"Clang!"
A clear, bell-like sound rang out as the Sword of the War God, flashing like a bolt of lightning, was stopped mid-swing by a glowing, blade-like hand.
Enkidu had transformed his limbs into weapons, forcibly halting Altera's slash. Blade and palm clashed, the friction between them unleashing a shower of sparks.
"Blocked it?"
Altera watched the scene, murmuring without joy or sorrow.
"Of course." Enkidu gazed through the spray of sparks at Altera, his tone like a sneer. "My arms and legs are the sharpest weapons, not inferior to any Noble Phantasm. This is the form of the new humanity—burn it into your eyes, defective remnant of the old."
As he spoke, Enkidu raised his other hand, forming a radiant blade and slashing it toward Altera.
Altera showed no emotion. She merely tilted her head slightly, effortlessly dodging the strike.
But in that moment, Enkidu did not retreat—he advanced.
Both his arms became blades slicing through air, and his legs, like whips and hammers, crashed through the atmosphere. His entire being became a storm of swords, spears, and axes, launching a relentless assault against Altera.
Altera did not flinch in the slightest. She raised the Sword of the War God and countered.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang——!"
In an instant, the King of Destruction and the Divine Weapon unleashed their violence upon one another. The tricolor blade of the War God and Enkidu's glittering limbs clashed repeatedly, unleashing a barrage of ringing steel.
In the blink of an eye, blades flashed, sparks flew, and each collision sent chaotic air currents blasting outward, shaking the atmosphere and cracking the earth. The ground trembled, fractures radiating like spiderwebs.
In mere moments, they had already exchanged countless blows.
And then—the outcome was decided.
"Bang!"
With a shattering sound, the Sword of the War God, slicing down like a bolt of lightning, shattered the light surrounding one of Enkidu's hands. The radiant blade vanished.
"What?"
Enkidu's eyes widened slightly.
"Is that all?"
Altera's cold voice echoed.
"Indeed, as a weapon, your specs are high. But if that's all, then I can still destroy you."
As the words fell, the Sword of the War God transformed again—multiple arcs of cutting light flashed like rainbows, like lightning, slashing toward Enkidu.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...!"
The strikes were blocked by chains bursting from golden ripples, but the resulting shockwaves exploded like blasts.
In the gale-force winds of that clash, Altera and Enkidu were finally forced apart.
But the difference was clear: Altera stood tall and undamaged—Enkidu, by contrast, was visibly disheveled.
"Who... are you!?"
Enkidu's face twitched with frustration.
He had paid special attention to Altera before this. The aura she emitted had genuinely made him wary—but he hadn't expected this white-haired swordswoman to possess the power to damage his limbs.
He was a divine construct—a living Noble Phantasm with will, a weapon created by the gods themselves. Not even Gilgamesh had managed to break him. Not even Gugalanna, the most powerful divine beast of Mesopotamia, the Heavenly Bull, could crush his body.
He was said to be the most perfect and indestructible being on earth.
Yet Altera had not only overpowered him—she demonstrated the power to destroy him.
It shook Enkidu to the core.
But how could he have known—?
"There is nothing in this world that I cannot destroy."
Altera declared coldly.
"Not even civilization. Not even the world."
With those words, she raised the Sword of the War God.
From the blade, a dreadful force of annihilation surged and pulsed.
"...!"
In that instant, Enkidu felt a shock race through his entire body—an electric chill surged through his spine.
Danger! Danger! Danger! Danger! Danger...!
His instincts as a divine weapon screamed in agony, shrieking warnings that pierced his mind.
Every cell in his body cried out the same thing: this power would destroy him in an instant.
This white-haired swordswoman—was the most terrifying monster in existence.
"Why is a monster like this... in Chaldea!?"
Enkidu's breath grew ragged.
And then—
"Give it up. You'd never understand, faker."
Rozen stepped forward calmly, arriving at Altera's side. At his flank stood Mash, raising her shield in readiness.
Rozen looked upon Enkidu with cold indifference. There was not even the slightest trace of regret from having been "betrayed."
Enkidu understood immediately.
"So you saw through me from the beginning?"
He said in a low voice.
Rozen did not deny it.
After all—
"There were too many inconsistencies," Rozen said. "Your knowledge of Chaldea and the Human Order Incineration far exceeds what a regular observer could know. Unless you could literally see the future, there's no way you'd be that informed."
Unless… the individual had known about Chaldea and the Human Order Incineration from the beginning.
In other words, this person was aligned with Chaldea's enemies, an accomplice of the King of Mages, who orchestrated the incineration of humanity.
And there was more—
"You made a slip-up," Rozen said, eyes fixed on Enkidu, smirking. "When talking about Ishtar, you said she once caused your death. But if you're truly Enkidu, and you're alive right now, why would you say she made you die 'once'?"
That was a contradiction.
Because this Enkidu wasn't a Servant, but a native of Mesopotamia, living during this era.
If this truly was a time when Enkidu was alive, he wouldn't have known about his future death at Ishtar's hands—or speak of it in the past tense.
"Don't try feeding me more nonsense about astrology or foresight. If you really knew your future, and you still came alone to face someone who would steal your life and drain your essence—then that's not bravery. That's stupidity."
Rozen said flatly.
"So you're not Enkidu. The real Enkidu is likely dead. And this era… it's the time when Gilgamesh, having abandoned the pursuit of immortality, returned to Uruk as a wise king, and dedicated himself to rebuilding the nation. Otherwise, the pre-enlightenment Gilgamesh could never have led Uruk to withstand the Three Goddess Alliance for half a year."
So if this "Enkidu" wasn't a fake—what else could he be?
"I see..." Enkidu gave a cold, furious laugh. "If you knew I was a fake, then why didn't you expose me? Why help me take on Ishtar?"
"Simple—" Rozen replied casually, "—to test you."
"Since I already knew you were a fake, I wasn't about to accept everything you told me at face value. Things like the Three Goddess Alliance—I needed to verify those for myself. Originally, I was going to squeeze more intel out of you… but you lost your cool way too fast."
At that, Enkidu's face twisted—visibly furious and humiliated.