If it weren't for the lightning illuminating the sky, the world would be plunged into complete darkness. The thick, leaden clouds seemed so heavy that they might crash down and crush the earth beneath them. The thunder roared so loudly that it made one's head spin.
Thousands of lightning bolts converged in one place—right above the head of the King of Uruk. The lightning snakes gathered and formed into a spear of judgment, its color shifting from white to blue, and finally to black. Black, often symbolizing death, was the color of this divine punishment.
Even through the screen of time and space, Gray, who was watching from afar, trembled in fear, her legs going weak. If she hadn't been holding onto her sister Brynhildr's clothes for support, she might have collapsed to the ground.
Was this the wrath of a chief god?
If she were in the same time and space, she would have surely crumpled under the pressure, trembling and crying in fear.
Now, she and Brynhildr were no longer in the same spatial coordinates. To put it simply, they were no longer in a holographic projection but were instead watching a two-dimensional screen. They had returned to the Akashic Records to observe the events unfolding on the screen.
The reason they weren't using the holographic projection was to avoid being detected and causing unnecessary trouble. If possible, Brynhildr didn't want the list of participants she had chosen for Ragnarok to be exposed before the event. She intended to give the gods a big surprise.
Watching the scene on the screen, Brynhildr couldn't help but frown. That black divine punishment would not only annihilate the body but also completely erase the soul, just like what had happened to the Sky God Anu. Once that happened, no resurrection method would work, and she wouldn't be able to summon King Gilgamesh for Ragnarok.
Damn it! Brynhildr bit her thumb in frustration.
As Chief God Marduk waved his hand, the black spear of judgment fell, seemingly splitting the very fabric of space. Brynhildr clenched her fists, her heart in her throat.
The black spear of divine punishment descended toward Gilgamesh, who made no move to avoid it. Was he confident it wouldn't harm him? Did he have some trick up his sleeve?
Then, the black lightning struck him, seemingly absorbed into his body and disappearing without a trace. It was as if nothing had happened.
Brynhildr's heart leapt with joy. He did have a plan!
But before her joy could fully form, it froze in an instant.
Gilgamesh's body began to dissipate like dry ice, turning into a skeleton in the blink of an eye.
Crack, crack, crack—it was as if the sound of shattering could be heard through the screen. The skeleton was covered in dense black cracks, and with a final snap, it crumbled into countless sand-like fragments, which then turned to black dust and disintegrated further.
But it didn't end there. A translucent humanoid figure, his soul, was now engulfed in black flames. The soul, like the last remnants of oil in a lamp, was being burned as fuel.
A normal person would have screamed in agony, their soul twisting into an unrecognizable shape. But this humanoid torch remained motionless, maintaining its initial seated posture.
"Others should also be punished," one of the gods said.
"Yes, mere humans, how dare they look at us like that!"
The other gods believed that Gilgamesh shouldn't be the only one punished. His people should also suffer the consequences of his arrogance.
Hearing this, the soul-torch, which had been motionless, suddenly raised its head. In an instant, a murderous intent so intense it could tear the heavens apart erupted, causing the malicious gods to stiffen, a chill running down their spines.
Some of the gods, unable to withstand the killing intent, lost their composure and fell from the sky. If not for someone catching them, it would have been a great embarrassment.
"Damn it, Gilgamesh!!!" Ishtar, the goddess who had suggested punishing the humans, nearly fell herself. She had been the one urging the others to punish the humans.
Even as a dying ember, about to turn to ash, he still had the audacity to glare at them!!!
"Hahaha, go ahead. I'll make you pay a hundred million times over," the King of Uruk said with a light laugh.
His voice, though not loud, echoed throughout the heavens and earth, filled with a domineering aura that could overturn the world.
At this moment, even the rolling dark clouds seemed to calm under his presence.
This aura, this unyielding will—even if his people were brutally killed before his eyes, he would not beg for mercy. He would only watch with his ruby-like eyes, which shone like stars in the night, and when the time came, he would exact his revenge a hundred million times over.
This demeanor made Chief God Marduk frown. Did Gilgamesh mean he could still be resurrected?
Impossible. Marduk could clearly sense that Gilgamesh's soul was burning away, turning into cosmic dust. Even gods couldn't defy the laws of the universe. He didn't believe that Gilgamesh, a mere human, could come back to life.
『Entering the next role. Countdown: 5...』
This system message made the King of Uruk—Gilgamesh—sat back down on his throne.
He glanced at the progress bar, still stuck at 99.9%. Did this mean he had failed?
Not exactly. The final 0.1% required his deeds to be passed down as legends into the modern era, beyond the year 2000. If his story was erased during that time, then he would fail.
But if he could continue to play his role through history, he could manipulate the narrative and ensure his legend lived on.
Hey, don't let the countdown get stuck at 1. His soul was really about to burn out.
The next second, the countdown reached zero, and he felt himself being pulled away, just like when he had died before.
What would the next role be? He couldn't wait to find out.
Somehow, he felt like something interesting was about to happen.
The figure on the throne had vanished, turned to cosmic dust.
Then, the throne itself crumbled into dust, and the altar disintegrated with a gust of wind.
Had King Gilgamesh's human life truly come to an end?
"Wait, something's wrong."
"Huh? What's wrong, Sister Bryn?"
"According to the history we know, Gilgamesh died of old age. But now he's dead, which means there's a huge discrepancy in the timeline."
As Brynhildr spoke, she fast-forwarded the scene on the screen.
What was going on?
After fast-forwarding, Brynhildr was slightly stunned. So that's what happened.
The Babylonian gods had created a human named Enkidu, first fabricating a story that he was Gilgamesh's friend, then having him take over Uruk's rule after Gilgamesh's death. Gradually, they altered the true history.
Why didn't the gods simply modify human memories?
Because such a large-scale memory alteration would be a severe interference in human history, and other pantheons visiting this world would notice the anomaly.
Moreover, according to the original observations, Gilgamesh had a significant influence on Uruk and the surrounding city-states. Even humans in regions ruled by other pantheons had heard of this king.
If he suddenly died, it would raise suspicions.
Thus, the Babylonian pantheon created Enkidu to replace Gilgamesh, placing him on the throne after Gilgamesh's divine punishment.
To the people of Uruk, it seemed that Gilgamesh had only been punished by the gods, not killed.
Decades later, when other pantheons came to visit, the story of the god-slaying incident had become a myth. The people, influenced by subtle mental suggestions, no longer believed such an event had occurred.
As a result, other pantheons remained unaware that a chief god of the Babylonian pantheon had been killed by a human in the mortal world.
It was a humiliating disgrace, one they didn't want other pantheons to know about, lest they be mocked and lose face.
After completing his mission, Enkidu was welcomed into the heavens by the gods, becoming a so-called demigod.
That's why Brynhildr had never seen this fake Gilgamesh in the heavens—he was likely confined to the Babylonian pantheon's territory.
They were afraid that too much contact with other pantheons would reveal the truth.
"But how did King Gilgamesh manage to kill the Sky God Anu?"
Rubbing her temples, Brynhildr muttered in frustration.
The Babylonian pantheon had even traveled through time but found nothing amiss.
In fact, if the other gods had been with Anu at the time and had touched Gilgamesh's chains and spear immediately, they would have noticed something was wrong.
But by the time they arrived, the one-time Noble Phantasm effects had worn off, and the weapons had become ordinary.
Even if they traveled back in time to touch them, they would still be ordinary weapons.
"How did he do it?"
Brynhildr bit her thumb in frustration. If only she could figure out the method of god-slaying.
To know, she would have to ask Gilgamesh himself.
But Gilgamesh had turned to cosmic dust, making it impossible to summon him.
Even if she went back to the time when Gilgamesh was alive, she couldn't communicate with him. The real Gilgamesh was dead, and what remained was just a historical record.
"Wait!"
Something was off!
Brynhildr felt like she had overlooked something important.
"Sister Bryn, are you planning to go back in time again? Even if we could talk to King Gilgamesh, it's already a fixed point in history. No matter how much we interfere, the world's forces will correct the timeline. Besides, King Gilgamesh is too perceptive. He could sense us watching him across time and space. If we appeared before him, he might just kill us without a second thought, so—"
At this point, Gray was startled because Brynhildr suddenly grabbed her shoulders.
"What did you just say, Gray?"
"Huh? That Gilgamesh might attack us?"
"No, before that. What did you say earlier?"
Brynhildr felt like she was on the verge of figuring out what was wrong, and the answer lay in Gray's earlier words.
"Before that? That King Gilgamesh is too perceptive and could sense us watching him across time and space."
Gray shrank back, her sister's grip on her shoulders tightening painfully.
"Yes, yes, that's it! He could sense us watching him across time and space. Hahaha!"
Finally, Brynhildr understood what was wrong, and she laughed, a laugh full of delight.
The gods hadn't noticed this anomaly. Were they too arrogant, too careless, or just plain stupid?
"What's wrong, Sister Bryn?"
Seeing her sister's strange laughter, Gray grew worried.
Was Brynhildr under too much pressure, to the point of losing her mind?
"Ah, wonderful, Gray. You've helped me realize something fortunate."
"Huh? Something fortunate?"
Tilting her head, Gray looked confused.
"Yes, that is—"
Brynhildr's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"What is it?"
"King Gilgamesh hasn't truly turned to cosmic dust."
"Huh? Turned to cosmic dust? I don't understand."
"Like the Sky God Anu, once dead, no resurrection method would work."
Her younger sister clearly didn't understand the full power of the divine punishment, which could completely erase a person.
Gray naively thought they could still warn or summon Gilgamesh.
But now that Brynhildr had figured out what was wrong, it might still be possible to summon him.
So what was the issue? It was that Gilgamesh could sense them watching him across time and space.
Logically, after being struck by divine punishment, Gilgamesh should have turned to cosmic dust, so the Gilgamesh they were observing in the past should have been just a historical record.
If it were just a record, he shouldn't have been able to sense their presence.
Since he could, it meant one thing: Gilgamesh hadn't completely turned to cosmic dust.
His body had been destroyed, turned to dust, but his soul still existed in the universe. His soul hadn't been completely annihilated.
"Hahaha!"
As long as his soul existed, he could be summoned.
Looking at the time, Brynhildr realized that selecting the first participant had taken too long. If each selection took this much time, they'd only be able to choose two or three more before Ragnarok began.
But for now, she would try to summon Gilgamesh.
Let's begin!
Gray clenched her fists against her chest, nervously watching her sister Brynhildr.
Brynhildr had opened the summoning system and was preparing to summon the first of the thirteen participants for the battle against the gods.
The first candidate was the King of Uruk from the Early Dynastic Period of Sumer—Gilgamesh.
He was the human who had killed the Bull of Heaven and cooked it, the man who had slain the Babylonian Sky God Anu.
This was a man who had casually killed a god, and Gray was terrified that the moment he was summoned, he might attack them since they were part of the divine system.
To prevent the end of humanity, Brynhildr was risking her life to summon King Gilgamesh.
At this moment, Brynhildr, also worried that Gilgamesh might attack, instructed Gray to stand by the door.
If anything went wrong, Gray was to leave the room immediately.
A summoned individual, without special permission, couldn't leave the room.
"Haaa~"
Brynhildr took a deep breath and exhaled.
From all indications, Gilgamesh was a strong anti-theist, so Gray's fears might well come true.
Good, the spatial coordinates were set. Looking at the image panel in front of her, Brynhildr extended her hand, palm open.
Confirm summoning!
At that moment, the image panel glowed brightly. When the light reached its peak, a regal aura filled the room, one that made one want to kneel.
Under this aura, Brynhildr instinctively stepped back, her body tense.
She stared intently, ready to dodge any chains that might suddenly fly out. After all, those chains had bound a chief god. As a mere Valkyrie, a demigod, she didn't think she could resist if caught.
In the next second, a flash of light, and a figure appeared before her.
A young man with golden hair and red eyes, exuding a lazy yet arrogant demeanor.
He looked around, slightly surprised by the sudden change, then began observing with interest.
When his gaze fell on Brynhildr, she grew even more nervous.
Those ruby-like eyes, shining like stars in the night, seemed to radiate a palpable killing intent.
The moment their eyes met, Brynhildr instinctively assumed a defensive stance, her body reacting to the sense of danger.
"Hey, hey, why so nervous? Shouldn't I be the one who's nervous?"
The summoned King Gilgamesh spoke in a casual, relaxed tone.
He seemed harmless, but Brynhildr felt the killing intent grow heavier.
"Being suddenly brought here, I've had quite a shock."
Quite a shock? It didn't look like it.
"What? Are you checking if I have any dangerous items on me? Afraid I might suddenly attack?"
With an amused tone, Gilgamesh took a step back and sat on a nearby office chair, leaning back comfortably and crossing his legs.
This carefree, unguarded posture—was he overconfident?
"Sorry, but yes, I am afraid you might do that."
"So you think I'm some kind of maniac?"
Gilgamesh chuckled, his tone teasing, as he looked at the woman before him who was both straightforward and seemed strong-willed.
From her demeanor, she seemed like a battle-hardened warrior, a Valkyrie.
A Valkyrie?
A god? Interesting.
He had been in the process of entering his next role when he was suddenly summoned here. It was quite a surprise.
At the same time.
『Next role play paused. Continue?』
The system gave this prompt, meaning if he agreed, he would be pulled away from here immediately.
So he didn't confirm right away, deciding to wait and see.
This summoning didn't seem malicious, or else he would have been treated as a threat immediately.
Of course, the woman's reaction showed she considered him dangerous, but he sensed no hostility.
Ah, there was also a little girl by the door, who looked terrified when he glanced at her.
His gaze returned to the woman before him.
"You're a god? I sensed someone watching me before. Was it you two?"
As he spoke, his red eyes seemed to gleam with a dangerous light, making Brynhildr break out in a cold sweat.
His gaze was incredibly oppressive. Though he was human, it felt like facing the sharp gaze of a renowned chief god.
"Sorry, King of Uruk, we didn't mean to spy on you. We had no choice. Right now, all of humanity is facing an unprecedented crisis, and we need your help."
"Oh?"
This piqued Gilgamesh's interest. All of humanity facing doom? Needing his help?
"So? You haven't answered my question."
"My apologies. I am Brynhildr, eldest of the Norse Valkyries."
Placing a hand over her chest, Brynhildr bowed slightly in introduction.
"Norse Valkyries?"
How interesting. Why would figures from Norse mythology come to him?
"What's this crisis humanity is facing? Something even you gods can't handle?"
"On the contrary, the gods can handle it, because the crisis stems from—the gods themselves!"
As she spoke, Brynhildr's expression darkened, her eyes flashing with hostility toward the gods.
So the crisis came from the gods, and knowing he had slain a god, they sought him out?
Did they want him to kill more gods?
"Every thousand years, the gods hold a council at Valhalla to decide whether humanity should continue to exist... At this point in human history, spanning seven million years, on this day in the year 20XX, the council unanimously reached a decision—to bring about the End of humanity."
Brynhildr explained the situation while observing the king's expression.
He remained calm, as if he were listening to a story that had nothing to do with him.
Then, he yawned and said something that shocked Brynhildr.
"To be honest, I'd also vote to destroy humanity."
—
T/N: if you would like to see more of this I would be grateful for Power-stones.