"Lord… I entrust this mapo tofu to you…" Jeanne prayed.
The fallen city of Lyon lay before them.
Vimana descended beside its ruins, and the group stepped onto the desolate ground.
"This is… Lyon," Rikka whispered.
The glory it once held was gone, its vibrancy reduced to nothing.
Only silence and the stench of death remained.
"…They tore this place apart," Jeanne murmured, her voice heavy.
My heart aches.
No life lost here was without worth.
Every soul carried the potential to create something wondrous tomorrow.
The pain of so many precious lives extinguished… it's overwhelming.
"No use looking down," Gilgamesh said. "If you want to honor these sacrifices, press on. The dragon-slayer's our goal, isn't it?"
He's right.
We move forward—for the sake of the lives lost.
"Let's split up and search!" Rikka said, her voice firm.
"Very well, a race!" Marie chirped. "Amadeus and I will take the west!"
"Then we'll head east," Mash said. "Both of you, stay safe."
"Musician, protect the Queen well," Gilgamesh ordered.
"Got it," Amadeus replied. "It was just the two of us at the start, remember? Leave it to me."
"Let's go!" Marie said, beaming.
"Roman, Roman!" Rikka called into the comms. "Huh, that's weird…"
She tried again, frowning.
"What's wrong, Master?" Gilgamesh asked.
"I can't reach Roman," Rikka said. "Something's up."
"A comms malfunction?" Gilgamesh mused. "He's pessimistic but diligent. He wouldn't shirk his duties."
Navigating without Olga-Marie or Roman's voice is a first. It's… unsettling.
"They're probably handling something," Gilgamesh said. "They'll sort it out. For now, we focus on our purpose."
"Yes," Mash agreed. "Senpai, watch out for debris."
"Thanks, Gil, Mash," Rikka said.
"…This was once a beautiful city," Jeanne murmured, her voice pained.
I can't imagine watching a familiar world burn. Jeanne's grief is beyond my grasp, and that frustrates me.
"Why did the Dragon Witch…?" Jeanne whispered.
"She's not you," Gilgamesh said firmly.
His vessel spoke with conviction.
"She lacks something you have. Something critical."
"…Something I have that she doesn't…?" Jeanne echoed.
"Indeed," Gilgamesh said. "Without it, she's merely a counterfeit built on your frame."
"What is it…?" Jeanne asked.
"Hm," Gilgamesh smirked. "She likely doesn't know the softness of straw."
"Straw…?"
His words are cryptic, vast. Deciphering them is no small task.
But one thing's clear: he's telling me to find the answer myself.
"Gil sure loves his riddles," Rikka said, smiling faintly.
"Let the common folk exercise their feeble minds," Gilgamesh laughed. "Hahaha!"
"For now… let's pray for the souls lost here," Jeanne said, clasping her hands.
But a voice interrupted her prayer.
"Peace? Peace?" it sang. "There's no peace—only the ache of unrelenting regret, a living hell."
A melodic yet haunting tone.
"A Servant…!"
Mash and Jeanne moved to shield Rikka.
A figure emerged—clad in tattered cloth, with monstrous claws and a mask covering half his face.
"A vengeful spirit, eh?" Gilgamesh said, smirking.
"My True Name is Phantom of the Opera," the figure intoned. "I sing of regret, of sorrow, of despair… a Servant of lamentation."
"What a dreary song," Gilgamesh scoffed. "Unworthy of hearing. Bad for Master and Mash's education. Begone, insolent fool."
He began selecting treasures. Opera… the singing kind?
What's its weakness? A weapon to purge phantoms should do.
His fingers tensed, signaling ripples in the air.
"Sorrow doesn't fade, resentment doesn't die, despair endures," the Phantom sang. "So I sing, sing, as I wish."
As battle loomed—
(Master, Master!)
(Okita-san?)
(Yup, it's Okita-san! Okita's voice chirped. I'm itching for some action! How about it? Can I join?)
(Uh… can you go all-out right away?)
(Of course! Okita replied. The Shinsengumi's always battle-ready! Leave the barracks, start the slaughter; leave Chaldea, slice 'em up!)
(Alright, come out on my signal.)
(Yay! Watch Okita-san's swordplay!)
"Master, prepare—" Mash began.
It happened in an instant.
"Form-Change! Combat Suit!"
Rikka activated her ring, her outfit shifting in a flash.
"Senpai?!" Mash gasped.
"—Gandr!"
A directional curse shot from Rikka's fingertips.
No mere beginner's spell—this was backed by Chaldea's vast mana reserves, a force meant to sustain an entire Master.
Its sheer power bound the Servant's movements—!
"Gah—!"
"Hm," Gilgamesh said, impressed.
"Come, Okita-san!"
Faster than her call, a figure leaped forward.
"—First Step: Sound's Edge."
A cherry-blossom-clad Saber closed the distance instantly.
"Second Step: No Gap."
Her warp-like footwork brought her to the brink of life and death.
"Third Step: Absolute Blade—"
She drew her sword—
"—Mumyo Sandan-Zuki!"
Three simultaneous thrusts pierced the Phantom's chest.
"GAH—!"
Blood sprayed, splattering the ground.
Struck thrice in the heart, the Phantom collapsed in an instant.
"—Singing on a battlefield? What an idiot," Okita said, sheathing her blade with a click. "Practically begging to be cut."
"And that's that! Woo! Chaldea's Okita-san claims her first victory!" she cheered. "Did you see that, Master? Everyone?!"
"An Assassin, eh?" Gilgamesh said. "Fine ambush. I hear island ninjas get one free sneak attack…"
"Wha—?! I'm a Saber!" Okita protested. "You saw those thrusts, right?!"
"Well…" Mash hesitated. "It was… too fast to register…"
"I'm so sorry, stranger," Jeanne said. "I missed it…"
"NOOO!" Okita wailed. "My debut as Chaldea's Saber, ruined! How could you?!"
"There's a radiant Saber in Chaldea after all…" Gilgamesh muttered. "Hear that, Saber? That's you, Saber…"
Flawless teleportation, three strikes at the exact same moment…
No wonder he called her an Assassin. That wasn't a sword—it was something else.
Okita Souji, the Shinsengumi's greatest swordsman…
Japan produced such an absurd human?
"Good work, Okita-san," Rikka said. "You can head back."
"What?! Already?!" Okita cried. "No fair! Jeanne-san, Heracles-san, and even that cat got epic moments! Boo!"
Grumbling, Okita vanished.
"…Is he really gone?" Jeanne asked.
"Pretty sure he's dead," Rikka said.
"Let's check," Gilgamesh said, nudging the Phantom's head with his foot. "Still alive? Got any songs left, wraith?"
"—It comes," the Phantom muttered.
"Hm?"
"It comes, it comes—it comes."
Delirious murmurs from the fallen Opera.
"What's coming, fool?" Gilgamesh demanded. "Use a subject."
"The witch… the witch born from a saint…"
"—It comes. Evil comes!"
"Evil…?" Rikka echoed.
Before she could ask—
"Romani, are we back?! Can you hear me?! Everyone!" Olga-Marie's voice burst through the comms.
"Director!" Mash replied.
"Everyone, get out of there!" Olga-Marie shouted.
"Calm yourself," Gilgamesh said. "What's happening?"
"It's coming! It's coming!"
"A life signature surpassing Servants—massive!" Roman added. "A dragon's coming!"
I see.
"That's why you're panicking," Gilgamesh said.
"Surpassing Servants…?" Jeanne gasped. "Is that possible?!"
"Yes!" Olga-Marie said. "Dragons are the pinnacle of phantasmal species! They can dwarf even Servants!"
"This is bad!" Roman said. "A clash won't end well!"
"There you are!" Marie called, arriving with Amadeus, sensing the danger.
"Everyone, retreat!" Olga-Marie urged. "Even with Gilgamesh, it's not safe! His defenses are thin—you'll get taken out first!"
"Thin? I delegate," Gilgamesh corrected. "So, what now? Flee empty-handed, effort wasted?"
"No way—!" Rikka protested.
"If we escape now, who knows when we'll return!" Jeanne said. "And without a plan, running will only—"
Exactly. We'd be cornered, whittled down.
"Naturally," Gilgamesh said. "She won't let you escape. She's summoned a formidable beast—she's serious."
"Then what do we do…?" Marie asked.
It's obvious.
No need to overthink the answer.
"I'll draw the dragon's attention," Gilgamesh declared. "You lot find the dragon-slayer."
"What?!" Rikka gasped.
"King of Heroes—?!" Jeanne exclaimed.
"Are you insane?!" Roman shouted. "A dragon?! Even you can't—!"
"Fool," Gilgamesh said. "What have you seen of me? Defeating it outright is one thing—buying time? Child's play."
It's decided. Coming here sealed my resolve.
"Dragon-slaying's not a king's job," he continued. "I'd rather not waste my treasures on a beast that won't sink without them."
I've selected dragon-slaying Noble Phantasms—defensive ones included.
No issue. I can hold it off. I, Gilgamesh, King of Heroes, can.
"A king has a king's duties, a chef a chef's, a dragon-slayer a dragon-slayer's," he said. "Go."
So go. Leave this to me.
"I'll tame that dragon. Secure your prize."
"But…" Mash hesitated.
"Let's move, everyone!" Rikka shouted.
"Rikka-kun?!" Roman gasped.
The Master took the lead.
"The King says so—it's gotta be true!" Rikka said. "We do our part! …Right, Gil?"
Tears welled in her eyes.
I could see it—her fear, the weight of sending me to a death trap.
"Hahaha! Well said!" Gilgamesh laughed. "Trust a king's words!"
"—Understood," Jeanne said. "Stay safe, King of Heroes!"
"Don't die!" Mash added.
"Gorgeous-sama! We'll meet again…!" Marie called.
"There's a faint Servant signature ahead!" Olga-Marie said. "That's where he'll be!"
"…I apologize for my disrespect," Amadeus said quietly. "You're a hell of a king."
"We'll be back—!" Rikka shouted.
The group ran off.
This is right.
If there's a certain death, I'll face it first.
I won't let them die needlessly. I reject unjust fates.
To lead them to this journey's end—
To achieve something… I'll face death itself.
"—You came alone?"
A voice rang from atop a colossal evil dragon.
"So it seems," Gilgamesh replied. "Even I take strolls."
"Hmph," the witch sneered. "Such arrogance—thinking you can win against this Fafnir?!"
"Naturally," Gilgamesh said.
Dragon-slaying armaments mobilized—350 gates deployed.
"I am Gorgeous, Gilgamesh," he declared. "The oldest King of Heroes. A lizard like that? I've seen enough."
Everyone, leave this to my vessel—
"—Care to test it?" he challenged. "The true worth of my treasures, with every inch of that beast—!"
And to me, the nameless one, who takes this stand—!
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