I offered up the mystical globe.
"See, pure and untouched, as per our other agreement. Now how about we wage a third deal?"
"Other? There was another arrangement besides the one concerning Tomoe?"
"...You all don't know? Gilgamesh I know has been under the radar for a while, but Typhoon didn't find it necessary to divulge, Okita? Shiki? Serenity?"
Addressing each of the individual girls by their names, every one of their eyes conveyed ignorance as the heads of all three navigated to the singular servant containing the knowledge to the all but recent question of Serenity's.
"Your words never break course of always coming out as volatile as ever. And yet you dare say gods are manipulative beings when you use your words much the same, always using them to goad people into susceptible positions."
"Me... manipulative?" I redundantly reiterated, cocking my head in a puzzled fashion. "You state I'm the same as them, yet immortals speak to a person's desires, only just to exploit them for their benefit. Mine just hold the hard truth. I mean, if we're being frank, I can't say I'm very knowledgeable in how to exploit someone's desires, you'd need to understand how the heart works emotionally... something that will likely remain beyond my comprehension."
"A simple fact I should have taken into more consideration." A disdainful scoff escaped the king, one held with a sort of sting in its sadness as though he looked down upon me with pity. "You're almost similar to Enkidu when they were first created in that regard. Still, those who betray a king's act of benevolence must be ready to pay for their actions, by suffering the king's wrath."
"...You three behind me, the saber and two assassins. There indeed was a secret second deal, you could even say the details of it were simply an extension of the first agreement. The night Quetzalcoatl attacked and Uruk was subsequently burned to the ground... that was planned because I'm the one who started the fires."
"The serpent goddess had been attacking Uruk for some time in a pattern, and I had some inkling of knowledge about the threat of Gorgon. Between Quetz's act of always stealing hundreds of my men with every siege she initiated, and the growing number of danger beasts, plus the others in the alliance... the time when the wall would come crumbling down seemed all but certain. So I enlisted Silva's aid to help me carry out a plan to bring it down the next time Quetzalcoatl was sighted en route to the city."
"The human corpses littering Uruk? Mere conjurations. Killing mortals isn't in the serpent goddess's nature but I had Silva conjure up false look-a-likes of the citizens to make Quetzalcoatl look more menacing to ensure the confrontation between you would be intense. A small precaution in order to make sure no one would notice the plan we were carrying out."
"To sum up, while you all worked to repel Quetzalcoatl, I worked to evacuate the children from the turmoil, taking them to a replica of Uruk Silva built underground, which is where they still are now with a few soldiers to keep watch over them."
"So... hiding under the earth, like ants?"
"I doubt it's anything remotely like you're imagining, Okita. In eras around this period, you used to hear of rivers and trenches whose water sources flowed through large grottos located deep underground where abandoned cities could sometimes be found near them or new ones were constructed in secret with an irrigation system in mind so the water would flow through the city."
"There were even some lucky enough to be built in the deepest reaches of valleys, far down where the conditions were similar to being underground while also managing to keep the city hidden, yet still being above the surface so everyone could feel the sunlight on their skin. Since there aren't any memorable valleys around, one can assume the citizens are living in a situation similar to the first."
"Your assumptions speak well to your intellect, Ryougi. You're undeniably quite clever." Rolling over the wavering winds, a silver line, like a thread splitting open and drawing the blood from someone's heart, Gilgamesh's axe cut me in half.
"Go figure. Guess great minds truly do think alike. No way I'd let my enemy just idly stand in front of me either." Surmising their words with a bitter laugh, the body double I switched out with long ago fell to earth as a heap of mud as I phased out of Gilgamesh's shadow.
I spun on my foot, kicking out my right heel. Brief memories of my foes of the past skulls being crushed faintly resurfaced in my mind as my swift kick reinforced by the destructive pressure it naturally conjured drew closer to the King.
Several golden rifts sprung up. Swords and scepters sprouted from their maws, barring my way for seconds with their arrival...until their steel infrastructure broke and scattered like diamond dust against my offense. The sacrifice they gave provided Gilgamesh with ample time to guard as he swung his axe to meet my strike, safeguarding his cranium.
An all-red spear thrust its way forward next, aiming for the space between my eyes as the weapon manifested from a portal into the hands of the king. With a tilt back and an even larger one forward, I met my opponent's fervorous fighting spirit, colliding against the lance's tip headfirst in a headbutt. The shockwave spanning after our attacks pushed us apart as we each took a tumble in the sand, immediately pouncing for the other's throat yet again before our feet could stop for a fraction of a second.
"And so what about the adults? Where are the parents if not with their kids?" Okita chimed in, interjecting herself in the battle with a leaping slash.
"All me." I caught a barrage of incoming kunai between my fingers, professing myself as the culprit to Okita's question with a dour mood while dodging her sword thrust that clipped my hair and sent small strands gravitating to the ground.
"Remember those azure lights shining throughout the city amongst the fires that night? I'm sure some of you wondered what the phenomenon was. Evacuating both the children and adults would've been... inopportune. Even if we had divided them into small groups, Uruk had too large a population to try and move discreetly while fights were taking place in every corner of the city, so we split up the transporting methods."
"Gilgamesh, as he said, snuck the children and a few guards out on foot. And with his permission, and a quick explanation to the adults, I reduced their bodies down to a pure spiritual form-their souls."
"So those blue lights were-"
"The souls of Uruk's population, me whisking them off the battleground to transport them to the underground Uruk," I concluded the past events, blocking a flurry of knife strikes from Shiki.
"You were to transport them to the new site as per our deal. So why is it the sight that welcomed me upon my arrival was a flourishing city...one of unparalleled brightness yet its streets were filled and echoing with the woes of crying youths? Does your hatred for humanity truly run so deep you would ignore the wailing wishes of children who want to see their parents!?"
"Not at first, but..." His shadow lunging from a great distance, I threw my hand out before me, intercepting the bladed edge of Gilgamesh's axe. Metal fillings chipped off from the axe as it wore itself away, grinding against my soft flesh, yet unable to draw a drop of blood as I pulled myself in close and lowered my words to a whisper.
"I had a change of heart. But tell me Gilgamesh is it the happiness of the majority or the pain of the minority that speaks louder? Trick question. It's always the pain of the few who leave a larger impact. I'm certain you saw their faces. Some part of me feels they're happier with their parents no longer being around."
"So you'd steal away the joy of the kids who are happy? Condemn them to the same fate of misery in this new world you're taking part in creating?"
"And how do you think such happiness stemmed in the first place? The blessings of those who are fortunate are achieved through those who continue to suffer. Even in Uruk, one of the earliest civilizations, thievery, murder, and deceit still exist. People who can rake by due to using and exploiting others do so even in this time. Why let this blood-stained trail that is human history continue to persist?"
"You're doing the same to these humans that the ones in your age did to you. Deciding their roles for them! Having them play the roles of sacrifices in your grand scheme!"
Pitching more of his weight into the blow, the golden axe's durability withheld no longer, chipping into uneven shards without managing to leave a blemish still.
Moving out and away from under the punch I threw, two lances nailed themselves into the tips of my shoes, momentarily pinning me on the spot. Barreling on a straight path for me like a thrown javelin through the air, Shiki tagged in for Gilgamesh, using her daggers to break my guard as I tore the lances from the ground and defended against the assassin's plunge.
"He's right you know. No matter how you try to skew the facts and justify things you're on the path to be just as unforgivable as those you did you wrong." Ryougi added her words to the dispute, kicking me back so Gilgamesh could launch the weapons he readied in his gate.
"...And that's where you're wrong, you and anyone else who agrees with that point, Shiki."
Clobbered back by a rush of invisible gusts, Gilgamesh's weapons, Shiki, and both Okita and Serenity who'd been trying to launch a surprise attack from behind were tossed in the winds like dandelion seeds as the echoes of a feral bark settled down.
"If I recall correctly, I was offering Gilgamesh a choice earlier." Walking into my enemies' view, I sat on the back of the makeshift Cerebrus which I'd conjured again, the three heads switching gazes between the different people before them. Floating in my hand was the orb I had materialized earlier when first talking to the caster.
"As I was saying earlier. I'll gladly send these Souls to the new Uruk. I'm sure the parents would like what time they can amass before being rewritten to spend time with their kids. Just as I'm certain you'd like to see Siduri again, but what I'm offering, I expect back this time around."
"...Humans for a human is it? You want me to find and bring you the last master."
"Right you are. I'm weary of her crawling around like she's been doing. I just don't get why you all throw everything away for her when it's she who depends on you. Everything she's accomplished has been done through your merits. The relationship is so one-sided I can't process why you slave away for her."
"How does it differ from when you were the one slaving away for your friends and allies? When it was your blood and your merits being praised as the group's victory? You're starting to become less and less sensible, Bahamut."
"The difference is, I deserved that fate... I created that fate and accepted it greatly. Which is why I can't stand to see old allies I fought for cater to humanity's whims. If humans seek salvation, they should achieve it with their own hands."
"...Well said."
An orange hue, like the twilight of a new dawn being birthed encapsulated everything as a massive rumbling roared and made the earthen floor shake like jelly, tossing anything not steadily rooted this way and that.
"Hey, Gilgamesh!"
"Is something wrong? Was I out of pocket, Shiki Ryougi?"
"Yes! May I be the first to tell you that we have a plan! Can I enlighten you that we're not trying to kill him."
"A plan? With the sorry state you all were in when I arrived. May I be the one to pull the curtain open and remind you that the Roman emperor was taken out. This...strategy you all decided on, the four of you can't even seem to properly execute. Do you all truly realize the destruction that awaits should you fail?"
"We realize, but we've also been holding out rather well until now. Please, just stick with the plan everyone's trying their hardest to cultivate and for that, you need to join Quetzalcoatl's group in slowing down Tiamat like Merlin......huh?"
"Typhoon!!!"
The screams of the girls carried like a harmonious symphony. Crumbling as she said it would after one more hit, the pseudo-body of my caretaker came undone leaving nothing behind but a cursed red spear.
"Seriously Gilgamesh? Trying to kill me with a weak death curse that spear holds? The threat it posed was so little I didn't need to turn around to catch it as you launched it at me like a phantasm. I thought I'd be nice though and return it to you. Apologies for the loss of Typhoon."
"Pardon me for trying to make it painless."
Quickly recovering, volleys were no time wasted in being launched with Gilgamesh firing relentlessly from his gate.
One by one, either a massive paw or a single head swiped or swallowed horde after horde of the weapons pinpointing us as I razed the ground ablaze with Aspsychos. Groups of undead and golems rose from the scorch marks and crevasses in the parted dirt to keep the other three occupied.
With hands far outstretched, walls of fire heeded the king's call and rose before him, charring the inhuman flesh while the golems continued forward. Masterfully using his spellbook with unparalleled precision, different elements were constantly thrown in the mix as the golden-haired caster protected himself and the girls with support.
Eyes aimed at the next golem brave enough to step toward him, Gilgamesh's bangs fluttered loosely left as he dodged the incoming punch the creature interrupted with. Hand signaling for another spell, the king took a nervous hop back suddenly, but all too late.
"Sorry, exit blocked."
Sliding out of his shadow, I bound his legs as the masquerading golem transformed back into my chains and clung to his body, wrapping around him entirely.
"King Gilgamesh!" Serenity's voice barely registered above the battle.
Displaying no resistance as the chains lifted him into the air, the ruler of Uruk gave a dull scowl, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Gilgamesh at least try something, don't just throw in the towel."
"He's doing nothing because he can't do anything, Shiki. He is after all bound in his chains you could say."
"You noticed as soon as it happened, didn't you? I knew achieving this result would take some trickery on my end."
"Not only can I steal something or someone's divinity, but I can pass it on to another object. One would say, I stole and recreated the Chains of Enkidu because after stealing the divinity and what makes it special from the original, I passed it on to my chains."
"I couldn't just trap Gilgamesh in my chains by just throwing them at him though, his guard was too raised, so I separated them. I used most of my chains to reform Cerebrus as a distraction and hid the last inside a golem. With the overwhelming divine energy, Cerberus would emit, it would be difficult to sense the small amount the golem would be leaking. More so once I repressed it."
"In short, the chains that even gods can't unshackle themselves from, Gilgamesh is utterly bound in."
Cutting down the last golem in her way, Okita dashed forward. The saber's calm eyes were on the verge of filled with desperation.
She's quick... yet, even with that sporadic burst of speed, she'll be late...
"Keeping a calm, composed manner until the end. You truly are the embodiment of a king..."
"Bye, Gilgamesh. ...Entity Ravager."
Brimming with intense energy, a white laser shot from my eyes, drawing in the sky a Greek sigil. At once, the sign split open, and a wave of demonic energy eating time and space beelined for Gilgamesh intending to cleave him in half.
...The next fraction of a second that ticked by after however, I blocked... only still to be knocked through the air.
The concussive blast of holy-demonic magic I'd released dispersed before ever hitting Gilgamesh and the chains came undone on their own.
Catching me in their maw, Cerberus who'd been racing to grab me set my body on the dirt. The three heads snarled at my side as we peered back at where I'd been knocked from, beholding the new party who joined in the fight.
"Dos't has been decreed as my opponent."
Starting down a new servant, the human master unslung herself from around their massive figure as the shielder came to stand beside her.
"Finally come to put down this beast, human?"
Giving a firm shake of denial, the girl rested her hand against her chest and locked eyes with me. Determination I wasn't sure I'd seen before swirled within them as the pendant encasing Typhoon hung around her neck.
"I came to stop you. I came to save you."
"Save me? Everyone says that. It irritates me uncontrollably when it comes from you, however. But fine, I'll continue indulging in this game of yours."
Dashing for her neck, the servant in black robes behind her rushed in and met my claws with an obsidian greatsword as the cloak covering their face fell to reveal a skull-shaped visor.
"Ye shall not touch thy human, for you face The Old Man of The Mountain, Silva Azrael."
END
A/N
*Takes a deep breath*
Yes, yes. I know, I know. Major disappointment this chapter. I'm sorry. 😥
Originally I was planning to have Silva and Gilgamesh fight, but the more I thought about it while writing this book, the more my feelings of changing it built up. If I could I would have both King Hassan and Gilgamesh fight Silva but doing so would undermine the damage Tiamat is supposed to be causing during all of this.
I do eventually want to write a Silva v. Ozymandias or Silva v. Gilgamesh fight cause I feel it would be awesome, and the two are some of my favorite characters. Maybe it could take place in a one-shot during Nero or Gil Fest.
I did my best to make Gilgamesh put up a great fight since supposedly he's much weaker as a caster than an archer so I pray you guys enjoyed the short bout. I wanted to make sure I didn't completely leave you all disappointed.
On another note, you guys finally have the answer to what happened to the citizens of Uruk. And Atalante and Jeanne have the orb. Everything's coming together for our heroes, but how is Nezha doing exactly?
I hope you guys will tune in to find out how she's faring in her fight against Melt.
Until next time fellow dragons, Author-san out!
Next: Silva v. Death