As Castorice and the others arrived, a cold smirk flickered across Enkidu's face.
"We meet again, fake Enkidu."
Merlin greeted the figure standing amid a pool of fresh blood.
"Where have the civilians been dragged off to?"
Castorice surveyed the bloodstains around them. Though he already guessed their fate, he couldn't help but ask.
"Humans are valuable nutrients, of course they've been put to full use."
Hearing Castorice's question, Enkidu replied matter-of-factly, without a trace of emotion—as if discussing the disposal of livestock.
The demonic beasts' goal wasn't to destroy the Northern Wall. To them, it was merely a gathering place for resources. With each invasion, they abducted civilians from there. Though Leonidas and the others resisted, the sheer number of beasts made it a losing battle.
People had always been captured by the demonic beasts, their fates unknown. Now, this counterfeit Enkidu provided the answer.
"What have you done to those people?" Castorice demanded, staring at Enkidu.
"They serve as the breeding ground for superior life forms, of course. Meaningful, isn't it? A new humanity will replace you, and in the end, this world will be led by us—the new humans!"
Enkidu's words sent a chill down everyone's spines.
It was only then that people understood: the reason the demonic beasts came in wave after wave was because humans were the raw material the Goddess used to nurture them!
"...I see."
Castorice nodded but said nothing more. Instead, dark, violet-black water swelled in her hand, coalescing into a pristine white scythe.
"I will kill you. No matter who originally owned this body, your actions now are a desecration of that person. So… prepare to die."
With that, Castorice raised her scythe and charged at Enkidu.
Not to be outdone, Ana swiftly followed, closing in right behind him.
"How meddlesome. If that's how it is, I'll deal with you first!"
Enkidu snorted coldly, forming a blade of light in his hand as he rushed to meet Castorice.
This time, Castorice held nothing back. Every move was aimed at killing Enkidu.
Even if this body had once belonged to King Gilgamesh's dear friend… if the gentle Enkidu knew it was being used for such atrocities, wouldn't he be heartbroken?
"I've always been curious," Enkidu said, losing his earlier composure under Castorice's assault. "I've gathered intelligence on you these past days. You're not from this world. So even if everyone here died, it wouldn't affect you. Why help them, then?"
With a wave of his hand, a massive lion erupted from the ground, roaring as it charged toward Ana. Dealing with Castorice alone was difficult enough—adding Ana to the fray was too much. The lion was sent to occupy her.
"Just because it doesn't concern me, I should stand by and do nothing? I can't do that."
Castorice's scythe whirled, then swept out in a fierce arc, forcing Enkidu to leap back.
A direct hit would have cut him in two.
He had learned firsthand how dangerous Castorice was in their previous encounters. If not for the Holy Grail inside him, that first touch from Castorice might have ended him.
"Such pointless sanctimony. Fine, then—die! Remember, it won't be me who kills you, but your own bleeding heart!"
Enkidu thrust his light-blade viciously forward. Though the strike was cunning, Castorice parried it.
"Using this body, you should understand this feeling better than anyone… That unwillingness to let life fade before your eyes, that desire to do something."
"Shut up!"
Fragments of memories not his own flashed through his mind. Enkidu—or rather, Kingu—snarled, his face twisting with rage.
In a fit of pique, he lunged at Castorice, dozens of energy bullets bombarding the area as his light-blade strikes grew fiercer.
From the void, several chains slowly extended, cutting off Castorice's retreat.
It seemed Castorice was being driven into a corner.
But in that instant, she swept a great surge of the waters of the River of Souls forward—and instead of retreating, she charged straight toward Enkidu, clearly intent on trading injury for Enkidu's life.
"Tch…"
Seeing this, Enkidu ultimately didn't take the gamble. Castorice's abilities were too lethal. Even with the Holy Grail's protection, a full embrace from him would likely be fatal.
For all its strengths, this body couldn't withstand the power of death. Last time, without the Grail, he would have died.
"You freely take others' lives, yet you're not prepared to die yourself?"
Now out of danger, Castorice lightly swung her scythe behind him, a trace of contempt in her eyes.
After all, he was just a counterfeit.
"Enough! I simply have no need to exchange my life for a lowly creature like you. If there's a better way to deal with you, why would I use this one?"
Enkidu snorted coldly.
Below, Ana came to a halt, panting heavily.
With Merlin's support, she had defeated the giant lion.
Without a Master, Ana's magical energy was limited. The lion, one of Tiamat's eleven children, was a top-tier magical beast. Though she had destroyed it, Ana had no strength left to fight.
At that moment, a massive tremor shook the entire city.
Like an earthquake, the city built along the cliffs began to quake and crumble. Dust plumed, sand whirled, and through the terrified eyes of the soldiers, a colossal figure loomed, its form obscured by the swirling sands.
Only when the dust settled did everyone see the enormous figure clearly.
It was a woman of stunning beauty, with lavish purple hair—except the ends of her hair were hideous, writhing tongues. Her eyes were cold, filled with contempt as she gazed down at those below.
Two pairs of golden wings spread from her back. Her lower body was not human, but a serpentine form—black, adorned with red patterns and golden scales.
But the most shocking thing was her sheer size. Dozens of meters tall, to be honest.
Seeing it in an anime was one thing; witnessing it in person was another altogether.
The awe inspired by her gigantic form was overwhelming. Just the two orbs on her chest were several times larger than Castorice—truly monumental.
A being like this wouldn't be out of place in an Ultraman series; here, she was practically overpowered.
For a moment, the soldiers who had followed Castorice and the others lost their morale, faces filled with terror.
In Castorice's eyes, a trace of solemnity appropriately surfaced.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.