Rovi stood upon a high ground from which Uruk could be seen. Behind him, the King's Treasury unfolded in an instant.
But he did not act right away.
Before the beasts drew near—before there were casualties—he still wanted to see just how far Gilgamesh had brought the power of human civilization into order.
And just then, a great roar shook heaven and earth. The thundering of the monsters' stampede rose like it would overturn the entire world.
Clouds churned in whirlpools overhead, dust boiled up from the earth.
The soldiers on Uruk's walls responded swiftly, hefting their throwing spears in tight grips, and the turning black muzzles of the great cannons locked in an instant onto that incoming tide of darkness.
Boom—!
Spears rained down in dense volleys, as cannon fire thundered, explosions bursting into black smoke and flame—like flowers blooming and withering in the same instant.
This age had no gunpowder. These shells, then, could not be the same as in later times.
They were filled with mana in place of powder—the blasts more powerful than mere gunpowder could ever be.
Not only the cannons, but the spears too were much the same. Weapons like these, in the ages to come, each one would be a rare enchanted artifact.
The first wave struck down, and the beast tide was halted in an instant.
When the thunder faded, countless giant corpses lay piled where they had stood.
But soon, denser ranks of beasts filled the gaps left by the first defense.
Boom, boom, boom…
The rumble never stopped.
Howls resounded.
Attack and defense, in this moment, both seemed unbearably hard.
Yet the almost endless tide of beasts, relying on their numbers and their deathless ferocity, pressed onward through the storm of cannon and spear, bit by bit driving forward—like a tide swallowing the land, closer and closer to the massive wall.
Human strength was great.
But facing such a vast invasion, it still seemed not enough.
Yet even so, it had exceeded Rovi's expectations—after all, this was still an age not yet past the era when individual might outweighed all else.
He lifted his hand, the golden ripples behind him spreading more intensely.
It was time to act—
"Hmph, Bwahahaha! A pack of mongrels—daring to trample my courtyard without this king's leave?"
The sudden peal of arrogant laughter froze Rovi's movement. Hearing that all-too-familiar narcissism, he lifted his eyes.
Sure enough—a star chariot, burning with the ghostly blue fire of stars, drifted into sight across the distance.
Upon it, a figure stood at the prow, arms spread wide.
Wild and unrestrained.
Scarlet serpent eyes gleamed with frigid light, and with his arrival, the entire world seemed to hold still for a heartbeat.
From the demigod hero came overwhelming mana, a pressure like substance that weighed upon every beast, halting their charge in an instant.
The raging momentum was crushed.
And in its place—the morale upon Uruk's walls surged!
"The King… King Gilgamesh has come!"
"Those damned beasts, now they're finished!"
"The King—!"
Spears lifted higher, cannon muzzles blazed hotter.
Such was the meaning of a king.
To steady the people, to raise their hearts.
Like a pillar propping heaven and earth, giving everyone the courage to face whatever came!
The Gilgamesh of this moment—
No longer bore the traces of a tyrant's absurd cruelty.
And all this—perhaps had something to do with himself?
Rovi watched.
Some small sense of accomplishment stirred…
At the same time, Gilgamesh's laughter boomed across the battlefield:
"This king is the lord of all creation! Heaven and earth alike are mine—those who trample them without my leave commit the crime of utmost disrespect, a sin worthy of ten-thousand deaths!"
…Forget it. That sense of accomplishment could go die.
Better to just kill him— Rovi rolled his eyes.
Behind the King, golden ripples spread across the sky, linking piece to piece into a vast sea of gold.
In an instant, a thousand gates opened—countless muzzles all at once leveled down upon the ground.
The [Gate of Babylon]—only its true master, Gilgamesh, could wield it to such extent.
Compared to before—
He had grown greatly.
"ROARRR!!!"
Suppressed by that mana-forged pressure, the monsters burst free again. Compared to Gilgamesh they were weak, but their numbers were vast, and driven by the wills of both Bull of Heaven and Humbaba, they would not so easily flee.
And perhaps because of the pressure Gilgamesh brought, the beast tide did not weaken—if anything, it grew denser still.
Far off, more beasts poured in, sweeping across the land.
Toward the far side of the wall, where Gilgamesh's fire could not reach…
These beasts had instinct, a natural drive to avoid death and seek advantage.
Finding a gap was inevitable.
But at that same moment, another voice rang out—not the proud laughter of Gilgamesh, but the clear and gentle laugh of a maiden:
"Ah, sorry—but I can't let you through here. Otherwise, Rovi and Gil would both be in trouble!"
And from the earth, blades of clay thrust upward—like countless stakes, spearing through the charging monsters from below, pinning them in place.
High upon the wall above, a white robe fluttered. Green hair swayed as the "girl" looked upon the howling beasts, her expression calm, serene.
"It's the King's friend, the divine weapon—Lord Enkidu!"
"The one who shares the throne with the King…"
"There's no problem now!"
Morale blazed higher still.
This moment belonged to Uruk.
Though among the voices, others murmured:
"Gilgamesh and Enkidu are here… but will that lord also come?"
"You mean—the sage who subdued the Monster Forest, who alone annihilated a nation, who shook the north, who struck down the Bull of Heaven and returned from death itself?"
"Lord Rovi will surely be here as well!"
They spoke his name.
Sage?
So that was how they called him now?
Rovi blinked, caught off guard.
He knew he had done many things, knew his name had spread far and wide. But this was the first time he heard his own name and title spoken in praise…
A little embarrassing. Yet, also, a little proud.
He waved his hand.
The King and the Friend had come to the battlefield.
And between them, still one place remained unfilled—
"In that case—let me fill the last gap!"
Rovi smiled.
He raised his hand, closing the [Gate of Babylon] behind him, the golden ripples vanishing into the air.
Then he shut his eyes—opened them again.
In his pupils gleamed the flashing light of a key.
The power of the [Key of Heaven] surged forth.
Rovi looked at Gilgamesh and Enkidu. In an instant he could see—their attacks were fierce, but there was no coordination.
So while they could suppress the beast tide, without exerting their full strength it was hard to break them utterly.
Nor did they intend to go all out.
Because they were waiting.
Through the keys Rovi had crafted with the [Key of Heaven], each linked to his power, they had already felt his arrival—and so they had both appeared here together.
Waiting for him to appear.
For his coordination—
For the [Key of Heaven] was always the core, opening the limits between the [Wedge of Heaven] and the [Chain of Heaven], bringing them into perfect union.
And that was exactly what, now—Rovi would do!
The vault of sky, the blazing sun—
Firelight streaming down—
The binding "Chain," with the Key's shining, opened wide in an instant!
---
T/N:
"Mm. If you've read this far, I suppose you're at least a little invested."
"If you want to support the translator, there's a Patreon here: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional—think of it as tossing a few extra coins on the counter. Early chapters are just a bonus side-effect of that support."
"This place also has its own strange currency… Powerstones. For every 100 Powerstones the story gets, you'll receive 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp… you can do the math."
"If you'd rather talk than throw money or stones, there's a Discord: discord.gg/wisetl. Go there if you want to complain, theorize, or poke the translator for more updates. Just don't expect me to mediate your arguments."
Say thank you to Maomao guys