The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 325 Serious Gilgamesh "Dies" from the Aftermath (Seeking monthly votes at the beginning of the month!)

For the proud and arrogant Gilgamesh...

Nothing is more humiliating and desecrating to one's dignity than having one's own ugly state captured on camera.

His face was contorted with rage, and his crimson eyes burned with intense fury.

The roar, filled with furious killing intent and terrifying power, emerged in the atmosphere.

"How dare you subject me to such humiliation... you bastard! You deserve to die ten thousand times over!!"

Dozens of golden rays distorted space, and then those terrifying weapons burst forth.

Symbols derived from various mythologies and weapons throughout human history—

Mahabharata's thunderbolt, Hephaestus's hammer, Hegnis's cursed sword, Perseus's blade of immortality...

These divine weapons, swords, and blades, at this moment, all roared out from the golden light gate like a volley of arrows.

The blade or sword edge sliced ​​through the air at an astonishing speed, shooting towards the source of the camera's sound with a sharp screech and an explosive boom.

“Boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!”

Like a bomber carpet-dropping heavy bombs, the poor little hill was instantly reduced to ashes.

The heatwave from the explosion swept across the entire mountain forest, turning the trees into ashes.

Even the soil that was torn up, along with the rocks beneath, was blasted to pieces and scattered, instantly creating numerous deep pits resembling small meteorite craters.

But the enraged king did not stop his attack.

"An unforgivable scoundrel!"

Archer's tone was authoritative and violent.

He seemed to be flattening the hill in front of him, causing more swords and spears from the treasure vault to emerge from the golden light.

Just then, another terrifying clap of thunder sounded without warning.

"boom--!"

It was as if the heavens were angry because of the hero king's disrespect and destruction of nature.

Three beams of blazing white lightning, like divine punishment pillars, descended from the sky.

With an aura of destruction, it cleaved towards the hero-king standing atop the ruins of the hill.

"Ha—hahahahaha!!"

Unlike a brief retreat or escape.

On the contrary, the laughter, filled with rampant madness, tore through the thunder and smoke, echoing across the sky.

"Did you think I would fall for your tricks?!"

The smoke and dust generated by the bombing were immediately dispersed by the wind pressure created by the numerous magical artifacts that continued to fly out of the treasure vault.

Conan stood still without moving or defending himself, letting the magical artifacts pass through him, who was not present at that moment.

Then, he looked up and saw—

Seven petals, like flower petals, surrounded the golden king from all directions, protecting him in the center.

It is the Seven Rings that cover the Radiant Sky (Rho Aias).

In ancient Greek mythology, Ajax used a bronze shield to block Hector's javelins during the Trojan War.

These petals are a symbol of the seven layers of cowhide that originally covered the bronze shield.

After it became a Noble Phantasm, its power even expanded to a "conceptual weapon" with absolute defense against projectile weapons.

Each of these sections is as formidable as an ancient city wall.

The successive lightning strikes couldn't even shake the first layer of the seven-layered barrier.

No, rather than being blocked, it was more like it was absorbed by another magical artifact flashing with lightning just before it was about to strike the petals.

“That’s…?”

Conan looked at the magical artifact floating around Gilgamesh.

It was a golden cone inlaid with blue gemstones, now shining with dazzling brilliance, having absorbed all the great power from nature.

That is—Vajra.

A treasure called [Indra's Thunder].

Clearly, for the "Thunder Emperor" and "Rain God" in mythology, no matter how terrifying and destructive lightning strikes are, they are nothing more than obedient and docile pets.

"Hmph, a fool who only knows how to use traps."

Gilgamesh gave a cold snort, seemingly regaining the composure and arrogance he possessed as the "Oldest King".

At this moment, his armor gleamed, his golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall of light, and his kingly majesty remained impeccable.

Whether it was the disheveled marks left on his body, or the charred blond hair and armor from the initial lightning strike, everything had been restored to its original state.

Conan thought that he probably used some kind of cleaning-related magic weapon.

……

Gilgamesh snorted coldly once more:
"Hmph, even the might of nature must kneel before me!"

However, his words were full of arrogance and contempt.

Even so, this golden-haired king did not step out of his defenses even half a step.

In fact, after those bolts of lightning crashed down and were absorbed by [Indra's Lightning], he immediately used another Noble Phantasm to transform the natural lightning power into magical power that he could use.

Even now, Gilgamesh had already secretly donned those Noble Phantasms used to conceal cause and effect and hide his aura—

Hermes once used an invisibility helmet from Hades, which seemed to have a cloak that concealed his identity and tracks...

Although the murderous intent and anger in his heart were rising higher and higher.

But only Gilgamesh himself knew the truth.

If he hadn't already activated his [Omniscient and Omnipotent Star] when the second bolt of lightning flashed—

He has most likely already left the game.

This treasure, which shines like starlight across the earth and can see through all things, undoubtedly has a remarkable effect on reconnaissance.

Although this Noble Phantasm is not truly omniscient and omnipotent.

Once activated, it allows Gilgamesh to see through his opponent's true name, Noble Phantasm, or even their true nature after multiple layers of concealment.

However, it is only when used in conjunction with the Gate of Babylon that the true full power of this Hero King is revealed.

In fact, many people mistakenly believe that the Gate of Babylon is Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm.

But it was actually just a key that led to the "Golden City".

He was able to use countless magical artifacts because this treasure trove contained the original texts of all human technological prototypes—

They are "symbols of primordial wisdom".

Therefore, most of them are not "complete" and can not be activated immediately, nor can they exert their full power as they can in the hands of their owners.

After all, there are countless treasures and weapons in mythology and history that require specific users.

Generally speaking, users must possess the ability to instantly decipher the wisdom contained within in order to unleash its true power.

The Omniscient and Omnipotent Star perfectly meets this condition.

When combined with Gate of Babylon, Archer can use any Noble Phantasm from Gate of Babylon at will.

Just now, Gilgamesh accurately and precisely drew upon and used those Noble Phantasms from the treasury in the blink of an eye.

[Indra's Thunder] absorbs natural lightning; [Seven Rings Covering the Sky] blocks possible projectile attacks; [Helmet of Concealment] conceals one's presence...

Gilgamesh's reason for choosing not to move and remaining calm and restrained is quite simple—

At this moment, looking at the future revealed by the crystal ball in his left hand, his brows finally furrowed deeply.

What kind of bizarre futures are these?
"Earth fissures, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes..."

"Satellite crash, missile misfire, meteorite impact..."

Even though Gilgamesh was so arrogant that he accepted his fate, he now vaguely realized that something was wrong.

Perhaps I really did commit some offense.

but……

Did I just do something that was extremely threatening to Gaia and Alaya?!

For a moment, the King of Heroes found it difficult to comprehend the conclusions of the prophecy and divination.

Fortunately, the continuous lightning strikes did not deplete his power; on the contrary, the transformation between [Indra's Lightning] and his Noble Phantasm replenished his magical energy.

Moreover, as Archer, he possesses an inherent skill called "Self-Action"—he can maintain highly efficient magic power and combat readiness even without a contractor.

—There's no need to worry about mana consumption for now.

Even so, an unusually solemn expression appeared on the face of the Golden King.

Several magical artifacts resembling telescopes or observation pillars hovered around him, forming an observation post that uneasily rotated, scanned, and searched for the enemy.

"Damn it... there's still no trace."

A voice, tinged with irritation and anger, rang out.

Gilgamesh felt as if he were facing an attack from the [Heroic Spirit], [Gaia], and [Alaya] all at the same time.

And unfortunately—

His precognitive Noble Phantasm told him that it was indeed true.

Another burst of golden light appeared, and several books and scrolls summoned from the King's Treasure flew out.

They flipped through the pages rapidly without any wind, hoping to find the true identity of that heroic spirit.

Gilgamesh raised his head, his brow furrowed, his eyes coldly fixed on the distance—a tornado that should never have appeared in this hilly area.

They are uprooting everything in their path, tearing apart the landscape and plowing over obstacles, as if trying to dig three feet into the ground and then throw everything into the boundless space.

Archer was even annoyed and somewhat ashamed of his current situation.

He still hasn't seen the enemy Servant!

"Able to manipulate nature, misleading Gaia and Alaya into viewing me as an enemy..."

As Gilgamesh repeated these deductions in a low voice, his gaze fell upon the words that appeared in the scriptures before him that were named "Omniscient".

Then, he silently waved his hand and collected them one by one, returning them to the Gate of Babylon.

None of them match.

Whether it's the supreme deities in various mythologies who can directly interfere with celestial phenomena, or the chosen ones known as "chosen ones" or "those destined by fate."

The former is too outrageous.

This is now a world after the separation from the Age of Gods.

Even a deity who has been demoted should not still have such influence in an era where human reason has been established.

And the latter...

Those beings that should be "favored by nature" are mostly enemies like spirits.

……

"You cowardly rat hiding its head and tail!"

Archer narrowed his eyes slightly, naturally revealing a look of disdain once again.

"If you do not appear again, I will use the sword of Ea to shatter you and this world to pieces."

Despite this, beneath Gilgamesh's grim face, a hint of undisguised resentment even surfaced deep within his red eyes.

If the previous behavior was all out of shame and anger at being belittled and insulted.

Now, Gilgamesh has decided to inflict the most terrible punishment on that bandit afterward.

Even though he knew that provocation might not work on the Caster lurking in the shadows.

But he still said those words.

Whether that guy did it intentionally or unintentionally, the scene before him undoubtedly awakened Gilgamesh's most sorrowful memory.

The death of Enzidu.

That dear friend who suffered divine retribution and perished because of his "arrogance" in disobeying the gods.

Just like myself now, facing both Gaia and Alaya.

This even made Gilgamesh somewhat realize something.

Because he realized—

Perhaps I really have no way to deal with this enemy right now.

The helmet-like artifact that can provide the highest level of stealth is only found in Hades' Helm of Concealment, even in the Palace of the Kings.

Most importantly, this helmet is owned by Hades.

Therefore, the "concept" attached above allows him to avoid his own death as much as possible in terms of causality.

But this level of concealment, at least EX level, is obviously only effective against him "himself".

The reason Gilgamesh remained suspended high in the air with almost no movement was because he was no longer actually in the "world".

The magical power of those self-regulating Noble Phantasms around them actually comes entirely from the energy stored in the [Indra's Thunder] just now.

If we wait until the magic power stored in that artifact is exhausted...

We can only temporarily break this state and try again to retrieve a power-generating Noble Phantasm from the treasury.

Even if it's just for a moment, he must reconnect with the "outside world".

I recalled the terrifying scene I had seen before with my precognitive abilities: the flaming meteorite that caused a massive collision between heaven and earth.

This king couldn't help but mutter aloud:
"Does... I have to tell that guy myself, if things continue like this—"

"—Go down there again, that fellow, tell that prince that you originally wanted to…"

"!!!"

The body began to move involuntarily; the movement of limbs and the opening and closing of lips were all forcibly reversed as if a mirror image had been played in reverse.

The sound waves that were spreading outwards, and the atmosphere that was raging around them, were now rewinding as if a timer were being rewound.

The ravaged land, the landscapes that were once destroyed and scorched, the scorched earth and fault lines...

It's as if someone recorded this scene and then played it in reverse—

Dust swirls back, scorch marks are wiped away, cracks heal. Time seems to have begun to flow backward.

Three minutes are up.

Inside the distant observatory, the magical energy sources formed by the earth's veins were drained several times in an instant—they seemed to freeze at the moment they were filled.

And now, Conan is attempting, or rather analyzing, that "inherent skill" called the Timeline for the first time.

He watched as Gilgamesh immediately used his maximum resistance to magic.

Watching this Heroic Spirit finally realize the terrifying power he was facing, and try to use those Noble Phantasms that block time to deal with him.

Conan smiled.

The scrolls floating in the air, the automatically searching bronze falcons, the patrolling armored soldiers...

Golden rays of light suddenly appeared around Gilgamesh.

That portal, the Gate of Babylon, is now closed just as it was opened.

The depleted magic, like flowing water, reappeared on the golden cone beside the King of Heroes.

Even the magical power that had been released from the Spirit Origin of the Hero King was forcibly pushed back to its source, just as the world itself refused to change.

Of course, Gilgamesh felt no joy at all.

He even tried his best to mobilize his spirit origin, attempting to invest his magic power into his inherent skill, "Solitary Action," which he had never thought of before.

Unfortunately……

No matter how much you struggle to extend your hands, they will retract to their original position along the same trajectory in the next second;
No matter how the head turns, those burning red eyes will inevitably be pulled back to the starting point;
The heavy body even stalled and stopped halfway through.

It was as if all his actions were merely remnants of the "old path," a "future that should not have happened yet."

but--

"oh……?"

Conan's voice echoed softly in the space, carrying a hint of genuine curiosity.

"As expected... this ability can only—"

"It only interferes with the time of matter."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gilgamesh suddenly turned his eyes.

Below his neck, his body seemed displaced from his head, moving slowly and awkwardly in a defying logic.

Those scarlet eyes, burning with raging fury, forced their "spirit" to look towards the source of the sound.

Then, he continued to slowly reveal his judgment in a strange, reversed manner.

Everything is now clear.

The heroic spirit before me, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

What he possessed was—

The ability to interfere with and manipulate the dynamics of the world, the physical bodies of planets, and the direction of the flow of all things.

To manipulate time itself in the material world.

"It's...absurd..."

Is this the kind of power that could appear in a Holy Grail War?!
……

However, Gilgamesh's ability to respond in "reversed time" is concerning.

The surprise in Conan's eyes lasted only a moment.

He quickly revealed a knowing look.

It must be admitted that the King of Heroes is now absolutely proud of himself.

Although he did not use any of his Noble Phantasms.

But so far, he is the only Heroic Spirit who has forced Conan to use three of his four inherent skills at the same time.

The inherent skills named "Death God Physique" and "Timeline" need no further explanation.

In situations where we should "continue to rewind time for observation," in order to avoid needlessly wasting the magic power stored in the observatory's ley lines,

Conan decisively activated his abilities as a detective—

The manifestation of reasoning (EX):
The detective's eye uses absolute logic to dispel falsehoods.

Immune mental interference, insight into all clues, and forced ineffectiveness of the enemy's information concealment.

Immune to mental pollution and cognitive interference attacks that conform to "detective logic".

The success rate of all judgments related to "clue analysis" and "motivation revelation" increased by 333%.

Additionally, each use can ignore the "information concealment" effect of the enemy's Noble Phantasm once.
And "ignoring information obfuscation" means—

Now even Hades' stealth helmet will no longer offer any cover for intelligence.

In this state, Conan's judgment can almost be called "an annotation of reality".

He casually revealed the essence of why Gilgamesh was able to "still have the ability to act" in the rewind.

"So that's how it is... It was because he burned his own spirit core?"

The core that allows a Heroic Spirit to manifest in the world, namely the Spirit Origin, is clearly not just a physical body.

It should also involve the participation of "spirit" or "soul".

In this way, if it is used as a price, it can be used to some extent to escape the "matter rollback" restriction imposed by the [timeline].

Nodding thoughtfully, Conan sent this valuable data back to the observatory.

"As expected... although Kariya's recovery at that time was partly due to my deliberate restoration of his brain structure at the end."

"But if non-material factors such as the soul are involved, the role of the timeline will be significantly weakened."

Regarding Conan's seemingly random "reasoning remarks".

The disdain displayed by these calm bystanders caused Gilgamesh, as a listener, to roar with extreme anger:
"Arrogant bastard! How dare you describe my act of burning my [Spiritual Foundation] as a trivial matter!"

To this, Conan can only say that this arrogant heroic spirit always seems to have some strange points of interest.

However, Gilgamesh was not wrong.

He wasn't wrong—not every heroic spirit can be like him.

If he didn't possess the [Omniscient and Omnipotent Star], which allowed him to skillfully burn the less important parts of his [Spirit Origin] first, and even retain the possibility of restoring it—

Normally, once a Heroic Spirit's Spirit Origin is burned, it cannot be restored, and it may even leave the field due to its injuries.

But Conan's voice once again left Archer speechless in the face of his rebuttal.

"Well... after all, this time, I really did give it my all."

A genuine sense of seriousness and vigilance finally surfaced in Conan's eyes.

This is the first time he has fully unleashed this [inherent ability] to its limit since acquiring it.

And it is precisely for this reason that one should consider how much magical support one has.

Gilgamesh can even move his eyes, turn his neck, and even roar angrily—

This already speaks volumes about his supermodel status.

……

The current outcome actually makes Conan very satisfied.

Clearly, this timeline skill is merely a "pseudo-phenomenon" copied by the Throne of Heroes.

It's not really about manipulating the timeline itself like in this universe.

Even now—

This level of understanding likely represents the limit that the universe can reach without touching the "root" or involving "magic".

But thinking about it carefully, it seems quite normal.

Just like how no matter how hard Koizumi Akako tries, she can never truly use magic under the watchful eye of Detective Conan.

To truly achieve that, one might need to genuinely intervene in the mechanisms of the "shell" or the "universe."

For example, the concept of "timeline" can encompass or include the three elements of the "Type-Moon Universe": spirit, soul, and body.

Thinking of this, Conan shook his head with a slight chuckle.

How is this possible?
Considering that I am still stuck in the identity of a "Heroic Spirit," I should consider myself very lucky that I wasn't immediately killed by the "Shell" mechanism.

Thinking about the "mechanism," Conan's expression turned serious again.

With a thought, Gilgamesh realized that the terrifying power of time reversal within him had suddenly vanished.

"Hahahaha! Unknown Heroic Spirit, have you already squandered all that stolen power?"

Archer then burst into arrogant and unrestrained laughter.

Sure enough, something so terrifying, directly controlling the "direction of the entire world," could not be sustained for long even by the most massive ley lines.

If a [Realistic Marble] is about using one's own mental imagery to erode the world, allowing the user to create a "personal domain" in reality before they can no longer maintain it, then...

This terrifying ability is to directly drive the "world" itself, directing it toward a future, present, or past that it desires.

Gilgamesh even had to admit it.

Even one's own [Ea] might be meaningless against this kind of power.

After all, the Sword of Ea is a sword that "cuts the world apart," not a sword that "truly destroys the world."

"From this moment on, I will relentlessly track your whereabouts throughout the entire city of Fuyuki!"

Gilgamesh's voice was deep and flat, as if he were narrating a reality that had become commonplace.

"Once the disappearance of the spiritual vein is discovered, I will personally—"

He hadn't even finished speaking.

Conan's equally calm voice rang out, "No need for that, Gilgamesh—I won't leave."

"If you just want to turn back time to the moment I took that photo, back to the instant before this land was destroyed—"

"Just look at me."

Conan is also saying something as ordinary as it is.

"Or is it that the so-called King of Heroes doesn't even have the courage to look at me and is about to slink away in disgrace?"

"If that's the case, then that shiny golden guy is more like a scared mouse."

At that moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Gilgamesh's eye twitched suddenly.

"You scoundrel—how dare you be so arrogant—!!"

Archer's tone suddenly rose, and the spiritual core within him expanded as if ignited by flames.

"How could I, the king, be provoked by such a low-level provocation...!"

Despite clenching his teeth and cursing furiously, Gilgamesh ultimately made that move.

The dignity of being a king would not allow him to retreat in this way.

Otherwise, he would rather leave right here.

Then, Hero King looked in Conan's direction.

Great, he's taken the bait.

Conan thought to himself.

He cleverly used moments of relaxation, such as those with the Noble Phantasms that allowed him to foresee the future—

Gilgamesh was completely unaware that his "omniscience" had reached a new level.

Wait until time rewinds by one and a half minutes, until the cigarette in Kiritsugu's hand burns out.

Gilgamesh looked at the blurry figure that had appeared.

His pupils contracted sharply when the figure in a suit and detective beret appeared in a blur.

"[Sherlock Holmes]? How is that possible?!"

The King of Heroes refused to believe this answer.

He then unleashed all his magic power, even more fiercely burning his spiritual core, and looked at the "detective."

next moment--

He saw it.

He confirmed it.

He finally realized what an intricate web of reasoning he had been ensnared in.

But before this king could even let out his "final laugh".

His expression immediately became calmer than ever before.

"...Why am I here?" The Hero King turned around with some confusion.

He didn't glance at the observatory again, but instead took to the air and flew towards the Tohsaka family's residence.

That was the path he "should" have taken.

After all—he had promised Tokiomi that he would perform in that play tonight.

Watching Gilgamesh return to the chessboard like a chess piece that has been precisely placed.

Conan frowned.

This time he saw things more clearly.

This strange "reset" seems to be...

Is this caused by "putting in" another identical "spirit," or even "soul"?

This undoubtedly touches upon the realm of the "Second Law".

Conan looked up at the sky.

Could the mastermind behind all this be the Gemstone Elder?

Or did someone else have the Throne of Heroes re-download Gilgamesh's spirit origin?

(End of this chapter)