Chapter 101

184: The Purified King of Heroes

The next morning, Novia went to the Central Hospital of Snowfield City alone.

Although Melusine and Altrouge Brunestud both wanted to come along, he thought that since they were only going to help the Pale Rider Master, Tsubaki Kuruoka, who had become a vegetable due to her parents' experiments, it wouldn't be good to bring a bunch of people.

Novia had originally planned to meet all the Servant participated in the battle yesterday, but things didn't go as planned. So she decided to deal with Tsubaki Kuruoka's problem first, since she was quite pitiful to have parents who Perfection fit the concept of a 'Magecraft'.

Therefore, he found a place for her and sent her to the Reien Girls' Academy in Japan. It was a fully residential Academy where many students stayed even during winter Summer Vacation. It was almost impossible for her to go out freely or communicate with the outside world. Even if a phone call came in from outside, it had to go through the dormitory supervisor's office first.

Moreover, that was Church territory, and the Director was a woman who had retired from the Heretic Inquisition Order of Knights, so she was capable of teaching children with Magecraft talent.

In Novia's view, although the Church had improved somewhat since the fifth century, the current Church -ranking members were a bunch of people who, from a previous perspective, were corrupt, and there were even Cardinal who had made deals with the Dead Apostle to obtain the means to immortality...

However, it is sufficient for the grassroots level to maintain its current level as always.

"Yes, it's confirmed. The hospital has spoken with Mr. and Mrs. Qiu and they agree... Excuse me, may I ask again, what are your names?"

"At the Central Hospital," a staff member behind the window asked.

"Tsubaki Kuruoka."

"And your age?"

"10 years old."

Please sign here, thank you.

The staff member handed over a form from under the window and pointed to several places where signatures were required.

"Tsubaki Kuruoka is in a vegetative state for unknown reasons... Is it really necessary to discharge her?"

"Um."

Upon hearing this, the staff member stamped the seal and solemnly asked:

"I don't know if I should say this, but are the Kuangqiu couple really alright? Ah no, I don't mean anything specific, I just think they're very strange. It's rare to see parents who are willing to raise their children treat them like that... Sometimes I think about calling the police, because it's really strange that they don't care about anything else but want their children to retain their fertility, but they are parents after all, and there are no signs of abuse... Ah, sorry, sorry, I'm just rambling, please don't mind me..."

The employee inwardly cursed himself for speaking out his long-held thoughts. If other colleagues heard him, he might get into trouble... So he subconsciously looked around and found that his colleagues seemed to have the same expression as him.

However, the staff also felt strange, because when they saw this silver-haired young man whom they were meeting for the first time, they felt a sense of familiarity, and they trusted that what Qian said to him would definitely be resolved properly.

"Yes, I know. Don't worry, she will be well taken care of from now on."

After saying that, Novia walked towards the ward where Tsubaki Kuruoka was.

In reality, the Pale Rider had been waiting for his arrival, so the black mist that had filled the hospital to protect Master Tsubaki Kuruoka had long since dissipated.

So, without the slightest effort and without encountering any obstacles, Novia pushed open the Great Gate to the ward.

After his body was bathed in the sterilizing gas and ultraviolet light, the door opened in the opposite direction from where he had come in, and he looked at a hospital bed in front of him.

Lying in the hospital bed is a young girl who is receiving an IV drip; this is Tsubaki Kuruoka.

Although Tsubaki Kuruoka appeared to be merely asleep, her face was helpless and gaunt, and she showed no sign of regaining consciousness.

Novia glanced at the 'black figure' beside the sleeping Tsubaki Kuruoka, the Pale Rider, nodded to it, and then scanned the room, finding that there was no one else besides herself and Tsubaki Kuruoka.

Soon, he walked to the bedside, placed his hand on Tsubaki Kuruoka's forehead, and then had the Pale Rider soothe Tsubaki Kuruoka, who was in the mental world.

In an instant, Novia found himself in a boundless, pitch-black world, illuminated by pale blue lights. Having visited the Holy Temple of the Old Man of the Mountain, he immediately recognized his location as a place akin to the Underworld. Before him lay countless intertwined, writhing threads, and he began to organize the chaos into order.

In just a few dozen seconds, the South American Bacteria that the Kui couple had been recklessly using for their experiments were Perfection integrated.

What others considered insurmountable distances simply did not exist for Novia; he didn't even need to do anything, the finish line came to him on its own.

The azure light shone ever brighter in the darkness, and that light triggered a reaction from something in the Underworld, causing it to slowly approach.

It was a Golden Light that, though not human-shaped, was exceptionally dazzling.

As if guided by the azure lamplight, the golden light strode majestically through the darkness, finally arriving before Novia.

Then, Jin Guang gazed at Novia and uttered a single sentence:

"Nice to meet you, or rather, 'nice to meet you for the first time.' If I had awakened like the Spirit Origin before, I doubt I could have maintained such a friendly exchange. As for the Wise King Gilgamesh, that's another story, but the King of Heroes doesn't accept the possibility of being at a disadvantage."

The golden light slowly transformed back into the figure of a young man as he spoke. The young man stood up and bowed respectfully.

His behavior showed no disdain or obsequiousness; one could sense his heartfelt respect for Novia. His nature was fundamentally different from that of the King of Heroes.

"Although I am extremely sorry for my unauthorized visit, because the 'Demon King' that I, as a 'Hero,' should have destroyed no longer exists, and therefore should not have appeared, the thought of such a being descending into the world cannot suppress my excitement, therefore--"

The boy smiled slightly, as if gazing at the distant sky, and quietly reached his hand into the darkness.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. Although the name is the same, my current Spirit Origin is merely an impersonation. My true nature is a very special category in this world. You may call me --"

There was no sarcasm or malice in the boy's words, only pure goodwill. Novia understood that this goodwill was simply goodwill, not the command that the King of Heroes loved to utter, but a pure wish.

"As a result of what has been accomplished, the purified alterego, I eagerly anticipate our true meeting, with you, who, like me, desire to elevate humanity to a higher position."

185: A Dark History That's Hard for Kihara to Accept (4k)

Gilgamesh, of the Alter Ego Class, is the King of Uruk purified as a human. In other words, he is a hero who has completely excluded the flesh and blood of the gods from his heart and body; he is a pure human being, an ending that Enkidu could not have foreseen.

At the same time, he is the Golden King who has never met Enkidu, who is determined to part ways with the gods, who has traveled all the way alone, who is the 'gold' who only prays to mankind to complete, and who is also the device that wants to push mankind itself onto the throne of the gods.

The most important reason for his appearance in FSF is that his divinity in his Spirit Origin was completely stripped away by the Goddess Ista, and he was fed half a bottle of immortality elixir by his Master Tiné, which is why Present World in the form of a boy.

The most obvious characteristic is that the Od that once permeated the ages of humans and gods when it was first summoned has completely disappeared. Instead, it is nothing in the world, exuding the aura of an infinitely pure "human" who seems to have grown up without being corrupted.

If the former King of Heroes was imbued with domineering aura, the current AE Gilgamesh evokes a deep longing that wells up from the very depths of one's being.

"You just want to see me, don't you?"

Novia knew that the Human Flash was theoretically there to deal with the Bull Sea. According to FSF, the Ten-Gyu Kai was the 'Demon King', while the Human Flash was the 'Hero'. As for Hippolyta, who was initially sent by the Human Order, he was the counterpart to the Sea of Vengeance.

It's also possible that Human Order saw that Hippo was unlikely to be a match for Ushimi, which is why she sent someone to Present World.

The previous conversation confirmed Novia's guess: AE Gilgamesh was originally intended as a backup plan to deal with the Ten-Gyu Kai, but now that the Bull of Heaven has been destroyed by Typhon, the Sea of Vengeance can no longer devour the Bull of Heaven to become the Bull Sea.

So even if the King of Heroes himself unfortunately leaves the stage, AE Gilgamesh shouldn't have appeared, but AE Gilgamesh really wanted to see Novia, which led to the scene and conversation just now... As for the Goddess who was extremely unhappy with Ista, perhaps she felt that Ista was already dead and therefore felt that she didn't need to come out.

Ultimately, the Underworld created by the Pale Rider can be considered a public place, where any pantheon, as long as it is related to death, can come and take a stroll.

"Yes, we pay tribute to the great."

The boyish appearance of AE Gilgamesh, combined with Novia's voice, quietly weaves together language.

Centered on him, in the dark Underworld, countless Noble Phantasm and their original texts struggled, combined with each other, and began to move in groups.

Originally a sword, it was once a bow, once a spear, once a hidden weapon, once a shield, once Ring, once a shackle, something from a book, something poisonous, something used as medicine, something taken for granted...

This shows that many people in the kingdom offered sacrifices.

Those were offerings from the people of Uruk, not from anyone else, for the Future, and also a great prayer to the Golden King.

Countless Prototype converge and return to a form.

"As proof, we wish to challenge you, who are similar to me but intend to elevate humanity to a completely different level."

AE Gilgamesh out both hands, and at the same time, two "hands" emerged from the crack that appeared behind him in the pitch-black Underworld.

Generally speaking, when people think of hands, images of "creation" and "destruction" come to mind. Hands, which create countless weapons and tools, hunt prey, create pottery and agricultural implements, and constantly improve life, can be said to be a symbol of Human History.

However, Novia knew that the hands were, in some ways, more important senses than the eyes and nose, and that the hands were also a special place in the human body with a high concentration of nerves.

According to some sources, the hand is a symbol of evolution.

Although there are various theories of evolution, the idea that humans occupy a special place among Primate is precisely because of the shape of their hand is deeply ingrained.

This is not only because human hands created refined heterogeneous stone tools and Bow and Arrow, nor simply because, apart from dexterous humans, others disappeared under the pressure of natural selection.

Rather, it means that the information inputted into people through the pressure exerted on the hand and the natural coordination of the fingers has had some influence on evolution.

According to Lord El-Melloi II in the Nasuverse, for a god, the image of the hand probably represents 'reaching all corners of the universe'.

Throughout Asia, the Thousand-Armed Kannon, who appears as a savior, is symbolized by her countless arms.

Conversely, for War God like Asura, it is a symbol of destruction.

Therefore, if one possesses the Hand of God, one can access information that was originally inaccessible to humans.

In other words, it achieved an evolution that was impossible for humans.

If this is taken into account, it becomes clear why AE Gilgamesh uses 'hands' as a weapon.

"However, that will have to wait until you've dealt with the fallen heroes of the Western Lands. It's a real pity. Obsessed with Revenge, even their primal aspirations have been distorted for the sake of their goals... No, Revenge is their Primordial, grand ambition. After all, the values of the Olympus gods of the Western Lands are an unavoidable, deeply toxic Poison for humanity, even for noble heroes."

"There's nothing we can do about it; after all, they are gods."

It's not surprising that Novia and Ista share the same opinion about the Olympus gods AE Gilgamesh. After all, the Olympus gods are alien Machine God. Although they later lost their machines and loved humanity in a broader sense, their values are Poison to individual 'humans'.

Perhaps it is for this reason that Juno, the Rome Hera, wanted Novia to bring Alcides to her. However, in the present world, it is still quite difficult for a god to descend to earth; at most, one can possess someone like Ista.

"Neither god nor beast. It's said that the Poison and medicine called 'human' are troublesome to deal with, but I'm sure you've already figured out a solution—it's not simply about destruction."

The boy spoke cheerfully, his words reminiscent of pure white and golden flowers, before bowing respectfully once more.

"Then, we will await your arrival at the very end of the Holy Grail War."

Novia watched the gradually dissipating AE Gilgamesh, then suddenly asked:

"By the way, aren't you planning to meet Enkidu?"

"That's the King of Heroes' friend, not 'my' friend."

I think he would be very sad to see you like this.

"That's only natural, because Enkidu is a trustworthy friend to the King of Heroes. But if we were to meet, after the sadness, he might call me that—'A false journey, a non-existent 'Gold'.'"

At this point, AE Gilgamesh seemed to remember something, turned around to face Novia, clasped his hands together in front of his chest as if in prayer, and bowed his head, saying:

"This is a difficult request; I hope you can take good care of Tiné, she is my Master."

Finally, in Novia's view, after AE Gilgamesh left, the original Underworld was gradually being painted over in the colors of the hospital room.

This is to be expected, since the South American Bacteria on Tsubaki Kuruoka have already been dealt with. Presumably, she can already be considered Inherited Bacteria Carrier, and her Magecraft abilities will be close to those of Bazett, Inherited Bacteria Carrier.

The silver-haired youth sat beside the hospital bed, watching as the gaunt-faced Tsubaki Kuruoka slowly regained her color. It seemed she would wake up from her vegetative state soon. Of course, there was a reason why he was still lingering.

Aren't you coming out yet?

The silver-haired youth spoke calmly to the door of the ward.

In the vast, pristine white hospital room, at first glance, there was nothing but Novia, Tsubaki Kuruoka, and the Pale Rider crouching in the corner.

Even after he finished speaking, there was no sound whatsoever in the room.

"Actually, the Pale Rider already told me that someone has been taking care of its Master, someone who calls himself Kihara."

Silence.

A long silence.

Under the glaring lights, the straight wall at the entrance to the ward looked as if it had been broken.

It bent down little by little.

After a long pause, a calm voice responded.

"Hello, I am Ciel Kihara, a representative sent by the Holy Church. This is my identification."

Knowing she could no longer suppress her emotions, the Black-Haired Girl spoke with utmost calmness.

"... Shouldn't it be Sesshouin? Or Kisshouin? Why is it Ciel?"

"No, I'm sorry, I haven't heard of it."

"Yeah."

Novia was genuinely surprised when she learned from the Pale Rider that even Kihara had appeared and helped Tsubaki Kuruoka.

But upon further reflection, in a normal world, Kihara's actions truly conform to the world's view of Saint, so it becomes understandable.

When they finally met, Novia's only thought was that she hadn't expected Kihara to be like this. She had imagined him to be someone who had already graduated from university. But actually, it didn't matter which way he looked, as long as he kept his true nature.

Novia looked at the Black-Haired Girl and suddenly said:

"I forgive you, for the fact that you killed me."

At this moment, he recalled what the One God had said to him during the Rome era:

I forgive you for your actions, no matter how many times. I forgive you for everything.