"An Ancient..."
The moment the sword appeared, even from hundreds of kilometers away, Est felt it.
That weapon had transcended the world. It was an Ancient Sleeper, a rank even higher than her own.
As the Queen of Swords, Est possessed absolute suppression over all swords. Even so, there were exceptions—such as the sword that appeared in Gilgamesh's hand.
Even with her rank elevated by Yuki, Est still lacked the title of "Ancient," a "cosmos" engraved into her name.
Before such a sword, the only blade that could be considered comparable among all armaments was the Sword of the End, Sandalphon. It too carried a "cosmos" in its title—or rather, more precisely, a "universe."
"Master..."
But this did not discourage Est. She knew it well. The moment Yuki succeeded in fully controlling Requiem, she would ascend in rank and no longer be a planet-destroying sword.
She would become a star-destroying sword, entering the realm of a pseudo-Ancient, comparable to the Holy Sword of the Sea of Stars—Excalibur.
"But it's a pity..."
Even if that Ancient was strong, it was still a low-tier Ancient, and its wielder was incapable of drawing out its full power. In Est's opinion, Gilgamesh could only wield that sword up to the level of world destruction—nothing beyond that.
Such a waste for a weapon that bore "cosmos" in its title. Therefore, as the Queen of Swords, Est would unquestionably prevail.
"The sword that opened the world..."
Yuki, like Est, was also surprised by such a shocking weapon. It was a blade forged before Genesis, one that opened the cosmos itself. That was all there was to it.
When it came to weapons, Yuki knew that compared to the terrifying Arms Coffin, Enuma Elish lagged far behind.
So he prepared to counterattack.
"Let's go, Mukuro."
"Yes, Master... Michael: Shift!"
The lance in her hand transformed into a halberd, and its magical power surged. A subatomic-level sealing halberd.
With both sides fully prepared, two Anti-World Noble Phantasms of EX rank were about to be unleashed...
Creeeak
Unfortunately for Yuki, just as Michael finished charging and was about to be released, a chain wrapped around him.
"Eh?"
The chain seized his wrist, and more followed in an instant, binding his arms and legs. Requiem was reclaiming its owner.
"Is time up?"
It was truly unfortunate. Yuki had forced his release ahead of schedule, drastically reducing the duration, and now it was time to return to the throne.
"It doesn't matter. When I'm free again, I'll capture all the keys..."
The war had yet to truly begin, and continuing to kill Servants would only delay it further.
Besides, when he returned, there would be no more prologue.
Because of that, Yuki did not resist. He allowed more and more chains to bind him, returning once again to the Throne of Annihilation.
As he closed his eyes, Yuki failed to notice that within the spiritual world, one of the thrones of the Crown began to shine—and a girl shot out from the spiritual realm.
"Hm?"
"W-What's going on?!"
What was a pity for Yuki was a relief for the group aboard Vimana.
They witnessed gigantic chains appear out of nowhere, dragging the giant—Gilgamesh included, who was holding his ultimate weapon—away. Through his Clairvoyance, Gilgamesh looked past Susanoo and saw the monster bound by a Throne.
"I see. Everything has a price."
As Vimana drifted farther and farther from the giant, Gilgamesh lowered his sword. Original Sin had been invoked as a Monster.
According to legend, after eating the fruit of the forbidden tree, Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden, and the Gods paid a heavy price for it. Adam was too strong—no God could oppose him, forcing the Creator God to intervene personally and cast him out.
However, Adam never accepted this. He swore to return to his home and reclaim the Tree of Life.
Fearing the power of Original Sin, the Gods used themselves as seals and created guardian angels to protect the particles of God.
As a Monster, Adam succeeded. He returned—and not only that, he stole God's authority.
But everything has a price. That price was freedom.
The chains—the Gods' seals—limited Original Sin at its worst and trapped him within a cage.
Absurdly powerful as he was, Adam still could not return to Eden.
"But that's only temporary..."
Gilgamesh knew it. The Gods' seals should have kept the monster imprisoned forever, yet he could break free. That was not good. It meant the monster had found a way to undo the seal.
Still, that didn't matter now. They had escaped, and that was what counted. With that, Gilgamesh returned his sword to the King's treasury as Vimana moved even farther away from the giant, which dissolved into particles.
"Archer..."
"It's fine, Mongrel. That thing won't trouble us any—"
"Michael: Lataib."
"?!"
Gilgamesh didn't have time to finish when a soft, sweet voice rang out, and a spatial hole opened. From it, a massive golden arrow shot forth.
The arrow instantly destroyed the Vimana.
BOOOOOOM
"Mun, for attacking Master... Muku will not forgive them..."
Emerging from space, a beautiful young girl with long blonde hair murmured softly.
This girl was Mukuro, the Zodiac Spirit. She had witnessed everything—from the twins' defeat to the moment chains bound her beloved.
Mukuro was furious. She wanted to strike down those who dared to stand between Yuki and his plan.
So she held nothing back and summoned herself.
"Hmm? They didn't die? They're just delaying the inevitable..."
Despite returning their Noble Phantasms, these people were annoyingly hard to kill. With that thought, Mukuro slipped back into space once more.
"Senpai... are you okay?"
After falling from a great height, Mash barely managed to save Ritsuka with the help of her Noble Phantasm. Even so, the aftermath left them both injured.
Mash, in particular, had suffered severe damage to her right arm while trying to withstand the explosion.
"Thank you... for saving me, Mash. I'd be dead without you..."
It wasn't an exaggeration. That attack had nearly collapsed the city of Camelot.
"What happened to the King?"
"Gilgamesh? He took the worst of it..."
They also knew their survival wasn't just because of Camelot. It was because Gilgamesh had activated his shield, nullifying most of the Noble Phantasm's impact.
Even so, since Mukuro had returned Enki to them, Gilgamesh was still injured due to the arrow's destructive nature.
Fortunately, he managed to protect Sakura, allowing her existence to remain in this world. But Vimana and his golden armor were sacrificed in the process.
"By the power of a Command Spell, Archer, recover..."
At that moment, Sakura—whom Gilgamesh had protected—didn't hesitate to use a Command Spell from her right hand. Thanks to that, Gilgamesh's wounds vanished.
"You've done well, Mongrel. No... from now on, you are my loyal minister."
Catching his breath, Gilgamesh was pleased by Sakura's actions in protecting the King's life. It reminded him of his days ruling Uruk, when his faithful minister was always at his side.
"King, are you alright?"
"King..."
Ritsuka and Mash approached as well, though hesitantly, still shaken by the Noble Phantasm's aftermath.
"Hmph. It's impossible for this King to be defeated by his own Noble Phantasm."
Though injured, Gilgamesh lost none of his royal dignity. He rose to his feet and looked up at the sky.
"Prepare yourselves. This isn't over. Even if that 'thing' is gone, its Servants are close."
"Close?"
Ritsuka didn't yet understand what had happened earlier and was stunned. He thought the monster was gone and that they had survived the catastrophe. He was wrong.
"That's right, Mongrels. I warned you from the start that it wouldn't be easy to meddle with that monster—and it has sent something truly troublesome."
Just as Gilgamesh said, a spatial gate opened at that moment, and Mukuro flew out.
"Mun, why won't you just die? You're only making things harder for Muku."
Frowning, Mukuro puffed out her cheeks in anger. It would have been better if they'd been wiped out by that attack. Now, she would have to dirty her own hands.
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