Standing on the deck of the Marduk, the King of Heroes drew back a golden arrow and fired it straight into the firmament.
"The majesty of the Absolute King, the Beginning of All! I, the King of Heroes, am here! Fall—Surge of Napishtim!"
The arrow combined with seven others orbiting the planet, becoming a mass of mana and water—the Great Deluge that once wiped the world clean. It pierced the heavens.
If the Lion King's "Judgment" was a value of 3,000,000, and a top-tier Noble Phantasm was 3,000...
The maximum output of the Surge of Napishtim was 600,000,000. The wave of ruin struck the very "core" of the Judgment fired from the Holy Spear.
Pierced by the golden wave, the Lion King's strike was weakened, its power reduced to a fraction of its original force. But even a fraction was still a world-ending threat as it rained down toward the Pyramid.
But it would not reach. At the edge of the Gardens, a flash of righteous light was ready.
"Thirteen Restraints, Seal Thirteen—Decision Start!"
Arthur Pendragon, the Silver Knight King, began the ritual to save the world.
This is a battle to live.
Kay—Approved.
This is a battle against one more powerful than oneself.
Bedivere—Approved.
This is a battle that does not defy humanity.
Gaheris—Approved.
This is a battle for the truth.
Agravain—Approved.
This is not a battle against an elemental.
Lancelot—Approved. (For Rhongomyniad is a Divine Spirit.)
This is a battle free of selfishness.
Galahad—Approved.
The one who fights alongside must be a hero.
Approved.
This battle must be an honorable one.
Approved.
"And—This is a battle to save the world!"
Arthur—Approved.
The golden gale erupted. Because the Lion King was not "evil," the sword could not reach its true full release, but...
"O, my maddened self! Through this strike, I shall show you the path of a true knight! Lion King... the hour of your self-righteousness ends now!"
Even so—the light was more than enough to strike down the weakened Judgment.
"Ex—CALIBURRRRRRRR!"
The strongest holy sword, forged by the planet itself, swung in a single, blinding arc. The sky turned gold. The sheer volume of mana swallowed the Lion King's white light whole. It wasn't even a contest; the Spear's strike was no match for the radiance of human ideals.
The Judgment was shattered into mist.
"The Judgment is defeated! Thank you, King of Heroes! Now—let's settle this!"
Arthur's voice reached Gilgamesh on the deck.
"Hmph. You did well! Then let us finish it! Ereshkigal! Transfer ship control to me!"
Gilgamesh issued his orders, stabbing the Sword of Rupture, Ea, into the deck. It was time for the Marduk's ultimate weapon.
"Planetary Fragmentation Cannon: Enuma Elish! Prepare to fire! That eyesore of a light... I shall erase it from existence!"
"Understood! Shutting down internal power; switching to emergency reserves!"
As all power was diverted, Gilgamesh used Ea as a control stick, pivoting the entire battleship to face the Holy City.
"Circuits open. Forced Ether Injectors, active."
The massive cannon at the bow deployed. Max output.
"Ea. Lend me your hand. We fire this together!"
"Yes!"
Beside the King, his companion (Air) placed her hand over his on the hilt of the sword.
"Targeting scope, deploy!"
The scope adjusted for Gilgamesh's Clairvoyance, correcting for every variable.
"Brightness at 20 percent!"
"Energy charge at 120 percent!"
"Everyone! Brace for impact! Close your eyes or you'll be vaporized!"
Siduri cast protective wards over the crew.
"Final safety... Litu... released."
A massive, crimson surge of True Ether gathered at the bow.
(Firing in 10... 9... 8...)
Ozymandias and Semiramis shifted all their power to defense.
(3... 2... 1!)
"Planetary Fragmentation Cannon—ENUMA ELISH! FIRE!!"
The King and his Princess pulled the trigger in unison.
The energy produced by countless engines, the compressed True Ether—the Marduk itself became a cannon, unleashing a strike without precedent. The energy swallowed the Tower instantly, snapping the Spear's tip and reducing the outer casing to dust.
Because the Grails were not yet gathered, the strike was tuned only to destroy the Divine Authority—not the city or the castle itself. It was a surgical strike on a god.
"The Holy Spear has vanished! The path to the castle is open!"
Nitocris's voice rang with joy.
"We did it! Marduk... everyone did it!"
Gilgamesh pulled Ea from the deck and smirked.
"Fuhahahaha! Have you learned your lesson?! No god—no, nothing on this planet—can obstruct my glory! Worship me! Revere me! And then, die! For I am the Absolute Truth, the Eternal King—the Hero King, Gilgamesh! HAHAHAHA!"
He laughed at the exposed castle, his voice booming across the wasteland.
"Hmph. Not bad, Goldie. Then I must provide a punishment of my own! I shall give the Lion King my very tomb!"
"Please, stop! Wait, Pharaoh!"
"A battleship, hmmm?" Semiramis mused, looking toward the horizon. "Human desire is truly bottomless... almost like that man..."
The kings had overturned the judgment of a god. Only the audience remained.
The Castle Interior
"...My mother was mad," Agravain spat, his voice trembling. "She whispered her grudges to me as bedtime stories... that one day, I would rule Britain. I took my seat at the Round Table only because it was the shortest path for Morgan's schemes. I was a tool, meant to steal the throne and hand it to her."
He pushed Mordred and Lancelot back with sheer force of will.
"I agreed to it because I knew Britain needed a strong King. My only goal was the survival of the land. I used King Arthur. I... used her."
His body was a wreck, yet his sword did not waver.
"I wanted a King who functioned. A King who could prolong Britain's life by even a day. I didn't care who it was. As it happened, Arthur was simply the most qualified. She was easier to use than Morgan."
He grimaced, his face contorting with a lifetime of repressed bile.
"I hate women. Morgan was foul and lewd. Guinevere, who preached purity, fell for you, Lancelot. I shall loathe women until the day I die. I shall despise humanity. I shall hate the very concept of love. Can you—can a man like you—even comprehend the relief I felt when the one person I feared being hated by... turned out to be a man? And then... that relief was shattered by your pathetic affair. Do you know the void left in me when I saw the King's suffering?"
He turned his venomous gaze to Mordred.
"And you, Mordred. Do you understand the despair of a King whose entire reign was broken by your childish tantrum?!"
"Tch—!"
"I still have work to do. Receive your judgment. You have betrayed my King for the last time."
The Aftermath
"The light of the Spear... it's gone?!"
"The Hero King... he actually did it."
"The path to the throne is clear! No more obstacles! It's time!"
"Alive, are you?" Gilgamesh's voice crackled over the comms. "Board the Vimana! It is time to end this!"
"...King Arthur, we will not fail."
"Lion King..."
(Are you okay?)
"Yes. Let's go. Let's take everything back!"
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"