"—So, you're leaving?"
"Yes," Enkidu replied with a serene smile. "It is time I finally returned the favor to that 'Delightful King' of ours."
"Here, take this."
Enkidu held out the World Grail.
"I'm returning it to you all. It was quite fun while it lasted. Thank you."
Gilgamesh let out a sharp, amused huff. "To think a mere weapon would go out of its way to return an enhancement tool. You've grown far too modest."
"I simply have no more wishes to grant, you see."
Enkidu… Rikka thought, a lump forming in her throat.
"You know, Rikka… you can call me 'En' too, if you'd like."
"Wait—really?!"
"Hehe. I'll be waiting for you."
Gather, O Radiance of the Matchless, the Peerless of all ages. We are those who cradle life within us as we march forward.
"Just because this is the final phase, there is no need for nerves," Roman announced, his voice steady and tranquil. His face bore no traces of the exhaustion that surely plagued him. "Let us begin as we always have. Let us fight as we always have."
"You've grown quite composed, Doctor," someone teased. "Did getting a wife finally give you some mental breathing room?"
"Well, maybe," Roman chuckled. "But honestly, it's because I know the aftermath is going to be the real headache."
"Yes! Hehe," his partner added with a bright smile. "We certainly can't afford to lose now, can we?"
As the two shared a warm, knowing laugh, a frustrated shout tore through the room.
"Dammit! Dammit all!"
"Meunier, calm down…" Olga Marie sighed.
"I am calm! It's because I can't find a single thing to blame the Doctor for that I'm so furious! Just go and be happy already, you bastards!"
With a lingering, half-amused look at the fuming Meunier, Olga Marie's expression hardened, pulling the room back to the gravity of the situation.
"…This Rayshift will be different from the others. It is a landing operation—a lightning strike."
"How so?" Rikka asked.
"To put it simply," Da Vinci cut in, "this is a base-to-base assault. We are storming their fortress to tear it down. Until now, our goal was simply to eliminate the source of the Singularity. This time, it's a package deal: a siege, the termination of Goetia, and a guaranteed return. Think of it as the ultimate dungeon crawl."
The group nodded as Da Vinci finished her summary.
"Hah! Ridiculous!" The King of Heroes let out a booming laugh. "So you claim the execution of Goetia is a mere opening act, while the return journey is the main event? How pathetic! To think the King of Demons cannot even claim the spotlight in his own Temple!"
To Gilgamesh, Goetia was no great threat. He viewed the Beast as little more than a maggot feasting on carrion.
—In other words, the safe return of the Master and Mash is a core mission objective. We strike him down, and then we come home.
(That's right,) Fou chirped with a proud flick of his ears. (And that's the kind of fight we've been winning all along. Right?)
"Right!" Rikka nodded.
"Regarding the scan results," Roman continued, his tone turning clinical. "The enemy has deployed a Reality Marble—a micro-scale universe. It is a world constructed from the Magic Circuits of Solomon's own corpse: The Time Temple, Solomon. There are several focal points leading to the Throne, though the path is currently sealed…"
"Leave the devastation of their strongholds and the path to the Throne to me," Gilgamesh declared. It wasn't a suggestion; it was an edict. "I shall unveil ninety percent of my treasury here and now. We shall assault every focal point simultaneously and bring them all to ruin."
The King spoke of a conquest befitting his station: absolute sovereignty and total annihilation.
"I will sever their defenses for but a single heartbeat. In that moment, the path will be ours. We will use Marduuk's primary cannon to pry open the way to the Throne and breach it. —The rest is your job, Master."
"…I know. Leave it to me."
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