At this time, in the divine tower of Uruk, inside the royal chamber, Gilgamesh had already left his throne and stepped onto the observation platform, gazing at the sky outside with an expression of grave solemnity.
"My King?"
Siduri followed at his side, her eyes filled with unease and confusion as she looked at him.
Just moments before, Gilgamesh had been handling affairs as usual.
But suddenly, his expression changed, his face growing grim. He ignored all reports and astonished voices, leaving the throne without a word and coming here to gaze silently at the heavens.
Though Gilgamesh said nothing, Siduri knew him well enough to recognize what this meant. His silence itself was proof of how heavy his heart had become.
Siduri understood—the king must have sensed something to make him act this way.
And indeed, that was the truth.
"The True Ether of the atmosphere has shifted. Space itself is quaking. All Mesopotamia trembles as if crying out in lament, and even the era itself wavers. It seems an extraordinary phenomenon has come to pass."
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes as he muttered these words.
"An extraordinary phenomenon…?"
Siduri's fair face paled slightly.
For something to be deemed "extraordinary" by Gilgamesh, it could never be a trivial matter.
In the past—even when the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna, descended and brought flood and devastation that nearly wiped out mankind—the King had not described it in such terms.
Even when the Three Goddess Alliance appeared and demonic beasts ravaged the land, Gilgamesh's expression had scarcely changed.
But now…
Siduri grew tense all at once.
"Shall I dispatch men to investigate, my king?"
Her face taut, Siduri asked.
Gilgamesh began to reply, but then suddenly seemed to sense something. He shook his head and spoke instead.
"No need. The ones bearing the intelligence have already returned."
No sooner had he said this than the space within the royal chamber rippled.
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
With the sound of rending air, the wavering space revealed several figures appearing within the chamber.
Siduri started in surprise, then broke into relief and joy.
For she recognized them all.
"Lord Rozen! And everyone else!"
It was Rozen and his companions.
Yet Rozen appeared kneeling on one knee, one hand clutching his head, the other pulling up his sleeve—revealing a Magic Crest so complex its structure could scarcely be discerned, like both a star map and a labyrinth, glowing faintly in the air.
The luminescence flickered, gradually fading away.
And as it dimmed, the spatial ripples receded.
Clearly, once he had decided to return to Uruk, Rozen wasted not a second—using Cleansing to perform a spatial transfer that brought everyone back.
"King Gilgamesh!"
Mash supported Rozen as she looked up at the King.
The gathered Servants also turned their eyes toward him—each face grave, each mood heavy.
Seeing this, Gilgamesh raised a brow.
"It seems something grave indeed has occurred."
He glanced at Rozen, kneeling and wincing in discomfort, then swept his gaze across all present before asking a single question:
"Where is Merlin?"
At those words, silence fell.
"…Ah."
Siduri seemed to understand, and said no more.
"…I see."
Gilgamesh too understood. After a brief silence, he raised his head as if nothing had transpired.
"Report."
The simple command pressed down on the entire chamber, thickening the atmosphere.
Mash looked at the others, then drew a deep breath and began recounting everything to Gilgamesh.
…
"Evils of Humanity… is it?"
Back upon his throne, Gilgamesh murmured the term, his expression growing darker still.
Everyone in the hall watched him, hearts rising with unease.
At last, it was Nobunaga, ever impatient, who broke the silence.
"What is that so-called Evils of Humanity, anyway?"
She gave voice to the question that was on everyone's mind.
What were the Evils of Humanity?
What was this so-called Beast?
Almost none present truly understood what the words meant, and so frustration gnawed at them as they stood helpless.
Only Gilgamesh gave a small, amused smile.
"What, so you truly do not know? I had thought you, of all people, would understand. After all, the summoning of Heroic Spirits exists precisely to combat such beings."
At his words, everyone froze.
The summoning of Heroic Spirits… exists to combat them?
What did that mean?
As they were still reeling in confusion, another voice spoke up.
"As is well-known, the descent ritual known as Heroic Spirit Summoning was created as a decisive magecraft to save the world of mankind. Its true purpose was the extermination of great calamities that obstruct the progress of humanity. Only for the sake of convenience did humanity degrade it, reshaping it into systems like the Holy Grail War or Fate-style summoning."
Kneeling on the floor, Rozen raised his head, forcing himself upright as he spoke quietly.
"The mission of the seven Grand Servants—those chosen by the world to stand at the pinnacle of the seven standard classes—is to combat such great calamities. And those calamities… must be what you call the Evils of Humanity."
At once, Rozen's words drew everyone's attention.
"You're sure you're alright?"
Jeanne [Alter] called out immediately.
"Don't push yourself."
Artoria [Alter] added a quiet admonition.
Even Hassan of Serenity and Ryougi Shiki turned their eyes toward him—one filled with concern, the other with inquiry.
But Rozen only shook his head.
Though his mind was still somewhat clouded, he had cut off his Mind's Eye from observing the black sea. He was already recovering.
And so he looked straight at Gilgamesh, hoping for the answer he sought.
Gilgamesh, who had been watching him all along, did not conceal it.
"As the words suggest, they are humanity's stain. Humanity's sin. The disasters that bring about mankind's destruction."
"They are the sediment accumulated through human history—the original sin of mankind. The more humanity develops, the stronger they become, like cancer cells eroding society from within the planet itself. So long as humanity exists, they will never vanish."
"They and Heroic Spirit Summoning are like two sides of the same coin—humanity's self-destructive impulse and its safeguard. Born from mankind, they must be destroyed by mankind."
"That is what they are—Evils of Humanity."