Chapter 12: Gate of Babylon, A Clash of Noble Phantasms
Shirou, however, knew that such a king would not last long; eventually, the sheer volume of matters requiring his attention would drain his energy entirely, leading him to work himself to death. For Shirou, who had experienced the Fourth Holy Grail War, he initially held no affection for the Gilgamesh of that era. But the Wise King Gilgamesh before him felt completely different in terms of temperament.
The man before them was, without a doubt, an exceptionally wise monarch.
"King Gilgamesh! The mage Merlin has brought guests!" Merlin called out to Gilgamesh.
"Hmm?" The Wise King shifted his gaze from the clay tablet, lifting his face to look at Merlin walking up from below. "You have returned, Mage Merlin."
The veiled woman standing to the side spoke: "Thank you for your hard work; the King is also very pleased. Now, for the results? Have you brought back the Tablet of Destiny?"
"No, I haven't. That was a dead end as well." Merlin replied, shrugging helplessly. "That thing isn't in the western forest either. Honestly, King, if you could just remember where you put the tablet, I wouldn't have to work so hard."
"That is disrespectful; please hold your tongue." The veiled woman quickly reminded him. Then, she turned her gaze toward Gudako, Mash, and Shirou. "By the way... who are these people? They don't look like citizens of Uruk by any measure."
At this point, the Wise King spoke up: "There is no need. This King already has a general understanding of the situation. You may withdraw, Siduri."
"King Gilgamesh? Could it be..." The veiled woman named Siduri guessed something, appearing somewhat surprised.
"You guessed correctly. I intend to sully this throne just a little. This King is quite busy and cannot afford to waste time talking to you to understand the situation, so I intend to verify your authenticity through combat."
As the Wise King announced this, golden ripples undulated beside him, and Noble Phantasms extended from them. "Prepare yourselves, mages of the observatory!"
Before the words had even faded, dozens of Noble Phantasms were launched! Hearing Gilgamesh's words, Gudako and Mash's bodies immediately stiffened.
"Does he mean we have to show what we're capable of...?"
"It appears so." Mash immediately manifested her cross shield.
In that instant, the sound of Noble Phantasms cutting through the air echoed in the girl's ears. A number of Noble Phantasms equivalent to those unleashed by Gilgamesh shot out to collide with them.
Boom, boom, boom—!!!
Both sides' Noble Phantasms shattered and were destroyed the moment they collided. Shirou did not use "Nine Lives Blade Works" (Projection/Broken Phantasm), so the power of the collision was not enough to destroy the Ziggurat.
"Oh?" Seeing this, Gilgamesh's eyes widened slightly, and a smile curled at the corners of his mouth. "You wish to compete with this King in the quantity of Noble Phantasms... How interesting!"
The next moment, even more golden ripples appeared, increasing the count to over a hundred within a few seconds. Seeing this, Merlin quickly tried to dissuade him. "Wait a moment, King Gilgamesh! With so many Noble Phantasms, you will destroy the Ziggurat!"
Hearing this, the action Gilgamesh had been about to take—releasing the Noble Phantasms—halted.
"Hmm... what you say is indeed correct."
Having finally succeeded in his persuasion, Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, but Gilgamesh's next words left him dumbfounded.
"However, this is a gamble. If your strength is insufficient, then you fail. For the sake of Uruk's future, it matters not if this palace is destroyed!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the hundred-plus Noble Phantasms shot forward at Gilgamesh's command.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!!!
Trailing golden streams of light, the Noble Phantasms flew rapidly toward Gudako and her group.
"So that's how it is, a probe." Shirou chuckled lightly. Noble Phantasms equal in number to those of Gilgamesh shot out from behind him. Dragging rays of golden or blue light, the two sides collided in an instant. Shirou did not detonate the Noble Phantasms here; after all, the power of a "Broken Phantasm" would be enough to destroy the Ziggurat entirely. The Wise King was merely testing their strength, and his attack was not intended to take lives, so naturally, Shirou did not take it seriously.
Boom, boom, boom!!!
The Noble Phantasms shattered one after another, turning into scattered specks of light that fell to the ground.
"To think you possess quality equivalent to this King's treasures..." Gilgamesh remarked with a hint of surprise.
"That's not all."
Possessing the authority of "Ultimate Forging," Shirou could use any type of Noble Phantasm from the Type-Moon world as he pleased. Of course, his range was not limited to that, but within the Type-Moon world, Shirou simply preferred using this type of armament.
Shirou raised his hand and withdrew a curiously shaped red sword from the ripples manifesting beside him—the "Ea: Sword of Rupture."
As soon as this sword appeared, both Merlin and Gilgamesh cast gazes filled with shock toward the blade in Shirou's hand.
"That is—!?" Merlin's mouth hung slightly open, unable to suppress his astonishment.
The Wise King narrowed his eyes at Shirou, then suddenly smoothed his brow and revealed a joyful smile.
"Very good! As expected of those from Chaldea; for such strength, this King grants you his recognition!"
Sitting back down on his throne, Gilgamesh once again cast his gaze toward Gudako and the others.
"Since this King can achieve all things, naturally I am all-knowing. Even matters regarding your Chaldea are already clearly known to this King."
So saying, Gilgamesh first looked deeply at Shirou, then cast his gaze toward Merlin. The court mage simply shrugged helplessly, indicating that his own "Clairvoyance" was completely unable to predict the future of this red-haired youth.
Hearing this, Gudako hurriedly spoke up: "S-since that's the case, please listen to our explanation. If we fail to recover the Holy Grail located in this era, human history will collapse! So we must immediately—"
Before Gudako could finish her sentence, Gilgamesh raised his hand and produced a golden cup from the Gate of Babylon. Seeing the surprised expressions of Gudako and Mash, Gilgamesh smiled.
"What is it? Are you not looking for the Holy Grail?"
"That is indeed the Holy Grail. But... why is it in your possession!?" Mash asked, surprised.
To this, Gilgamesh snorted.
"That is only natural, is it not? All the treasures of this world belong to this King. I imagine the goal of that 'Three Goddess Alliance' is also this Holy Grail. Otherwise, they would have had no reason to attack Uruk."
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