Chapter 43: The King and the Chain
A voice came through the communicator.
"Confirmed: Noble Phantasm 'Piedra del Sol'! The black mud is being rapidly incinerated... Quetzalcoatl is continuing to deploy her Noble Phantasm!"
However, at that moment, the area behind the horns on Tiamat's head detached, and from within, she ejected a terrifyingly massive amount of magical energy.
"That is—!?" Quetzalcoatl's pupils constricted.
"Wait, didn't Tiamat's feet not support her own weight?" Ishtar exclaimed.
Da Vinci's surprised voice came through the communicator.
"She is concentrating magical energy into the large horns and the structure on her back, ignoring her own weight to successfully stand up. No, she isn't trying to stand—she is..."
In the very next second, as Da Vinci's words faded, Tiamat's body was propelled by the magical energy jetting from her horns, lifting her off the sea and into the sky.
"How is this possible!? Mother is the Goddess of the Earth; she would never approach the sky!?" Ishtar said in disbelief.
"In that case..."
Quetzalcoatl's body leaped into the sky once more, confronting Tiamat.
"This body shall become a burning rock, transforming into a comet to strike the earth—'Ultimo Tope Patada (Ultimate Impact Flying Kick)'!!!"
Quetzalcoatl kicked the defensive barrier in front of Tiamat. That instant of impact caused even Tiamat's body to sway.
But that was all; Quetzalcoatl could not advance another inch.
"It's no good, the power to break through this defense is not enough—"
Seeing this, Gudako reacted immediately, raising her hand to grant the power of a Command Spell.
"By the power of the Command Spell—bring victory to Quetzalcoatl!!"
The massive magical energy of the Command Spell poured crazily into Quetzalcoatl's body, enhancing her power.
"This is enough!"
Quetzalcoatl revealed a confident smile.
"Burn—'Xiuhcoatl (Fire Which Scorches the Gods)'!!!"
With this blow, the barrier in front of Tiamat was finally breached, and Quetzalcoatl struck her body.
However, after the nuclear-blast-like smoke dissipated, Tiamat's even more terrifying form revealed itself once again before everyone's eyes.
"Her form has changed...!" Gudako exclaimed.
"If we don't eliminate Mother quickly, the entire Mesopotamia will—" Ishtar said with great anxiety.
At this point, Shirou spoke.
"Leave it to me."
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Having completely lost his direction, a despondent Enkidu arrived at the edge of a lake within the city of Uruk.
"What an idiot I am, why did I come to a place like this..."
Just as Enkidu was lamenting, the voice of a certain man reached his ears.
"Rise quickly. This King will not permit you to leave your corpse here. Disappear at once; this King will not condemn you."
Gilgamesh walked toward Enkidu, his brow arching as he looked at Enkidu, who had become cautious.
"What? Can't stand up? Is this really the one touted as the greatest masterpiece of the gods?"
"What are you acting so high and mighty for!"
Enkidu looked at him angrily, wanting to strike back, but he collapsed to the ground again. His body, having lost the Holy Grail, had become incredibly weak; no doubt his physical form would collapse before long.
"Damn it, to think I would be seen in such a pathetic state by you—!!"
Gilgamesh glanced at him, and golden light flashed for a moment; a Holy Grail rolled toward Enkidu and repaired his body the moment it made contact.
In that instant, Enkidu's expression changed abruptly, shifting from his initial dullness to fury.
Born from his heart, Enkidu stood up immediately and grabbed Gilgamesh by the collar.
"What are you doing? I am your enemy! I am not your Enkidu! Not Enkidu..."
"Correct. You merely used his vessel."
Gilgamesh said as he looked at him.
"Then why..." Enkidu's expression became blank.
"But, you are still someone this King protects... no, someone I hold dear!" Gilgamesh said.
"Huh? What did you say...?"
"Must I make this King say it out loud? You great fool! Even if your heart is different and your soul is distinct, your body remains the one-and-only Chain of Heaven on this land!"
Upon hearing these words, Enkidu's pupils trembled.
Immediately following, Gilgamesh sighed helplessly and said.
"Well, of course, that fellow always insisted he was nothing but a weapon. By that logic, it is only natural for this King to care for you. After all, he was the weapon this King trusted most in the past, and you could be considered his successor model. What would be wrong with shielding you?"
Saying this, Gilgamesh turned around and began to walk away.
"The end of the world is nigh. Go live as you wish."
"Wait... what does this mean?" Enkidu asked.
"Regardless of your mother or your background, do what you truly wish to do."
Gilgamesh answered with his back turned toward him.
"Just like this King in the past, and like him."
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Memories and landscapes of the past are always so clear, no matter when.
The vast, boundless earth and firmament, and the distant city-state standing at the edge of the horizon.
His father was Anu, King of the Gods; his mother was Aruru, the Goddess of Creation. Thus, the one born as a result was the "Chain" cast down by the gods.
"Chain, you must bring that Wedge back to our side."
Placed into the mortal world, he—or perhaps she—no, he did not possess a gender, only a masculine way of speaking.
Coming to the world of dust for the first time, he lacked human will, so the gods sent a woman.
He took that woman as his mentor, learned wisdom and reason, and learned the laws of heaven and earth.
When this was completed, he acquired a soul and, for the first time, spoke his own name.
"Enkidu."
From that moment on, the world became so pure—an ultimate purity.
His task.
His mission.
It was to demonstrate the wrath of the gods to the arrogant Gilgamesh.
Carrying such intense passion, he ran across the wilderness like a meteor.
Gazing at that castle city, Enkidu saw that King who was still a youth.
But he could not strike immediately, because in the adolescent Gilgamesh, there were no flaws that required warning.
Enkidu suppressed the anxiety in his heart, silently counting the days, waiting for him to grow to adulthood.
Until Gilgamesh grew from a youth to a young man.
They met before the altar where the Sacred Marriage ceremony was to be performed.
"You, to admonish me?"
Gilgamesh looked at him as he stood in his way.
In the eyes of Gilgamesh, the person before him was a star shining with verdant light.
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