"Ugh..."
Kingu bit his lip, humiliation written across his face.
"Good, that should do it... Shirou-sama, thank you. You can let go of Enkidu now."
Siduri put away her healing Mystic Code with a satisfied look, and Shirou rose from Kingu's back.
"Why... Why go to all this unnecessary trouble?"
Kingu remained sprawled face-down on the ground. "There was never any reason for me to accept your treatment..."
Siduri paused, then looked at him calmly.
"You are a soul born from Enkidu's remains.
I'm only a tavernkeeper's daughter. I don't understand such complicated philosophical questions...
The nature of humanity, the nature of the soul, I don't understand any of that. So I'll simply take the liberty of treating you as Enkidu's reincarnation.
Enkidu was my... No. You are a friend to all the people of Uruk.
You were the one who gave life to the Lonely King and guided him onto the path of becoming a great and wise ruler.
Not one of us failed to mourn your death, and not one of us will ever forget it.
So I refuse to stand by and watch Enkidu be hurt in front of me again.
I don't want to feel that grief a second time."
"!!!"
Kingu became even more agitated.
"I already told you! I'm not...!
I'm your enemy! I'm a being created by the Goddess Tiamat!
I'm not your Enkidu...! I'm just... just a puppet... with a different heart placed inside me...!"
"Even if everything you say is true... Even if you aren't Enkidu, but someone else using his body.
Even so... Ah, let me put it another way."
Siduri gave him a playful smile.
"If the King were here...
I'm sure he would furiously berate you like this.
'Do I have to spell everything out before you understand human speech, you hopeless fool?! Even if your heart is different and your soul is not the same!
Your body is still the only Set of Chains of Heaven upon this earth!'
...Something like that."
"......"
Overwhelmed by Siduri's forcefulness, Kingu could only stare at her with his mouth half-open, unable to say a word.
Shirou listened silently from the side, thinking that if Uruk ever held a King of Heroes impersonation contest, Gilgamesh himself might only come in second.
A nostalgic look crossed Siduri's face.
"When Enkidu was alive, he always insisted that he was nothing more than a weapon.
If we go by his own words, then I have even more reason to take responsibility for looking after you.
After all, you're something like the successor model to the weapon that once protected Uruk."
After a long silence, Kingu narrowed his eyes.
"You'll regret this. One day, I'll destroy Uruk with my own hands."
"No, I won't regret it... And threatening me won't do you any good."
Siduri wrapped her arms around Shirou's arm and smiled.
"No matter how many times you come back, Shirou-sama will stop you every single time."
"...Guh!"
Kingu's face shifted between pale and flushed.
Even he no longer believed he could defeat Shirou, but hearing someone say it so plainly still hurt.
Just as Kingu was about to stubbornly retort...
"AAaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!"
"Ugh!"
Shirou suddenly dropped to one knee.
Kingu stared. "......?"
"Shirou-sama!"
Siduri hurried over and supported the boy as his body swayed.
"What's wrong, Shirou-sama?"
She noticed the sweat beading on his forehead and quickly wiped it away.
"The Goddess Tiamat's voice suddenly started echoing inside my head... My body's numb. I can't move..."
Kingu watched in shock, immediately remembering how Merlin had been killed by the awakened Goddess Tiamat inside the Blood Fort.
His mother's voice echoed through Shirou's mind.
Could this be... Mother using echolocation to find Shirou's position?
Like Merlin, Shirou had once entered the Imaginary Numbers coordinates where the Goddess Tiamat resided. That also made it easier for her to locate them in return.
But why...?
According to the King of Magecraft, the Goddess Tiamat was currently governed by two opposing consciousnesses.
One was the instinct that loved humanity, Human Love. The other was the instinct that sought vengeance against humanity, Evils of Humanity.
The contradiction between those two impulses was what kept the Goddess Tiamat in a state of Self-Seal.
If the instinct that loved humanity was the Mother who had granted Shirou the Supreme Blessing skill...
Then the one searching for Shirou now had to be the other instinct.
Did Mother consider Shirou's existence a threat to herself?
Suddenly, Kingu sensed something approaching.
"...Watch out!"
He sprang to his feet, rushed over, and shoved Siduri and Shirou aside.
Then...
"Sshhk."
A wave of dizziness struck Kingu, and numbness began spreading through his consciousness from the tips of his hands and feet.
"Enkidu!"
"Hey, Kingu!"
The green-haired young man lowered his gaze.
An obsidian-black tentacle had pierced straight through his chest from behind.
"Cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep!!"
The winged Laḫmu laughed loudly as it pulled its tentacle from Kingu's body.
Coiled within the tentacle was a golden vessel.
It was none other than the Greater Grail of the Seventh Singularity, which Kingu had carried within himself as his heart (core) until now.
"You... don't... need this... anymore... We'll... take it back..."
Kingu clutched his chest, his eyes widening.
"You... You can talk?!"
Between his earlier battle with Shirou and the Laḫmu's attack, Kingu had already suffered tremendous damage.
Now that he had lost his heart (the Holy Grail), he could no longer use Mana. He could not even manage the most basic self-regeneration.
"Mother... gave us... orders."
The Laḫmu flew into the air with the Holy Grail.
"As the... new... humans... we must learn.
The way... humans... exist. The definition... of humanity.
Something... more human-like... This is... the conclusion... we reached.
Acting like humans... is wonderful! Killing... humans... is so... much fun!"
"Don't be ridiculous."
Enduring the ceaseless call of the Goddess of Creation inside his head, Shirou forced himself back to his feet and drew a bow from thin air.
The Laḫmu ignored him and continued staring at Kingu.
"Cheep cheep cheep cheep! Pitiful! So pitiful! Kingu is so pitiful!"
"...What did you say?"
Kingu was weakening by the second. He could barely raise his head.
The Laḫmu answered excitedly through its enormous mouth.
"Useless! Kingu is useless now!
Without the Holy Grail... he can't even hear... Mother's voice!
Cheep cheep cheep, cheep cheep cheep cheep! Pitiful and ridiculous!
Pitiful... Ha... ridiculous! Pathetic... ridiculous! So funny... Kingu!
Even until death... he never realized... he was the only one... who was obsolete!"
"!"
The arrow Shirou loosed tore through the air and pierced the Laḫmu's body.
Was the Goddess Tiamat's interference the reason he had failed to kill it in a single shot...?
The next instant, the Laḫmu swallowed the Golden Grail. Its badly damaged body regenerated completely in the blink of an eye.
"What's going on? A Holy Grail reaction suddenly appeared over here... Wait, what is that?!"
Mash, Ishtar, and the others, who had been escorting the civilians away, rushed onto the scene.
Shirou shouted, "Ishtar! Go after that Laḫmu! Whatever happens, do not let it reach the Persian Gulf!"
"Got it! You're not getting away! Quetzalcoatl, cover me!"
The Sun Goddess and the Goddess of Venus knocked aside the approaching Laḫmu. Then the others mounted the pterosaurs and chased the Laḫmu carrying the Holy Grail out of Eridu's airspace.
...
...
"Mother's voice caught me off guard just now, but I'm fine now."
Shirou used the Six Roots Purification Mantra he had learned from Tomoe Gozen to temporarily block the Goddess Tiamat's song from his mind.
As he looked toward the Persian Gulf, he gave Siduri his instructions.
"Siduri, stay here and take care of the injured Kingu...
I've already contacted Ana through telepathy. She's on her way here, and she'll take both of you back to Uruk."
As he spoke, Shirou gave Kingu a meaningful look.
He had expected fierce resistance, but to his surprise, Kingu remained completely silent.
Judging from his condition, things did not look good...
His life had originally been sustained through the Holy Grail. The fact that he was still alive after losing it was already extraordinary.
"Shirou-sama, please be careful." Siduri supported Kingu's now-motionless body.
"Yeah."
Shirou nodded and flexed his limbs.
It had been a while...
Time to use "Touko Flight" again.
Just as he prepared to fly toward the Persian Gulf...
"Wait! That's too reckless, Enkidu!"
"...Shirou."
Kingu struggled to reach out and grab the boy's wrist.
Shirou raised an eyebrow. "What? You want to come too? Sorry, but in your current condition, that's impossible."
"......"
Kingu's gaze remained unwavering.
Shirou sighed.
"You probably don't have much longer to live, do you...?"
"Shirou-sama!"
Siduri knew perfectly well that he was only stating the truth, but the words were still painfully cruel.
Shirou continued, "Then don't push yourself. Use whatever time you have left... Go back to Uruk and see that guy one last time."
At Shirou's words, Kingu remembered the face of the man he had met only once, yet dreamed of countless times.
Kingu bit his lip and shook his head, driving the golden figure from his thoughts.
"There's no need... for me to see that guy anymore. Besides, as I am now... I have no face to show him."
Siduri sobbed.
"Please don't say that, Enkidu... You saved those people just now. You protected me and Shirou-sama too, didn't you?"
Kingu kept his eyes fixed on Shirou.
"Shirou, in the end... I still can't bring myself to like you... But...
I'll admit this. Just like me, you are one of Mother's most beloved children."
Shirou snorted.
"Isn't that obvious? You're starting to sound just like Gilgamesh, saying pointless things all the time."
"I don't know... what the right thing is anymore."
Kingu tightened his grip around Shirou's wrist.
"I don't know how I'm supposed to live up to Mother's expectations... I don't understand anything anymore.
But you're different, Shirou... I can't see any hesitation in you...
I think I finally understand why Mother considers you her greatest threat...
If it's you... then surely...
So fulfill Mother's expectations for me too."
A terrible premonition suddenly seized Siduri, and her eyes widened.
"Enkidu... What are you talking about...?
Wait, your body... How can this be?!"
Kingu's body began crumbling like a lump of clay, pieces flaking away.
Even after losing his heart and suffering a fatal wound, he had still been barely managing to maintain his existence until just moments ago...
It was because Kingu had finally found what he needed to do.
Ignoring his body as it steadily collapsed, the green-haired young man spoke quietly.
"This is both my wish and the wish of the machine known as Enkidu.
Shirou, you will be the one to wield it.
The mightiest weapon created by the gods, me, I leave it to you."
With those words and a smile, the green-haired puppet's body shattered completely.
The clay figure that had stood upon the earth dissolved into golden ashes, surrounding the boy before him.
Shirou remained silent.
"With your current body, you probably don't meet the requirements for any Grand Class. Just what are you planning to do...?
Hm? That expression, Shirou... You already have an answer?"
"Yeah. Thanks to a certain someone, I finally understand...
The strongest Heroic Spirit doesn't have to be the strongest themselves. They only need to possess the strongest Noble Phantasm, right?"
"You bastard... Don't tell me you're going to..."
This was not how Shirou had intended to make it happen.
He let the ashes that had once been Kingu settle against his skin and quietly sighed.
He had wanted to fight beside Kingu...
To laugh together while watching Gilgamesh's face twist with envy, jealousy, and frustration...
But...
The boy tightly closed his fist around the final drifting fragment of clay.
"I accept your resolve... Let's fight together, Kingu."
...
...
The group heading for the Persian Gulf ultimately failed to stop the Holy Grail from reaching the Goddess Tiamat.
They had encountered overwhelming resistance along the way.
Thousands of Laḫmu surged from the pitch-black sea. Although the freshly created Laḫmu were individually weak, their sheer numbers were enough to stop the group in its tracks.
"We're retreating, Ritsuka! If you stay over the sea any longer, you'll be in danger too!"
"But... Doctor, we still haven't...!" Mash shouted anxiously.
"No, we should retreat for now, Mash."
Ritsuka took her junior's hand.
"Let's pull back to the Persian Gulf Oceanographic Observatory for the moment."
"That's right. Even a few minutes of rest matters.
You've barely stopped fighting since the battle against Gorgon.
I want the two of you to at least find somewhere with a roof over your heads and get some proper rest."
In the end, the group withdrew from the sea and headed for the Persian Gulf Oceanographic Observatory.
There, they encountered someone completely unexpected.
"You're late, you Chaldean lot! What in the world happened over there? Report immediately, and keep it concise!"
"K-King Gilgamesh's... hologram?!"
Ritsuka could not help but retort, "What is this? Did you copy the Doctor's idea?!"
"It is not copying, it is taking inspiration! What do you think this King traveled all the way to the observatory for before?!
Thanks to this King's foresight, I prepared a communications device in advance for exactly this kind of situation!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru explained what had happened as concisely as possible.
"This is bad, Your Majesty! The Holy Grail got stolen!"
Mash stared at her. "No, no, no! That's way too concise... Nobody can understand anything from that!"
Gilgamesh shouted, "What have you lot been doing?! How did you let the Holy Grail fall into the Goddess Tiamat's hands?!"
Mash blinked. "Y-you actually understood her...?!"
Gilgamesh continued, "Enough. Now it is this King's turn to explain.
First! The results of the water quality investigation are in!
That blackened seawater is the Goddess Tiamat's power itself!
It corrodes any living creature it touches, replicating the Goddess Tiamat's power within their cells and turning them into her subordinates.
The Laḫmu are born from the Goddess Tiamat's mud, so the mud itself should have no effect on them.
But whether Servant or human, the moment anyone comes into contact with that black mud, they will immediately be drawn into the Goddess Tiamat's fold..."
"Forgive me for interrupting, Your Majesty! But now isn't the time! The Laḫmu are coming after us!"
They practically blotted out the sky.
Well over a hundred Laḫmu surrounded the Oceanographic Observatory.
The sight was enough to crush anyone's hope.
"Mash, prepare for battle! I'll support you with Magecraft too!"
"Understood, Master!"
Mash hid the exhaustion from her face and raised her great shield.
Ishtar stood atop the Boat of Heaven Maanna, while Quetzalcoatl tightened her grip on her obsidian saw-bladed sword.
Just as the battle was about to begin...
"!!"
The planet cried out.
The two goddesses were the first to sense the staggering surge of Mana, and both immediately turned their heads.
Something was approaching from the southern edge of the land.
Enormous mass.
Enormous Mana.
Enormous divine presence.
And then... unbelievable as it seemed, there was also the unmistakable aura of a certain red-haired boy whom both goddesses knew all too well.
"Huh...?"
Ishtar stared blankly at a streak of light rising from the ground and shooting toward them from the distant horizon.
It was an "arrow."
An arrow spinning and hurtling forward at extreme speed, traveling so far beyond the speed of sound that its sonic booms and shockwaves were left trailing behind it.
By channeling divine power into their eyes, the goddesses could just barely make out the true nature of that "arrow."
"......Shirou."
Wherever the arrow of light passed, it unleashed slashes that tore through space itself.
The airborne Laḫmu were shredded apart without the slightest resistance merely from touching the aftershock.
Before anyone could even react, the "arrow" had completed a full circuit around the Oceanographic Observatory and slaughtered every last Laḫmu.
Once the Laḫmu had been completely annihilated, the "arrow" began to slow, finally allowing everyone to see the newcomer clearly.
"Shirou-san!"
Ritsuka and Mash cried out in delight.
For some reason, Shirou, despite being human, was now able to stand in the air like the Goddess of Heaven.
But even more striking was the change in his appearance.
Across the skin left exposed by his clothes, on his arms, collarbone, and neck, vivid red patterns had appeared.
They spread and coiled across his body like serpents.
By receiving fragments of the Divine Construct, Shirou had gained a Divinity fundamentally incompatible with his own nature, along with the greatest possible Spirit Origin.
Those deep-red Magic Crests (external Magic Circuits) were the manifestation of the "Age of Gods."
***
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