A voiceless roar echoed in Rovi's heart—echoing that longing he'd carried all along.
To live with glory, to die with honor.
To be a hero, not a clown—
"Damn it… you reckless—bastard!" Gilgamesh spat between clenched teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Rovi…" Even Enkidu's delicate features were flushed with strain.
Both of them pulled with all their strength, but it was useless; all they could do was watch as that earth-shattering force—the jaws of heaven and earth—closed in on Rovi at the center.
The gods watching from on high could not understand—was Rovi not afraid to die?
How could he face this so willingly?
It was at this instant, just as everything closed in, that a formless vibration rang out.
Bzzzt… An intense hum shimmered into being as a stream of light burst from Rovi's body.
It was as if a kettle under immense pressure had finally burst open—rays of light poured from every pore beneath his black uniform, flooding outward.
In the end, it all condensed into a single, golden, radiant key.
The Key of Heaven.
The divine artifact bestowed by the gods, always hidden within him, now manifested as a shadow in the air.
Rovi froze, and so did the gods.
This thing… had this function?
In these seven days, Rovi had studied this divine relic—capable of opening the boundary between gods and men—inside and out.
But he'd never discovered… it could do this!
Yet Rovi soon realized, the key still didn't have any defensive abilities.
That glow merely relaxed every muscle in his body, releasing him from the crushing pressure.
It allowed him to adapt to any environment.
To move freely in any setting, unaffected by restrictions.
Exactly as he'd understood the Key of Heaven's power. But it only let him adapt—it couldn't block the real damage about to hit him.
Damn it, he was still going to die.
He let out a breath, half in resignation.
Then he noticed a black mark on the "key."
Dirty?
No, impossible—the Key of Heaven was a perfect divine artifact, created by all the gods. It couldn't be defiled.
Wait… was that a crack?
The Key of Heaven was breaking.
Cracks began to spread from a single point, branching into countless black fissures, until the golden key's image shattered—vanishing in a cloud of gold dust.
Rovi barely had time to process it before a surge of unknown power erupted from deep inside him.
It felt like high-octane fuel had been pumped straight into his engine.
He instinctively reached out, braced his feet, and let that wild energy guide him.
BOOM!
Above and below—he blocked them both.
Just like the first gods splitting the world, he braced one hand against the sky, one foot on the earth.
The golden power of the king fell from above, stopped cold in Rovi's upraised hand.
From below, the blades of earth surged up, only to be pressed down by his feet—unable to rise any further.
Alone, with nothing but his own body, he divided the battlefield between heaven and earth.
Every motion, every breath, felt like the opening of a new world.
"This mutt—there's that much power in his body?" Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, a smile flickering on his lips.
"Rovi. I knew it… You really are the strongest!" Enkidu was visibly excited.
The subtle murmurs of the gods filtered into Rovi's priestly ears.
So that's it?
He used the force of the Lock and the Wedge to shatter the Key inside himself, and then…
Turned that power into something truly his own!
The Key of Heaven is the same rank as the Lock and Wedge—only this could work.
No wonder he's so fearless.
Such wisdom… such courage…
We weren't wrong—he really is the perfect pawn!
A pawn who can perfectly counter the Wedge of Heaven!
No, you're wrong.
Rovi's face was blank. He'd never imagined things would turn out like this.
Whatever… Guess this is just his luck.
Shaking his head, helpless, Rovi still accepted reality in an instant.
The power from the shattered Key was surging through him now, and he knew—no matter what, not even the Lock and Wedge could hurt or kill him anymore.
Just like Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
With the Key's power "fused" into him, Rovi was no longer the holder of the Key of Heaven.
He was the Key itself.
Not even the gods could reclaim it now.
And its ability was no longer just adaptation.
It had become "open" and "close."
Everything in the world was now like a door before him.
Once closed, it would form a nearly impenetrable barrier, able to block most attacks beneath or even equal to the rank of the Key.
Right now, it had activated on its own.
Rovi still couldn't control it well—he couldn't "close" it at will yet.
So—
No use fretting, no use regretting.
Rovi spread his arms wide.
He knew he couldn't die now—sooner or later, the chance would come.
Since there was no way to settle scores later,
He might as well try something now.
Go all in. Court death on a grand scale!
He released all the power surging inside him.
Dazzling ripples shimmered and danced, finally condensing into a wash of silver-white light.
Drawing on the power of the Lock and Wedge.
Calling out for their help.
Seeing Rovi's desperate bid to stop their battle, both Enkidu and Gilgamesh now understood it was all a misunderstanding—they weren't enemies.
So now, when Rovi called for their aid, of course they didn't refuse.
"Rovi, whatever you want to do, I'll always be at your side." Enkidu lowered her eyes, and in the same moment, brought her own power to its peak!
She didn't know what Rovi was planning,
But the trust born from seven days together was absolute.
"Hoh? Interesting!" Gilgamesh paused.
The king atop Vimana watched the glow around Rovi.
He sensed a mysterious resonance in it.
Of the same origin. The same essence.
A connection between the Wedge and the Key.
He couldn't reason out the cause, but with the highest-rank [Clairvoyance], Gilgamesh could faintly glimpse Rovi's purpose.
So he threw back his head and laughed: "Hmph, hahaha… Even a barking cur can show such resolve? Very well, then—how interesting!"
"Then, in honor of such wild ambition, I'll answer your call—" With that, he too spread his arms wide.
"Look to the sky—break through the boundaries!"
"Of course."
Rovi closed his eyes, then opened them.
His pupils became the shape of a key, his whole body whipped up a roaring torrent. The powers of the Wedge and the Lock of Heaven converged within him, swirling like a triple helix, sweeping out in all directions.
What is he doing?
…All three "pawns" working together?
That's some power… As expected of a tool of our making. If we use him well, our rule over humanity's faith will endure for ages yet!
The gods were still watching.
But at this moment, they hadn't realized—as Gilgamesh had—that Rovi's aim was simple.
He would take the Wedge as the road, the Lock as the guide, and himself as the Key—fusing all three, to break past every boundary.
With this, he would send a roar up to the heavens, shaking the gods on high who watched him from above—
This time, it wasn't because he wanted to die.
It was because those gods had treated them all as tools for their own rule.
Always calling them "pawns."
Well, now he would answer that malice in kind.
He'd tell them—
To hell with your pawn!
We are human beings.
Living, breathing people!
---
T/N: i want enkidu and gil inside of me...