Chapter 48: Zod and the 5th Holy Grail War (14)

Zod swung his fist with full force, generating wind pressure that deflected the Divine Constructs. Defending against the bombardment of weapons being launched from the treasury, he pressed Gilgamesh, utilizing not only his physical force but also his Heat Vision and Cold Breath.

No matter how powerful his high-speed regeneration was, a man of Zod's pride would not simply stand by and watch as wounds accumulated on his body.

"Ho... what an interesting mongrel. So this is how you intend to play?"

Zzzzzzzzt... BOOM!!!!

Heat Vision at maximum output erupted, striking Gilgamesh directly. Gilgamesh pulled the original version of Rho Aias—the ultimate shield—from his treasury to block the attack. However, the intensity of the concentrated thermal energy was so overwhelming that the original shield began to glow a deep crimson, then a brilliant yellow, before the metal finally began to liquefy and melt away.

For the first time, a flicker of panic crossed Gilgamesh's face.

"You mongrel!"

"Can't do anything without your precious shield or your Noble Phantasms? It seems you're nothing but a hollow shell reliant on high-end gear. Without those items, your own body is worthless..."

"Ho..."

Gilgamesh's expression darkened at Zod's provocation, and he withdrew the gates of his treasury.

"Do you dare provoke the King? Do you think such trivial words could shake Me? Truly, you are absurd beyond measure."

"Isn't it the truth? While facing me, you haven't dared to wield a single weapon yourself. You just fire them from those strange portals, refusing to exert that 'heavy' body of yours. What else could it mean? Your inherent martial prowess is third-rate or lower... you're a useless Heroic Spirit whose role as 'Master' has been usurped by the tools you possess. Gilgamesh, was it? The world's first hero isn't much to look at."

(Grind...)

Stung by Zod’s blatant taunts, veins bulged on Gilgamesh's forehead as he glared at Zod with murderous intent.

"Insolent... just because you have a mouth does not mean you may speak! That blasphemy... I will ensure you regret it!"

Dozens of gates manifested in the air, revealing the sharp, glistening edges of high-ranking Divine Constructs.

"Curse that silver tongue of yours which dared to insult Me, and die!"

A torrential rain of Divine Constructs was unleashed. Zod exhaled a full-powered Cold Breath, chilling the very atmosphere and freezing the weapons mid-flight.

Even though they were Divine Constructs, they were mostly low-rank iterations. Despite his boiling rage, Gilgamesh's fundamental flaw remained his inability to stop looking down on Zod. Even now, he refused to use his highest-ranked armaments—a critical error.

Ever since his incarnation through the corrupted mud of the Holy Grail, Gilgamesh had fallen into a terminal habit of carelessness. He continued to underestimate Zod, and the battle turned into an expensive war of attrition where the King's low-rank constructs were either shattered by Zod's strength or frozen before they could strike.

"Tsk... Fine! I shall acknowledge you. You have succeeded in drawing out My true seriousness. Rejoice!"

Gilgamesh produced a single item from the void. It was the Key-Sword... the spatial key to the Gate of Babylon, the tool used to lock and unlock the treasury's vaults.

"I shall show you My ultimate Noble Phantasm, a sight you could not hope to behold in a lifetime."

But at the exact moment Gilgamesh prepared to insert the Key-Sword into the void—

Zzzzzzzzt... FLASH!!!

A beam of Heat Vision severed the arm holding the Key-Sword. Zod lunged forward, snatching the key from the falling limb while instantly analyzing its nature.

"Ho... is this how you use it?"

Zod inserted the Key-Sword into the air and turned it. In an instant, he bypassed the vault's security and successfully usurped the ownership rights of the Gate of Babylon.

"Ugh... impossible... Without the wisdom to decode the infinite prototypes of human intelligence, you cannot hope to control My treasury..."

"Why do you think I was able to dominate the New York underworld and ascend to the rank of a national secretary? Brutal, mindless strength? Hardly. My intellect played its part. I'm surprisingly smart, you see. And after absorbing the Holy Grail, my processing capabilities have only increased."

"To lose... to such a thing..."

By completely deciphering and absorbing the essence of the Key-Sword, Zod seized full control over the Gate of Babylon. He opened the golden ripples in space himself.

"Thank you, little monkey... for handing me such an exquisite treasure."

"How dare you... how DARE you touch My treasury with those filthy hands!!!"

Crunch!

As Gilgamesh's voice rose in a fury-filled scream, a dagger launched from the newly-opened treasury pierced through his forehead. The King of Heroes was silenced instantly.

"Onore..."

He expired with that single, bitter groan of resentment.

"...This should be useful."

Zod approached Gilgamesh's corpse. Placing his hand upon the incarnated body, he decomposed the remains and absorbed the essence contained within.

The physical body of a demi-god, a high rank of Divinity, and even the Clairvoyance that sees into the future... Even in death, Gilgamesh proved to be a 'Golden Goblin' whose corpse was filled with loot.

"A Heroic Spirit this grand lost because of simple arrogance? He's not the King of Heroes, he's the King of Carelessness!"

After a final scoff at Gilgamesh's expense, Zod gestured toward Sakura, who had been watching the scene unfold from the shadows of Ryudou Temple.

"Let's go, Sakura. It's time I made the Greater Grail mine as well."

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