The moment Olga Marie—or rather, Kamishiro Rize wearing the outer skin of Olga Marie's Saint Graph—was about to crash into this world, she heard it.
The System's female voice, which was always gentle and calm, emitted an extremely rare static, almost like a bad signal.
[Warning... Timeline... Anchor Point shifting...]
[Detected... high-dimensional... interference...]
[Correcting... Correction failed...]
[Current Timeline... has changed...]
[Please... pay attention...]
Her voice was intermittent, and the last few words were practically squeezed out of the electromagnetic noise.
"Huh?"
Olga Marie raised an eyebrow amidst the flowing light of the teleportation.
Her long, silvery-white hair danced wildly in the energy stream, the tips almost touching her ankles.
The massive, alien horns growing from both sides of her skull reflected an ominous, metallic cold light. They really did look like some kind of stabilizer used in a craniotomy, assuming a craniotomy required something over half a meter long with edges sharp enough to be used as a murder weapon.
A highly technological-looking bodysuit perfectly wrapped around her body's curves, but the abdominal area was open, revealing smooth skin.
A heavy Cape surged behind her, its inner white fluff brushing against her forearms.
"The Timeline changed?"
She repeated it. There wasn't much surprise in her tone, but rather a sort of numbness, a feeling of "here we go again."
It wasn't the first time, after all.
"Let it change, then."
She shrugged. That was just how clients were; it wasn't uncommon for them to change conditions at the last minute.
"It's not like I'll get fewer points just because the Timeline changed anyway."
[...]
The System seemed to want to say something, but ultimately just let out a string of meaningless sizzling noises before falling completely silent.
The light of the teleportation reached its peak at this moment.
Olga Marie closed her eyes.
When she opened them again—
...
At this moment, the outskirts of Snowfield City.
Using the word "outskirts" was actually a bit too flattering for this place.
"Scorched earth" would be far more fitting.
To be exact, it couldn't even be called land anymore.
Within a radius of several kilometers, the ground looked as if an angry giant had viciously dug through it over and over again.
Massive craters lay one after another, seemingly bottomless.
The sand and soil had been melted into glass-like crystals by extreme heat, reflecting a sheen under the moonlight.
The air was filled with the smell of burning and ozone. Remnant tornadoes of Magical Energy could still be seen spinning in place, whipping up sand and dust.
These were the traces left behind by the preceding great battle between Enkidu and Gilgamesh.
These two ancestors had been fighting up until now, forcibly beating the Gobi into a desert.
Wherever they passed, not a single blade of grass grew; the terrain was reshaped, and the ecology was annihilated.
If environmental organizations were here, they would probably burst into tears on the spot. How many trees would they have to plant to make up for this!
Greta Thunberg: You bastards! The government are bastards too! The United Nations doesn't have this kind of gas explosion!
And now, this friendly exchange that had lasted for an entire night was about to reach its finale.
Enkidu stood on a relatively flat patch of sand.
They raised their head, gazing up at the golden figure suspended in midair, their long green hair fluttering gently in the night wind.
Their face, so exquisite it didn't seem mortal, was currently brimming with pure, undisguised joy.
"Ah, Gil."
Their voice was very light, yet it clearly penetrated the distance of several hundred meters, reaching Gilgamesh's ears.
"Let us end it with this."
High in the sky, Gilgamesh crossed his arms, his crimson eyes looking down at his best friend below.
That suit of golden armor shone brilliantly under the moonlight, and the Golden Ripples behind him had yet to completely dissipate.
Hearing Enkidu's words, he gave a light scoff.
Immediately after, a much wilder smile appeared on that handsome, almost arrogant face.
"Ah, although being interrupted makes This King dissatisfied—"
He paused, his right hand slowly raising a strangely shaped longsword.
The blade was blackish-red, composed of three cylindrical segments, each covered in ancient cuneiform script.
The cylinders slowly rotated, emitting a low hum. The surrounding air began to warp, and space itself trembled.
Sword of Rupture.
"—it matters not."
Gilgamesh's voice carried a sort of suppressed excitement.
"Let this long-awaited feast draw to a close in the most magnificent manner."
Enkidu smiled.
That smile was as clean as the melting snow in early spring.
They opened their arms, as if to embrace the entire sky.
The earth's Magical Energy began to gather.
Centered around them, the Leyline within a radius of several kilometers trembled and hummed.
In that Gobi desert, brutalized beyond recognition by the battle, flowers unexpectedly began to slowly bloom.
They emerged from the scorched, blackened earth, rapidly growing and blossoming under the nourishment of Magical Energy. In the blink of an eye, they covered the entire battlefield.
Dotted like stars, they swayed gracefully under the moonlight.
This scene was both bizarre and beautiful.
On one side was destruction, and on the other, rebirth.
Enkidu closed their eyes and chanted softly:
[That which awakens is the breath of the planet.]
[I will walk together with humanity. Therefore—]
At the same time, Gilgamesh raised the EA in his hand.
The blade began to accelerate its rotation.
Black-red lightning burst from the blade, wrapping, leaping, and emitting explosive cracks.
The surrounding air was torn apart, forming a visible vacuum zone.
Wind pressure spread outward from him as the center, sweeping up sand and dust to form a tornado.
He spoke, his voice low and majestic:
[Speak of the beginning, the heaven and earth are divided]
[Praise creation through nothingness, let This King's Sword of Rupture tear the world apart]
[Swirling nebulas, what is called the heavenly hell is truly the end of the eve of creation.]
Magical Energy was converging.
Converging frantically.
Energy capable of shaking the world collided and compressed in the air, emitting a teeth-grinding creak.
Fine cracks began to appear in space itself, like shattered glass.
The two made eye contact and smiled simultaneously.
There was no killing intent or hostility in those smiles; there was only the pure joy of a long-awaited reunion and an unspoken, mutual understanding.
Then, they spoke simultaneously:
[Enuma Elish (O Humans, Let Us Restrain the Gods)!]
[Enuma Elish (The Star of Creation that Split Heaven and Earth)!]
The moment their voices fell—
The world went quiet for a moment.
The flowers at Enkidu's feet grew wildly, transforming into countless emerald green chains that shot into the sky.
Every chain was entwined with starlight-like radiance. They intertwined and coiled, forming a pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth.
And the EA in Gilgamesh's hand had rotated to the absolute limit.
The black-red lightning condensed into a physical beam of light, erupting from the tip of the sword.
Wherever that beam passed, space was torn apart, revealing the chaotic void behind it.
The two pillars of light, one green and one red, converged in midair.
There was no sound.
Or rather, sound had lost its meaning.
Time, space, karma—all common sense was warped, crushed, and reorganized here.
This was the collision between the Strongest weapon of the Age of Gods and the Wedge of Heaven!
It was the grandest greeting between best friends!
Logically speaking, what should have followed was an earth-shattering explosion, after which the two would retreat, agreeing to fight again next time.
Logically speaking.
Because just a moment before the two pillars of light were about to collide—
"Hahahahaha!"
A burst of hearty laughter, abruptly and extremely inappropriately, rang out right in the middle of the trajectories of the two Noble Phantasms.
The laughter was very crisp and bright, carrying a careless, cheerful tone.
It sounded as if someone was watching a particularly funny comedy movie, slapping their thigh and laughing out loud at the best part.
Enkidu: "...?"
Gilgamesh: "...?"