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"Currently, you are my master by title only. Whether or not you are actually worthy of being my master? Well, I will be the one to appraise your worth." Gilgamesh replied with a cruel smile. He listened to the restrictions given to him in regards to the damage he could cause. While he could choose to ignore it, he wouldn't want to infuriate the woman any further than he did.

"My move, is it?" Gilgamesh asked as the treasured swords and spears around him changed direction, their tips seemingly aimed at Yuuka's direction. He raised a hand in a casual gesture before he started to speak again, "Let's see what kind of entertainment I can find here," he told himself, before suddenly gesturing forward.

The weapons coming out of nowhere shot without warning, pitched carelessly like one would throw a handful of stones. He did not intend to target his master of course, but it did serve as a warning sign. The weapons whizzed past her delicate-looking face, uncomfortably close as they passed her by, continuing on a straight path before they reached the end of the garden. Somewhere right behind Yuuka, four explosions were heard with enormous destructive power. The surface of the ground outside the garden's reach was blown up like it was hit by an explosive blast, shrouded by the dust of the earth pulverized into particles, causing a strange-looking crater right outside the garden if seen from an outside source.

The air around Gilgamesh started to dance again. Like a halo in an empty space, a flock of new weapons appeared behind him, now ten of them. Not just spears and swords. Axes, hammers, halberds, and some items with indefinite usage or origin. Each of them, polished like a mirror and an enormous amount of magic flowing through them, all of them on the level of a divine mystery.

"At the very least, even you should be amazed by that display." Gilgamesh crossed his arms, continuing staring back at Yuuka's crimson eyes. Crimson, like his own. "Now then, perhaps you would be interested in taking our current session outside of this garden? I'm sure you wouldn't want a stray Noble Phantasm destroying a collection of your flowers in one attack." he nodded confidently.

Yuuka's sour expression would definitely be a cause for concern. For Gilgamesh however, enjoyed this new look, unaware of the danger he just put himself in.

"Wonderful! I assume that the expression on your face means that you now understand what it means to have contracted with the most powerful heroic spirit?" he said proudly, crossing his arms as he prepared another barrage to send out. Now that his master knew his capabilities, he can begin to toy around with what he assumed would be a one-sided battle.

In an instant however, the relaxed atmosphere changed and he was distinctly aware of the sunflowers surrounding them turned inwardly. The air seemed to freeze and Gilgamesh sensed an enormous amount of magical energy just waiting to be released. Metaphorically, the tension must make it very hard to breathe given Yuuka's new display of.... emotion.

His senses froze. Was it fear or awe? Either way, Gilgamesh understood immediately the meaning contained within Yuuka's words. The golden screen of light-like objects threatened to move him from his position, a rarity in every single one of his previous battles. With a wave of his hand, two more objects appeared in the space around him, and from the golden ripples in the air, two shields appearing as if to absorb the brunt of the strange lights.

They didn't hold for long. The sheer amount of magical energy coming from Yuuka's technique easily overwhelmed the two noble phantasms and Gilgamesh was forced to dodge and weave through them. Normal humans would not have been able to avoid them, but as a Servant, his physical abilities surpassed the norm. Still, he couldn't get too careless. Trying to find space for a clear shot was hard enough now that he was in the midst of the lightshow.

In terms of output, the amount of magical energy in the surrounding area surpassed the output of his Gate of Babylon by a fair bit in its current state. Presumably, he should be able to match the amount by opening it up even more and firing out overwhelming amounts of weaponry as well. The same goes to using Ea against this. But he had no intent to kill, and thus he was forced to continue on this game, however dangerous it is. The bullets of light had enormous prana capacity, but they also seemed slower than he expected. Perhaps it was just something associated with his master?

Upon seeing a quick opening to the side, Gilgamesh forced his body to move to the area for a brief moment before letting out another volley of weapons fly out. Sparking with blinding brilliance, six spears and blades charged to meet Yuuka like comets, trailing light behind them as he aimed for his master's limbs.

The red eyes of the King of Heroes were gradually stained with a shade of leisurely fanaticism.

"Interesting. I haven't played like this in a long time. I haven't expected my master to please me so much." he said, his laughter raising in tone before a collection of the bright lights slammed into the side of his armor, forcing him to find another spot to take refuge in.

The output of magic coming from his master didn’t seem to waver in the slightest. Normally, from what he could understand, a sustained barrage of magic like this would at least put a considerable drain on a person. Even a Caster-class Servant required a massive amount of prana to maintain something like this. For Yuuka to be able to keep him on edge without a visible drain, he had every right to actually be impressed, pleasantly surprised even as he saw his master evade the Noble Phantasms hurled at her. Yuuka catching one was not something most people would be able to do, though not impossible given the right circumstances. One noble phantasm managed to rip through a small part of her skirt, revealing the wounded skin underneath… a sight that Gilgamesh approved of and enjoyed.

Before he could do anything else though, the sword in Yuuka’s hand was thrown towards him and he was forced to avert his gaze and moved his head out of the way. Somewhere behind him, a small explosion was heard as the Noble Phantasm collided with a hard surface. This woman… was good.
With all this going on though, Gilgamesh felt an increase in magical energy instead of a decrease. As it came from Yuuka’s direction, he immediately pointed out the obvious.

“Oh, it seems you are preparing a vastly different spell now, how interesting.” Gilgamesh smirked, arms crossed as the lights dimmed. Without the rest of the light bullets threatening to move him from his position, he took the opportunity to stand still to analyze what was going on. “Do not take me lightly. What kind of hero would I be if I could not see through magic? I can tell how many spells you may be working on.” He continued as more weapons appeared in the empty space behind him.

He laughs, obviously enjoying this game he considered worthy of devoting his attention to. Readying himself for the attack that was sure to follow when Yuuka took aim with her parasol, Gilgamesh then reached into the space behind him, taking out a single sword with an abnormal shape. There was a grip and a hand guard, and its length was about that of a longsword but the blade was not an edged weapon. It was a dull blade with a pillar made of three sections lined up, and a tip which spun in a spiral shape. He really only took the weapon out on a whim, a rarity for Gilgamesh and usually only reserved for use against people he acknowledged as worthy of facing it.

The only thing dwelling in his red eyes gazing at Yuuka’s magnificence was complete blood-colored joy. It was a feeling beyond the bounds of mundanity, known only to the king who had exhausted all the pleasures of the world and there were only three times in the past where he felt like this, previously. The first was acknowledging his friend Enkidu as an equal, before he became a heroic spirit. The second was against the Servant, Rider, ten years ago. A king who gained his respect. And the third came from Saber, the woman he wanted to possess most recently before he ended up in this place. The fact that those feelings were welling up within him now filled him with joy, though he kept his own personal feelings on the matter to himself.

When the highly powerful magic bullet shot out of his master’s umbrella, Gilgamesh snapped the fingers of his free hand. A single blade from his treasury met the projectile head on, the collision creating an explosion of magical energy in between Master and Servant. Of course, it wasn’t finished. As another bullet shot out, another weapon shot out as well to meet it, repeating the process of collision and explosion. He did not release all the weapons behind him all at once though but instead, released them one by one for his own amusement.

In this stalemate however, Gilgamesh held the cylindrical sword high above his head and the three parts of the cylinder began to rotate. In his current state, just recently recovered from near death, he’d be unable to use the full power of the sword without borrowing prana from his Master. He was too proud to do that though and he settled merely on using the next attack at minimum power. Perhaps if he felt generous, he would be able to show the full power of the sword that cut apart heaven and earth to his master, but not in use against her. Maybe against the Grail when they decide to meet it.

For now, he was content on yielding the next move to Yuuka. With the weapons and bullets flying out to meet each other with frightening intensity, he was curious to see how his master would react. Even she should be able to sense the amount of magical energy being gathered on his end. This is likely going to be his last display before calling it off to focus on more important tasks like the Grail itself. They could always continue this kind of entertainment at a much later time.

When his Master finally cancelled the spell, Gilgamesh continued to stand the same distance away from Yuuka, smiling at her with a bewitching smile. Their location didn’t change and it was as though time had rewinded itself back to the outset of her Spell Card. The only real change to be seen was the existence of the cylindrical sword held in his hands.

He listened well to Yuuka’s words, taking them in to heart. At first he thought he would be bored by her explanations, but her words indeed held interest. The existence of demons and deities, things that can manipulate the very aspects of reality itself. If he didn’t know any better, it’s as if he had been sent back to the age of the Gods; a period of history in which mankind was less populous and Divine Spirits were more common and active. If this truly was comparable to the age of heroes and myths, then this world would indeed be more antagonistic to the humans who lived here, augmenting the weight of each human soul in comparison to the humans that he was used to interacting with.

“Fascinating,” he chuckled to himself, “Perhaps this era would be more interesting than I thought. When we are finished, perhaps I could walk around and watch how other people live their lives.”

With the advent of a second Spell Card, Gilgamesh turned his attention back to his Master, ready to end this battle. The field began to glow with magical energy and he knew he couldn’t let this go unopposed. Even before this overwhelming spectacle, the King of Heroes did not move in the slightest. A challenge from his master was worth using this treasure he brought out specifically for this purpose. “A worthy curtain raiser but now, let us move to the conclusion of this battle.”

He held his hand high above his head, the sword gradually increasing the speed of its revolutions. Faster with each rotation, even faster…

“Now awake, Ea. a stage befitting for you has been prepared!” he declared. Obeying its master, the Sword of Rupture shrilled, haughtily blowing up winds comparable to a storm before Gilgamesh triumphantly shouted in declaration.

“Look up and behold – Enuma Elish!”

An enormous collection of magical energy was released, grinding at the laws of space, the sword tip that Gilgamesh swung down wasn’t even aimed at anything in the first place, angled up away from his Master even. What its single strike bore through was not a target but the world itself, stretching up into the sky. The cut space expanded in length to where his sword was aimed, distorting space and sucking in the atmosphere, including the magical bullets that were all around them, disappearing into the surging void.

The heart of the storm wasn't a center of calm, but it’s as if it was a hole to the underworld itself. This itself was the source of lands of the dead, the origin of the memory of life. Before heaven and earth split, this land was lava and gas, a hell of scorching heat and intense cold. This savagery wasn't remembered in the memory of history passed on, but was written in the genes unseen. Only his blade shone with brilliance. The dazzling light at the tip of the blade continued to complete the destruction, like a star of creation, the first thing illuminating a new world. Such was its title, the blade of beginning that separated Heaven and Earth.

And just as the attack came suddenly, Gilgamesh felt a massive loss of magical energy from within him, forcing him to cancel the attack. The blade stopped spinning and the wind returned to normal but he was down on one knee, drained from the expenditure of so much prana. “I suppose I should have realized what would happen. My reserves have not quite returned to their full capacity in the first place.” He said, an arrogant smile still on his face as he looked up at Yuuka.

The use of the full power of his sword, Ea, was normally reserved as a once-in-a-lifetime whim. This incident here may not have seen its anti-world properties but he did hope that his master would take notice later on that it was a sign of respect… in his own way. Ea was not something to be trifled with and he had yet to see anything properly oppose its sheer destructive power.

He was tired of how he would be invited till the end of time, repeatedly, to farces that were battles in name only. But now, he could finally obtain opponents he could recognize as an 'enemy' to properly fight with. If the inhabitants of this land were anything at all like his Master, then the very thought pleased him.

Gilgamesh did enjoy the look of Yuuka’s disheveled form after his last play though. He silently enjoyed her figure as she recomposed herself, though nothing of his face betrayed any of his emotion. “I did tell you that you have contracted with the most powerful heroic spirit. Did you think to expect less of what I’ve managed to show you?” he chuckled lightly to himself. His master did mention a Shrine Maiden potentially coming to investigate. Now that would probably be something that could interest him as well.

Watching his master leave, Gilgamesh’s physical form vanished gradually as he reverted to his spiritual form. Still low on prana, his spiritual form allowed him to regain it as long as he was still contracted to a master. It also provided a way for him to communicate without being seen at all, with the disadvantage that he wouldn’t be able to affect the natural world in this state. And apparently, he was also not ashamed at intruding on someone else’s personal space.

“You needn’t worry about seeing that treasure for a long time. In fact, you should be honoured that I allowed my master to even catch a glimpse of it.” He breathed in dangerously close to Yuuka’s ear. He was certainly in very close proximity with her and only she could probably judge the distance between them even if she couldn’t see him.

The trail they followed gradually grew darker and darker as they approached the source of the distortion. The lake was not too far away but one could see traces of the black mud already beginning to corrupt the surrounding area. Trees blackened and decayed, the stench of decay and burning beginning to fill the air as they approached their destination.

A heavy atmosphere hung over the lake, the air thick with the poisonous miasma coming from the grail. Normal humans would be unable to approach it, though powerful youkai and spirits would find the poison a minor annoyance. Noticing the dense, demonic aura in front of them, Gilgamesh could not help but laugh bitterly. “People would actually treat that sort of thing as a wish-granting machine and fight to the death for it. This time, the entertainment has really been frustrating,” he said simply, looking up at the black orb that hung in the sky. Still, something about this was different. While the black mud flowed from the sphere and continued to taint the lake below it, the rest of its ‘body’ was nowhere to be found.

This was the Grail but at the same time, it wasn’t the Grail. The Greater Holy Grail was still hidden away, leaving this in its place. Sin, the evil in this world, circulated and multiplied and chained and changed as it whirled into a vortex. Gluttony, lust, greed, depression, wrath, sloth, hypocrisy, pride, envy; over and over again encroaching and sprouting, representative of the sphere.

“This is not ‘my’ incident, nor is it something that I am responsible for. This is merely the work of foolish humans who allowed their experiment to run out of control,” he said as he made his way to stand in front of his Master. There was no telling what the Grail would do and he doubted that his Master was experienced in something like this. At least he managed to enter that mud and survive twice.

The vortex that was the curse of the grail in the sky continued to swirl around, bathing the area in a dreary tone of red. There existed something here that should not exist. Affirmations and correctness did not exist within this cursed vortex of hatred, though anyone trapped within it would surely have their wills sapped away, tainted by all the evils of the world.
“Intruder…” a voice called out to the pair as a flash of light appeared in front of the sphere, moving so quickly that normal human eyes would not have been able to spot her entrance. “Step any further and you will die before you even know it.”

Piercing blue eyes and short silver hair, Youmu Kompaku looked at the two with disdain. Her dress, normally a dark green was covered in black, spreading out across her skin and creating red, vein-like markings that surrounded her face. She held her katana out, pointing it directly at Yuuka… though her eyes wandered over to Gilgamesh, as if she could somehow see him in his current form. She was an odd sight to behold here, especially since she should normally be found somewhere within the Netherworld, not outside of its boundaries.