Noah's Ark tore through space, streaking across the sky at incredible speed.
Gilgamesh's body had already knit back together under the nourishment of dragon blood, though waves of pain still pulsed from his wounds. Clutching Ea tightly, he began considering other matters.
Clearly, they had come for him because he had killed that white-clothed youth earlier. But they had moved far too quickly, as if they had headed straight for him from the start. That was not normal.
As he pondered the matter, Noah's Ark suddenly slowed, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
It was not because he had deliberately reduced its speed. Rather, space itself had changed. It was contracting, shrinking, which slowed Noah's Ark.
Then the spatial barrier around him solidified, leaving him suspended in the air like a rat trapped within an invisible cage.
"You skulking mongrels!" Gilgamesh snarled, thrusting Ea forward. The frozen space shattered instantly, and everything returned to normal.
Yet at the very moment the barrier shattered, a figure in white appeared before him, a Zanpakuto slashing toward his throat.
Aizen had already approached him without a sound.
"Bastard!" Gilgamesh cursed. At such close range, he had no choice but to retreat. He leaped back, and the other's sword cut through empty air, though this also took him away from Noah's Ark.
"Space Seal and Restrict!"
With a low cry, the power of space instantly bound Noah's Ark beneath his feet, severing their connection in an instant. A figure appeared on the other side.
Gilgamesh shifted his gaze behind him, his heart skipping a beat. An ambush?
Arrogance did not mean he was stupid. To become a king, one needed at least first-rate reflexes.
"Enuma Elish, the Star of Creation that Split Heaven and Earth!" Gritting his teeth, he activated Ea once more. With a