IBHJ Chapter 999 (Patreon)

"Alright, Mr. Shirou," she said, her smile widening as she stalked towards him. "The game is over."

Panic clawed at his throat. He needed a distraction, anything to buy him time. Inspiration struck, and he blurted out, "It's you, Kiara Sessyoin!"

"Oh? Still trying to confuse me? How adorable." she smiled.

"Actually," he said, his voice gaining confidence, "deep down, you're hoping to be defeated by Kiara Sessyoin, aren't you?"

She was suddenly stunned and the young man seized the opportunity, spinning on his heel and sprinting away.

She came back to her senses and said coldly, "That's not true—!"

Hands erupted from her abdomen, lashing out towards the fleeing young man. Just as they were about to grab him, golden ripples shimmered in the air, accompanied by a series of sharp whooshes. Countless blades materialized out of thin air, impaling the hands and pinning them to the ground. The shockwave from the barrage caught him, sending him flying.

"Pathetic. I take my eyes off you for a moment, and you're already scrambling for your life, forcing me to abandon my search and come back to save you."

The young man, sprawled on the ground, looked up to see his Servant walking over from a distance with a displeased expression. His face immediately lit up with joy. "Archer!"

Gilgamesh reached him, his face still filled with annoyance. He grabbed the young man by the scruff of his neck, hauling him up like a kitten, and tossed him behind him. "Stay put."

The young man nodded frantically.

Gilgamesh turned his attention to Demonic Bodhisattva, his eyes blazing with killing intent. "So, it's you who dares lay a hand on my Master?"

"Oh my," she purred, a playful smile curving her lips. "If it isn't Mr. Gilgamesh. And yes, it's me. Can you hand over Mr. Shirou to me now?"

Gilgamesh scoffed, crossing his arms. "Under normal circumstances, I might have considered it. But not now. It's not permitted."

She paused, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "Why?"

"There is no 'why'," he declared. "I am the king. My word is law. And I say he stays." His expression hardened, his crimson eyes flashing with a dangerous light. "Unless, you wish to rebel against this king and trample on my law."

"My, my," she murmured, a hint of amusement in her voice. "What an intriguing version of Mr. Gilgamesh we have here." Her eyes glittered dangerously. "I see your principles now, clear as day. But... it's such a pity. You, who aren't even graced with the title of Grand Servant, are no match for me."

Gilgamesh sneered. "Grand Servant? A cheap title bestowed on those who are convenient, nothing more." His eyes narrowed. "Since you're so confident, very well. This king will educate you on what it truly means to be the strongest Heroic Spirit."

He unsheathed the twin swords from his back. In an explosive burst of speed, he became a blur of golden lightning, vanishing and reappearing before Demonic Bodhisattva, plunging both swords deep into her abdomen.

"Ugh... How is he so fast...?" she gasped, staring in disbelief at the swords protruding from her. Gilgamesh's speed was astonishing!

"Such arrogance," Gilgamesh sneered, "and yet you're weaker than Saber. A beast...hah, nothing more!"

Just then, the young man shouted a warning, "Archer, watch out! She's immortal!"

But the warning came a second too late. A hand erupted from Demonic Bodhisattva's wounded stomach, lashing out with inhuman speed.

Even Gilgamesh's godlike reflexes were pushed to their limit. He wrenched his swords free and leapt backward, but not before a sharp claw raked across his face. A thin line of crimson blossomed on his cheek.

Gilgamesh's tongue darted out, tasting the blood on his cheek. A predatory gleam lit his eyes. "Immortality? How... interesting."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" the young man shouted.

A vein throbbed in Gilgamesh's temple. In a flash, he whirled around and flicked the young man's forehead—hard.

"Ow!" The youth stumbled back, clutching his head. "What the hell was that for?"

Gilgamesh crossed his arms, scowling. "Your future self told me you were annoying. Seems he wasn't exaggerating." His lips curled into a smirk. "Count yourself lucky I'm not my older self. He'd have turned you into a thousand pieces by now."

"Ow, ow..." The young man rubbed his forehead. "Calling me annoying... But we're cut from the same cloth, you and I. Doesn't that mean—"

"You—" Gilgamesh glared, caught between amusement and irritation. He couldn't fathom how this impulsive, smart-mouthed brat could be the same as the steady and serious Eternal King he'd come to know.

It was like trying to connect his own brash, arrogant younger self with the moody, possessive tyrant he would later become, and then further with the wise and benevolent ruler he would eventually be.

Perhaps, he mused, it was simply the nature of people to change, to be different in every stage of their lives.

Gilgamesh turned away with a dismissive "Hmph."

Demonic Bodhisattva's lips curled into a smile. "Do you see now, Mr. Gilgamesh? You're outmatched, so you better hand over Mr. Shirou right now."

"It seems you don't understand me at all. What a foolish mongrel," Gilgamesh sneered.

"What?" Her smile faltered.

Gilgamesh's eyes blazed. "The thing I enjoy the most is conquest. Conquest is my birthright. I subjugate the heavens, dominate the earth, and bend every soul I meet to my will. The gods may have created me, but to think they could conquer me?"

His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Those who defy me forfeit their lives. I've toppled kings, shattered empires, and made the divine tremble. I've watched cities burn and listened to the sweet cries of terror as nations fell to their knees before me."

A predatory grin spread across his face. "And you dare suggest I should hand over someone under my protection? Hehehe... Mongrel, it seems you don't understand why Gilgamesh is the tyrannical ruler of Mesopotamia."

He licked his lips, eyes gleaming with bloodlust. "Allow me to educate you. Feel the terror of the Lion of Uruk and know true despair!"

The air shimmered as Gilgamesh opened the Gate of Babylon, his legendary treasury. From its depths, he plucked a single flower, its petals pulsing with divine light.

She frowned. "That's..."

He placed the flower in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed it.

Then—

Crack! Crack! Crack!

His golden armor shattered like a spider web, revealing his powerful physique.

"Now," he said with a manic smile, "try not to beg for mercy."

He merged his golden twin blades into a bow of impossible beauty. Drawing back the string, he nocked an arrow crackling with magical energy.

Whoosh!

The arrow exploded from the bow, transforming mid-flight into a searing streak of light as it screamed towards Demonic Bodhisattva.

At the last possible moment, she twisted away, avoiding the arrow.

"Hmph," she smirked. "Is that all? Nothing special."

In the next moment, the magical arrow exploded with blinding light. Space itself seemed to warp and twist around Demonic Bodhisattva, as countless golden ripples blossomed in the air.

"What—?!" she cried out in alarm. From the shimmering ripples emerged countless A+ Noble Phantasms and weapons, each radiating immense power.

For a moment, everything was still.

Then—

Gilgamesh shot forward like a golden comet, weaving through the golden ripples with blinding speed. The suspended weapons also started moving along with him, becoming deadly projectiles. They sliced through the air with precision, finding their mark again and again. The battlefield was drowned out by the noise of rending flesh and shattering bone. One blade tore across her shoulder and down to her hip, another ripped through her thigh.

The scene was—

Too gruesome to watch!

After making mincemeat out of her body and decapitating her, Gilgamesh suddenly stopped. Perhaps he took a perverse, twisted satisfaction from allowing her to witness her own body's desecration and pathetic state.

Yet she was far from defeated. Though caught off guard by Gilgamesh's fighting style, surrender wasn't in her nature. With a sickening squelch, countless threads erupted from her dismembered parts. They whipped through the air, impaling Gilgamesh's heart and head with a wet thud.

Blood sprayed from the wounds, painting the ground crimson. A triumphant smile played across her severed head, eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. "It's over, Gilgamesh! You've lost!"

His response was a chilling smile. "Is it now?"

Her victorious smile froze. To her shock, Gilgamesh remained standing despite the grievous wounds, moving freely with no signs of impending death.

Then she remembered the flower he had consumed. "That's too despicable! You're actually immortal!"