Author's Note: I noticed that several readers were surprised that the inhabitants of Tokyo were not aware of the confrontation taking place above their heads. I recall that Rama's orbital city is cloaked and protected by an anti-detection field. Moreover, even if Campione's LN is not very clear on the subject, an object of this size could not have remained in low orbit for 14 centuries. Atmospheric friction would have held it back until it fell. And by far orbit I mean several hundred or even thousands of kilometers.
Important: the chapter you will read is about the battle between Velber's armies and the armies of the King of the End. The narrative is centered on Rama... this does not mean that the other gods and heroes will play cards during the battle. Just that if I had to describe each clash of each god/hero, I would need four more chapters...
The King of the End
In orbit from Tokyo, aboard the orbital city of Rama.
Rama Chandra Sūryavamsa watched the battle for a moment. The fury of the combatants and the clash of arms were nothing new to him. Most of the warriors who faced each other were not of flesh and blood, and the cries of pain and the smell of death were missing. Not that the King of the End complained... Rama hated violence. He had tried to reign in peace, and he would have liked to reign in peace, but his Dharma (Sacred Duty) had condemned him to an eternity of violence.
His melancholy gaze lingered on the Aksoshini (1) composed of stone warriors. Each statue looked like a living warrior.
How many times should he go through the Samay Chakra (Wheel of Time) before the chains of duty break?
The Indian infantry consisted of Sipāthi (soldiers) of stone looking like men dressed in a simple Langot (loincloth) and wearing a turban. They were armed with a short spear and a round shield. These warriors collided head-on with the hordes of Enemy_Programs, strange creatures of black crystal. But the stone soldiers were Divine Beasts and clearly outmatched their opponents. The front line was bending despite the presence in the front row of a Brute_Agressor, a colossus whose fists were replaced by two balls bristling with spikes. This monster smashed all the stones Sipāthi that approached it, preventing the complete collapse of Velber's legions.
With a gesture of his sword, Rama directed the fire of the bowmen carried by the Rātha (war chariots) toward the Brute_Agressor. Struck by hundreds of arrows, the crystal creature collapsed to the ground and evaporated into a whirlpool of black smoke that dispersed.
The King Who Rule at the End of Time nodded, the battle had just begun, but it was clear that the advantage was on his side. He looked up towards the 'sky'. The tear through which Velber had manifested itself was now closed. The Umbral Star did not seem ready to manifest again, probably because it was far away, and the distance weakened him considerably.
"I will destroy the target."
"I won't take life. Only destroy your civilization. "
Hearing Altera's voice, Rama makes a stance, raising the Divine Sword of Salvation above his head. The weapon was surrounded by a platinum-colored light.
Above the battlefield appeared several pentacles of different colors. Fantastic energy was about to be released and he was the target! Rama nodded respectfully. His teachers had taught him the art of war: "Cut off the head of the Naja (cobra) before it bites." It was a good tactic to strike the enemy leader at the beginning of the battle. Without a Senāpati (general) the troops were no more an army than a pile of building materials was a house.
If the enemy army had been made of only stupid crystal Kāspuli (puppets) Rama would have already won, but the Vedic god had learned to respect his enemies and never underestimate them. He prepared for the attack that would hit him by gathering all his strength... because the Queen of the Huns was a very impressive opponent.
"Photon Ray!"
Tokyo, Tohsaka mansion.
Ishtar coughed in her fist to clear her voice.
"First of all, I would like to offer my condolences, King Godou. I know that you are very affected by the death of the divine Athena. I also think I speak for my sister when I say that the Goddess of Wisdom was our friend and we hope to avenge her."
Seated next to the Mistress of Heaven, Ereshkigal nodded keenly. She held Hakuno's hand firmly and the Last Master of the Moon was struggling to contain the wrath of the goddess... without her presence, the Queen of Kur would probably have razed the house.
As strange as it may seem, it was not a difficult task to become friends with Ere. Weaned from all affection for thousands of years, the Goddess of the Underworld only wanted to be loved. But Ereshkigal was Chaotic Evil... not really an alignment that guaranteed leniency and reasonable behavior, especially towards someone who killed her friends.
"King Godou," said Ishtar. "Tell me about Rama. Especially tell me about Excalibur, is it a Divine Authority as formidable as the legends say?"
Godou Kusanagi stood up in his chair.
"Actually, it's not ONE Divine Authority, but MANY. Normally, a god acquires his first Divine Authorities at his birth and then obtains others according to his achievements. But the sword we know as Excalibur is not a normal divine weapon. To counter the Campiones, thousands of years ago, several Heretic Gods who were all Gods of Destiny belonging to several pantheons joined their strength to create a weapon: the Divine Sword of Salvation. To fight the Campiones, these Heretics Gods created their own champion - the King Who Manifest at the World's End- and gave him multiple Authorities."
Ishtar frowned.
"Multiples Divine Authorities?"
Godou nodded:
"Three in fact."
He counted on his fingers:
"First, the White Star. Rama can create a white star (a sort of mini-sun) that can launch deadly projectiles that seem to have a light nature. The destructive power of these missiles resembles the impact of small meteors. Athena didn't know the limit of this Divine Authority but it has proven able to easily destroy mountains and level large tracts of land the size of a city. This Divine Authority has the ability to poison Devil Kings that manage to survive being hit by its missiles and prevents them from using their immense magical power, thus blocking their ability to use Authorities for some time."
The Devil King of Japan raised a second finger:
"Second, Divine Lightning of Salvation: This powerful ray is generated from the blows of the King of the End's sword or in the form of rays falling steadily from heaven, these rays also possess the ability to poison Devil Kings, A Campione without a Steel Body Authority will not be able to withstand two consecutive blows of this ray and dodging this Authority requires a Divine Speed Authority. As a side effect of this power, each stroke of King of the End's sword radiates massive heat waves that devastate vegetation, wildlife, and any structures within five kilometers."
Godou raised his middle finger:
"Third, the true form of the Sword of Divine Salvation is the Divine Sword Mandala. It is not really a normal Divine Authority... how to put it simply... the Divine Sword Mandala brings together all the Authorities of the King of the End in one attack whose power is equal to the sum of the combined power of all the Divine Authorities of the King (2).
From Rama's sword came a beam of blinding light:
"Divine Lightning of Salvation!"
As a burning shock surged over the battalions of statues of his army, the stone under his feet began to smoke and melt. Less resistant than the Rama's Divine Beasts, thousands of Enemy_Programs disintegrated in an instant, burned to the ground.
Yet it was only a side effect of the divine weapon. The platinum ray struck the blue ray of Teardrop Photon Ray, Altera's Noble Phantasm. The clash between the two attacks caused a gigantic explosion but... it was not a meeting between two equal forces. The Photon Ray was pushed back toward the sky and the platinum ray rose higher, even higher... pushing back the beam of blue light to the pentacles created by the Scourge of God, and... the magic circles broke into a thousand pieces!
While the echoes of the huge blast still resonated on the battlefield, Rama began to run. He crossed the ranks of the shocked enemies, still trying to get up. He rushed to the Macedonian soldiers. The impact seemed disproportionate...Iskandar's Hoplites were thrown as if by the blast of an explosion, falling to the ground, with broken arms and legs, while Rama stood still in the middle of what had been a square of pikemen.
Swirling with agility, the Strongest Steel made a dazzling demonstration of sword fighting. Every Āsana (3) had the purity expected of a Sword Master.
Cut into pieces, or drilled through, the Macedonian warriors fell to the ground by dozens. The bronze shields were tearing like paper sheets, and Rama's sword sliced the bodies as easily as if the soldiers' armor were made of butter. More and more hoplites converged towards the Strongest Steel, but the god who had inspired the legend of King Arthur continued to advance, as inexorable as death itself.
Like a Kabbadi player (4), he was trying to eliminate the opponent camp in one go... in fact, his goal was a Plant_Type Attack_Program, an Ennemy_Program resembling a kind of cauldron. It constantly invoked Aggressors (officers in Velber's army). As each Aggressor had the power to invoke the simplest of the Attack_Programs, fighting Velber's troops was tantamount to facing an army that had an infinite number of reinforcements waiting... at least until all the Plants were eliminated.
However, the King Who Rules at the End of Time target Plant was well protected. Jeanne d'Arc raised her standard, which bore white light. Immediately the sky answered the prayer of the saint and a rain of light fell on the ground, massacring several Vajra (5) of stone soldiers.
At the same time, in Tokyo.
Godou cleared his throat.
"Don't think that Rama is an ordinary Heretic God and that without Excalibur he is easy to defeat. He is not without reason that it is nicknamed the Strongest Steel. On the day of his birth all the Vedic gods gathered around him, attracted by cosmic phenomena. On the day his father named him 'Crown Prince', a cloud of butterflies fell on Earth."
Ereshkigal smiles at this idea, trying to imagine the wonderful spectacle of a rain of butterflies. Nevertheless, she did not understand why the Campione attaches so much importance to it.
"A rain of butterflies?"
It was Yuri Mariya who answered.
"Noble Queen of Kur, the Hindus consider butterflies to be the messengers of the creator god of the universe. In Sanskrit, Prajāpati (butterfly) literally means 'Creator'."
Emiya Shirou intervenes for the first time. He was sitting on a couch at the other end of the room... as far as possible from Ishtar.
"Is Rama that strong?"
Godou nodded.
"All Gods of Steel are born with a Divine Authority called Body of Steel. But in the case of Rama, this Authority is replaced by another, even more powerful... Invulnerability... Rama is like an invincible walking fortress of steel. Moreover, he accomplished his first feat at the age of 15. Only accompanied by his brother Lakshmana, the Strongest Steel entered the Dayanak-van (the Forest of Fear)... an evil jungle inhabited by demons created by the Divine Authority of a Campione now known only as the 'Indra Plague'. This Campione had indeed succeeded in killing the king of the Vedic Gods, the mighty Indra. Must-I really want to point out that Rama and his brother defeated all the monsters in Dayanak-van and killed the 'Indra Plague'?"
Godou paused, thinking about it.
"According to Athena, even if we could turn Excalibur against Rama, he would be able to survive two or three attacks at full power."
Ishtar and Ereskhigal swallowed their saliva with difficulty, their faces as pale as ghosts. They remembered the fight against the King of the Monkeys. It was necessary to carefully plan the attack against Sun Wukong and use several Noble Phantasms to overcome this powerful God of Steel... and according to Godou, the Strongest Steel was an even more difficult opponent.
The Arrows of Light was not even a Noble Phantasm, yet numbers of Servants could envy the destructive power that Jeanne released with a single movement of her banner.
As the smoke cleared, the Maid of Orleans looked at the result of her attack.
Hundreds of opponents had been wiped out and the paving was studded with smoking impacts... However, in the midst of the devastation, a silhouette stood, completely unaffected.
The Strongest Steel had been no more affected by the strike than an ordinary human had been by a spring shower!
Releasing the handle of the Sword of Divine Salvation, which began to float next to him, Rama materialized his bow and shoots an arrow that turned into a formidable flash of lightning.
"Arrow of Indra!"
Jeanne d'Arc raised her standard in response:
"Luminosité Éternelle!"
When the saint struck the ground with her standard surrounded by flakes of golden light, a luminous circle formed around her feet. The lightning broke in multiple crackling arcs, butting against the impassable obstacle.
Panting, Jeanne looked up, exhausted by the use of her Noble Phantasm. The ground around her was hollowed out with melted scars.
The King of the End of Time smiled and took another steel medallion hanging around his neck. Even without counting the Divine Sword of Salvation, Rama had more Divine Authorities than any other Heretic God. But they weren't really HIS Divines Authorities.
On Earth, Tohsaka Mansion.
And Godou took the floor again:
"Rama is not only a very resistant god. He also received a very powerful Authority called Arrowhead Album."
"Arrowhead Album" repeated Luo Hao Cuillian questioningly.
"In essence, Rama is a warrior god, and the Danush-bān (bow and arrows) is his emblem. Arrowhead Album is an Authority that allows him to transform into weapons all Gods of Steel that dies in his presence. Generally, he materializes these Divine Authorities in the form of swords or arrows. Even Athena does not know how many Divine Authorities the King Who Manifest at the World's End has so acquired."
"He acquires the Authorities from the other gods," repeated Shirou, stunned.
"Like a Campione?" added Hakuno.
The King of the Harem had a smile reflecting a certain discomfort.
"Ironically, the god that Fate chose to become the Champion of the other Heretic Gods against the Devil Kings is the one who looks the most like a Campione."
Rama's instinct warns him a moment before the attack.
Releasing his bow, the Strongest Steel jumped backward, grabbed Excalibur, and began to twirl, seeming to dance with the Sword of the Divine Salvation.
The rain of swords, spears, and halberds that came out of discs of golden light was repelled by the dancing movements of the divine weapon. An axe smashed the slabs where Rama had stood, but the God of Steel had already leaped back. He turned his head towards the golden armor silhouette that had just saved Jeanne d'Arc.
With his arms crossed, standing on the roof of a ruined building, Gilgamesh smiled.
"I see that all the legends surrounding you are not completely exaggerated, but that one can proclaim himself 'king' in my presence is an insult that I cannot tolerate. I am the One and Only King and all the treasures of the world are mine."
Rama saluted with his sword and warned without a word.
Around the King of Uruk, many openings appeared, this wall of gold discs was more than ten meters high, and from each disc came a Magus staff.
A rain of rays of energy, lightning, but also ice hurricanes, and fireballs hit the King of the End.
On Earth, at the same time.
Kusanagi Godou continued to explain Rama's powers and abilities to his audience.
"The King of the End is a talented warrior who perfectly masters all weapons, whether created by his Divine Authorities or Excalibur; moreover, he has a Skill called Mind Eye, which amplifies his senses, allowing him to see even the invisible, to have a glimpse of the future, allowing (among other things) to predict the movements of his attackers and even to pinpoint the presence of the Campiones all over the planet."
Shirou nodded.
"I faced Lancelot, she had this Skill."
In fact, the redhead remembered that Saber had an equivalent talent, which is why she defeated Lancer, a faster and more agile Servant. But Saber's perceptions did not extend to the entire planet...
Goudou had a worried smile.
"We can add to Rama's other talents that he enjoys the affection of the Ghandarva, the genies of the air and the forest. As his well-known legend says, he is protected by his friend the god Hanuman, the King of Wind, and is always accompanied by his younger brother Lakshmana."
Spheres of light had appeared around the Devil King-Exterminating Hero, creating a powerful magic shield. These Ghandarva would certainly not have been enough power to stop the uninterrupted bombardment of the magic staffs that came out of Gate of Babylon... except that they were not alone. Legions of air elementals had interposed between Rama and Gilgamesh those who died were immediately replaced by others called by their sovereign.
"My king, catch your breath, I will protect you".
The one who just spoke was a little monkey man... looking like Sun Wukong, but younger (6). He was wearing a leather armor that covered his chest. His arms and legs were covered with fabric strips.
As the King of the End acquiesced to the words of comfort from his best friend, his shadow took life and detached from him before taking human form, although the lower part of the man born of Rama's shadow remains in the form of a whirlwind of darkness.
"Bade Bhai (elder brother), what an unforgivable affront have you received from a mere demigod, a stranger from another world, a mere lackey of absolute evil. How does this... Gilgamesh... dares to put you in this position!"
"Ayurmānbā (Long Life, Elder's Traditional Greeting to Cadet in India) Lakshmana (7), do you think I am truly defenseless?"
Without waiting for the answer of his younger brother, Rama pointed the Divine Sword of Salvation to heaven.
"White Star!"
Gilgamesh's contemptuous expression was replaced by consternation as a star appeared in the middle of the battlefield throwing rays of light into the openings of Gate of Babylon and destroying the magic wands used by the First hero. To protect itself, the Edge of Heaven invoked dozens of shields and armor that stopped the bombing.
"I see, so I have to be a little serious for once. But as this city will not resist my true power, I propose that we move away from here, King Who Manifest at the World's End. The empty space between the planets seems to me to be the ideal battlefield for the One and Only King to show you his true power."
Tokyo, Tosakha Mansion
"In addition to his martial skills and offensive powers, the King of the End has the largest number of weapon-like Divine Authorities of all Heretic Gods including two Vimana. The largest, the Pushpaka Vimana has the size of a city (8). Rama also has several bows. Before he acquired Excalibur, one of them was even his most powerful Divine Authority."
Goudou explained this calmly, but - hovering over a sofa- Ishtar replied with a sigh of disgust.
"I see, so Rama has as many Divine Authorities as Gilgamesh has Noble Phantasms. And the mere presence of this gilt-edged royal pain in the ass was headache-inducing for the whole Mesopotamian pantheon...
The Goddess of Venus looked up without finishing her sentence, but her mimic of frustration was expressive enough to make herself understood.
Pulling the golden chariot of Indra, the steeds made of sun rays whimpered, insensitive to the cosmic void. Rama guided the divine horses holding the Danush-bān, his steel bow. All the arrows he shoots were more powerful when he used that bow. Clouds of thunderstorms were accumulating around the King of the End wagon.
The God of Steel was chasing Gilgamesh's Vimana, but the divine aircraft was incredibly maneuverable and kept changing direction, forcing Rama to face his opponent in a swirling battle at high speed. The two divine vehicles met in the midst of powerful explosions and rays of light. Dodging, accelerating, slowing, and turning again to pursue each other, each pilot was trying to pass behind his enemy. It was a battle between the power of the two opponents as well as their skill as a pilot.
Indra's chariot, the king of the gods, had been offered to Rama by Matali the Brave. It was in fact a gift from all the gods to help him in his struggle against a Campione from a distant past. It was not the chariot of a mere hero, but the most powerful vehicle used by the Indian gods. With this divine war wagon, the King of the End was able to chase after his opponent. In fact, he would have even caught him if...
A myriad of gold discs appeared in the wake of Gilgamesh's Vimana.
Spears, swords, and axes sprang from Gate of Babylon, powerful Noble Phantasms capable of destroying a city, razing a fortress, or a whole mountain range. Pulling on the reins with one hand, Rama forced his steeds to turn brutally.
The Noble Phantasms launched by Gilgamesh were lost in the vacuum of space... except for two swords and an axe, which suddenly veered. Like homing missiles, the weapons pursued the divine chariot copying the slightest change of direction.
But it was the vehicle of the king of the gods, it was not without defenses.
When they were only a few hundred meters away, the three legendary weapons were stopped by formidable thunderstorms emitted by the clouds surrounding Rama's chariot
The champion of the Gods of Fate took a steel medallion that morphed into an arrow and placed it on his divine bow.
"Arrow of Hou Yi!"
The arrow crossed space heading towards the Vimana.
The explosion was formidable, probably the equivalent of several hundred megatons of TNT! Yet the Throne of the Heaven-soaring King emerged intact from the cataclysm. Not only did it have a variety of defenses, especially devices capable of intercepting projectiles, and maneuverability that allowed it to dodge attacks, but a dozen legendary shields belonging to various cultures floated near Gilgamesh's flying throne.
The fight had been going on for some time, the two adversaries using all the resources of their arsenals, using increasingly devastating weapons. Yet none of them had managed to hurt his opponent.
Humanity's First King and the King Who Manifest at the World's End were like two equal weights on two scales... the balance was perfect!
But Gilgamesh was increasingly irritated by this resistance.
Suddenly his Vimana changed direction to go straight on Rama's wagon. The Strongest Steel pulled on the reins and stopped in front of his opponent.
The Edge of Heaven rose from his throne.
"All right, I admit it, I never thought I'd have to resort to my most powerful weapon. Be honored, Rama Chandra because I will face you without holding back!"
The Golden King raised the key to his treasure. And lines of light came out of it forming a labyrinthine pattern that spread vertically from his hand. Out came a strange sword made of three cylindrical parts that rotated in opposite directions.
"Here is the Sword of Rupture. It is with this sword that the gods separated the sky from the primeval waters, giving birth to the world. The gods didn't give it a name, so I just call it Ea!"
While speaking, Gilgamesh seized the sword. And as his fingers closed on the handle, the cylindrical parts began to turn faster and faster. While formidable red flashes struck all around the demigod, a scarlet whirlwind rose from Ea, turning faster and faster.
The King of Heroes kept talking. He loved the very sound of his voice.
"Ea is not only the instrument that created the world, but it is also a weapon that has the power to annihilate it, a weapon capable of bringing the entire Creation back to the state of Primordial Chaos."
He pointed the sword at Rama before shouting the True Name of his Noble Phantasm:
"Enuma Elish!"
The god whose exploits had inspired the legend of King Arthur did not limit himself to listening without doing anything. He had drawn his own legendary sword.
"Divine Sword Mandala!"
The two destructive forces collided in a violence that surpassed all that could be imagined. The red twister was the embodiment of destruction in the primordial sense; Excalibur represented the power to prevent the end of the world. It was a mythological confrontation. The kind of event that changed the course of history forever, created whole new religions, or caused the collapse of empires.
Yet...
Yet...
The perimeter where platinum-colored rays crossed and re-crossed was gradually decreasing as the red hurricane tightened its grip around the King of the End.
Gilgamesh burst out laughing.
"Eventually, Excalibur's power was overestimated. After your death, Rama, I would add it to my treasure; the Divine Sword of Salvation will be one of the major pieces of my collection."
On Earth, at the same time
"I think I've covered all the powers of the King of the End, but Guinevere's goal is to give Rama the San Gréal."
Ishtar had a tense smile.
"When I think I came here hoping I'd never hear about the Grail again. Whatever the universe, this legendary artifact does not really seem to conform to its legend of Enchanted Cup fertilizing the barren lands, curing the sick, and repelling evil..."
Hakuno, Ereshkigal, and Shirou nodded and their expressions did not accurately reflect enthusiasm. The Sovereign of the Moon had known the Moon Cell Grail War, a senseless massacre. The Queen of Kur remembered very well the Grails that Chaldea searched in several Singularities to save her original world. As for the redhead, he had sacrificed his life to prevent the Fuyuki Grail from giving birth to All the Word's Evils.
"You're right, that's not good news," said Godou. "Do you remember that Rama can turn a God of Steel into a weapon after his death?" They agreed. "Well, if one kills a Mother Goddess near the King of the End, he can absorb her power... which temporarily increases his own power. The Sangral has many powers that Rama can use for his profit. But, basically, it's... a tank filled with the power of many dozens of Mother Goddesses. Even Athena did not know how many goddesses Rama can absorb simultaneously. But... can you imagine what will happen if he got the Grail? Even if we form an alliance powerful enough to put him in danger, Rama can in an instant become two or three times stronger, completely turning the confrontation in his favor!"
Rama seized the steel amulet that Guinevere had given him, invoking the Grail.
When the huge gold cup appeared next to him in Indra's chariot, he held out his hand. The light of the Sangral intensified a moment before a ray left to touch the King of the End.
The Strongest Steel had just absorbed the power of a Mother Goddess. And the perimeter still protected by the Divine Sword Mandala stopped shrinking.
Not yet...
Rama absorbed the power of a second goddess and the rays of light began to repel the red hurricane generated by the Sword of Rupture.
Still not...
Rama Chandra absorbed the energy of a third goddess. Immediately, the platinum beams hit many times the scarlet swirl tearing this destructive veil before spreading, completely enveloping Gilgamesh's Vimana.
The First Hero invoked dozens of shields and armor to stop the attack... but the Noble Phantasms shattered, unable to withstand the bombardment of the Divine Sword Mandala.
The Vinama disintegrated stuck a hundred times by the platinum beam.
But in the final titanic bang, Gilgamesh's voice was heard:
"Impossible!"
On Earth
Ishtar was pale. and - for once- deadly serious
"King Godou, you know what you just described?"
"Uh... no..."
"A monster! A Juggernaut (9)! A Perfectly Invincible Monster!"
The Japanese Campione nodded and smiled with excitement.
"But with all the Campiones, we may have a chance... oh..." His mood suddenly darkens. "While I think about it... Athena died before she finished her message, so she didn't have time to talk about some of the powers of the King of the End."
Ereshkigal put her hand on her mouth as if she were going to vomit. The Goddess of Netherworld had a green complexion, getting Hakuno's anxious look, the latter being very sensitive to the well-being of her friend.
"The King of the End has other powers? I think I'm going to get sick... Rama has more Divine Authorities and power than the entire Mesopotamian pantheon!"
"Afraid" questioned Hakuno with a cutie Head Tilt.
Blushing, Ere looked away before crossing her arms haughtily and sniffing with a disdainful air.
"I'm a Great Goddess, I'm not afraid of anyone!"
She tried to laugh, but the result was hardly convincing... especially when she was sweating whole buckets.
Note from the author:
Usually, I try to limit the use of the Noble Phantasm/ Divine Authorities, they quickly lose their mystic of ultimate weapons/ power, if one used it all the time... but there... wow...!
About the fight between Gilgamesh and Rama. Why the Golden King doesn't use the Chain of Heaven against the King of the End? Simply because he used it to immobilize Sun Wukong(during an 'off-screen' confrontation).
Is Rama stronger than Gilgamesh? They are of equal strength.
Ea is weaker than Excalibur (Campione version)? No, on the contrary, Gilgamesh's sword is much more powerful. But as the power of Excalibur depends on that of its bearer, when Rama is boosted by the Grail, the Sword of Divine Salvation becomes temporarily more powerful than Ea.
(1) Aksoshini: military division in ancient India. Military units formed of 21,870 elephants, 21,870 wagons, 65,610 horsemen, and 109,350 infantrymen. According to the Rāmāyana, Rama has 40 Aksoshini under his command.
(2) It is with this attack that Rama's "younger brother" defeated Athena. Note that Excalibur not being handled by Rama, the attack combined the force of all the Divine Authorities of the "younger brother"... handled by Rama the attack would have been much more powerful.
(3) Yoga Posture. In the West, Yoga is best known as a form of gymnastics associated with a tiny bit of meditation... but it's much more than that. There is really a martial form of Yoga.
(4) Kabbadi is the official national sport of India. At each turn of the game, only one attacker is sent to the enemy camp (the "base"). His goal is to reach the post at the other end of the base. The attacker can eliminate the defenders simply by touching them, and the defenders must tackle him to the ground to eliminate him (temporarily). The game stops when all defenders are eliminated or one of the attackers has hit the post of the other side.
(5) Vajra (literally "thunderbolt") is a military unit consisting of an elephant, eight horsemen, and a wagon. These cavalry units were specialized in the harassment of enemy forces.
(6) Normal, it is the same god... somewhat the same relationship that exists between Metis and Athena.
(7) According to the Rāmāyana (especially the Bāla Kānda, the first book recounting the youth of Rama - before the age of 14) Rama has three brothers, the two youngest (sons of his father's third wife) are twins. But in Campione, Rama has only one brother who is his twin born from his shadow.
(8) It is Rama's orbital city, of course.
(9) Do you know the origin of this word? Well, this is the English pronunciation of 'Jagganātha', Ganesh's avatar as a god of war.