The gods fell silent.
After hearing Rovi's words, they were indeed furious—enraged beyond belief. But beneath these mortal-like emotions born from humanity's faith, they also felt an uncontrollable admiration.
After a moment's silence, the heavenly god Anu opened his eyes once more:
"A sage, indeed... At first, when we granted you the [Key of Heaven], it was merely because we believed you might guide Gilgamesh along the path we desired."
"But clearly, we were mistaken."
"Not only did you fail to steer Gilgamesh toward our intended path, you drove him toward the other extreme instead."
"Nevertheless, mortal who masters intrigue, we gods must still grant you our recognition."
"We acknowledge you as a sage."
Recognition from the gods…?
Rovi was momentarily stunned, though he remained silent, simply listening as the god-king continued:
"Yet, you still underestimate us—the gods who rule this land."
"We are eternally unchanging. Past, present, or future—even should the world itself perish—all things remain eternally within our grasp!"
Anu's true form in the Heavenly Realm slowly raised the scepter commanding the sky gods.
It was like lifting an anchor—
The Heavenly Realm, adrift upon the Imaginary Number Sea, began to tremble and sway like a giant ship caught in a storm, slowly drifting away.
The essence of gods was illusory.
And so, too, was the Heavenly Realm itself.
An illusory world could naturally drift within equally illusory Imaginary Space. It had previously remained fixed directly above Mesopotamia solely to maintain divine dominion.
But it could move.
And now, Gilgamesh, Rovi, and Enkidu had reached the absolute limit of their power.
Even with the support of the "World," they had barely managed to grasp the gods' dwelling place.
If it moved just slightly further—
Their tenuous connection would instantly snap due to distance.
Without a connection, possession and descent would become impossible.
This was the gods' final safeguard:
They could leave at will.
And return whenever they chose…
"No death, no life. Where there is life, death inevitably follows."
A deep voice echoed across Heaven, Earth, and the Realm of Man.
The gods froze in shock.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu both raised their heads sharply.
But Rovi smiled.
Finally...
His hidden trump card had revealed itself at last!
"What you call eternity is merely an everlasting illusion—not eternal life."
In the mortal realm, atop the highest peak in Mesopotamia, a towering figure stood cloaked in black, armor hidden beneath a shadowy mantle. Blue flames of deathly silence flickered, exuding absolute stillness.
Dong—Dong—Dong—
Grand, solemn bells tolled.
Ziusudra, he who listened to Destiny itself—who delivered inevitable "death" to those whose fate had reached its end—stood atop the mountain.
He listened to the distant tolling of Fate's bells.
The sound signified absolute endings.
He—had glimpsed the illusory nature of the gods, clearly seen their Fate.
Thus, he raised his blade; Ziusudra lifted the broad, black sword in his hand.
This strike would manifest Fate itself—
And it was also Destiny's bell, sounding the end.
The drifting Heavenly Realm abruptly halted.
This strike of Ziusudra's sword—
Severed Heaven's "Fate," cut off its illusory wandering essence, and destroyed its path of escape.
To sever its life was to extinguish its destiny.
"What's happening?!"
"Why did we stop? Great God-King Anu, our Father—what has occurred?"
"Ziusudra... the man who glimpsed Fate itself!"
The gods descended into panic.
Anu could no longer suppress the sealed fury within his heart. Thunder boomed violently as he roared in wrath:
"Ziusudra—how dare you betray the gods?!"
In ancient myths, Ziusudra had indeed conversed with the gods after surviving the Great Flood.
Yet now, facing this thunderous accusation echoing around him, the aged figure clad in black armor only gazed silently forward, ghostly blue flames flickering behind a pale, bone-white mask.
He replied plainly:
"This old one has always followed nothing but Destiny—the primal end engraved upon all existence."
"Betrayal? There is nothing to betray."
Crack, crack, crack…
At this very instant, the [Chains of Heaven] once more stretched out, binding the distant heavens tightly.
"Gods… were you hoping to escape?"
Rovi tilted his head toward the sky:
"Do you like the surprise I prepared for you?"
...
"Bwahahaha! Fleeing in panic—is this your divine dignity? Ugly, foolish mongrels!" Gilgamesh's arrogance surged even higher.
Enkidu smiled softly, eyes unwaveringly fixed upon Rovi.
...
"These people... They really are insane!" Sitting comfortably atop Venus's manifestation, Ishtar-Rin crossed her legs, scratching her head in bewildered amusement—yet unable to hide her excitement.
She remembered clearly—Rovi hadn't merely paid her mountains of treasure to gain her assistance.
He'd promised something even greater: all the wealth and treasures belonging to the gods of Heaven themselves!
Including the personal collections of their true forms…
If not for this, how could she possibly dare oppose the gods?
...
"Go get 'em, Rovi!"
Deep in the Netherworld, Eresh clenched her small fists, enthusiastically cheering him on.
But it wasn't just them.
...
On the ground, atop Uruk's towering walls, countless people stared upward.
Their king was fighting.
Yet they could feel clearly—this was their battle too.
A blazing fire surged in their hearts.
Their courage and faith overflowed without restraint!
Someone shouted first, then the cry instantly spread like wildfire:
"King!"
"King!"
"King!"
The wind surged, voices thundered, and at this very moment, humanity's unified shout became an earth-shattering flood.
The mortal realm stood united as one.
Like a burning flame… this was still an age where a single mighty hero could confront ten thousand foes alone.
Such was their era's limit.
Yet, they had found the courage to resist!
The gods trembled in fear.
Anu inhaled deeply, forcibly suppressing his rage.
The Heavenly Realm could no longer retreat.
"In the name of Anu, King of Gods, Lord of the Sky—I command all gods!"
"In our divine names, uphold the Heavens!"
If it had still been the peak Age of Gods, being dragged into the mortal realm wouldn't matter. At that time, abundant divine ether permitted gods to descend frequently in their true forms.
But now, the times had changed.
The present mortal world lacked the foundation to sustain their manifestation.
Forcing their entry…
Would corrupt their divine essence.
Would shake their higher-dimensional identities.
Gods would cease being gods.
Thus, their descent had to be prevented at all costs.
Anu gathered the strength of all gods, intending to forcibly resist humanity's encroachment—
Yet at the exact moment he raised his scepter—
At the moment the gods began channeling their power—
From another corner of the Heavenly Realm, infinite radiant light exploded forth, cutting off countless divine pathways supplying power to Anu.
Infinite brilliance, infinite heat…
Blinding sunlight descended from above.
"O great Anu, Father of All Gods—"
"Please abandon this struggle… The gods' ending was determined five thousand years ago, wasn't it?"
The grand voice resonated clearly in everyone's ears.
Anu's hair and beard shook violently.
Voice trembling in disbelief, he shouted:
"Sun God Shamash—you dare obstruct me!?"
"Well, after all…"
A deep voice replied calmly from within the descending sun:
"I've already accepted certain...benefits."
---
T/N: bonus chaps tomorrow
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