Hero Simulator in Type-Moon, Chapter 12

"Leave. The power you can gain in the Underworld is limited. The Gods have placed a means of control on you that I cannot undo—it can only bind those weaker than them, not those stronger. Go to the surface and grow stronger."

The Gods feared Gilgamesh's power slipping beyond their grasp, so they prepared a similar "Shadow." To control that Shadow, they naturally devised the necessary measures.

If Fujimaru Kyoya wanted to survive by his own strength, he had to keep growing stronger. The Underworld could no longer help him advance.

"Shadow, once you leave, you are only yourself. Live for yourself, fight for yourself—that is my sole request. If you remember this nurturing grace, hold it forever in your heart."

Ereshkigal, as the goddess of the Underworld, nevertheless loved life. For the youth she had raised before her, she did not wish for him to become a tool—a tool sacrificed for the Gods' own interests.

"If that is your request, I will remember it. But what about you?"

Fujimaru Kyoya understood the meaning behind Ereshkigal's words. She wanted him to walk his own path, so that even if she herself stood before him in the future, he would make his own choice, unswayed by this debt of gratitude.

"Don't worry about me. I have the blessing of the Underworld. As long as I remain within it, even my overbearing sister is no match for me."

As long as she stayed in the Underworld, Ereshkigal was invincible. That was her guarantee against becoming a hostage.

But the Gods were also her family. All Ereshkigal could do was grant Fujimaru Kyoya a sliver of chance to seize his own fate. She could give no more.

"Thank you."

Fujimaru Kyoya left. He departed the gloomy Underworld and set foot on solid earth. When he saw the starlight in the sky for the first time, he couldn't help but pause, dazed.

That was the starry sky of the Age of Gods, utterly different from the stars of later ages.

Name: Shadow Gender: Male Strength: B Endurance: C Agility: A Mana: C Luck: D Noble Phantasm: Not Acquired Divinity: A

Backup of Heaven's Wedge. Two-thirds god, one-third human. Gilgamesh's brother by different parents.

Infinite Martial Arts: A The martial arts you have learned are fused into your body. No matter your state, your skill remains unimpaired.

First Before First: A+ Thought precedes action—this is First Before First. Anticipate the enemy, strike after they move but before they land.

Benevolent Dark Emperor: Not Activated Heaven's mandate has not yet arrived.

The stats were not as impressive as last time, but that didn't mean "Shadow" was weaker than "Lloyd" before he obtained the Holy Sword.

Anyone who had played even a little bit of a game would understand: stats only set the floor. A character's true strength lay in "mechanics" and "multipliers."

From Fujimaru Kyoya's understanding, "mechanics" referred to special attack attributes, while "multipliers" depended on the quality and quantity of talents.

With the blessing of "Infinite Martial Arts" and "First Before First," disregarding any Noble Phantasm enhancement and taking only hand-to-hand combat as the standard, Fujimaru Kyoya didn't think many could beat him.

Besides, if you really counted stats, the blessing of "Divinity" would boost his otherwise ordinary attributes to varying degrees.

But now that he had left the Underworld, the world was vast, yet there was no place for him.

Fujimaru Kyoya had always considered himself a selfish person. As Fujimaru Kyoya, he wanted to protect his family. As Lloyd, he wanted to protect the Age of Gods where people lived. Now, as Shadow, he had nothing and nothing to protect.

So where should he turn?

[You have left the Underworld.]

[You hunt Fantasy Species beneath the stars, filling your stomach with their flesh and trading their pelts for currency. Your name gradually spreads through the surrounding lands.]

[You inquire about Gilgamesh. The locals are shocked that you don't know of him—after all, he is the most famous Wise King of the era.]

[You learn of the young Gilgamesh's deeds. He is a wise, brave, and benevolent king. There seems to be no reason to make an enemy of him.]

[You realize he is perfectly fulfilling his duty as Heaven's Wedge. It seems you have no role to play. Living as an ordinary person in this world might not be so bad.]

[You hear that Gilgamesh is building a palace.]

[You hear that Gilgamesh has raised taxes.]

[You hear that Gilgamesh has taken women by force.]

What happened?

Fujimaru Kyoya was baffled.

Chapter 21: Benevolent Dark Emperor

The change seemed to happen overnight. The Wise King Gilgamesh, once beloved by all, suddenly turned tyrannical.

At first, people thought it was just this wise king's belated rebellious phase. But as time passed, many soon realized something was wrong.

Gilgamesh's tyranny seemed to know no end.

One day he would launch a massive construction project for a palace, the next he would scour the land for beauties to fill his harem. No one understood why he had become this way.

Where had the wise king of old gone?

"The wise king? Fools can only see what's before their eyes, blind to the future."

Gilgamesh, clad in his newly forged golden armor, surveyed all of Uruk from the highest point of the palace. The tyranny, cruelty, and rage in his eyes bore no trace of any wise king.

"This king is no puppet."

Gilgamesh had not always been like this. Once, he had been composed, courteous, and kind to others. He accepted counsel gladly, as long as it benefited Uruk and its people.

Two-thirds divine, one-third human—that was Gilgamesh: the strength and wisdom of a god, paired with the lifespan of a man.

A ruler like that would undoubtedly lead a nation to prosperity, binding the bonds between gods and humans tighter than ever before.

That was Gilgamesh's destiny—the duty of the "Heaven's Wedge."

"To hell with your destiny."

Gilgamesh poured the finest wine onto the ground without a shred of regret. The gods had clearly miscalculated his power.

His overwhelming strength was one thing, but worse still was his wisdom and his Clairvoyance, which had reached the EX rank.

The gods' schemes lay completely exposed before Gilgamesh's eyes—and Gilgamesh was not a man to be manipulated.

Since the gods wanted a wise king, he would become a tyrant. Since the gods sought to deepen their bond with humanity, he would smash their temples.

"No need for the gods' epics, no need for hymns to the gods, no need to build temples for that garbage. This world needs only the epic of Gilgamesh. The people need only sing praises to me. The king's statue is nobler than any god."

Gilgamesh would cast down the gods who tried to control his fate, grinding their predetermined destiny into dust.

As for his own atrocities, his deliberate acts to drive a wedge between king and people—he disdained to explain them. He would not explain them.

He had indeed indulged his own desires. So why dress it up in lofty words?

Beyond crushing those who defied him, he demanded that the people offer him everything useful. Anyone who refused—no matter who—would not be spared.

"This is my Way. This is my Path."

Gilgamesh knew there would surely be those who disagreed. But with his overwhelming power and wisdom, how could he possibly be "wrong"?

"As long as this power and wisdom endure, as long as the rebels live in fear—then what wrong could I have done?"

Even if it were wrong, it would be the world's fault. The fools' fault. The weak's fault.

"Without my wisdom and power, the people of Uruk would still be suffering under the dominion of magical beasts and Fantasy Species. So no matter who you are—if you don't want to die, if you don't want to live in misery—then you will love me, respect me, and worship me."

Swear fealty to this king... Gilgamesh.

The king's arrogant words stirred thunderclaps across the heavens, yet no god descended to punish this insolent man.

The gods understood too—just how powerful Gilgamesh had become. And beside him, Priestess Siduri heard more resignation than anything else.

She was his close retainer. She knew better than anyone that the Gilgamesh of old had not been like this.

This Gilgamesh was rebelling for the sake of rebellion, fighting for the sake of defiance. Even if it hurt the people he loved, he had still set foot on a wrong path.

A king's pride would not let him be driven by the gods. But was this truly the right thing to do?

"My king, when you inflict tyranny upon your people, the day will come when that power turns against you. When that day comes, will you still be able to hold on?"

Siduri knew that the people's rebellion would come eventually. But could anyone truly stand against Gilgamesh?

This invincible King of Heroes.

[You watch Uruk's soldiers oppress the people. You hear the people's wails. But none of it has anything to do with you.]

Indeed, it had nothing to do with him.

Fujimaru Kyoya watched as soldiers ignored a mother's cries, forcibly taking her daughter away to fill Gilgamesh's harem.

He could more or less guess the reason for Gilgamesh's drastic change in character.

The Heaven's Wedge plan must have been exposed.

These past days, Kyoya had heard so much about Gilgamesh's pride that his ears were numb. He also understood that this man possessed EX-rank Clairvoyance—against someone like that, no secret could be kept.

The gods understood this too. Once they realized Gilgamesh had EX-rank Clairvoyance, they began preparing a counterfeit called "Shadow."

By enforcing tyranny, Gilgamesh would lose his qualification as the Heaven's Wedge. The Age of Gods would inevitably depart. The gods could no longer remain on earth, could no longer interfere with human fate. Humanity would guide itself.

Looking toward the future, this was indeed a good thing. Since it was a good thing, there was no need to stop it.

Fujimaru Kyoya stood up and left. He had no intention of clashing with Gilgamesh. He too disliked having his fate manipulated. In a way, he and Gilgamesh were extremely similar. Only...

"Please, spare my daughter! The king already took one of us just days ago, and now it hasn't even been half a month..."

A mother's anguished cry pierced Kyoya's ears. But it didn't matter. It had nothing to do with him.

"That woman's already bored the king. Time for a fresh one. Having your daughter favored by the king is your family's blessing."

Hearing the soldier's reply, the mother wailed even more heartbreakingly.

A beautiful maiden had only satisfied Gilgamesh's interest for half a month. What hope was there for her daughter?

Kyoya paid it no mind. Then he saw the forcibly conscripted laborers—word had already spread from the construction site of Gilgamesh's new palace that many had died from exhaustion.

Now being dragged off to forced labor was basically a death sentence.

But none of this had anything to do with Fujimaru Kyoya.

Wails, weeping, resentment, helplessness... Fujimaru Kyoya walked from inside the city to outside the walls. None of these things had anything to do with him, so why should they trouble his heart?

"Ereshkigal, you said I should choose my own path, didn't you?"

Just as Fujimaru Kyoya was about to leave the city, he looked up at the sky and murmured.

Naturally, no one answered him, but his heart had already given him the answer.

"I am a selfish person."

Fujimaru Kyoya settled that verdict for himself. There was no room for doubt—for the sake of those he cared about, he would stand against the entire world.

But in this life, Ereshkigal didn't need his protection. He only needed to take care of himself.

The oppressed people had nothing to do with him. He could have ignored them. But those voices reached his ears, irritating him, agitating him...

"I don't want to hear these sounds."

Fujimaru Kyoya reached out and snatched the spear from the city guard's hand. Ignoring everyone's stares, he strode toward the source of the wailing.

Corpses strewn across the land, blood filling the city—all for a single thought: to save the common folk.

[You have followed the thoughts in your heart and stepped onto your own path. Your true destiny begins to reveal itself.]

"Benevolent Dark Emperor"... Awakened.