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Sona let out another sigh.
This one was tired.
Being born into nobility was never as glamorous as outsiders imagined. Freedom was something eternally bound, handcuffed from the moment of birth. Responsibilities piled endlessly upon one another, and expectations never faded. To be born into a noble family meant accepting, from the very beginning, that you were a bird in a gilded cage.
Sona had always understood that.
That was why she chose to be serious.
As the heir of House Sitri, she carried herself with discipline and restraint. Even though her life was filled with obligations and duties, she continued to pursue her own dream. It was exhausting—but she knew her limits. Unlike her rival, she never overestimated herself.
Still…
She looked forward to what was coming.
Deep down, she hoped Rias would fail to recruit Gilgamesh.
And when that happened, Sona intended to sweep him up herself—using every means at her disposal.
.......
With Gilgamesh.
Night had settled over Kuoh City.
The streets were quieter now, though not completely empty. Small pockets of people still wandered through illuminated sidewalks and storefronts, their footsteps echoing softly beneath glowing streetlights.
Gilgamesh and Mordred walked side by side through the city.
Gilgamesh wore a white shirt with a black blouse layered over it, paired with black pants and sneakers. A ruby necklace rested against his chest, faintly gleaming beneath the lights.
Mordred, on the other hand, wore a short red top that exposed her midriff, along with jeans and sneakers. In one hand she held a hamburger, in the other a milkshake, happily alternating between both.
Gilgamesh glanced sideways at her.
He couldn't help but wonder where all that food went.
Servants didn't need to eat.
And yet Mordred consumed meals like a bottomless pit.
A literal black hole.
"What?" Mordred asked, catching his stare.
"Nothing," Gilgamesh replied calmly, turning away. "Just thinking."
The real reason they were out so late was simple.
They were following Issei Hyoudou.
Driven by his desire to obtain the Longinus [Boosted Gear], Gilgamesh had decided to shadow Issei and Yuuma—also known as Raynare—during their encounter.
"Hey, Master," Mordred suddenly said, licking sauce from her fingers. "Why don't we just kill the pervert and take his Sacred Gear?"
To her, the solution was straightforward.
Kill the annoying insect.
Take the Longinus.
Done.
Gilgamesh let out a soft chuckle at her bluntness.
He knew Mordred despised Issei—especially after the boy had once tried to spy on her while she was changing.
That incident had been… memorable.
Gilgamesh could still recall Issei's screams as Mordred beat him senseless.
He'd had to physically restrain her to stop her from killing him outright.
Issei had ended up in a coma for two days.
After that, the pervert never dared to try anything with Mordred again.
"It's not that simple," Gilgamesh replied calmly. "I can only steal Sacred Gears from people who attack me. Not from those who show no hostile intent."
It was true.
With his ability [Launder], Gilgamesh could claim Sacred Gears from enemies he killed. Over time, he had accumulated dozens of them, all stored within the [Gate of Babylon].
However, [Pillage] only activated when the target harbored killing intent toward him.
Without hostility, it simply wouldn't work.
In Gilgamesh's eyes, Raynare and her group were insignificant.
Barely worth acknowledging.
The only reason he continued this tedious charade was because of one thing.
Pride.
Pride was a dangerous emotion.
To someone who valued cold logic, it often appeared useless.
Yet living without pride was like living without a soul.
It lay dormant in every being, waiting patiently for a catalyst to awaken it—overriding reason and restraint.
In the past, even Diogo had possessed pride.
But it was nothing compared to the pride Gilgamesh now carried as the King of Heroes.
Reaching into his pocket, Gilgamesh withdrew a small pamphlet.
Stamped upon it was the symbol of House Gremory.
A contract.
One that Rias Gremory's family had delivered to him.
Gilgamesh stared at it for a moment.
He already knew Rias intended to manipulate him.
Still, irritation stirred in his chest.
Rias was proud.
Selfish.
She would never accept an outcome that went against her desires.
Those with massive egos were all the same.
No one ever believed themselves to be wrong.
Everyone only accepted outcomes where they stood victorious.
But such arrogance required power to sustain it.
Unfortunately for Rias, she was the weakest among them.
The gap between them was like that of a dragon soaring through the heavens and a worm crawling in mud.
Yet Rias remained blind to this reality.
She still believed Gilgamesh was nothing more than a human.
Delusion born of ignorance.
Throughout his travels, Gilgamesh had witnessed countless truths.
And among them, one thing angered him more than anything else.
The way supernatural beings treated humans.
Devils enslaved them.
Fallen Angels experimented on them.
Even the Church used them as test subjects.
During his time with the Church, Gilgamesh had stopped countless experiments.
He had killed every individual who attempted such acts.
In many ways, Gilgamesh could be seen as a protector of humanity.
If he ever stood on any side, it would be humanity's.
But unlike Cao Cao—who sought to test humanity's limits—Gilgamesh saw no value in such recklessness.
If Cao Cao continued down that path, he would only paint a target on his own back.
And once he died, there would be no one left to protect humans.
Gilgamesh chose a different path.
He would guard them from the shadows.
Any being that attempted to harm them would simply cease to exist.
So why didn't he help Issei?
The answer was simple.
Issei had no pride as a human.
Even if Gilgamesh saved him, Issei would immediately accept Rias's offer of reincarnation.
Gilgamesh despised that.
Throwing away humanity for something as shallow as breasts.
With a quiet sigh, Gilgamesh looked at the pamphlet in his hand.
In the next instant, it ignited.
Flames consumed it completely, leaving nothing behind.
"So, Mordred," Gilgamesh said calmly, lifting his gaze. "Shall we meet our guests?"
Mordred grinned.
Then stepped forward.
"Cowards, show yourselves!" she shouted.
At once, the sky darkened into a deep purple hue.
All nearby pedestrians vanished.
"A barrier," Gilgamesh observed.
From above, ten silhouettes descended.
Eight men.
Two women.
The men appeared between twenty and forty years old, each with black hair and purple eyes, their expressions eerily similar.
One of the women had black hair, blue eyes, and a voluptuous figure.
The other…
Was a small girl with blue hair.
The Fallen Angels had arrived.