The memories of that Divine Age finally drew to a complete close.
Li Xiang, still seated in his chair, slowly opened his eyes.
The moment the simulation ended, a complete fusion of memories washed over him.
He could clearly feel that the inner strength belonging to Gilgamesh’s persona was thoroughly unleashing itself within the depths of his soul, driving a massive ascension of his power.
If one were to define his current strength using the terminology of the magus world, it was essentially equivalent to a perfectly Heroic Spirit-ified, prime version of his past self—the one who had spent his days in Uruk picking fights with anyone and everyone.
Because of this, his combat parameters diverged from the original King of Heroes.
The original Gilgamesh was a magus-type artillery piece who relied heavily on the “Gate of Babylon” for blanket firepower, possessing only mediocre close-quarters combat skills.
But Li Xiang was different; during his years in the Divine Age, he had single-handedly forged himself into a close-combat maniac.
He now possessed formidable martial arts prowess capable of eclipsing most first-rate Servants in the world.
Even more terrifying was his hyper-developed intuition, which allowed him to practically see through an opponent’s next move.
In a pure, raw fistfight, Li Xiang had absolute confidence that he could pin the original, stationary-turret Goldie to the ground and aggressively wipe the floor with him in a split second.
Yet, an over-inflated physical stat block was merely one facet of his power system.
What truly catalyzed his qualitative transformation were the unique skills and authorities derived from his status as the Master of the Underworld.
Because he had wed Ereshkigal and they had exchanged authorities at their wedding, any weapon Li Xiang drew from the Gate of Babylon could instantly be shrouded in a layer of pure death energy from the abyssal depths of the underworld with a mere thought.
This meant that every single ordinary slash and every single throw carried a horrifying instant-death check.
At the same time, his own Spiritual Core had acquired a near-absolute resistance to death.
Unless his Spiritual Core was destroyed outright, curses, poisons, or conceptual instant-death magecraft were reduced to nothing more than a laughable breeze against his face.
Furthermore, the lance Ereshkigal had personally gifted him during the wedding—the very black lance that had suppressed Gilgamesh on the main avenue—had sublimated alongside his life’s experiences into a terrifyingly potent Noble Phantasm.
Add to that a chaotic mess of passive skills earned from a lifetime of combat, such as “Golden Rule (Martial)”—an attribute born from his endless battles yielding continuous treasures, ensuring that every fight carried the potential to loot something new—and “Special Anti-Demonic Beast Attack,” and Li Xiang’s current stat sheet was so glamorous he looked like a literal final boss.
He was the kind of character who would command their own main story arc in Fate/Grand Order.
But none of this was the true source of his pleasant surprise.
The real shock came when he realized he could transcend the boundary between life and death through the bond deep within his soul and a specific Noble Phantasm, allowing him to directly communicate with his old friends back in the Divine Age.
He could feel Enkidu’s presence, diligently serving as a judge in the underworld, and he could hear Humbaba’s long, deep breaths.
And clearest of all was the voice tied tightly to his soul.
“Hello?
Gil?
Can you hear me?
What on earth is going on on your end?”
A voice laced with an anxious edge rang out in Li Xiang’s mind.
In that moment, Li Xiang suddenly realized that the rules the system had previously outlined seemed a little inaccurate.
The system had explicitly stated that this was merely a “story experience” designed to unlock his power after obtaining a possibility.
But if it were just a fake simulation, a mere illusionary what-if, how could he genuinely connect with his lover living in another dimension and another timeline upon his return?
Rather than a mere manifestation of a possibility, it was closer to the truth that he had genuinely lived a second, real life in that distant Uruk.
The footprints he left behind, the friends he made, and the girl he married were all tangibly real.
Did the system accidentally let me exploit a massive loophole?
Li Xiang chuckled to himself, but the feeling was honestly spectacular.
“Gil!
Are you even listening to me?!”
Sensing Li Xiang’s distraction, Ereshkigal’s tone in his mind turned a bit huffy.
“Didn’t you just say you ran off to participate in some Holy Grail War ritual?
What’s the situation over there?
Are the enemies strong?
How do you plan to fight them?
Hey, don’t just space out!
I’m waiting for you to finish up quickly so you can come back and tell me all about that world in detail!”
Listening to his wife’s fussing and concern, Li Xiang couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
He relaxed his posture and responded gently with his thoughts.
“Don’t worry, Ereshkigal.
I promise I’ll bring the story back to you completely in one piece.
But this time around, the battlefield features quite a few fascinating heroes.
Since I’m already here, I might as well properly savor this feast.”
After soothing his wife far away in the underworld and cutting off the mental link, Li Xiang slowly reviewed his memories.
As a transmigrator carrying the memories of his past life, a luxurious menu regarding this True and False Holy Grail War had automatically generated in his mind.
He knew all too well what kind of monsters were currently hiding in this city.
There was Heracles, whose divinity had been forcibly twisted and stripped away by his Master using black mud, turning him into a half-Avenger, half-Archer monstrosity who even wielded the Twelve Labors.
That was bound to be a delightfully tough bone to chew on.
There was the original Gilgamesh of this world, alongside Enkidu, who had manifested after sensing his friend’s aura.
Though he had already exchanged greetings with that Golden King earlier, how could a mere greeting ever be enough?
Then there was the Pale Rider, a manifestation of calamity who currently lay in a hospital bed looking like a harmless, comatose little girl, but who could actually pose a problem even to gods once fully unleashed.
There was also Richard the Lionheart, a king currently running amok in his obsession with the legend of King Arthur.
There was the Amazon Queen, Hippolyta, who, despite not being a world-ending anomaly on her own, was tactically exasperating due to her collusion with a swarm of students from the El-Melloi classroom.
There was the shadow of the First Hassan, hidden away in the dark like a persistent maggot, having not even shown his face yet.
And, summoned into this war by a magus, the Humbaba of this world.
Oh right, and two crucial desserts.
One was the residual echo of Ishtar, possessing an incredibly foul personality and occupying a homunculus body from the Einzbern family.
The other was a twisted existence that transcended common sense, lurking inside the body of that idiot Master named Flat.
The mere thought of so many extraordinary weapons of mass destruction gathering in a single city—the thought of having so many delectable dishes to sample—sent a surge of uncontrollable excitement through Li Xiang.
Furthermore, if luck was on his side, the cornered remnant of Ishtar might even serve up the Bull of Heaven as an extra course.
That would be truly magnificent.
To think there would be dessert after the main course!
Though logic dictated that he couldn’t recklessly devour dishes with excessive destructive power if he wanted to protect the civilians of this world, beating the absolute daylights out of these guys within controllable parameters would be a highly rewarding experience.
Now that he had finished reading the menu, his next course of action was painfully simple.
“Break time is over.” Li Xiang cracked his neck, his joints popping sharply.
“Time for the second course.”