Plop~
A severed arm fell heavily to the ground, kicking up layers of dust.
The entire scene instantly fell silent, as if time had paused at that very moment.
Everyone stared blankly at the screen, questioning reality itself.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I watching?
Why did the King of Heroes suddenly get his elbow sliced off by Emiya Shirou?!
Gilgamesh's furious expression froze in an instant.
He stared dumbfoundedly at his now-empty elbow, then at the severed limb lying on the ground.
He looked back and forth several times.
It was as if he simply couldn't believe he had been dismembered—
—by a mere mongrel who dared to act arrogant!
At that moment, the previously dumbfounded crowd, exploded in a frenzy—
"So satisfying!!"
Kirina froze for a second, then her petite body started trembling. Her face flushed bright red, and her eyes rolled back slightly.
She was so excited, it looked like she was in some kind of… indescribable state.
She lunged at her best friend beside her: "Illya, look! Shirou really beat the King of Heroes! He's avenging Heracles!"
Earlier, Gilgamesh had tried to rip out Illya's heart, only to be stopped by Berserker—Heracles—who went all out.
The two had an earth-shaking battle.
But the mindless Berserker was no match for the King of Heroes.
Faced with the infinite Noble Phantasms from [Gate of Babylon], he was like a moth to a flame—utterly doomed in his struggle.
He didn't even get the chance to touch Gilgamesh.
Like a wild beast thrown into a gilded cage, he was toyed with mercilessly.
In the end, it was only by exceeding his own myth and breaking free from Enkidu's chains that he gained brief freedom…
…but still couldn't reach Gilgamesh, dying under overwhelming firepower.
To his last breath, this great hero protected Illya.
That sequence of scenes had been unbearably oppressive—filling everyone with despair and darkness.
But now, that suffocating pressure, fear, and helplessness were all blasted away by Shirou slicing off Gilgamesh's arm.
Now, the exhilaration was overwhelming.
The more despair there had been before, the more satisfying it was now!
"I saw it…"
Illya lay flat on the sofa, her ruby-like eyes soaked with tears.
It was him—he was the hero who had inherited Heracles' will to protect her.
She finally remembered everything.
It was thanks to his protection that she was spared from becoming the core of the Grail.
Unfortunately, Berserker still left her… forever.
That Greek hero had sworn from the start to protect her no matter what.
Now, Shirou had defeated the King of Heroes and avenged him.
Berserker—when you regain your reason, you'll be the strongest in the world. You'll definitely be able to defeat Gilgamesh!
Illya firmly believed this.
After all, he had completed the Twelve Labors, received the blessings of the gods, and was deified after death.
Being berserk clearly only weakened him.
Kirina clenched her fists tightly,
"Go, Shirou! Crush the King of Heroes beneath your feet!"
"…Wait, weren't you Gilgamesh's biggest fangirl?" Sanjiro asked with a weird look.
This gremlin was just like Gabriel—once a cute, kind angel, now a degenerate fallen angel because of gacha games.
She'd spent all her pocket money and scholarship funds on microtransactions.
It was as if Gaia or Alaya had cursed her with the worst gacha luck in existence—she couldn't even pull the pity rewards sometimes!
Because of that, she worshiped Gilgamesh—the richest Heroic Spirit—as a god of fortune, praying to him before every summon.
"Hmph! I liked him for his money, okay? I'm honest about it!" Kirina snorted.
After watching this video, who could still like Gilgamesh?
"…Man, poor 'wise king' Gil. Lost all his fans in one go," Sanjiro muttered.
He imagined Gilgamesh somewhere pointing Ea at him right now…
He rubbed his temples while watching the video—but couldn't help smiling joyfully.
Farewell, my friend!
The video continued.
Gilgamesh, stunned, finally came to his senses.
Suppressing his endless rage, he spoke solemnly, "I must admit, at this moment, you are the stronger one."
"Oh? The mighty King of Heroes is trying to run away?" Shirou mocked, not making a move to stop him.
Provoked by the taunt, Gilgamesh snapped instantly.
"Damn mongrel! I swear I'll kill you!"
A king must never be insulted!
As the most arrogant king, he had never suffered such disgrace. Only Emiya's death could wash this away.
Just as everyone was ready for a climactic showdown—
The scene suddenly shifted.
Artoria was now on screen, holding Excalibur and facing the monstrous mud pouring from the Holy Grail.
The golden light from the holy sword shone brightly, radiating divine hope.
It stood in stark contrast to the black sludge from the corrupted Grail.
Artoria, wielding the Sword of Promised Victory, roared:
"Ex…calibur!!"
Voom!
The light on the sword erupted into a brilliant golden beam, piercing the heavens.
Her mana was converted into a beam of destruction, annihilating the enemy. The golden pillar of light slammed into the Grail.
Under the blast, both the Grail and the evil mud were completely destroyed.
It was like a nuclear explosion—the golden mushroom cloud rose into the air.
Fuyuki City: Nuked again.
However…
That terrifying attack also affected the other battle.
Under the shockwave, the barely-stable Unlimited Blade Works Reality Marble shattered.
The two fighters returned to the real world.
Leaving the audience dumbfounded—
4thWarPTSD-[We all know the Holy Grail War is supposed to be secret. So why are y'all nuking Fuyuki twice now?!]
ICastFart-[Does that count as friendly fire?]
HistorianWithWifi-[I think it does... UBW is Emiya's biggest power boost.]
PostNutRealityMarble-[What now? Are we just gonna let Gilgamesh run away?!]
…
Gilgamesh sneered,
"You were unexpected… but resisting me is still a dead end!"
He reached out and absorbed the remaining black mud, reconstructing his body.
He had bathed in the mud to gain a physical form, enabling his long-term existence.
He also used a potion to reverse aging, changing his appearance and personality, allowing him to live undetected for ten years.
Strangely enough—
Shirou didn't strike while he had the chance. He just stood there watching.
Though badly wounded, his eyes shone brightly: "I will trample all your arrogance beneath my feet. Draw Ea!"
"Haha! You pathetic mongrel… how dare you provoke me to this extent!"
Gilgamesh burst into maniacal laughter.
Heroic Spirits are the manifestation of their legendary feats—summoned by the world after death.
He was the oldest Hero King.
Wielding Ea, a god-forged sword of genesis capable of tearing the world apart.
Previously, he'd held back, underestimating Shirou and refusing to draw it. But now, this arrogant mongrel was forcing him to use his ultimate treasure!
"Very well! As you wish—mongrel!"
Gilgamesh formally activated Ea for the first time.
Vrrrrmmm—
The sword spun violently, unleashing apocalyptic, blood-red energy.
It fired a crimson beam toward the sky, a blast strong enough to destroy an entire city.
London, Prime Minister's Office.
Gawain shook his head,
"Nameless… you're even more arrogant than the King of Heroes."
He thought that after slicing off Gil's elbow, Shirou would go in for the kill.
Instead, the guy let Gilgamesh charge up his ultimate.
How unbelievably dumb!
Gawain sighed—he thought he'd lost a bet, but now it looked like Emiya was just handing victory back to his opponent.
"Ah… I think I know what he's planning…" Mordred suddenly grinned.
"A trump card?" Gawain blinked.
That's Ea we're talking about… Even Nameless was taken out in one strike—what can Shirou Emiya do to withstand that?
"Just keep watching."
Mordred didn't explain.
Under everyone's watchful gaze—
In the video,
Emiya mercilessly taunted, "You mongrel of ancient times, your brain's completely rotted from the black mud!"
Then, he turned to the King of Knights, who had appeared by his side after the Holy Grail was destroyed.
"Sorry, I dragged your Reality Marble into this," Artoria said apologetically.
Once the Holy Sword was unsealed, its power was strong enough to destroy a city. Even she couldn't restrain its destructive force.
"That doesn't matter."
Shirou's blood-covered face was smiling brightly. "This time, entrust everything to me!"
"Alright!"
Artoria was briefly stunned, but without hesitation, she nodded and handed the Holy Sword to him.
That scene had countless viewers gritting their teeth with envy.
Artoria, at this moment, looked like a shy girl, placing absolute trust in him!
She could even hand over her Holy Sword—what else wouldn't she entrust to him?
On the other side—
Gilgamesh was utterly enraged at being ignored by the two. With a cold snort, he said,
"You mongrels dare mock this king? Then this king shall grant you destruction!"
[Enuma Elish!]
Voom!
A blood-red energy cannon blasted toward the two.
With boundless power, it shredded and vaporized everything in its path.
Under the overwhelming pressure of the world-rending blood-red beam, new wounds opened all over Emiya's body.
However—
Instead of retreating, he held the Holy Sword and charged straight into the beam.
"Heh, mongrel, you're just running to your own death!"
Gilgamesh sneered coldly, already envisioning the gruesome sight of his opponent being torn to shreds.
At the same time, everyone watching felt too pained to keep looking.
Nameless had tried to take that thing head-on—and got completely obliterated!
Standing from afar, Rin Tohsaka couldn't help but cry out in despair: "You idiot! Get out of the way!"
Why choose to take it head-on?
Do you really want to die that badly?
Think dying will let you become a Heroic Spirit?
As everyone watched, anxious and terrified—Shirou collided head-on with the red energy beam.
To everyone's shock, his body wasn't torn apart.
Buzz!
Golden threads of light radiated from within him, weaving into fine filaments that enveloped him and the surroundings.
Under this light, all of Shirou's wounds were instantly healed.
As if he'd never been hurt at all.
"That's Avalon!" Gawain said, stunned.
Yes—it was Avalon, the Ever-Distant Utopia, the sheath of the Holy Sword Excalibur.
Its bearer would never age, and injuries would heal instantly. It possessed an absolute defense akin to magic, capable of resisting any magical or physical attack.
The sheath itself was equivalent to magic.
If Ea is the strongest spear capable of cutting the world—then Avalon is the strongest shield of absolute defense!
And now—
The strongest spear clashed with the strongest shield.
Buzz~
Under Avalon's protection, Shirou collided with the red beam head-on.
This was truly taking Ea to the face.
With this magic-tier invincibility, even the world-cutting power of Ea couldn't pierce through.
No—
It didn't just fail to pierce—it even reflected some of the damage.
Part of the destructive power of Ea rebounded, sweeping toward Gilgamesh himself.
Forcing him to flee in panic.
The ground below was shattered into a crater several dozen meters deep.
Gilgamesh couldn't believe it,
"Damn it! You still had this up your sleeve!?"
He tried to escape, but it was already too late.
Shirou, wielding the Excalibur, descended from the sky and landed beside him. "King of Heroes, let me speak from the heart."
"Get lost, mongrel!!"
Gilgamesh summoned countless golden ripples once more.
From the Gates of Babylon, a storm of Noble Phantasms rained down on the boy.
"Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless!"
Shirou returned the words to him in kind.
With Avalon's invincible shield, he ignored all attacks and marched forward step by step.
Gripping the Holy Sword, he let out a roar,
"Tyrant who treats humanity as beasts and seeks to punish them—now face the retribution of countless humans who strive for victory and hope!"
"Ex…calibur!!!"
BOOM!
A brilliant golden pillar of light erupted once again, so dazzling that no one could look directly at it.
With a single swing, the heavens and earth changed.
Like sunlight piercing through the night, like dawn breaking over the horizon.
The infinite light pierced through the darkness—once again illuminating the earth with golden rays.
When the light faded—
One could see a gaping hole in the King of Heroes' chest, as wide as a bowl.
He pointed at the boy with trembling hand.
"Damn mongrel… This king will return!"
BOOM!
His body exploded and was completely vaporized in a radiant burst of golden light.
The arrogant, mighty, and invincible King of Heroes—
Was defeated head-on. Not even his ashes remained.
Emiya quietly watched as Gilgamesh faded into nothingness and whispered softly, "I have done it."
The tyrant whose mind was twisted by the black mud, turned into a brutal scumbag—had finally been completely shattered by him.
Buzz~
Shirou's hair suddenly turned snow white.
In the blink of an eye, it became a full head of white hair—
Exactly like the Nameless of the future.