The city of Kuoh was completely saturated with magical energy to the point that humans would die simply from being exposed to such power.
And the source of all this power that affected Kuoh and far beyond, reaching all of Japan and potentially the world, was a single person.
A violent crimson aura enveloped Gilgamesh's body, consuming everything in its path.
Enkidu, along with Gilgamesh's companions, were trying their utmost to contain him, but the overwhelming aura emanating from the King of Heroes was so intense that they couldn't even get close.
And this made Enkidu and everyone realize how powerless they were before the power unleashed by their leader.
All the aura generated by Gilgamesh wasn't naturally his; it was being produced by the [King of Wrath Satan], which transformed its user's fury into energy.
But in exchange, it slowly consumed their sanity.
[Warning: Due to the improper release of the power of the Ultimate Skill "King of Wrath Satan," countermeasures will be executed.]
Gilgamesh knew this day might come, and so he had given Raphael the order to contain the power of the [King of Wrath Satan].
Using the [Absolute Severity] of the [King of Hope Sariel], the [King of Wisdom Raphael] was temporarily sealing the [King of Wrath Satan] skill.
Slowly, the violent aura consuming Gilgamesh dissipated, replaced by his golden aura, but now with his thoughts clear, Gilgamesh's fury had only grown stronger.
"Gil…" called Mordred as she saw her master's aura calm.
Ignoring his companions, Gilgamesh advanced with a serious expression.
"Where are you going, Gilgamesh?" asked Arthur, seeing the serious look of the King of Heroes.
"To the Realm of the Dead," said Gilgamesh sternly.
But before he could proceed, Gilgamesh was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, and upon looking to the side, he saw Sebas.
"Don't try to stop me, Sebas," said Gilgamesh, narrowing his eyes.
"I won't," said Sebas as everyone stood beside Gilgamesh. "We're going with you," said Sebas seriously as they all nodded.
Gilgamesh observed as a faint smile appeared on his face, and he nodded.
Looking at Valerie's unconscious body, Gilgamesh's eyes softened.
"Asia, please stay and take care of Valerie," said Gilgamesh calmly.
"Alright, Gil," said Asia, nodding as she turned to Valerie.
Gilgamesh extended his hand, using his [Kamui] to summon Meredith, who was still asleep.
Everyone was surprised to see Gilgamesh summon a person.
"Take care of her too," said Gilgamesh as he placed Meredith beside Valerie.
"Leonardo, you stay as well; it's going to get dangerous," said Gilgamesh.
"Understood," said Leonardo, nodding.
Gilgamesh stood up, turning to his companions, all of whom had serious expressions.
"Let's go," said the King of Heroes sternly.
"Could you wait a moment?"
A voice drew the attention of the Avalon Faction members, and as they looked toward the source, they saw six people emerging through magical circles.
The first was a tall man in his twenties, with a medium build, black hair, golden bangs, and a black goatee.
The second was a handsome man with long blonde hair and green eyes, with twelve wings growing from his back. Unlike other angels whose wings are white, his were golden. He wore a red robe with a golden cross on the front of his white tunic, golden shoulder pads with a white sash, and a golden halo above his head.
Beside him was an extremely beautiful woman with curly blonde hair, a voluptuous figure, and twelve pure white wings.
The fourth was a handsome man in his twenties with shoulder-length crimson red hair and teal eyes.
The fifth was an incredibly handsome and attractive young man in his early twenties with light blue eyes and slicked-back green hair.
And the sixth was a beautiful girl, appearing to be in her late teens, with black hair tied in twin tails and blue eyes. She also had a youthful body (though with large breasts).
They were, respectively, Azazel, the Leader of the Fallen Angels; Michael, the Leader of the Angels, and his sister Gabriel; Sirzechs Lucifer; Ajuka Beelzebub; and Serafall Leviathan.
"What do you want here?" asked Gilgamesh, narrowing his eyes.
"Hey, did you really think no one would show up after all the power you unleashed? I think the whole world felt that aura," said Azazel as he stepped forward.
"What happened here?" asked Sirzechs, looking around.
Seeing Kuoh City completely destroyed like this was certainly something terrifying.
Fortunately, Sirzechs, Serafall, and Ajuka had arrived in the city just before Gilgamesh unleashed his power to see what was happening and check on their sisters.
"Are you okay, Gil?" asked Gabriel as she quickly approached and hugged the former exorcist.
Everyone except Michael blinked in surprise at their closeness, while Azazel seethed with jealousy.
"What happened, Gilgamesh?" asked Michael, approaching.
"Hades happened," said the King of Heroes.
Upon hearing the King of Heroes' words, everyone grew serious, their eyes narrowing.
"What do you mean?" asked Ajuka seriously.
"Hades sent his Reapers after Valerie, and now she's gravely injured," said Gilgamesh with irritation.
The fact that one of Valerie's Holy Grails had been taken was the same as having a part of her soul ripped out, which was why she was in this unconscious state.
Everyone's eyes widened at what they heard.
"What the hell did you do, Hades?" Azazel shouted mentally as he quickly calculated what Gilgamesh intended to do.
"What are you going to do now?" asked Serafall in a rare serious moment.
Gilgamesh let out a dry laugh as his crimson eyes gleamed with fury.
"I'm going to descend to the Realm of the Dead and personally take care of exterminating Hades," said Gilgamesh as his power surged.
"You can't do that, Gilgamesh," said Sirzechs seriously.
The King of Heroes' eyes narrowed dangerously at the Maou.
"Are you going to stand in my way, Sirzechs?" asked Gilgamesh as his power rose to dangerous levels.
Seeing the situation, Azazel quickly stepped between the two.
"Let's think calmly, Gilgamesh. We know you must be angry. But don't do anything rash. Killing Hades will only cause problems. He's the God of the Dead and the one who rules the Realm of the Dead. If you kill him, the Realm of the Dead will fall into chaos," said Azazel seriously.
But seeing Gilgamesh's expression, the Governor General of Grigori realized he wasn't helping.
"I don't give a damn about the consequences, Azazel. I'm going to kill Hades, and if you or anyone else here stands in my way, I'll kill you right here and now," said Gilgamesh as an intense golden aura began to envelop his body.
The tension in the area began to rise, with everyone's expressions growing serious and their power escalating.
The very space around them began to vibrate as the power of Azazel, Sirzechs, Serafall, and Ajuka clashed against the power unleashed by Gilgamesh.
"Be sensible, Gilgamesh. Hades may be an idiot, but he's vital to the world. And if you kill him, the Greek Pantheon won't stay quiet—they'll go to war with you," said Azazel, trying to make the King of Heroes abandon the idea.
But even that didn't seem to intimidate Gilgamesh.
"Then the world will have one less Pantheon tomorrow, Azazel," said Gilgamesh seriously.
"Now get out of my way, Azazel, or I'll kill you," said Gilgamesh, his expression one of pure rage.
Azazel tried to speak again, but Sirzechs placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back as Gilgamesh and his companions advanced.
"Sirzechs, don't be an idiot. Gilgamesh is going to do something stupid," said Azazel quickly.
"Let him go, Azazel. We can't stop him," said Sirzechs calmly.
"But Sirzechs…"
"Give it up, Azazel. He knows the consequences and will see it through to the end. Let's respect his decision," said Sirzechs seriously to Azazel.
Azazel made a bitter expression as his fists clenched.
"But this will only lead to more useless wars and bloodshed," said Azazel bitterly.
"Unfortunately, but it's not something that can be avoided," said Sirzechs, sighing.
As Gilgamesh advanced, Michael stopped beside him.
"Will you be okay?" asked the Leader of the Angels.
"No need to worry. Just promise me you'll protect Valerie while I'm gone," said Gilgamesh calmly.
"With my life," said Michael seriously.
With a smile, Gilgamesh nodded as he advanced, and he and his companions disappeared through [Spatial Domination].
Seeing this, Sirzechs sighed.
"I think we'd better return. There will be great consequences for today's actions," said Sirzechs as everyone nodded.
The Crimson Maou only hoped everything would turn out well.
---
**Realm of the Dead, Underworld**
The Realm of the Dead, also known as Hades' Realm in Greek mythology and the Depths of Hell, is the place where Hades, the God of the Dead, and the Grim Reapers reside.
It is located in the lower layers of the Underworld and is where the souls of the dead are sorted, and it is also near Cocytus. The Realm of the Dead belongs to the Olympian World; the Greek faction's god Hades controls it. It is not as large as the Underworld, and as it is the World of the Dead, it is a wasteland where no living creature can survive. It also contains an ancient Greek shrine that appears in its depths. It is the place where the Grim Reapers of this world live and where Hades' castle is located. There is a part of it that resembles a ritual area.
So, currently, at the border between the Demon Realm, which belonged to the Demon Faction, and the Realm of the Dead, governed by Hades, something appeared.
A blue light shone through the region, and when it faded, Gilgamesh and his companions were revealed, all prepared for the battle to come.
Arturia, wearing her armor, held her Excalibur, which was not covered by [Invisible Air]. Mordred also wore her armor, but without her helmet, and held Clarent. Arthur had Caliburn and Excalibur sheathed at his waist. Le Fay held her broom while preparing her magic. Fenrir was in his adult form. Tiamat had her draconic aura leaking from her body. Xenovia held Durandal in one hand and Ascalon in the other. Enkidu held his chains. Sebas adjusted his gloves. Merlin smiled as he prepared his staff. Achilles wielded his spear. Rossweisse was also preparing her magic. And Karna was readying his flames.
"What's the plan?" asked Enkidu as he stood beside Gilgamesh.
"Plan? You handle Hades' subordinates, and I'll kill him," said Gilgamesh seriously.
"I like that plan."
A new voice caught everyone's attention as they turned to a magical circle that appeared.
From it emerged four people whom Gilgamesh recognized well.
"I hope you don't mind getting some help, Red," said a voice the King of Heroes recognized.
Emerging from the magical circle was Vali Lucifer, the current Hakuryuukou, followed by his team: the Black Cat Kuroka, the Monkey King's descendant Bikou, and the descendant of the Sun Knight Gawain.
"What are you doing here, Vali?" asked Gilgamesh, confused.
Vali merely smiled. "I felt your power explode and decided to check it out, and I can't help but be surprised by what happened."
"That was terrifying," said Kuroka and Bikou, trembling in fear as they recalled the power they felt emanating from Gilgamesh.
And they were in America! Far from Japan.
"Idiots," sighed Gawain, but it was possible to see the tremor in his hand.
"So…"
Vali smiled. "We came to help. I can't let a god try to kill my rival before me," said the Hakuryuukou, grinning.
"I see. Besides, fighting a god is pretty tempting, right?" asked Gilgamesh, chuckling lightly.
"Exactly," said Vali as he stood beside Gilgamesh.
"Then we'd like to help too."
Everyone turned toward another voice, and as they looked, they saw two more people appearing.
Two whom both Gilgamesh and Vali recognized.
They were Tobio Ikuse, the SlashDog, and Lavinia Reni, the Ice Princess.
"You're here? How?" asked Gilgamesh, not understanding what was happening.
Tobio merely smiled lightly. "Before she was attacked, Valerie warned us what was happening, and we decided to help."
"Exactly," said Lavinia, her eyes glowing with a deadly icy blue that made Vali and Gilgamesh tremble slightly. "Even if it's a god, he dared to attack my little brother's friends like that! He deserves death!" declared Lavinia in a tone so cold it sent chills down everyone's spines.
Gilgamesh let out a sigh, nodded, and smiled.
"Alright, then let's go," said Gilgamesh, smiling.
"I think I can help?"
Sighing, Gilgamesh and everyone turned around, and they saw a purple mist forming. When it dissipated, Gilgamesh stared in surprise at what he saw—or rather, the five people he saw.
The familiar black hair of the leader, holding a dark blue spear in his hand.
"Cao Cao," exclaimed Gilgamesh, surprised.
In front of Gilgamesh was Cao Cao, the Leader of the Hero Faction, and beside him were Georg, Siegfried, Jeanne, and Hercules, standing calmly.
"What are you doing here?" asked Gilgamesh, curious.
Tapping his spear on his shoulder, Cao Cao smiled. "If my fellow hero and human needs help, wouldn't it be obvious to assist him?" said the Chinese Hero, smiling.
Gilgamesh blinked in surprise at Cao Cao's words and the clear change in him, but trusting his instincts, Gilgamesh smiled.
"Is that so?"
"Yes," said Cao Cao, nodding.
"We'll fight by your side, Gil," said Jeanne, smiling.
"Just like old times," said Siegfried, crossing his arms.
Seeing this, Gilgamesh smiled.
"I see. I accept, then," said Gilgamesh, smiling.
With a wave from Cao Cao to Georg, the mist of [Dimension Lost] appeared again, and when it dissipated, it revealed the arrival of dozens or hundreds of humans bearing Sacred Gears, to everyone's surprise.
"All members of the Hero Faction are here to support you, King of Heroes," said Cao Cao seriously as he stood beside Gilgamesh.
"Alright, but I'll want to hear about this sudden change later," said Gilgamesh, smiling.
"Yes, we'll have a lot to talk about," said Cao Cao, smiling.
But instead of preparing, Gilgamesh looked up, to everyone's surprise, and in the sky, they saw a man floating.
He was a tall, handsome man wearing a black coat with a long mix of black and blonde hair, as well as heterochromatic eyes—his right eye golden and his left eye black—and pointed ears.
"So you came too, Crom," said Gilgamesh, smiling.
Floating above everyone was Crom Cruach, the Crescent Circle Evil Dragon with power surpassing Ddraig and Albion at their peak.
A huge smile appeared on the Dragon's face as he landed and stood beside Gilgamesh.
"Yes, remember what I said. You're my rival. If anyone wants to oppose you, they'll have to kill me first," said Crom Cruach with a massive grin.
Gilgamesh gave a wide smile at that.
"It seems our enemies haven't stayed quiet either," said Vali, drawing attention.
When everyone looked ahead, they could see hundreds, even thousands, of Reapers under Hades' command gathering, along with an overwhelming army of over a hundred thousand Demons.
Among this army, four of them emanated an exceptionally powerful aura, and behind them was Hades' castle, protected by them all, with three immensely powerful divine beings inside.
Gilgamesh could tell these divine beings were Hades, Erebus, the Primordial God of Darkness, and Tartarus, the Primordial God of the Abyss, whom Nyx had warned him about.
"Are those demons?" asked Tobio, confused.
"Yes," said Gilgamesh, drawing everyone's attention. "Hades conducted experiments with Lilith, the mother of all Demons, and created an army of artificial demons. And from what I've heard, four of them are so powerful they're considered Super Devils," explained Gilgamesh.
"Now this just got interesting," said Vali, grinning fiercely.
"Yes, they seem like promising opponents," said Crom Cruach, smiling savagely.
"Very well," shouted Gilgamesh, drawing everyone's attention.
"Let's go!" shouted Gilgamesh as everyone roared in agreement.
Thus began what would be known as "The Great Battle of the Realm of the Dead."
---
**Far from there**
Farther from the region where Gilgamesh's allies were preparing to fight Hades' forces, another person was present.
It was a teenage boy, about nineteen years old, with jet-black hair and shining purple eyes. He wore a simple gray t-shirt with a black jacket over it.
His eyes gleamed with interest as, even from a distance, he watched the battle begin.
"So it's starting," said the boy in a deep voice that could make even a veteran warrior tremble.
The boy raised his right hand, looking at the object he held.
It was a golden chalice emanating a great amount of holy energy.
It was one of Valerie's Holy Grails.
"Honestly, Angra Mainyu and his elaborate plans. Manipulating Hades to attack Gilgamesh and then stealing one of the Holy Grails," said the boy, letting out a laugh.
But soon, his eyes, even from a distance, fell on Gilgamesh.
"But this will be interesting. Show me what you can do, why the Goddesses are so fond of you, King of Heroes," said the boy with a massive smile.
As he watched the battle about to unfold, the boy's shadow seemed to expand, and dozens of shadow-made beings emerged from it.
"Let's see, then, if one day the 'Hero' can defeat the 'Demon Lord,'" he said, smiling.
The boy's eyes focused as he closely watched what would be one of the greatest events in the world.