The Bull of Heaven had been destroyed. There was no doubt about it.
Its head had been completely pierced through by the fused Chains of Heaven and Key of Heaven, exposing its fragile core. Smiling, Gilgamesh raised Ea toward that core.
Beneath the torrent of divine power, Gugalanna's entire head was obliterated.
The Chains of Heaven vanished, and the enormous golden body, now headless, crashed to the ground. The surrounding earth rumbled along with the divine bull's collapse.
The Bull of Heaven had died. The clouds dispersed, the thunder fell silent, and its golden skeleton, capable of supporting heaven and earth, rapidly dissolved into pure particles of magical energy and vanished from this world.
This meant that the great incident that had shaken all of Mesopotamia would, for the time being, come to an end.
But Gilgamesh knew that this was not over.
At least—not what lay before him.
"Annanu! Enkidu!"
Gilgamesh looked toward the fused Key of Heaven and Chains of Heaven rapidly falling from above the clouds. He called out, but received no response.
His pupils shrank. The excitement he had felt moments ago at slaying Gugalanna swiftly cooled and settled, just like his falling friends.
They were at least ten thousand meters above the ground. Even without footholds—he could still catch up!
Gilgamesh recalled what Annanu had said before grabbing Enkidu's hand.
"Do we really have to separate the two of you after you've become one?"
He murmured the words and dove after the falling lock and key.
Catching the shoulder of the unconscious beauty in midair, Gilgamesh frowned.
"Hey! Can you hear me? Wake up!"
There was no response.
The magical energy reaction was immense—so immense that merely holding his shoulder made Gilgamesh tremble. Yet there was not the slightest trace of consciousness.
Gilgamesh could not