Quotes: Fate/Extra CCC❋

[kingofallkings]

Extra/CCC.

FATE/EXTRA CCC PREVIEW GAME

Gilgamesh: Truly, to wander so far astray; one could even say that such a ludicrously poor sense of direction is top-tier in its own right. Taken to an extreme, flaws too can become an art. That of a clown, needless to say.

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Gilgamesh: Smile, mongrel. The King has complimented you. Should you not be sobbing in euphoric bliss?

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Gilgamesh: To not know of me... how pitiful. You are missing out on ninety percent of what life has to offer you.

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Gilgamesh: You're back, mongrel. Hmm.... I can see your face very clearly today. So that's what you looked like. You have the looks of a mongrel, as I'd thought.

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Gilgamesh: I am the absolute and founding king. The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. Therefore, you too shall call me thus.

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Gilgamesh: You've quite the talent! It's been so long since I've laughed so much that my sides ache so! Yes... I'd forgotten the beauty of the human soul and body. Even the antics of a monkey are worthy spectacles of buffoonery. I'll remember this performance of yours. Leave, now. I have some editing to do with the video I recorded.

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Gilgamesh: I shall make an exception and allow you the impertinence of laying your mongrel hands on me. Just get over here. Be quick about it. The only ones allowed to keep me waiting are my friend and the stars of the northern sky.

FATE/EXTRA CCC
Gilgamesh: You lack manners. A lowly mongrel has no right to look on me without permission. I do not permit you commoners to look upon me, nor to make requests of me, nor to speak to me. By all rights, I should cut you into eighths just for your actions so far. However -- in so far as your begging was wretched, it was impressive. Therefore I will give you once chance.

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Gilgamesh: Very well! In compensation for your three command spells, I grant you the opportunity to question me! I bequeath unto you the privilege of speaking with me! And I will forgive your trespass in looking upon me!

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[The last thing I was sure was were that Servant's red eyes. Though they held a coldness that could freeze anything they looked on, they display a primordial righteousness - the gaze of the Absolute.]

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Gilgamesh: What an awful face. Have you come upon an evil spirit from the netherworld, are you a criminal awaiting your sentence? Is this the result of your immersion in that tasteless dream? What about it, Hakuno? Does there remain enough will in that shriveled spirit to give voice to my name?

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Gilgamesh: I am companion to Hakuno Kishinami's joys and sorrows, I take the brunt of Hakuno Kishinami's battles, I shall take pleasure in whatever becomes of Hakuno Kishinami. If that is not a Servant, what is it? Though it is different from the usual contracted relationship. I have not the slightest interest in your ideals or your values, I am merely here to encourage the human being "Hakuno Kishinami." I will offer you support, but nothing else. Do not make the mistake of considering me your ally.

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Gilgamesh: (right after killing you for refusing to work with him!) It was a life I happened to pick up -- I am free to discard it, as well. May your return to the underworld be swift.

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Gilgamesh: There's a saying in your country, "A cornered mouse will bite the cat," no? If trapped in a corner, even a mouse will challenge its enemy. Very well. I will forgive your gaze.

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[This Servant is a devil. The instant he decides the other party is useless to him, even if it's his Master, he'll cut them down.]

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Gilgamesh: Has human life finally become this easy? That one may simply disappear, cared for by no one, criticized by no one, hated by no one... like a living ghost. Did you sacrifice your command spells to me that you could show me such unsightly things? If that is the case, leave that would-be ghost in there to die. Rethink that desire to save what no one cares for.

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Gilgamesh: Hahaha, I understand your feelings, but you forget to humble yourself. I will forgive your disrespect, this time. Ah, but is this, too, our bond? You and I have something in common now. We have both fallen as far as we could fall!

[I don't want to have that in common!]

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Gilgamesh: ...and this is why women are... Hakuno. There's no need for me to tell you this, but friends should be chosen carefully. That one is an especially bad choice.

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Gilgamesh: A shabby room. It's quite far from a king's sleeping quarters, but for you it's suitable. Well, I suppose cursing at cheap lodgings it one of the pleasures of travel. I'm not dissatisfied.

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Gilgamesh: I have manifested as a Servant in the same was the other heroic spirits. On the theme of "participate int he Holy Grail War held by the Moon Cell." But my power was too great. What the Moon Cell wanted was not the strongest Master, but the last surviving Master. If I had been present, the result would have been decided from the beginning. So I was not allowed to enter the Holy Grail War. Therefore, I was sealed on the far side of the moon.

[--! So, he was trapped over there, just like all of us have been...?]

Gilgamesh: Of course not. Don't put me on your level. I walked in here myself. Not a melee of seven mages, but 128 person formal tournament? It's laughable. In a few words... the taste of desire becomes diluted. The near side's Grail War would only drive me edge with boredom. A carefully sculpted war with no betrayal, no artifice, no fruitless exertions, that does not suit my tastes. So I abandoned the near side. All human evils are enclosed in the darkness of the far side of the moon - that murky, stagnant pool is much like primordial chaos. And it has an excellent tranquility. So I made myself a sleeping chamber, and dozed off into dreams of decadence.

[He sent himself falling into that dark sky... or, no, he abandoned himself to a peaceful sleep? Servants are reconstructions of heroes who accomplished great feats. So they're all quite different from your average person, but by that standard, this man is on a whole different level. To sleep in that darkness is to lose yourself. An average hero would keep themselves from sleeping and thus maintain their sense of self. But this man simply slept while preserving his self. Truly, this is a world where one does not die when one is killed.]

Gilgamesh: But it seems I slept a bit too long. In any case, in these thousand years, no, a time approaching eternity, my body was left to lie in nothingness. My soul was unaffected, but my abilities were unfortunately tarnished. That is why I have been weakened. But, it can be considered fortunate. Because of this, you were saved. A silver lining, in your parlance. Be reverent and diligent in my rehabilitation. This is a good opportunity. I will enjoy this "perspective of the weak" I've heard of.

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Gilgamesh: You needn't look so dark. It's not as if you've lost all hope. For instance, when you return to the near side,you could steal another Master's command spells and get yourself a new Servant. Or, you could acquire power exceeding mine, and subject me as your Servant in truth as well as name!

Struggle as best you can. I take pleasure in watching your little sideshow. As you as you don't bore me, I'll come along with you. Of course, I can sever our contract whenever it pleases me to do so.

You are never to test my temper... so I would like to say, but that's out of the question. I won't ask for perfection from a commoner. I haven't had enough wine to start asking incapable people to do things they are incapable of.

I will grant you one thing - the freedom to sever our contract. When you have given up on everything, you have but to say the word. "There is nothing left."

["Nothing left." Those are the words I didn't say, back there in the darkness... what an unpleasant Servant I have. There's no way I'll sever the contract myself. I imagine the moment I do so, he'll kill me. He isn't fighting fro my sake. He's a devil contracted to me in order to take pleasure int he story of Hakuni Kishinami. So the moment I give up, I'll be of no use to him.]

Gilgamesh: What excellent hatred. You're finally able to respond appropriately, I see. If you didn't, there would be no point in following you. ...do not forget. This is not my battle. This is your battle. Engrave that into your heart.

[...I wonder. His words were all rejecting me, but somehow the weight on my chest has gotten a little lighter. This is my battle. If I think of it another way, it can also mean that I can do whatever I think is best.]

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Gilgamesh: It's an immature, idealistic argument, but from a philosophical perspective, it's worth consideration. You look better when you're putting on a brave face. Good. Then you should do just that. I will not ask you again. Go ahead, drown yourself in your own conviction.

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Gilgamesh: Mongrel. Sew your mouth shut and keep that loose tongue in place. If you were retainer of mine you would have been decapitated by now, however -- Currently I am nothing more than a normal king descended from my Gorgeous throne. For that degree of irreverence, you should be profusely doused with water. Be grateful for that sum.

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Gilgamesh: I have no dark past that must be concealed, but I have as many secrets as there are stars in the sky. A king gathers all the pleasures of the earth. I've had no lack of liaisons. Well, nothing I could tell to the populace, though. But that, too, grew dull. It's what they call too much of a good thing. It's not something to call a triumph. Though, the king's legend consists of what other people say. You can't think of it as some grand delusion, or what I myself would say.

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Gilgamesh: I have no sympathy for degenerate women like you. Now, it's time to put this disgraceful sight on display. Afterward, I will strip all that flesh from your bones with my own hands.

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Gilgamesh: You tell me to give up this time, but what would you offer to appease me? Your armor? Your lance? Your head? Such insolence implies that you are prepared to sacrifice a treasure with value equal to your life. Well, hero of charity? What will you offer me, with that starved-looking body?

Karna: At present, nothing. All I can do is promise you. Ancient King of Uruk, adjudicator to whom the underlying principles of heaven and earth were conveyed. If I am fated to lose my head, then I will entrust it to you. Most ancient of men, sovereign of the earth, front he daybreak of man when our world was still small, our consciousness still young. With that power, you may be the one to break me.

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Gilgamesh: I have to say, her wisdom is overflowing. I thought that woman was a fool, but she has a fine understanding of the sensible use of slaves. Taking the enemy's life and acquiring money are separate matters. While fatiguing the enemy's forces, she also enriches her treasury - an impressive friend you have here, Hakuno. I told you to choose your friends, but I will make an amenndmen. That woman is quite amusing. That said, I won't be giving my gold.

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Gilgamesh: Oh, no memories and no wealth. You really are a thoroughly moronic monkey.

[Ugh, he only laughs at things like this...! I wonder how much that sparkly gold ornament would sell for, should I take it to the store and see?]

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Gilgamesh: It is abrupt, but let's talk about money. Mongrel, rest there and listen closely.

[Gilgamesh pompously begins a conversation. I've seen so many crazy things, this development doesn't surprise me at this point.]

Gilgamesh: Money is just a system. A linear scale of value, a means to exchange goods, a means to store value. That which holds these functions, we call money. Currency itself is not wealth, but rather the many ideas, the culture, the arts, the real assets which are born of the system of exchange money allows, those are wealth. Mammonists are the vulgar sort who forget that original intention and just hoard together a feeling of "safety." However... rarely, only rarely, there are also those people of rare tastes who, while understanding the nature of wealth, still prefer money in and of itself. A very high-class habit in a plutocratic city-state, I would venture to conclude.

It's not that the possession of a large amount of money confers political power, but that being buried in the desire for money one comes to experience the world first hand, and from that come to selfishly shoulder a great burden. Much like the ruler of the city-state. Banknotes pile up into a mountain, and the city stagnates. And then, whole lording over it, one is dragged down with that city's fate. That's what that woman is. A foolish and miserable woman, but she has potential. It makes one want to forgive her many offenses.

[Gilgamesh is laughing to himself. It seems Rin's left a good impression on him. Perhaps Rin and this Servant might be very compatible?]

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Gilgamesh: ...our enemy is a woman this time as well. Mongrel. Your escape drama leans too much in one direction.

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Anderson: Your Servant? Well then, bring him out. I'll give you an expert opinion on every nook and cranny down to the asshole.

Gilgamesh: A smart-mouthed man, aren't you. You should be skewered without opportunity to vindicate yourself for such insolence towards the King, however... if you were going to make reckless comments at the risk of your own life, you wouldn't have come forward beforehand. That's right, you have narrowly escaped death, mongrel.

[Err...? Why were sword points being turned on me just now? This is ridiculous! Isn't it Anderson who was impolite?]

Gilgamesh: Of course not, the insolence was on your part, mongrel! An insolence that turns the evening sour, to have another judge the value of a king, and furthermore to ask right in front of me! If this peddler of letters did not offer his kife, your head would roll for this!

[So that's it...?! But didn't he tell me that I was free to research him before?]

Anderson: To study history from others and to learn others' opinions are two different things. This man, while set in his own ideas, is disgusted by the narrow views that permeate society. "If you wish to know me, make your inquiries alone, struggling forward by your own power" -- is that not the aesthetic you demand, King of Heroes?

Gilgamesh: Your speech is dull but your eye for people si first-rate. I thought perhaps you were a mad dog begging for death, but your character is that of an adventurer who challeges despair. You put your life on the line to speak the trtuh. you put your soul in every reckless utterance. To you, to give up your words would mean the deathof your soul. Compared to that, actual death is nothing to be feared.

Anderson: Quite right. Therefore I will fulfill myself, King of Heroes.

Though my tongue may be cut out where I stand, as I have been asked, I will speak my estimation of you without reservation. To start at the conclusion, you don't qualify as a Servant! I can't give you a single point! And as a heroic spirit? That doesn't bear discussion! No matter what records you consult, Gilgamesh was a ruffian that brought suffering to his country and his people. Calling you a king of men would make me laugh. A fool who united heaven and earth, ruling over men without governing his country.A King of Heroes is just that, and not to be called a king of men even by accident. That principle of kingship is simply to reign. You establish yourself as a king but that state is nothing but a storm with will. First you destroy. And after that, you cannot even promise a good harvest. And in that sad state, you gather the riches your subjects produce. Greed, Cruelty and conceit. Those three things raised to their ultimate form and then made into one -- that's what you are.

[I wouldn't be surprised if he killed him right now, with that.... refreshed... expression?!]

Anderson: Serfs raise their crops, kings raise their countries. But you didn't even raise a country. You did nothing at all but kill and pursue your self-satisfaction. Your nation, your followers, your legend, none of it continues after you. The only thing remaining to you is yourself. Is this contract, too, nothing but an amusement to distract you from your boredom? An adjudicator who enjoys human emotions without understanding them. That is your true nature, Gilgamesh. Hakuno Kishinami. Don't think you'll come to understand this man. You should act as his Master and nothing else. All right! Feel free to take my life now! I have said what i wanted to say!

Gilgamesh: Heh. I have no need for your life. It is utterly insignificant. That was not an estimation of value, in any case. It is a story you have written. If your tale portrays the king, it will find room in some corner of my library.

Anderson: Well, that's good, I didn't fancy dying right here. Wait, you recognize its worth? Then pay the fee! Will the famous golden king really just listen and be done with it?

Gilgamesh: There's nothing for it. When offset by such villification, this is the assessed value of your work. If you want payment, reassess next time, mongrel. Though you are a literary master with a twisted nature, after all...

[A malicious grin crosses Gilgamesh's face. ... these two may actually get along better than expected...]

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[I notice Gilgamesh peeking at my wallet, and making sure to show off that golden armor. ....how about I tear off tat armor and sell it?]

Gilgamesh: Indeed, the more your treasury lacks wealth, the more you're made to feel the impermanence of the world, the emptiness of life, and human weakness. Fill it quickly. You must make wealth move.

[He can tell me to fill it quickly, but still I can't get money except by fighting.]

Gilgamesh: What? Don't you have some other storehouse? Are you saying that thin, meagre, lowly, miserable treasury is everything you own? ...no, tears come to my eyes. What an impoverished woman you are. Not just in your physique, but in your purse as well... and your looks... well, those are average, at least.

[That... it's really bad enough to cry over!? And I feel like I'm being offered both an unjustified insult and a never before experienced sympathy.]

Gilgamesh: I apologize. I have little understanding of the concept called poverty. I have more wealth than I could possibly use, you see. Thus I do not know how to ease your suffering. Forgive me, Hassan. And do not approach me. Poverty appears contagious.

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Gilgamesh: That BB is less pleasant than stomach acid, but the Labyrinth is amusing. I prefer it to the near side's Grail War. If the stage itself is in poor taste, it's only fitting that the actors be in poor taste as well.

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Gilgamesh: You fool, did you think you'd win as long as you didn't misspeak? By keeping your mouth shut? There are times when your very being is what betrays you. Shutting away your own will, keeping silent even in the face of one who stands against all your beliefs - what does that do for your Master? Honor lies not in obedience. It is something to exemplify. Once you've devoted yourself to the sword and become your master's blade, who will measure your Master's righteousness? You cannot weigh the beliefs of others when you have renounced your scales.

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Gilgamesh: Betrayal is when you plan to walk the same path with another but then stab them in the back. If your paths are different from the beginning, you will inevitably devour one another.

What a very pure and high-minded king you must have served, that you don't understand this much. An ideal king, shouldering all the expectations of the multitude, never faltering! If such a beautiful star exists, I would like to once gaze on it, myself, but... it is an illusion, after all. The "ideal king" people wish for is something that no mere human is fit to be. I imagine that is why your king pitifully self-destructed from betrayal.

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Gilgamesh: The pure and righteous knights of a pure and righteous king. That widely famed flower, Camelot. I don't think I could bear a day of it.

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Gilgamesh: I'm losing interest in you mongrels' nonsense. Just as that faithful dog over there howled, I am a tyrant with no concern for the people. It is different from the path average people like the lot of you walk. You must never forget that.

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[I'm coming to understand Gilgamesh less and less. I'd really like it if he could just be clear about whether he hates flattery or is weak to it.]

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Gilgamesh: When I exercise my true power, all I need is my body and the key to my treasury.

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Gilgamesh: You've gotten sharp for a mongrel, haven't you? [..] I will only kill someone personally if their soul offends me with its ugliness, or if they themselves attack me. Presently, neither of those applies to BB. Therefore, I have entrusted her punishment to you. Sufficient? I do not simply kill, understand?

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[The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. A tyrant who sheds neither blood nor tears, a person who has mastered and enjoyed all the treasures and all the pleasures of the world.]

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Gilgamesh: It does not need to be said. You have squandered a long-awaited opportunity, and you are an utterly useless mongrel.

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Gilgamesh: I will play a round with you for sport. I won't be playing seriously, but you may make whatever frantic efforts you wish. If you cut corners, I will take it as an insult.

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Gilgamesh: On the chess board, the future is not something to be read. It is to be gazed down upon and overseen. The right move is always visible. Shall it be a card game, next? I care not. Though the minimum requirement to fight with me on equal terms would be to obtain precisely the hand you require.

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Gilgamesh: This is the fate of a doll that has a heart, it appears. If human beings do not confirm their usefulness for them, they cannot assess their own functionality. It is an inconvenient problem, but you should follow her lead. What. If you think it through carefully, there is no difference between people and objects. It is just a matter of poor or good compatibility.

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Gilgamesh: Hmph. Endowing a weapon with a human heart will bring it nothing but suffering, but if she herself is content, I will not argue the point.

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Gilgamesh: It's a shame, though. It appears those Egos have no Mesopotamian lineage. If Ishtar were among them, I would have unsealed Ea with no questions asked, but... that BB is aware of my sensitive points.

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Gilgamesh: Oh, so you too take pleasure in looking on the disgrace of others - a rather twisted woman, aren't you. However when your target is me, that is another matter. I wouldn't mind watching you dismembered such that you wouldn't die, thrown into contamination and then slowly rotting as my entertainment over drinks, you understand?

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Gilgamesh: Irrationality is the special right of the king. And obeying it is the duty of the average citizen.

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Gilgamesh: As the epic goes, 'Gilgamesh left not the son to the father, nor the daughter to the mother,' was it. Indeed, that part is true. If a tyrant is one who rules through brutality, then I am indisputably a tyrant. After all, I was created as such.

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Gilgamesh: The age of gods has been long over, and this planet has already been stabilized under those laws of physics humanity has observed. For humans, gods are nothing but a system to prop up their religion. For such a system to mingle with human beings is outside all your common knowledge and expectations. For now, at least. Well, let's not talk of the future. Your question concerns the past.

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Gilgamesh: The gods did not make me in order to give their support to humanity. It was because they feared humanity that they needed me. Gods and humans. They needed a king for this new era, possessing traits of both. Living beings have an instinct to adjust the environment they dwell in into something more suited for their way of life. What we call the survival instinct. The ancient gods lacked that trait. No matter how much energy they possessed, they were nothing but beings that were "just there."

Yet, the human will to survive was extraordinary. individuals might be lacking, but there were many of them and the average was high. There was no particular species endowed with supreme authority, but human beings had a higher standard of intelligence than other life forms. On the other hand, no matter how powerful the forces of nature the heavenly gods embodied, in character, in ingenuity, and in cognition they were not so different from human beings.

Do you see? An omniscient being can only reach a single possible conclusion, can only have one personality. On that point, human beings were a threat to them. It was a difference in the number of minds -- no a difference in adaptability. Human desire is unlimited, endless and unsparing. The world is transformed according to their desires.

"If human beings continue to multiply like this, the rules of this planet will change. The time is coming when we gods, the wills of nature, will become unnecessary."

The ancient gods feared that future.

Therefore, they wanted a sovereign who was aligned with their beliefs but still on the human side. Thus the follow incarnate of a goddess giving her body to a human king. It was an attempt to prolong the life of a dying era, but it was a truly unsightly death throe. The creature made this way would be a new sovereign, bearing the blood of gods and the blood of men as well. The gods would call it a linchpin. A linchpin heaven had driven into the earth to stop themselves and humanity from tearing apart.

Those were the circumstances of my birth. Unlike the rest of you, I was not born of the proper workings of life. From the beginning, these limbs were designed to stand in warning to humanity, reigning over them as the mouthpiece of the gods.

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Gilgamesh: My path of kingship is simple. I acquire treasures which catch my interest, and protect them. I completely annihilate all that gets in the way of my pleasures. That is all. Regard me as a demon or a tempest if you must. In any case, my mother was a goddess. Isn't it only natural that I should be inhuman?

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Gilgamesh: Were I incarnated to any extent, with blood that runs like a human's, my nature might tend toward the human nature of the era in question.

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Gilgamesh: That docile appearance and personality are nothing but her exterior. Her true nature is that of a starving beast. Bear that in mind, mongrel.

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Gilgamesh: Hmph, I ought not to get fond of insects. Even as he presents himself as a ruffian, there's fire in his eyes. It seems that rat can be a decent knight, though nonetheless a rat.

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Gilgamesh: What hopelessly sloppy work. That rat... such negligence while manifested under the Archer class... he's a disgrace to the Archer class. Though it has nothing to do with me, Archer is the best class, you understand.

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Gilgamesh: You say you value me as a battle asset! That a heavy weapon is more important than your own life! Such utter failure to recognize your own position, I must be losing my vision! Indeed, out of all the creatures in the world, commoners are the ones I really can't despise!

[Gilgamesh bellows with laughter, clutching his stomach. ... I've noticed this before, but this man is an extremely merry drinker.]

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Gilgamesh: If she lacks memories you won't see her true character, you say? Ridiculous. It's the exact opposite. Memory provides rationality, in others, a mask. This woman, amnesiac as she is, is in her truest, most unvarnished state! Furthermore, you don't truly understand what love is. Love is well-spoken of, but in the end is a mad scramble of personal interests. Making your own life the premium, you compete for it, steal it, sometimes increase it, and tend to it. Memories are not necessary in order to know a person's true character, but for high-quality love, memories are indispensable. How do you want to love? How do you want to be loved? If you desire love come back when you've obtained some self-awareness and learned the answers to these things!

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Gilgamesh: Unpleasant, isn't she. Desiing nothing, demanding nothing... no, she has desires. unselfish and demanding nothing, wishing to save all humanity. I've seen mountains of fools who say they'll save humanity for the sake of the happiness of the majority. There are also those fools who, suffering from their own desires, continue to search for an answer by betternig their own karma.. However... that one is a union of bothof these ends. It appears that that woman truly intends to sacrifice her own life to all human beings. Were her wish to be granted, she would be neither a saint nor a hero. She would be the most repulsive of all human beings, called the messiah.

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Gilgamesh: So her true nature has taken shape at last. The obscenity of this fog is the enticing voice of a woman beckoning a man into her bed chamber, isnt it.

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Gilgamesh: Again she leaves it half-done! They neer understand a man's desires - what creatures women are.

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Gilgamesh: Whether it's capturing of being captured you want, just be clear about it! This is the problem with aggressive maidens!

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Gilgamesh: You bare your fangs at me? Very well. Use those claws to hold me back!

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Gilgamesh: Finally we've come to a scene worth watching. I wonder if you understand, Hakuno? Our next battle will be quite different from our previous ones. Those were battles to save our enemies. But this is a battle to destroy our enemy. At last the decision to end a life has been pressed upon you. And the enemy holds a pure-hearted affection for you ? I'm certain to enjoy this no matter how it ends. Make sure not to make me watch some pointless decision like "I'll give my life as a sacrifice," understand?

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Gilgamesh: Love is not a beautiful thing. It is ugly, and inconsistent, and brings pain. Which is why that which is born from love becomes a light that can never be replaced. How can beauty born from beauty alone have any truth to it? I will give my approval. Alter Ego Passionlip, your love is the real thing. Therefore you will receive your last lesson from the king himself. At the root of all life lies battle. There are victims and perpetrators in everything. If you wish to obtain your heart's deepest desire, kill me and make Hakuno your own!

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Gilgamesh: You're even more boring than the Labyrinth. If you had an SG it would be bland and tasteless, I have no doubt. There's no helping it. As king I must bring things into motion myself. Answer my question, mongrel. Which man would you want to hold you?

[...I swallow that immediate response. What is this 'King of Heroes' asking me about, all of a sudden. And by "hold," he must mean, in that sense?]

Gilgamesh: Of course. What else would it mean. Ultimately, that is all there can be between a man and a woman. ...hm. But were you to name some man I have no knowledge of, that wouldn't be interesting, would it. Then let us limit it to those men within the student council chamber.

[Gilgamesh]

Gilgamesh: Ridiculous. Don't make the obvious choice. What will I do if you answer seriously to the questions I ask as an amusing distraction. Hm. Well, it is unavoidable. Being exposed to the aura of the king at such close range, such insolence will occur. Very well, I will forgive you this time. But give up. You are far from being to my tastes. Four thousand years too early.

["Four thousand years," what a complete rejection...! And for that matter, why do I feel upset, I wonder... it was just a frivolous discussion, so why do I feel like I've taken damage?]

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: You're fretting over pointless things. Whether you were a good person or a bad person will not change the fact that you are a mongrel. For you, your "self" is a life you threw away into the darkness. For me, you are a life I happened to pick up. Even if your memories return and your past becomes clear, that will not change. Besides, you are not yet mature enough to do evil. If you would speak of atrocities, first set out to do good. If you can't do that, it would be better for you to die. When your worries crush you that will be the end of the show. I will go ahead and reap that head of yours without reserve.

[...that's right. It is important to get my memory back, but I have bigger problems to deal with. The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. This uncontrollable Servant has never been on my side. He's a demon that will, ultimately, take my life. I can't affort to voice my complaints in front of him. No matter how worried or how afraid I may be, I have to keep my head level and move forward.]

Gilgamesh: That's not the case, though. I recognize the value of your complaints. What I won't permit is chiefly disrespect toward me - your memories of the Holy Grail War have returned. However, your memories from before that remain as mysterious as ever. An ordinary person would be destroyed by such lack of self. Furthermore, you have me to rely on. Are you afraid? You can submit yourself to BB and escape from that fear. You've come this far, why rely on me?

[Because that would be absurdly terrifying. But no, that's not the reason. It's generally true thatto be alive means to be afraid of something. Even if I'm worried or afraid, as long as I have hope I can accept that and forge on.]

Gilgamesh: Heh. Optimism above avarice, is it. It seems my judgment was off yet again. Well, that's fine. It doesn't change the fact that you are a rare pleasure for me. It's been a long time since I last had such entertainment. It's been not a bad show so far. I expect further blunders from you, Hakuno.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: An emperor? Don't group me with such lowlifes. I am the king. The first story, humanity's oldest. Hm... however. Emperor of the night. It rings with unconcealed obscenity. All right, it pleases me.

[Indeed this is a Servant who knows all the world's pleasures. The broad-mindedness that lets him wear those clothes without the slightest embarrassment has completely overpowered me...]

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: ...this man really makes me lose my interest in fighting him. I can't work up a desire to cut apart a person with such a worn out vacant look on his face.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Oh. So the sack of rotten meat really did it. That posture is humanity's oldest cry for help. Those who that that stance have a magic art that calls out even to complete strangers. Though, personally, I couldn't care less.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Hm? Your treasury is what, now? ....this is--

[...I've won. I've won without a doubt. And now the bells of victory will ring out above my head...!]

Gilgamesh: ...hopeless. Such a pitiful sight could bring one to fits of weeping. As meager a treasury as always. What are you doing showing me such a sparrow's nest disaster sight, Hassan?

[Wha-- he's really calling me that disgraceful name... again? How. The amount I've managed to save shouldn't even be comparable to what I had back then!]

Gilgamesh: Or what? Are you trying to get money from the wealthy by displaying your poverty? I see, that does make sense. In that case, by showing off your own poverty you're saying you want alms from me.

[Of course that's not--!]

Gilgamesh: It's fine, my pauper. If you want money you may have it at any time. If you do work of sufficient value, I will grant you alms whenever. After all, I am most generous.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Do not approach me, slave. And bow your head. I don't know who are, but do not enter my sight without my permission. Under ordinary circumstances you would be skewered, but at present I have no time for you. Be grateful for your good fortune.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: It's impossible for me to mistake my memory. I was born with a body incapable of such lapses. But your voice is strangely familiar. Are you perhaps someone's reincarnation? What? Not a reincarnation, a Master? You were contracted to me...? How very amusing! I should have made a deal with you for such mirth, mongrel! Your face, your speech, your manner. All of them react as if perfectly familiar with the king, myself. I acknowledge it. You do indeed know me. But I am unfamiliar with the likes of you. In deference to your pleasing eyes and voice, I will forgive your rudeness this once. But be prepared next time. Though my anger may have left me now, there are things I cannot let go.

[He really has forgotten about me. As soon as I recognize that, an unidentified pain runs through my chest. I can't breathe. My vision goes white. I desperately hold back my desire to scream out "why" ...I can't believe this. Not that Gilgamesh has forgotten me. What I really can't believe is that being forgotten by him comes as such a blow to me.

A Servant who one-sidedly offered me help. An arrogant king I can do no more than "converse" with, even after using all my command seals, who doesn't look on human beings as human. Far from the understanding of his contractor, a partner I could only dream of dreaming of standing on equal footing with. Given all that, there's not one reason I should be sad to be forgotten. There shouldn't be a single one. But now, I can't help feeling hurt.

Is that what it was, I glare at Gilgamesh. Is that all our battles were, I want to say, just one complaint. This means without even noticing myself, I had come to trust this Servant.

It's impossible now, but someday for sure... I want to understand this proud man. That's what I wished.]

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: ...those who glare at me in hatred are beyond number. But mongrels who stand against me with their eyes wet and clouded are rare. In respect of that rarity, I will hear your fantastical tale.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: You have been permitted the honor of personal conversation with the king. Therefore you will humbly assist me, mongrel. You are to go on ahead and clear the way.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Hmph. Well that was a surprisingly short journey. Though what lies ahead is a path of death drenched in sparks of flame. In any case, you can't go on. I'm going back to where I was. As a reward for leading the way thus far, I can accompany you to entrance -- or are you going to keep forging ahead? If you want to make me remember, there is no other path available, is there?

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: How can I leave a fool who put her life at stake for me to her own devices any longer! Desiring me for her own sake, she displays her own legitimacy without hesitation. It is my duty to love such shameless wishes, such brazen purity of heart. If I do not save such a wretched human being as this, then who will!

(to Hakuno) I will face this one. And I will ask one last thing, Mongrel. What is your name?

[So he really did just ignore me earlier. I can't help smiling. This time I give my name so he won't forget.]

Gilgamesh: I see. Now you may go. Your savage valor has been magnificent. I am certain you will be able to entertain me. Later. I recall this contract was to fight together, so in respect of this, I will recover my sword.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Don't shout so loudly. I can hear you perfectly well. You are, how to put it - you may be a low-class woman, but your voice carries, if nothing else. But what's happened to you? You're plain even in the best of times, but you look shabbier than ever. It pains me to call you my Master in such a state, but there's no helping it. Improving an inadequate Master is part of my work.

❋ ❋ ❋

BB: That's... the ban on your Noble Phantasm has been lifted?

Gilgamesh: An unexpected development, woman? Then I'll add one more earth-shattering development on top of it. I am no longer an observer. BB. Whatever your true intentions may be, you have already become my enemy.

Hakuno: ...Does that mean...?

Gilgamesh: Hakuno, I told you before that this was your battle, but forget that. Your enemy is my enemy. I will assist you, nameless Master. From now on, I will become your sword.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Gods are not so ominipotent as you imagine them to be. And in any case, there's nothing perfect in this universe. If I were forced to name one, it would be myself, but... well, there's no need to go that far. Nor does the difference between omnipotence and perfection need to be explained here.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: I see. The weight of responsibility. The leadership of that flock is certainly heavy on your shoulders, commoner that you are. In which case, think of it like this. We do not bear the lives of a few people on our shoulders. We bear the lives of the whole human race. That makes it easier, doesn't it? Whatever may happen, the instant you fail all those who would condemn you for it have been eliminated. You can take pleasure in battle and fail without fear. To take on the burden of all things is essentially to face the world one-on-one. There is nothing to fear. Against all the lives in the world, you may become all its evils, it doesn't matter. The only one who can punish you is yourself.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Then rather than elevation at which none may condemn you, you prefer the lowliness where the masses may question you. Well, that sort of mediocrity is typical of you. Then you may go ahead and worry your head like a plebeian.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Looked at with a level head, your pull is astounding. It's what now, four, five people? You've gotten yourself this entangled with all these troublesome women. It makes you want to blame some karma from a past life. ... The way you wildly trample over the hearts of women who resist you -- I find myself covetous of that technique, Master.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: It is a simple this to change a story from drivel into a masterpiece. It won't be necessary to change the scenario. This incident is already a masterpiece. After all, I will be playing the lead role from here on out!

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: You have a rotten nature, don't you, standing there boldly feigning ignorance. But I won't be letting you handle this. The lovely voices of miserable girls are an instrument to be played by the king.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: So dragons hunt people, then? True, humans and dragons are generally incompatible, but in the majority of cases it has been humans who made the first move, in search of something they could gain. Yet this woman came to attack people of her own will. As a dragon, she is the lowest of the lowest of the low. No other dragon would recognize her as a member of their race.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: You say you want to know what evil is? Then I will tell you so may take the knowledge with you to your final resting place. Never taught where sin lies or the weight of punishment, unable even to judge your own worth, you closed your eyes. "Why am I being eradicated?" Not realizing the reason for that even unto your final moments, that is your "evil."

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Such regrets are needless. The losers are elminated while the winners remain. As long as that rule is kept, you are not at fault. You were never in a position to lament your opponent's death in the first place.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: While I endorse a world that is harsh on humans, a mere world where humans destroy themselves would ruin it. By my judgment, it is worthless.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Tedious sympathies will take the ground out from beneath your own feet.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Ah, when I heard there was exclusive kingly swimwear, I imagined a speedo type, but this is more of a casual style than I thought. Well, for occasional relaxation this lightheartedness is good. Now let's return to our room, Hakuno. If you wish to see this new side of me, you should look to your heart's content!

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Ah, when I heard there was exclusive kingly swimwear, I imagined a speedo type, but this is more of a casual style than I thought. Well, for occasional relaxation this lightheartedness is good. Now let's return to our room, Hakuno. If you wish to see this new side of me, you should look to your heart's content!

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: You intend to tell me to tolerate a seedy water tank like that? If you wish to satisfy me... indeed, you would need to prepare an Thrilling Splash Time level facility. That would be good. [...] What. Did they not have those in your era? Well, we didn't have them in Uruk either. Thrilling Splash Time is the paradise of water I once personally planned out. It is the height of aquatic above water architecture.

[The king's red eyes shine as he speaks. After that, over a period of tens of minutes I heard in great detail what an amazing place Thrilling Splash Time was...]

❋ ❋ ❋

[Nn. I just got an unpleasant sensation from beneath my feet.]

Gilgamesh: That's because we were not paying attention to what is beneath your feet, mongrel. If, like me, you were to walk while always looking down on the world, you wouldn't spring traps like this.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Though this feeling has been seeping out since this Labyrinth began... this is why women are incorrigible! Yet among that number, you are exceptional, Meltlilith. Complex of hideous goddesses, how many lovers have you crushed beneath your heels?

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Hmph, you have the spirit of agreat weed. Desiring the fruits of battle even under these circumstances, even as your ally, I am dumbfounded. However, that is why you are my mongrel!

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: She will sacrifice everything for her love, and consequently, will destroy even the target of that love. The name of enchantress suits her well. If goddesses had also had such earnestness, if only that, they would not have been denounced as fickle and loose.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Both BB and Meltlilith are not bad natured. They are proceeding logically for rampaging creatures. You don't understand? The way they try to pursure their love is arrogant, but they think of only one other person. Are they not truly pure-hearted flowers? Do you think there exists a man who would hate that from the bottom of his heart?

[I, I guess if you say it like that, but... if looking at BB and the alter egos in that way is unexpected, Gilgamesh's kindness is equally surprising. I never thought he was a man with that kind of sympathy.]

Gilgamesh: If i am to speak on that point, these worms are just to my tastes. The stubbornness of those feelings is that of a maiden who lives for love. no other beautiful flower is as worth scattering. How ugly will the moment of her death be -- I cannot help thinking I will enjoy it.

[I revoke my previous statement. The King of Hereos has no kindness in him whatsover.]

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: There is one truth in your words. I imagine others would argue, but I will not call you evil. What is love to begin with? Is it absolute, is it relative? Does it go on forever, or will it end in time? The answer which many women avoid, you have held from the start. Even if it's an immoral thing. The very incarnation of a young girl who cannot forgive the slightest impurity, who loathes all discord.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Stop being silly. What are you pulling yourself togehter for over there. Is it your weakness showing its face again? Set some limits to your fretting, if you have not even a petty answer on hand. With whom have you come this far? The arrogance of taking such a burden as yours alone, only I am allowed that. If you'rve worried enough, you would do well to rely on your allies. You're being rude to those who have fought alongside you.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Maintain consciousness. Don't fall into sleep. If it is to end here, it can only be by me, choking the life out of you with my own hands.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Heh. Mercenary, aren't you. Just when it seems your poor vitality won't return, all it takes is talkingt o a woman to restore your spirits. The three great desires are indeed powerful, aren't they? Now you've slept and fulfilled your wants to your heart's content. All that remains is to satisfy your tongue.

[Wha...what is this goldy saying...! She just made me tea in the infirmary! I did nothing untoward!]

Gilgamesh: I know. It was what you call an AUO joke. You're in a better mood now. But there's no helping it. I give you special permission. Bu nature, I was on the side that would be brought down by humans like you. How many times have I been betrayed by a fearless face like yours. Perhaps it is some karma that now I look at that same thing up close like this. It makes one want to speak of the irony.

[As if mocking himself... no, as if entirely amused, he smiles. ...I can't believe this. I know it's only his whim, but still right now he's thinking of me with pride.]

Gilgamesh: It seems you've awakened, mongrel. I'm not speaking of a momentary sleep. I mean the state of your soul. Your face seems to have come alive. That worthless shadow which has hung upon it has fled to the netherowrld, then? What audacity. What base vulgarity. What... a human face it is. And full of worthiness. We go now, then? This situation has roused my interest too, let us take arms in earnest. In human history, god-killing has been the duty of kings. If our opponent is one who would ascend the throne of the gods, then there's no chance I will not come to fight,

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: ndeed the Moon Cell Core has fallen. The future where you prevent that was never in your reach. That is natural. She called you here on the premise that their victory was already sealed. Thus far all has been according to BB's plans. You have done nothing but dance in the palm of her hand.

But why don't you see the many things here that are out of order. BB's expectations end here. Her plan was to close the curtain on her victory and your failure, all according to her determined future. However. There is one here who still has the will to fight -- no, a fool who does not vanish even when erased. There is one who continues even after defeat.

This fated defeat cannot be changed. This alone is an impossible request even for me. Therefore... this was a battle which first had to be lost. Now that this established fact has come to pass, what waits for us is only blank pages. Your battle is what arises after that.

To "change the future" is an incredible conceit to begin with! The present is constantly turning, the future is a cloth that extends and extends, and I am the eternal, indestructible King of Heroes! As long as I am here, nothing will be over.

If you see a future of destruction, then you must change it as if you were the editor of history.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Don't be silly. How could I call myself a king of heroes if I couldn't watch over the inside of my own heart.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Do you remember, Hakuno? The final destiny that awaits you.

[I know. For the student council -- for the Masters remaining on the far side of the moon, the enemy we must defeat is BB. But before that, I have another final barrier I must surmount.]

Gilgamesh: That's right. The truth is, there was a Master who should have slept forever, never waking. This person repeated the preliminary round that had been built countless times. perhaps occasionally they noticed something off, that the world they inhabited was manufactured. And when that happened, they were swallowed by black mud, lost consciousness, and went on peacefully into a rebuilt preliminary round.

However, one of those times they "noticed," that person took a reckless action the architects of that world had never dreamed of. Loathe to be swallowed by the black mud, they threw themselves into the sea of imaginary numbers. Perhaps after the long repetition some sediment had built up in their subconscious. Saying, "I can't approve of this world." A fool's determination, you might call it.

That person even gave up their life to defy the architects of the world. This may have been BB's greatest error. That person slipped out of BB's hands, and became fated to disappear in the sea of imaginary numbers. But.

[Right. But, I didn't disappear. On the brink of death, I heard this Servant's voice and sacrificed everything to him. Three command seals. By using up the "mark" that can be considered a Master's life, I narrowly avoided death. Or, more accurately, I temporarily escaped my death.]

Gilgamesh: That's right. As the command seals you burned up will never return, I will not exist on the near side of the moon. When this incident has been settled, you will have no clear future. Rather, it will be undetermined. When you return to the Holy Grail War, you will have no command spells, and no Servant. Perhaps you will simply be killed as a defeated Master. you are one who fights in order to die. Hakuno. I will ask you only once. Do you still aim for the near side of the moon?

[Gilgamesh's gaze is quiet. It holds no scorn and no pity, the eyes of the king, seeing all things equally and without falsehood. ...I give up. If he questions me with those eyes, I can't lie or try to hide. I can't articulate a clear reason. I have no words to make him understand. So all i have to respond with is my usual brave face.]

Gilgamesh: Such unfounded confidence may become a weapon if you reach that place. My pride and such are valuable. "I will surely be victorious," that conceit is proof o humanity. Understanding your promised failure, determinedly staving off death, that is mankind's true nature.

[He says it's ugly, but at the same time, he smiles. To be otherwise would be false -- thus he affirms many people's way of life. That really is how it is. I'm not really that special and this isn't a special thing. Fighting in order to die is an obvious thing. Because people are always trying to postpone their fated deaths.]

Gilgamesh: It was dull in the beginning, but this summoning has exceeded my expectations. When would you use up all your strength? It seems it was wrong to look forward only to that. Now that we've reached this point, I can no longer call it a farce. To challenge god is the epitome of humanity. Such a life is befitting for my Master. Fight as you please. The conclusion of that, the ending, make that your payment to me.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: The beauty you speak of is that of a lifeless machine. Not the barest hint of life exists here. All elements here reject vita activity. Throughout the ages, I have observed numerous disasters and human crimes... even those deemed evil by you humans held some manner of emotion for humans, whether that was love for oneself, or hatred for others. However, this is different. This darkness is an exterminatory space that, while human, holds no human emotion. An utterly new bane of humanity that surpasses even All the World's Evil.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Immature planet, she says! Truly, what astounding gall coming from a mongrel! But very good, it is indeed the truth! Though the planet nears its final years, the history of humanity is yet in its youth. After all, it produced that brazen fool there. It certainly cannot be anywhere close to adulthood. The slothful humans have yet to become capable of proving their worth. Thus -- the time of judgment is not now.

I speak of genesis. The elements intermix, coalesce, and bring forth the stars that forge all of creation. Know now the apex of the Truth. I shall show you that which I acknowledge as truly golden. The hidden prototype.

Now-- sing its praises in your death throes, foul noise.....!

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: The time has come, Master. Use all that I have, and fight as you will. There remains no need for words. We shall slay the newly-created god by our hand. Let us partake in the first deicide since the time of myths!

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: We are the same in that we both observe until the end; it is no more than that. You have only loathing for humanity's course, while I find enjoyment in it. As such, this leaves us with no option but to clash. We were sworn enemies all along, Moon Cell!

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: In this sky of beginnings, it is a dialogue of life or death that most befits us. If the answer you give is satisfactory in the slightest, I'll simply send you off to the Near Side. However, should you reply with some empty answer, it will prove you -- and I who bothered wth you -- to be no more than that. I'll have you pay the price with your severed head.

Prepare yourself and answer me this. I ask of you. What are you, to me?

[My pounding heart stopped dead. Because even I, as inexperienced as I was, was able to sense how much meaning that question held for him.

...thinking back, the relationship between us was complicated. There's no way I'm his Master. For a certain reason, it's impossible for me to become his friend. But neither was I a slave, nor an accomplice.

The Heroic Spirit who never could be reconciled with others. Killer who indiscriminately slaughtered multitudes. If that were truly all this Heroic Spirit was, some third-rate magus like me would've been rust on his blade long ago.

I already knew all too well the reason why it hadn't been so. Gilgamesh, who, appearing more cold-blooded than anyone, never wavers from his identity as adjudicator. Punition personified, unmeasurable by human values. One who, even as he sentences humans, watches over humanity's course.

So what was that reason? It's obvious.

To you, I am your 'enjoyment.']

Gilgamesh: ....

[It doesn't need to be said. At his most fundamental, he loves human beings. And that's why... I, myself, am his reward.

The king who awaits humanity's future, even as he laughs at its deeds. In anticipation of humanity's course one day forming a beautiful pattern, he holds the throne of the adjudicator. Crossing paths with none, taking none as vassal.

From the end of the world, the King of Heroes gazes upon time spanning eternity with a cold smile.]

Gilgamesh: Well done. I had not thought that you, of all people, would so plainly speak the most natural truth. The answer must be rewarded. Though they are but dull trifles, take them.

[These are... Command Spells?! My Command Spells have all come back...!]

Gilgamesh: Fool. Once used, Command Spells do not return. Those are new. You... who do you think I am? Of course I would have a stock of a Command Spell or two!

[B...but how's that for a Servant?! If there's a Servant who could replenish his Master's Command Spells, the entire premise of the Holy Grail War...

...no. I see. It's because he was such a Heroic Spirit that he had sealed himself in this space.

Trusting one another, loathing one another, clashing with one another, regretting all the while... such deeds belong to humans alone. Having decided that he would not sully those with his power, in this abyss that seemed someplace beyond the heavens, he had chosen merely to gaze skywards.]

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: Rejoice, Hakuno. Your fate of dying upon returning to the Near Side will, too, be reset. Well, even so your days are clearly numbered. Your Servant will doubtless be some sorry good-for-nothing, anyhow. If I were your Servant, you'd be unmatched, but that too ends here. Go die miserably in the sixth round or some such.

[...what's a nudist doing in my room?]

Gilgamesh: Hmph. I'd come one step ahead of time to take a look, but it seems your room here is squalid as well. Humble as always, I see. But well, I'll not complain of it now. After all, I too had lost nine-tenths of my assets in coming here. I shall consign myself to this temporary state of object impoverishment.

[I remember. Now I remember! That thing there is the anomalous Servant whom I'd contracted with in the Far Side, Gilgamesh......! I-- I don't really understand. But weren't you not supposed to be able to come to this side?]

Gilgamesh: I destroyed that rule.

❋ ❋ ❋

Gilgamesh: The Moon Cell said that it could not accept you,
and that it would delete you no matter what, you see.

So I abandoned it and flew out on impulse, deciding to settle for any planet with sentient beings who place an emphasis on expenditure and advancement.

Well - indeed, we've ended up some 1500 light years from Earth,
but you'll have to make some allowances. It is a mere triviality when compared with the scenery!

[Hahahahaha, the King of Heroes laughs merrily.

Uh... another planet? Flew out on impulse? 1500 light years away? L-look what you've done, you...!]

Gilgamesh: Now, don't rejoice so. You'll make even me embarrassed. Besides, were you content with how matters ended? You mean to say that you would rather have dissipated complacently?

[That's... well, it's as he says. At the time, I'd resolved that there was no other alternative, but to tell the truth, I really hadn't wanted to disappear. But... I thought that would just be asking for too much...]

Gilgamesh: I see no reason why one can't ask for however much one wishes. I, for one, was not satisfied. In addition there's one thing you lack. Do you not see? The joy of learning the new. The instinct that sets the heart aflutter in excitement when facing the unknown. The entertainment that enliven's one's existence - that is to say, something called 'pleasure.'

You had quite the talent for worrying over matters, but none for enjoying them. That won't do at all. Here, in this alien world, like it or not you will undoubtedly come to know the joy of living, the meaning of having been born.

After all, this is a new frontier even for me. It's impossible not to feel elated.

[With a grin, Gilgamesh holds out his hand. Though that grin of his is as callous as ever, it's filled with the exuberance of a pioneer. This time, the hand is not to shake, but rather an invitation to go forth together.]

Gilgamesh: That's the spirit. Then let us dive into a new journey. Our conquest is the sea of stars. We shall sample the joys that humanity will one day learn of, Master!

[I take the outstretched hand, nodding to the words of my partner...

...who's acting as high and mighty as always when, really, here in this new world... he, too, is just some nameless level 1.

The smallest of fry.]

 

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