“Are you sure? Please remember that if your calibrations are incorrect, you’re the one who could be ending up in a fiery ball of steel.” Echidna carefully warned her… friend, Cyclops, as he slid underneath his weapon.
Cyclops, as the greatest vehicular Chained in Tartarus, with every other one having a specialty they outdid him in, of course his ‘weapon’ was actually a vehicle.
“I’m sure, I mean, if I didn’t have more than one shot, I’d be forced to abandon it anyway, and besides, Aaron promised me more material once we’re out of this place.” Echidna smiled at Cyclops, the younger Chained currently under his weapon and thus unable to see her smile.
Cyclops would probably blush and stutter out a question as to why she was smiling at him.
But for Echidna, she couldn’t really help it, as she recalled how Cyclops was… timid, confused, and basically just anxious.
Cyclops was a bundle of nerves when they had first gotten to know each other after the odd mess that was the ‘Homecoming’ party, and Echidna could understand why.
Cyclops had been born outside of Tartarus, he grew up hearing horror stories of the place, and knowing that Tartarus had been impenetrable for over fifty years, Cyclops really barely had two months to just accept that he was going to grow old and die in Tartarus after being experimented on and forced to forget his original name.
The only things keeping Cyclops from breaking down were the connections created between him and the other members of the Pantheon, a connection fostered because of Aaron, the same person who unfalteringly stated that they would escape this place.
Of course, meeting Echidna also helped Cyclops with his newfound optimism and hope, as the two gravitated towards one another in all the gatherings.
Currently, they were in Area eleven, and it was one day away from their Breakout Day… the eve of war, so to speak.
Everyone in the Pantheon was inside Olympus, though in different areas and separated into multiple groups, such as Echidna and Cyclops’ small one.
Dryad and Satyr were quickly moved to a sound-proof area and had warnings placed all over to prevent anyone from going there lest they catch an eyeful, for example.
Just recalling said example brought a flush to Echidna’s cheeks, but she moved past it when she noticed Cyclops asking for a tool, handing it to him as he continued his work.
It was… simple. Cyclops working on a car, even if this was something built for battle, and Echidna as his assistant.
Echidna liked this simple silence though, as it reminded her of long lost things, a time where she and her brother would fuss around while their father shook his head in exasperation, and their mother would giggle from the kitchen.
It reminded her of how her parents acted around one another, soft, quiet reassurance through the presence of the other.
Realizing that she was acting like that with a guy she barely knew for two months had Echidna wonder if she was an easy woman with a blush.
Regardless, they hadn’t actually done anything with each other, which Typhon was glad for.
“So… tomorrow’s the big day.” Echidna pointed out, pinching a few strands of her hair between her fingers and rolling them, a combination of a nervous habit and a way to focus as she gathered her thoughts.
“…Yeah. I suppose it is.” Cyclops spoke from under his vehicular weapon, it was something designed by the previous Cyclops, with some assistance from Aaron when it came to weaponry.
“Nervous?” Echidna asked, concerned for Cyclops, as he wasn’t predominantly a fighter.
At heart, Echidna believed no Cyclops was a fighter, being more of a creator, and having known two of them, Echidna felt her belief was correct.
“Very. I’m actually trying to ignore it… it’s why I’m doing a maintenance check, even though I know it is definitely fine.” Cyclops chuckled, giving himself busy-work so as to keep himself occupied, not really thinking about the fight that would be occurring tomorrow.
Breakout Day was tomorrow… and yeah, Cyclops was beyond nervous, he was terrified, he could die tomorrow during the fights.
Echidna in comparison was pretty calm, having been fighting for a long time, and having been part of the battle which took the lives of the original Cyclops and Cerberus.
Echidna had already experienced losing a good friend, and while it never got easier, how one reacted to it changed over time.
At this point, Echidna would be hurt by the death of a person she knew, a person she spoke to near daily… but she wouldn’t go into a fight expecting everyone to come out just fine anymore.
Expect the worst, hope for the best.
Looking at Cyclops sliding out from under his weapon, Echidna remembered that line, but, feeling her blades, ready to appear from her spine…
At the very least, Echidna hoped that none of the Pantheon members disappeared tomorrow.
“Here’s your coffee.” Typhon looked up from his book at the mug of coffee, a ‘cup’ would not do, a ‘mug’ was necessary.
Typhon’s mug was huge enough that it was damn near a half litre, and if it were up to him it would be larger.
“Thanks.” Typhon said softly, pulling the mug closer to him as Empusa sat herself down to his left with a tablet phone in her hands as she started tapping out beats and sounds, a hobby she picked up after discussing music with Harpy and Siren.
Empusa wasn’t a Rock enthusiast like those two though, she preferred mellow synthetic beats, which was all good for Typhon as he’d hate to listen to loud guitar riffs while trying to focus on his book.
After a few moments Empusa had found a beat that had Typhon tapping the table in time with the beat whenever he wasn’t holding his mug and sipping of the ‘elixir of life’.
Empusa, taking glances at Typhon, smiled, wondering if Typhon knew that he was being used as a measuring stick for if the music was good or not.
Typhon’s reactions were all Empusa looked for in her creation of music, slowly she was beginning to find all of his little likes and dislikes for music.
Typhon disliked sudden changes in volume, and while he’d like constant and minute changes in rhythm, if a drastic change was to be introduced, he’d need a sort of ‘lead in’ to it.
‘Club’ music as a whole was just tossed out in general. Typhon preferred melodic songs or in general songs which you could bob your head to, and if Empusa added lyrics, sing-alongs.
“Hey, what are you reading?” Empusa asked, moving the rhythm to a lull, lowering the volume slightly as she did so as to let her question be heard, it was proof of how experienced Empusa was that Typhon didn’t even stop his finger tapping.
“Machiavelli, The Prince.” Empusa felt like frowning when she heard the name of the book, as she knew who recommended the book to Typhon.
“I see… how is it?” Empusa disliked how Aaron claimed that much of how he acted as a leader was a mix of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, The Prince, with some morals and eccentricity mixed in.
Or so he claimed, Aaron could and often would be lying when it came to smaller things like that, instead being extremely truthful when it came to more important things.
“It’s morally bankrupt, but logically sound.” Typhon said, and Empusa rolled her eyes at realizing that yes, usually the most logical option was not the most morally correct option.
Case in point, it was projected that without the creation of the Zeta Generators and other advanced technologies by Marko Krauss, it was predicted that the world would have ran out of resources by roughly 2050.
It was also projected that in such a situation, the most optimal solution would be the limiting of the world’s population, whether by ejecting a majority off of the planet into space, murdering them, or something to that extent, thus making the shortage into an excess by limiting the amount of users of said resources.
Just conjecture, and more reading material from Aaron that had Empusa disliking the man’s choice in reading.
Seriously, they were typically higher-order reading requiring or inspiring deep thoughts, and were rarely ever read for enjoyment.
“Ah. That sounds kind of like Aaron actually.” Empusa pointed out and Typhon nodded, agreeing that Machiavelli’s envisioned leader could be kind of similar to Aaron.
Aaron was clearly kinder and more vulnerable than said leader, but when it came to making hard decisions Typhon could immediately see it.
Even in the way Aaron would negotiate with others, it brought to mind ‘better to be feared than loved’ and ‘Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way’.
Aaron always negotiated from a position of power, having recently defeated his opponent in some form, they would be at his mercy within the ‘dog-eat-dog’ world of Tartarus, at which point he would offer them a thread of hope, co-existence when he had already proven that the alternative could be destruction.
Then, just to sweeten the deal, he’d even ensure that no negative consequences would occur from refusing the deal, giving off a feeling of ‘I can win with you, or without you’ which would entice others to jump on the bandwagon that was Aaron’s victories.
“It does… he recommended it to me because he said that I needed to gain more qualities of a leader.” Typhon added, and those words by themselves sounded nice, until Empusa realized that those words were added onto recommending The Prince of all books to Typhon.
“That sounds like a negative change. Learn, but please don’t change yourself too much.” Empusa asked, raising the volume of her music again, swapping out the beats and once more leaving the two silent.
It was in the silence that Typhon understood what Empusa was trying to say, as The Prince, by nature, was a negative outlook on the position of a leader, a realistic, but negative one.
Empusa was hoping that Typhon would learn from it, but not gain in the negativity that made that book so well known.
“Empusa… what am I to you, that you worry about my change?” Typhon asked softly, barely audible but to the enhanced senses of a Chained, leaving Empusa blushing.
“What do you see, when you look at me.” Empusa blinked and realized that Typhon wasn’t even looking at the book anymore, staring straight at Empusa.
“…I love you.” Empusa started off, and Typhon’s eyes didn’t even waver, he had known for a long time after all, and despite not going on dates or anything like that, the two did consider each other romantically.
Typhon was a bit stunted, emotionally, compared to his sister, though she had problems of her own, and in recognizing this issue, Typhon kept himself from doing anything more than just hanging out with Empusa.
“When I look at you, I see all the experiences I shared with you. From the first time we met and I fought you while you protected Aaron, to the small things like how you like your coffee needlessly sweet, to the times where you’d put a blanket over me when I’d be falling asleep on the couch after looking over reports from the Pantheon.” Even Typhon felt a bit embarrassed at being caught on that last one, a slight blush coming to his pale skin.
“I remember all this when I see you. And it tells me that you are awkward, but resolute. That you are strong, but have your soft points… when I see you, I know that you’re someone I can understand, and I want to keep understanding you.” Typhon found Empusa’s words to be touching, and even if she was blushing about it, she had the courage to look at him as she said so.
“…Thank you.” Any words of denial would fall upon deaf ears if Typhon were to say them now, and so he said all that he could.
It was enough, and Empusa smiled as the two once more went silent.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“You think everyone is going through some lovey-dovey shit right now?” Harpy faked a gag and shiver at Shi’s words, knowing exactly who she was referring to when she said that.
“I don’t need that image in my mind.” Really, Harpy felt that she didn’t deserve that… Aaron was bad enough, but having Medusa enter her fantasies would just make them worse.
…Yes, Harpy liked Aaron and had a mild dislike of Medusa to the latter dating the former, but beyond her dislike Harpy could admit that Medusa certainly pulled off the military chick look.
Either that or Harpy was undergoing the ‘harem’ effect and finding her romantic rival attractive so that no friction would occur should she join the group.
Of course such nonsense was fictional and Harpy had no intention of being a part of a ‘harem’. Loving multiple people was possible, yes, but equally? When each person might have different requirements of your attention and time?
Aaron as much as admitted that while he had a good laugh at harem anime, they weren’t feasible in real life, and only in the odd magical worlds they took place in were they remotely possible.
“Okay, sheesh, sorry, my bad.” Shi seemed to realize that her words had sent Harpy into a spiral of negative thoughts regarding the matter and decided to apologize…
Shi’s words were bad to her as well, considering Typhon and Empusa went through her mind, though unlike Medusa and Harpy, Shi admitted that she liked Typhon physically, but didn’t know him well enough to go for a relationship.
Empusa could actually understand that, and didn’t even mind it when Shi hung out with Typhon, knowing that nothing would go on and that Shi wouldn’t do anything.
That didn’t stop Shi from finding herself a bit flustered when Typhon’s attention was on her, or getting more than a bit jealous at the thought of Empusa and Typhon being together.
“It sucks… if this were a couple centuries ago we’d probably both be able to be with them.” Harpy said, and Shi had no idea where that idea came from…
Knowing that Harpy had very intellectual conversations with Aaron, supervised by Medusa of course, Shi could assume that it had something to do with history and how different morals were back then.
To think, if one went back far enough in history, murder would be socially acceptable so long as one could justify it.
“Yeah, maybe, or more likely they’d still be good people who wouldn’t cheat because Odysseus is like that, and Typhon doesn’t care enough yet.” Shi said begrudgingly as the bar door opened behind them, leaving the two to turn around and see Go walk in.
“Hey G, what’re you doing here? I thought you’d be indulging in your love of books by now.” Shi asked, her brother rolling his eyes and sitting down, the bartender already having glass of rum and coke poured for him.
“Normally I would. But then it occurred to me that despite my love for books, books aren’t exactly real experiences.” Go stated with a sigh, looking at his glass and the chunk of ice within, turning his glass and staring at how the liquid and the glass moved, and yet the ice seemingly remained stationary.
“For tonight at least, I don’t want to blind myself to reality.” Go added, taking a sip of his drink, an action that had Harpy frowning.
“How the hell can you sip?” Harpy personally found drinking to be… meh, she didn’t actually like it, and the taste was often horrible, so she’d just down whatever she drank, maybe savour the burning sensation, but get as little of that horrible taste as possible.
To see someone actually sip to savour that taste… ugh.
“I’m savouring it. It might be the last time I get to taste it.” Go reminded and Harpy sighed, realizing that the bar was in fact getting very depressed because everyone in it knew what was going down the next day.
“Damn it, can’t you just be a bit less depressed for a while? Shit, I’m trying to enjoy my buzz.” Shi complained, calling over for a bottle rather than a glass, feeling the need for more than just ‘some’ alcohol.
“Sorry sis.” Go replied, looking back to his glass and continuing with his sipping, the bar getting a bit more relaxed after Shi told off Go for his moodiness.
The damage was done though, as the bar was now quiet, mumbled whisperings going on between groups of people now instead of what had been a ‘usual’ night at the bar.
More than a few even stood and left, talking about going to go talk to specific people, loved ones, crushes, maybe even enemies to forgive them, who knew.
Everyone had a life to live. In Tartarus, the Chained were noticeable and their lives seeming so much more vibrant, but everyone was equal in death.
Harpy would leave half an hour later, walking into the night, while Shi would end up passed out inside the bar, the bartender giving a soft smile as he covered her with a blanket.
“Hah! Take that, flawless victory, how’s it feel?” Aaron shouted in laughter, flinching and tumbling off of his couch after getting hit in the shoulder by Medusa.
“Horrible. I have all your memories, so why can’t I do combos the way you do? I even have better reflexes, so why?” Medusa complained, contemplating throwing the controller in her hands at Aaron.
“Practice, muscle-memory, take your pick? I mean, you have your hobbies, I have mine.” Aaron reminded, and Medusa could admit that he had a point, she was much better in regards to shooter games and a few others.
“Still… that character is unfair though.” Medusa pointed at the man dressed in a bat-themed superhero outfit.
We all know who it is, but for the sake of copyright issues and trademarks, let’s move on.
“Not really, I mean, when it comes to his ‘unfairness’ there are plenty characters who are worse. Look at that guy with guns, he can hit from across the map if he just keeps shooting, and the other guy who gets momentary invulnerability?” Aaron asked, getting a raised eyebrow in return from Medusa.
“The shooting can be blocked and dodged, and the momentary invulnerability doesn’t stop damage, just prevents getting stunned from hits.” Medusa could understand what Aaron was saying though since they were a bit unfair if one didn’t know how to bypass said things.
Gaming was one of the few ways that Aaron and Medusa hung out, in addition to watching cartoons, competing in the occasional board game and discussing series the other hadn’t watched yet.
For today, they were doing a bit of everything, having already gotten through a few episodes of a cartoon, Medusa had annoyed the heck out of Aaron in a game of snakes and ladders, and now they were gaming.
It was an oddly bland and mundane day for Aaron and Medusa given their role in the events that would take place over the next day or so.
“Right, let’s stop for now… I’m getting eye strain, odd as it sounds.” Aaron complained while narrowing his eyes in an exaggerated manner as he leaned back, Medusa grabbing a remote to switch the TV off before she leaned back as well.
“Right, sure you are… you just want to quit while you’re ahead. I can’t say I have a problem with it though.” Medusa admitted as she found herself leaning into Aaron, the leader of the Pantheon moving his arm so that he could hold her to his side, sharing their warmth.
It was a rare day that Aaron would actually let Medusa sit like this with him…
Despite how their relationship appeared on the outside, and they encouraged that appearance, Aaron and Medusa truly hadn’t done much beyond the occasional kiss.
On Medusa’s end, she had no problems with the idea of going further, Aaron and Medusa had been dating for a bit more than a year when taking into account the time Aaron spent under the ‘care’ of Gilgamesh.
Aaron on the other hand… well, Medusa wasn’t his first love.
It was an emotional block, and while some would have easily just moved past it, or complained about his lack of action, Medusa couldn’t blame Aaron, not when she knew everything he did, and how he felt.
“Medusa…I’m sorry.” Medusa didn’t need to ask why Aaron was saying these things, she knew enough about Aaron to guess.
“You know I don’t mind. I love you, Aaron. That means I respect your boundaries, and I support you, and you do the same for me.” Medusa said, feeling Aaron stiffening at a certain phrase in her words.
Medusa didn’t expect to hear the words in return, and she felt that she didn’t really need to.
Still, as she curled into his side, Medusa could admit that hearing Aaron speak the words ‘elephant shoes’ brought a smile to her face.
Medusa would take what she could get.
“Tomorrow…” a voice echoed out into the darkness, none hearing it bar the owner of the voice and whatever voice recognition systems she had running.
Gilgamesh sat, running a hand through her hair with a weary sigh, staring at the reports and notes spanning across her room, an expression of distaste upon her features.
“I can’t believe I did all this… so haphazardly.” Gilgamesh, if one could recall, had her head eaten by Empusa about a year and a half ago, the result being the loss of all of her memories from after her transformation into the being known as Gilgamesh.
Now, after having gone through an accelerated learning of what she had done in the roughly fifty to sixty years in her missing memories, Gilgamesh found herself annoyed.
“So much wasted potential, so much wasted resources… for what?” Gilgamesh, this young of mind Gilgamesh at least, found her actions to be stupid.
Seriously, disturbing the Ascension process because she didn’t want Typhon and Echidna to be completed, Gilgamesh could understand that bit, knowing that she’d always be half-complete in comparison to the perfected humanity… it would be irksome at minimal.
But everything beyond that point, limiting the power of the Ascended, driving a fellow Lord to insanity…
“I seem to have developed megalomania while running this prison… I suppose that saying about absolute power and corruption was true.” Not that Gilgamesh cared really.
Gilgamesh had always been… odd, even if she was very good at hiding it.
Getting the attention of the Hassan, learning their ways, and then discovering their plan to fund and work together with doctor Krauss, Gilgamesh found everything to be going perfect, especially when Krauss explained that Gilgamesh had a high compatibility with a Lord Code, especially the one which governed functional immortality.
“I suppose that… being told that all of humanity would be getting equal, if not better abilities than I, when I considered myself chosen… my ego is truly unmatched.” Gilgamesh said self-deprecatingly, disliking her ‘future’ self all the more with each new discovery.
The peak of Gilgamesh’s distaste was how the case of Aaron Hassan was handled.
“Honestly… bribing the mother to betray her husband and son, and then capitalizing on the tragedy that followed in such a manner. My methods were horrible, and my actions deplorable.” Again, Gilgamesh didn’t really feel that about her actions.
To Gilgamesh, her emotional range was stunted, and she cared little for any but herself, with her memories so thrown out of whack, she considered her own ‘future’ self to be an entirely different person, and so this person was judged like all others.
Ironically enough, it was also because of this ‘me versus them’ mentality that Gilgamesh would not, could not, learn to correct her ways…
As far as Gilgamesh was concerned, these were the mistakes of someone else, and she took no responsibility for any of it… Gilgamesh was dooming herself to repeating the same mistakes should those situations ever reoccur.
“It changes nothing about what I must do.” Gilgamesh noted with a sigh, looking at the clock, which told her that there were only fifteen minutes to midnight… to the new day.
To the day of the system reset… and from what Gilgamesh could see, the day Aaron Hassan would try to escape, try to destroy Tartarus.
“Contact all forces. Prepare for battle.” Gilgamesh told her computer, knowing that her orders would be fulfilled as demanded.
Gilgamesh turned and walked away, moving to secure her Babylon armour, taking a moment to turn her head, staring towards the Ascension chamber…
The same Ascension chamber which has been working for almost two years now… working on the final Lord… the most powerful, even accounting for Gilgamesh’s immortality…
“Karna… I wonder how the other ‘me’ felt about you…” Gilgamesh could only wonder, knowing that Karna would be more powerful than her, much like the original designs for Typhon and Echidna…
“I suppose I’ll never know. The only thing I can do is this.” Gilgamesh said aloud, pointing out a few actions and approving their execution.
“There. With this, you will not be stunted like the others were. You’ll be as Krauss intended, much like me.” It was the greatest honour Gilgamesh could bestow the incomplete Lord.
It was also the only kindness Gilgamesh would ever show Karna, as she walked away, leaving her personal quarters.
“Hey boss.” Gilgamesh stopped mid-stride as she moved towards her destination, looking behind her and at the Hunter, a curious case of a human that could match the enhanced beings that were the Ascended, at least with the proper tools.
“Ah, Jaeger… come along then.” Gilgamesh continued her walk, the Hunter following in his power-armour, that obnoxious cowboy hat still upon his head despite the strange mix of high technology and practically ancient fashion.
“Yes boss.” Another case that Gilgamesh felt the other her failed in… the Hunter should have been turned into an Ascended, whether he wanted to or not.
The man was much too skilled to leave a normal human… with a nudge here and a bit of time under doctor Lionel’s mercy, Jaeger would have been almost as compliant as his son.
Stepping into the atrium, Gilgamesh found herself facing some of the warriors under her command, a thousand ‘guards’, a few dozen robotic dogs designated as ‘Hell-hounds’… which Gilgamesh felt was a terribly unoriginal name for the model.
Ahem, continuing with the count, a dozen Warden-class Enforcers, a single unique Enforcer to be used by the doctor designated the Executioner… again, Gilgamesh found the naming sense of the doctor strange.
Not as strange as doctor Krauss and his odd choices in names admittedly, but still.
In addition to these were the Ascended, or Chained as Gilgamesh heard some call themselves.
Leviathan and Behemoth, two of the twelve ‘Biblical’ Ascended along with Geist, Toy Maker, the Seven Sins and Ziz, they technically had no Lord until Gilgamesh meddled with their code, originally they were to be a sort of ‘sword of justice’ to keep the Lords in line.
Hah, Gilgamesh could at least praise the other her for this move.
Leviathan had been ‘fixed’ by Typhon, leaving him human in appearance but with far more control than he once had, Behemoth on the other hand was still huge and terrifying to the standard human.
As for the other Biblical Ascended, they were all either dead and not replaced, such as the Seven Sins, or outside of Tartarus working on something for Gilgamesh, such as Ziz and Toy Maker.
Toy Maker was human in appearance sure, but Leviathan was only so due to Typhon, Behemoth was still inhuman in appearance…
Rather, the other Ascended in the room were all the same actually, none truly appearing human with their obvious deformities.
Certainly, a few of them were Mechanical Ascended, but even so, one and all had physical deformities of some kind which helped separate them from the rest of Gilgamesh’s army.
“Tomorrow. We fight. No doubt, Aaron Hassan, codenamed Odysseus, will know of the scheduled maintenance taking place tomorrow. And he will take advantage of this.” Gilgamesh began, everyone staying quiet, everyone listening.
If anyone dared to fidget, she’d hurt them.
“Aaron Hassan is not to be underestimated. Yes, we possess resources, yes, we most likely possess more manpower than he, but he does have advantages. The trust of those who live within Tartarus, the allies he possesses in the form of the traitors Lu Bu and Solomon, along with their own gatherings of Ascended.” Many of the guards had worked with Lu Bu and possibly Solomon, leaving them a bit conflicted.
Gilgamesh knew they wouldn’t hesitate in battle though… they wouldn’t because doing so would mean disappointing her.
“Aaron Hassan’s most deadly trait is his mind however. No doubt, he already knows how we will mobilize to stop him. Even if I were to change my strategy now, he would account for it, and neutralize. All we can do, is win. Because even in spite of all these ‘advantages’ he possesses, Aaron Hassan will not win.” Gilgamesh said, raising her hand and using Babylon to turn her fist into a shining light.
“Odysseus will not claim victory because he is weighed down by stupidity. He thinks himself smart, to be able to predict our every move, and yet, because of his morals and attachment to the criminals that live within these walls, he will fail.” Gilgamesh said, the soldiers not truly understanding…
That was fine, they didn’t need to understand, as Leviathan clapped, more joining in as they prepared themselves to obey her every command.
This was to be expected of sheep.
While the guards and the followers all got to busying themselves with preparations, Gilgamesh moved towards the one place where leaving Tartarus was possible…
Gilgamesh had to make sure that Beowulf was ready for the coming fight, as well as situate herself to block Aaron’s most likely course of action.
Gilgamesh glanced to the corner of her vision, using the helmet of her Babylon Armour she could see a message popping up in her vision which was then opened.
A smile appeared on Gilgamesh’s face at the report Ziz had sent.
Tartarus was hers. Definitively, it belonged to Gilgamesh now.
Council? What council? There were just a bunch of dead bodies now that no one would be able to explain beyond animal attack.
Another thing the new Gilgamesh had over the old, the old one allowed herself to be chained by the delusional ‘Council of Tartarus’… well, not anymore.
Ah, but that was enough… the clock was striking midnight… the Eve of War was over. Now for battle.