Fourth Night (5)
"You took your time, boy. Had you not considered that making the King wait upon your arrival would not send a desirable message?"
"There were extenuating circumstances. The one you recently killed, actually."
A humorless scoff left Gilgamesh as he let his gaze descend from the stars above to the young man standing a respectful distance away, cloak lightly swaying in the breeze and crimson eyes meeting his own similar shade of blood.
"Thus you have not only made me wait, you also required me to kill the being that would have otherwise enslaved you. I had high hopes for your ability, boy. I cannot help but wonder if I was mistaken in that assumption...and I do so detest being wrong."
Shirou dismissed the pair of swords that had been imparted with the concept of 'levitation' and merely cocked his head, replying, "There is an easy way to ascertain my worth, King of Heroes. All we need to do is fight."
The golden-armored Servant rolled his eyes, idly commenting, "Of all your varying levels of intrigue, riveting conversation is not counted among them."
"I've been told that before."
"I imagine so."
Turning his gaze for the first time in a great many minutes to the burning city below Gilgamesh felt his lips curl in an expression of distaste.
Where once towering skyscrapers had stood tall-one of the few architectural achievements of the modern era that he wholeheartedly approved of and admired-now lay the felled skeletons of those structures, carcasses of glass, metal and concrete brought low by the rampaging Daemon beasts, still tearing into the other with endless abandon.
A full quarter of the city lay in ruins, flames and mud consuming corpse and home alike with equal fervor as the rest of Fuyuki fled in a disorganized mob, the lights and cacophony of vehicles clogging highways and backroads a frightened chorus that had the King shaking his head.
They would find no escape from this ordeal, what he imagined was both the Church and Magi working in tandem ensuring that particular fact. Roads had been blocked by felled trees or deliberate mudslides, hypnotized police and emergency services cordoned highways while the occasional member of the Moonlit World chased down the individuals or groups that slipped through the cracks.
A commendable enough effort, given the short time frame such a response had been formed within.
"Tell me, boy...what do you feel when you look down upon this scene? Kirei told me that you are a survivor of the previous fire."
Idly watching the boy turn his gaze to the city below a furrowed brow quickly appeared.
"It seems...unnecessary."
"Oh?"
"I assume you are letting this happen for a reason?"
"Of course."
Shirou once more turned his gaze to the city.
"What are those reasons, then?"
"They are simple, boy...Humanity has grown weak and excessive over the millennia, their values, purpose and drive diluted over such a massive and unnecessary population that what made Humans powerful and worth existing under my rule rare to a depressing degree. This corruption will spread over the globe and root out those who are not resourceful, strong or intelligent. They will burn and leave behind only those who will flourish and prosper under my aegis."
Silence reigned in the aftermath of the King's words, the newly turned Apostle turning to stare at Gilgamesh with an unreadable expression.
"Do my designs displease you, boy? Do you still hold attachment and sympathy for Humans, even though you are no longer one of them?"
"My feelings and thoughts on people never had anything to do with my species, King Gilgamesh. However..."
He once more gazed over the burning Fuyuki.
"I should be upset, should feel anger that so many are dying...but I can't. There are only a few below us that I feel anything for."
A humorless smile pulled at Shirou's lips.
"Caren would chastise me for that. Say that I should hold all of God's children in equal regard."
"You would allow the opinions of others to sway your ideals and judgement?"
The young man stared at the Servant with genuine curiosity.
"When you ruled Uruk, wasn't there one who did the same to you?"
The pair glared for a moment before a nostalgic smirk curled Gilgamesh's lips.
"So there was...and what of these few individuals, boy? Will their feelings and thoughts on current affairs change your course of action?"
"No. After all..."
A hint of chill entered the young man's words as he let his hands loosely fall to his sides.
"Your plan endangers them. Will you stop?"
"Because of the pleas of a single Vampire? That is almost an amusing thought."
"Then matters are simple. One of us will die, just as we originally intended."
Gilgamesh's eyes closed, genuine smile tugging at his mouth.
"Indeed. One of us will indeed die..."
Eyelids retracted with startling speed, crimson orbs boring into the Apostle's.
"A wager, then. Defeat me, Shirou Emiya, and I will destroy the source of the Grail's corruption. You need not have worries of leftover strength or mana, fight me with everything you possess."
"You assume I would be able to do anything less if I wished to be victorious, King of Heroes."
Standing from his throne with a smirk the Servant idly replied, "You are correct, yet matters of the heart make one fickle. But bear this in mind, boy..."
Just as lines of prana flowed across Shirou's body crimson pathways of energy illuminated the King of Hero's, all trace of levity leaving his tone.
"You approach me now at the peak of your strength, having cast aside Humanity and made a contract with a fledgling Magician...I will respond in kind and bring the full weight of my treasury to bear."
The duo planted their feet, eyes not so much as blinking.
"Hold nothing back. For you face the greatest Heroic Spirit, King Gilgamesh!"
"Allow me to do as you advise, King of Heroes!"
"I am the Bane of her foes. Steel is my fist and fire is my gaze. I am but one blade comprised of many. A bringer of death, so that one may live. A weapon feels no pain, given meaning only by the hands that wield it. I seek now to hunt my prey, Unlimited Blade Works!"
An amused smile appeared on the King of Hero's features as reality-altering white spread outwards, erasing the current terra in favor of another.
"Amusing...I seem to recall another fascinating individual making use of a Reality Marble…"
"Hmm...an interesting expression of yourself, boy."
Unlimited Blade Works had undergone a shift. The steel floor consisting of perfectly interlocked blades remained alongside the molten core, snow still falling in lazy clouds that shifted with random gusts of wind...but high overhead now resided a crimson moon, lines of prana scattered across it's blasted and cratered surface that glowed in time with the markings across Shirou's body.
"And this terra of yours contains the sum total of your abilities, does it not? To use them without limit?"
"It's as you say, King of Heroes."
"Then prepare yourself, boy!"
Golden portals began to manifest behind the King of Heroes, first dozens then hundreds until almost a thousand tears in reality hovered faithfully nearby, weapons of every make and quality beginning to drift through, all converging where Shirou stood.
"Consider this an honor, the individuals who have gazed upon the full power of King Gilgamesh are far and few between the annals of history!"
"Then I will meet that power with my own."
An identical number of artifacts and blades ripped themselves loose from the ground, dozens more spewing forth from the forge as they joined their fellows, the pair standing in sharp contrast at the forefront of their armada of weapons.
Shirou in bloody light and pale blue glow of overfilled prana channels, Gilgamesh in regal golden illumination and crimson markings of power, waiting for the other to make the first move.
Instead they attacked at the same moment.
Mystic Codes and Noble Phantasms surged forward in a tidal wave of killing force, colliding with perfect precision in an explosion of released energy that would have redrawn the map had it occurred within the more tangible realm, neither man shifting so much as a millimeter where lesser individuals would have been flattened within a heartbeat.
"Time Alter: Double Accel."
Silently murmuring the mantra of his father's personalized magecraft Shirou accelerated his body to double its typical speed, a benefit of his newfound Apostle form meaning that mundane things like physical injury meant little.
He would need it, simply standing and trading volleys of weapons with the King of Heroes would be pointless if the Servant ever decided to manifest weaponry or treasures that were beyond his Reality Marble's ability to replicate.
Dashing forward the young man allowed instinct to take over, weaving through the deluge of steel and conceptual effects as his own array of weaponry blocked the majority of it with shrieks of tortured metal and sparking blades, keeping his eyes locked on the golden-armored foe in the distance, keeping a close watch on the charging young man with a predatory gaze of his own.
The Apostle blitzed to within a hundred meters-
-and a golden chain leapt out from behind the King of Heroes, snapping forward to restrain him.
A glance at the links of steel informed him that it was a divine construct beyond his capability to reproduce, the preferred tool of Enkidu itself that was capable of restraining beings with high levels of divinity.
Against an enemy such as himself it was no more useful that a particularly strong chain, but even that carried within it a bit of threat, seeing as how it had an autonomous nature that would seek to restrain him no matter where he ran.
The problem was promptly solved as a clutch of Black Keys expertly slammed themselves into the gaps between Enkidu's length, pinning it to the metallic floor where it uselessly writhed, the interlocked bands of weaponry parting like ocean waves before solidifying in place to keep the Black Keys firmly entrenched.
"Time Alter: Triple Accel."
His body yet again accelerated, outstripping its previous pace with a blur of movement-
-that slipped past the Gates of Babylon disgorging a wall of close range Noble Phantasms, uselessly scraping against Unlimited Blade Work's floor as their target was no longer present.
Gilgamesh had time to feel his eyes widen as there was now a foe less than three arms lengths away with a royal sword held in both hands, beginning to glow with a golden light.
"Caliburn!"
At point-blank range Shirou unleashed the Noble Phantasm, a detonation of killing force going off right in the King of Hero's face as only a hastily manifested shield and ruined right arm saved the Servant from an early demise, the wave of destruction racing past Archer as uncontrollable gusts of wind and glistening prana.
The Apostle didn't waste a second, swiftly tracing a copy of the Gae Daerg spear and thrusting it towards Gilgamesh's heart, the bladed edge slipping past the armor as if it didn't exist. A killing blow, had the sounds of snapping metal not preceded Enkidu's return to the battle as it wrapped itself around Shirou's arm, yanking the limb aside so the spear merely sliced a gouge in the King's flank, rather than anything important.
The next second found the young man blown into traces of ash and blood, a magnificent crossbow held in Gilgamesh's uninjured hand and having launched a projectile at speeds more comparable to that of a railgun.
Snarling to himself the King reached into a portal and ripped free a massive scythe, the blade all but leaking overwhelming might and power as he readied it for a mighty swing that would tear into the Apostle the moment he reformed before him.
...Except instead of doing as Gilgamesh anticipated and conforming to rules most Vampire's followed-that of the rewinding of time to a point when they were not injured-a single unmarked sword popped free of the ground behind the golden Servant, its shape and consistency shivering like a disturbed pool of water.
It was yet again Enkidu that saved Gilgamesh from a swift beheading as Shirou was suddenly behind him, employing the usage of the Monohoshi Zao and its unconventional length to strike true, were it not for the divine chain smashing aside the sword while being knocked astray itself.
Moving past his shock Gilgamesh quickly responded, lashing out with the scythe while a swift reverse stroke of the Apostle's weapon moved to capitalize on the small window of opportunity still present-
-and both strikes landed, Gilgamesh's scythe slicing a bleeding gash across Shirou's chest while the katana cut deeply into an uncovered part of the Servant's thigh, heavily wounding the leg.
Discarding the sword and stepping into the range of the King of Hero's grasp Shirou reinforced his immortal body to its max, remembering the Bajiquan stances Kirei had showed him and repeated a thousand times, letting out a breath as his fist lashed outwards with blinding speed, impacting dead center on Gilgamesh's armor-
-and a sound reminiscent of a church bell the size of a cruise liner being shot with a cannon rang throughout Unlimited Blade Works, the Archer Servant being thrown backwards as a shockwave emanated from the point of impact.
Both foes recovered, Gilgamesh skidding to a halt in a spray of sparks while Shirou stood tall, both taking stock of their situation.
The Vampire curiously probed the edges of his ragged wound, refusing to heal despite an Apostle's natural regenerative state while Gilgamesh frowned at his mangled arm, crippled leg and dented armor, sporting the imprint of a fist despite it's superior and unbeatable quality.
"To reform out of naught but a sword and leave the remnants of your body and blood behind...you have mastered a skill a great many other Apostles would highly covet."
Shirou shrugged noncommittally, neutrally replying, "I am but one blade comprised of many. It stands to reason I can reform myself out of them, given the new nature of my body."
Gilgamesh burst out laughing, stating, "You speak of reason with such earnestness, when there is little about you that conforms to such basic logic!"
Once again shrugging the younger man observed, "That scythe...it was the one that would come to be wielded by Kronos, an immortal killing weapon, correct?"
"A discerning eye, boy. And this is by no means the only weapon I possess that can slay an immortal."
The King stood proud, in seeming ignorance of his injuries and wounded limbs.
"You possess a great many Phantasms and treasures of your own as well as a limited but potent form of magecraft, alongside your newfound abilities as an Apostle...but I command treasures and artifacts beyond measure, ones that you obviously cannot replicate, else you would have done so already."
As if in response to his words Enkidu slithered close, possessively curling around injured limbs and waving threateningly at Shirou.
"I now have the measure of those aforementioned abilities, how do you intend on defeating me, boy?"
Something that might have been a smile appeared on Shirou's lips.
"By proving that you don't have a measure of my abilities."
"Hmph, then allow me to put that claim to the test!"
The immortal-slaying scythe was replaced with a golden axe covered in runescript, massive and ornate while yet again being beyond Shirou's ability to properly Trace. He was able to identify it, at least, as the axe of Marduk and wielding control over the elements consisting or related to water.
"Come, boy! Show me these endless abilities you proclaim to have!"
"As you desire, King of Heroes."
The night sky of Unlimited Blade Works darkened, turning glassy and strange as a veritable ocean filled its confines within seconds, Gilgamesh glowing with a bloody light under the watery landscape as Shirou calmly let his empty hands fall to his sides.
"This isn't my technique...but it should perform just fine."
A glow of elemental power coalesced in the grey-haired man's hand, slowly forming the shape of a multi-faceted gem of shifting color that settled into ice blue...and what was once pristine and flawless surfaces began to grow jagged and uneven, overcharged and twisted by the rampant prana coursing through their interiors.
"Congelar, Gema de Kukulkan."
Gilgamesh waved the axe like a conductors baton, fists and blades of compressed water that would have dwarfed buildings forming as they converged on Shirou with unstoppable force, the Apostle hauling back his arm and throwing the broken Phantasm with every ounce of strength he possessed, the stone breaking through the surface of the rampaging waters-
-and with an earsplitting shriek of shifting temperatures the miniature ocean froze solid within a second, the shadow cast over Unlimited Blade Works becoming static and unmoving, breath from the battling Servant and Vampire now visible.
The Gem of Kukulkan had been encountered by Archer during his many travels in South America and was one of the few artifacts that contained traces of divinity within it, having once belonged to the Mayan Serpants of old...breaking it had achieved the desired effect.
"Time Alter: Square Accel."
Now moving at speeds that even Servants would have had trouble matching, his natural strength as an Apostle and accelerated time working in lethal tandem Shirou closed on the King of Heroes position, Gilgamesh staring at the icebound landscape overhead with genuine shock and losing a crucial second to distraction.
A second that cost him, Shirou tracing Caladbolg once more-
-except now it was a twisted spear of arcing power barely contained in spiral form, Gilgamesh recognizing the danger as both a tower shield and Enkidu snapped into place between him and the charging youth.
It was barely enough.
Slamming the broken Phantasm like a battering ram into the hasty protections Shirou felt his body burn and evaporate in the storm of released Prana, turned to steaming trails of blood while Enkidu and the shield were reduced to molten and misshapen slags of metal, Gilgamesh skidding backwards with a spray of sparks as his boots attempted to find traction on the metallic floor-
-and Shirou's body reformed from a mundane blade directly behind the King of Heroes, another broken Phantasm clutched in his hand as he thrust it towards Gilgamesh's heart, the Gate of Babylon hastily disgorging a windmill shaped blade that, as the Phantasm once more detonated with the force of a megaton of TNT, managed to redirect the force around the King's body in a chaotic tornado of heat and kinetic energy at the cost of its destruction.
A temporary victory as the Apostle once more reformed above the Archer Servant's position, pair of broken Phantasms slammed downwards like ice picks...and Shirou's eyes widened as his magically sped up perception revealed the King of Heroes rip a spiral sword from the confines of a golden portal, chaotic streamers of primal energy racing along its rotating length as he detonated the Phantasms early in a hasty attempt to escape the assault that would have done far more damage than even Kronos' scythe had.
Regenerating a fair distance away the pair of combatants shared a mutual glare, Gilgamesh's usually unflappable and majestic appearance now disheveled and burnt despite the crazed smile that peeled his lips from his teeth, armor dispelled due to its damaged state while blood freely trickled down his limbs, esoteric markings glowing brighter than ever as he stood within the molten inferno caused by the repeated detonations of broken Phantasms.
"This world of yours offers a truly unbeatable advantage, young man! But both it and yourself come to an end! NOW WITNESS! ENUMA-"
"Avalon."
"-ELISH!"
Stabbing the Sword of Rupture into the metallic field of blades the streamers of primordial energy stripped away at Unlimited Blade Works, Shirou's Reality Marble collapsing as he stood strong against the encroaching attack, a golden light softer and more inviting than that of the Gate of Babylon embracing his body-
-and in the blink of an eye they were once more floating above Fuyuki, Ea slowly grinding to a halt as its reality shattering power faded...and Gilgamesh could only gape at the sight before him.
A magnificent scabbard held aloft by a pair of hands, casting a perfect and unbroken aura two meters across that held a completely unharmed Shirou Emiya, the blast created by Ea that could rewrite reality...having done nothing.
Motes of glittering light left the scabbard of Excalibur as it slowly dissipated...and Gilgamesh's eyes widened, Ea rising up once more as it began to rotate, the air filling with golden portals that prepared to disgorge an unavoidable storm of immortal slaying weaponry-
"Time Alter: Cubed Accel."
-that was a breath too slow, Shirou blinking out of existence where the Nobel Phantasms had been aimed and reappearing directly in front of the King of Heroes, crimson eyes meeting each other in a shared look of mutual understanding, the married swords of Kanshou and Bakuya digging deep into the Servant's exposed flesh before the weapons could even leave the gates.
...
Gilgamesh had lost.
"Tch...to be done in by my own hubris. I truly believed no power existed that could withstand Ea..."
Shirou staggered backwards, leaving the blades embedded within the King of Hero's body as he winced and fell to one knee, hand clutching his chest.
Even Square Accel hadn't stressed him too badly, an Apostle's constantly regenerating body able to stave off the worst of the effects...but it seemed using the Cubed version was enough to overtax him to enough of a degree that he was barely able to stand.
Not that Gilgamesh seemed to notice or care, unevenly striding past him with slow steps that painted the hull of his airship red with blood, stopping at the edge of the floating aircraft to look down on the burning city still embroiled in a desperate battle for survival with a contemplative expression.
"Tell me, young man...can you imagine an existence where you no longer had a goal? The fire and passion that once drove you gutted and doused, leaving only a hollow duty that feels more like chains forcing down one's neck than it does a life meant to be lived?"
Staggering to his feet Shirou gave honest thought to the question, frowning as he tried to contemplate such a state of affairs.
What would he have done if he didn't have Illya's safety to consider, didn't have the singular purpose of ensuring her happiness and survival? Would he have ended up like EMIYA, chasing after and subsequently beaten by an unattainable or hopelessly vague goal? Or would he have done nothing, simply existing as a normal person, wandering through life in search of a purpose, eventually dying with that search perhaps completed or perhaps failed?
"I...do not know. Many tell me that I seem twisted, obsessed or unnatural...but I feel content. Content with having a duty and direction that brings me...satisfaction. My nature is that of a Sword, and a sword can be used as a plowshare, gardening implement or culinary aid...but that's not what it is. I was created as an instrument of battle and my life is best served in an environment where that nature is made full use of. To be divorced from that..."
A frown spread over Shirou's face as he limped next to Gilgamesh.
"It frightens me, King of Heroes. I simply can't imagine a future where I don't protect the family that gives me purpose, that gives me something resembling Human happiness."
For a time the Servant was quiet...and eventually chuckled, a bubble of blood staining his chin red.
"Your candor is appreciated, young man. And I know of what you speak. When Enkidu was taken from me life seemed so much...less. I succumbed to fear and while I may have conquered the terror of death...the remaining days of my kingship were ones that I can barely recall, mired in calm and listless efficiency. The spark and joy was snuffed, replaced only with a lesser desire to fulfill the purpose for which I was born...a purpose which no longer seemed like much of one. There is reason tales speak so little of me after my return from the Underworld."
Shirou pretended not to see the melancholy expression that crossed the King's features.
"...I can't imagine you need to be told this, but cherish the woman you sacrifice so much for. For ones such as ourselves life beyond the passage of those we love can be a cruel and empty thing."
"The Ancestor said something similar."
Gilgamesh scoffed, tone irritated and exasperated in equal measure.
"Of course that impetuous worm did...even in death he aggravates me so."
Huffing out a crimson sigh the King of Heroes raised Ea, pointing it at the swirling portal as the Sword of Rupture began to once more rotate.
"Victory belongs to you, Shirou Emiya...the King thanks you, for offering one last bit of entertainment to a tired sovereign."
Shirou nodded, replying, "I would thank you also, but you almost killed Illya."
A sputtered bit of laughter leaked past Gilgamesh's lips, expression amused as he crowed, "A fair enough point, young man...farewell. Enuma Elish!"
A final shout released the swirling power contained within the Sword of Genesis, tidal wave of crimson and ebony streamers impacting the gaping portal with a titanic scream of conflicting energies, the air shuddering and compressing as the corruption present within the Grail fought desperately to remain intact and stable...before inevitably failing, rent from the world as if it never existed, howling winds and shrieking Earth once more quieting.
…
Shirou closed his eyes as the King of Heroes silently disappeared in motes of drifting light, satisfied smile upon his lips as he returned to the Throne of Heroes.
Of course, that meant the Vimana he was currently standing upon vanished as well, the Apostle sighing as he entered freefall, body still damaged and unstable from is over usage of Time Alter magic.
Well, on the plus side...it wasn't like he could die from hitting the ground too hard anymore.
So in looking for inspiration in this battle I rewatched both the movie and anime of UBW Shirou V Gilgamesh...and totally forgot that one of the most interesting aspects of their battle was kinda glossed over (or just ignored) in both adaptations.
The movie is basically just them dueling it out with plain swords and that's it (but the sound design, constant screaming and frenetic animation make it oddly endearing) while the anime is...a bit more of a mixed bag that, in retrospect, feels like a missed opportunity. Most of the battle is just a bunch of simple (or even outright copy-pasted broadswords) smacking against each other with the most irritating 'hit a trash can with metal stick' sound effect. Fairly certain the only Noble Phantasms they make use of are Kanshou, Bakuya, Rho Aias and briefly Ea.
...So yeah, I tried to take as much creative liberty as I could with the Noble Phantasms, techniques and properties of Unlimited Blade Works as I could.
And joke's on you, Mo Eazy. I was wrong TWICE. First in getting the guns mixed up and thinking of the M19 as an LMG (subsequently mixing it up with the M20 when I wrote the chapter) but a quick google search then revealed I was remembering THAT wrong as well, since the M19 is a medium MG. Double fail.
And as for it not being helpful or relevant? Well I hearken this to the truck being in the background of the Shire in Lord of the Rings. An ultimately harmless goof but one that was still made, so it counts lol.
