Although the wound from his severed arm could be healed with elixirs, it didn't change the fact that the Sword of Rupture he was holding had fallen into Lancelot's hands.
In the end, the fact that Goldie was saved at all was something Enkidu had traded his life for. He wouldn't complain about that.
However.
When he saw that damned mongrel dog defiling his ultimate treasure, Ea, with its filthy hands, Goldie couldn't contain his rage.
"Mongrel!"
Despite his ridiculous posture, he had to retrieve his ultimate treasure.
However, just as he considered Ea his trump card, so too did his opponent.
A volley of Noble Phantasms shot out from the Gate of Babylon, but they were effortlessly shattered by the gale whipped up by Ea.
"It's useless, and you should know it. That Noble Phantasm is the most powerful one in your entire collection," a girlish voice rang out from above. Looking up, he saw a blonde girl in a Western-style dress sitting on a tree branch, watching him with an amused expression.
"Long time no see... hmm, that doesn't feel quite right, since we just met last night."
"In any case—greetings, Mr. King of Heroes."
Manaka Sajyou landed lightly on the ground, pinching the hem of her skirt and greeting him with a smile, her etiquette as refined as a noble lady from Kyoto.
"It's you, woman!" Goldie snarled, his face contorted in anger.
He did not like Manaka Sajyou.
This woman was, to a certain extent, just as willful and self-absorbed as he was.
As for her special nature—it was clear that while Goldie knew about her situation through his Sha Naqba Imuru, he had never paid it any mind.
After all.
Born connected to the Root?
That sort of thing only sounded impressive. The only ones who would truly care were the idiot magi who pursued the Root after the Age of Gods had faded.
But in the Age of Gods, that kind of thing, that kind of power... was just a trinket.
And just as Goldie looked down on it, so too did he feel that for most of its wielders, this ability was just plain boring.
To see a story's end in a single glance... Manaka Sajyou's boredom was the same as that faced by most gods. The difference was that the former felt life was meaningless without a beloved prince charming, even if she chose not to look, while the latter would simply turn off that ability and go find or create their own fun.
However...
It seemed his own arrogance had planted the seeds for his current predicament.
"I hope that with the other me by your side, you'll learn a lesson or two, Gil."
Enkidu's final words echoed in his mind, causing the ever-arrogant Goldie to fall silent for a moment.
He was Gilgamesh at his youngest and most headstrong, still doing whatever he pleased.
And as a result, he had tasted the same ending once again.
If he were to regroup, with his Sha Naqba Imuru, even if his omniscience was blocked by [Illya] just like Manaka's, as long as he could let go of some things, he could absolutely rise again, return with crushing force, and win the Holy Grail War.
Though he was a scumbag, in terms of ability, even if his opponent had gained an early advantage, he could still turn the tables.
But now...
Gilgamesh's gaze shifted to another direction.
Layer upon layer of magical barriers were rapidly rising within a one-kilometer radius of the Tohsaka residence.
Magecraft to assist in combat, magecraft to seal off escape routes...
"My apologies, Mr. Gilgamesh~ For what I am about to do, you are one of the most troublesome opponents for me," Manaka Sajyou said with a sweet smile.
The reason she had rushed over to hunt down Goldie was because he was one of the most difficult opponents for her.
Therefore, to reunite with her Prince as soon as possible, she couldn't allow this King of Heroes any chance to disrupt her plans.
"Hmph."
With a cold snort, though he was furious, Gilgamesh had calmed down. "This time, I was outmaneuvered."
Just as he would eventually acknowledge a certain master forger despite looking down on him, as a hero, he was never a sore loser.
But...
"Mongrel," he sneered at Lancelot. "My treasury may not have many arrows... but it's not like I have none."
The next moment, from a golden ripple, an arrow shot forth. With a sharp whistle, it was easily blocked by Lancelot, who then began to laugh maniacally.
"Mongrels, from this moment on, feel my wrath."
"The conflagration falls from the heavens."
"The wrathful tides of Napištim arrive!"
---||---
On a cliff not far away, Miss Elysia watched the distant scene, a little confused.
"What's with that guy? His arrow got blocked, but he started laughing instead... and speaking of which, his archery skills are terrible. Is he really an Archer?"
"His attack style is just shooting Noble Phantasms from the Gate of Babylon."
"As for that arrow..."
"It's just a feint, or rather, a targeting beacon."
As for its true purpose...
"...The Sword of the End, Enki."
Beside her, [Illya] looked up at the sky. With her inhuman eyesight, she stared at the magical sigils forming in space.
The Sword that Summons the Flood, capable of calling forth a world-ending deluge.
It would unleash a great flood upon the target location. Starting from its launch, the scale of the flood would increase each day until the seventh day, when it would manifest the Napištim, the great flood recorded in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
While calling it world-ending might be an exaggeration—the Noble Phantasm was merely a reenactment, and its destructive properties were more due to the inherent nature of floods—if it were allowed to fully charge, it could probably sink half of the Far East.
"Eh?!"
Elysia and Miss Illya both blinked, and even Jeanne's expression turned serious.
"That Archer, what on earth is he trying to do?!"
"He probably just wants to cause trouble for that child and the other participants in the Holy Grail War," [Illya] said calmly.
Although the Sword of the End was powerful and had a wide area of effect, it needed seven days to reach its full potential, and a Holy Grail War only lasted for seven days.
Goldie probably used the Great Chalice of Uruk as a mana source for the sword and planned to unleash the flood and then pull a "let the world be damned after I'm gone."
"I have to stop him!" Jeanne declared.
"Your flag can't stop the great flood of the Sword of the End."
"Perhaps not, but you said the flood needs time to build up, right?"
"...You're going to use that sword?"
[Illya] instantly understood Jeanne's intentions, her gaze falling on the Sword of Saint Catherine at her waist.
"If it becomes necessary, I will not shrink back."
"What, what? Don't keep me in the dark~" Elysia pouted.
"It's nothing, just her second Noble Phantasm," [Illya] explained.
"It's a sub-species of a Reality Marble that requires the sacrifice of her life... The side effects are a bit severe, but I quite like that Noble Phantasm of yours."
"You're joking."
Jeanne gave a wry smile.
That thing was pretty much hell for her.
"Then..."
Just as she was about to draw the Sword of Saint Catherine, a hand stopped her. Looking up, she saw Elysia smiling sweetly.
"Ahem~ we can't let a beautiful girl sacrifice her life for something like this~"
"A sword that can summon a great flood? Floods... I'm not too fond of them."
"So... let's leave it to Illya!"
"Eh? Why me?!" Miss Illya couldn't help but complain.
She thought Elysia was going to handle it herself.
Honestly, with Elysia's arrival, she had been feeling a sense of relief, thinking she wouldn't have to struggle against those monsters anymore.
But now...
"Well, just think about it. It wouldn't do for a beautiful girl like me to be getting into fights, now would it? Besides, for a small matter like this, it's much more fitting for the cute Illya to handle it~"
"You won't refuse, right? If you do, a lot of people might lose their homes."
"...Alright."
Though a little reluctant, Miss Illya was used to being ordered around and nodded.
However, just as she was about to take out the Firefly card for a Dream-like Summons...
She was stopped.
"?"
"While her card would work just fine, it's a bit of a waste to use such powerful magic for this. What's more important is that the target of that card is none other than the Elysia standing right before you!"