Thunder fell like heaven's wrath, spears hurled from the sky, piercing deep into the earth.
No words were needed—Gilgamesh and Enkidu understood at once.
Neither was ordinary; neither felt the faintest trace of a hangover.
Yet suddenly, Enkidu's nose twitched. He glanced curiously toward Rovi. "Something… was here?"
Rovi's gaze slid sideways, inexplicably guilty.
Is that really what you should be worrying about right now?
Gilgamesh only grinned.
"Come!" he rose, declaring boldly. "Follow this king, my friends—the hour has come for the three of us to complete our grand task!"
Enkidu stood without further thought.
Rovi let out a quiet sigh, then rose as well.
Far away, thunder still roared, trembling the land ceaselessly.
From the earliest ages, in every land, under every pantheon, thunder had been the mark of the gods' wrath, their judgment, their decree.
And in this moment, beneath the heavens, countless souls—men and beings beyond man—felt that undisguised killing intent.
The gods would show no mercy to those who dared rebel.
A deep lowing echoed from the east along the Euphrates. With a deep hum, the prison of black underworld miasma shattered; from the sky descended a golden hoof, colossal horns glittering sanctified gold beneath the sun.
At the same moment, to the west, at the boundary of the Monster Forest, the earth quaked and roared. The chains Enkidu had left behind to bind the strongest beast abruptly snapped.
Black mist surged from the earth. Massive vines spiraled upwards; towering trees writhed and grew. In mere moments, the land had transformed into a dark, endless cedar forest.
The Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna.
And the Cedar Forest, Humbaba.
At the god-king's command—they manifested simultaneously beneath the hazy dawn sky.
Two figures utterly unlike—one divine, one monstrous. Both cast towering shadows, thousands of meters high, reaching the clouds. Even their smallest movements threatened to tear the land apart.
And now—
From east and west, from left and right, they advanced simultaneously toward the center—the city of Uruk.
Their colossal silhouettes were clear even from a thousand li away.
"So those… are the monsters the King spoke of? The beasts the gods have sent to end the world?"
Upon Uruk's towering walls, armored soldiers stared upward, swallowing heavily as the distant shapes advanced.
Shock. Fear.
Not just among the border troops—even women, elders, and children within the city began to panic.
All knew at once: what approached now was utterly unlike the hordes of monsters from before.
Monsters in numbers, humanity could still match.
But now, sheer size alone was enough to drive despair into hearts as small as dust.
Could ants topple giants?
Could flies cross the heavens?
The answer seemed painfully obvious—
"Hmph, Bwahahaha!"
A voice exploded, a clap of thunder upon the earth, ringing clearly in every ear.
From behind the soldiers, from the very heart of the city, from the highest and farthest palace at the center of Uruk—
From the three who had just returned.
Gilgamesh strode slowly up the steps, coming before the doors of the royal palace.
Rovi and Enkidu walked at his side.
Three stood beneath the sky.
Three stood in the hearts of all.
"My people!" Gilgamesh folded his arms, crimson serpent-eyes sweeping across the city, landing on every soul below.
"Are you… afraid?"
His voice reached every ear.
Throughout Uruk's streets, figures halted, heads lifting. Old men trembled yet suddenly found stillness. Mothers drew their children from homes, gazing upward to the figure high above.
Soldiers along the walls breathed deeply, steadying themselves.
A king's prestige was rooted in every heart.
Yet Gilgamesh, Rovi, and Enkidu all knew: this alone could not grant humanity courage enough to face the Bull of Heaven and Humbaba.
At best, it calmed them briefly.
Yet once those two greatest beasts drew closer, once their vastness towered overhead, even that courage would shatter.
This present courage was fleeting—
But even fleeting courage was true courage.
And they had come precisely for this moment.
To take that courage—
And hurl it at the beasts of heaven themselves!
"Hmph, Bwahahaha!" Gilgamesh laughed again, boldly arrogant. "Feigning calmness? Wearing false masks of bravery? Do you think such acts deceive this great king who rules over heaven and earth?"
"You mongrels—!"
Standing before the palace doors, he took one step forward.
To the edge of the steps leading down to the city's main avenue. His upper body was clad in gleaming golden armor, bright hair flaring, his expression wild and glorious.
He spread his arms wide, arrogant and unrestrained:
"I am the King of Kings, lord of all creation! Under my rule, order reigns, and even the worthless have their place."
"And now, this king shall render judgment upon all things of this world—upon you!"
His voice reached every ear.
His will enveloped all of Uruk.
"Forward! Fight, my subjects!"
"You may fall. You may shatter beneath this calamity that would end the world."
"But—this king promises you—"
"Your deeds shall be recorded for all ages! Your glory sung through generations! Your names etched into history!"
"For this is the battle to defend your homeland—"
"And this king shall forever stand with you!"
"This war is acknowledged by the king, permitted by the king—and borne by the king himself!"
Fear lingered in every heart.
Yet they knew clearly: beneath monsters vast enough to crush the world itself, none could be spared.
Fear? Courage?
These things hardly mattered.
What mattered was that they stood in Uruk.
This was their home.
And the one who bore their burdens, granted their courage, acknowledged their worth—was their king.
"Now, raise your voices to the heavens—roar out your fury!"
Gilgamesh thrust his hand forth.
At that instant, the great walls surrounding Uruk, bristling with thousands of great cannons, raised their muzzles to the sky.
BOOM!
A thousand roars erupted, fury shot toward heaven itself.
Rovi stepped forward, eyes shimmering with the faint outline of the [Key of Heaven].
Its power unfolded.
Through unseen gates, invisible concepts poured forth, merging into the storm of cannon fire.
At that moment—
Those cannons fired no longer merely the mana of earth; they erupted no longer in mere magical force.
They fired humanity's defiance.
They fired humanity's courage.
At the same moment, Enkidu closed his eyes. White robes fluttered, the [Lock of Heaven's] power flaring forth.
Unseen chains stretched outward from him, linking each soul, each spark of flame.
They lifted that flame.
Then let it fall.
Crashing down upon the beasts of world's end.
The divine, clay-born weapon lifted his voice, singing in praise:
O child of man,
Lift your song toward heaven!
Let the gods themselves know—the song of humanity is the song of courage!
Gilgamesh laughed boldly, voice echoing to the clouds.
Rovi raised his eyes, the shimmer of the Key reflected in his gaze, as he watched the flames cascade downward.
He knew well—the gods above were watching.
Their "eyes" had appeared again.
In chaos, no longer fearing destruction.
And at this stage, Rovi no longer pinned hopes of his own "death" upon the gods' cross-realm interventions.
A normal death simply meant descent into the underworld.
And with Eresh there—even that path was blocked.
Thus, he placed his hope in something else—to utterly enrage the gods, to draw out their final strength.
So now, he smiled slightly, raised his hand, and openly taunted the heavens:
"Come down, if you dare!"
The gods: "…"
For fuck's sake, again? What is this, the fifth time already—?
What the hell is wrong with him?!
---
T/N:
Hey everyone, thanks for reading. If you're enjoying the translation, dropping some Powerstones would really help out your hardworking translator (100 stones = 1 bonus chapter, 200 = 2 chapters, and so on—easy math, right?).
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Anyway, see you in the next chapter~
say thank you to hayasaka guyss