The Manifestation of Beasts

Command Spells are tools used by mages to better supply Heroic Spirits with magical energy and to exert control over them. They exist to ensure a better chance at seizing the Holy Grail and to provide sufficient leverage to slay other Heroic Spirits who also seek the wish-granting opportunity of the Holy Grail once victory is within reach.

After all, the Holy Grail can only grant one wish, yet there are two who desire it.

What is to be done?

However, Command Spells are not omnipotent. As long as a Heroic Spirit's will is sufficiently indomitable and their resistance to magical energy is sufficiently formidable, it is impossible to control their actions—this is especially true for a Heroic Spirit like Gilgamesh, who possesses a vast arsenal of Noble Phantasms.

But what if it is a god who wields this thing called a Command Spell? Although she is not a complete deity, by leveraging the Command Spell system of this Holy Grail War and combining it with vast magical energy, controlling Gilgamesh—who is currently limited by his status as a "Servant"—is by no means impossible.

As a goddess, Ishtar only needed to make use of this connection, and the proof was that after she activated the Command Spell, the mark on her hand did not disappear.

"Damn you... you despicable..."

Golden lightning flickered uncontrollably across Gilgamesh's body, and the gates of his treasury, which had been opening, slammed shut at this very moment. Yet, it was not the magical energy of the Command Spell that manipulated his body, but the power of a god.

However, this was not the source of his rage. Although Tokiomi Tohsaka was not of his kind and had interrupted his reunion with a friend, the man had treated him with the etiquette of a subject, which alone would have spared him from death—though it would have cost him the chance to serve his King and witness the fulfillment of his long-cherished wish.

Regardless, punishing a subject is the duty of a King, not something to be interfered with by some nameless goddess!

And to do so in a manner that forced a young child to betray and attack her own father!

"Ishtar! You have angered me!"

Clenching his fists, Gilgamesh glared at Ishtar in fury. But at this moment, his Noble Phantasms were sealed, and he had personally deactivated his Star of Omniscience and Omnipotence; almost every possibility of turning the tide had vanished.

Unless Enkidu could perceive the current situation, otherwise—

"Oh my, I had already made preparations the moment that man obtained the snake skin, Gilgamesh. Yet you were so arrogant that you never even considered the possibility of me, not even for a second..."

Covering her mouth, Ishtar revealed a fox-like smile, her face filled with satisfaction. Yet, it was brimming with resentment and dissatisfaction, as if being forgotten were the most capital of all crimes.

"But it is truly rare to see you in such a pathetic state. Come, let me see what kind of delightful expression you will make when you watch your dear friend die before your eyes once again!"

As a goddess, Ishtar had completely suppressed the will of the girl known as Rin Tohsaka, for the girl's soul was still too young and thus unable to resist the goddess.

Beyond the fact that she could not yet fully manifest the power of the Mistress of Venus, this was essentially the arrival of the Ishtar of the Age of Gods.

Even the structure of her body was being unconsciously remodeled, becoming more adapted to immense magical energy, magecraft, and a divine spirit core.

Gilgamesh realized this, but he was powerless to stop it. Seeing this, Ishtar cast another contemptuous smile at his furious face.

"Oh, right, this child is the daughter of your subject, isn't she? How useless. To use the parlance of this country, she is about to become my human pillar. How about it, Gilgamesh? How does it feel to be a King who cannot even protect the child of his own subject? Admit it, you are nothing but a useless mongrel!"

Gilgamesh tried to curse Ishtar, but at this very moment, the hooves of Gugalanna had already descended. Even Gilgamesh had to admit that this loathsome goddess had indeed found a perfect opportunity!

On the battlefield, watching the massive, mountain-like hooves of Gugalanna—the embodiment of the storm—about to crush down, Enkidu, bathed in the gale with his white robes fluttering, wore a grave expression.

If Gilgamesh were here, he could discard his own Saint Graph and, with the help of Li Ke and the earth's mana, transform into the Chains of Heaven capable of binding Gugalanna, allowing Gilgamesh to use his Ea to annihilate the beast!

But at this moment, Gilgamesh had likely fallen into Ishtar's trap and had no time to concern himself with anything here. Worst of all—

"What's wrong? If you cannot satisfy me, I will not let you interfere."

Looking at the woman brandishing her spear before him, Enkidu could not fathom what she was thinking.

"At a time like this, we should be helping our Master together! What are you doing, Scathach!"

"I am merely fulfilling his wishes... Although my arrival did slightly influence his personality, making him more bellicose, his true nature remains unchanged. So, Enkidu, having just been summoned and immersed in the joy of reuniting with an old friend, how could you possibly know our Master's true intentions?"

Scathach did not care at all about the hooves of Gugalanna in the sky, for she was immortal. If it were possible, she would be willing to stop it, but without Li Ke's willingness to assist, it was absolutely impossible.

Thus, her highest priority now was to satisfy what she and her disciple desired to do.

Enkidu had no other choice but to launch an attack. Countless golden points of light emerged from the earth. Since he could not persuade Scathach, he would have to use force to temporarily block Gugalanna and Scathach!

"Trying to activate a Noble Phantasm? How naive!"

Scathach's figure surged forward, but faster still was the spear she threw. Enkidu could clearly see the violent, death-imbued magical energy clinging to the crimson spear—it was his absolute nemesis, which would mean instant death if it so much as grazed him!

"Tch!"

The beauty with long green hair retreated rapidly. Countless golden chains erupted from the golden ripples beneath him, piercing toward the incoming Scathach. However, Scathach arrived before Enkidu before the chains could manifest, thrusting her spear toward his chest!

Under Enkidu's control, the golden chains quickly blocked the path of Scathach's spearhead, deflecting the lethal blow, though it still slammed heavily into his chest. Immediately after, Scathach retrieved the spear she had thrown, which had landed on the ground, and thrust it toward Enkidu's throat!

Enkidu was forced to rapidly command the flowers on the earth to launch a magical assault on Scathach's palms and spear tips. Dozens of beams of light converged on her, buying Enkidu precious time.

Yet, Scathach twisted her body with lightning speed, dodging the golden beams. Some beams even grazed between her full thighs and the deep cleavage of her chest.

Such massive movements could not hinder the spear in her hand in the slightest. With a single mid-air spin, the two spears detached from Enkidu's attacks and defenses like vipers, striking once more at his heart and throat!

Damn it! He couldn't even catch his breath!

Enkidu was forced to summon countless chains from the earth to forcibly withstand the blow. He had completely fallen into Scathach's rhythm; even if he poured all his magical energy into agility, Scathach could easily keep up!

Therefore, he stopped trying to compete in speed. Instead, he quickly wrapped countless chains around his hands and gripped the spears thrust by the Mistress of the Land of Shadows!

"Oh, have you realized it?"

Scathach smiled faintly. To ensure she could derive pleasure from the battle, she had always lowered her own abilities to match her opponent's level. Thus, Enkidu's choice was correct at this moment; as a limited Servant, he should enhance his endurance and magical energy to seek out openings and changes, rather than engaging in a high-speed duel.

"But do you have the time?"

While the two fought, Gugalanna's hooves had shattered the clouds and reached an altitude of less than a thousand meters above them. In less than three seconds, they would trample everything beneath them!

And with Enkidu blocked by her, he had no way to release his Noble Phantasm!

Watching the giant hooves in the sky, Scathach could not help but think of the disciple she had once been most proud of.

"Speaking of which, Cú Chulainn met his end because of a bull, didn't he? So, what about my disciple, who harbors the same longing for me and the same thirst for battle in his heart?"

She was curious, and because of Li Ke's own desire, she did not intervene to help.

The atmosphere was compressed, and every person in Fuyuki City found themselves unable to speak. They could not comprehend why a bull had appeared in the sky, nor why its hooves were as large as a mountain.

Yet, everyone knew that they would not survive this.

At such a moment, whether they were weak children, the elderly, or adults, they could not emit a single sound. Even if they opened their mouths wide, no noise would emerge.

This was the silence before death.

Deep within the shroud of black mud, countless malices were frantically eroding Li Ke, attempting to seize his body and ignite his demonic power.

Wrath: the anger at Scathach's refusal to help, the anger at Enkidu's uselessness, the anger at his own weakness...

Lust: every movement of Scathach, the adorable Rin Tohsaka and her still-charming mother...

Sloth: the unwillingness to train and the anger that stemmed from it.

Countless desires and negative emotions swirled together. Li Ke heard the evaluations, rebukes, resentments, and complaints of countless people directed at him. It was as if the entire world was accusing him, deeming him the root of all evil.

Yet, there was one thing Li Ke could not understand.

"Is this all? Mere self-pity and something akin to bullying, and you dare to call yourself All the World's Evils?!"

All the World's Evils, intending to incite Li Ke's various desires and negative emotions, had succeeded.

But it had also failed.

"And everyone hates me and blames me? That's perfect! It means they are powerless against me. Aside from envying me, hating me, and fearing me, they have no other options. And since everyone is hostile toward me, it means—"

In the darkness, Li Ke revealed a smile.

"I can act without restraint and do whatever I please!"

Under the weight of these surging desires, the power of All the World's Evils was completely absorbed by the 'evil' side of Li Ke, yet it could not influence his judgment in the slightest.

Because in Li Ke's own consciousness, whether it was committing evil or doing good, it was simply what he, Li Ke, wanted to do. The opinions and thoughts of others were utterly meaningless!

The beastly side of human nature began to manifest!

The power of All the World's Evils, the fear of those around him, and the magical energy and life force from the atmosphere and the planet poured into his body incessantly. Those Beasts holding the authority of 'Sin' were also drawn into his body—either by his call or, more accurately, by his kidnapping—and their authorities naturally became his own!

The first to be activated was the Principle of Comparison, representing Envy!

People constantly compare themselves or others; this comparison breeds both the drive to strive and profound jealousy and arrogance. Therefore, once in a state of comparison, Li Ke, as a Beast, could be absolutely stronger than his opponent!

Thus, watching the Gugalanna about to bring down its hooves, Li Ke, with his demonic power fully activated, revealed a wicked, ferocious grin.

"A mere beast, even if you represent the divine authority of the heavens, how dare you stand above my head?!"

Terrifying magical energy rapidly condensed onto the spear in Li Ke's hand. During the condensation process, the speed of this energy caused a dull roar that was beyond the range of human hearing!

There were no flourishes, nor was there any need for Noble Phantasms or the like; it was simply a plain, unadorned spear throw!

"Fall! And become my sustenance!"

The magical energy accumulated by the Holy Grail over decades, the power of All the World's Evils, and the emotional energy he had naturally absorbed were all converged by Li Ke into this single strike!

At the same time, Ishtar, occupying the body of a young girl, looked at the descending bull hoof and laughed heartily.

"Gilgamesh! Look! This is the second death of your dearest friend! And the beginning of the end for the humanity you love so much!"

Her face was filled with a wild, arrogant smile, but just as she thought victory was within her grasp—

Gugalanna let out a shrill cry.

The spear, wrapped in purple-black power, instantly pierced its massive hoof, continuously ravaging its body. Wherever the spear passed, the authority and power of the Beasts decomposed the destroyed areas into vast amounts of magical energy.

The hoof and bone formed from magical energy shattered inch by inch. That body, capable of destroying a civilization and sowing ruin upon the sky, was useless in the face of this power fueled by human desire and longing. Amidst the screams echoing through the heavens, it began to disintegrate!

That body, brimming with power and representing a natural disaster, could not resist this absolute attack. But to the eyes of those watching from a dozen kilometers away, it was a bolt of black light piercing through the heavens that instantly transfixed the massive bull's hoof and skull!

Gugalanna collapsed, its enormous body beginning to crumble, turning into raw magical energy that surged toward Li Ke.

Ishtar had been laughing as she watched the scene of Gugalanna's collapse, and the smile on her face, quite naturally...

Vanished.