As the deity closest to the primordial state among all existing gods, Heavenly God Anu knew exactly what the object in Rovi's hand represented.
An artifact born from the very formation of the stars—older even than the original gods themselves. It embodied the divine authority of [Ea], a godlike conceptualization of the planetary force that once churned, cracked, and stabilized Earth's primordial surface of molten rock and turbulent atmosphere.
A sword truly capable of "cleaving the world."
Seeing it, Anu's expression twisted terribly.
Even though he knew the sword held by Rovi couldn't possibly unleash its full strength.
Even with the combined support of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Ishtar-Rin, Eresh, and countless people across the mortal world, the blade's full power remained unattainable.
But even one percent of its strength was fatal to gods.
Not because of raw destructive force alone, but because this was an [Anti-World Noble Phantasm]—an absolute power capable of conceptually destroying the very world itself.
A weapon specifically created to counter gods of nature—
After all, the gods were merely phenomena born from Earth's stabilized environment, extensions of the planet's own will.
Destroy the roots, and how could the branches survive?
Had the gods remained high above in Heaven, it might have posed no threat. But now was different: having descended as mortals, they'd already lost their means to withstand such force.
An attack of absolute precision, deadly beyond measure!
And no matter how the gods' faces twisted in terror, they could no longer evade this inevitable strike.
[Ea's] triple-cylindrical blade spun rapidly in Rovi's hand, each segment rotating differently, unleashing a crimson storm that surged outward, overwhelming creation itself like molten lava erupting from Earth's primordial depths.
When Rovi swung, the torrent surged skyward—crashing into the fallen Heavenly Realm and the gods above!
First, the atmosphere trembled violently. Then, fierce winds sliced forward like blades, shattering not only the air but also the very space supporting it, leaving behind countless dark, empty fissures.
Collapse came silently—
No earth-shattering roars, no thunderous explosions. The gods' demise was no different than that moment hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts silently vanished beyond Uruk's great walls.
Endless brilliant lights erupted, instantly dyeing the entire world, swirling like an exploding galaxy—
Churning, and then shattering into fragments!
Under [Ea's] impact, the Heavenly Realm broke utterly apart.
Escape was impossible.
No chance even to beg for mercy.
In a mere instant, the storm gradually subsided and vanished, leaving behind only a gaping void high above the sky.
The Heavenly Realm was gone.
The shadows of the gods had utterly disappeared.
The world fell utterly silent.
No wind blew, no clouds moved. No one spoke.
They simply witnessed the moment—
The sage had unleashed a tide that swept across the world.
The gods had silently vanished.
The flood receded; storms ceased; civilization remained standing.
All humanity paused in that moment.
Before Uruk's royal palace, Rovi's arm fell limply at his side. [Ea], still glowing crimson and gold, slowly dissipated into gentle golden light.
[Ea] had been a manifestation of himself—naturally, it returned to its origin.
Rovi exhaled, pale-faced.
That single strike had drained all of his mana, exhausting nearly every last drop of his strength.
He gazed forward, then downward.
From young to old, from commoners within Uruk to soldiers atop the distant city walls—
All eyes were upon him.
They gazed at the man who had gathered the power of humanity and delivered the decisive strike.
Their eyes still burned brightly with an undying spark.
Tiny specks of glowing stardust drifted gently downward, falling like snowfall upon the earth, plants, animals—and even humans themselves.
Falling softly, glittering like fireflies, these were the lingering remnants of Heaven's mysteries now dispersed throughout the world after the gods' defeat.
No longer belonging to the gods—
But instead, to humanity.
In the past, humans needed to chant divine names and seek permission from the gods to wield mysteries. The magi of the Age of Gods had merely served as divine emissaries. But from now onward, that would no longer be necessary.
Of course, these changes wouldn't be immediate.
Yet over time, humanity would inevitably master this newfound power.
Attributes originally stolen by the gods—like human "wisdom" itself—would freely bloom once more within humanity.
This authority now belonged to humankind.
Rovi smiled softly.
The war against the gods had finally ended in humanity's victory.
They had won—
...
The Bull of Heaven, still bound tightly by the [Gate of Babylon], collapsed limply onto the ground, its massive body slack, eyes blank and empty, as though utterly drained of strength.
The Netherworld beneath it had vanished, yet it no longer had the power to escape.
Beside it, Gilgamesh stood atop [Vimana], unusually solemn, without laughter or arrogance.
As if overnight, he'd matured significantly.
...
"So beautiful…" Enkidu whispered dreamily, frozen in place as she recalled the astonishing scene, a gentle smile appearing on her lips.
Then, with a faint murmuring sound, the [Chains of Heaven] binding the Cedar Forest vanished completely.
"You're free now… Humbaba," she whispered quietly.
Enkidu motioned to Ishtar, who withdrew the manifestation of Venus.
The lush Cedar Forest swayed gently. A shadowy figure briefly appeared deep within, glanced toward Enkidu, then quietly faded away.
...
Hovering in midair, Ishtar-Rin brimmed with excitement.
She knew perfectly well—if the gods truly perished now, she would not only escape her original body's control to become a fully independent being, but would also claim the immense treasures left behind by the gods.
Yes—that second part was especially important!
...
"Rovi… Wonderful!" Deep in the Netherworld, Eresh finally relaxed her tightly clenched fists, sincerely relieved for Rovi.
...
Everyone celebrated this moment.
The apocalypse had passed, and humanity had survived.
Yet, for Rovi, what he truly sought… had just begun to appear.
"What's that?" Enkidu suddenly sensed something amiss. Without hesitation, she turned urgently toward Uruk, her white robes fluttering as she sprinted barefoot.
"This king knew it… that damned fool!" Gilgamesh snarled, immediately driving [Vimana] forward at incredible speed.
"Huh?!" Ishtar-Rin froze briefly before indignantly shouting, "Hey! You haven't given this goddess the promised reward yet!"
Deep within the Netherworld, Eresh didn't yet understand what had happened.
But Rovi, standing at the center of it all, knew exactly.
Remaining perfectly still, he raised his head slowly, gazing toward the vast empty void left high in the sky.
There, something was gradually coalescing.
Pitch-black and abyssal.
Swirling ominously like black mud.
It was the "evil" created from the gods' lingering resentment at the moment of their destruction—
A curse aimed directly at Rovi himself.
As personifications of planetary phenomena, gods themselves did not truly "die," yet their individual "personalities" could vanish forever.
To a god, that loss of self was death itself.
Thus, naturally, their resentment transformed into curses.
Slow, hate-filled murmurs echoed from above:
"No… impossible… we are eternal gods…"
"Our rule… it cannot end here… Our wishes…"
"Sage… Rovi…!"
"We curse you!"
"Curse you to a terrible death! Curse your soul to bear our resentment forever—eternally exiled beyond this world!"
Just as Enkidu had suffered in the myths Rovi remembered—
A divine curse born of the gods' wrath.
Yet, what Rovi now faced was infinitely worse than mere anger—
It was the resentment of all gods at the very moment of their destruction.
If struck by it… he likely wouldn't even need to enter the Netherworld at all. His soul would be cast directly into oblivion.
Yet Rovi felt joy and calm acceptance.
He slowly spread his arms wide, embracing the darkness above.
This was his "sin."
The responsibility for my deeds… is mine alone to bear.
Indeed—
"Bwahahaha! You arrogant mongrel—daring to shoulder this king's world alone? Don't make me laugh!"
"This king's possessions—how dare you covet them?!"
With that arrogant laughter echoing, Gilgamesh—riding upon the brilliantly shining [Vimana]—shot past Rovi, veering upward far faster even than Enkidu.
His characteristic mocking laughter filled the skies.
Rovi: "???"
Dammit, Goldie!
That curse is mine! Don't snatch it away!
Come back here, you bastard—
COME BACK HERE!
---
T/N: OMGGGGGGG YESSSSS