To become a king and a magician

Gilgamesh absolutely refused to accept such a future, so he voluntarily became a magician, using all his and Uruk's power to resist that inevitable future of destruction.

And now—

"That holy swordsman changed the future..."

Gilgamesh knew that Natsukawa Tora had once contacted the Root, after all, some people had said it more than once without any hesitation, and he probably already knew about Uruk's future.

(Given this knowledge, did you attempt almost everything that could have changed the future?)

The fact that Uruk is still standing is largely due to Natsukawa Tora's efforts. Without him, the Demonic Front would likely have collapsed long ago, and Servants would have been sacrificed one after another.

And now, the current situation has reached the best possible outcome that everyone could have imagined.

"King Gilgamesh".

Fujimaru Ritsuka's voice came from behind.

Gilgamesh turned around and looked at the people who had gathered behind him.

—Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash Kyrielight, Akuta Hinako, Xiang Yu.

— Ushiwakamaru, Musashibo Benkei, Tomoe Gozen, Oda Nobunaga, Leonidas I.

—Ishtar, Quetzal Koyatl, and... Jingu.

Aside from Morgan and Merlin, who were responsible for maintaining the protective barrier around Uruk, the most powerful forces in Uruk were now gathered together.

"Time is up!"

The Declaration of Gilgamesh.

“Although the most important person hasn’t arrived yet, we don’t have much time to prepare. With Tiamat’s power, the barrier is absolutely no match for her, so we must prepare to attack before she arrives in Uruk! — Are the preparations complete, Ereshkigal?”

The treasure vault doors opened on the ground, and a mirror connecting to the underworld rose from it. Ereshkigal's figure appeared in the mirror, and he nodded in response to Gilgamesh's question: "The transfer to the underworld is complete. It is now right at Mother's feet. All that is needed is to open a hole in the ground, and Mother will fall into the underworld."

In the underworld, Tiamat becomes the only living being, losing her absolute immortality and becoming someone who can be harmed.

Gilgamesh looked at Ishtar: "Then, I entrust the task of defeating Tiamat to you, Ishtar! This is your only chance; unleash your full power as a goddess!"

“I know without you telling me, and why are you the one giving me orders?” Ishtar curled her lip. “After that, I just continued to wipe out Rahm on the ground, right? Anyway, I’m of no use in the Underworld.”

In the underworld, gods and Servants lose their power. Therefore, Ishtar will not go to the underworld in this battle, and the other Servants will be the same. Even with Ereshkigal's protection from the underworld, it is not something that can be used casually.

According to the information provided by Natsukawa Tora, that power could cost Ereshkigal his life.

Therefore, only essential combat forces will descend to the underworld.

For example, Kingu, who is the Lock of Heaven.

For example, there's Fujimaru Ritsuka, who has to deliver the final blow to Tiamat, and Mash, who has to protect her.

For example, Oda Nobunaga, who can deal massive special attack damage to Tiamat.

Anyone else who enters the Underworld will only hinder their own people and weaken Ereshkigal's own power. Ereshkigal's suppression of Tiamat through the Underworld is also the most important point.

As for Quetzalcoatl, who is also one of the three goddesses—

"After Tiamat falls into the underworld, the first blow will be yours. Smash Marduk's hand axe from the earth into the underworld and inflict a heavy blow on Tiamat, the sun god of South America."

"OK~~~ I'll leave it to you, big sister."

Quetzal responded to Gilgamesh's words with a smile.

Marduk's handaxe.

The weapon that slit Tiamat's throat in mythology was used to further weaken her divinity and power after she fell into the underworld, thus increasing our chances of victory.

This was Quetzal's only task; after all, only she could wield such a large weapon.

Gilgamesh glanced at the crowd before him once more, then took a deep breath: "This is the final battle. Will we defeat the goddess of creation, or will she destroy us? Let this battle prove it!"

"This proves that we humans have already gained the power to break free from our mother!"

71. Next up is a barrage of Noble Phantasms.

After Gilgamesh's final speech, the crowd dispersed again.

But only one person stayed.

"It seems this is our last meeting, Gilgamesh."

Jin Gu looked at the unfamiliar friend in front of him.

Gilgamesh paused for a moment, then said, "Yes. We'll never see each other again, Kingu."

Kingu's body was Enkidu's. Through the Holy Grail of the Magic King, Enkidu's body, which had been buried in the underworld, was revived, and a new soul, Kingu, was born.

Now, his soul has become the property of Xia Chuanhu, and the Lock of Heaven has also become the property of Xia Chuanhu.

Gilgamesh had already foreseen this situation when he discussed with Natsukawa Torato how to deal with Jingu. But even though he could foresee it, he still felt uneasy when he actually met Jingu for the first time.

"Is there something you wish to say to me that you have stayed behind?"

"No, it was just a subconscious reaction."

Kingu came to Gilgamesh's side and together they looked down at Uruk.

He had no memory of Enkidu, and knew nothing about Gilgamesh and Enkidu's past experiences and feelings. He was standing here simply because of his body's subconscious reaction.

Even if his soul and body have become the possession of another person, deep within his body, there is still a part that belongs to Gilgamesh. It is the deepest mark left in the hearts of the two best friends, and no matter how powerful the curse is, it cannot be twisted.

Looking at Kingu who had come to his side, Gilgamesh couldn't help but recall the days when Enkidu was still around.

There was a time when, after defeating the monster that plagued Uruk, the two of them stood here just like now, side by side, watching Uruk below celebrate their victory.

“AAAAAAaaaaaaaaa——————————!”

Tiamat's singing could be heard in the distance.

Jingu looked at his mother and said, "It's really unbelievable. I was born as a child of my mother, an enemy of mankind, but now I have to fight for mankind and fight against my mother."

"Do you feel unwilling?"

"No, I wouldn't have such thoughts now. After all, I'm just a weapon, a tool. My master's orders are my guiding principle and objective."

Jingu's answer silenced Gilgamesh.

And there it was again.

From the day Enkidu was born until now, it has always considered itself merely a tool, a weapon. The original Kingu might not have thought this way, but its mind was likely influenced after being possessed by Natsukawa Torato.

It was the same last time, and it's the same this time; the Chains of Heaven never became human in the end.

"Buzz~~~~"

Ripples of light appeared beside Gilgamesh's hand as he retrieved a jewel-shaped Noble Phantasm from the treasury and tossed it to Kingu: "While it may not be as good as the Holy Grail, it is still a fairly good core. Take it and use it as a farewell gift from me."

This was the last time the two met, and also the last time Gilgamesh and Enkidu would see each other. Since that was the case, they should give their departing friend a gift containing their heartfelt sentiments.

See you next time!

【Bon Voyage】

—This is probably what true feelings are all about.

Looking at the precious jade in his hand, King Gu frowned: "I'm not your Enkidu, is this alright?"

"Yes, of course I know you are not him, but even if our hearts are different and our souls are different, your body is still a unique Heavenly Lock on this land."

Gilgamesh said solemnly.

"If you consider yourselves merely weapons, then you are the successor to the weapon I once trusted most. What harm is there in bestowing one or two treasures upon you? If the Holy Grail hadn't already been given to the Holy Sword Wielder by me, I would have given it to you now as well."

“I can’t understand it.” Kingu shook his head. “But, my body is indeed experiencing pleasure, so for now, I will accept your kindness, Gilgamesh.”

[King Gilgamesh! Tiamat has arrived at the designated location!]

Fujimaru Ritsuka's voice was transmitted to their ears through magic.

"Then, farewell, Gilgamesh, goodbye forever."

After merging the precious jade into his body, Jingu leaped into the sky and flew at full speed towards Tiamat.

Gazing at Jingu's figure in the distance, Gilgamesh sighed softly.

"What nonsense are you talking about, you idiot."

——————————————————————————————————————

Three kilometers south of Uruk.

On the land that has already been submerged by the tide of chaos.

Sitting atop the wind god pterosaur, looking at Tiamat who was almost within arm's reach, and feeling the oppressive pressure brought by the immense magical power continuously emanating from her, Fujimaru Ritsuka, who could barely breathe, finally realized what kind of enemy she was facing.

She hadn't done anything; she was just moving forward step by step. But the intimidation caused by the magic had already made her body stiff and made it difficult for her to breathe.

(The minister... he fought against this kind of enemy for two days?)

Fujimaru Ritsuka's hands and feet trembled uncontrollably, her body instinctively feeling fear.

The enemy before her was far too powerful; even she could see it. The thought of fighting such an enemy and becoming the key to delivering the fatal blow made Fujimaru Ritsuka tremble with nervousness.

Taking deep breaths won't reduce your fear, but it will relax your muscles.

The method that Leonidas had mentioned during the battle on the North Wall suddenly came to Fujimaru Ritsuka's mind.

"Hoo... Ha..."

After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, Fujimaru Ritsuka clenched her hands: "This is the last battle... Are you ready, Mash?"

"Yes. I will do my best, Master."

Mash, gripping her shield tightly, responded firmly.

Beside the two, Ishtar flew over and said, "I'm all ready here, we can start anytime, Fujimaru."

"Well then, I'll leave it to you, Ishtar!"

"OK—!"

Ishtar piloted Maana into the sky, pointing her golden spear at the heavens.

"Takeoff! Maana, open the portal!"

"Buzz————————————!!"