As the Mirror Dimension dissipated, the Ancient One slipped away without a sound. Then, atop the Roosevelt statue, a towering golden figure materialized. Beneath his spiky blond hair were sharp, eagle-like crimson eyes. His armor shone like forged gold, radiating a dazzling brilliance, and even his earrings were fashioned from gleaming golden plates.
Gilgamesh stood atop the statue with his arms crossed, looking down at the crowd below as if they were insects blocking his view. A disdainful smirk tugged at his lips.
"My foolish brother… are you planning to dispose of your beloved kin so soon after the trial has begun?"
Thor opened his mouth to reply, but Stark—never one to let a dramatic moment go undisturbed—blurted out, "Wow, that's some terrible taste. Do none of you gods believe in subtlety when you show off your wealth?"
Thor's face froze, panic flashing across his eyes. He whipped his head toward his older brother. As expected, Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed, and a killing intent swept outward like a glacial storm from Jotunheim.
"Where did this piece of trash crawl out from," he said coldly, "to dare interrupt a conversation between gods?"
Golden ripples flared open behind him like portals. From within them emerged swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—countless divine weapons, all gleaming and brimming with lethal cold light—aimed directly at Tony Stark.
Inside his red-and-gold armor, Tony blinked innocently. "Did I piss him off?"
"What do you think?" Captain America muttered, lifting his shield with a helpless sigh. Stark could only groan, as even he knew he had a talent for provoking the worst possible enemies.
Nick Fury shot Stark a glare. Smart guy, yes—but apparently determined to die talking.
Around them, the rest of the group tensed, shaken by the sudden escalation.
Thor stepped forward to intervene, but before he could speak, Gilgamesh flicked his wrist—and attacked.
The golden armory behind him erupted. Blades rained down like lightning-fast artillery shells, engulfing the group in an instant.
Iron Man was the primary target, at least seven Noble Phantasms converging on him.
Captain America barely had time to raise his shield. Thor swung Mjolnir and deflected a longsword. Stark ignited his thrusters, but before he could rise, the divine weapons struck.
A halberd slammed into the ground beside him, its branching blades piercing the side of his armor. Two ancient Tang-Han swords embedded themselves in his limbs, pinning him to the lawn.
"Sir, external armor integrity compromised. You have penetrating wounds in your left leg and right scapula. Adrenaline has been administered to manage pain, but continued blood loss poses a severe threat—"
"OKAY! OKAY! I get it!" Tony groaned through clenched teeth. "Why do antique weapons hurt this much?! My armor feels like aluminum foil!"
Elsewhere, Nick Fury, Natasha, and Hawkeye were all gravely wounded. A golden sword tore into Black Widow's left hip. Hawkeye, even after blocking with his composite bow, was impaled through the abdomen by a spear. Fury fared worst—his head sliced cleanly off by a spinning golden shield.
But his corpse shimmered and morphed—revealing green skin. A Skrull.
The only Avengers who remained fully unharmed were Captain America, Steve Rogers… and Thor.
"Hulk! Hulk!!" the Hulk bellowed, ripping a barbed spear from his chest with a howl before hurling it at Gilgamesh.
It disintegrated midair into golden fragments.
Gilgamesh glanced at the enraged giant, his expression icy, his eyes empty of emotion. "A mongrel wallowing in the mud dares bare its fangs at a god?"
Behind him, hundreds of golden ripples ignited, forming a radiant wall that devoured the sunlight.
Hundreds of divine weapons and magical artifacts materialized—all aimed at the Hulk.
"ROOOOOAR—!"
With a thunderous roar, Hulk charged like a raging bull toward the God of Light.
Trident. Three-pronged sword. Durandal. Dainsleif. Dawn of Destruction…
Countless magical weapons rained down on the Hulk, as if Gilgamesh were throwing them away by the handful.
The Hulk, enraged and utterly devoid of reason, didn't even flinch as bullets tore into him. In an instant, he became a living pincushion and collapsed to his knees.
"You dare challenge a god with this level of skill?" Gilgamesh sneered.
But the Hulk was far from finished.
"Hulk! HULK!"
He roared, forcing himself upright again. His muscles bulged violently, pushing out the embedded blades and spears as his fury surged.
"You still have the ability to resist?" Gilgamesh chuckled. Golden ripples shimmered around him as the Chains of Heaven shot forth, weaving through the air and impaling Hulk's limbs. They coiled around his throat and contracted, suspending him in midair like a modern Prometheus.
"HULK! HULK!"
The agony only fueled his rage. His body swelled, tripling in size as raw power exploded through him.
Seeing this, Gilgamesh finally smiled with genuine interest. "A crude form of pseudo-immortality? Fascinating. Unfortunately for you, my treasury contains more than a few Noble Phantasms designed specifically to counter immortality. So then—how will you handle this?"
More ripples formed, and several Noble Phantasms materialized—each of them gleaming with a different hue. Among them was a massive Vajra pestle, as thick as an arm.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Golden light erupted as the weapons launched forward like cannon fire, each one aimed straight for the Hulk.
At that critical instant, a figure streaked into the fray. With three swift, thunderous blows, he intercepted the barrage. Hammer and sword collided, sparks erupting in every direction.
It was Thor—the God of Thunder.
Even with his lightning-fast reflexes, Thor only managed to block most of the assault. He was still a fraction too slow.
The Vajra pestle slammed into Hulk's chest with a sickening thud, instantly suppressing his regeneration. The green titan's strength plummeted.
"Hulk… Hulk…" he groaned weakly.
Gilgamesh gazed at Thor with amused contempt. "My foolish brother… are you actually pleading for this mad dog?"
"He's not a mad dog—he's a comrade I can entrust my life to!" Thor roared, standing firm. Behind him, even the fading Hulk trembled at his words. Clearly, the beast was not without a heart… or a mind.
"He's right!" Captain America stepped forward, eyes locked on the radiant God of Light above them. "Even if you are a god, if you want to harm my comrades—you'll have to step over my dead body first."
A low, derisive laugh echoed from above. Gilgamesh rubbed his forehead, then burst into uncontrolled laughter, throwing his head back. "Hahaha… ah, my foolish brother. It seems your time on Earth has changed you more than I expected. Have these fragile ants truly earned your sympathy?"
"This is not sympathy," Thor growled. Lightning crackled around Mjolnir as he raised it. He turned to his battered allies—Hulk and the other Avengers—and declared:
"They are my friends. I've fought beside them, lived beside them. And as long as I still draw breath, I will not allow you to harm even a single one of them!"