["Lia, why are you back so late?"]
[Waiting outside Gilgamesh's bedchamber for the King of Heroes' late return, you realized in that moment that you could see a trace of weariness on him, along with a certain feminine beauty.]
["Ah, husband, why are you here? We've been looking for you everywhere."]
[The moment he saw you, an unmistakable longing surged in Gilgamesh's eyes. But the words had barely left his mouth when he realized his mistake.]
[Instantly falling silent, he remained wordless under your complex gaze. After a long pause, he dispelled the magic concealing his form.]
["When did you find out?"]
[His head drooping, Gilgamesh clearly couldn't understand how his identity had been exposed, especially after making so many unequal treaties with Ereshkigal.]
["I'm not an idiot. It was fine at first, but after all these years, how could I not notice?"]
["Besides, it's not like you ever really tried that hard to hide it, right?"]
[As you suspected, through long acquaintance and love, Gilgamesh was no longer the aloof king high above. Immersed in his own dream, the king who had developed emotions no longer wanted to be alone.]
[Even though his longstanding pride made him reluctant to give you up, the reality of his attachment made Gilgamesh want to be with you as his true self.]
[Admitting his identity frankly, he also explained the entire process of his deception from start to finish.]
[Hearing Gilgamesh's reasons, you gave him a thorough scolding, so severe that the most ancient king cried out in protest.]
[Time flew by. Under your and Gilgamesh's powerful rule, the human nation of Uruk finally reached the pinnacle of the land. Having defeated all other tribes and Phantasmal Species, you officially became a thorn in the gods' side.]
[No longer worshipping the gods, no longer offering them the bounties of harvest, Uruk's pride finally provoked the gods' wrath.]
[Curses were laid upon the land. Before the beings known as gods, Uruk soon began to suffer various natural disasters. It felt like the end of the Age of Gods, reminiscent of the helplessness you felt in Camelot.]
[Facing the gods' prelude, you wondered if you had altered this world's history, as the Heaven's Chain, Enkidu, never appeared, and Gilgamesh never mastered the Gate of Babylon.]
[However, no matter what, as a king, you were not one to retreat.]
[Leading Uruk's people in rebellion, countless warriors formed a powerful army. You and Gilgamesh set out together, formally beginning the great war against the gods.]
[The war began. Facing the armies of subordinate gods sent by the pantheon, you found them strong primarily due to their divine physical attributes, but they lacked real tactical coordination.]
[Although the army suffered heavy losses, you achieved a great victory in the first battle. Compared to being perpetual slaves to the gods, the people declared they would never surrender.]
[Following the subordinate gods' defeat, the third generation gods appeared.]
["I am the One-Eyed Victor. King of Heroes, Sun-Crowned King, do you truly intend to defy the gods?"]
[Facing the army composed of third-generation gods, you found their combat power quite high, comparable to the leaders of the other tribes you had faced before.]
[The battle was arduous. While your army was strong, Uruk lacked sufficient top-tier combatants, a fundamental weakness.]
[During this stalemate, the Goddess Ishtar came before you.]
["Ryuya, surrender."]
[The Venus Goddess, which had been unseen for a long time, still possessed her incredibly beautiful appearance. Decades after your parting outside Uruk's walls, your reunion took this form.]
[Shaking your head, you refused without hesitation, "Ishtar, Uruk will never surrender."]
[You felt you had done everything possible, but even with Uruk's full strength unleashed, you were no match for the gods. And this was only an army led by third-generation gods, while the top-tier first and second-generation gods hadn't even joined the fray.]
[Lamenting that perhaps this was Uruk's limit, you also considered whether to surrender to the gods as Uruk had in the past, but that was clearly impossible.]
[Even if it meant sacrifice, even if it meant becoming historical ashes in this war, not a single one of Uruk's people or warriors surrendered. Knowing the path ahead was hopeless, they were willing to follow their kings to the world's end.]
[With such people, you felt no regrets and resolved to fight the gods to the bitter end.]
[Looking at your determined face, Ishtar sighed. She stated that while she couldn't join your side, she would also not take action against you. Some third-generation gods friendly with her would remain neutral as well.]
["That's enough, Ishtar. After all, we haven't known each other that long. You're already going against your family."]
[Nodding, unsurprised by Ishtar's choice, you only hoped that if Uruk fell, Ishtar would take care of Ereshkigal, as the Underworld Goddess had openly defied the gods in this conflict.]
["That foolish sister... I understand."]
["But Ryuya, I must tell you something. The gods' exile of Tiamat back then didn't seem to be entirely their own initiative. There were some strange reasons involved, though I haven't been able to uncover them. Be careful."]
[Early in the war, you had announced Tiamat's return to the world, along with the betrayal of the Creation Mother Goddess by the first and second-generation gods.]
[But the current pantheon had long become a conglomerate of interests. They didn't care about the Mother Goddess's return, single-mindedly pushing the era forward, envisioning the end of the Golden Age and the start of the Silver.]
[In Ishtar's warning, you saw echoes of Britain's past. You had considered pulling all of Uruk into the Inner Sea of the Planet, combining it with surrounding lands to create an eternal nation, but the World's Will clearly prevented this.]
[Having connected to the Root, accessed it, you had extended Britain's lifespan by centuries. But applying that outcome to Uruk now was unrealistic. Shaking your head, you realized you had seen this too late.]