Romania, Europe.
Near the city of Bucharest, but still somewhat distant, in the middle of a vast forest, a large house could be seen, more precisely in the living room where a group of people had gathered.
Seated on a luxurious sofa was Gilgamesh, savoring a cup of tea. In front of him lay a large golden lion on a rug.
This lion was the Nemean Lion King, slain by Hercules in Greek mythology, sealed within a Sacred Gear that later evolved into a Longinus, the Battle Axe of the Lion King, [Regulus Nemea].
Atop Regulus lay Enkidu, stroking the lion, which bore a nervous expression on its face.
It had been a few hours since Gilgamesh's encounter with Regulus, Sairaorg, and the Exorcists. Apparently, after he left, news had spread.
The descendant of the King of Heroes had emerged, and he possessed a Longinus Sacred Gear.
The world buzzed with this news, and it seemed that minutes after their departure, a group of Angels arrived at the location, attempting to track down and bring this descendant to their Faction.
Though it might seem excessive, it wasn't. The name Gilgamesh carried immense weight in this world.
He represented the man feared by both God and the Original Maou.
Even Indra, the King of the Hindu Gods, the being who commanded the strongest Faction in the world—one capable of easily crushing others—feared Gilgamesh.
And if you consider that Indra was willing to fight Shiva, the Hindu God of Destruction, who is only weaker than Ophis and Great Red, yet still feared Gilgamesh, it was proof of the magnitude of his power.
This was why Gil always preferred to stay hidden. His ancestor's name in this world was too great. The moment he revealed himself to the world, there was no doubt that every Faction would come after him, either to recruit or kill him out of fear.
After all, a descendant of the man the entire world feared suddenly appeared, wielding a Longinus-class Sacred Gear.
In an analogy, the name Gilgamesh carried as much weight in this world as the name Madara Uchiha did in Naruto.
Troublesome.
The main reason Gilgamesh had come to Romania was to rescue Valerie from the Vampires, preventing Rizevim from resurrecting Trihexa (666).
But Gil also took this time to train with the [Gura Gura no Mi], the reward he gained for subduing Regulus.
And it truly deserved its title as a Devil Fruit, with its bad taste.
[Name: Gura Gura No Mi]
- Level: Max.
- Type: Active.
- Rarity: Super Rare.
- MP Cost: 0.
- Description: The Gura Gura no Mi is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to create vibrations or "tremors," turning them into a Tremor Human.
This fruit has a fearsome reputation for being capable of destroying the world and is considered the strongest Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, with powers no weaker than those of a Logia-type fruit.
The great strength granted by this fruit is the ability to generate massive vibrations or shockwaves that can travel through any medium, including the ground, the seafloor, and even the air. For this reason, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stated that this power could destroy the world, and Vice Admiral Tsuru claimed that even if she fled to the ends of the ocean, there would be no safe place when confronted with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi.
However, the powers of this fruit are noted to be a danger to both friends and foes. This is mainly because, even though the user can control the magnitude of the shockwave and its point of impact, the tremors produced by these shockwaves are indiscriminate in their effects. As a result, allies of the user must be prepared for the impacts to avoid becoming unintended victims.
And its power is truly terrifying, capable of generating earthquakes that can easily destroy entire cities. Combined with the Longinus [Regulus Nemea], it becomes even more fearsome, as it is said that its wielder can generate earthquakes and open fissures in the ground with a single swing of the axe.
Another thing I noticed is that I don't have the weakness to water like other Devil Fruit users. I'm not sure if this is due to my Sacred Gear or the system that caused it.
[Name: Regulus Nemea]
- Rarity: Mega Rare.
- Description: Regulus Nemea, also known as the Battle Axe of the Lion King, is a Sacred Gear. It is listed as one of the thirteen Longinus.
In the past, the God of the Bible captured one of the Nemean Lions named Regulus and sealed it within the Sacred Gear, which eventually became one of the thirteen Longinus.
- Abilities: Regulus Nemea takes the form of an axe that can create a massive fissure in the ground when struck. It is said that, with full mastery of this form, the wielder could split the Earth in two. The second ability of this Longinus is to protect the wielder from projectile weapons. According to Azazel, Regulus Nemea can also transform into a massive lion named Regulus at the wielder's will, functioning similarly to Independent Avatar-type Sacred Gears like Canis Lykaon. After the death of its previous host, Regulus Nemea underwent an additional irregular transformation in its lion form, allowing Regulus to materialize and function independently of its own will, without needing a host, similar to the Incinerate Anthem.
[Balance Breaker - Unlocked - Regulus Rey Leather Rex]
- Balance Breaker: Regulus Rey Leather Rex, also known as the Iron Skin of the Lion King, is a subspecies Balance Breaker that creates golden lion-themed armor covering the user's body, adding Regulus's groundbreaking powers to the user's own strength, resulting in a tremendous increase in the user's offensive power. The armor also protects the user from projectiles.
[Breakdown of the Beast - Unlocked - Regulus Rey Leather Rex Imperial Purpure]
- Breakdown of the Beast: Regulus Rey Leather Rex Imperial Purpure, also known as the Invincible Purple Skin of the Lion King, is the Breakdown of the Beast of Regulus Nemea. This form unleashes the full power of the Nemean Lion, but like the Juggernaut Drive, it uses the user's life force as an energy source. In this form, the armor changes to purple and gold, enveloped in an immensely dense purple Touki. It possesses immense power, allowing it to easily overpower a Satan-class demon and God-class beings. However, the time it can sustain this form is very short.
The user and Regulus alternate lines while chanting the Breakdown the Beast chant.
User: This body, this soul, even if it falls into an endless ravine!
Regulus: My Lord and I, we will exhaust this body and soul to climb the endless royal road!
User: Lurk, triumph, play, and shine!
Regulus: This is the body of a demonic beast!
User: Upon my fist lies the glorious imperial authority!
Regulus: Dance!
User: Dance!
Both: Bloom!!!
Both: Breakdown The Beast, Climb Over!
Yes, the Longinus [Regulus Nemea], capable of splitting the ground with a single strike. I liked it, especially because it allows me to enhance my attack power, since the Longinus [Zenith Tempest] isn't focused on physical attacks. I can already use the Balance Breaker because it only requires a body strong enough to withstand it.
Perhaps that.
"Regulus," Gilgamesh called to the Lion King, who turned to look at him.
"Yes, Master?"
"I've been thinking if it's possible for our Balance Breaker to evolve beyond its current state."
"I thought you didn't want to rely on the Breakdown the Beast form."
"I'm talking about the Abyss-side Breaker."
He had no intention of relying on the Breakdown the Beast form, which unleashed the full power of the Nemean Lion at the cost of the user's life force. Instead, he thought of Tobio Ikuse and his Balance Breaker, which evolved further after surpassing its limit, wondering if it could perhaps surpass the alternative Juggernaut Drive forms that Hyoudou and Vali had sought without dealing with past wielders.
"It's certainly possible, but it will take time to awaken that form."
"We have time."
Two years, to be exact. If Tobio, a human, could evolve his Balance Breaker further in four years, it would definitely be possible for Gilgamesh, a demigod, to evolve his in half that time. Hell, even Hyoudou managed to gain new forms for the Boosted Gear in just one year. If that pervert could do it, Gilgamesh would too.
Gilgamesh let out a laugh as he saw Enkidu hugging the Nemean Lion. The Weapon of the Gods always loved animals and other beings like that.
Gilgamesh was also surprised when he heard Regulus's response about being his wielder, which the Lion King agreed to.
"Sebas, did you manage to find out what I wanted?" Gilgamesh asked the butler who entered the room.
"The only thing I could find out was that there has been no change in the faction's leadership," the butler said.
"I see."
So Marius hadn't made a move yet, even after Valerie likely awakened her Sacred Gear with Gasper's escape, complicating things for him. He had hoped Marius would have already disposed of the current king, giving him a chance to seize the Holy Grail amid the chaos, but it seemed that wouldn't be the case.
Gilgamesh would have to wait for Sebas to use his [Spatial Magic] to move the castle so they could enter.
It was in moments like these that he wished he had the Longinus [Dimension Lost].
In truth, Gilgamesh wasn't afraid of the Vampires. He was afraid of who was allied with them.
Rizevim and his Faction.
It wasn't even fear of Rizevim himself. After all, even against the Super Devil, Gilgamesh had ways to defeat him, such as the holy swords in the [Gate of Babylon], especially Durandal and Excalibur.
Over the years Gilgamesh spent traveling, he obtained several Noble Phantasms from the shop that weren't in the [Gate of Babylon], such as Avalon, the sheath of Excalibur, the sword itself, as well as other great Noble Phantasms like Vasavi Shakti and Kavacha and Kundala.
Back to the matter at hand, the biggest problem would be the Evil Dragons Apophis, Azi Dahaka, and Crom Cruach.
Apophis is the Primordial Eclipse Dragon, the nemesis of Ra, a dragon that reached Heavenly Dragon Class.
Azi Dahaka was a dragon that required an army of gods to defeat—an army! That's his level. Even then, he wasn't killed, only sealed, another who reached Heavenly Dragon Class.
The problem is that these dragons were revived using the Longinus [Sephiroth Graal], and Gilgamesh didn't know if they had already been revived.
The potentially biggest problem was Crom Cruach, the Crescent Circle Dragon, another who reached Heavenly Dragon Class.
The issue is that Crom Cruach is more powerful than the others. After all, he was able to fight and defeat Fafnir, a Dragon King, and then fight and draw with Ddraig—and I mean Ddraig, not Issei using his power.
Sighing, Gilgamesh put on a thoughtful expression.
Fighting these three would be incredibly difficult, even for him. If it came to that, he would need to use Ea.
"There's no point thinking about theories that may not happen," Gilgamesh thought before standing, catching everyone's attention.
Looking at them, he spoke.
"Let's begin," said Gilgamesh, earning nods from the others.
**Vampire Faction Castle**
Infiltrating Vampire territory was easier said than done in planning. Fortunately, Gilgamesh had Sebas and Enkidu with him, allowing them to bypass their barriers undetected.
Nodding to the others, they walked silently through the city, avoiding guards, with Gilgamesh surprised to see some modern houses in the residential areas.
Eventually, they reached the Tepes castle and took shelter in a nearby house, quickly ensuring the residents inside were still asleep or knocked out.
"We're ready to begin," Sebas informed, looking out the window at the castle.
"Not yet."
He knew that once Sebas used his magic around the castle, they'd be on a timer to retrieve Valerie, but there was also the possibility of guards with her, as Marius likely knew about the Holy Grail and wouldn't leave her unprotected. He wanted to avoid any possible confrontation with the Vampires, and since they isolated themselves from the rest of the world, he doubted they'd let an incident like this leak beyond their domain.
But perhaps some confrontation would be good.
"Did you find her?" Gilgamesh asked Enkidu.
"A Dhampir, correct? She's in the castle's basement, with four guards."
"Can you take them out and retrieve her without being seen?"
"No problem."
"And the rest of them?"
"All asleep."
"That's good news," said Gilgamesh, sighing in relief.
Gilgamesh decided to draw some attention from the Vampires. Looking back, he saw Regulus in his lion form.
"Transform," Gilgamesh said to the Lion King, who nodded and glowed golden as he moved toward Gilgamesh.
When the glow faded, Regulus's new form was visible.
It was an axe, predominantly gold with a single-edged silver blade. The center of the axe bore an engraving of Regulus Nemea in its lion form. On the other side, there were three curved silver protrusions at the bottom, middle, and top. At the top was a gold diamond with a silver diamond in the center, and below the bottom center of the axe were two diamond-shaped protrusions with extended edges.
Gilgamesh swung the axe a bit to get used to it.
"Alright, I'll draw their attention, then you go, Enkidu," Gilgamesh said to his friend, who stared at him.
"You just want to test the axe," Enkidu said accusingly, and Gilgamesh laughed.
"Sebas, begin," Gilgamesh said to the butler.
Sebas stepped forward and extended his hand, causing dozens of magic circles to appear around him.
Gilgamesh watched as Sebas moved everything to another space with his [Spatial Magic] and [Dimensional Magic].
With a wave, they all began.
With Enkidu.