Chapter 58: Enkidu!
"That trick again..."
Gilgamesh's brow furrowed.
This was already the second time he had witnessed this method of detonating Noble Phantasms. The opponent was capable of triggering the magical energy stored within his copied weapons, gaining terrifying instantaneous destructive power at the cost of destroying the Noble Phantasm itself!
In truth, if Gilgamesh had been summoned directly as a Caster, he would also possess a similar capability. In his Caster class, Gilgamesh possesses the Dingir (Melammu Dingir), a devastating bombardment powered by the collective strength of the Uruk citizens living in the Age of Gods. To fire it, Gilgamesh loads his collections into long-range cannons; the explosive power is in no way inferior to a Broken Phantasm.
However, the current Gilgamesh is of the Archer class, and his strongest Noble Phantasm is the Sword of Rupture, Ea.
But before entering Shirou's Unlimited Blade Works, Gilgamesh's Ea had already been destroyed along with Karna's strongest god-slaying spear. Of course, even if Ea were still intact, once inside this Reality Marble, Shirou would never give him the chance to draw it. Why? Because Shirou can manipulate every sword in this mental landscape at will. He could kill Gilgamesh during that brief moment of distraction when he reaches for Ea, moving at a speed Gilgamesh couldn't possibly react to.
Furthermore, while Ea is a top-tier EX-rank Noble Phantasm that possesses the power to destroy a Reality Marble, the blade must rotate to unleash its power and tear the world asunder. The battle between Gilgamesh and Iskandar in the anime was the best demonstration of Ea's power in this world.
"How troublesome...!"
Gilgamesh let out a displeased "tch."
The moment he saw Shirou use Broken Phantasm earlier, Gilgamesh had already sensed something was wrong. This Reality Marble seemed specifically designed to counter his Gate of Babylon, leaving him with no moves. The only possible way out was to wait for the opponent's magical energy to run out, making him unable to sustain the Reality Marble.
However, Gilgamesh—currently without a Master to provide mana—was clearly the one facing a more urgent crisis. Realizing this, a sense of anxiety inevitably crept into his heart.
"Damn it! How could this King lose to a mongrel like you!"
Noble Phantasms shot out continuously like machine-gun fire, but they were all blocked by the swords Shirou copied.
Clang, clang, clang—!!!
Noble Phantasms shattered one after another. Shirou charged toward Gilgamesh once again. As he advanced, Shirou raised his right hand and gestured; swords upon the wasteland uprooted themselves and flew into his hands.
"Don't even think about it!"
Gilgamesh roared. Immeasurable golden ripples transformed into a vast net, surrounding Shirou. Then, a massive quantity of Noble Phantasms shot out in an instant!
Boom, boom, boom—!!!
Deafening explosions followed one after another, and a large amount of smoke rose, obscuring the battlefield. Watching from behind, Irisviel and Saber grew tense.
"This looks bad... I wonder if Orihara is alright..." Irisviel murmured.
"If he had died, the Reality Marble would have vanished immediately. From the looks of it, it hasn't reached that point yet," Saber analyzed, observing the battlefield intently.
Irisviel's eyes widened in surprise: "You mean...!?"
They turned their gazes toward the thick smoke in the center of the battlefield. At this moment, Gilgamesh was staring fixedly at the center of the haze.
"Is he dead...?"
Gilgamesh could confirm that his attack had indeed hit Shirou, yet an uneasy feeling persisted.
"..."
Impossible! Surrounded by so many Noble Phantasms, that guy shouldn't have been able to withstand it.
Moreover, Gilgamesh had noticed that Shirou only copied "swords." Thinking carefully, this mental landscape was centered around "swords." This meant the opponent could likely only copy blades!
As Gilgamesh's mind raced through these thoughts, he suddenly noticed something and focused his gaze above the smoke from the explosion. A figure had leaped high out of the smoke. Amidst the swirling wind, his voice remained incredibly clear.
"Rho Aias!"
"That again?" Gilgamesh's pupils contracted.
Simultaneously, in front of the falling youth's outstretched left hand, seven layers of cherry-colored petals manifested, blocking the Noble Phantasms Gilgamesh continued to fire. Then, as his body fell rapidly, Shirou raised his free right hand.
"Trace On!"
A black sword appeared in his hand—Kanshou (Yang Sword)!
Seeing Shirou's unstoppable downward momentum, a look of obvious panic appeared on Gilgamesh's face. In the Archer class, he lacked sufficient close-combat abilities. Faced with an enemy like Shirou who could directly gain combat experience from the Noble Phantasms he held, he was simply no match.
Without Ea, I cannot defeat this enemy.
This thought involuntarily surfaced in Gilgamesh's mind.
As the opponent drew closer, Gilgamesh-gritted his teeth and finally raised his right palm toward the falling Shirou.
Clink—
"Enkidu!"
The sound of chains rang out from all directions. Silver-white wedges shot out rapidly from the golden ripples, piercing Shirou's arm.
"..."
As Enkidu was Gilgamesh's most precious treasure, he was unwilling to use it in most cases. But in this situation, he had no choice.
As the chains wrapped around his limbs, Shirou's downward momentum suddenly halted, leaving him frozen in mid-air. Although Enkidu is more effective against enemies with higher divinity, it doesn't mean it is useless against those with low divinity.
Seeing that Enkidu had worked, Gilgamesh finally let out a sigh of relief.
But just then—
"It's not over yet!"
Shirou's sudden voice startled Gilgamesh. Before he even had time to be surprised, he saw sword after sword—Noble Phantasms—that had fallen all around him.
Witnessing this, Gilgamesh's pupils suddenly dilated. Simultaneously, he heard Shirou's voice follow immediately:
"Broken Phantasm!"
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