Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1096: The Great Flood and the Gate to the Land of Shadow

Chapter 1096 - 1096: The Great Flood and the Gate to the Land of Shadow

Concept versus concept.

The beginning versus the end.

The strongest versus the strongest.

The clash of two ultimate forces brought about an impact so immense that it warped space and reduced everything in the vicinity to nothingness.

Between their strikes, enormous energy and the concepts that transcended it wrestled against each other.

In that instant, it was as if the world had been created seven times and destroyed seven times, reminiscent of an ancient epic.

Amidst the swirling vortex of overwhelming power, where even the slightest misstep could lead to destruction, the man and woman still smiled.

It was the joy of encountering an opponent evenly matched in strength. What could be more exhilarating than finding that even your strongest strike couldn't secure victory?

The two stood—one in the heavens, one on the earth—smiling at each other as they unleashed their full power.

They continued until the energy from their weapons scattered into mist, dissipating into the air.

Even though the mist was dispersing, the lingering power could still stir up a tornado.

The spatial rifts slowly closed as the world itself repaired, and the two peerless heroes prepared for a second round.

This time, it wasn't another clash of ultimate forces. Even for warriors as strong as them, unleashing such an attack took its toll.

The roar of the sword of rupture gradually subsided as Gilgamesh raised his other empty hand. Above him, a golden bow, radiating divine energy, appeared—the very same Noble Phantasm he had revealed in his battle against Artoria: Enki, the Sword of the End.

Meanwhile, Scáthach withdrew her magical spear, which had been pointed towards the sky. With elegance and composure, she twirled it in her hand. The shadows at her feet seemed to come alive, spreading across the scarred earth. While this power wasn't divine, it was in no way inferior to Enki, the Sword of the End.

Once again, they exchanged a tacit glance. The tyrant of ancient Babylon was the first to speak.

"Let the flames of destruction rain from the heavens! The wrathful torrent of Napishtim shall descend!—"

A divine arrow, overflowing with godly power, shot forth toward Scáthach's brow, yet she easily dodged it.

However, Gilgamesh wasn't disappointed, for the arrow wasn't meant for damage—it was merely to lock onto the target.

The so-called Enki, the Sword of the End wasn't the golden bow floating above the King of Heroes' head, but the seven stars of destruction that hovered far above, beyond the Earth's surface, in satellite orbit.

The oldest epic in the world speaks of how the god of water, Ea, summoned a great flood to destroy humanity. With each passing day, the floodwaters grew, and on the seventh day, the flood became the terrifying Napishtim Deluge, engulfing the entire world.

These seven stars of destruction were the embodiment of that great flood. When the seven stars descended and converged in the sky, they would form an ancient divine ritual, and the flood would return once again.

Though modern rules limited the Napishtim Deluge from truly destroying the world, it could still create a localized flood capable of engulfing a city or region.

Gilgamesh had suggested changing locations precisely because of this. While he didn't care about the fate of Fuyuki City's residents, Rin couldn't afford such indifference—it was her hometown, after all.

Now, the stars of destruction had finally descended.

"Doomsday is here—Enki, the Sword of the End!"

As the Golden Hero laughed, the wrathful flood that could blot out the sky and swallow cities surged forth from Gilgamesh's side.

Faced with such an overwhelming attack, evasion was impossible. Whether fleeing to the sky or the earth, there was no escape from the flood's reach.

Thus, Scáthach neither dodged nor fled.

She simply spoke in a calm tone, invoking a power.

"I will show you the true Land of Shadows.

Open the curtains to the strange land.

Even your soul is mine!—"

Then, the barriers of this world twisted, and an ancient doorway emerged from the endless shadows.

The somber, gloomy colors heralded the Land of Shadows, a realm where daylight never shines.

The eerie winds seeping through the cracks in the door proclaimed that this was a domain of the dead, cut off from the living.

Countless souls wailed, some human, some beastly, and even some divine, their forms etched into the door as sculptures warning all who approached: no matter who you are, entering this door leads only to death.

"—Gate of Skye, the overflowing gate of death!"

With the Noble Phantasm's true name released, the gate to the shadow realm swung open.

From its entrance poured an endless suction, like a bottomless abyss, devouring the flood descending from the heavens.

Scáthach's plan was simple: "You've summoned a world-ending flood? Then I'll give you a world to destroy."

And so, one summoned, the other absorbed.

Endless and unstoppable.

No one knew how much time had passed before Gilgamesh laughed heartily from the sky.

"To think you'd divert the flood to the Land of Shadows. You've surprised me once again, Queen of the Shadowlands."

Standing atop her rune, avoiding the torrent, Scáthach smiled lightly.

"Likewise, King of Heroes. You continue to surprise me as well."

"I'm curious—how will your realm handle this sudden catastrophe?"

"There's no need to handle it. The only inhabitants there are already dead. The Land of Shadows should have been destroyed long ago. If you could destroy the entire realm, including me, I'd be grateful."

"As I am now, merely a Servant, that's beyond me. And besides—"

The King of Heroes, momentarily shedding his arrogance, shook his head. "—It seems the gate is closing."

"That's because the Napishtim Deluge is also ending."

"Didn't you say my soul belongs to you?"

"And didn't you say you'd bring about my end?"

"Hahahahaha."

"Hehehehehe."

The tyrant and the queen laughed as they exchanged glances. At the same time, the stars of destruction vanished into nothingness, and the ancient door sank back into the shadows.

The second round of their battle had come to an end, and the result—

"It seems I've won, by a small margin."

As the King of Heroes claimed, there was still about a meter of water remaining at Scáthach's feet. While it didn't affect the duel between the two top Servants, it was proof that the Gate of Skye couldn't completely absorb the Enki, the Sword of the End.

In response to this conclusion, Scáthach smiled playfully.

"I left that on purpose—haven't you noticed? There's a change happening over there, related to the flood and the epics. You're not the only one involved."

"Huh?"

Gilgamesh's pupils contracted as the incredible vision granted by his Archer class crossed the distance to the place Scáthach was referring to. There, where the waves should have receded, a fantastical scene unfolded, something that shouldn't exist in the modern world.

Amidst the surging waves, a young man with the same hue as the waters recited another epic.

"The horn of Heimdall echoes, heralding the doom of Asgard."

"The defeated gods are consumed in Surtr's flames, the World Tree collapses, and the waves swallow all."

"The age of the gods falls, and the age of man begins."

"The twilight of the gods, the final saga—Ragnarok Saga!"

Another great flood. Another end of the world.