CHAPTER 15:
GOETIA'S DECLARATION
The battle was soon over. It was mostly Mash and Arturia fighting King Gilgamesh, the latter fighting mostly for a catharsis of her grievances against the version she had dealt with before. However, Gilgamesh fought them confidently, though he seemed surprised at Arturia's moves. The others, plus Harry, Tiamat, Merlin and Medusa, looked on. He soon dispelled his tablet, and went back to his throne. "Hmph. You fight with conviction, King of Knights. Though my old friend told me that you had the misfortune of encountering my past self, before I truly learned what it means to be king. It would explain the viciousness of some of your blows. The shield-maiden, though, she fights like one still uncomfortable in her very skin, despite her power and skill."
"You are at least more…civil than the iteration of you that I have met before, Gilgamesh," Arturia said. "I find myself surprised that the blackguard whom I had the misfortune of knowing matured into you."
"I trust the fight allowed you to work off some of your frustrations. Even when angered, you fight well. Your strength, skill and conviction shine forth just as your blade does, and you do not allow your odium to cloud your mind. And your Master, Harry's friend, Hermione Granger, was it? A scholar, but with the steel of a warrior. Still…you have no doubt heard from Harry and Enkidu that the true test is to come. You three Masters and your accompanying Servants may have come here with the best of intentions, but with no personal investment in the people of Uruk. I need you to prove otherwise. Enkidu being with you and Harry also proving himself has bought you some favour, at least, but my point stands. I will assign Siduri to…"
And that's when the roof caved in, revealing Ishtar on Maanna. Harry had learned from Ritsuka that the deity had landed on him, arse-first, and had berated him before leaving. Harry facepalmed. "Ishtar," he called out, getting the dark-haired deity's attention. Without another word, he transfigured a nearby bit of rubble into a small, square plate, coloured yellow, and with a big, black letter 'L' on it, before hanging it on the front of Maanna. Hermione and Hinako, upon seeing it, tried very hard not to snicker.
"My apologies, Harry, but why did you put that sign on Maanna?" Enkidu asked.
"It's an L-Plate. Basically, Ishtar should really get driving lessons. I'm sure they don't have speed limits in this time and place, but I'm sure avoiding crashing into other people's property is pretty basic driver's ed."
"…Sh-shut up! If it weren't for you being the priest of Tiamat, I'd strike you down where you stand for your insolence!" Ishtar snapped as Gilgamesh openly roared with laughter, while Enkidu and some of the others chuckled. "Driving lessons indeed…I know what they are thanks to my host. No goddess needs a driving licence. Besides, I fly, I do not trundle along the base earth on a wheeled cart!"
"Tia can fly too, she just doesn't need to borrow her daddy's vehicle," Harry retorted. Tiamat emitted an amused song of agreement. "She can also avoid crash-landings."
"I could give you lessons," Tiamat added.
"Forgive me for interrupting this jest," Enkidu said, "but why have you come here, Lady Ishtar?"
"If she had found Gugalanna, we would know about it by now," Gilgamesh drawled. "Even if she didn't send it here to trample Uruk, it would be somewhat conspicuous. She'd be parading it like the prized cattle it admittedly is."
Harry nodded. Once he got over his initial annoyance with Ishtar, he tried using a Point Me spell to try and find the Bull of Heaven. Unfortunately, he got nothing much. There was a faint trace that led to something that Ishtar, reluctantly, identified as a sealed rift in time and space…one that had her signature on it. It seemed that Gugalanna had been stolen by an alternate version of herself, much to her chagrin, and she was unable to remedy that(1). Gilgamesh, when he found out, was torn between fury (given that Gugalanna could be an asset against both the false Tiamat and the part of Tiamat that was allied with Goetia) and amusement (the thought that Ishtar had stolen from an alternate version of herself was indeed funny), before settling for the latter.
"Don't call my precious little bull an it! He's a he!" Ishtar snapped, before she turned to Enkidu. "Prize cattle indeed! And I don't have to answer to you, Enkidu."
"If I recall correctly, didn't you order my death as punishment for slaying Gugalanna?" Enkidu asked, deceptively mildly. "I daresay you do have quite a bit to answer to me for, but now is not the time for old grudges. Or would you prefer that the humans who worship you end up in your sister's embrace before their time?"
Ishtar huffed. "And you were protecting that human who had the insolence to touch me."
"You crashed into him, derriere-first," Enkidu remarked. "He is also my Master, and you are the one who not only attacked him for what you claim was insolence, but you were the one who killed me. Be thankful I showed restraint. Especially after you claimed I was the impostor. I ask again, Lady Ishtar, for what reason are you here? I do not intend to ask a third time. At least, not so courteously."
Before Ishtar could retort, Tiamat emitted a distinctive song. Ishtar whirled, to find Tiamat giving her an unimpressed look. Pointedly, it was Tiamat that Ishtar spoke to. Reluctantly, yes, but she was at least talking beyond bluster. "…I think there's something wrong with me. Lately, at night, I go to sleep…and when I wake up, I'm elsewhere at times. I even black out at times during the night when I'm doing stuff, and don't know where I've been, Mother."
At this, Gilgamesh sat up straight on his throne, in concern, not for Ishtar per se, but on a related matter. "I see. You are worried that some entity is taking control of your body. And while you are not a member of the Three Goddess Alliance…could it be your host taking control again?"
"I can't exclude that possibility," Ishtar said.
"Rin Tohsaka was a very strong-willed girl," Arturia remarked. "It could be the case."
Ishtar turned to Arturia. "The Saber Servant she met…Arturia Pendragon…huh. But while I can't dismiss that thought, I don't think so. I agree, this Tohsaka girl is pretty strong-willed, but we're also partly fused. My personality is…maybe a third is her own? Enough to know that I'm…different to what I was originally."
"Another party then," Gilgamesh mused with a frown.
"If it is Rin, I believe we have little to worry about," Arturia said. "While a dedicated Magus, she at least retained her morality. However, we cannot bank on that possibility, obviously."
"True," Gilgamesh acknowledged with a nod. "Still, the fact that it happens at night…always at night?"
"As far as I know," Ishtar said. "Anyway, why all the questions?"
"Because if you are being suborned by someone in the Three Goddess Alliance, then you could be turned fully against us, instead of being a nuisance," Gilgamesh said.
"Nuisance? You call helping drive away the demonic beasts in the countryside being a nuisance?!" Ishtar protested. "I'm even cutting down on the collateral damage and the fees, seeing as Mother wished me to!"
Tiamat sang out an encouraging note, going over to Ishtar and gently patting her on the shoulder, before giving Harry a look. Sighing, he went over to Maanna, and waved a hand. The L-Plate changed to one with a large 'P' on it. "Fine." He then waved a hand, and the rubble reassembled itself into the ceiling. "Ishtar…thanks for the tipoff."
"…Hmph, it wasn't like I was doing it for you or for Goldie," Ishtar remarked. She looked over at Siduri. "By the way, if your oh-so-precious king pops his clogs, don't expect me to save Uruk or anything. You'd better get the white flag out, Siduri."
As Ishtar flew out the doors, Siduri blinked. "White flag?"
"Never mind her insolence," Gilgamesh said, before returning his gaze to the Chaldean contingent. "I believe I have made my views clear, Chaldeans. You need to prove your commitment to the wellbeing of my people."
"My friend," Enkidu asked, "you possess a Grail, but Harry said that this is not one granted to you by the King of Magi, that there may be one in the possession of the Three Goddess Alliance."
"Correct. As you can imagine, this is not a desirable state of affairs, my friend. Leaving aside the possibility that it can approach True Magic, it is a magical reactor of not inconsiderable power. To leave it in the hands of the enemy is of course folly, though to seek it out when we don't know where it is is folly as well. Chaldeans, do not misunderstand me. I say this not out of contempt for your strength and skills, for to progress through the other Singularities requires both. That being said…" He pulled out the Tablet of Destiny. "Chaldean Masters…Harry Potter…Tiamat…place your hands on this."
"Uhh, what?" Ritsuka asked.
"We can't read it," Hermione said. "I don't think I ever read cuneiform untranslated before."
"You do not need to actually read it," Gilgamesh said. "Place your hands on it, and recite the following: Ur na-nam, ur na-nam. Dur-an-ki, gir-edin."
Harry, a little warily, did so, as did the three Masters, and Tiamat. It was Hermione who intoned the words…before suddenly, everything flared into white light…
They were in a white void. And then, they heard a deep voice, one that reverberated around them. It seemed to echo within their minds, their bones, their very souls.
"What, then, would you call such a cruel king who allowed such evil deeds to come to pass? Who allowed such tragedies to unfold before him with a smile? I will never forgive him, nor will I allow his apathy to stand. Thus, I leave these words in perhaps vain hope that someone will listen, and know of his evil."
"That's…" Ritsuka hissed in recognition.
"The false Solomon," Hermione said.
"The history of humanity is naught but a tapestry of tragedy, no matter where in the world or what time they reside in," the eldritch voice continued. "Patricide. Matricide. Filicide. Fratricide. Those who are starved of affection, and those who forsake it. Those who live for betrayal, and those who suffer through it. Those who know no family, and those who abandon their families. Those who are impoverished, and those who covet more. The unloved, and the ones that scorn love. Those who desire success, and those who hate it. Those who defend religion, and those who despise it. They love their kin, spurn strangers, accumulate wisdom, spread ignorance, hold grudges, misunderstand, love discrimination, praise persecution and pity compassion."
Harry, after a moment, snarked, "This guy sounds like he doesn't like humans one bit, does he?"
"He has a point," Hinako retorted.
"Such ugly and piteous creatures they are," Goetia continued. "When they are mere rabble, though, such things could be forgiven. Humans, after all, are imperfect beings, enduring the pain and loss that comes with their lives, living with the manifold contradictions that make them up. But what of an almighty king, one who has the power and means to set such things right? That, then, is another matter entirely. He had eyes and sight that could see into the past and future, to witness the struggle and strife of humanity, but he did nothing but stand by, and laugh. Despite not being one of the ignorant dross of humanity, despite being enlightened, he laughed. Even knowing all this, he did nothing to stop this. I demanded of him, Even seeing this, you do nothing?! You feel nothing?! And he replied, Not particularly. Therefore, this king cannot be forgiven. Here, then, we inscribe our rage, our wrath, so that the future generations may know. Construct a temple, build a band of light, for we need every resource and every ounce of time to wipe his indifference from history. Claim the seven Grails, and then, a path to the Final Singularity, where we shall be waiting, where the throne of the King of Magi rests. This plane of existence, we call Solomon, the end of all endings, the altar of spinning time, the hope at the very beginning…"
Then, they were reeling away. Gilgamesh caught the tablet as it slipped from their hands. "Ritsuka!" Mash yelled as the young Magus swayed.
Harry blinked, even as Tiamat, though she was shaken by the vision, helped support him. "How the hell…? I thought this was meant to be a tablet of your visions of the future, but…that was the false Solomon we heard!"
"Oh? And did you receive a definite answer?" Gilgamesh asked.
"More of a challenge," Hinako grimaced. "That thing is waiting for us in a final Singularity, which he called Solomon. Still…he's got a big chip on his shoulder about humanity. I kind of see his point."
"Given what you are, Elemental," Gilgamesh said, "that you are technically an agent of Gaia and thus a potential enemy of humanity, that is hardly surprising. Your concealment does little before a king's eyes."
"But…where did you see such a thing, Your Majesty?" Hermione asked.
"I inscribed this vision, or at least the impression I had of it, when I returned from the Abyss," Gilgamesh said. "And perhaps it is one of the few clues to find the self-proclaimed King of Magi. Then again, you seem to know more than I would have hazarded. Both the Chaldeans and Harry consistently dub this man the false Solomon. It seems then that your foe is not merely content with immolating human history, but immolating Solomon's myth as well…"
Soon after they left, Harry asked Merlin to come with him, Hermione and Tiamat, needing his illusion spells. If there was anyone he trusted most out of the Chaldean contingent, it would be Hermione. So once they got to the Servant barracks, the four of them went into Harry's room, before Merlin cast his spell. "Okay, it's as safe as I can make it. So, say your piece, Harry."
Harry nodded, before turning to Hermione. "…You knew that the one claiming to be Solomon was a fake."
"And so did you."
"That's because I met him, and eavesdropped on him while he was persuading Tiamat to join his cause. Do you know what his real name is?"
"Goetia. A gestalt of the Demon Pillars Solomon harnessed in life, now inhabiting his body."
Harry sighed in relief. "Good. That's how he described himself to Tiamat, as well as calling himself Beast I. That vision we saw…that was Goetia railing against Solomon, wasn't it?"
"I wouldn't be surprised," Hermione said.
"But how did you know that Solomon was fake?"
"Because Hermione no doubt learned or was told that she was working with the real Solomon the whole time," Merlin said with a smirk. "How is Dr Roman anyway?"
Hermione's eyes widened. "How did you…?!"
"I know a great deal many things, Hermione Granger."
"Is that what you meant when you said Solomon was closer than we thought, Merlin?" Harry asked.
"Of course."
Hermione looked sombre. Eventually, she said, "I barged in on a conversation between him and Da Vinci at one point, overheard some things. This was before this whole mess kicked off. Solomon…for all his wisdom, he was little more than a sockpuppet for God, or whatever entity claimed to be God. Almost everything he did as king was not his own will. That was why he chose to be reborn as Dr Romani Archiman, so he could live a life on his terms. But Goetia…" She gritted her teeth, her fist clenching. "Even the word demon seems to be too tame a term for what he is. He put an end to billions, no, trillions of lives, and for what? Revenge on Solomon? An inability to accept their servitude? Spite? You saw that vision, Harry. Goetia claims to be superior to humanity because of our flaws…but his answer is to wipe everything out and write whatever he thinks should be history? Assuming he has any thought beyond burning humanity."
Harry was struck by the anger and hatred in Hermione's tone. Clearly, she had been through a lot. He went to hug her, only for Tiamat to beat him to the punch, the draconic deity wrapping them both up in a bear hug. "…Goetia's song will not be a clarion call of victory," Tiamat said quietly. "It will be a dirge of defeat. I will not let the song of my children become smoke and ashes."
Merlin pouted, before striding forward. "I would like a hug too. Come on, TiamaaaAAAAAATTT!"
This last bit was due to Merlin being promptly defenestrated, courtesy of Tiamat's fist. Thankfully, there was no glass over the window he flew out of. Not-so-thankfully, Tiamat calculated her strength to be enough to send the Magus of Flowers flying. Whether his landing in a cesspit was calculated or not, Tiamat wasn't telling…
CHAPTER 15 ANNOTATIONS:
Oh dear. Ishtar and Merlin being the butt monkeys of this story, and Goetia's little declaration of war. Well…crap. Which is quite literally what Merlin landed in. Fun fact: his name was changed when translated from Myrddin to Merlin because they thought 'Myrddin' was too close to the Latin word for shit.
Now, keep in mind, this will be the last chapter for a little while. There's a few reasons for that. I'm intending to binge-watch the Babylonia anime, but I want as much of the dubbed episodes as possible to be available on AnimeLab first. Plus, I did do quite a lot of chapters, and I've burned myself out a little on this story. Seriously, you got 15 chapters of this story in one go. Hopefully, this, plus my other stories, should tide you over, especially during these insane times.
Review-answering time! I answered Jostanos' question about Hinako in correspondence, but as Skull Flame also brought it up, I should explain things. Hinako's best friend is Hermione, and she feels a bit protective of her. Considering that she didn't judge her for being a True Ancestor, or near enough, Hinako became strong friends with her. However, because of that, she's angry with Harry for hurting Hermione by distancing himself from her and his other friends in his obsession with changing the past, and in a future chapter, she and Harry will have an argument to that effect.
That being said, she's also a hypocrite, and part of the reason she argues with Harry is she would love nothing more than to change the past, if only so she could save Xiang Yu. So her antipathy towards Harry is partly projected self-loathing.
ZLC genesmith: That's a very good question. If I do extend it to Cosmos in the Lostbelt (I do have plans for this fic to cover up to the end of the Solomon Singularity, as well as a tentative sequel involving the Pseudo-Singularities), I'm not sure whether to just leave Hinako's space vacant, or bring in another character to act as a replacement Crypter. Neither Hinako nor Harry will be said replacement Crypter, though I can't rule out using a known Potterverse or Nasuverse character for that.
1. For those of you unaware, Ishtar's loss of Gugalanna was no accident. An alternate version of herself stole it from the Singularity to attack a different Gilgamesh and Enkidu with, in the light novel series Fate/Strange Fake.
