Unknown Location.
Arthur, sitting in front of the man who had captured him, couldn't move. His arms were bound, and his sword had been taken from him, locked within highly complex magical seals that even he had never seen before, despite his connection with Le Fay.
Whoever had created them was clearly no weakling.
It was as if they were taunting him with the sword, right there in the same room, but out of his reach. He couldn't even use his powers with the sword.
Then the man who held him captive stepped forward, running a hand through his hair.
"Hello, Arthur. You could have simply followed me, but you're forcing me to take control of you."
"Tch, you captured me, but you didn't get my sister. Are you worried about that?"
"Worried about the little sorceress? Hardly. She'll show up sooner or later, and when she does, I'll bring her in. But I was here for you, Arthur. Your skills in wielding a blade, though not fully polished, will be a great asset to my growing group. I like to find unique and interesting people to stand by my side."
"Like your witch."
Arthur spat, unwilling to give this man any kind of satisfaction.
In truth, though he couldn't see the man's face, Arthur knew dark intentions awaited him, but he simply didn't care.
"Walburga, she has her uses. She's not in the upper ranks of my group, but she has a lot of knowledge about a variety of people and several connections that are good for someone like me. But, ignoring that for now, aren't you happy to be one of the first test subjects for me? I've been perfecting my technique for a while and would like to see how you're able to resist, and what I need to adjust."
"Need to adjust…?"
Arthur muttered, not fully understanding what he was talking about.
Some technique that needed perfecting?
How would he be a test subject?
What was going to happen to him?
"Don't worry, Arthur, you're precious to me, I won't hurt you."
Arthur found that ridiculous, at best.
"…Then why did you capture me? What exactly are you going to do with me? Experiment on me? What kind of experimentation are you going to do on me? Does it have to do with the Holy Sword Caliburn?"
"Caliburn and experimentation, huh? I hadn't even considered that. That could be interesting, infusing the power of a holy sword into a body… maybe I'll do just that, thanks for helping me out, Arthur-kun."
Despite his playful tone, Arthur sensed a darkness in his voice.
It was frightening.
Chilling.
He could feel it sending shivers down his spine.
"What do you want with me?" Arthur asked.
"Honestly, there's something my allies and I want, but even if all my allies and I came together, we wouldn't succeed, because it's very well protected," the man informed.
"And what makes you think I'll succeed?" Arthur asked.
The man stared for a moment before starting to laugh, to Arthur's surprise.
"Oh, I don't think that, you clearly won't be able to defeat him, you may be the descendant of the King of Knights, but the one protecting it is the King of Heroes," the man said to Arthur, whose eyes widened.
"You want the Sekiryuutei," Arthur said.
"Oh, no, I don't want him, though I would really love to have him in my group, he won't accept," the man said as he walked around Arthur.
"You know, Arthur, the Gods are very greedy, just find a way to increase their power, and they'll do anything," the man said.
Arthur didn't understand anything he was talking about.
"Well, never mind, I was rambling. Don't worry, Arthur, I have plenty of distractions planned to make the plan work. But I suppose I should tell you what I want since you'll be working for me."
"I won't help you," Arthur shouted.
The man shook his head.
"You'll see it my way. Well, what I want, Arthur, is the Holy Grail, and you're going to help me get it," the man said.
Arthur didn't understand.
"I'm not a sadist either, so I don't want any harm to come to you, Arthur Pendragon. Resisting is futile, right?"
He teased Arthur, who was growing increasingly agitated.
He definitely felt worried about what would happen next.
All he knew was that he would be experimented on…
But what that meant, he really didn't know.
**With Gilgamesh.**
Gilgamesh had just slammed the door in the faces of the two goddesses.
Of all the things that could happen, this was definitely not one of them.
Gilgamesh never imagined that the Sumerian Pantheon would send people after him.
From what Gilgamesh knew, the Sumerian Pantheon had isolated itself from the world due to a lack of followers.
But now there were two Sumerian goddesses at his door.
"Hey, what are you doing, open the door!" Ishtar shouted angrily.
Gilgamesh sighed before opening the door and coming face-to-face with an irritated Ishtar and a surprised Ereshkigal.
"So, are you going to let us in?" Ishtar asked while tapping her foot impatiently.
Gilgamesh smiled and nodded. Ereshkigal passed in front of Ishtar, to her anger, and entered.
The moment Ishtar was about to enter, Gilgamesh closed the door, locking her out.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Ishtar shouted angrily.
"Well, Ishtar, my ancestor didn't like you, and it seems I have a bit of his hatred, so I'll only let you in if you say: 'Oh great Gilgamesh-sama, allow this miserable and insignificant Goddess to enter your house,'" Gilgamesh said with a small smile.
EStream Ereshkigal was nearly bursting with laughter while trying to hold it in.
"What?! To hell with that, I'll blast this door open!" Ishtar shouted as she summoned her divine aura.
"I recommend you don't do that. Don't forget we're in Devil territory, and if you use your power here, it would be the same as a declaration of war, and you don't want that," Gilgamesh said to Ishtar, who stopped her divine power.
"He's right," Ereshkigal said, smiling.
"Shut up!" Ishtar shouted.
Ishtar took a deep breath and swallowed her pride since she couldn't fail this mission.
"Oh great Gilgamesh-sama, allow this insignificant and miserable Goddess to enter your house," Ishtar said, grinding her teeth in anger as Gilgamesh and Ereshkigal laughed.
Gilgamesh opened the door, revealing Ishtar with a furious look.
"See, it wasn't that hard," Gilgamesh said, smiling.
Ishtar entered the house with a look of fury while Ereshkigal laughed heartily.
Gilgamesh led both to the living room where they sat side by side.
Gilgamesh sat on the sofa and looked at the two while smiling.
"So, what brings two great goddesses to my house?" Gilgamesh asked curiously.
"Well, our father and King, the God Anu, asked us to come here to talk to you," Ereshkigal said politely.
"So, about what?" Gilgamesh asked her, ignoring Ishtar.
"Hey, why do you treat her nicely and not me?" Ishtar said, irritated.
"Well, because I like her more," Gilgamesh said to them.
Ishtar had an irritated look while Ereshkigal had a surprised look and a slight blush on her face.
"Why?!" Ishtar asked, annoyed.
"First, she didn't ruin my ancestor's life over something trivial like rejection, and second, my ancestor had respect for her," Gilgamesh said to the two, who had surprised looks.
"He respected me?" Ereshkigal asked, surprised.
"Well, it was little, but it was more than for any other God. He respected you because you always fulfilled your duties in your kingdom," Gilgamesh said calmly to her.
Ereshkigal seemed momentarily surprised before nodding.
She also felt a little happy about it.
She was rarely treated so well and considered better than her sister.
Ereshkigal detested how she was hated and suffered as a social outcast, always belittled by everyone and seen as lesser than Ishtar.
Ereshkigal also never liked how everyone feared her as the fearsome Goddess of the Underworld; it was comforting that someone saw her differently.
"One question, can you leave your kingdom for so long? After all, you have souls to care for," Gilgamesh asked.
"Oh, don't worry, although it's true my pantheon has few followers, so I can spend a few days away," Ereshkigal said to Gilgamesh, who nodded.
"Hey, don't ignore me!" Ishtar shouted.
But before Gilgamesh could say anything, a voice was heard.
"Hey, Gil, have you seen my book?" a voice asked as it appeared in the room, revealing itself to be Enkidu.
Ishtar and Ereshkigal turned their gaze to him and widened their eyes.
"I-i-is that?" Ereshkigal questioned.
"E-Enkidu?" Ishtar asked, surprised.
Enkidu's gaze turned to the two, and he widened his eyes.
"Ishtar," Enkidu said before his expression darkened.
No one could do or say anything before Enkidu disappeared.
In the next moment, Enkidu's foot was in Ishtar's face as the Weapon of the Gods delivered a flying kick to the Goddess of War.
In an instant, Ishtar was thrown against the wall, crashing through it, while Gilgamesh and Ereshkigal stared in shock.
Enkidu landed on the ground and looked at the hole in the wall that Ishtar had made.
"So it really is Ishtar," Enkidu said with a nod.
In the next moment, Ishtar emerged from the hole in the wall with an expression of rage.
"To hell with this, how are you alive? I'm going to kill you!" Ishtar said before increasing her divine aura, with Enkidu doing the same.
Just as they were about to clash, chains emerged from golden ripples around them, binding them and sealing their divinities.
Both widened their eyes at this and turned their gaze to Gilgamesh.
They regretted the decision instantly, as Gilgamesh was looking at them with his crimson eyes glowing with power, making them both swallow hard.
"Ishtar, if you try anything with Enkidu, I'll make sure to kill you, and I don't care about going to war with the Sumerian Pantheon," Gilgamesh said to Ishtar, who nodded quickly. Gilgamesh turned his gaze to Enkidu: "Calm down."
Gilgamesh knew his friend held anger toward Ishtar and didn't much like the Goddess due to the things she had done.
Both nodded, and Gilgamesh released his chains. Ishtar sat next to her sister, and Enkidu stood behind Gilgamesh, alert.
"I won't ask how he's here, because you definitely wouldn't tell," Ereshkigal said to Gilgamesh, who nodded.
"So, what was the reason for the visit?" Gilgamesh asked.
"We have a proposal for you, from our father," Ereshkigal said calmly.
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow in doubt.
"He would like to invite you to join our Faction," Ereshkigal said to him, though she personally didn't think he would accept.
"And refusing isn't an option…" whatever Ishtar was about to say died in her throat when she looked at Enkidu, who was behind Gilgamesh.
The Weapon of the Gods had a serious look on his face with a smile so gentle it seemed cruel, as Enkidu's chains began to emerge at his side while he made a decapitation gesture as if Ishtar had said the wrong thing.
Both the Goddess of War and the Goddess of Death, especially Ishtar, were sweating coldly at this, knowing that Enkidu's power surpassed theirs.
Gilgamesh turned his gaze to Enkidu and saw his friend looking normal and smiling amicably.
He turned his gaze back to Ishtar and asked:
"What did you say?" Gilgamesh asked.
"Nothing," Ishtar said quickly.
Gilgamesh turned his gaze to them and responded.
"I refuse your proposal," Gilgamesh said to Ishtar, who was surprised, though Ereshkigal seemed to already know he would refuse.
"Why?" Ishtar asked, standing up.
"I honestly have no interest in allying with anyone," Gilgamesh said to the two.
Before Ishtar could say another word, Ereshkigal spoke.
"Let it go, Ishtar, he has made his decision, and we must respect it. And honestly, his refusal was almost certain. I'm sure Father will understand," Ereshkigal said to Ishtar, who looked at her.
"I'm surprised you want me in your Faction so badly. What did they offer you to do this?" Gilgamesh asked curiously.
"What makes you think someone paid me to do this?" Ishtar asked, offended.
"Because you only do things when someone gives you something in return," Ereshkigal said seriously to Ishtar, who huffed.
Everyone stayed silent for a few seconds before Ishtar spoke.
"He offered me jewels, satisfied?" Ishtar said to everyone, who rolled their eyes.
Gilgamesh turned his gaze to Ereshkigal, who understood.
"My father asked, and so I did it, and it's also a good way to see the real world after centuries," Ereshkigal said with a small, sad smile.
Ishtar rolled her eyes while Gilgamesh and Enkidu felt pity for the Goddess of the Underworld.
As the Queen of Kur, Ereshkigal always had to take care of it and thus lived there, having been forbidden to leave since her birth.
In this universe, she could leave, but only on rare occasions.
"So, let's settle this so you don't go back empty-handed," Gilgamesh said to the two, who looked at him doubtfully.
Gilgamesh snapped his fingers, and a portal appeared next to Ishtar, from which a large pile of gold and jewels emerged.
These were not the original treasures of the [Gate of Babylon] but rather some that Gilgamesh had collected during his travels, part of a Dragon's hoard that Gilgamesh had encountered and killed.
The moment Ishtar's eyes fell on the treasure, her body seemed to tremble at the sight.
"W-what's this for?" Ishtar asked, trying not to stammer.
"You can keep them, Ishtar, as proof that I don't want conflict with your Pantheon," Gilgamesh said, making Ishtar's eyes shine.
He was bribing a Goddess, to the astonishment of Ereshkigal and Enkidu.
Ishtar simply loved jewels more than anything and was willing to do anything for them, but she lacked the [Golden Rule] skill and thus had no luck in obtaining them.
And now that her Pantheon was no longer as revered as before, she didn't have as many jewels as she used to.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Ishtar said as she threw herself onto the treasures.
Gilgamesh turned his gaze to Ereshkigal, who shook her head.
"I don't want jewels," she said, but Gilgamesh smiled.
"I'll give you something better," Gilgamesh said to her.
Gilgamesh brought his hands together and created a large amount of aura, making everyone widen their eyes at feeling so much power.
Gilgamesh passed the message of what he wanted to do to Arashi.
{Well, this is complicated even for me, but if you add a bit of the golden sword's power, it might work,} Arashi said.
When all of Gilgamesh's aura and concentration dissipated, he opened his hand to reveal a small green seed.
Gilgamesh extended it to Ereshkigal.
"When you get to Kur, plant it," Gilgamesh said gently.
Ereshkigal looked at it doubtfully before speaking.
"Nothing will grow; no kind of life can exist in Kur, so it would die the moment I placed it in the ground," Ereshkigal said, informing him.
"Trust me," Gilgamesh said to Ereshkigal.
The Goddess of the Underworld looked at him for a moment before nodding.
Ereshkigal took the seed and stored it in her clothing before turning to Ishtar.
"Let's go. It's time; Father must be worried," Ereshkigal said to her sister, who nodded.
Ishtar used her magic to store all her jewels and turned to Ereshkigal, who created a teleportation circle.
"We will convey your response," Ereshkigal said before she and her sister disappeared.
After that, Gilgamesh leaned back on the sofa and sighed.
"I'm surprised you gave her things," Enkidu said as he sat next to Gilgamesh.
"The world has its mysteries," Gilgamesh said.
Gilgamesh had given the treasure to Ishtar to see if the Goddess would stop bothering him, as she would surely return to pester him, thinking herself superior for being a goddess.
As for Ereshkigal, it was more personal.
Ereshkigal was one of Gilgamesh's favorite characters, even if he was in a universe that wasn't Fate; that didn't change.
So he was happy if he could help her.
The tranquility of Gilgamesh and Enkidu was interrupted by Mordred, who nearly broke the door when she and everyone else returned.
Gilgamesh smiled upon seeing everyone return, laughing and having fun.
**Kur, Sumerian Underworld.**
Currently, in the Sumerian Underworld, someone could be seen walking.
The Sumerian Underworld, Kur, was like a vast cave beneath the earth, stretching for several meters or kilometers, with stone corridors leading to it and cages with blue flames scattered throughout, though they weren't flames but the souls of the people living there.
The one who could be seen walking there was its ruler.
Ereshkigal, the Sumerian Goddess of Death and Queen of Kur.
The Goddess of the Underworld has two strikingly beautiful red eyes with rounded features and a black outline. She has long blonde hair. Ereshkigal tends to wear a considerable number of accessories on her body, making it difficult to see all the details of her attire and physical constitution. She wears a dark crown and some objects that seem to secure the aforementioned accessory to her. She uses a cape with alternating pink and gold colors, and a skull-shaped item is used to fasten it to her clothing. She wears something resembling a dress with black and gold colors. On her legs, a kind of anklet can be seen, which appears to be black with some yellow details and red jewels.
It had been some time since Ereshkigal and her sister Ishtar had returned and reported their meeting with Gilgamesh to their father. The King of the Gods didn't even seem sad, as if he already knew Gilgamesh would reject his proposal.
Currently, Ereshkigal was doing her work in the Underworld, while she heard that her sister had already thrown a party with the jewels.
Ereshkigal couldn't help but sigh; her brief time on Earth was something wonderful that she wanted to keep experiencing, but her happiness faded too soon.
It wasn't that Ereshkigal disliked being the Queen of Kur, but she envied her sister, who could always do whatever she wanted.
As Ereshkigal was preparing to continue her work, she remembered Gilgamesh's gift.
Taking the seed from her pocket, she looked at it.
Ereshkigal knew it wouldn't live; after all, anything planted in Kur would die—it was a true land of the dead.
Deciding to do it, she dug a small hole and buried the seed.
Ereshkigal looked for a few seconds and saw that nothing had happened. Sighing, she decided to return to work and that she shouldn't have trusted Gilgamesh's words.
But as she turned, she felt a pulse of energy behind her, and when she turned to look, she saw that where she had planted the seed, a flower had grown.
"Impossible…" Ereshkigal whispered in shock; no plant could live in Kur.
When Gilgamesh created this seed, he imbued it with the power of [Zenith Tempest], which allowed the user to manipulate all elemental attributes, including nature.
However, no matter the plant, everything would die in Kur, but Gilgamesh ensured that wouldn't happen.
He added a bit of Verethragna's Authority, the Golden Sword, making Kur's Authority nullified so the plant could grow, and it did so at an extremely fast rate due to feeding on Gilgamesh's power.
Slowly, the pulse of energy spread throughout the Underworld, causing flowers, trees, and plants to grow everywhere.
Gradually, all of Kur transformed into a paradise, no longer a land of the dead but a place everyone would want to go to.
Ereshkigal couldn't believe what was happening.
She had never liked the very gloomy appearance of Kur; she had tried to change it several times, but it always reverted to being a land of the dead.
But now, it was as she wanted—a paradise, not a dark land.
Gilgamesh knew of Ereshkigal's desire and thus granted her this seed.
Ereshkigal could only let tears stream from her eyes as she saw the beauty of her home.
She was certainly indebted to Gilgamesh.
And she would thank him when she saw him again.
**With Le Fay.**
Having been separated from her brother, Le Fay had limited options. She didn't have many people she could trust, and besides, she knew that if she told certain people what had happened to Arthur, they might try to take advantage of the situation.
She knew, however, that the Hero Faction was interested in having Arthur join them, and if she could get them on her side, then maybe she could attempt a rescue… though she would have to figure out exactly where they had gone to begin with.
Arriving at the Hero Faction's base, Le Fay stepped forward and tried to enter the building when a thick mist appeared before her. The mist was so dense that she could no longer see the building, but she knew who was responsible for it.
"Georg-sama, please let me pass. I would like to speak with Cao Cao-sama."
Le Fay shouted, unable to see Georg at first.
But then, a few seconds later, he emerged from the mist.
A teenage boy with glasses, wearing a modified school uniform, adjusted his glasses toward Le Fay, and she could feel the coldness of his gaze burning into her.
"Le Fay, where exactly is your Onii-sama? Cao Cao-sama was expecting a response."
"That's why I came here. Georg-sama, it's terrible, he was captured by a man who had incredible power. Even Onii-sama couldn't do anything against him."
Georg was intrigued by this.
"A power that even your Onii-sama couldn't fight?"
"Yes, we have to help him! I-I don't know what will happen to Onii-sama! C-Could you help? It all started when a witch named Walburga approached us!"
Georg seemed confused for a few moments before exhaling slowly.
"If they managed to defeat your Onii-sama, then they must be powerful."
"E-even so, we have to save him!"
"If we put ourselves in danger for one person, then…"
Le Fay couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Georg was denying her the chance to save her older brother?
"But Cao Cao-sama would surely help if the circumstances were explained…"
"While it might be worth the risk, we don't know this opponent. We can't rush blindly to help your Onii-sama if we don't know what kind of opponent we're dealing with. Arthur is a strong man; Cao Cao-sama even said he's powerful, so if your Onii-sama lost without being able to do much, then we can't do much better, and we can't split our forces now to provide assistance."
Le Fay didn't know what to say.
Cao Cao was even denying the chance to help her brother?
Realizing she wouldn't get any help from the Hero Faction, she turned her head to the side.
"…I understand, if you won't help me, then I'll find someone who will."
Georg crossed his arms.
"And that person is?"
"…I don't know yet, but I'm sure there will be someone who will help me find my Onii-sama. I can't… I can't leave him in their clutches."
Le Fay turned and began to walk away.
She knew this might be a shot in the dark.
But it was one of the only places she could go now.
But if she couldn't get help from the Hero Faction…
Then she had to look deeper.
**Mount Olympus, Greece.**
Mount Olympus is the abode of the Greeks, one of the main Factions of the supernatural world.
Currently, in a palace at the center of the mountain, there were twelve chairs, more like thrones, but only one was occupied, the one in the center.
The man seated there was tall, with an older appearance, white hair, and a white beard, along with two electric blue eyes, wearing a toga, traditional Greek clothing.
It was Zeus, the King of the Greek Gods and God of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, and justice.
Zeus was sitting on his throne, deep in thought.
A few hours earlier, he had received a mysterious letter revealing the location of the Sekiryuutei.
Like all supernatural beings, Zeus was very interested in having Gilgamesh's power on his side, especially after the powers he demonstrated in the battle against the Phenex Demon.
Zeus didn't have to trust the letter, but it was the best lead he had.
Zeus extended his hand and summoned a bolt of lightning.
But it wasn't just any bolt.
This was Zeus's Master Bolt, the symbol of Zeus's power and the most powerful and dangerous weapon ever made in the forges of the Cyclopes and all Greek forges. Through it, all other bolts are produced. It was the first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the first war of the gods against the Titans, which severed the summit of Mount Etna and threw Cronos from his Throne.
The moment Zeus struck his Master Bolt on the ground, the entire sky darkened with lightning and thunder.
In the next instant, a light shone in the throne room, revealing a person.
It was a woman with silver hair carefully tied in a ponytail, and her eyes resembled the moon. Her choice of clothing was quite simple but didn't detract from her beauty; she held a bow in her right hand.
"My daughter Artemis," Zeus said with his powerful voice, like thunder.
It was Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, the moon, chastity, childbirth, and wild animals. Daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin sister of the Sun God Apollo.
"Yes, Father, what is the reason for the summons?" the Goddess of the Hunt asked.
"My daughter, you are the best tracker in Olympus, and therefore I have a mission," Zeus said to his daughter, who nodded.
"You must find the Sekiryuutei, Gilgamesh, and bring him to be an ally to our Faction," Zeus said to her.
"And if he refuses?" Artemis asked.
"That is not an option," Zeus said seriously.
Zeus had complete confidence in his daughter's abilities; Artemis had power surpassing Satan-class and could defeat the Sekiryuutei. After all, he was human, even with the [Boosted Gear] or being a descendant of the King of Heroes didn't change that.
"Yes, my father," Artemis said before disappearing in a golden light.
Zeus smiled before vanishing to go find a mortal woman to entertain himself with.
**Unknown Location.**
High in the sky, one meter tall, covered in golden fur, with a wrinkled face, carrying a staff-shaped weapon, smoking a pipe, wearing sunglasses, and prayer beads on his forehead, seated on a flying cloud.
This was Sun Wukong, the Great Victorious Buddha in Combat and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Beside him was a large green Asian dragon.
It was Yu-Long, one of the Five Great Dragon Kings, known as the Evil Dragon or Jade Dragon.
"Hey! Jiji, who are we looking for again?"
Sun Wukong sighed as he looked at the dragon, taking a deep puff from his pipe before exhaling a cloud of smoke.
"I already told you, Yu-Long, the Sekiryuutei. Śakra, the Celestial Emperor, requested that I contact him. And if possible, persuade him to join Śakra's cause to defeat Shiva or destroy him," Sun Wukong said to the enthusiastic but lazy dragon.
"I don't understand what you see in Indra; there's nothing special about him. He's extremely arrogant and proud, and that will be his downfall. Besides, he has no way of gathering an army strong enough to take down Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma," Yu-Long replied to his travel companion.
"Hmph. Don't underestimate Śakra; he's more powerful than you think. He is, after all, the fourth strongest being in the world."
"Hey, hey, is he really that strong? The only battle of his I know is when he killed Vritra, but Vritra isn't even close to the Top 10."
"Yes, that's true. Śakra is so powerful that it would require all the current Satans to rival his strength," Wukong replied.
"Then he must be a bit stronger than a Heavenly Dragon-class being," Yu-Long said.
"Yes, but let's hurry; we need to find this being before someone else does," Sun Wukong said as they increased their speed.
The powerful beings of the world were moving.
And Gilgamesh was their target.
Come check out my Patreon!
We already have 86 chapters posted there!
And you'll also get access to other exclusive stories as well.
👉 patreon.com/Vellgrace