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In the high-speed rotation of the sword's edge, the etheric magic transformed into a crimson hurricane. The sheer aftermath alone was enough to blow away everything nearby, yet the Sword of Rupture had not stopped spinning. Its three cylindrical segments, like grinding millstones, rotated and rumbled with the might of the earth's crust, as torrents of magic power surged outward.
In terms of sheer might, this was the most overwhelming force Roland had ever witnessed. Before such power, even sound was warped, light was swallowed, and the surrounding space itself trembled.
For a brief moment, neither men spoke. They simply stood in silence, watching as vast magical energy gathered and compressed into a roaring vortex, condensing into an indestructible blade.
By now, the surrounding space was already howling in agony. Even before its full release, the Sword of Separation had begun to tear the world apart.
"You're not planning to invoke its true name? I can give you that chance, you know,"
Roland said with a smile, his tone laced with genuine curiosity. This was a rare opportunity, to witness the full power of the Sword of Rupture at such close range.
"There's no need for that,"
Gilgamesh replied calmly.
"If I cannot comprehend the rules, then I must simply accept them. What I desire to confirm... is whether this sword's authority truly exists within the reach of my hand."
"Therefore, I will not fully unleash this Noble Phantasm. I will continuously compress its might, refining it into a single, pure strike that can cleave even the planet itself... without allowing its magic power to overflow."
"Otherwise,"
his eyes hardened, "I will die."
The ceaseless barrage from his Gate of Babylon had already cost him many lives. If he now unleashed the Sword that divides Heaven and Earth... the recoil of that fate would consume him entirely.
"What a remarkable transformation,"
Roland remarked softly.
"You've truly changed from the arrogant king from moments ago"
Calm, composed, and capable of assessing his situation rationally, this Gilgamesh was a far cry from the proud monarch who once sneered at all beneath him. If he had been this pragmatic from the beginning, the Holy Grail War might have ended swiftly, leaving only him and Enkidu.
But fate had shaped him otherwise. He was still young, and some lessons could only be carved in pain.
"Arrogance is the natural expression of confidence in one's own strength. But to lack self-awareness... is simply foolish."
Raising both arms high, Gilgamesh gathered the red spiral upon his blade. The compressed light turned the Sword of Separation into a blood-red phantom.
Even with all his strength focused, Sha Nagba Imuru, the Star of All-Knowledge, revealed no outcome to him. This treasure, which could perceive all truths, showed only the nature of the foe before him. Everything else... remained unknowable.
Yet it was precisely this uncertainty that reignited his pride. To challenge an enemy beyond understanding, that was worthy of the King of Heroes.
"Forgive the delay. May I be granted the honor of your name?"
"Just call me Roland."
"Roland…"
Gilgamesh murmured, and then, with fierce resolve:
"Then, Roland, behold my strongest!"
A light as bright and hollow as the void itself gathered at the Sword's tip. Before that brilliance, the very laws of this world began to crumble.
Even when not fully released, the Anti-World Noble Phantasm, Ea, The Sword of Rupture, radiated an EX-ranked might beyond judgment.
Is this...the true power of an Archer?
Saber watched in silence, a swirl of emotions rising within. If such a divine weapon could manifest its true potential, would he too be able to unleash his own, the Holy Sword of the Stars?
Yesterday, he might have acted without hesitation. But today... his heart wavered. His gaze shifted to Roland, still smiling, utterly unshaken before the storm.
What kind of man could make even that arrogant King bow his head and fight with all his might?
For reasons he couldn't name, Saber felt a subtle sense of relief that Roland was his Master. Holding his breath, he waited for the clash to reach its end.
With a mighty roar, Gilgamesh swung down.
The Sword of Rupture bellowed like a god-beast.
The compressed strike was so swift that its path vanished, leaving only a razor-thin ray of light. Yet that light was sharper than any edge, cleaving through space itself and carrying the fragments into nothingness.
All that remained in its wake was a dark abyss, a scar carved across reality, and it fell straight toward Roland.
Gilgamesh's breath stopped. His eyes were wide, his heart suspended.
Could this power, which could distort the world's very rules, finally break the chains that bound him?
But the collapsing earth and tearing heavens froze the instant they touched Roland. The shattered space, the chaos, halted as though time itself recoiled.
That apocalyptic blow... ended in a whisper.
"...So, this is the end."
Gilgamesh let out a bitter laugh, staring at his empty hands.
A moment later, space twisted, and a slash appeared across his right arm.
With a sharp crack, the limb tore free, shredded into nothing by the backlash.
"Time... reversed again?"
He stared, stunned, at his severed hand, and at Roland, who simply stood there, unmoving, not even bothering to strike.
The humiliation was absolute.
It wasn't that Gilgamesh was weak, only that his foe stood too far above. He would rather have been struck down outright... than killed by his own hand.
Though bleeding, Gilgamesh did not fall. Casting aside all remnants of arrogance, he stood tall, his voice steady:
"How about this, kneel before me, offer your entire treasury, and I may spare your life."
"Don't jest, God from another world,"
Gilgamesh retorted coldly.
"Whether or not you keep such a promise, this king will never yield. To concede in despair is one thing, to grovel in surrender is another. Even if I cannot win, I will die standing."
He pressed his bleeding stump, smirking faintly.
"If it were for Uruk, perhaps I would offer my treasures... but for this corrupted world? Hardly."
"How insightful," Roland said softly.
"A true king of desire sees through desire itself. It is those who pretend to be selfless who remain blind."
Even cornered, Gilgamesh refused to bend. In this, he was unwavering.
"...So be it," Roland said lightly. "No surprise there. Shall we continue? To me, you're still no more than Sun Wukong in Tathagata's palm."
"Of course," Gilgamesh smirked. "I still have one last card to play."
Wiping blood from his lips, he gathered magic once more.
"You may be mighty, but still bound by mortal flesh. So, I'll borrow your legs!"
"My... legs?"
Roland blinked, twitching in disbelief.
But before he could react, Gilgamesh poured out magic, leaping skyward.
"Until next time, God of another world, this king takes his leave!"
Despite everything, Roland laughed.
"He's grown... wiser."
Gilgamesh, when serious, was no fool. He would not throw his life away over pride. Running may be shameful, but it is useful.
Arrogant? Certainly. Reckless? Probably but Foolish? No
Even retreat could be turned to advantage.
If he could not win today, he would remember this defeat, and turn it into strength.
And truth be told, before such an opponent, there was no dishonor in flight.
As he soared into the night sky, Gilgamesh glanced back, only for his expression to twist.
"Fuck!!! Damn it! He's jumping after me, that high?!"
Only a dozen meters separated them!
Bursting through the canopy, Gilgamesh flew into open sky, pushing his body to its limit.
"Just a little further... just a bit more!"
His pupils flared. With his remaining arm, he summoned another weapon.
A golden ripple opened and a massive hammer slammed down toward Roland.
Roland didn't even flinch.
He smirked, pulling a recording device from his shadow, and calmly filmed the spectacle, the King of Heroes fleeing in panic like a cornered beast.
If fate let them meet again, Roland fully intended to make ten thousand copies of this recording and broadcast it worldwide, a tribute to the "heroic" dignity of Gilgamesh.
As expected, the hammer vanished after striking Roland, only to fall back down on Gilgamesh, smashing him midair. The collision hurled him further away, buying distance.
It was his only successful tactic of the night, and he laughed despite the blood on his lips.
"You've fallen for it, Roland! This is my escape route! You're still too green, God of another world! Doesn't the sky feel vast?!"
High above, golden ripples expanded, far wider than before.
From them emerged a radiant vessel, a ship of gold and emerald, adorned with luminous wings like those of a fairy. Its brilliance dazzled the heavens.
The Vimana, the fabled flying chariot from the Indian Ramayana.
Now, driven at full power, it surged forward. Gilgamesh, calling upon his faithful Enkidu, launched the Sky Chain and hooked it to the vessel's stern, swinging himself like a kite through the night.
With this, he finally widened the gap. But when he looked back at Roland, his eyes froze.
The distance had not changed. Something else followed, that strange entity Roland called his Stand.
"After evolving, its range has expanded," Roland's voice echoed.
"So take this parting gift."
Killer Queen raised its hand. Flames condensed into a blazing cannon, and fired.
Bound to Roland's soul, the evolved Stand could now wield fire magic itself. Though the Sky Chain strained to pull Vimana away, the beam was too swift to evade.
"Damn it!"
Gilgamesh's last cry tore through the sky.
"Tokiomi! Save me!"
And in that instant both Gilgamesh and his ship vanished.
"Ah... so Tokiomi isn't dead yet. Almost, though,"
Roland murmured, his eyes narrowing as his vision extended to the ruins of the Tohsaka manor in Fukayama.
"Well, Enkidu still needs him. I'll leave it to Kirei."
Unbothered, Roland descended back to earth.
The evolved Killer Queen was a pleasant surprise. Though its Fourth Bomb: Egoism could no longer rewind time by an hour like Bites the Dust, its activation and practicality far surpassed the previous form.
Once the Fourth Bomb activates, any threat Roland senses, or any hostile entity nearby, becomes marked.
If the marked being takes an action that would harm Roland, that event is erased from reality, and time reverts to before it occurred, though only for that action. The cause is nullified, and the result is restored.
Every strike Roland delivers is anchored through this mark, unhindered by temporal distortion. In essence, it was pure, calculated cheating.
Yet, even so, he knew this power was not absolute. If someone truly abandoned the will to harm him and instead sought to destroy the world itself, that would be a different matter. The disaster might rebound upon itself, but not vanish.
Moreover, activating the Fourth Bomb prevented use of the Third, Bites the Dust. For now, Roland could choose only between individual regression or world regression.
"Still, this is plenty. I'm really looking forward to your growth once you surpass Heaven."
Casting a glance at Killer Queen, Roland dismissed the Stand, then turned to the bewildered Knight King beside him.
Now, it was time to enlighten Saber,
and let the Holy Sword of the Stars finally shine with its rightful brilliance.