Gilgamesh and Enkidu's Encounter

Gilgamesh's anger was plain to see.

Because he had used his Clairvoyance, which could gaze into the future, to 'see' Enkidu at this very moment. But in truth, Gilgamesh had employed this ability to search for clues about Rovi's current whereabouts in the world to come. After all, Rovi had been missing for seven days. Seven days ago, while suppressing a beast uprising in the west, he had vanished into the Monster Forest, and no matter how many searchers were sent, there was never a trace.

Though that fellow had once openly defied him, he was still his subject. In Gilgamesh's eyes, no one but himself had the right to deal with him. So now, he had to find his trail. If alive, bring him back. If dead, then mete out the king's judgment upon the mongrels who dared lay hands on a subject of the throne.

But just now, Gilgamesh had not found Rovi. Instead, at the place of his disappearance, he had found a 'messenger' of the gods, dispatched by the divine. Gilgamesh did not know that for these seven days, the messenger had been receiving Rovi's teachings. He did not know that Rovi had become a 'Key of Heaven' on equal footing with them, or even more special, and that distance was why his Clairvoyance could not locate him. If Enkidu had not gradually grasped the power of the Lock of Heaven these past few days, Gilgamesh might not have been able to pinpoint even her.

Clairvoyance was never an omniscient ability; it was common sense that it could not peer into those of equal rank. Even though Rovi had not stopped using the 'Treasury of Babylon' Gilgamesh had gifted him during this time, he only used it as a tool for movement, never truly touching the treasures within. Gilgamesh had no way to detect it.

But Gilgamesh, who already harbored a repulsion toward the gods, could not connect these dots. The first thing that came to mind was that the gods had made a move against Rovi, the one who had committed the 'great disrespect' of interrupting the Sacrifice of All Gods. They had taken his life, erasing his traces from this world completely. Now, even the future was hard to find. If so. The king's wrath was bound to surge.

Western Uruk. The outskirts of the Monster Forest. A vast blue canopy like a curtain covered the open wilderness, while at the edge of the lush forest, walls still stood tall, guards still on duty. After Rovi had ventured deep into the forest, the beasts showed not a hint of further unrest. But the duty of border guards was to prevent trouble before it arose. So for these seven days, aside from sending men into the woods to search for Rovi's tracks, the soldiers maintained their usual vigilance, even stricter than before.

It was at this moment that a soldier standing atop the wall seemed to sense something and jerked his head up. He saw... a Star Vessel. It was composed of green wings and a golden throne. Propelled by a divine-era star of immense magical power as its core, it streaked across the high sky. This was an unmistakable sign. In Uruk, no one would fail to recognize that the king's favorite chariot was this Star Vessel. And its appearance meant...

"The King!?" The soldier couldn't help but cry out in shock, but before he could fully react, the Star Vessel turned into a blazing streak of light in the air, piercing into the depths of the forest and vanishing.

Leaving aside the commotion the Star Vessel caused among the border guards, at this moment, Gilgamesh sat upon his radiant golden throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest. Both his attire and expression were different from usual. His normally flowing golden hair was swept back entirely, his bare forehead radiating the sharp aura of Royal Authority. He had donned golden armor—heavy, resplendent, bright as a god. This was Gilgamesh's Battle Armor. It was also his garb when, as king, he passed judgment on petty offenders who defied Royal Authority.

His fingers rapped against the armrest, and the king's chariot instantly sped deep into the forest, finally halting, suspended high in the air. Here. The place he had 'seen' was here. Then—

"Having seen the glorious and great king, did you think you could hide like vermin lurking in the filth of shadows?" The towering Royal Authority gazed down at the trees below the Star Vessel, speaking coldly: "Come out, you mongrels sent down by that rotten, decrepit lot!"

Rustle, rustle... In the forest, someone heard the voice and looked up, emerald-green eyes tinged with confusion. Said they were going to fetch water—why hadn't Rovi come back yet... What was that? The green hair, thick and swaying, parted to reveal green eyes that widened slightly.

The 'being' in the forest saw the golden-green, radiant object hovering above. Having never seen anything like it, It was clearly stunned for a moment.

Enkidu thought to herself.

"Oh? Finally daring to show yourself, you mongrel crawling in the mud?" Gilgamesh also saw It.

Clad in a loose, pure white priest's robe, with flowing green hair, a slender figure, and a beautiful face—a 'maiden.'

Having clearly seen 'her' appearance, sensing the divine power emanating from her, and recognizing that the garment she wore originally belonged to Rovi's—

At this moment, the killing intent in Gilgamesh's heart blazed even fiercer.

His crimson snake-like pupils turned utterly frigid, cold as the eternal, unmelting bedrock of the deepest underworld.

The serpent's tongue flicked with the fury of Royal Authority.

Faced with this undisguised malice, Enkidu also furrowed her delicate brow slightly.

After seven days, It was no longer as naive as at the beginning.

In self-awareness and wisdom, It was no less than any human.

Though unclear who this person was or what they intended, Enkidu was very certain of one thing.

And that was...

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

If the other attacked It, then It would, as Rovi had taught, retaliate with even greater force!

Though the other seemed to possess power of the same origin as Rovi's, The feeling it gave Enkidu was clearly less familiar than Rovi's.

Because of that, It would not overthink things.

"Not only do you refuse to surrender, but you also dare to resist this King's judgment,"

Gilgamesh slowly rose from his throne: "Then, the crime of angering the great Imperial We—are you prepared to bear it...?"

Golden light blazed, ripples spread.

The 'Treasury of Babylon' opened, and a gleaming, sharp Divine Sword instantly fell into Gilgamesh's hand.

Gilgamesh gripped tightly this treasure, which was considered a rarity even among his collection.

The Pure White Robe fluttering, Enkidu stood silently among the trees. Countless shadows flowed across It, engulfing mountains and seas... stirring up dust.

Though no blows were struck, the vast magical power surging from the two instantly transformed into a terrifying torrent, colliding with each other.

Shaking the earth of the vast forest, sending ripples across the babbling stream.

Rovi, drawing water by the stream, stared at the ripples spreading across the river's surface, momentarily stunned.

He stood up, looked behind him, and spotted something several miles away.

"Gilgamesh is here?"

He snapped to alertness.

Gilgamesh had arrived.

And he had already encountered Enkidu.

They were—fighting!

With a clatter, as if he had anticipated this, Rovi dropped the clay water bowl in his hand, turned, and headed straight for that place.