"What's wrong? Scared?"
Seeing Kingu's hesitant, uncertain expression, Gilgamesh continued his signature booming laughter. "You're the one struggling here! On This King's turn, just one more discard will end it all!"
"I'll set one card in my Backrow and end my turn!"
Kingu bit his lip. Gilgamesh had no cards left in his hand, and unless he activated an effect, there were no discard triggers on the field.
"Don't get cocky! You'll only have one card next turn—how will you discard anything?"
"This King's turn..."
Gilgamesh placed his hand above the deck. "Perhaps years ago, you would have been right. But this King has changed! Unlike you, I now have loyal subjects who recognize my authority. Whenever I need them, they will heed my command and come forth—draw!"
"Hahahahaha! This is my final ultimatum to you! I Normal Summon Siduri!"
Gilgamesh drew the card he desired.
The priestess who had once served the Wise King of pre-Uruk joined the battlefield.
Siduri Caster 1★ Attack Power: 200
"Observe! This is the bond between my subjects and their King!" Gilgamesh declared proudly.
"Your Majesty... or should I say, Finance Minister..." Siduri corrected herself upon noticing Jiang You observing the battle from the sidelines. She still felt compelled to show some respect to the current ruler, even though Jiang You didn't particularly care for such formalities.
"...!"
Gilgamesh covered his face, finding it difficult to maintain his bravado in Siduri's presence. "In any case, Siduri's effect activates! Search my Deck for an Uruk servant and add it to my Hand! The one I want is this: Holy Prostitute!"
"!!!!"
Kingu, of course, knew the effect of Holy Prostitute—Gilgamesh had already demonstrated it to him. He understood that everything was over; his Set Card would be useless in this situation.
"Discard Holy Prostitute from my Hand to Special Summon Enkidu from my Deck!"
Though sending Holy Prostitute to the Graveyard would also trigger Kingu's Field Spell Card effect, it was no longer necessary. The battle was already decided.
Clay coalesced once more into Enkidu's form.
Enkidu Attack Power: 2500
"Best Friend, witness your King claim victory! My effect activates again, Kingu—it's over!"
Gilgamesh declared the end of the Duel.
Kingu's Life Points: 500 → 0!
"Uwaaaaaah!"
With a defeated scream, Kingu collapsed to his knees, utterly powerless.
On the other side, Gilgamesh bid Enkidu a final farewell: "If the opportunity arises, I would still like to cross blades with you again, my dearest friend. I have grown considerably since your departure. That imposter will never measure up to you."
"There will always be another chance. Isn't that the nature of Heroic Spirits?" Enkidu waved farewell to Gilgamesh and vanished.
"Damn it!"
Kingu pounded the ground weakly, his last hope of turning the tide now gone. Theoretically, it should now be impossible for Tiamat to awaken in this Singularity.
"Your son has failed you, Mother! I could not fulfill your purpose!"
"What a farce this has been." Gilgamesh watched Kingu's frantic display with amusement. Despite sharing the same origin as Enkidu, they had become two entirely different personalities due to their divergent experiences. But none of that mattered anymore. All that remained was to ensure Chaldea's team retrieved the Holy Grail, allowing history to return to its proper course. He would no longer have to endure the ridiculous role of Finance Minister or Jiang You's constant goading. "Your Noble Phantasm proved surprisingly useful. This King will deign to offer a sliver of praise. Though, of course, the greatest reward would be bidding you farewell forever!"
With that thought, Gilgamesh burst into unrestrained laughter.
"I think you're celebrating too soon," Jiang You interrupted sharply. "I said I'd help him summon Tiamat if he won, but did I ever say I wouldn't summon her if he lost?"
As if anyone could resist claiming Tiamat's reward!I wonder how Konami plans to balance the faction war at this point.
"Are you kidding me, Mongrel?!" Gilgamesh ground his molars. What was the point of all my efforts here? Are you trying to make me look like a fool?
"What exactly do you want?" Kingu demanded, unconvinced that Jiang You would act out of genuine goodwill toward the Lahmu as future humans.
"Patience, I have my reasons for this."
If Gilgamesh were the only one present, Jiang You wouldn't bother explaining. Let him stew in his impatience. But with other Servants watching, maintaining appearances was crucial.
"Tiamat doesn't intend to outright destroy humanity. She's giving us a chance to prove ourselves. As a Mother, she cherishes all her children equally. I plan to transform her into an ally for the future."
"But these are Beasts, the enemies of humanity! Can they truly become allies?"
Merlin remained skeptical; his Clairvoyance couldn't perceive such things. Stroking his chin, he reasoned that since Jiang You could use Cards to reveal the past and future, directly seeing certain truths was within the realm of possibility.
"Yes, absolutely. It's remarkably straightforward," Jiang You affirmed. These matters were also documented in FGO 2.0. "Not just Tiamat—other Beasts will also gather at Chaldea."
"Is Chaldea some kind of demonic lair?" Merlin asked, finding the concept utterly absurd. Saving the Human Order with Beasts? The Human Order would likely flee Chaldea overnight, dragging the Throne of Heroes with it.
"Worse than a demonic lair—ten times, even nine times worse," Jiang You deadpanned, recycling an old meme. Unfortunately, no one present understood the reference.
"Therefore, to enlist Tiamat as an ally, this battle is inevitable. The difference this time is that we can summon her proactively, allowing us to prepare in advance."
"Making a Beast an ally? Mongrel, you dare to dream so boldly!"
This wasn't the first time Jiang You had acted recklessly. Gilgamesh seriously considered the feasibility of his plan. Clairvoyance was largely ineffective against those of higher Conceptual Rank, forcing him to analyze the current situation. He had to admit that Jiang You's proposal might actually work, with the Self-Sealed Tiamat serving as the best proof.
"You're going to gamble humanity's survival on your schemes again? How despicable!"
"I have the ability to win without fail."
Jiang You's certainty was absolute. He hadn't even used his save function yet. Though the save slot showed "Automatic Save," it remained grayed out, preventing him from clicking it.
"You dare speak such words even when facing Tiamat? Such arrogance!"
Despite his words, Gilgamesh's expression betrayed admiration. If Jiang You could defeat Tiamat, his defeat wouldn't be undeserved.
"Mongrel! This King will indulge your game for a while."