While Gilgamesh attempted to determine whether Druig suffered from the same psychological affliction as Thena, the broken Eternal quickly recovered from the devastating blow. Like a wounded animal driven by pure instinct, Druig unleashed another bestial roar that echoed across the barren landscape.
Without hesitation, he began channeling his telepathic abilities in their crudest form—unrefined mental control that lacked the subtle finesse he'd once possessed.
For ordinary humans, Druig's telepathic assault would prove both undetectable and irresistible. The average person would fall under his influence before realizing they were under attack. However, Gilgamesh was far from ordinary.
While Druig's mental manipulation couldn't be directly observed, the process required him to draw upon the cosmic energy that flowed through his enhanced physiology. As a fellow Eternal, Gilgamesh could sense these energy fluctuations and recognize the telltale signs of psychic manipulation being attempted.
More importantly, as one of the artificial beings mass-produced by the Celestial Arishem within the World Forge, Gilgamesh possessed mental defenses far superior to any baseline human. Standard telepathic control techniques would prove largely ineffective against his enhanced consciousness. To successfully dominate Gilgamesh's mind, Druig would need to expend significantly more cosmic energy and time—creating a window of opportunity for counterattack.
The moment Gilgamesh detected Druig's telepathic assault beginning, his expression shifted from confusion to grim determination. His primary concern wasn't his own safety—he felt confident in his ability to resist mental domination, at least temporarily. What truly worried him was the possibility that Druig might target Thena.
Thena had only recently emerged from one of her more severe episodes of Mahd Wy'ry. If Druig's chaotic mental influence triggered another psychotic break, the consequences would be catastrophic for everyone involved.
Without wasting another second, Gilgamesh channeled cosmic energy through his right arm. Golden light coalesced around his hand, forming the intricate gauntlet that served as both weapon and focus for his tremendous physical strength. The moment his power fully manifested, he launched himself toward Druig with lethal intent.
Despite his psychological damage, Druig retained enough survival instinct to recognize the incoming threat. Rather than standing his ground, he immediately began retreating, using his remaining agility to maintain distance from the charging warrior.
Unfortunately for Druig, his reflexes—while impressive—couldn't compensate for the vast difference in their physical capabilities. Gilgamesh closed the gap with devastating efficiency, his enhanced speed allowing him to reach his target within seconds.
This time, Gilgamesh held nothing back. His previous strike had been deliberately restrained, intended to subdue rather than seriously injure. Now, faced with the immediate threat to Thena's fragile psychological state, he committed to ending the confrontation decisively.
If his first punch had merely knocked Druig backward, this blow would likely prove incapacitating—possibly fatal.
Under different circumstances, Gilgamesh would never resort to such potentially lethal force against a former teammate. However, with Thena's sanity hanging in the balance, he had no alternative. If he failed to neutralize Druig immediately, both he and Thena would likely fall under the broken Eternal's mental control.
CRACK.
The devastating impact sent Druig hurtling through the air like a projectile, blood streaming from his mouth as his ribs shattered under the tremendous force. The telltale sound of breaking bones echoed across the outback as Druig's body tumbled end over end before slamming into the hard-packed earth.
Before Druig could even attempt to rise, Gilgamesh was already in motion, sprinting toward his fallen opponent to deliver what would hopefully be the finishing blow.
Just as he was about to reach the injured Eternal, Gilgamesh's combat instincts screamed a warning. He immediately dropped into a defensive crouch, his enhanced reflexes saving his life as a gleaming golden blade whistled through the space where his head had been moments before.
The energy construct—a perfectly formed cross-shaped sword—would have decapitated him if not for his split-second reaction.
Damn it.
Cursing silently, Gilgamesh rolled to the side and created several meters of distance between himself and his new attacker. When he looked up, his worst fears were confirmed.
Thena stood between him and the fallen Druig, her eyes vacant and unfocused as she held another materialized energy weapon. The golden cross-sword in her hands gleamed with deadly purpose, its edges sharp enough to cut through virtually any material.
Despite his injuries and diminished mental state, Druig had successfully targeted Thena with his telepathic abilities. Her existing psychological instability, caused by the accumulated trauma of retained memories from previous planetary missions, had made her an easy target for mental manipulation.
While Druig now operated purely on instinct, controlling someone already suffering from Mahd Wy'ry required minimal effort or finesse.
Observing Thena's combat stance and the lethal energy weapons she could manifest at will, Gilgamesh's expression darkened considerably. Within the Eternal team, his frontal combat capabilities ranked among the top three—far exceeding specialists like Sersi, Sprite, Kingo, or Druig. Only Ikaris, with his comprehensive suite of Superman-like abilities, could consistently match him in direct confrontation.
Thena represented a different type of threat entirely. Her unique gift for energy materialization allowed her to create virtually any cold weapon imaginable—swords, spears, shields, crossbows, or exotic bladed implements—all formed from pure cosmic energy and wielded with millennia of combat experience.
Under normal circumstances, a fight between Gilgamesh and Thena would be roughly evenly matched, with victory determined by tactics and circumstance rather than raw power.
However, these were far from normal circumstances. Gilgamesh's deep emotional attachment to Thena significantly compromised his effectiveness in combat against her. Even at his best, he could only bring perhaps twenty percent of his full capability to bear when forced to fight the woman he loved.
Thena, influenced by Mahd Wy'ry and now under Druig's mental control, would show no such restraint. She would fight with the full intensity of someone battling for their life, utilizing every technique and stratagem in her vast repertoire.
What Gilgamesh didn't understand—what none of the Eternals truly comprehended—was that Mahd Wy'ry wasn't actually a disease in any conventional sense. The condition resulted from flawed memory resets between planetary assignments, causing some Eternals to retain fragments of experiences from previous worlds. The accumulation of these fragmented memories across multiple resets eventually led to psychological breakdown as their minds struggled to process contradictory information about their purpose and identity.
Thena's apparent madness was actually a form of cosmic PTSD, triggered by the subconscious recognition that her existence was an endless cycle of manipulation and memory erasure.
Sighing with resignation, Gilgamesh settled into a defensive stance and prepared to face both Thena and Druig simultaneously—a scenario that would test every ounce of his considerable abilities.
Before he could fully assess his tactical options, Thena launched herself forward with predatory grace. The golden cross-sword sang through the air as she attacked with lethal precision, her movements displaying none of the hesitation or emotional conflict that typically characterized their sparring sessions.
Gilgamesh immediately manifested his defensive gauntlets, using his left hand to intercept the energy blade while simultaneously launching a counterattack with his right fist. His strike aimed for Thena's midsection, hoping to incapacitate her without causing permanent injury.
Despite her compromised mental state, Thena's combat instincts remained razor-sharp. The moment she detected Gilgamesh's incoming punch, she materialized a small circular shield and positioned it to absorb the impact.
BOOM.
The collision between Gilgamesh's enhanced strength and Thena's energy construct produced a thunderclap that echoed across the empty landscape. While his devastating blow shattered the improvised shield completely, the barrier had served its purpose—buying Thena the precious seconds she needed to launch her next attack.
With fluid precision, she reversed her grip on the cross-sword and drove its point toward Gilgamesh's throat in a killing stroke that would have ended the fight instantly.
Recognizing the lethal intent behind the thrust, Gilgamesh abandoned his offensive and instead caught the energy blade with his gauntleted right hand. The cosmic energy burned against his protective covering, but the construct held long enough for him to grip the weapon securely.
With a roar of effort and frustration, Gilgamesh applied devastating force to the captured blade. The energy sword, despite its supernatural durability, snapped under the pressure of his enhanced strength.
In the same motion, he pivoted and launched a textbook left hook toward Thena's temple—a blow calculated to render her unconscious without causing lasting harm.
CRACK.
This time, Thena's defensive reflexes proved insufficient. Gilgamesh's fist connected solidly, sending her tumbling across the rocky ground as consciousness fled her battered form.
High Above the Battlefield
Floating invisibly at an altitude of several miles, Richard observed the unfolding carnage with undisguised satisfaction. The sight of two ancient lovers being forced to battle each other under his manipulation provided exactly the type of psychological entertainment he'd been seeking.
"Perfect," he murmured to himself, watching as Gilgamesh knelt beside Thena's unconscious form while keeping a wary eye on the injured Druig. "This is exactly what I wanted to see."
The first phase of his grand design was proceeding flawlessly.