"Gilgamesh!" Hoshino exclaimed in delight, looking at the golden figure floating in the sky.
"I've told you not to call the King by his name, mongrel!" Gilgamesh scolded Hoshino with a snap of his fingers, but then added, "However..."
"Though you're in quite a pitiful state, your efforts to struggle until the end have indeed pleased me. This time, I'll make an exception and grant you a reward from the King!"
"Oh? Is that the reason?" Hoshino smirked as she glanced at Gilgamesh. "Or is it because a cute kid pulled you out?"
"Insolent! Mongrel!" Gilgamesh barked.
Sss--!
The evil god, still struggling, slowly dragged the Chains of Heaven across his massive body, causing a shower of sparks as metal scraped against its pitch-black skin.
"Hahaha! Ugly beast, keep struggling! Dance for the King's amusement!" Gilgamesh laughed maniacally, enjoying the spectacle as though watching a circus clown.
"Brother!" Seizing the opportunity while the evil god was bound, Mokuba ran over to Kaiba.
"Mokuba, you're safe! Thank goodness!" Kaiba sighed in relief, his heart having nearly leaped out of his chest a moment ago.
"Kaiba now's not the time to relax!" Hoshino shouted urgently. "Strike back while you still can!"
"Hmph, you think I need you to tell me that?" Kaiba shot a glare at the evil god still tightly bound in chains, his eyes brimming with rage. "Go, Obelisk! Attack without any hesitation!"
Boom—!
Without a moment's pause, Obelisk's punch landed squarely on the evil god's face (or what resembled a face).
What followed was...
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under Kaiba's command, Obelisk unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, his massive arms swinging like the pillars of a gate, delivering blows with an "Ora Ora Ora" intensity.
"Damn it!" The evil god's roar, filled with unbridled rage, reverberated through the air, as though he could shatter his teeth if he had any.
The mighty evil god was reduced to a punching bag.
"The humiliation I suffer now! I will make you all pay for this!" The evil god howled, a screech so piercing it shook the very soul.
"Gilgamesh, it won't break free of the Chains of Heaven, right? Make sure to tighten them!" Hoshino, feeling uneasy, couldn't help but shout. After all, even a god might lash out like a cornered beast.
"Mongrel, do you underestimate the King? A god of this level and strength could never break free from the King's Chains of Heaven, not for another million years!"
Why do you use a million years as a measurement unit?
"Insects! I'll crush you! Obliterate everything!" The evil god, consumed by rage, leaned forward even as its bound body strained against the chains.
The sound of the rattling chains mingled with Obelisk's punches, forming a strange, unsettling rhythm.
"Kaiba, your attacks don't seem to be doing much damage!" Hoshino grumbled, dissatisfied with the apparent lack of injury on the evil god after all of Obelisk's relentless strikes.
Hoshino knew Gilgamesh's character all too well. Just like his famous saying, "The King does not possess pride without just cause," the Chains of Heaven wouldn't last anywhere near a million years. But with the evil god's power, breaking free in the short term was still difficult.
At least, for a short while. That's why Hoshino urged Kaiba to increase his attack intensity.
"It seems that without using several more Soul Energy MAX attacks, this battle won't end!" Kaiba also realized that his regular punches weren't cutting it, so he swiftly changed tactics, preparing to draw more monsters from his deck to sacrifice for Obelisk.
Crack—!
The sickening sound of flesh and bone tearing made everyone's skin crawl.
"This evil god actually..." Hoshino's eyes widened in horror, and she couldn't stop herself from retching.
The evil god, in its desperation, tore apart its own body to escape from the Chains of Heaven. Black blood splattered everywhere from its rupture.
Recognizing the familiar appearance of the god's blood, Hoshino quickly shouted, "That black liquid is really bad news!"
It was the same substance as the Black Mud that had exploded all over the field when the evil god's avatar, the Wicked Eraser, was sent to the graveyard.
"Everyone, back off! Stay away from that stuff!" Hoshino yelled, though easier said than done. Obelisk, standing directly in front of the evil god, had no place to retreat, and his massive legs were swiftly corroded by the black mud.
"Disgusting. Even the King wouldn't want his treasures to touch this kind of thing." Gilgamesh wrinkled his nose in disgust and looked ready to retract the Chains of Heaven.
"Gilgamesh! Don't even think about retracting the Chains! If you do that, we're all done for!" Hoshino exclaimed in panic.
"Are you joking, mongrel?" Gilgamesh retorted with unexpected confidence. "Why do you think this beast is tearing its own body apart?"
"!!"
Thanks to Gilgamesh's reminder, Hoshino realized the evil god's true purpose wasn't to spread the black mud. By ripping its body to shreds, it aimed to free itself from the Chains of Heaven.
"This kind of enemy who doesn't care about dying is truly terrifying..." Hoshino muttered, swallowing hard as she watched the scene unfold. The Evil God, capable of changing its form, would naturally regenerate from its torn body.
"Relax, mongrel. The King has promised you a reward, and I won't handle this battle half-heartedly." Gilgamesh's previously sarcastic tone grew steady as he retracted the Chains of Heaven.
"Now, it's time for a confrontation, ugly beast. Witness the 'Pinnacle of human wisdom!'"
A golden circle of rippling energy appeared in the sky, connecting to the King's treasury, from which emerged a dazzling array of treasures in various forms.
"Kneel before the treasure trove of the King!"
Countless swords and spears, trailing golden light, shot toward the evil god's regenerating body.
"Grooaaah!!" The evil god howled in agony, a cry far more pained than when it had been pummeled by Obelisk.
"This... This finally breaking through his defense?!" Hoshino exclaimed in joy, after what felt like a grueling battle finally showed signs of progress.
"Hahahaha!" Gilgamesh cackled. "This is the King's treasuries covering the earth! Gate of Babylon!"
"It's working, it's working! Keep up the pressure, Gil!" Hoshino, overcome with excitement, forgot all about being formal with Gilgamesh.
"You mongrel! Who are you calling Gil?!"
Despite saying he wouldn't be half-hearted in battle, his ears are sharper than anyone else's when it comes to small matters like this.
"I'm calling you 'Gil! Why are you adding 'Mongrel' in your every sentence?" Hoshino, though not in the right, refused to back down in front of the King of Heroes' tsundere attitude.
"Sparkly-niisan, the opponent is coming!" Akasha reminded them while Gilgamesh and Hoshino were bickering over trivialities.
Even as the bombardment from the Gate of Babylon rained down, the evil god's limbs continued to regenerate without slowing, and a newly formed arm lashed out at Gilgamesh, who was in mid-air.
"Oh? So this ugly beast still has some energy to fight left in it, even though it's nothing more than a dying beast." Gilgamesh grinned, opening the gate of Babylon from the side. He struck the evil god's arm at an angle, altering its trajectory just enough for the massive black claw to barely miss him.
"Not only does it have high defense, but it's also regeneration. What a troublesome beast." Although he appeared calm, Gilgamesh was only dodging with his immense experience.
But that wasn't the real problem here. The real issue was…
"Gilgamesh, you're running out of mana, aren't you?" Hoshino sharply pointed out the hidden concern behind Gilgamesh's maniacal grin.
If Gilgamesh were at full strength, he wouldn't waste time with drawn-out skirmishes using the Gate of Babylon. Though the bombardments from his treasury appeared effective, they weren't decisive enough to change the tide of battle.
The King of Heroes stopped his laughter, his brows furrowing slightly but offering no retort.
"So that's how it is…"
"Hoshino-chan, the fact that Heroic Spirit cards are materialized into reality via holographic projections is already an unnatural phenomenon," Da Vinci explained.
"Unlike the Obelisk of this world, the mana of Heroic Spirits summoned through cards and duel disks is severely limited."
"Da Vinci, why are you only telling me this now?!"
"I assumed this unreasonable king could break some of those rules."
Indeed, Gilgamesh had always given the impression of someone unconstrained by logic, doing as he pleased. His overwhelming power allowed him to behave that way.
But even the King of Heroes was finding himself a bit stifled this time.
Hoshino, noticing the difficulty of the situation, glanced at the Obelisk beside them, its legs now corroded by the evil god's blood.
"Da Vinci, you just said the Obelisk is different because they're part of this world. Does that mean they can use their full power here?"
"In theory, yes." Though unsure of Hoshino's intent, Da Vinci nodded in affirmation.
"But even if they can use their full strength, the divine nature of an Obelisk still wouldn't be enough to defeat the evil god."
"It can be done! I've figured out a way to defeat it!" Hoshino's eyes burned with renewed determination as she seized the opportunity.
"Gilgamesh, follow my command! We need to change our attack!"
"Hmph! A mongrel, think you can command me?" Gilgamesh flatly rejected her proposal, continuing his attack without turning back.
"Command? You want to talk about command? My command is…"
Undeterred by Gilgamesh's rejection, Hoshino opened her palm, gazing at the faint red trace of a Command Seal on the back of her hand.
It was a remnant from their earlier duel. Hoshino had still two Command Seals she still doesn't use.
Whether the Command Seal would still function after the duel was unknown, but at this point, Hoshino had no choice but to gamble on that last possibility.
"I'm your Master! By the power two of my Command Seal,—"
"You're planning to use a Command Seal to force my will? How uncute." Gilgamesh squinted and sneered.
"—I trust you King of Heroes Gilgamesh's!"
"!!!"
As the red mark faded from Hoshino's hand, a surge of mana radiated from Gilgamesh, confirming her gamble had paid off.
"You mongrel, such an amusing action." Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, looking at Hoshino in surprise.
"Oh? You didn't think I'd use the Command Seal to force you, did you?" Hoshino smirked.
As a Chaldea Master, she would never do something as forcibly bending a Heroic Spirit's will. Using a Command Seal that way was not only excessive but also meaningless.
"Your mana should be full now, Gilgamesh!"
Though it was just a remnant of the Command Seal, the immense amount of mana it injected demonstrated the potency of Chaldea's cutting-edge technology.
"Now, increase your firepower!" This time, Hoshino didn't bother seeking Gilgamesh's approval. She issued her command outright: "Draw out the divine construct!"
"Hmph, that was already my plan! Don't think for a moment I'm following your orders!" The King of Heroes, ever the tsundere, was as stubborn as always, but the massive golden circles that appeared behind him signified that he had connected to the space holding some of his most powerful treasures.
"Ig-Alima!"
Also known as the Green Field Cutting Through the Thousand Mountains. An enormous, unparalleled, divine sword that not only cuts with its blade but also embodies the very concept of the "skyline," splitting heaven and earth itself.
"Sul-sagana!"
A sword paired with Ig-Alima, known as The Horizon of Dawn that Purifies the Seas. Its blade, a burning mass of molten rock, contains the concept of the "horizon" between sky and sea, purifying everything with unquenchable flames.
The authentic divine Construct, incomparable to the projection once projected by Emiya and Hoshino, slashed down on the evil god with a cataclysmic force, tearing through space itself.
BOOM—!
The massive twin swords, each rivaling the size of the evil god, carried the weight and concept of separating heaven and earth, incinerating all things as they struck its body, splitting the evil god into four sections. Black, sickening threads of energy tried to hold its severed body together.
"It's not enough! Even with such power, unless we destroy the evil god in one strike, it'll keep regenerating!" Da Vinci's voice showed clear concern as she noted that Gilgamesh had used up all the mana replenished by the Command Seal. If even this attack failed…
"Now's not the time to despair, Da Vinci." Hoshino's confident smile radiated assurance.
"Those divine swords have opened up the path to turn this situation around!"
"Hoshino-chan?"
Taking a deep breath, Hoshino shouted with all her remaining strength toward the other side of the battlefield.
"Kaiba! How long are you going to just watch?! I've already sent you the weapon!"
"The weapon?!" Kaiba was momentarily stunned by Hoshino's sudden shout.
"The only thing in this world capable of unleashing the full potential of the Obelisk!"
Yes, those swords too massive for any human to wield were perfectly suited for Obelisk. This was Hoshino's final strategy—if the Obelisk could use 100% of their power in this world, let them wield those divine swords at full strength!
"Interesting, very interesting, Hoshino!" Kaiba, ever the sharp tactician, grasped Hoshino's plan in just a few seconds.
His body trembled with excitement, a smile uncontrollably spreading across his face as he unleashed his full aura toward the giant soldier in front of him.
"Draw your sword, Obelisk the Tormentor! This is the moment of your revenge!"
Although its legs had been corroded by the evil god's blood, the arms of Obelisk were still intact. With its massive blue arms, it pulled the Ig-Aligma and Sul-sagana from the ground.
The legendary twin swords of Zababa, the war god of Mesopotamian myth, had once again revealed their world-ending power, wielded by the giant soldier in battle.
"Go, Obelisk the Tormentor!! MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE!"
Rather than sacrificing the swords, Obelisk fused their divine power into its own, creating a new, transcendent form.
"Obelisk's divine power is rising?!" Da Vinci immediately detected that Obelisk's power had not only equaled but surpassed that of the evil god.
"This is Obelisk in its ultimate form! Witness its might!" Kaiba thrust his arm toward the sky, commanding Obelisk's power to break through the darkness overhead.
"Behold the annihilating wind that scorches both mountain and sea! Ultimate Obelisk the Tormentor!!"
"Go, Obelisk!" Even Mokuba, who had been trembling with fear moments ago, was now caught up in the fervor, cheering with renewed courage.
"Evil god, this is your true end! Ultimate Obelisk, obliterate the evil god and reduce it to ashes!"
"ROAR!" With a low, thunderous roar, Ultimate Obelisk swung the divine swords with all its might. The sheer weight and force of the swords' movements were enough to scatter any lesser beings caught in the wind.
"Impossible! I am immortal!!" As its life was threatened, the evil god finally regained a hint of sanity.
"It's too late to regret now, evil god! What's waiting for you ahead is only hell!"
With the power of the mountain-splitting sword that could cleave the heavens and earth, the body of the evil god was severed. With the power of the sea-burning sword that could incinerate entire oceans, the evil god's body was dissolved.
The sharp blades and scorching winds ravaged the land. On the battlefield, Obelisk stood like the god of war from human legend, annihilating the enemy before him into dust.
"Enjoy your immortality in the depths of hell, evil god!" Kaiba, with his thumb pointing downward, expressed his fury toward the last remnants of the evil god's body, reduced to a mere trace of black ash.
[The Wicked Avatar] defeated!
(*****)
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