I'll upload another chapter if we hit 50 power stones.
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The wind blew across the rolling white dunes of the desert, illuminated beneath an azure-bright sky. Its movement was uninterrupted, for nothing alive dwelled in these harrowing sands.
On and on the wind went, fleeting and light, carrying white grains of sand beneath the unforgiving heat of the pale sun. No one dared to stop its path.
Except for one.
A lone traveler trudged through the ever-shifting dunes, the sand sinking treacherously beneath his feet. Each step came heavier than the last, the sun's merciless rays battering not just his body, but his spirit as well. Yet he moved on, stubborn and unyielding, his cloak fluttering loosely as the heated wind brushed against his pale face.
(Image)
Golden bursts of light flared into existence around him at irregular intervals, firing weapons in what seemed like random directions, sometimes into the sand, sometimes toward the vast azure sky above. No matter the direction, the weapons always found their mark.
Behind him, the wind erased the traces of his passage, sweeping away the marks left by his feet until it was as if he had never been there at all.
After hours of traversing the scorching wasteland, the man finally stopped.
Wiping the sweat dripping down his forehead, he regarded the endless desert before him with severe crimson eyes.
"Man, I probably look so cool right now."
Adjusting the turban wrapped around his head, Gilgamesh tilted his face toward the sky. He really should have brought someone along. Anything would have been better than listening to his own thoughts echo inside his head.
Alas, he doubted any of the other Awakened would be strong enough to withstand this heat, let alone survive the Nightmare Creatures infesting the sands.
Besides, it was better if no one knew he was here.
Gilgamesh had grown tired of killing the pathetic assassins the Great Clans kept sending after him, all because he had 'firmly' refused to join any of them.
Perhaps beating up the person sent to recruit him hadn't been the smartest decision.
Then again, the man had been unbelievably annoying.
"Meh, I guess this place isn't too bad for a vacation... I mean there's so many things to look at, like the sand... and the sand... and even more sand."
Rubbing his forehead wearily, Gilgamesh sighed. It really was a terrible vacation spot.
At least he could vent his frustrations on the pests plaguing this place.
As if answering his thoughts, a gate snapped open behind him, hurling a spear toward the ground at supersonic speed.
He raised his forearm to shield his eyes as pure white sand erupted skyward, flung violently into the air by the sheer force of the impact.
[You have slain a fallen...]
Of course, Gilgamesh had the Spell to keep him sane as well.
Maybe teleporting straight to the Black Skull Citadel would have been the smarter choice. It would have saved time, effort, and a considerable amount of mental trauma.
"Eh.. nah, aura farming is far more important."
Gilgamesh mused while pursing his lips. The things he did for love.
With a quiet sigh, he decided that his break was over.
It was time to move forward again.
And so the man went forth, his eyes fixed firmly on the path ahead. With steady determination in his steps—and an ever-growing ego that motivated him to keep doing these things—he continued through the dunes toward the unmoving monolith of the Tomb of Ariel.
No matter how long Gilgamesh walked, the pyramid never seemed to draw any closer. It loomed on the horizon like a mirage, offering just enough hope to pull one forward while remaining eternally out of reach.
He would have been dismayed by the distance, had the Tomb of Ariel been his destination.
It was not.
While Gilgamesh hadn't read far enough in the original novel for the Tomb to fully appear, he still knew enough about it. Most importantly, it housed countless Black Butterflies of Great Rank, probably he wasn't sure if he had read that right.
Gilgamesh was overconfident, not stupid.
Even he knew it would be an act of immense folly to enter the pyramid, much less attempt to conquer it. There was also some bullshit time river nonsense involved inside of there, something he wasn't keen on testing.
Either way, he doubted he'd be touching the thing until he reached the rank of Saint at the very least.
The ground shifted subtly beneath his feet, the telltale sign of a Nightmare Creature choosing its deciding to test its luck against him.
"God, these filths never learn, do they?"
A centipede-like monstrosity burst from the sand, scattering dunes in every direction as it surged upward.
Unfortunately for it, the creature didn't make it very far.
A sword flashed into existence in Gilgamesh's hand, bisecting the beast in a single clean stroke.
He grimaced as foul blood sprayed outward, and quickly dodged out of the way.
This was exactly why he hated close combat against these things. He spent more energy avoiding their disgusting blood than actually killing them.
As he continued onward, the desire to annihilate them from a distance hardened within him. Being splashed with gore in this suffocating heat would have been intolerable, just the thought of it disgusted him.
His scarlet eyes gleamed as he focused on his destination for the day—a ruin situated deep within the wasteland. Still far away, but he wasn't in any hurry.
It was surprising that structures like this even existed, considering the war that had once ravaged this land.
Walking steadily toward his target, Gilgamesh wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his brow.
The vast stretches of empty distance gave him far too much time to think.
And indeed there were many things to consider.
He was here to claim the Black Skull Citadel before anyone else and lay the groundwork for his future clan. He didn't know rats ass about how all this clan-building process actually worked, but this felt like a necessary beginning.
After that, he'd need to bring his people here. Subjects. Workers. Builders. The foundations of the City of Uruk.
"Or should I name it the Great City of Gilgamesh? Maybe something similar? Hmm, tough choice."
Money wasn't an issue. Not with the amount of treasure that was boarded inside [Gate of Babylon]. The countless useless Memories, Soul Shards and other knick-nacks would finally prove their worth.
No, money wasn't a problem.
Gilgamesh was more concerned about crashing the market if he sold too much at once.
A Nightmare Creature plummeted from the sky nearby, a launched from his golden portal sword having obliterated its head, its massive form casting a brief shadow over the dunes. Gilgamesh quickened his pace, unwilling to be anywhere near the impact.
Life in the desert was scarce—a literal death zone from the moment one crossed its borders. No wonder the Nightmare Creatures attacked in such overwhelming numbers.
Squinting, Gilgamesh stared at the ruin now only a few yards away. Glancing upward, he realized night was approaching fast.
Wasn't there some massive undead battle that happened here every night?
Once again, he cursed his lack of foreknowledge. He really should have kept reading the original Shadow Slave novel.
Gilgamesh picked up his pace as he neared the settlement. The sun sank rapidly, and darkness crept in, eager to claim the land.
From beneath the sands, soldiers began to rise, pulling themselves free of the sinking sand, clawing upward, ready to reenact their eternal dance of death.
After walking for the entire day, Gilgamesh finally reached his destination.
The ruin offered enough cover to shelter for the night. Not that he truly needed protection, the creatures outside should have been afraid of him.
Leaning against a crumbling wall, he summoned a bottle from the Gate of Babylon, quickly twisting the cap and gulping down large mouthfuls of water to soothe his parched throat.
His enhanced body could survive weeks without food or water, yet he had no desire to test those limits without reason.
A sigh of contentment slipped from his lips as he drained the bottle and dismissed it back into the portal. Closing his eyes briefly, he rested, then stiffened.
His sharp crimson eyes glowed faintly as they peered into the darkness.
The ruin was in a sorry state. Walls crumbled, the floor torn open by some large Nightmare Creature.
And by the looks of it, he wasn't alone. There were two people in the room, one dead and one alive.
Across from him lay a skeleton, bleached white by the merciless sun, resting peacefully against the wall. A Sleeper, most likely.
"Poor bastard."
Pushing himself off the wall with a grunt, Gilgamesh stepped outside. A portal flickered into existence for second, firing off at a filth, stalking and looming in the dark tenebrous shadows cast by the ruin, before dissolving into the air.
There was work to be done.
He summoned the Echo of a Carapace Centurion, which immediately began digging with a manic determination of a man possessed, tearing through the sand as if it held a personal grudge against the sand.
Watching it do the work for him was oddly pleasing.
Forced slave labor wasn't so bad after all.
Gilgamesh glanced back at the bones of the Sleeper.
"The Spell is fair my ass."
There was no way it had sent some fresh, goody-two-shoes Sleeper into a Death Zone that even most Masters struggled to survive in.
The Spell definitely had an agenda against the poor guy.
Sand flew as the Centurion dug relentlessly and minutes later, the grave was complete. The Echo turned toward him, saluted, and dissolved into motes of white light.
"Hmm, Echoes aren't as useless as I thought they were after all."
Massaging his neck, Gilgamesh teleported the bones into the grave.
He paused.
Then, nodding to himself, he began unloading Soul Shards of various sizes inside the freshly dug grave. A rich burial was the least he could offer.
Once satisfied, he buried the grave beneath the sand.
His task complete, Gilgamesh dusted his hands and turned back toward the ruin as the thunderous sounds of distant battle echoed across the desert.
Inside, he summoned a table and chair, then filled them with delicacies drawn from [Gate of Babylon]. Delicious smell wanted off as the food appeared before him, still warm and fresh.
It was time to feast like a king.
Eating with practiced, immaculate manners, Gilgamesh savored each bite. He had ensured that [Gate of Babylon] was stocked with food befitting his status.
The days of cheap dried jerky were long gone.
Yet as he ate in silence, a quiet melancholy crept in.
For all his bravado, he missed them. Parents. Siblings. Friends. His family.
The ache was deep, sharp, and familiar.
Gilgamesh blinked away the tears threatening to fall, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as he leaned back in his chair.
In that moment, he wasn't a king.
He wasn't even a warrior.
Just a sixteen-year-old boy, bearing far too much weight for someone so young.
After a long breath, Gilgamesh straightened. The practiced facade sliding back into its place.
His face became still once more.
The soft clink of utensils echoed through the ruin as he finished eating. Setting them down, he dismissed everything back into [Gate of Babylon] and stood up, pushing the chair back.
It was finally time.
Stepping outside, he dismissed his desert garb and equipped [Golden Armour]. It fitted itself around him like a gentle caress, releasing a sonorous hum that radiated power as it let its presense known to the world.
[Wings of Anu] was summoned by him next, motes of radiant light coalescing into rectangular golden earrings around his ears.
Folding his hands above his chest, Gilgamesh rose into the air, the smirk returning to his face.
It was time to finally test the true might of [King's Decree].
He flew toward the battlefield, the clash of rusted metal and bleached bone growing deafening as he inched closer and closer. Reaching high overhead, he looked down upon the ants below.
Phalanxes, cavalry, archers, and infantry surged and collapsed endlessly, stepping over the fallen, allies or enemies, without hesitation. Giants clashed, while winged, six-armed monstrosities tore into one another at speeds even he struggled to follow.
These were only the skeletons he could recognize.
There were far worse things that looked utterly otherworldly, it was difficult to envision what they would look like when they were alive.
It was breathtaking, in its own terrible way.
What compelled them to fight every night without end? If he had to guess, it was most likely some curse of some sort.
His eyes narrowed as he focused on the battlefield's center.
Two skeletons fought there, complety unstoppable in a world of their own, annihilating anything that strayed too close. Even with his enhanced vision, tracking their movements was nigh impossible.
So, these were the so called champions of their armies.
What rank had they been in when they were alive, it was terrifying to think about.
They would make excellent servants.
A deafening crack split the air as a giant crushed the skull of another with a mighty stike of its club, uncaring of the soldiers it trampled upon.
Massive bone fragments hurtled outwards, piercing any that appeared in its path.
And multiple enormous pieces were heading towards him.
His first thought was to destroy it, but then he smirked.
Opening multiple portals of [Gate of Babylon], the pieces of bones were sucked inside.
Why waste useful weapons, Gilgamesh was sure he could make good use of them, maybe Sunny could use it more effectively when she learned to weave?
With one final glance at the raging battlefield, he descended closer to the ground and steeled his will.
Power surged through his veins in thick rivulets, his vocal cords straining, begging to unleash their dominion upon the world.
Clenching his teeth, Gilgamesh raised his gauntleted hand, pointing toward the armies below.
At last, he let his voice thunder across the battlefield, a greedy glint burning in his crimson eyes.
And so his words bellowed.
"Obey me world..."
The armies froze, bones trembling with a longing they had not felt in millennia.
A desire to kneel.
"Obey me people."
And so they did.
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Damn, it's been nearly six months since I last updated. Tbh I never planned to update it never again, this fic was a passion project after all and I had lost all passion for it.
I heard that GuiltyThree had taken a break, also read multiple other books and fanfictions that reignited that desire to start writing again in me. I also have the break going on, so a lot more free time, but I do have to study for my exams which are next month.
I also tried to read my previous chapters but couldn't, they felt cringe, maybe I felt this way because I am judgy about the things I create.
Still, I have started to edit my earliest chapters. See you soon.... hopefully.
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Word Count: 2513.