Once Gilgamesh and the others returned to the surface, they quickly found the rest of the Wyrm Lords and their armies. They briefed them on what had taken place, and then Gilgamesh passed his mireling army to Crimson.
"I'm guessing this is goodbye," Crimson smiled bitterly.
"It is. Before I go, though, I'm going to pass some knowledge on to you and Verdant. You should use it to stand against your father."
Gilgamesh did not hesitate, and made use of the Omniscient Author to gift Crimson and Verdant with knowledge that he himself did not necessarily have.
He also pushed himself a little too far and gave them glimpses of possible futures, which was something that he was not even aware he could do at the time. This caused his face to drain of color and he coughed up a bit of blood, but he quickly healed himself.
He also gave Black, Gold, Silver, Azure and Violet some benefits as well, which would allow them to grow stronger while walking further down their respective paths.
Once he did this, it was time for Sylvia and Marshall to make their choice.
"I am happier than I have ever been, because I met you and Miss Inanna. I don't think I would ever have felt this free if not for you both. However, I cannot abandon our family. I will stay behind with them, and do my best to help our family grow."
Marshall snorted coldly, "I could care less about our family!"
Gilgamesh: "You could care less? That means you do care!"
Marshall: "...I know..."
Feeling dejected, Marshall stood at his sister's side with his head hung low.
Gilgamesh and Ishtar prepared to see them off, but not before Gilgamesh passed on some benefits to them as well. He made use of the Omniscient Author's power once again, and granted them a bit of an edge for the future.
They then all said their goodbyes, and he used the power of Truth's Mind to send them back to their homes.
"You will return home."
Just like that, Gilgamesh and Ishtar were all alone.
"What now?"
Gilgamesh looked up at Ishtar and smirked. When she saw that expression, she knew all too well what was about to take place.
"We will go to Heaven's Door."
Because he had utilized Truth's Mind, Gilgamesh and Ishtar vanished from the planet the moment he spoke the words. Their travel took no time whatsoever, and allowed them to arrive in another space, within the vast cosmos of the universe.
Gilgamesh once thought that this void stretched on infinitely, but now he knew that it was nothing more than a collapsing minor universe- a tiny mystic realm in the grand scheme of existence.
Ishtar looked around at the cosmos, then looked ahead of them at the singularity that she was all-too familiar with.
An enormous cosmic cloud loomed before them, containing a pure and holy energy that was being pulled through space along with the cloud, disappearing into the void.
"It's been a while," Gilgamesh sighed, and Ishtar reached forward to take his hand.
"To be honest, there was a time where I thought I'd never see that world again. Now... I can't wait to get this over with."
Gilgamesh pointed a finger, and an illusory quill materialized, along with a blank sheet of paper.
'Inspection.'
The quill immediately started to record information, and only stopped once Gilgamesh felt like he could no longer maintain it. Once he stopped channeling the true energy of the Omniscient Author, the quill and paper dispersed, and the knowledge filled his mind.
"A chaotic-void displacement barrier? So a portion of this minor universe was isolated and sealed within this barrier. I guess those Divine Ones did this in order to trap Anu here. Heh!"
Withdrawing Samael, Gilgamesh temporarily let go of Ishtar's hand and moved over to the 'Door.' He raised the sword up over his head, and took a deep breath through his nose.
"Knock, knock!"
The blade fell, and the rawness of the Old Power's true energy fell with it, cutting an arc through the void that split the cloud open. As for the energy within the cloud, it reacted to Gilgamesh's true energy in a most peculiar way.
When it was struck by his attack, it solidified and resounded with a massive thud as the true energy was dispersed. That thud could be heard throughout the void, echoing despite the fact that it should not be possible for any kind of sound to be made.
Gilgamesh bolstered his body with true energy, without summoning any of his five natures. When he did so for the first time, he realized that he had been relying on untapped potential all his life.
He had thought that by using his spirit, he was summoning his full power, but now he knew that his sea of energy was the source of all his power, and tapping into it would increase his strength more than a hundredfold.
His spirit was not his source of strength. It never was. After all, he did not belong to this minor universe, and was not included under its system of laws. He had only adapted to it in order to survive.
Now that he had regained true energy, and the method to utilize it, he no longer needed to adhere to this universe's low-level power system.
This also explained why Anu was so different when compared to the other 'gods.' He, too, was not a native.
After knocking on Heaven's Door, Gilgamesh put away his sword and empowered his voice.
"Anu! Gilgamesh has come for you!"
Saying no more, Gilgamesh dug his hands into the holy energy after coating himself in the nature of truth. He pulled his hands apart, ripping a hole in the energy itself while summoning the Obscure Spark's energy to continuously rejuvenate himself.
As he pulled, more and more true energy natures appeared on the surface of his body, further coating him in power until he started tearing a hole in the chaotic-void displacement energy, forcefully opening the door to the world beyond.
Ishtar looked on in awe, and her fists tightened at her sides.
This was the level that Gilgamesh had now reached. He belonged to an all new world of power-- one that she could not begin to fathom.
Looking through the hole that Gilgamesh had created, one could see a bright world and a lively golden sky. However, an unusual aura permeated the outside the moment that the door was opened.
A creeping unease set in, and Ishtar involuntarily gulped. Gilgamesh's eyes glowed, and the image of a quill appeared in them. After a few seconds, he gnashed his teeth and dove through the doorway, entering the world beyond with a great roar.
"ANU!!!"
Ishtar gasped and rushed in behind him, her sense of unease increasing the moment she stepped onto the world that was once her home.
Her immediate surroundings were an all-too familiar city, grand and ancient. Many people were present, who had been going about their lives when Gilgamesh's earth-shaking shout scared them shitless.
They stared at the anomalous figures of Ishtar and Gilgamesh with fear and worry on their faces, wondering who they were and what they came here to do.
Ishtar paid them no mind, and instead turned her attention to the cloudless sky above her. Gilgamesh was already shooting through it, on his way to the kingdom above the clouds. Ishtar wasted no more time, and followed behind him.
"Gilgamesh!"
She called to him, but he did not hear her. His focus had instantly shifted, and he was once again overtaken by his desire for vengeance.
Perhaps it was the fact that he was seeing this world again after all this time, but the emotions that he had worked hard to keep under control were flaring up once again.
Gilgamesh used the power of truth to fold space between himself and his destination, and instantly arrived at one of the many Sky Palaces, searching for the gods.
When he did not find them, he would take himself to another palace, and another. Eventually, when his search of the palaces seemed to be getting him no where, he transported himself to the Grand Hall.
That was where he saw the root cause of the dismal aura he had sensed ever since he stepped through the door. Enki, Enlil, Marduk and Nanna were all here.
Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that their bodies were here. They had long left this world.
Anu had already reaped their spirits. Perhaps because he had caught wind of Gilgamesh's coming, no doubt due to the machinations of the Divine Ones.
Gilgamesh snorted coldly and looked to the skies above. Anu was likely making a desperate attempt to escape, and so Gilgamesh smirked coldly as he spoke.
"You will stand before me, Anu."
True energy exploded out of Gilgamesh's body, almost surprising him until he realized that this world was slightly different when compared to the rest of the minor universe.
This world was the absolute peak within the mystic realm, the domain of the realm's gods. Thus, the way his power worked here would be a tad different.
He could feel himself needing to exert just a bit more energy in order to use the power of Truth's Mind, but he did not care. He summoned all of his power, and poured out all of his effort.
Before long, he heard a shout reverberating around the entire world, coming from outer space.
"No!!!"
Anu, who was tangled in the pure white energy of Truth's Mind, was being pulled out of the void and dragged back down to the world beneath.
His form was not entirely corporeal, yet he was still being held in place and brought to stand before Gilgamesh.
Anu desperately tried to free himself, but he did not possess the power necessary to defy truth.
Gilgamesh looked on with ridicule, and Ishtar arrived at the same time.
When Anu finally landed before Gilgamesh, and the true energy left his body, his personage was fully revealed to them. He was disheveled, hairs wild and overgrown, but his eyes were full of vitality.
He glared at Gilgamesh, but the fear in his eyes could not be suppressed.
"Why!? I'm sure if you wanted to, you could free yourself of this place! Why do you insist on coming after me!?"
Disdainfully, Gilgamesh frowned at Anu's words and took a step forward. That single step caused Anu to flinch, and he tried to take a step backward, but Gilgamesh would not allow it.
"You will kneel."
Tendrils of truth instantly brought Anu to his knees against his will, and he was forced to look up at the young boy standing before him.
"It does not matter why. Your death marks the end of an era of my life. I want you to die for that reason, and so you will die."
Tears welled up in Anu's eyes, and he trembled with rage and indignation.