Part 98: Oldest king

Music: Premonition of a Storm



"…Shi… rou."
It must be the same for Saber behind me.
Her hand holds me tightly.
Just as I feel an unavoidable death.
Saber too feels an inconcealable desperation.


"I have kept you waiting, Saber.
I have come for you as promised."

…His voice sounds like it's sneering.
Haughty and merciless.
I can feel no human emotion in his arrogance, nothing that has ever considered the opinions of others.

"Ar… cher"
My voice is shaking.
The golden Servant.
The unknown heroic spirit who swept away the bone creatures and even Caster herself without any difficulty.

That monster is in front of us.
He's so close to us.
At a distance with which we could start fighting if we wanted to face a "death" greater than Berserker.


"What's wrong, Saber? I have come specially for you.
It would be rude to stay silent.
Ordo you intend to play around for a bit before you become mine, king of knights?"

Archer stifles his laughter happily.
His eyes aren't looking at me.
He's only watching Saber.
With his rude red eyes, he's looking at her as if evaluating a work of art.



Unlike me unable to even move a finger, she is already glaring at that enemy Servant.

"…Shirou, I will block his first attack no matter what. Please retreat from here in that time.
…I know how hard that is, but that is all I can manage against this Servant."

Her back asks me to forgive her.
…Even Saber can only manage to block his first attack.
The chance of success of retreating from a guy like this is low.

Saber is asking for my forgiveness for that low chance.
…Probably…


…She knows she has no way to defeat that Servant.

""
She can't do that.
This is different from when we fought Berserker.
For some reason, I know that making Saber fight this Servant would be bad.

…No, I may know the reason.
I felt it when I saw his Noble Phantasms last night.
Saber will not be able to beat this man no matter what.
It's not about skills as a swordsman.
Before that, the prerequisites are wrong.
As long as they are heroic spirits, no heroic spirit will be able to beat him



I cover Saber and face Archer.



""
I feel sick.
I'll be killed if I don't retreat now.
There's no reason or logic behind it.
I just feel instinctively that I'll be killed if I stay in front of him, and

"Go, Saber…!
The church is nearby. It should be able to shelter you even against him!"

I push Saber away and run as if shaking off the premonition of death attacking me.
There's only one thing to do.
I'll run up to him, "project" Saber's sword like when I fought Berserker, and

Music: Stop





""
My body flies.
What happened?
The instant that man clicked his fingers, something appeared right beside me.

"Ow."
I can tell it was a big hammer, and that I was smashed away flying across the ground like trash.

"Haah."
I can't move.
I feel like all the bones in my body are broken.
I can't feel my limbs, my pain is numbed, and I can't even tell if I'm alive or not.

Music: Footsteps of Destruction



"I will not kill you. Saber would disappear if I killed you now. It is against my will, but I shall let you live until the Holy Grail appears."
The man laughs.

"Ahkuh"
I move my hands to try to get up, but my body won't move at all.
My blood isn't flowing.
It feels like the energy to move my body has stopped reaching my limbs.


"But do not be conceited, lowlife. There are ways to let a Servant stay in this world without you. It is just that this is the least troublesome state. I will kill you if you annoy me."



""
How could anyone move after being told that?



"Shirou!"
Saber tries to run to me.


"Where are you going? There is no one left to intrude. That piece of shit is not the man you should be running to."
But the man won't allow that.
He stands before me and waits for Saber to come to him.



There's about ten meters between them.
It's a distance Saber would be able to close instantly, but


"…Huh. It seems you are not willing to come to me. I find that hard to understand. A heroic spirit like you must know how valuable it is to be chosen by me."
"Nonsense. I am a king even though I am a heroic spirit. I will not submit to you."


"Is that so? Even if you are a king, you are still a woman.
It should be a woman's joy to be held down and be violated. So why do you refuse? It is not like you are a virgin. Are you scared to become mine?"

Great. Now all we need to complete the circle of sexism is a sloppy blow job.


"You"


"Do not resent me so. I do not only take. I shall give you pleasure equally. If you are to become mine, I will literally give you everything in this world.
Be proud, I have accepted that you have such value."

…The man moves.
He opens his arms as if to accept Saber.


"That is right. You do not need to be a guardian nor will you return to your point of death.
I will say this once more, Saber. Be mine.
Let us enjoy our second lives in this world."


"I refuse.
I have no interest in such things, and most of allI do not want to live with you."
She does not nod or retreat.
Saber looks at Archer head on.


"Kufu, haha, hahahahahahahahaha!"
He stops.
I don't know what's so funny, but the man starts laughing.

"Great, that is what I expect from the woman I chose!
Yes, there must be at least one that will not obey me…!


"All right. Then I shall do so by force. After I obtain the Holy Grail, I shall pour the contents onto you.

"Rejoice, Saber. You will not need your Master after that.
You will be taking in all the power of the omnipotent vessel. You shall not be a familiar to humans like the Servants."




"…Archer. What is your intention?"
She must have realized that fighting is the only way.
Saber asks for her enemy's reasons at the end.
But.
The man's answer is an unexpected one.


"Intention? I do not remember. Unfortunately, I have obtained everything, so there is nothing I wish for."
"Whathen, you do not seek the Holy Grail?"


"The Holy Grail? Oh, immortality. Heh, I gave that to the snake."


"You gave immortality to a snake…?"
Saber's presence freezes.
…What was that conversation?
Saber shakes her head and tries to deny the word.


"But this world is interesting.
The basic principles do not change, but the decorations are so elaborate that it seems different when it has come this far. In this case, it will not be too bad to reign over this world.
…Yes, I think that is my intent. If it will let me do that efficiently, the Holy Grail is not without use."


"…The desire to rule? You are despicable, Archer. You seek the Holy Grail for such a purpose?"


"I do not seek it. Everything in this world is mine. I just do not like others using what is mine.
You too should hate having your holy sword used by strangers, king of knights."


""

Saber's body grows misty.


After a brief flash, Saber is wearing her silver armor.


"Oh"
The man does not even move.

In the next instant, Saber dashes forward.
She runs up to the man instantly and slashes her invisible sword with deadly speed!





If Saber's armor is materialized from her magical energy, his armor must be the same as well.



In the short battle, the enemy has armed himself.


""
Saber looks calmly at Archer, holding her sword ready.
Even with her stare, the man does not stop smiling.



"All right. I shall allow you to oppose me, Saber."
The enemy happily announces the beginning of the battle.

Video: Battle of Kings (mirror)

Music: Clashing Souls





One blow, two, three, four!
Each time Saber's sword finds the enemy, blinding light is released.
Combinations like a strobe.
It's just like when I first saw Saber when she fought Lancer.
Saber drives magical energy into her sword and strikes with it like lightning.





The sword and armor clash.
The man hasn't even drawn his weapon yet. With Saber's sword in front of him, he is just protecting his head with his hands.
That man does not have the skill to block Saber's sword.
Saber is much better than this man at sword techniques.

And on top of that, Saber's sword is invisible.
Even if the man had a weapon, I don't think he would be able to block that invisible sword.



The invisible sword keeps hitting the man's armor.
The sword smashes against the armor, shaves it, letting off lightning sparks.
All the man can do is to protect his head with his hands.
This isn't even a match.
This is just one-sided elimination.

But.
Still, the golden armor retains its shape.
If the armor is free of damage even after taking Saber's attacks so many times…
…Could it be that his Noble Phantasm is his golden armor?



"…Heh. I guess any more would be bad. You certainly do have a large supply of magical energy. My armor does not give out often, but"
The enemy who was merely defending raises his arm.
Not toward Saber.
I don't know why, but the man raises his hand to the night sky, and

"Enough playing around. Offer me your body, right here."
Is it an illusion?
In his hand.
A shortsword like a key is in his hand.







But…



…The enemy repels it with his dark red sword.





Saber distances herself and glares at the sword in her enemy's hand.
…The fact that the enemy has revealed his weapon is a threat.
But at the same time, it means that the enemy's attacks are revealed.
It doesn't matter if his Noble Phantasm is a sword or armor. As long as you can see it, you're able to deal with it.



…As the man said, his armor is at its limit.
If Saber relaunches her fierce barrage of attacks, she should be able to slash him through his armor.
Even if he has brought out his Noble Phantasm, it won't make a difference to the fact that the next blow will decide the match.



"This is it. Let us decide the match we could not finish before, Archer."
The sword in her hand is still invisible.
Readying the holy sword sealed in wind, Saber stares at her enemy.
…It seems Saber knows what that Noble Phantasm is.

That's why she intentionally distanced herself. And since she knows how to deal with it, she's confronting the enemy straight on.
If their Noble Phantasms are swords and if the swords' abilities are equal, the deciding factor will be their own sword techniques.
By that theory, Saber has to win.





"All rightthen come at me.
In deference to your sword, I shall show you everything I have."
The man laughs.
"Fine!"



Saber charges without hesitation.

Saber's sword will slash his armor for sure.
The instant I think that.

Music: Stop





An invisible "door" opens behind the man.



"What…!?"
Saber's body stops.
The weapons the enemy takes are different from the previous dark red sword.
The first is an invisible sword like Saber's.
As soon as Saber defends against it, the man is holding yet another sword.



She twists her body to avoid it, but the space the sword goes through freezes.
Saber retreats, covered in ice.
As the ice starts to break, the enemy holds a sickle-like weapon.



…As if cutting away her bone and not her flesh or blood.



…It is a different kind of retreat now.
Not to distance herself and prepare for the next attack.
It's a desperate retreat, just to get away from the enemy


"That isimpossible."

Music: Whirlpool of Fate

Saber glares at the enemy, drawing magical energy into her arm.
…Many handles are floating around the man.
That's what slaughtered Caster,
…And those are the Noble Phantasms of the golden knight who cornered Saber.



It's a scene that makes even me want to doubt my own eyes.

Those handles floating behind him are surely those of Noble Phantasms.
Not just ten or twenty.
No, even though I can't see them, I can feel that they are infinite.
From all times and places.
As if to say, that Servant has all the divine mysteries from every legend

"Archer. Who are you?"
Saber's voice is trembling.
A Servant will not answer when asked their true identity.
But the enemy's Noble Phantasm is so strange that Saber has to ask.

"Answer me, Archer…! A heroic spirit can only have one Noble Phantasm. No, some have more, but two should be the limit.
A heroic spirit with infinite Noble Phantasms cannot exist…!"

"Cannot exist…? You are jumping to conclusions, Saber.
Heroic spirits' Noble Phantasms are the weapons they had when they were alive. So this is a simple story. All these Noble Phantasms are things I collected while I was alive."

"Are you insulting me, Archer? That is even more impossible.
No matter who you are, it would be impossible for you to collect all the Noble Phantasms, the symbols of other heroic spirits. No such heroic spirit exists."

Saber is right.
All the Noble Phantasms he has are real.
There are demonic swords from Northern Europe, and demonic swords from South America.
No hero made his name in so many different places. And first of all, only Lancer has Gae Bolg.

Heroic spirits' Noble Phantasms are the weapons they had when they were alive.
By that rule, as soon as he has Gae Bolg, he has to be Cu Chulainn.



Yeah. They're originals. Definitely originals.

"It can't be. But, wait…"
It is possible.
Myths and legends do not start from nothing.
All myths have common points because a single foundation became their model.
Because legends that become objects of faith are only those that originate in that land. I think demonic swords and holy swords start having special abilities around that time.

So, before that.
What if the Noble Phantasms in myths and legends had a form before they were given names?



"Oh. It seems your Master is not so bad after all. It seems he has a hunch about my true identity."


"Eh?"

Saber looks towards me.
…So far away.
I can't even help her if she's so far away.
My body has only recovered to the point where I can barely move my fingers.

"Run… Saberhis… Noble Phantasm is…"



Let me tell you about the most ancient time, when the world was still one.
That kingdom flourished, and the king collected every treasure in the world.
There was nothing he could not collect, and he lacked nothing.
The king had a perfect treasury, and the masses of weapons in there were never used, but instead went to sleep with the king."

I guess Shirou isn't the only one with a sword obsession.


"The story is that simple.
After the king's death, the contents of the treasury room spread all over the world. They were valued because they were splendid swords, and they eventually became Noble Phantasms.
…Do you understand, king of knights?
The Noble Phantasms you use are just the king's possessions."

…It's like inheritance.
If you go back far enough, a "model" must exist.
So it is only natural for every legend, myth, folklore, and Noble Phantasm to have an original model.
Andin the distant past, if it was possible to collect all of their models, then one could possess all of the Noble Phantasms.

Only one hero could correspond to that.
One with origins in a legend far older than that of King Arthur or Hercules.
One said to rule over ancient Mesopotamia.
The half-god, half-human king who collected treasures as he wished and sought immortality at the end. His name was



Saber sounds shocked.
The golden knightGilgamesh accepts the shock with satisfaction.



"Indeed. I am the strongest heroic spirit. You shall be no match."

And the golden knight moves forward.
There's nothing else to talk about.
All that remains is for him to use his many Noble Phantasms to defeat his enemy.



"Oh? You would still oppose me even after you know my name? You must know you have no chance of winning."



"I do not know unless I try.
Even the king of heroes must have something he cannot surpass."

Saber's surroundings waver.









The wind starts to twirl and becomes a raging gale to protect her.
At the same time, the golden sword appears.
"No, Saber…"
…It can't be.
Saber's going to use the Excalibur here…!?



He too must know the holy sword's power as his composure vanishes.


Saber keeps staring at Gilgamesh and looks in my direction for an instant.

"……"
Is she telling me to run?
Gilgamesh has his back to the river.
And Saber is over here.
It must have been when she attacked him earlier.
Before I realize it, Saber is confronting Gilgamesh to protect me.

"No. You can't use it here"
I pour strength into my limbs.
Even if I try to move my numb body, all I can move is one of my arms.
But I still collect all the magical energy in my body to raise my body with that one arm.

"Guhdamn it!"
My senses were gone, but every bone in my body starts to scream once I start moving.
The pain is a warning.
The pain is telling me I will break if I move any further.

"! …!"
I ignore it and raise my body up.
"Ahhaa, haah…!"
I bear my pain.
I don't have time to deal with it.
I have to get up quickly and protect Saber.

Because I have a bad feeling about this.
A premonition I felt when I faced that enemy.
She will never be able to beat him.
The instinctive feeling that I should never let Saber fight him won't go away



The twirling wind is now a raging storm.
Even with the holy sword shining in front of him, the golden knight does not back away.

Moreover…
"Then, I shall use a weapon appropriate against it."
He pulls an incongruous 'sword' from the gate behind him.

Video: Enuma Elish (mirror)









That's the cause of my bad feeling.
That sword does not appear in any legend.
I could identify every one of the Noble Phantasms that were floating behind him. But even I cannot tell what that sword is.

"I have the original models of all the Noble Phantasms. But they are all nameless, and I am not their only possessor."
A cylindrical sword.
The sword is made of three parts, and each part is turning slowly in different directions.
It looks like a rock drill to pierce through a hard surface.

"But this is different. This sword is truly a sword that only the king of heroes possesses.
It has no name, so I just call it Ea."



"Are you saying we shall just compare the strengths of our Noble Phantasms…?"

"If you show me yours, I'll show you mine."

The light concentrates.
There's only about ten meters between them.
Within that distance, Gilgamesh shouldn't even be able to dodge her attack.



I wouldn't have figured him for a catcher. Then again, all that gold…

His laughter echoes through the park.
She must consider that provocation.

"All right.
Then try to defend yourself against my sword…!"
Saber's sword moves.
Her lips move to say its true name.
There's nowhere to run now.
The Noble Phantasm released with its true name will smash all of its power onto Gilgamesh.



The cylindrical sword, Ea, roars.









In response to Gilgamesh's words, the three blades turn with a whirring sound.
If Saber's Excalibur brings on a whirlwind by releasing the wind,
Gilgamesh's Ea creates a storm by swallowing the surrounding winds







"EX"

Saber is more experienced with anti-castle Noble Phantasms.
It is faster than Ea's roar.
Saber pours magical energy into the sword up to its limit in a matter of seconds and executes it with the greatest power

"CALIBUR!!"



There's no hesitation.
Saber releases the holy sword that can even split a river in two!

Music: Stop

Just before that.



A light of the same magnitude takes on Excalibur's light.







"Ha… no, my body"
My body is almost blown away by the wind.
I manage to dig myself into the ground with one hand and endure the waves of light and heat.

How long will the conflict last?
The battle of the two rumblings that make me fear the Earth is going to split into two is…
"Kuah…!"
…Suddenly ended with her figure surrounded by a white light.









I thought she might be dead.
That's how torn up Saber is.
"Fuhaha, kuhahahahahahahahahahaha!"
In the distance.
The golden knight is laughing crazily, unscathed.







He was originally a tyrant who did not care about his people, but his behavior slowly changed after he gained a friend called Enkidu. Enkidu was created by the goddess Aruru, in response to the prayers of the people who suffered under Gilgamesh's oppression. Enkidu and Gilgamesh met as was fated, and they strongly affected each other. At first, Gilgamesh feared Enkidu as his enemy. But the two came to understand each other soon after, recognized each other as equals, and worked together to rule the country.

With Enkidu, Gilgamesh defeated the Humbaba, guardian of the forest, beast of the gods, and became the greatest and richest king on Earth. After this, Gilgamesh was so powerful that even the gods could not ignore his existence. One goddess fell in love with this Gilgamesh. Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, proposed marriage to Gilgamesh, the perfect king, but he rejected her immediately. This was because he knew her to be a witch; unfaithful, cruel, and the corruptor of all men.



Ishtar's wish was granted, and since he was created by the gods, Enkidu could not resist the command and slowly weakened to death. This began Gilgamesh's downfall. Gilgamesh was shocked by the fact that death could come even to a friend of power equal to his. He was tormented by the fear of this "death", and he finally traveled to the netherworld in search of immortality.

At the end of a long journey and many hardships, Gilgamesh obtained the miraculous elixir of immortality. But on his way back, the elixir was stolen by a snake while he was bathing, and Gilgamesh died of grief. It is said that the snake begins its life again in a new body after shedding its skin, because it stole Gilgamesh's medicine and drank it.







Its maximum damage is 4,000. But, with the support of the Noble Phantasms in his treasury, the damage increases even further. It has equal or superior output to Saber's Excalibur, and it is a sword that "cut apart the world".