Chapter 537
Although Shirou did manage to take the blow from Goddess Tiamat, his right arm was almost completely destroyed.
But--
The next instant, his damaged right arm began to regenerate.
New shoots quickly sprouted from the charred arm.
This isn't a description; it refers to actual tree branches and leaves.
"Hey... Shirou, you bastard..."
Gilgamesh stared blankly at the scene before him.
Although he had already sensed that Shirou was deviating from humanity, seeing it with his own eyes was still quite shocking.
Like a high-speed photograph taken on accelerator, Shirou completes regeneration, and his arm is restored to its original state.
"Kingu saved my life before, so this is a way of repaying that favor."
Shirou bent down and stretched his brand-new arm.
His tone was extremely cold and calm, as if the body that had just been burned was not his own.
"What's wrong, Gil? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"... whispering sound!!"
Gilgamesh gritted his teeth and turned away.
He continued to manipulate the Divine Authority Seal, using it to restrain and attack Goddess Tiamat.
Ah... I should have thought of that sooner...
Power always comes with risk and sacrifice, especially when it's "borrowed from others."
In other words, every time Shirou uses his divinity and Authority, he gradually loses his human emotions.
In the end, by constantly exchanging humanity for divinity, Shirou himself will become nothing more than a device existing solely to vanquish evil.
However... Gilgamesh was powerless to do anything about it.
This was Shirou's own choice.
From the moment he decided to bear the sacrifices of the people and the will of the goddess, he already knew his end was near.
Dr. Roman's report arrived.
"Whoosh, Tiamat has arrived in City of Uruk! Only three minutes left to reach the Divine Tower!"
"Furthermore, a large number of Lahmu have been confirmed to be released! Before Tiamat, a large number of Lahmu are coming...!"
"There are over eight thousand of them! King Gilgamesh, flee into the Tower of Gods! We are helpless!"
Tiamat has arrived in City of Uruk and is proceeding towards the Tower of Gods as planned.
Meanwhile, nearly ten thousand Lahmu had gathered in Uruk.
Although Ana and her companions fought with all their might against Lahmu, they were utterly powerless against such numbers.
The situation is even worse than that; the Lahmu have learned tactics through evolution.
Unable to approach the watchtower due to the barrage of Divine Authority Seal, they began to charge at the main body of the divine tower in units of thousands.
"No. If this continues, the Divine Tower will collapse..."
Ishtar, who was waiting in the air, squinted her eyes and decided to go down to support the Divine Tower first.
But before that--
She saw Shirou leave the observation tower, slowly rise into the sky, and radiate golden light.
"!!"
The sound of chains whistling through the air Uruk the sky above Uruk.
Centered on Shirou, who stood in the sky, countless chains mixed with swords and spears shot out, instantly piercing through hundreds of Lahmu.
The monster born from the Black Mud didn't even have time to scream before it was pierced and torn apart.
The chains danced in the air as if they were alive, weaving a vast web of death.
Within seconds, the dense flock of Lahmu swarms in the sky was completely wiped out.
Lahmu and his men reacted immediately.
"Kingu... It's actually Kingu!? Why is he still alive!? Why is he still active!?"
"Sorry, you've mistaken me for someone else."
Shirou's spear pierced through the howling Lahmu.
The Lahmu don't recognize beings other than themselves by appearance, but by magic, so it's natural that they would mistake Shirou for Kingu.
"Kingu! You outdated, backward type! Die! Die!"
The Lahmu immediately abandoned their attack on the divine tower and began to gather towards Shirou.
This was, of course, Shirou's goal.
A large golden bow appeared in his left hand.
Unlike the carbon fiber bow that Shirou usually prefers, this bow is much larger and more ornate.
The design, featuring alternating gold and red, easily evokes the Heaven-Opening Sword of a certain King of Heroes.
That's right.
This is the weapon that Shirou reforged using Kingu's relics; it could also be called the Heavenly Bow of the God of Law.
Shirou struck a pose that appeared casual but was actually quite solemn.
Instead of Projection a sword as an arrow as usual, he simply pulled hard on the deep red bowstring, which was not nocked anything.
This bow, forged from fragments of Enkidu and the soul of Kingu, requires no arrows.
Or rather, the arrows loaded into the Bow of the God of Law are a force (Counter Force) from this land, from this planet.
The spiritual veins of the entire Mesopotamia plain began to boil and rapidly converged at Shirou's feet.
The planet's breath.
The surging True Ether materialized on the bowstring that Shirou had drawn taut—a brilliant arrow of light.
Shirou aimed the arrow at the dark Lahmu, no—
It was aimed at Goddess Tiamat who was blocked by the Lahmu.
"Mother, Kingu asked me to pass on a message... He told me to tell you that you chose the wrong machine (child)."
Shirou spoke quietly, removing his fingers from the bowstring.
"The Mother Goddess's wrath is now a thing of the past; what is awakened now is the breath of the stars—"
O Son of God, thus reach the heavens (enuma elish)!!!!!"
That seemingly tiny arrow pierced through the mud wall made of thousands of Lahmu in an instant, disappearing into the skin of Goddess Tiamat's chest.
In the next instant, countless chains emerged from the top of Goddess Tiama and around his feet.
The golden chains transformed into countless spears of light, carrying power sufficient to bind even gods, and enveloped the Goddess of Creation like a cascading waterfall.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
The Chaos Tide at Tiamat's feet churned violently.
Each chain was precisely wrapped around her body, binding this Goddess of Creation tightly.
No matter how much she struggled, the chains remained unmoved, instead tightening their grip.
The Heavenly Bow in Shirou's hand transformed into a streak of light and vanished completely into the wind.
"... snort."
On the watchtower, Gilgamesh watched Tiamat roar in agony and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
"You must be very unwilling, Goddess Tiamat."
They were only one step away from the divine tower, yet that step felt so heavy.
Although it was only a brief moment of confinement, it seemed to stretch on for an unbearable eternity.
Farewell, Orphan of Heaven, your performance is in no way inferior to your past self.
The Chains of Heaven... finally... can even suppress the power of the Creator God.
"Aaaaaa! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Tiamat let out a deafening roar, and the chains began to break under the force of brute force.
"King Gilgamesh, can you hear me!? This is Ereshkigal in the Underworld!"
Ereshkigal's voice came through the communication.
"The phase transfer between Uruk's underground and the Underworld is complete! Now all we have to do is dig a hole!"
"That's how it is. Did you hear me, Ishtar?" Gilgamesh asked.
"Of course. I was prepared a long time ago. Did you think I'd been slacking off for the past hour?"
Ishtar's crimson eyes turned gold.
Although she didn't reach Shirou's level, she still completed the most basic Return of the Age of Gods and gained power close to her prime.
Ishtar summoned Maanna and began to accumulate magical power within her.
"Alright! That's enough of this dull time! Let's forget about the rest and just let's send all the lingering feelings flying!"
"Prepare to evacuate, Gil."
Having completed his final delaying mission, Shirou landed beside Gilgamesh.
However, Gilgamesh remained unmoved, still gazing at Goddess Tiamat.
"Hmph... Saying goodbye to the gods, huh? I really acted impulsively and said some incredibly foolish things."
But then, I can't stay... You knew that from the beginning, didn't you?"
Shirou: "..."
Gilgamesh looked relieved. "Uruk will indeed perish, but if Goddess Tiamat and I, the king who forms the basis of this Singularity, disappear, the ending will be interpreted differently—"
The destruction was limited to the reign of the fifth king of Uruk; the era of the sixth king of Uruk, which followed, will likely continue.
It's not just Goddess Tiamat must be defeated; I, too, am an existence that will be unwanted in the future.
The only thing that is still uncertain is how I will die, since suicide is not the proper way for a king to die.
Actually, I had just decided to face death head-on, but you, this nosy bastard, saved my life.
But now, you shouldn't stop me anymore, right?
Gilgamesh curled the corners of his mouth, while Shirou remained silent.
In some ways, it really helped a lot.
Gilgamesh thought: If it were the old Shirou, he would have saved him without hesitation.
However, the red-haired boy, who had been gradually drifting away from humanity and falling into the abyss of divinity, can now understand and accept Gilgamesh's resolve.
"How ironic."
Gilgamesh Shirou a deep look, then said with a bitter smile, "I've spent my whole life denying my divine blood, and in the end..."
Kings and gods are clearly the same thing.
The so-called king is something that transcends humanity.
Like gods, they are above humankind... and therefore they are aloof and arrogant.
Perhaps that's why fate can't be easily changed.
But Shirou, if it were you, maybe you could... I'm leaving them in your care."
"... Understood."
Shirou stepped forward and grabbed Ritsuka and Mash, who were running towards him, in a hug around their waist.
"Hmm? Mr. Shirou? We're here to pick up King Gilgamesh..."