Summary:
Roy and the others defeated Ishtar and made her cry out of embarrassment after a misunderstanding about a stolen treasure which turned out not to be Gugalanna, but the Holy Grail. The gods, including Anu and Enki, discussed Ishtar's reckless actions and the emergence of Roy, whom they believed might change Mesopotamia's fate. After that, Roy and his group arrived in Uruk. Karna left on his own to investigate something, while the rest headed to Gilgamesh's tower. There, they met Gilgamesh, who immediately tested them with a surprise attack to assess their strength and worthiness as allies.
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Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!!
The piercing, crisp sound of something cutting through the air echoed through the divine tower of Uruk. The golden king cast a cold, indifferent gaze downward at Ritsuka and the others, who were struggling to fend off his attacks.
"Silence, you fools from Chaldea. Words are weak and meaningless. If you truly wish to stand beside me in battle, then prove it with your strength!!"
Without giving Ritsuka or Mash any chance to retort, Gilgamesh shot them a chilling look. With one hand, he opened the massive clay tablet book, while the other hand continued its relentless motion.
As he channeled more magical energy, more golden gates appeared behind him, their numbers increasing rapidly, soon covering half of the tower's space.
A more intense onslaught then swept towards them.
"Ana, go help Ritsuka and the others." Merlin whispered to Ana beside him, noticing that Mash and Ritsuka were helpless against Gilgamesh's relentless assault.
Though it was clear the king was testing them, he seemed to be taking it a bit too far.
Not only was he carrying Enkidu's body on his back, but this kind of situation wasn't suitable for him to intervene directly.
"Understood..."
For once, Ana didn't refuse Merlin's suggestion. She adjusted her hood slightly and immediately sprang into action.
Her small figure darted swiftly between the thrones, maneuvering agilely. She quickly flanked Gilgamesh from the right side of the throne.
At the same time, she gripped the end of the chain tightly with both hands, spinning it rapidly in the air, and swung the massive scythe towards Gilgamesh's position.
Swoosh!!
The sharp sound of the scythe cutting through the air caught Gilgamesh's attention.
"Oh? Another Servant joining the fray?"
He tilted his head slightly, spotting the enormous scythe hurtling towards him. Gilgamesh smirked, unfazed.
First, he raised his right hand, continuing to control the numerous golden gates, still targeting Mash's massive round shield, unleashing a barrage of weapons to keep her pinned down. With his other hand free, he dealt with the new challenger, the little girl who had just entered the battlefield.
Clang!!
The clash of metal produced a deafening noise. Facing this sudden, ferocious attack, Gilgamesh produced a golden battle-axe from somewhere and steadily blocked the scythe coming at him from mid-air.
"How is this possible?!!"
Ana's eyes widened in disbelief as her surprise attack was so effortlessly parried by Gilgamesh.
In response, Gilgamesh merely scoffed.
"Is that all you've got? It seems you all just sat back and let others handle the fake, didn't you?"
After this brief skirmish, Gilgamesh had already gauged the capabilities of Ritsuka, Mash, and Ana.
Their strength was adequate, but they were still too naive. They might handle ordinary demonic beasts with ease, but they weren't ready for the final enemy yet...
The foes they were about to face weren't the mass-produced types outside; they were challenging a god, a true deity...
If they lacked the necessary resolve and preparation, they'd just be throwing their lives away in the upcoming battles.
Well, since he'd tested them enough, this trial should come to an end.
To the astonishment of Ana and Mash, Gilgamesh, wielding his great axe, nimbly leaped forward. With a few agile movements, he closed in on Ana and swung his axe down on her scythe, pinning her firmly in place.
"Be careful, Ana-san!!"
"Thinking of helping her? In your dreams!!"
Mash, seeing Ana in peril, tried to come to her aid, but Gilgamesh's other hand still controlled the gates, using the treasures from his treasury to keep Mash immobilized.
His treasury didn't target individuals but rather a directional area.
If Mash moved away, Ritsuka behind her would be exposed, but as for Ana-san...
"What should I do now?!"
Unable to leave her position, Mash could only watch as Ana was overpowered by Gilgamesh, who then produced a golden rope from one of the gates and bound her tightly, rendering her helpless.
In just a few exchanges, both Ana and Mash, the two Servants, were easily subdued, this was the might of the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.
"So, Roy, what do you think of Gilgamesh's prowess in his prime?"
Merlin, seeing Mash still struggling and Ana captured, didn't rush to assist. Instead, he slipped through the gaps and approached Roy, striking up a conversation.
Roy, in turn, didn't hold back his admiration for Gilgamesh's abilities.
"Incredibly skilled, both in combat awareness and technique. He's on par with the Gilgamesh I've encountered from another world."
Observing Gilgamesh engaged in fierce combat with Mash, Ana, and Ritsuka, neither Roy nor Merlin intervened.
They both understood that Gilgamesh wasn't fighting seriously; he was merely testing Chaldea's Master. Ana, being a Servant without a Master, joining in was acceptable.
However, if they also interfered in this battle, it would be impolite.
Merlin, as a Servant summoned by Gilgamesh, and Roy, as the king of Ur coming to form an alliance with Uruk, had no reason or standing to get involved.
Even though Roy initially wanted to help Ritsuka as her Master.
But King Gilgamesh had preemptively sent him a magical message before starting.
"You from Ur, stay back with Merlin and don't interfere. I intend to test Chaldea's Master."
With that, Roy had no grounds to intervene.
This was Gilgamesh's trial, and for Chaldea to earn his respect, they had to go through it.
Even if Roy helped Ritsuka defeat Gilgamesh, it wouldn't earn the King of Heroes's respect. They had to do it themselves.
However, the glaring disparity in strength made this trial far from fair.
But passing the trial didn't necessarily mean defeating Gilgamesh; as long as they showed their will and strength, and ultimately gained Gilgamesh's approval, that would suffice.
In her predicament, Ritsuka glanced back at the two spectators, wanting to say something.
But seeing Roy subtly shake his head, indicating he wouldn't help, she came to understand and didn't plead for assistance.
Instead, she used support magecraft and teamed up with Mash to resist Gilgamesh's onslaught.
Seeing that Ritsuka, despite being overpowered, didn't ask for Merlin's or Roy's help, Gilgamesh was somewhat surprised.
Not bad...
With Ana out of the picture, just Ritsuka and Mash couldn't hold out for long. After a few more exchanges, they were easily overpowered by Gilgamesh.
"Alright, that's enough. You from Chaldea, your strength is passable for a warm-up, but..."
Gilgamesh surveyed the three Ritsuka, Mash, and Ana bound like dumplings below him. "You're still too weak and lack the necessary resolve. How much do you really understand about Uruk, the Demonic Front, and the Seventh Singularity?"
"Those who can't even grasp the current situation have no right to discuss an alliance with me."
"But..."
Before Ritsuka or Mash could offer any excuses, Gilgamesh firmly escorted all three out.
"Siduri, take them around Uruk first. Let them get a better grasp of this era and Uruk before they start daydreaming."
"If you want my approval, do something in Uruk that impresses me. Whether it's maintaining the people's livelihood or fighting on the Demonic Front, anything goes. As long as you do something I acknowledge, I'll agree to ally with you."
"As you command, my king."
Thus, Siduri led the three away from the divine tower.
Only Roy, Merlin, and Gilgamesh remained in the throne room.
After sending the Chaldea trio away, Gilgamesh didn't return to his throne.
Unlike the still-clueless Chaldea group, these two were genuinely useful allies.
"As for you, magus. King of Ur? That title should be fine, I suppose. I thought you'd plead for those Chaldea folks, asking me to give them another chance to prove themselves."
"I won't, because I know it would be pointless."
Roy understood Gilgamesh's intentions well.
His sudden involvement had made things too easy for Ritsuka.
They'd only seen the enemies but hadn't experienced the terror of Tiamat firsthand.
They also hadn't realized the true significance of the Demonic Front and Uruk. At this point, their understanding of the Seventh Singularity was superficial.
Asking girls who didn't fully grasp the situation to save this singularity would just be sending them to their deaths needlessly.
Before forming an alliance, it was better to let them experience Uruk, step onto the Demonic Front, understand the current state, and then make their decision, that was Gilgamesh's plan.
Roy agreed with this approach.
"Hmph, so you're a smart one too, with decent judgment..."
Gilgamesh nodded, acknowledging Roy's insight.
He then slowly approached Merlin and lifted the white cloth covering Enkidu. Upon seeing what was beneath, his expression vanished, and he fell into silence.
"..."
Seeing Gilgamesh stand there silently, neither Merlin nor Roy spoke, simply standing beside him, waiting for him to emerge from his grief.
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