"No matter how much protection or love I receive from the King, there is no logical reason I should be able to defeat a brilliant hero like you. A Princess cannot match a warrior or a hero in raw martial power."
"Nonsense...! Do you mock Me, the King...!"
"No. I am saying, 'I can only win against you.' Hero King Gilgamesh... against you alone, I can stay one step ahead!"
She pushed Gil-kichi back with a surge of strength.
"Because I know you! Your greatness, your humor, your disgraces, and your kindness—I have seen it all from the closest possible vantage point!"
"!"
She had seen it. Through their entire journey. As a companion soul. As a soul reborn. That was why she couldn't lose.
"I don't mind losing to someone else. But I will not let the expectations of the King who watched over me and shaped me be dragged through the mud of defeat. I will prove that my training and my respect are not lies! I will not let my gratitude toward him be a sham—!"
To you, who watched over me... I refuse to show a pathetic corpse.
Because the love and respect she felt for the Hero King...
"I will put everything on the line to stay one step ahead of you! Against the 'Hero King'... I will not lose!!"
Because those feelings were the most real thing about her!!
"D-Damn you...! DAMN YOU DAMN YOU DAMN YOU—!!"
Pushed back by her sheer spirit, Gil-kichi stumbled.
"I refuse to admit that I am losing to such drivel—!!"
Losing his patience, Gil-kichi reached for his own Ea—but he was a second too late.
""'Enkidu' (Chains of Heaven)—!!""
The Chains of Heaven erupted, binding Gil-kichi tightly. They were the manifestation of his friend, effective even against himself.
"W-What?! You pulled out the chains for something other than a dire emergency—?!"
Gil-kichi panicked, trapped before he could grasp the Sword of Rupture. The battle was decided.
"It seems there is no cure for your stupidity. Finish it, Ea! Cut through this pathetic arrogance with this one strike!"
—Yes!
Switching from tonfa mode to bow mode, Ea took aim at the immobile Gil-kichi, drawing the string back with perfect form.
"Gudaguda particles, depart from the King's vessel! 'Enki: Earth-Wave-Shattering Utnapishtim'—!!"
True Ether began to converge. Since seven days hadn't passed, it was a simple power-type attack, but it was more than enough to dismiss a defenseless King.
"W-Wait! I haven't even finished the wedding ceremony with Saber yet—"
"There are no such plans. Princess, deliver the divine punishment."
"UESUGIIII!! Curse you! Like dew I fall, like dew I vanish! About the wedding—"
Enki reached its critical point. With a sharp gaze and a textbook archery stance, she released the shot.
"'End of the Era: Napi-ishtim'—!!"
A golden strike—a comet-like surge of energy—swallowed Gil-kichi whole.
"A dream within a dream—SABER! I WON'T GIVE UUUUUUP—!!!!"
Crying out his love for his "Queen" until the very end, Toyotomi Gil-kichi set like the sun.
"—...If you hadn't been so arrogant, and if you hadn't become such a 'disappointment,' I wouldn't have stood a chance. Please, despise me for relentlessly aiming for your heels."
Ea left those words for the vanished King.
"But my love and respect for the Hero King is my own treasure—one I will never yield to anyone. No matter how much of a 'disappointment' you became, I could never forgive myself if I challenged you with anything less than my absolute best."
Because those unyielding feelings were what led to her unyielding victory.
"—It was a great honor to cross blades with you. I pray we never have to face each other as enemies again..."
She put the End-Sword away and looked at the Key of the King's Law.
"—It seems the connection to the Treasury has been restored. Well done, Ea."
—Yes.
With this, her role was complete. She had successfully reclaimed the Hero King's wealth.
"Whew—"
She exhaled, letting herself cool down. The Hero King's warm words of praise soaked into her heart and body, still heated from the battle.
"The Princess is amazing—!!"
"Great job, Shana-san!"
"A tonfa-kick! You did the tonfa-kick! Yay!!"
"Here, have some takuan."
(Good job! You were so cool, Ea!)
『『『『Nobuuu... (Ecstatic)』』』』
Ea responded with a grateful smile to everyone cheering for her.
"Hmph. So the Heroic Princess successfully handled the Hero King, the final obstacle. I was wondering what to do when the Grail fell into his hands, but this works out perfectly. It was inevitable, Gil-kichi. A monarch who gets serious about a Princess's mischief is just asking for trouble."
"Oh? Is that bowl the Holy Grail? It looks like it would hold a delicious serving of udon..."
"Indeed. And from here on—A Sudden Strike!"
"Hau?!"
"The world is mine—everything shall go exactly as I desire...!"
Next time! The emotional finale! We're busy with Part 2, yet we're at the climax!
Maintenance is probably coming, so everyone, wait patiently (for the apologems)! Wait, and hope!
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"