Chapter 788 Behold, I Am The King of Kings!
What followed would unfold exactly as Sakatsuki had planned. The Moon Cell would once again demonstrate its capabilities as a super-civilization computer, utilizing the power of the Third Magician's self-immolation to reverse the entire Singularity to a point before Fujimaru—or even he himself—had arrived.
Though his own existence would be erased, with the advantage of foresight, he trusted that the people of Uruk would ultimately achieve victory.
Filled with anticipation and a faint sense of loss, Sakatsuki activated the Moon Cell's Authority.
Yet what awaited him was not a tunnel through time back to the past—but a familiar figure!
Her white dress fluttered, silver patterns flowing as though alive. Standing before the stunned Sakatsuki and the others was a beautiful girl with flaxen hair, her gentle smile radiant.
And on her finger rested a ring identical to Sakatsuki's.
"You…" Sakatsuki gaped. "Why are you here?"
"If I didn't come, you'd have done something reckless again."
She shot him a reproachful look, her androgynously beautiful features tinged with exasperation. "Honestly, you could have just talked it out."
"Urk…" For once, Sakatsuki looked flustered. He seemed about to argue, but instead scratched his head and gave a wry smile.
"I suppose this guy and I just never got along."
The 'guy' Sakatsuki referred to had already turned to scrutinize the inexplicably appearing girl. After a moment, his brow arched.
"Have we met before?"
"Gil," Enkidu interjected gently at that moment, "you shouldn't go around flirting with girls like that."
Not just Enkidu—Kingu's sidelong glance, though seemingly casual, carried a cold glint that unmistakably warned, Try that and I'll smack you with the Chains of Heaven.
As for Sakatsuki… Gilgamesh was half-convinced the man would stab him in the back with that magic sword of his.
"Well then, greetings, O King who stands at the Absolute and the Beginning." Hakuno chuckled lightly, subtly displaying the ring on her finger. "Perhaps we'll have plenty of opportunities to converse in the future, but for now, allow me to share my wisdom with you."
"Share your wisdom?" Gilgamesh smirked. "How amusing. A nameless one dares to counsel this king?"
"Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself." The girl nodded as if suddenly remembering, then uttered words that plunged the surroundings into silence.
She said, "I am the other Moon Cell King—hailing from the Seat of the Blazing Heaven."
Moon Cell King—Kishinami Hakuno.
The girl who shared the throne with Sakatsuki on that vast lunar expanse!
"So, what do you think, my student? My Master's quite something, isn't she?" Sakatsuki boasted proudly to the dumbfounded crowd, reveling in their relationship. But just then, Hakuno lifted her gaze, glancing briefly at the golden-haired goddess of the underworld before turning back to her incorrigible 'teacher' with a knowing smile.
"Since you praised me, Sakatsuki-sensei, we'll discuss the matter of the goddess later."
And as Sakatsuki stiffened, she delivered the final blow without hesitation:
"This time, I won't help you suppress those restless girls."
As the words fell, everyone clearly saw the crimson "Danger" character materialize above Sakatsuki's head. Without waiting for his excuses, Hakuno signaled to Gilgamesh. A curtain of light unfurled, and their figures vanished without a trace.
Only the pitiful Sakatsuki was left alone to face the inevitable storm that would soon descend upon him.
"Life is so bitter..."
The dog man sighed to the heavens, his eyes glistening with tears as he thought of the two emperors—one big, one small—on the moon's surface.
Is life always like this, or is it just childhood?
He had no idea how many pieces his body would end up in, but he had a feeling someone would be cradling his head while drifting on a little boat...
"If possible, please let Nero be the one to do it. That's my final wish..."
"What are you spacing out for now?!" Rin shrieked. "I can't hold on much longer—ahhhhh!"
Fortunately, before the heavenly goddess was cast down to the mortal realm to "marry a chicken and follow the chicken, marry a dog and follow the dog," the curtain of light reappeared. Kishinami Hakuno and Gilgamesh stepped out side by side, still engrossed in their discussion.
Both wore expressions as if bathed in spring breeze.
"Hey, cook!" Upon spotting Sakatsuki, Gilgamesh waved his hand grandly and declared, "This king approves! Do as you please!"
"Huh?!" After confirming that this golden bastard wasn't being sarcastic, Sakatsuki was stunned. "Wait, Hakuno, you didn't do something to betray our teacher, did you? How did he agree so easily?!"
"Sakatsuki..." Hakuno sighed, a hint of melancholy in her voice. "In your eyes, am I still that clueless, helpless child?"
To this, the other Moon Cell King responded:
"As a teacher, how could I bear to let my students face challenges alone?"
The Heaven's Dress fluttered like clouds in the sky as the Third Magician gazed at her student and earnestly told her, "Perhaps I seem overbearing, but I always want you all to grow a little better, to be a little happier. That is my purpose."
As the words fell, Sakatsuki clearly saw a shimmer pass through Hakuno's eyes—as if she might throw herself into his arms the next moment. But in the end, she merely coughed lightly into her small fist and said, "Even if you say that... I won't plead for you."
"My, how that wounds this teacher's heart," Sakatsuki said with a smile, as countless intricate patterns gathered around him, forming ancient and profound sigils.
Placing his right hand among them, he twisted—and the mechanical roar of machinery abruptly resounded. When Sakatsuki dragged the sigil behind him, it rapidly expanded, countless streams of light weaving through it to outline a magnificent silhouette!
"Eresh!" The young man softly called the name of the underworld goddess. Ereshkigal smiled faintly, stepping forward to clasp his hand, their fingers intertwining as they spoke in unison:
"Reverse it—Moon Spirit Underworld!"
The authority of Mesopotamia's underworld merged with the might of the Moon Cell King. A sacred, resonant chime echoed from beyond. Amidst the gasps of the crowd, the earth for thousands of miles suddenly inverted. The boundary between life and death dissolved in an instant, and as indigo torches ignited one after another, silver light leaped into the sky.
Transforming into a full moon, hanging high above the heavens!
Upon the earth transformed into the underworld, countless white bones rapidly rose, piling up like jade into a hill-like altar. At the very center of this altar, under the moonlight and alongside the crimson River of the Dead, a sharply angular throne took form!
"Wow..." Ishtar's eyes sparkled, for she could clearly see this throne was crafted from the finest gemstones—both dazzlingly translucent and awe-inspiring in its majesty.
The white-robed mage ascended the steps, taking his seat upon this supreme throne of the lunar spirit underworld!
Facing the endless hordes of Lahmu and the distant, unreachable Mother Goddess Tiamat, he raised his arm and declared in a resounding voice:
"Hear my command! Gaze upon this place, you heroic spirits who could defeat a thousand, who stand unyielding against ten thousand!"
"Even if we were incompatible foes, even if we originally belonged to different eras without connection—now, entrust your backs to one another!"
"Under the witness of the Eye of the Blazing Heavens, heed my call to forge a path forward for the future of humanity!"
Upon this utterly renewed battlefield, the young man proudly proclaimed his true name:
"My true name is Sakatsuki! The ruler of lunar spirits, the master of the Third Magic—I am the King of Kings!"
"So peerless are my deeds, even Heaven itself must bow before them!"