Upon hearing the voice coming from beneath the tree, Arthur, who had been observing the entire situation with genuine interest, ended up slightly surprised.
He truly had not expected to be discovered so easily by that woman.
Especially because he possessed absolute confidence in his own ability to conceal his presence.
"How exactly did you find me?" he asked while resting an arm over his knee, still seated on the high tree branch.
Hearing the question, Merlin, the one responsible for finding him, did not answer immediately.
Instead, she merely lifted her face toward him and smiled in a calm and mysterious manner.
Arthur held her gaze for a few seconds.
Then he sighed.
"…You know what? Forget it. It doesn't matter."
With that, he simply jumped down from the tree.
His body landed softly on the ground, producing almost no sound at all.
At that moment, Merlin's eyes widened slightly as she finally saw his appearance up close.
'King Gilgamesh…?'
It was the very first thought that crossed her mind.
Not just because of his appearance, but because of his presence.
Because of the overwhelming sense of grandeur that naturally emanated from him.
Even so, there was one very clear difference.
Compared to the Gilgamesh she knew, this man seemed… more approachable.
He still carried the same golden brilliance of an absolute king.
But without the suffocating weight of someone who viewed the world from above.
It was almost like looking at a more human version of that imposing figure.
Merlin then tilted her head slightly, clearly intrigued.
"You need my help?" Arthur asked casually.
"Yes." Merlin answered immediately with a gentle smile. "After all, someone like you probably wouldn't ally himself with the subordinates of a goddess, right?"
Arthur narrowed his eyes while staring at her.
"Don't provoke me, Mage of Flowers."
Even after hearing that, Merlin merely continued smiling serenely.
She seemed like the type of person who watched even dangerous situations the same way someone would enjoy an interesting play.
Or a particularly entertaining story.
Her gaze then calmly shifted toward Anna and Mash, who were fighting on the other side of the forest.
"Should I go?" Arthur asked.
Merlin placed a finger against her lips as though deeply pondering the matter.
Then she answered in the most natural tone possible:
"Please~"
In the next instant, Arthur disappeared.
Even after he left, Ritsuka's eyes remained wide open.
"…How is this possible?" she muttered in disbelief.
Merlin slightly tilted her head toward her.
"What is it, Ritsuka?"
"That's Arthur…" Ritsuka replied while still staring at the place where he had vanished. "He helped us in the Sixth Singularity."
She lightly clenched her hands.
"But… he died during the final battle while protecting Mash and me."
Hearing that, Merlin blinked slowly a few times.
Then she smiled once more.
"That certainly made things more complicated…" she commented in an almost carefree tone.
Yet her eyes remained extremely attentive.
"Besides…" she continued. "He's practically identical to King Gilgamesh."
Merlin rested her face on one hand while watching the direction Arthur had gone.
"How curious…"
She did not seem worried.
Quite the opposite.
She seemed genuinely interested in him.
---xXx---
Inside the jungle—
Anna and Mash were locked in a fierce battle against Kingu.
In terms of pure physical strength, the enemy before them was absurdly superior.
No matter how much they resisted.
No matter how many openings they tried to create.
Kingu simply crushed everything head-on.
CLANG!!
The golden chains violently slammed against Mash's shield, causing the ground beneath her feet to crack apart instantly.
"Guh…!"
Mash slid several meters backward.
Anna immediately appeared beside her, throwing her scythe toward Kingu.
WHOOSH!!
Kingu casually dodged.
His expression remained incredibly calm.
Almost bored.
As the battle continued, Anna's gaze grew darker and darker.
Because this was completely different from the original plan.
The arrangement had been simple:
Merlin would use illusion magic to create a distraction.
Then everyone would flee immediately.
After all, the opponent standing before them was genuinely dangerous.
But despite Anna's repeated attempts to buy time…
Merlin remained standing still.
Doing absolutely nothing.
"Damn it…" Anna cursed inwardly while barely dodging another golden chain. "I knew Merlin wasn't trustworthy."
Not that she was surprised.
The Mage of Flowers was exactly the kind of person who would calmly smile while watching a situation turn into a complete disaster.
Meanwhile, Kingu advanced effortlessly.
The Chains of Heaven sliced through the forest like golden serpents.
And Mash was slowly beginning to lose ground.
Until—
WHOOSH!!
A figure suddenly crossed the battlefield.
Far too fast for the eyes to follow.
"What…?" Mash muttered in shock.
She only realized what had happened when she felt the fatal strike stop directly in front of her face.
Arthur stood before her.
Casually holding Kingu's hand that had been trying to pierce through his chest.
The impact had been completely halted.
As though it meant absolutely nothing.
"Hey." Arthur asked calmly while glancing sideways at Mash. "Are you alright?"
"Senpai…?" Mash murmured in complete astonishment as she recognized his face.
Just like Ritsuka…
It was impossible not to recognize him.
Even if it made no sense.
Arthur immediately noticed her expression.
'That annoying feeling that people already know me before I even open my mouth…'
Honestly, he was already beginning to get used to it.
Seeing that Mash was still completely frozen, Arthur shifted his attention toward Kingu.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Hey, my old friend."
At that exact instant, Kingu's expression completely changed.
"Who are you?" he asked immediately, now genuinely serious.
Arthur chuckled softly.
"It's a little sad that you don't recognize your own friend."
"Friend?" Kingu replied coldly. "What a joke."
In the next instant, he unleashed a vicious kick toward Arthur's head.
Arthur easily dodged, leaping backward while simultaneously releasing his grip on him.
Kingu immediately retreated several meters.
Now his eyes were completely focused on Arthur.
"Who are you?" he asked again. "There's no possibility that you are Gilgamesh."
Arthur showed an amused smile.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Golden ripples slowly appeared behind him.
"If I possess the same appearance…" Arthur began. "The same abilities… and even the same voice…"
His smile widened.
"Then I am Gilgamesh."
That absurd answer instantly caused Kingu's gaze to grow ice-cold.
Instinctively, he knew the man before him was dangerous.
Perhaps even more dangerous than the Gilgamesh he knew.
"It seems…" Kingu murmured slowly while multiple Chains of Heaven emerged from the golden ripples behind him. "That I'll have to finish you off right here."
Kingu's eyes filled with pure killing intent as he stared at Arthur.
The Chains of Heaven began glowing intensely.
Mash immediately sensed the danger.
Her entire body tensed.
She knew this had already far surpassed the level of a battle she could normally keep up with.
Arthur, however, merely watched Kingu silently.
A satisfied smile spread across his face as he looked at Kingu.
"Before we start…" Arthur casually spoke while lightly rotating his neck. "You four should run away from here."
"Huh?" Ritsuka blinked in confusion.
"I can't guarantee your safety, after all…" he declared. "This is going to be the reunion banquet with my old friend."
BOOOOOM—!!!
In the next instant, the Chains of Heaven shot toward him.
But Arthur disappeared from his position immediately.
CRAAASH!!
The shockwave tore entire trees from the ground.
"Senpai!" Mash immediately protected Ritsuka behind her shield.
This was not a fight humans should observe from up close.
Merlin, on the other hand, continued smiling calmly.
Like someone watching a particularly interesting play.
"Ah…" she murmured softly while observing the explosions in the distance. "This really did become dangerous."
Ritsuka immediately turned toward her.
"This is not the time to stay calm!"
"Hmm?" Merlin tilted her head slightly. "But I'm calm all the time."
BOOOOOOM—!!!
Another colossal explosion echoed through the forest, violently shaking the ground.
At the center of the battlefield, Arthur appeared directly before Kingu.
CLANG!!!
A golden axe violently collided against divine chains.
Kingu's eyes widened slightly.
This man was far too fast.
Arthur smiled.
"You're slower than I remember."
Kingu's expression darkened instantly.
The chains around him began multiplying.
The sky slowly became covered in shining gold.
"Don't talk as if you know me!" Kingu roared.
The chains surged in every direction.
Arthur observed them for a second.
Then golden ripples appeared behind him.
Weapons began emerging like stars filling the heavens.
Kingu immediately realized the absurdity before him.
"…Impossible."
WHOOSH—!!
The weapons fired.
The chains responded instantly.
BOOM! CRASH! CLANG!!
Explosions began destroying entire kilometers of forest while the ground itself sank apart.
"…He…" Mash murmured. "Was he always this strong…?"
"He's much stronger than he was back then, Mash." Ritsuka answered.
Meanwhile, Arthur continued laughing while endlessly firing weapons from his Gate of Babylon.
Kingu roared as he manipulated the Chains of Heaven to counter Arthur's barrage.
Several chains appeared around him and began spinning at absurd speeds.
Then—
WHOOM!!
The chains converged, all at once, toward Arthur.
Arthur slightly raised his eyes and then laughed again.
"…Now this is more like it." He spoke while grabbing his stone tablet.
"It's been a while since I used real magecraft." He said while pointing a finger toward the chains as a sphere of flames appeared.
"It's been a long time since I've had this much fun." He declared while launching the flaming sphere.
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!!
The impact created an enormous crater in the forest.
Even in Uruk, far away from there, the tremor could be felt.
---xXx---
Inside the Ziggurat—
Gilgamesh, seated upon his throne while analyzing mountains of clay tablets, suddenly stopped.
The wine goblet beside him trembled and then—
CRACK.
Siduri immediately noticed the change in his expression.
"…King Gilgamesh?"
Gilgamesh slowly raised his eyes toward the horizon.
An absurd pressure could be felt even from that distance.
Then a dangerously interested smile appeared on his face.
---xXx---
Back on the battlefield—
Arthur and Kingu collided directly at the center of the crater.
CLANG!!
Arthur deflected every golden chain coming toward him using his golden axe.
Meanwhile, Kingu continued trying to crush him using dozens of chains simultaneously.
The ground beneath the two simply could no longer withstand the pressure.
It continued collapsing nonstop.
"Who are you?!" Kingu roared once more. "What are you?!"
Arthur looked directly into his eyes.
"I am someone who truly knew Enkidu."
Kingu's eyes trembled as his mind vibrated with unwanted memories, and in that brief instant of hesitation, Arthur moved.
BOOOOM!!
The punch struck Kingu's stomach like the impact of a meteor. The blow was so powerful that, within mere moments, he had already disappeared beyond the horizon.
(End of Chapter)
A/N: It's worth remembering that he was summoned as a Servant, so he still suffers from the same issue as every other Servant: his strength as a Servant is inferior to his original power.