With Gilgamesh.
Currently, within the dimensional barrier, a rather surprising encounter was taking place.
Gilgamesh stood on one side, and as he looked forward, he recognized who it was.
Cao Cao, the descendant of the Cao Cao of the Three Kingdoms and wielder of the [True Longinus].
Gilgamesh couldn't help but be surprised by the encounter. He thought he would only meet the Hero Faction in the fourth season, not now.
But it seemed Cao Cao had other plans.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, King of Heroes Gilgamesh," said Cao Cao, smiling as he rested a spear on his shoulder.
It was an ornate spear with a dark blue shaft, longer than ordinary spears. It featured golden metal decorations shaped like arrowheads, spiraling in a double-helix pattern. The decorations ended at the top of the spear's shaft, which had a white circle, completely empty, filled partially by a cross. There was a small silver stub with four protrusions, two on the left and two on the right. The spear's tip was silver and, like the shaft, longer than other types of spears.
That was the [True Longinus], the first and strongest of the thirteen Longinus, the one that named all the others.
"Yes, pleasure to meet you. Nice spear you've got there," said Gilgamesh, smiling as he used his [Unlimited Weapons Works] to analyze the holy spear.
When Gilgamesh acquired his [Unlimited Weapons Works], he wondered if he could create copies of Sacred Gears.
Gilgamesh could indeed create copies of Sacred Gears with physical forms, but they wouldn't function.
Sacred Gears were not designed to grant their wielders powerful abilities; in fact, they were entirely incapable of doing so. The true purpose of Sacred Gears was to serve as vessels. They were designed to contain the powers and souls of powerful beings, from an all-powerful dragon to a tiny fairy, imprisoning them within their shell. The abilities they were famous for granting were merely a consequence, nothing more than a side effect of housing these beings.
For example, the [Boosted Gear] with Ddraig—if the Heavenly Dragon weren't sealed within it, the Sacred Gear would be nothing more than a useless gauntlet.
The same applied to the [Regulus Nemea]. Gilgamesh might be able to copy Regulus's axe, but it wouldn't have its abilities because Regulus granted those to the Sacred Gear.
But that didn't mean it was impossible. Gilgamesh was capable of creating vessels, so he only needed the necessary souls to seal within them to grant them power.
However, the [True Longinus] was somewhat special. It was the spear that pierced Christ while he lay on the cross, blessed by his blood, becoming a holy weapon reinforced by the power of the Biblical God residing within the Longinus.
Gilgamesh could create a copy of the [True Longinus] with the same abilities as the original, but the difference was that Gilgamesh's version couldn't achieve Balance Breaker or the [True Idea]. Even so, its power would still be effective against dark beings.
Cao Cao smiled at Gilgamesh's remark.
"Yes. My name is Cao Cao, descendant of the original Cao Cao, the Warlord of the Three Kingdoms Era. I am the Leader of the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade and possessor of the Supreme Longinus, the strongest of the Thirteen Longinus, the [True Longinus]," said Cao Cao, smiling.
"So, what does the wielder of the [True Longinus] want with me?" asked Gilgamesh, though he already knew the answer.
"My comrades and I want to talk to you," said Cao Cao, smiling.
Then the mist around him cleared slightly, revealing five other people.
The first to emerge from the mist to Cao Cao's right was a young man with black hair and glasses. Like Cao Cao, he wore a combination of a Japanese school uniform (specifically, the gakuran worn by Japanese students in the fall) and a mage-style robe over his uniform with a feathered cape.
Gilgamesh recognized him as Georg, the sub-leader of the Hero Faction and possessor of the Longinus: [Dimension Lost]. He was a descendant of Johann Georg Faust, the man who made a pact with the legendary Devil, Mephisto Pheles.
Next to Georg came a two-meter-tall man with a well-built body and shoulder-length gray hair. He wore what appeared to be a Japanese school uniform (specifically, the gakuran typically worn by Japanese students in the fall), covered by what could be Greek-inspired armor.
This was Heracles, a member of the Hero Faction, carrying the spirit of the mythological Greek hero Hercules, as well as the user of the Sacred Gear [Variant Detonation].
Next to Heracles appeared a short, dark-skinned boy with grayish-blue hair and purple eyes. Like other members of the Hero Faction, he wore a gakuran with a long coat over it.
This was Leonardo, a member of the Hero Faction and wielder of one of the high-tier Longinus, the [Annihilation Maker].
On Cao Cao's left, two people appeared whom Gilgamesh recognized.
The first was a handsome young man with silver-white hair and red eyes. Like other members of the Hero Faction, he wore a gakuran, and over it, a priest-like coat similar to Freed Sellzen's. He also wore a belt that held his five Demonic Swords and one Light Sword, wrapped around his waist and legs, forming a sword skirt.
This was Siegfried, the descendant of the hero Siegfried and a member of the Hero Faction, wielder of the strongest Demonic Sword, Gram, and considered a swordsman on par with Arthur, also known as "Chaos Edge Sieg."
Next to Siegfried appeared a beautiful foreign young woman with blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. She wore a gakuran with armor over it.
This was Jeanne, a member of the Hero Faction. She carried the spirit of the Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc, and wielded the Sacred Gear [Blade Blacksmith].
Gilgamesh's eyes saddened upon seeing the last two, who were great friends of his.
When Gilgamesh worked with the Church, he led a team consisting of himself, Siegfried, and Jeanne.
They undertook the Church's most dangerous missions, from exterminating demons and evil beings to search and rescue operations.
Gilgamesh fought and worked alongside them for a long time, so he couldn't help but approach them.
Siegfried was like a troublesome friend who always got into messes that Gilgamesh had to pull him out of. He would always charge at opponents without care, only to end up being saved by Gilgamesh.
Jeanne was the opposite; she always listened to Gilgamesh and stayed close to him. Gilgamesh knew this was because she had a crush on him.
The three trained together, fought together, and shared joys and sorrows. Gilgamesh had even trained them, making them far stronger than they originally were.
Both had left the Church before Gilgamesh; in fact, they had been excommunicated.
Siegfried and Jeanne had discovered the death of God and were expelled from the Church.
Gilgamesh was furious with the Church and tried everything to find his friends, but they had already left.
It took the combined efforts of the Four Great Seraphs, Enkidu, and Sebas to restrain Gilgamesh's rage, which was one step away from summoning Ea and destroying everything.
This was one of the main reasons Gilgamesh left the Church.
And now here they were, with the Hero Faction. Gilgamesh knew they would meet again, but he didn't want it to be like this.
Siegfried gave Gilgamesh a look full of battle lust, similar to Heracles's.
Siegfried had always made it clear that his desire was to fight and defeat Gilgamesh one day.
Jeanne had a look of longing and sadness, as well as love in her eyes.
Cao Cao had the same confident look, and Georg had an indifferent expression.
But the look that most surprised Gilgamesh was Leonardo's.
The boy's gaze was completely emotionless, as if he were nothing more than a puppet.
"It's been a long time, Gilgamesh," said Siegfried with a small smile.
"It's been a long time, Gil," said Jeanne with a smile and a slight blush on her face.
"Siegfried, Jeanne, it's been a while," said Gilgamesh with a serious look.
Cao Cao then gave a smile and drew Gilgamesh's attention.
"After so long, an emotional reunion," said Cao Cao, smiling.
"So you're the famous Paladin, huh? You don't seem like much. You're much weaker than I imagined you'd be," said Heracles, grinning.
Gilgamesh simply narrowed his eyes at him.
"And who are you?"
"I think we should introduce ourselves," said Georg to Heracles.
"Very well. My name is Hercules, descendant of the mighty Greek hero Hercules and the Greek god Zeus," said the man, grinning with battle lust.
Georg, beside him, sighed.
"My name is Georg, descendant of the legendary mage Johann Georg Faust. And this is…"
"…my name is Leonardo, possessor of the high-tier Longinus [Annihilation Maker]," said Leonardo.
Georg was surprised by what he heard from Leonardo and then looked at Gilgamesh with a marveling expression.
"Leonardo doesn't usually respond when others speak to him."
Georg then noticed that Gilgamesh was narrowing his eyes at Leonardo with a slightly furrowed brow.
"That boy is more emotionless than Koneko, but the reason for it and something emanating from his body is completely different from his Sacred Gear…"
Gilgamesh then gritted his teeth with an angry expression.
"Why involve a child in this?" asked Gilgamesh, irritated.
Georg adjusted his glasses and responded.
"Why not? It would be a shame if a high-tier Longinus like his wasn't being used properly, at least that's how Cao Cao explained it. Though, he wouldn't join us voluntarily…"
"You brainwashed him?" shouted Gilgamesh angrily as an oppressive golden aura emanated from his body, surprising everyone.
Everyone's attention turned to Cao Cao, who slammed his Holy Spear into the ground, generating a wave of holy energy.
"We didn't come here to talk about that, but about you, King of Heroes," said Cao Cao as if he didn't care.
"I hope you have a good reason for bringing me here," said Gilgamesh, irritated.
Cao Cao laughed.
"Yes, we do, but I must admit I was surprised to see Arthur Pendragon by your side. It seems you've found a powerful ally," said Cao Cao, laughing.
"Well, you didn't save him, but I did. So, what do you want?" asked Gilgamesh.
"We came here to invite you to join our Faction, the Hero Faction. You must understand our desire. Angels, demons, dragons, and gods—it's humans who defeat these beings. No, it's they who must defeat these beings. Our desire is to see how far we can go in the supernatural world as humans, to defeat the supernatural and prove human supremacy," explained Cao Cao.
"So, will you join us?" asked Cao Cao.
"No," said Gilgamesh, shocking them.
"W-What are you talking about, Gilgamesh? You've always defended humans," said Siegfried, surprised.
"Don't get me wrong, I like your ideals," said Gilgamesh, laughing.
"Then… why do you defy us?" asked Cao Cao.
"Because you're nothing but a hypocrite who thinks only you can decide what's best for humanity. How can I not laugh at such a thing? And I know many of them have been brainwashed by some magic. How would they feel when the magic is broken and they see behind the veil?" asked Gilgamesh.
"That will be irrelevant once they see how the world is better without inhuman creatures. Peace can finally come," said Cao Cao.
"Peace… huh? A man with hands covered in blood can say such things?" said Gilgamesh.
"Silence! Cao Cao will bring humanity to its rightful place," said Heracles, enraged.
"Humanity is weak. We are very weak, not blessed with long lives or even happy ones. But deluding yourself into thinking you're strong and killing those who only wish to live in peace… that's not justice, that's not strength…" said Gilgamesh.
"That's simply an old human weakness… lashing out… like a petulant child who didn't get candy at the store. And that's what you are, a spoiled child who got a new toy and wants to test it," said Gilgamesh.
Cao Cao's expression could only be described as pure rage as his Longinus glowed with holy energy.
Cao Cao took a deep breath, containing his anger, but the fury was still visible in his eyes.
"So that's your answer," said Cao Cao before pointing his Longinus at Gilgamesh.
"We are the vanguard of humanity, and you, a traitorous hero. So, we must judge you for crimes against humanity and association with inhuman beings. You must be executed as an example. Humanity must be preserved, and your death will serve as a warning to traitors," said Cao Cao. "We must make you atone for your sins."
Gilgamesh, who was watching, simply laughed while running his hand through his hair.
"Atone for my sins? I have no sins to atone for, nor have I ever forced such a meaningless concept on anyone. Let's do this then… the so-called heroes of humanity. I'll show you how high the price is for pretending to be heroes just to commit murders. I'll bring the full weight of the power of 'Humanity' and break you all," said Gilgamesh as his golden aura emerged from his body for battle.
---
Then the battle began.
The first to move was Heracles, who caused a massive orange aura to erupt from his body, representing his Sacred Gear [Variant Detonation].
"Entertain me, Sekiryuutei!" shouted Heracles before charging at Gilgamesh.
Heracles advanced toward Gilgamesh with surprising speed, especially for someone of his size, easily surpassing Kiba's speed.
Each of Heracles's steps caused explosions on the ground due to his aura and power.
The Sacred Gear [Variant Detonation] allowed its user to create an aura capable of exploding anything it touched.
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