On the fourth night of the Holy Grail War, far from Fuyuki City, along the rugged mountainous coast.
"Worthless mongrel, are you prepared to meet your death?" Gilgamesh descended from the sky, his golden aura illuminating the area, his eyes cold as they met Chihiro's across the battlefield.
[Name: Gilgamesh; Class: Archer; Gender: Male; Attribute: Chaotic Good.]
[Strength: B; Endurance: B; Agility: B; Mana: A; Luck: A; Noble Phantasm: EX.]
[Class Skills: Magic Resistance E, Independent Action A+, Divinity B.]
[Personal Skills: Charisma A+, Golden Rule A.]
[Noble Phantasms: Gate of Babylon (E to A++ Anti-Personnel), Ea – Sword of Rupture (EX Anti-World).]
The reason for their confrontation here? Chihiro had challenged Gilgamesh directly in the group chat, and the King of Heroes, prideful as ever, couldn't ignore it. Even though Gilgamesh likely realized this was a trap, he didn't care. His arrogance was boundless, he was confident his strength was absolute.
After all, the entire group was observing this duel. If he declined, it would appear as though he feared them. Eight Servants? So what? Gilgamesh, King of Heroes, would simply defeat them all.
And thus, he arrived at the appointed place, right on time.
"This is all you brought?" Gilgamesh sneered, his gaze sweeping over the four Servants assembled behind Chihiro—Red Hare, Zhang Jiao, Sigurd, and Ishtar. His disdain was obvious.
The battle was imminent.
Rin had been left behind at home, as the fight tonight was expected to be extremely dangerous. Zhang Jiao had already activated several protective barriers around the mansion to prevent any opportunistic attacks, especially from the likes of Emiya Kiritsugu, who was known to exploit any advantage.
"Everyone, attack together!"
At Chihiro's command, the four Servants charged towards Gilgamesh in unison.
Red Hare and Sigurd led the charge, rushing directly at him. Ishtar took to the skies on her skyboat Maanna, fingers transforming into projectile weapons as she unleashed a volley of magic bullets. Zhang Jiao stood back, his talismans transforming into elemental projectiles—wind, fire, lightning, and ice surging toward Gilgamesh.
"Pathetic."
Gilgamesh scoffed, activating the Gate of Babylon. Hundreds of Noble Phantasms emerged, transforming into a rain of weapons that intercepted their attacks, even breaking through to target Chihiro and his allies.
Forced onto the defensive, each member of Chihiro's team braced themselves for impact.
Chihiro transformed his arm into a bow using his class card, unleashing an arrow toward Gilgamesh amidst the chaos.
"Did you think the same trick would work on me twice?"
Remembering his previous encounter, Gilgamesh took out a thick golden shield, easily deflecting the arrow. At the same time, he launched another barrage of weapons, forcing Chihiro's team back into a defensive stance.
"This isn't working."
Zhang Jiao furrowed his brow, signaling to Chihiro to cover him. He began chanting to unleash his Noble Phantasm.
"If you seek peace, unite with me!"
"The Blue Sky has perished, and the Yellow Sky shall rise!"
The skies responded to his invocation. Storm clouds gathered, lightning crackled, and hail the size of beans began to fall as a thick mist rolled in, blanketing the area. Zhang Jiao's Noble Phantasm could manipulate the very weather, and he wielded it with devastating precision.
Lightning and hail pelted down, all directed at Gilgamesh, forcing him to raise his shield.
"Is this the trick you were so confident in?"
Despite the onslaught, Gilgamesh remained unshaken, his shield raised to protect him from the worst of the weather. But in that moment, Sigurd sprang forward, his sword descending in a powerful arc toward the King of Heroes.
Gilgamesh quickly summoned twin swords from his treasury, parrying Sigurd's strikes with practiced ease. Though his swordsmanship was decent, his physical attributes strength, endurance, agility were all outmatched by Sigurd, putting him at a disadvantage in close combat.
"Thunder god, aid me!"
Zhang Jiao's voice rang out, and a massive lightning bolt tore through the sky, striking Gilgamesh directly.
Gilgamesh's shield absorbed the brunt of the blow, but the force shattered the shield, sending residual lightning through his body and knocking him to the ground. He convulsed from the shock, golden sparks crackling through his hair.
"Take this!"
In that moment, Red Hare charged forward, thrusting his spear toward Gilgamesh's chest. Though the strike was powerful, it merely sent Gilgamesh sprawling backward, the spear was unable to pierce his formidable armor.
But then, a figure emerged from the mist—Diarmuid.
With swift precision, Diarmuid's magic-destroying spear, the Red Rose, pierced Gilgamesh's side.
"Agh!!"
Gilgamesh cried out in pain, instinctively retaliating with a flurry of Noble Phantasms, forcing Diarmuid to retreat back into the cover of the fog. Though Diarmuid was gone, the damage had been done, a wound that even Gilgamesh couldn't ignore.
Cursing, Gilgamesh hastily retrieved a healing potion from his treasury, downing it to close the wound. He had underestimated them. He'd known they were allied, yet let his guard down because he hadn't seen them. That mistake had cost him.
He retrieved another piece of armor from his treasury, a gleaming golden anti-magic plate that was durable enough to withstand blows from Artoria herself.
This time, he would be more cautious.
He also took out an ornately decorated shield, much larger than the previous one, a Divine Shield of unknown origin, but incredibly strong.
With newfound caution, Gilgamesh began peppering the area with Noble Phantasms at any hint of movement, preventing Red Hare and the others from getting close.
Zhang Jiao's Noble Phantasm, while powerful, relied on Chihiro's mana supply. The King of Heroes could tell they couldn't sustain it indefinitely.
Sure enough, the storm began to dissipate, the mist lifting as Zhang Jiao's power waned.
Gilgamesh smirked, satisfied. "Enkidu!" he shouted, releasing his Chain of Heaven. Golden chains shot out, targeting Chihiro and his team.
Before they could react, the chains ensnared Red Hare and Diarmuid. Though they struggled free, Sigurd and Ishtar, possessing divinity, were trapped.
Chihiro and Zhang Jiao narrowly escaped, retreating as they watched their allies bound by the powerful chains.
Breathing heavily, Chihiro's mana was clearly drained, his class card deactivated. Sweat dripped down his face as he caught his breath.
"Pathetic." Gilgamesh's contemptuous gaze swept over the battlefield. At his side, a mass of Hassan of the Hundred Faces materialized, evidently allies he'd brought to support him. They immediately targeted Chihiro, moving in for the kill.
"Not on my watch!" Brynhildr burst forth from the shadows, eliminating the advancing Hassans. Behind her, Iskandar appeared with Waver, Kayneth, and Sola-ui.
"Gilgamesh, you really are impressive, turning the tables so swiftly," Iskandar commented, looking at the situation with a grin.
Gilgamesh sneered, "Enough talk, mongrel. I haven't even begun."
"Ha! You think I'll just let you finish me off?"
Iskandar raised his arm, his voice booming. "The expedition will not end as long as we remain ambitious! To victory!"
The surroundings shifted, the air filled with the scorching heat of the desert. Iskandar's Reality Marble, Ionian Hetairoi—the King's Army—unfolded around them.
From the desert landscape, a massive army assembled, their disciplined footsteps shaking the ground.
Iskandar, mounted on his warhorse Bucephalus, brandished his blade at the front of his legion, clad in the Sage's robe, a mystical outfit he'd unlocked from a silver treasure chest. The costume granted him a 15% boost in strength, a slight but meaningful advantage.
"Come, Gilgamesh! This time, I won't hold back."
***
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