A Few Days Later.
A few days had passed since the battle between Gilgamesh and Sirzechs, and after the fight, the Crimson Maou had been taken to the infirmary to tend to corroborated by the fact that he was defeated by Gilgamesh when he activated his Balance Breaker, an image that still lingered in everyone's minds and would be remembered until the end of time.
After that, Gilgamesh had returned to his friends, and they talked for a while longer before Gilgamesh had no interest in staying longer, despite Ajuka, Azazel, and the other Maous wanting the King of Heroes to remain for a bit more.
After speaking with Odin and Rossweisse one last time, Gilgamesh had said his goodbyes, not before hearing that Odin would visit him later.
And so, Gilgamesh's vacation in the Underworld came to an end, which the King of Heroes found very exhausting.
Though he admitted that the battle against Sirzechs had been very interesting.
And so, everything returned to normal for the members of the Avalon Faction.
Arthur and Xenovia resumed training with Arturia and Mordred while improving their swordsmanship skills.
Karna continued to help Valerie with her sacred flames, Merlin trained Le Fay and Asia in the use of magic, while Enkidu gave tips to Leonardo on using his Sacred Gear.
Achilles and Tiamat began training daily to improve their skills, Fenrir continued to spend his days resting, and Sebas took care of the household.
As for Gilgamesh, he trained more intensely to gain greater control over his Balance Breaker, admitting that even using it briefly was exhausting.
Sighing tiredly after another training session, Gilgamesh entered his room and sat on his bed.
After the fight against Sirzechs, the King of Heroes had realized that he had completed a secret Quest by defeating Sirzechs.
However, he hadn't had time to check his abilities yet.
Opening his mission list, Gilgamesh accessed the one he had just completed.
**[Title: Hero vs. Maou]**
- **Description**: Defeat the Demon Lord Sirzechs Lucifer.
- **Rewards**: 10,000 Exp, 10,000,000 Gold, Longinuslanze Testament, Domain Expansion.
Gilgamesh's eyes widened when he saw the rewards he had earned, especially for obtaining that spear.
In an instant, Gilgamesh accepted his rewards.
**[You have obtained "10,000 Exp"]**
**[You have obtained "10,000,000 Gold"]**
**[You have obtained the "Longinuslanze Testament"]**
**[You have obtained the Ability "Domain Expansion"]**
Receiving the rewards, Gilgamesh quickly opened their descriptions.
**[Name: Longinuslanze Testament]**
- **Rarity**: Ultra Rare.
- **Description**: Longinuslanze Testament is the Sacred Relic that belonged to Reinhard Heydrich from Dies Irae.
Supposedly the same mythical spear that pierced the side of Christ Himself, the so-called Spear of Longinus is truly an unparalleled Holy Relic like no other. A mythical weapon dating back to antiquity, forged by the first blacksmith, Tubalcain. A weapon of such caliber must be wielded by an equally great existence. As such, no mere mortal can hope to even touch the spear without invoking divine punishment upon themselves. Only the greatest of sovereigns, with the utmost dominion, the soul of a conqueror, and the dignity of a king can have the authority to command this Holy Spear.
- **Abilities**: As the spear itself chose its wielder, it has the basic function of destroying the body, mind, and soul of any being not recognized as its current master who attempts to hold it. Attempting to replicate the Holy Spear would also bring a divine curse.
Being the pinnacle of Sacred Relics, the power this spear possesses is obviously unmatched by any other. By merely pointing the spear's tip at enemies, it is capable of incinerating and vaporizing them.
A God-destroying spear capable of unleashing a wave of "Golden Light of Destruction," sweeping away the Creation of Creation and the Order of an Ancient Era upon contact, as if a light signaled the arrival of a new World. No one can resist the power of such a mighty spear.
Furthermore, the spear also possesses the characteristics of Reinhard's three Commanders: moving as fast as Schreiber, allowing it to always be faster than its enemy; killing everything in a single blow like Machina; and never missing its target like Eleonore.
Transcending the very concept of space and distance, crossing even dimensional boundaries. No realm is safe, for there is no place this spear cannot reach.
The spear can also bestow a stigma upon those harmed by it, marking their souls as a sacrifice and forcing them to eternally serve the spear's owner.
A Sacred Relic with the highest density of soul, eternally immutable and completely unalterable, the very universe in the form of a Golden Spear. Truly an all-powerful relic.
Gilgamesh stared with wide eyes, his gaze gleaming with the childlike joy of a kid who got a new toy.
To think he would gain precisely this weapon, a weapon Gilgamesh considered as overpowered as Ea.
The pinnacle of Sacred Relics, the Holy Spear of Destiny, said to grant its wielder the right to command the entire universe.
A spear that essentially refuses to be held or used by anyone other than the most charismatic man in the universe.
Deciding to summon his new spear, Gilgamesh extended his right hand.
A pure white energy emerged in Gilgamesh's hand, an aura emanating an unmatched amount of holy energy, illuminating the entire room.
When the glow faded, a spear floated for a few moments.
Its design was incomparably beautiful; the spear's shaft was coiled and entirely made of gold. Its rear part consisted of an isosceles triangle-shaped blade with a cross, featuring two small handguards between it and the shaft. The main part of the spear, the front tip, had a slightly elongated double-edged blade. It was red with a golden line in the middle and some golden details. Near where the blade's handle would be, there was a cross, and a little further down, there were two handguards.
Without hesitation, Gilgamesh grasped the spear with his right hand.
The King of Heroes' eyes widened as he felt a strange energy coursing through his being, but he didn't resist it, knowing what it was.
The spear was testing him.
After a few moments, the light faded, and the Spear of Destiny relaxed in Gilgamesh's hand, recognizing him as its master.
Sighing, Gilgamesh opened his [Gate of Babylon], and the Spear of Destiny was stored in his vault, in a special place beside Ea.
Gilgamesh quickly moved on to his next ability.
**[Name: Domain Expansion]**
- **MP Cost**: Varies.
- **Rarity**: Super Rare.
- **Level**: 01.
- **Type**: Active.
- **Description**: Domain Expansion is an advanced barrier technique that manifests the user's innate domain and traps their target within it using a barrier wall to create a separate space.
A domain is a metaphysical territory that exists within the mind of its creator. Domains can only be manifested using large amounts of cursed energy. This can alter entire areas to the user's domain.
Domain Expansion is a barrier technique that constructs a tangible real environment using cursed energy that reflects the user's innate domain.
Using a barrier technique to create a separate space, the user can manifest their innate domain with cursed energy and trap their target inside it. The domain is incorporated into the user's innate technique to complete its formation. Once inside, the user is greatly amplified, and any deployed attack is a guaranteed hit. Using a hand sign or another type of unique signal for the technique is one of the requirements to activate it. Manifesting an innate domain with cursed energy requires a lot of power, and erecting a barrier requires even more.
Gilgamesh calmly analyzed as he read.
The [Domain Expansion] was a very powerful ability, creating a barrier that trapped the enemy, and within that barrier, all the user's powers were enhanced, and attacks had a 100% hit rate.
But this ability allowed Gilgamesh to create his own [Domain Expansion], and the King of Heroes already knew very well how to create a very powerful one.
Gilgamesh lay on his bed while sighing. After evaluating all the abilities he had gained, the King of Heroes had to admit he was pleased.
Though, if he had to admit, the last few days had been very eventful.
**[Warning]**
The King of Heroes blinked as his usually silent System manifested.
"What's wrong?" Gilgamesh asked curiously.
**[The "Hero's Egg" ability has been acquired]**
Gilgamesh could only blink in surprise at what appeared before him, first because of the ability he gained and mainly because he had never heard of an ability with that name.
"What is that?" he asked curiously.
**[The "Hero's Egg" is the ability required to awaken as a "True Hero"]**
Gilgamesh's eyes blinked in surprise and confusion, especially about the "True Hero" part.
He was a hero, the King of Heroes.
"What's the difference between me and a true hero?" Gilgamesh asked with sarcasm.
**["Hero," or more specifically, "True Hero," is one of the ultimate forms of existence in the world, also known as a Title that can also be considered a kind of race.**
Heroes are humans or the humanity/good-aligned equivalent of a Demon Lord. They are opposites of the same coin.
Furthermore, unlike Demon Lords, heroes are always human, meaning they are a specific human existence. But since the human race as a whole is weak, they tend to proclaim certain individuals as heroes, even if they aren't one, as long as they have a tremendous record of being undefeated in battle and a good reputation for helping humanity. These individuals would be similar to self-proclaimed Demon Lords, but in this case, it would be something like a "Hero proclaimed by society."
Thus, according to the Voice of the World, the title of Hero always refers to the True Hero and not the Hero proclaimed by society, since the True Hero is the existence recognized by the World Systems themselves. The only reason the prefix "True" exists is to create a distinction between the two. To evolve into a True Hero, a human needs to obtain the Hero's Egg and the willpower to break its shell.]
Gilgamesh calmly observed while analyzing everything and understanding.
A "True Hero" was a title and a race, something different from Gilgamesh himself, who would be considered a "Hero Proclaimed by Society."
This also had nothing to do with strength and power; it was simply that Gilgamesh didn't have the lineage of a "True Hero," which is why he wasn't considered one.
In the same way, the current Maous would be "Self-Proclaimed Demon Lords" since they didn't evolve from the "Demon" race into "Demon Lord."
Gilgamesh could tell that the System was basing this on the universe of *Tensei Shitara Slime*.
He wasn't too surprised, as Sebas, someone who deeply understood the System, had told Gilgamesh that the Goddesses had heavily based the System on *Tensei Shitara Slime*.
And he also knew that the highest-level abilities were the "Ultimate Skills" from the *Slime* universe.
Ultimate Skills, as the name suggests, give the user the ultimate power to control the very laws of nature. The only way to neutralize an Ultimate Skill is with another Ultimate Skill. That is the absolute and inflexible rule of the world.
Possessing an Ultimate Skill indicated that the user fully understood the laws of the world. Thus, they became superior existences in the use of magic.
So, the King of Heroes couldn't be more excited.
"How do I become a True Hero?" Gilgamesh asked.
**[The process of evolving into a Hero is very similar to that of Demon Lords, except for some requirements. Once the requirements are met, the human will undergo a change in composition and become a True Hero. Naturally, an Ultimate Skill can also be acquired.**
**Requirements:**
To become a Hero, a human generally needs to be selfless and caring, even if they have a specific goal in mind that they are pursuing. If so, as long as the person is strong enough and has performed many acts of good out of the goodness of their heart for the sake of humanity, they will gain the Hero's Egg.
The Hero's Egg is an ability that is also not an ability. It has no other purpose than to awaken its bearer into a Hero once the conditions are met. It grants no additional abilities or techniques. The person who has the Hero's Egg can also be called a Hero's Egg, as they are a future Hero.
After that, the only remaining step would be to "hatch" the egg. While it seems simple, it is actually a more difficult task than the "collection of 10,000 souls" for a Demon Lord, as the Hero's Egg seems to hatch only through the strong willpower and conviction of the bearer. The person must truly know right from wrong and believe that what they are doing is a just act, and also be willing to face death for that conviction.
Once the egg hatches, the person becomes recognized as a True Hero. In other words, this means the world has recognized the person's noble deeds despite the dangers they faced, and thus they evolved.
After hatching, the new Hero's body is reconstructed, and their lifespan is increased, though it is unknown whether they become immortal like Demon Lords (as they become semi-spiritual beings) or if it is simply greatly extended. The latter is more likely, as the next stage of a Hero, the Demi-God, is a spiritual existence.]
After analyzing everything, Gilgamesh sighed.
"So, for this, I need to have unwavering willpower, huh?" Gilgamesh said, smiling.
**[Warning: Evolution to "True Hero" is available]**
The Sekiryuutei's eyes widened in surprise.
"Seriously?" Gilgamesh asked, shocked.
**[Yes, the individual Gilgamesh meets all the requirements to become a "True Hero"]**
**[Would you like to begin the evolution?]**
**[Yes] [No]**
Without thinking twice, Gilgamesh accepted his evolution.
**[The evolution to "True Hero" will begin]**
Before Gilgamesh could say anything, an immense exhaustion overwhelmed his body.
"What…" the King of Heroes murmured weakly.
He had never felt such exhaustion, not even in all the battles he had fought compared to this.
Even moving a part of his body was becoming an impossible task.
All Gilgamesh could do was create a barrier to prevent his energy from leaking as he fell into a deep sleep.
**[Report: After meeting the requirements, the individual Gilgamesh will evolve into a "True Hero"]**
**[Confirmed]**
**[The process of ascending to the "Demigod" race has been successful]**
**[All physical attributes have been immensely improved]**
**[Subsequently, all abilities and resistances possessed before the ascension will be reacquired…]**
**[Successful]**
**[Acquisition of new intrinsic abilities: "Infinite Regeneration," "Universal Sense," "Hero's Haki"]**
**[Acquisition of new resistances: "Physical Attack Nullification," "Natural Elements Nullification," "Spiritual Attack Resistance," "Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance"]**
**[The evolution adds new abilities: "Clairvoyance (Future Prediction)," "Usurper," "Infinite Prison," "Degenerator," "Wrath," "Time"]**
**[Successfully acquired]**
**[The evolution is complete]**
After the evolution was complete, one would expect Gilgamesh to wake up.
But that didn't happen.