Chapter 701: The Hero King Gilgamesh! The Gas Explosion Arrives Late, But It Arrives!
The magus's plea reached the ears of the Heroic Spirit across the boundaries of time and space.
A legendary phantom arrived from the far side of history, appearing amidst a whirlwind of mana and blinding flashes of light.
Though they possessed a human form, they had long since transcended the realm of mortals. They were beings of extraordinary power, elevated to the realm of spirits by the collective adoration of humanity. They came from the Throne of Heroes, guided by the Counter Force.
And in this moment, the Heroic Spirit that every magus dreamed of descended upon the Earth.
As soon as the golden figure materialized, the darkness of the basement was instantly dispelled by his mere presence.
"Who permitted you to gaze upon this King? Mongrels!"
A majestic and arrogant shout thundered from the golden-haired youth standing in the center of the summoning circle.
Looking closely at the person's appearance, one would be struck breathless. This young man, with a slender and tall physique, wore armor of polished gold that seemed to generate its own light. He had golden hair that stood up like a raging flame, defying gravity, and a face that was handsome, refined, yet etched with infinite cruelty. His blood-red eyes were distinctly different from ordinary humans, possessing reptilian slits that emitted a mysterious, terrifying glow.
Everyone he gazed upon involuntarily felt a primal fear grip their hearts.
Including Tohsaka Tokiomi.
All three men in the room—Tokiomi, Kirei, and Risei—bowed their heads in unison.
Tohsaka Tokiomi's expression was stern, sweat beading on his forehead; he dared not look directly at the youth's majestic light. He bowed respectfully and elegantly, paying his most humble respects to the entity he had brought into the world.
"No one dares to gaze upon the King's radiance without permission!"
"King of Kings! Your subject, Tohsaka Tokiomi, pays his humble respects!"
In terms of a Master's attitude towards a Servant, Tokiomi's demeanor was extremely humble—bordering on fanatical submission.
Usually, in the chaotic and cutthroat world of magi, a Servant was viewed as a tool. A familiar. A weapon to be wielded, expended, and discarded in the pursuit of the Root. To bow before one's own familiar was unheard of.
However, Tohsaka Tokiomi was truly willing to treat the Heroic Spirit he summoned with utmost courtesy, without the slightest hesitation.
Why? Because Tokiomi was a man who lived by a code.
As an inheritor of noble blood and the head of the illustrious Tohsaka family, he believed he understood better than anyone what it meant to be superior. He valued hierarchy. He valued pedigree. He valued the absolute beauty of power.
To win this Holy Grail War, Tokiomi had used the fossilized skin of the first snake to summon an exceptionally great Heroic Spirit. The King of Uruk. The origin of all myths.
This Heroic Spirit could not be treated as a mere Servant; he should be treated with the etiquette due to an honored guest—no, an Emperor who had deigned to step into a hovel.
The man who descended as an Archer was none other than The Hero King, Gilgamesh!
The demigod, half-human demon who once ruled ancient Mesopotamia with an iron fist. He was the earliest hero in history, the oldest emperor in the annals of humanity, the possessor of all the world's treasures.
Showing respect to noble things was Tokiomi's philosophy. It was the essence of his "Elegance."
Regardless of whether he possessed the right to command with the Command Spells etched on his hand, or what kind of contractual relationship the two parties had established, these factors were insignificant.
These factors were not enough to overturn the immutable hierarchy of noble and lowly. Even if this young man in golden armor was technically a Servant bound to an anchor, he was still the King.
He should still be treated with the most rigorous, trembling etiquette.
"Tch, how boring. Mongrels."
But what Tokiomi didn't know—what he couldn't possibly comprehend in that moment—was the depth of Gilgamesh's apathy.
Gilgamesh would not give him another glance just because of his humbleness. He didn't care about the perfect bow, the sweating forehead, or the carefully rehearsed lines of submission.
He even found this person boring.
The golden youth stepped out of the summoning circle, his greaves clinking softly against the stone floor. The sound echoed like a judge's gavel in the silent basement.
Gilgamesh looked around the workshop. His crimson eyes scanned the dusty shelves, the magical implements, and the damp stone walls with open disdain.
'A cramped, rat-infested hole,' Gilgamesh thought, his lip curling slightly. 'Is this the best the modern era has to offer? The mana density is pathetic. The air tastes of stagnation and mediocrity.'
Though boring.
At least this "Master" knew his place. He was a mongrel, yes, but a well-trained one. Unlike the savage beasts who usually clamored for his attention, this one knew when to lower his head.
Gilgamesh nodded, a gesture of minimal acknowledgement.
Tokiomi tried his best to be polite, maintaining his posture, but without being overly obsequious. He was walking a tightrope. He had to be subservient enough to please the King, but dignified enough to prove he was a worthy Master.
Gilgamesh also understood that Tokiomi's neither humble nor overbearing attitude was rare in this era of mongrels.
"Then," Gilgamesh spoke again, his voice echoing with effortless authority. "Where are the enemies?"
He didn't ask "Who are they?" or "What are their strategies?". He simply asked where they were, as if asking where the trash needed to be taken out.
Gilgamesh understood the meaning of the Holy Grail War. The knowledge granted by the Grail upon summoning had given him the basic context. Seven mages, seven spirits, one cup.
But he participated in the Holy Grail War not for the Holy Grail itself.
That was the fundamental misunderstanding Tokiomi had. Tokiomi thought Gilgamesh wanted the wish.
'Ridiculous,' Gilgamesh mused, inspecting a gem on Tokiomi's workbench before flicking it away with his finger.
Even the Holy Grail—that so-called omnipotent wish granter—was merely a treasure from his former treasury. It was the "Omnipotent Wish Granter" prototype, the Uruk cup, the original.
Since it was already his own property by right of him being the King of Heroes, why would he contend with others for it? Does a king fight beggars for the coin in his own pocket?
No.
The other Servants were merely thieves in his eyes. Dirty, presumptuous thieves coveting his possessions.
And he came here for two reasons.
First, his immense displeasure at these thieves. The audacity of these mongrels to stage a war over his treasure required punishment. Punishment by death.
Second, and perhaps more importantly... boredom.
The Throne of Heroes was eternal, unchanging, and dull. He sought new amusement. He wanted to see the struggles of the ants, the desperation of the dreamers, and the futility of their ambitions.
So he greatly anticipated how those thieves would perform their tricks before him. Would they dance? Would they cry? Would they offer a moment of respite from his eternal ennui?
"King," Tokiomi said, his voice steady despite the pressure crushing his lungs. "For now, the other rats are still hiding in the sewers of this city."
Tokiomi gestured elegantly towards the ceiling, indicating the city of Fuyuki above them.
"I humbly suggest we let those beasts outside slaughter each other first. Let them exhaust their strength and reveal their hands. And then... Your Majesty can select who is truly a worthy lion for you to hunt."
"Before that, please wait patiently. A King should not dirty his hands with the blood of unworthy curs."
Tohsaka Tokiomi had his own calculated plan.
He was a cautious man. He knew that in a war of secrecy, information was life. Gilgamesh was his trump card; his nuclear deterrent. He would never reveal him easily. He wanted to keep Gilgamesh in the shadows, observing, until the perfect moment to strike the final blow.
"Hmph."
Gilgamesh stopped pacing. He turned his red eyes toward Tokiomi.
"A strategy fitting for a mage who hides in a basement," he scoffed, though there was no real venom in it. "But very well. It seems there's still time to wander around and alleviate my boredom before the curtain rises."
He walked towards the stairs, ignoring the magical barriers Tokiomi had set up.
"This era... despite its stench, is quite interesting in its chaos."
Gilgamesh was able to act independently, free from his Master. With his Skill 'Independent Action' at Rank A+, he could remain in the world for days without a Master's mana supply. He was not a dog on a leash.
Upon hearing Gilgamesh say this, and seeing him move towards the exit, Tokiomi hastily masked his slight inner agitation with a serious expression.
Panic flared in his chest.
'He's leaving? Already?'
The Servant who had formed a contract with Tokiomi was indeed the strongest Heroic Spirit. The statistics, the Noble Phantasms, the sheer divinity—it was all off the charts.
However, the downside was glaringly obvious now.
He couldn't control him.
He had no way to stop this noble person from leaving him. The Command Spells on his hand felt pitifully weak against the weight of the entity standing before him. If he used a Command Spell to order Gilgamesh, the King might obey, but he would likely kill Tokiomi afterwards for the insult.
He was very worried that Gilgamesh would disrupt his carefully laid plans. If Gilgamesh went out and started blowing up the city on a whim, the secrecy of the Grail War would be shattered.
Hiding his inner agitation behind a mask of aristocratic calmness, Tohsaka Tokiomi asked, carefully choosing his words.
"...Do you favor the current world, my King?"
He hoped to gauge Gilgamesh's mood. If the King liked the world, perhaps he wouldn't destroy it immediately.
"Hmph."
Gilgamesh paused on the first step of the stairs. He looked back over his shoulder.
His wine-red eyes inadvertently swept over Tohsaka Tokiomi, dissecting the mage's soul.
Gilgamesh seemed to see through Tohsaka Tokiomi's thoughts—the fear, the calculation, the desire for control—and sneered.
"Unspeakably ugly," Gilgamesh declared, his voice dripping with disdain. "The architecture is soulless. The people are asleep. The mana is diluted."
He paused, a cruel smirk playing on his lips.
"Yet, it also has its adorable aspects... like a mongrel trying to wear a lion's skin."
It was unclear whether he was referring to Tohsaka Tokiomi specifically or the modern world in general. Perhaps both.
"However," Gilgamesh continued, turning fully to face his Master, the golden armor clanking ominously. "Most importantly, does this world contain any rare treasures worthy of this King's collection?"
Gilgamesh laughed with a hint of sarcasm. It was a cold, metallic sound.
His red eyes, fixed on Tokiomi, held a hidden, chilling divine might. It was quite intimidating—like standing before a dragon that was deciding whether to eat you or ignore you.
"Tokiomi. Listen well."
"If this world has no treasures worthy of this King's favor… if you have dragged me from the Throne only to present me with a wasteland of mediocrity..."
The pressure in the room spiked. The glass vials on the shelves rattled. Kirei, standing in the corner, felt his heart skip a beat.
"...the sin of making this King come all this way for nothing with a useless summoning is very grave, Tokiomi. It is a capital offense."
Tokiomi swallowed hard. He bowed deeply again, trying to stop his hands from shaking.
"Please rest assured, my King! The Holy Grail will surely meet The Hero King's expectations. It is a miracle capable of reaching the Root—the swirl of the origin!"
"That remains for this King to decide after seeing it... Very well, I shall tentatively believe your words."
Gilgamesh waved his hand dismissively, the pressure receding slightly.
"All treasures in this world belong to this King. No matter what kind of rare treasure that Holy Grail is, this King will absolutely not sit idly by while those mongrels dare to contend for it without this King's permission."
"They are stealing from my garden," Gilgamesh spoke with an air of absolute arrogance. "And thieves must be judged."
"I look forward to whatever 'lion' you fancy being able to exchange a few moves with this King. Tokiomi, I'll leave the trivial details to you. Don't bore me."
"Yes, my King! I shall ensure the stage is perfect for your debut!"
Just as the atmosphere began to relax, and Tokiomi felt he had survived the first encounter...
"Ding-dong!"
Suddenly, Kotomine Kirei's phone rang.
The sharp electronic sound cut through the heavy, mystic atmosphere like a knife.
"!!!"
Gilgamesh's gaze instantly fixed on it. His crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.
Cold sweat dripped down Tohsaka Tokiomi's temples as he glared at Kotomine Kirei for pulling such a stunt at this moment.
Couldn't he see The Hero King was still speaking? This was a supreme insult!
"Kirei…"
Tohsaka Tokiomi was about to reprimand him harshly.
But Gilgamesh showed an interested expression, raising a hand to stop Tokiomi.
"Tokiomi, shut up."
"Yes, my King!"
Tohsaka Tokiomi's expression changed at light speed, silencing himself instantly.
Gilgamesh looked at Kotomine Kirei, or rather, the device in his hand. "This King permits your little action. Check it."
"...Thank you for the King's grace."
Kotomine Kirei bowed respectfully, then took out his flip phone and saw the message on the screen.
His pupils couldn't help but contract violently. A rare look of shock passed over his usually stoic face.
Tohsaka Tokiomi sensed something was wrong. Kirei was not easily shaken. But constrained by Gilgamesh's command to shut up, he could only cast an inquiring, anxious glance at Kotomine Kirei.
After calming his surprise, Kotomine Kirei looked up and said in a deep, grave voice.
"The Matou family... suffered a gas explosion."
"The entire estate was completely razed to the ground... And the Matou family head, Matou Zouken, is missing..."
"What?!!!"
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