Just as Rovi, Gilgamesh, and Enkidu had initially planned in that modest room—
They had divided the gods above, and conquered them.
And now, the very god obstructing Anu, King of the Gods, was precisely the deity they had targeted to sway from the beginning:
The Sun God Shamash.
He was the astral embodiment of the sun cast down into Mesopotamia, the deity who ruled over radiant daylight.
Yet beyond his divine identity, he was also Gilgamesh's great-great-grandfather by blood.
An exceedingly rare existence among the gods—one who, despite his divinity, could stand firmly by humanity's side. It was precisely for this reason that Shamash had accepted Gilgamesh's overtures and appeared now, in this decisive moment.
He stood high within the Heavenly Realm upon his golden chariot, gazing solemnly downward upon the Hall of Gods.
Shamash appeared as a towering figure clad entirely in brilliant golden scales. His golden hair shimmered radiantly, crowned by the very image of the blazing sun itself. He sat proudly upon his golden throne-chariot, eyes beneath the crown blazing red-gold.
"Heavenly God Anu, Father of all gods," Shamash's voice resounded solemnly, "since the moment you emerged from your highest sanctuary—though you have long ceased interfering in worldly affairs—you must have clearly understood that the era of the gods was inevitably drawing to its end."
Anu remained silent. He merely sat upon his throne, gripping tightly the scepter that governed Heaven.
Indeed, as Shamash had said, Anu had long ago withdrawn into Heaven's highest temple, passing the authority to rule Heaven and Earth to his grandson, Marduk.
"Marduk is already dead, Brother Shamash. Surely, you must know this," came a voice—not from Anu himself, but from Ishtar's true form standing beside him. "He fell in battle against Tiamat, the primordial mother of chaos—"
"I am fully aware," Shamash responded calmly, glancing briefly at his "sister."
Both Ishtar—manifesting Venus—and Shamash himself shared the same origins, born of the old moon god Nanna.
"But Ishtar—now that you've acknowledged Anu as your true father, we no longer share the same origin," Shamash replied coldly. "I am no longer your brother."
"Father of All Gods" was a title representing divine authority.
But a true father—that was an entirely different concept.
"You—!" Ishtar faltered briefly, then erupted with frustration. "What's wrong with that? Neither you nor our father had any desire to fight for that authority, so what's wrong with me acknowledging Anu to preserve my glory?"
"There is nothing wrong," Shamash said indifferently, "yet it is utterly mistaken."
He ceased paying any attention to the goddess who was once his sister.
In this timeline, untouched by original myths, Shamash remained only distantly indifferent to her.
Instead, he turned directly to Anu:
"Anu, I know exactly what you're thinking—"
The Sun God's eyes shifted upward.
Above the heavenly dome, countless stars shone brilliantly—the forms of myriad gods summoned by Anu.
Anu stayed silent—not due to a lack of words, but because he had already acted upon his intentions.
To him, Shamash alone was powerless to obstruct him.
"But do you know what that mortal sage told me?" Shamash suddenly smiled, staring up at those countless stars. "He told me that even though the gods shall inevitably fade from this world, traces of our existence shall remain, albeit in another form."
"In a few hundred years, at least, someone shall inscribe a code of law in the name of light and justice."
Suddenly, Shamash's body radiated a dazzling glow.
Yet it was no longer mere sunlight—
Instead, it was something entirely new:
"I am Shamash, god of the sun, deity of daylight—and henceforth, I shall also become… the God of Justice!"
He rose confidently from his solar chariot.
Gods naturally transcended mortal dimensions.
Thus, he who could glimpse the future could also grasp his future self.
Five hundred years from now—
The King of Babylon, Hammurabi, would issue his legendary Code in Shamash's name.
And now, in this moment, Shamash drew power and glory from that distant future.
Authority surged through him instantly!
An intangible net of divine law spread in every direction, blanketing the heavens and obscuring the countless starlights above.
The summoned gods could no longer support Anu in holding the Heavenly Realm aloft.
"Brother, you—!" Ishtar's true form was speechless in shock.
For the third time, the King of Gods' expression drastically changed.
But Shamash only laughed heartily:
"Now—Sage Rovi, it's your turn!"
He had fulfilled everything he intended.
...
Meanwhile, in the mortal realm—
Standing before Uruk's royal palace, Rovi heard Shamash's words clearly. He couldn't help but smile.
Step by step, he had come to this moment—
The grand scheme he had orchestrated in pursuit of absolute death was finally approaching its climax.
At this very instant, everyone raised their heads skyward.
They felt a tremor deep within their hearts, an inexplicable, crushing pressure.
In that instant, Heaven itself descended.
The Heavenly Realm, once floating beyond mortal perception, drew gradually closer—then plunged fully into the mortal world.
First, pale clouds churned and split apart.
Then, a deep, abyssal darkness appeared, filled with endless stars flowing like a cosmic river.
A magnificent hall stood at its heart, crowned with countless shadows—divine beings mortals could hardly even gaze upon.
"So, it's finally come…" Gilgamesh, aboard [Vimana], wore an uncharacteristically solemn expression. Enkidu's robes fluttered in the surging winds. Ishtar-Rin instinctively shrank back to avoid her true form's angry gaze. Meanwhile, Eresh nervously tightened her small fists even more.
Divine radiance illuminated Heaven above.
Below, humanity's hearts burned fiercely.
Everyone knew clearly—the true war had just begun.
Dragging the gods down from their heavenly pedestal was merely the beginning. Once lofty and unreachable, the gods were now pulled into the mortal realm. Yet they remained immensely powerful—
Though no longer entirely untouchable.
Thus—
"Blasphemer of divine authority, Sage Rovi!" Anu had entirely abandoned his composure, roaring furiously: "We shall unleash divine judgment upon you!"
"Kill them—kill them all! Even ruling this world no longer matters!" Ishtar's true form shouted in rage.
"I am the god of thunder and storms!"
"I am the god of earthquakes!"
"I am plague itself!"
"I am war!"
"In the name of gods—we invoke our miracles!"
"World…be annihilated!"
Majestic, wrathful voices rang out, and above, the gods simultaneously unleashed all their authority and fury.
Raging storms, trembling mountains, roaring seas, falling meteors—
Countless disasters surged toward human civilization beneath Uruk's towering walls.
A true apocalypse.
Yet, dying like this was not the fate Rovi sought.
A death like this would only consign him to the Netherworld.
Thus, Rovi calmly raised his hand. Within his eyes, the shadow of the [Key of Heaven] swirled and coalesced—
Appearing before him as a radiant white key, roughly the length of a forearm.
The [Key of Heaven] had manifested.
Rovi stared thoughtfully at the "key."
Disasters surged relentlessly around him.
Yet his voice rang clearly through the chaos:
"This [Key of Heaven]… is it truly just a key?"
The gods—fallen yet still arrogantly proud—heard him clearly and froze momentarily.
Ignoring Anu's confusion, Rovi continued:
"The [Wedge of Heaven], [Chains of Heaven], and [Key of Heaven] were all created equally, embedded into the mortal realm by divine hands. You yourselves said—the [Key] connects and maintains the [Wedge] and the [Chains]."
"But if the [Wedge] and [Chains] are both 'people,' why is the [Key] merely a 'thing'?"
Unless shattered or consumed—
The [Key] had always remained an object, distinct from Rovi himself.
This had always puzzled him.
And why, precisely, was it called a "key" and not something else?
Names of divine artifacts were never arbitrary.
But finally, Rovi understood clearly:
"The [Key of Heaven] was never just a mere key."
He reached out and grasped it firmly, peeling away its pale outer layer—
What emerged was a peculiar sword.
Its hilt was golden; its blade, three intricately carved, linked cylindrical segments.
Not merely a key—but an instrument that had once stirred primordial chaos itself.
Thus, its true name—
"[Sword of Rupture—Ea]!"
Gilgamesh's ultimate treasure, which he had strangely never attained—had always been Rovi himself.
The [Key] was [Ea]. Rovi was [Ea].
It had never been a gift from the gods. Instead, the [Key] had chosen Rovi. Unable to stop it, the gods had disguised it as merely a "key," hoping he would never grasp its true nature.
Unfortunately for them—
Rovi saw through the deception, grasping it tightly, raising it high—
As the blade's three segments spun furiously, crimson storms erupted skyward.
Golden brilliance tore through the world.
Rovi smiled confidently at the gods above:
"O gods, witness now the birth of creation itself—"
"Fall from your heavenly heights, utterly into the dust!"
And finally—
Anu's expression twisted dramatically in shock for the fourth time!
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T/N: OMG GILGAMESH OWNS ROVI???????