He twisted his right hand and yanked it back. With a sickening squelch, he withdrew his arm from Kingu's torso.
"I recovered the Holy Grail. —Yeah, I think I got everything on the list."
"You... give it... back... That is for... Mother... to wake her..."
Enkidu delivered a swift, precise strike to Kingu's gut, knocking him unconscious and seizing his vital functions.
"If you want to see Mother, I'll take you to her. —I'm sure she'll give you the answer you're looking for."
[KINGU! —How dare you! Your insolence has silenced my child's cries!]
Gorgon writhed, her colossal form surging forward. But she was far too slow to catch Enkidu. He vaulted off her lashing tail and landed gracefully beside the Hero King.
"Here, the Holy Grail. The Singularity won't vanish yet because of the World Grails, but it's better in our hands than theirs."
"BUHAHAHAHA!! Excellent work! And a pity you missed it—the useless goddess was just sent flying! I truly wish you could have seen the look on her face! I suppose the majesty of a Primordial God was too much for her!"
Gilgamesh took the Grail, patted Fou, and gave Air a sharp wink.
—"I'm so glad you're safe..."
（Don't scare us like that! Even if I wasn't worried!）
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry. Now then—shall we get to the main event?"
Enkidu nodded, then took to the sky, accelerating to Mach speeds.
"Enuma Elish—O Humans, let us bind the gods! —Come forth! He who stands at the pinnacle of all deities, the fiercest and strongest incarnation of Jupiter in this Mesopotamia!"
Enkidu's chains stretched into the heavens, latching onto a "Divine Body" and dragging it down into reality.
[—Impossible! This is madness! A mere human, a Servant... bringing That to their side?! There is no logic, no reason in such a thing!]
"You lot started this. Why shouldn't we pay you back in kind? —Be honored. This is the secret of secrets I have crafted specifically to annihilate you. Savor the glory of having forced me to prepare a countermeasure as you fall into the dust."
The storm reached its absolute peak. Simultaneously, the Tigris and Euphrates surged in a violent, sentient flood, specifically swallowing and sweeping away only the Demonic Beasts. This was a "Flood of Will," scouring Mesopotamia of everything that had no future.
And then, it appeared. An ultra-dreadnought battleship. A ship of hope built by humanity in the distant future to reach the stars.
—No. Right now, it was no mere ship. It was a "Divine Body" fueled by infinite mana, capable of surviving even on the primordial Earth. The ultimate "Romance" achieved by human wisdom.
"Air, chant. Your prayer shall be the catalyst for the descent!!"
Air nodded solemnly, folded her hands, and began the prayer.
—"His hair is the tamarisk. His beard is the fan. His ankles are the apple tree. His phallus is the serpent. His belly is the Lilith-drum. His skull is silver. His life-force is gold... Come forth, O King of the Gods who crafted the world. O God of Heroes who tears through heaven and earth and cleaves through all hardship. Manifest your divine might and bring light and strength to this suffering Mesopotamia!"
Air's soul erupted in a brilliant platinum light. The radiance shot into the sky, piercing the blue firmament and striking the golden battleship.
"Here and now! The prayer of the soul I have deemed supreme reaches the heavens!! By that decree, O Mandate of Heaven, manifest the Sovereign Authority!! —Now is the time for Descent!!"
In an instant, Marduk underwent its "Divine Transformation." Within the platinum light, the golden battleship shifted into a form worthy of a god.
Massive arms manifested. Powerful legs took shape. At its center, the rainbow-colored energy core, Tupsimati, shone brilliantly. It possessed four eyes and ear-antennas, a fierce lion-like jaw, two burning red eyes, and a crimson mane. Emerald energy lines pulsed across its shimmering, golden gargantuan frame.
Its current height: sixty meters. A golden giant, the God among Gods, whom the Hero King commanded. The absolute divinity that had once torn apart the Primordial Mother herself. The Hero-God among Hero-Gods.
"Behold! Bow your heads! This is the strongest Hero-God!! The ultimate form of my Splendor!!! The supreme legacy reached by humanity!! Coming from the primordial sky, with a sacred prayer in its heart, we awaken the God of Majesty!!"
—"Its name is... The Golden Hero-God Marduk, Cleaver of Heaven and Earth!!"
In response to the King's words, Marduk's jaw opened, letting out a roar that could make gods flee in terror.
"FALL BACK, YOU WRETCHES!! WHO DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!"
In this moment, the survival of the Human Order was confirmed. This was the key to absolute victory—the treasure the Hero King and his Princess had secured across six worlds.
"It's the Golden... GENESIC GAO GAI GAR—!!"
"...This is... the power of the Hero King..."
『Yeah! It's amazing! I mean, it's beyond amazing! It's not something petty like a nuke or a magical reactor—that thing is a genuine 'God'! A Divine Body imbued with the power of a deity! Hahaha! I can't help but laugh! I'm not scared of goddesses anymore! Because that thing right there is the King of Gods who defeated the Primordial Mother herself!』
『So this... is Marduk...』
The group watched in awe, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the miracle.
[—...]
Gorgon, who had been looking down on everyone, was now the one forced to look up. She was speechless.
"Now then—the tides have turned."
Marduk reached down and plucked Gorgon up by her collar like an insect.
[Stop! Let go of me! You think a piece of junk like—!]
"A piece of junk? Try it for yourself. —That Authority you were gifted? Allow me to seal it away."
Marduk's left finger drove into Gorgon's abdomen.
[GAH—!!!]
The goddess spat up blood as her divine pressure plummeted.
"The Grail has been taken. Your Authority has been stripped. —You are no longer a threat. But I will not kill you yet. The trigger for your destruction will be pulled at the proper time. —You are now nothing more than a womb that can no longer bear children."
Marduk released the limp goddess.
"Go back to your temple and live out what remains of your life. I shall grant you that much freedom—to rot away in your delusions of revenge."
[Y-You...!!!]
"Farewell. —If you must hate someone, curse your own shallow wisdom for making an enemy of my Uruk."
With a simple flick of a finger—a "Divine Flick"—the Golden God sent the blood-stained, hateful Gorgon flying into the distance.
"Hmph. The Demonic Beasts have been washed away, the useless goddess has been sent flying, and Kingu has been captured. The Grail is in our hands, and the Goddess of Vengeance is on death's door. —So, Air, what were you talking to the South American goddess about?"
"I think I can talk things out with her! Using our bodies!"
"BUHAHA!! Very well! —Everyone, board Marduk! We are leaving these ruins. Let us head for my Fortress City!!"
The group boarded the palm of Marduk and ascended into the sky. Enkidu took the lead, flying alongside the golden giant.
—"Did we make it in time...?"
"Hmph. At the very least—your prayer reached me perfectly."
—"Yes!"
（Yeah, I see why this guy needs 'arrogance' as a handicap. Without it, it's not even a fight.）
"I've told you many times! My arrogance is my unconscious mercy! BUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Under the blue sky and above the green earth, the golden giant soared. Here begins the Splendid Heroic Chronicle. In search of the perfect conclusion.
"We're flying! We're actually flying!! Amazing!!"
"—(Speechless with awe)"
『I'm so glad Gil isn't our enemy...』
—"We will take back this world, the era of the King, no matter what!"
『The Hero-God... yeah! He's the perfect guardian for us!』
"—Now then, I wonder what adventures await us?"
The defenders of the Human Order were now the masters of the battlefield. The key to victory was firmly in their hands!
Epilogue: The Aftermath
The Half-Destroyed Blood-Saturated Temple
[Gah...!!]
[...Damn you... damn you...!!!]
The Ruins on Mount Ebih
『The temple is pulverized. The remains and organs of Demonic Beasts are piled high as far as the eye can see.』
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS—?!"
The Ziggurat of Uruk
"———— (Speechless)"
"———— (Speechless)"
"My King! The giant god has appeared and is heading this way! The Demonic Beasts have been almost entirely wiped out—My King?"
"MARDUK?! This is too much! This is a foul among fouls!! To bring out a Primordial Divinity—there's a limit to how much you can cheat! There's not a shred of sportsmanship in this! What kind of scenario is he planning for?! Fine! Let our guests into the Ziggurat! If we leave that kind of military force idling, Mesopotamia won't survive the collateral damage!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"Oh... oh... the day our destruction is overturned has finally come..."
"Don't cry, Siduri! But honestly—agh! He's using the 'Princess' to her full potential! I suppose a soul with that level of prayer is perfect for a ritual. It's a trump card that none of 'Me' could ever pull off, since we don't pray to anything... It's irritating, but I have to admit it's effective!"
—"A-choo!"
"A cold? You mustn't let your soul catch a chill. It wouldn't do to be summoned to the Underworld now."
—"Thank you, King..."
（Rub me, Air! Rub me too!）
—"You're so warm... thank you! I'm back!"
"I see it! That's Uruk!"
"—Wait."
"That's the Fortress City—?!"
Marduk's Storage Bay
"Damn it... I was careless... to think... this..."
『...Kingu.』
"—...Wh-who...?"
『...I am glad that we are finally able to speak like this...』
"—Mother...?!"
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