—The Gate of Skye, Overflowing with Death
This is the ultimate Noble Phantasm that Scáthach, summoned as a Caster, can unleash. Its effect temporarily summons a massive gate leading to the Land of Shadows, a realm beyond the world's reach.
All living beings within its range are drawn into Scáthach's domain, the Land of Shadows. Those who fail a magical or luck-based resistance check are sucked into the gate and face instant death. Only those acknowledged by Scáthach may enter the Land of Shadows as living beings.
Even if one resists the gate's pull with a Noble Phantasm or sufficient magical power, the rapid drain of mana inflicts severe damage. This terrifyingly powerful Noble Phantasm is one of Scáthach's true trump cards.
As the Celtic warrior queen, a god-slaying hero still alive in legend and one of humanity's mightiest figures, Scáthach fears no opponent, even extraordinary Servants like the King of Conquerors or the King of Heroes. In terms of raw strength, she stands unshaken as the Queen of the Land of Shadows.
Though summoned as a Servant rather than her true self from the Land of Shadows, her prowess remains top-tier. Unfortunately, top-tier is not invincible.
Servants are inherently limited by their class and Master, a universal constraint. Even a versatile and mana-efficient Heroic Spirit like Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, is bound by these restrictions. As a Caster, Scáthach faces even greater limitations.
Yet Scáthach is fortunate to have Roy as her Master—a prodigy with exceptional talent and a steady demeanor that even she finds remarkable.
This stands in stark contrast to Gilgamesh's Master, Tokiomi Tohsaka, much to the King of Heroes's irritation. He couldn't help but wonder why he was paired with Tokiomi instead of someone as intriguing as Roy.
While Tokiomi is a competent magus, his average aptitude and hidden agendas hinder Gilgamesh's full potential.
As for Kirei Kotomine, an Executor turned Master mid-war, he's even less capable than Tokiomi. While sufficient for supplying mana, he's a significant limitation in unrestricted combat.
This is why, at the critical moment, Gilgamesh resorted to using the Holy Grail itself for mana, bypassing the constraints of his inadequate Master.
By all accounts, Scáthach's Master surpasses Gilgamesh's, and as top-tier Servants, their strengths should be evenly matched. Yet, unfortunately, like the King of Conquerors, Scáthach's Noble Phantasms are completely countered by Gilgamesh's arsenal.
Due to this overwhelming compatibility issue, Scáthach stands no chance against Gilgamesh in an all-out battle to the death. This led to her and Roy's plan to trap the King of Heroes.
If Gilgamesh were replaced by another Servant of his caliber, Scáthach wouldn't be so stifled. Even against Enkidu, she'd confidently slay them within the Land of Shadows. But her opponent isn't the Chain of the Heavens—it's the Wedge of the Heavens.
As planned by Scáthach and Roy, when she unleashed her true Noble Phantasm—The Gate of Skye, Overflowing with Death—the King of Heroes prepared to counter with the same devastating Noble Phantasm that obliterated Iskandar's sand-bound world.
The mightiest weapon of Sumerian myth, with unmatched destructive power against any Reality Marble or even the world itself—Ea, the Sword of Rupture: Star of Creation that Split Heaven and Earth (Enuma Elish).
As its name suggests, this is the ultimate weapon in Gilgamesh's arsenal, a sword that "tears the world apart."
Roy didn't fully grasp the divine principles behind it, but he knew its output rivaled or even surpassed the terrifying power of Artoria's Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory.
Its radiant burst was akin to the creation of the world, its destructive shockwaves capable of shredding space itself. The power wasn't merely the visible red light but a blade of collapsing space that crushed enemies and the world alike.
As Gilgamesh chanted, "The millstone of the stars, the hell in the heavens is the end of creation!"
This was a force from a time before the world's formation, a relic of a hellish planet.
Its true name, like his dear friend Enkidu's Enuma Elish, hails from the Sumerian epic of creation.
In a clash of Noble Phantasms, Ea's destructive power surpasses an unfully unleashed Excalibur and Scáthach's magical spear.
As Gilgamesh drew Ea, the Land of Shadows' Reality Marble trembled, cracks forming across its otherworldly expanse. Scáthach realized the sheer terror of the power unleashed by the King of Heroes's sword, surpassing even the Sun God's Five-Star Bombardment. No wonder Roy, despite his abundance of Command Spells, refused to let her face Gilgamesh head-on.
In a direct confrontation, both in compatibility and raw output, she'd be utterly crushed.
However…
While Gilgamesh's Ea, the Sword of Rupture is a true world-splitting blade, capable of distorting space and ranking among the planet's top offensive powers, it's not invincible.
In this world, there exists a supreme defensive measure capable of withstanding its apocalyptic force—Anti-Purge Defense, a Noble Phantasm that draws on the Counter Force. It's one of the few capable of countering Ea.
Gilgamesh's friend, Enkidu, the Chain of the Heavens, can stand against Ea precisely because of this Anti-Purge concept.
Beyond that, other Anti-Purge Noble Phantasms include Ozymandias's Ramesseum Tentyris, and, while not strictly Anti-Purge, the shield of the holy knight Galahad, Mash's Lord Camelot, and… the sheath of the holy sword, Avalon.
This was the only Anti-Purge Noble Phantasm Roy could access and potentially wield.
Though a sword's sheath, Avalon is also a gateway.
Connected to the utopian realm of Avalon, far from the mortal world, it provides an absolute defensive field. Even Ea's world-rending power cannot breach its perfect defense.
Now, facing this world-splitting force, Avalon would once again unleash the supreme protective power that once guarded King Arthur.
…
'Oh? Is it finally my time turn to shine?'
In the Reverse Side of the World, a certain white-haired mage perked up his ears.
…
Within the Land of Shadows' Reality Marble, amid the crimson storm, the trembling boundary stabilized. In Scáthach's hands appeared a magnificent blue-and-gold sheath.
She raised it high, its faint glow countering the world-splitting force.
But it wasn't enough.
This was Avalon, but not fully activated, unable to unleash the mythical absolute defense that repels all harm.
"Is that… Avalon?"
Mid-air, unleashing his Noble Phantasm, Gilgamesh recognized the blue-and-gold sheath in Scáthach's hands. His crimson eyes narrowed. Noticing the dim glow, his sharp senses quickly discerned its state.
"Hahaha! Queen of the Land of Shadows, is this your final trump card? A mere unactivated utopia to block my Noble Phantasm? How naïve!"
"You're no King Arthur, nor an idealist. A sinner like you can't reach Avalon or wield it! You and your Master can cling to your last shred of luck and perish under my Noble Phantasm!!"
"With your death—this ends!"
Knowing something was amiss, Gilgamesh didn't hesitate. After chanting the release incantation for Ea's maximum output, the red light blazed brighter, its ferocious winds multiplying in force, ready to settle the battle decisively.
"Indeed, an unactivated Avalon can't withstand the King of Heroes's attack. But… what about a fully activated utopia?"
Facing the crimson storm, Scáthach showed no fear. Through magecraft, she projected her voice to Gilgamesh.
"What?!"
Her words made Gilgamesh's eyes widen.
Realizing something, he whipped his head toward Roy, standing behind Scáthach.
"Then, I leave it to you, Merlin."
'No problem.'
Roy, having recovered slightly, stood as flowers began to bloom around him involuntarily. His mind resonated with a prearranged partner.
Pale pink petals swirled above the Land of Shadows, covering its somber sky. The barren ground beneath grew ethereal with his mana, petals radiating outward from him, soon blanketing the darkened land.
In an instant, a radiant sea of stars fell from the sky, and the Land of Shadows bloomed with endless flowers.
"This… No!!"
Gilgamesh recognized the handiwork and realized the situation's gravity, but it was too late.
Ea's release was irreversible. Having completed the chant, he had to unleash this final strike, unable to stop midway.
"So beautiful… My Land of Shadows, blooming with flowers?"
Gazing at the swirling petals, Scáthach saw her realm of death and slaughter transformed into an elven paradise, a flicker of emotion in her eyes.
Then…
At the center of this paradise, Roy remained calm, waving his staff. His form merged with that of a white-haired mage, their movements synchronized as they chanted in unison:
"Reverse Side of the World, the Tower of Observation."
"From the corner of paradise, I proclaim: your tale is filled with joy."
"Open the utopia accessible only to the sinless—"
"Garden of Avalon"!!
With a wave of his staff, countless petals surged upward, enveloping Gilgamesh and obscuring his vision. The sheath in Scáthach's hands erupted in blinding light. Under Roy and Merlin's dual incantation, the legendary utopia opened once more—not in Britannia, as expected, but within the Land of Shadows.
A radiant beam connected to the elven realm, its brilliance shielding those within from all harm, as legend foretold.
—Buzz!!
The crimson storm descended with world-destroying force, but under the colored light's protection, the devastating scarlet dissolved like sugar in water. In an instant, no matter its magnitude or terror, it vanished without a trace before everyone's eyes.
"…Legend."
Gilgamesh, dispersing the petals, shielded himself from Ea's rebounding shockwave. Stunned by the miracle before him, he spoke slowly:
"The utopia reached by a certain king after death… Is that it? The holy sword's true strength lies not in the blade, but the sheath. An absolute defense impervious to even the Five True Magics. This is your trump card, isn't it, Roy Crowley?"
"And that power just now—Merlin's? I see, I see… To think even he was involved in this…"
Realizing Ea had been countered, Gilgamesh understood the sheath's true power. When Kiritsugu wielded Avalon, it granted near-immortality, but that was merely its surface potential.
Other uses were beyond Kiritsugu, as he wasn't sinless or worthy of entering the legendary utopia.
Only in the hands of the chosen, the destined king, Artoria Pendragon—oath-bound and victorious—could Avalon unleash its full power, a miracle capable of withstanding Ea's world-rending force.
Similarly, Roy and Scáthach lacked the qualifications to wield Avalon. Originally, Roy planned to enlist the King of Knights to defeat Gilgamesh.
But a certain Mage of Flowers assured him it wasn't necessary. Others might not open Avalon, but he could.
Only a sinless soul could access Avalon, but Roy's unique soul, untainted by this world's original sin, held an unparalleled rank. Avalon couldn't judge or block him. With Merlin's aid, wielding this Noble Phantasm was effortless.
Thus, this scene unfolded before Gilgamesh's shocked gaze.
"Damn it!! How far will you mongrels go?! Even after my all-out effort, it comes to this?!"
Seeing Ea cease spinning and Scáthach gripping her spear anew, Gilgamesh's face twisted in anger as he roared.
At this moment, Ea couldn't be unleashed again. Even if it could, Roy would counter it. His Gate of Babylon was ineffective in the Land of Shadows' domain, and without Ea, he couldn't break this Reality Marble. Escape was impossible.
The tide had decisively turned.
"Scáthach, use all the Command Spells to empower her. Deliver the final blow!!"
Having activated Avalon once, Roy raised his arm, expending all his Command Spells to conclude this battle.
"I understand, Master…"
Scáthach discarded one unneeded spear, gripping the other with both hands.
"With so many Command Spells and within the Land of Shadows, I can unleash my strongest strike."
"Hmph… The legendary god-slaying blow?"
Seeing Scáthach raise her spear for the final strike, Gilgamesh sheathed Ea, snorting coldly. He summoned all his defensive Noble Phantasms, encasing himself in protection.
Beast Pelt A
Purple Sash Immortal Garment A
Sacred Shield: Geb A+
Divine Shield: Aegis A+
Countless shields from history and myth materialized, encircling Gilgamesh, their surfaces gleaming.
"Want to kill me? Come try! I'm not going anywhere. Let's see the limit of your martial prowess, Celtic god-slayer!!!"
"Of course. With this honed strike, I'll slay even a god for you, King of Heroes!"
Her crimson eyes pierced through the layers of shields, locking onto the distant king with lethal intent. Scáthach leaned back, her crimson spear aimed at Gilgamesh, brimming with killing intent.
"When a spear's strike reaches perfection, slaying a god is but a flick of the wrist!!"
—Gáe Bolg Alternative!!
In an instant, the spear left her hand, a dark red streak like a meteor, vanishing from sight.
Far off, Gilgamesh, surrounded by shields, sensed something. His eyes narrowed, bracing for an unseen direction.
He felt something approaching, yet couldn't detect its presence.
The mana… was gone.
No, it was as if the spear itself had vanished from the world.
"What… is this?"
Gilgamesh's eyes widened.
Below, Scáthach stood, stretching lazily toward Roy.
"It's over, Master."
"What was that…?"
Not just Gilgamesh, but Roy, having witnessed the entire strike, was bewildered.
He hadn't seen what happened.
The spear had vanished the moment it left her hand.
Scáthach returned to his side, declaring victory.
The strike lacked dazzling effects or cataclysmic force.
Yet, it had happened.
The next moment, golden shields fell from the sky, revealing Gilgamesh. Blood spilled from his mouth, a gaping hole in his chest.
"Hah… Hahaha!! What was that? I couldn't see it, let alone react. In a single instant, it crossed the distance to reach me?"
Coughing blood, Gilgamesh, his Spirit Core and heart pierced, let out a heartfelt exclamation.
"The god-slaying strike… I see, I see…"
"A spear that reverses causality, a perfect hit. So the standard Gáe Bolg is a degraded version. The true god-slaying strike transcends time, space, causality, and all defenses. I've experienced it firsthand, hahaha!!"
His Spirit Core shattered, even the Herb of Immortality couldn't save him. Yet, unlike before, he didn't curse but laughed heartily.
"You're the first, aside from a god, to face this strike, King of Heroes… You're strong, incredibly strong. Without my Master's aid, I'd be no match."
Scáthach shook her head, speaking candidly.
"Hmph. I'm proud, but not foolish. Defeat is defeat—there's no excuse. That would only tarnish my name. A Servant and Master fighting together is the true way of the Holy Grail War. You and your Master fought as one, and there's no issue there. The fault lies with me…"
"I must admit, you two are the stronger ones now!!"
Gilgamesh sighed, yet his mood was oddly jubilant. "Farewell, Queen of the Otherworld, and you, intriguing boy. This battle was exhilarating… I'm quite satisfied with this Holy Grail War."
"Likewise, King of Heroes. Facing a hero like you was a joy."
Scáthach spoke softly.
"Indeed, King of Heroes. You're truly a mighty, mighty king."
In this final moment, Roy voiced his true thoughts.
"As if you need to say it—I've always been the strongest! Hmph… If not for you, vexing boy, clouding this world's future, who'd have won is uncertain!"
Perhaps stubborn pride or perhaps truth, these were Gilgamesh's final complaints.
His form began to fade, a smile on his face, though his gaze toward Roy was complex.
"Indeed… I still can't let go of your soul…"
Sighing, Gilgamesh tossed a heavy clay tablet to Roy before vanishing.
"Boy, next Holy Grail War, ditch that old hag and use this to summon me! Together, we'd be the ultimate duo… Hahaha!!"
With a final laugh, Gilgamesh's form dissipated completely.
"Jerk! Who're you calling an old hag?! Get back here!!"
Scáthach shouted at the sky, but Gilgamesh was gone.
"…The King of Heroes, a truly formidable ruler. Unforgettable."
Roy examined the tablet, unable to read its ancient script, and stored it away. A millennia-old relic from Babylon's treasury, its purpose unclear but undeniably valuable.
"This matter is nearly concluded."
Roy turned to Scáthach. "Now, for the next step."
"Mm."
Scáthach nodded with a smile. It wasn't an illusion—Roy's calm eyes now gleamed with excitement.
"Let's claim our victory's reward together, as I said before…"
"None shall stand before us!!"
***
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