Finis Chaldea

Where Artoria's blade should be pointed was a question indeed. That woman struggled through her own lack of energy, sense of self and all form of encroaching exhaustion, while Gilgamesh simply watched. Just as this was no time for her to accept his advances, it was not her place to attack the gods. He would carry whatever thirst for peace and vengeance she had with him, on his own crusade against the divine ones. This was the way it had to be, and in a way, it was just as much his primary objective to end the gods' reign alone. "If you wish to know where your blade should point, I shall inform you. Stay your blade from the gods, for it will bring only ruin to your door. The Age of Gods will reach its end by my hand. Do not resign yourself to an early grave trifling with matters you need not be involved in."

Gilgamesh shared these words as a matter of fact from his own viewpoint. In doing so, he let his chalice be returned to its resting place, along with all the food selections he'd taken out for himself. Half of the table remained full then, and Gilgamesh stood while crossing his arms. His gaze was set upon her once more, those slits in his eyes narrowing. "Do not be foolish enough to think attacking the gods is wise for the likes of you. Take rest, prepare yourself for the war of the next Holy Grail, and bring yourself fully into my Chaldea. Let these goals be your only focus, and refrain from sophomoric decisions. Those will never serve you well."

In the space of time where Artoria spoke the words of her real intentions this day, Gilgamesh had words to speak. Those words were sensible for a king, she could respect them even, but she couldn't agree. She could never agree with words spoken like that to her. A sigh escaped her in a moment like this and her eyes remained closed for just a few seconds more. Artoria earlier in this conversation, realized she was no longer outraged on her own behalf, now that anger was there for others specifically and so long as that was the case, her decision felt solid. More than that... she could clearly see it. The steps taken forward for herself and humanity, starting with the end of the thing that called herself a goddess and ending with happiness. There could be no movement forward while a monster like that stood at the top of anything. Every instinct she had said so...

"No." Artoria's choice in word was a singular one. One which held the whole of creation and all of its destruction. A single word spoken in a simple rejection of the idea that he had something to say about how she chose to handle herself. He could make many claims as a man who had lived longer, but there was a single thing she would not accept. That this was not her problem. It was, it was more so than most things. "I can consider myself foolish in a few instances. I can understand that I do not know everything nor can I make the best decisions for everyone all the time, but there is one thing I am absolutely certain of..." she said none too carefully. "This problem of that divine one and her cult is at least partly mine to deal with, such a thing was decided the moment fourteen men ended up in my bedroom while I was trying to sleep, with the sole purpose of ruining my life in a way I never foresaw. Done with such fervor they did not even have the decency to defend themselves from what was obviously their eminent murder," she said carefully. In defense of herself, Artoria had killed a great many men, but never had she murdered such a defenseless group of idiots as those she slayed in her bedroom. "I am a monarch, I expect people to try and kill me. I expect assassination attempts and as we have been discussing, I expect to die, and I could eventually get over the attack perpetrated against my person, even if I cannot rest..." she said those eyes of hers opening fully and blazing with pure indignation. "But I could not call myself a Knight nor could I live with myself as a queen if I let that crime against humanity trample over the hopes and dreams of every woman too defenseless to protect themselves from her ire. If I did not stand between those to weak to defend themselves and her I would be unworthy. If something like this was attempted to me, I can not imagine the one it worked against. It is a violation of humanity and womanhood perpetrated by a woman against women. I will not stand for it. On my honor she will be struck down!" Oh that was aggressive wasn't it? But she meant it, Artoria couldn't tolerate an existence that violated one of the first and oldest social contracts, the one of silent safety from one woman to another. That thing that called herself a goddess was a crime against women, humanity and everything that should be sacred in the world. Her death was required. Artoria didn't even understand the true appeal of sex, but she still knew that situation would ruin it, and she understood it was hypocrisy for a love goddess to do anything which would violate the love between two individuals, no. None of this, she had the conviction and the power to do something about it and she would, and there was no way she'd let the King of Heroes stand before her in such a way. She hadn't slept in a fortnight and she wasn't about to sleep when knowing the target her blade was meant to pierce. There was nothing but conviction in those green eyes of hers, darkness replaced by fire.

The humans below were so very foolish. Did she really think she had what it took to take on the gods? Gilgamesh enjoyed the idea of a human with such incredible dreams, but perhaps hers were becoming too big. It could not be tolerated. She could surely not be cursed the same way as Enkidu, who was still connected to the divines when life was taken from him, but she walked the same path he did. What would become of the day she earned the gods' ire, and another Divine Construct was created to counter her and facilitate that which brought about this very reaction when first attempted? That could not be allowed. This was precisely why Gilgamesh alone would tear down Celestia. They could not harm him directly, but he could put an end to them by their own design. Indeed, the simple fact that he was divine born the way of mortals would be their undoing... yet he would not see this woman involved. "I did not offer discussion, you insubordinate woman!" he snapped. "What power do you think you have to assault the gods?! If you even managed to scratch a divine being, it would be only suffering you earned as a result. What will you do then? Look over your shoulder for what remains of your life, waiting for the day those same gods decide to throw their all at you? You will be cursed, pinned by their newest creation and filled with their filth while Ishtar's cult fills you just the same. A mad goddess would see you defiled, dismembered, and defiled again!"

Stupid, stupid, stupid! The Queen of Knight's resolve was admirable, but oh so misplaced. This was a decision that she could not be allowed to see through; only he could see it to fruition. "My hand will bring down the gods. If you wish to contribute, you may take on the cultists who plague the land, you and your little knights. Do away with these foolish notions of god-slaying, and do what humans are capable of! Deicide is a thing best left to one of divine origin."

Of all the reactions Artoria expected, she did not expect, to firstly be called insubordinate nor secondly for him to sound as if he cared about her well-being. It was another strange moment for the young woman as she was literally the person holding the hopes and dreams of the world and humanity in her hands. "I am not insubordinate, I was not asking permission." Artoria snapped back at Gilgamesh. The absolute audacity of this man was not something Artoria was prepared for, still she did not necessary dislike his honesty. It was a strange thing to realize in a moment like this. "By your own logic I am human, and I need no other reason to do something than wanting to..." she shot back. Death, dismemberment, defilement... because some psychotic woman could not get her own life together was no reason to hide, it was more reason to confront directly. Artoria did not brag nor did she state the full nature of her abilities. She faced her challenges head on without full knowledge of the outcome only leaning herself closer and closer to a victory she could see, except in one case. Gilgamesh himself was a person she did not see victory against. She'd won against him in the Holy Grail War but that was not a battle of wills, it was a job like any other she would take. "Waiting will change nothing, I could just as easily find myself in that situation at any point so I will not wait for it to disturb me. If you have not seen enough to understand why I do not care the creed of being I fight... then you were not paying enough attention," she said. Artoria's heart was that of a dragon. She was herself the heart of the red dragon, whether she fully understood what that meant for her or not, she had the attitude of a creature that predated petty gods and their irrelevant features. None of that would be said, but it was seething behind those eyes of hers.

His suggestion remained. He would take care of the gods and she and her knights should take care of the cultists. His telling her that was almost laughable, considering how she approached this problem at the start, "I was named Queen of Knights by you King of Heroes, did you honestly think I was not going to act on that aspect anyway? She is sending beings from this tier of the world, born soaked in mana down to people who are not yet ready to face that challenge. I will not let such filth bypass me. I told you, I needed to know where I was pointing my blade, I do not need your permission to defend the defenseless," she stopped herself from speaking for a moment, when did she get so angry again? Why was she still so disturbed? Was it a matter of being underestimated? Was it annoying that he seemed to care so much about her well-being? Was it some ridiculous level of threat that no woman should face just wandering the world on the orders of an errant female? Yes. All of those things... still there was nothing more annoying to her, than the idea that people born here were stronger at base than those born below, and then chose to serve a goddess who paid them so little attention that she advised rape over any other useful activity in life. That was sickening. A love goddess advising rape, and displeasure was so very contradictory that Artoria herself thought it evil.

Permission? Of course she did not ask for permission! It was by Gilgamesh's royal decree that she would be rejected nonetheless. The foolhardiness of mankind would not be allowed to impact his goals. Artoria's insistence upon facing the goddess Ishtar herself was pointless at best; she'd need only to let him do as he would. "Hmph! It is you who proves inattentive, if you believe for a moment that you have what it takes to slay the divine," he said. Now then, what was this about him granting her a title? In truth, he'd done no such thing. Queen of Knights was something applied to her existence; he merely spoke of it during a time long before it would truly be granted. "It was not I who gave you that title. If you insist on acting within that role, however, then play your part, Knight. Take your king's order, and stay. Your. Blade."

Surely she didn't believe her victory in the previous Holy Grail War was qualification enough to face gods. If she did, the woman under the guise of King Arthur was more of a fool than he thought. "You cannot even understand why those mongrels were sent from this plane of existence to yours, can you? Tell me, how do you intend to face a god? You do not have the capacity to fell them, but is it within you to break the laws of this world? I alone am the linchpin, the Wedge of Heaven. It is by my existence that they are even capable of manifesting here, in my own garden. You who lives in the gutters of this world would hardly even be a thought, if not for my decision to take you as my bride! Run along. Lament your own weakness if you wish, but do not think yourself capable of feats so far from human ability."

Gilgamesh had the complete wrong idea here and now. He seemed to not understand, she didn't think she had the power to kill a divine being because she was full of herself. She didn't believe she would be capable of it, just because she was angry. She didn't even assume she'd be capable of it, just because of her dragon core. At the end of everything it was something very simple... she could kill anything. There was nothing in either world she thought she couldn't slay. "Our fight did not put the idea in my head that I could slay a divine. It did nothing but give me the general idea that I could kill you, even though I could not find the steps towards that outcome innately," she said that aloud and knew it to be the truth. She did not think herself weak nor exceedingly strong, she thought herself a killer who killed. Strangely, that was not even a threat, it was a statement of fact. When she'd promised her younger sister a Holy Grail she had not known she could beat Gilgamesh, but every exchange led her closer to the eventuality, as such she could follow it through. "I did not possess such a title until you spoke it into existence. For the record, I am a knight as a benefit to everyone else," she said that very carefully, so very quietly. Those eyes of hers closed because holding onto a desire to murder someone wouldn't do her any good. She was chivalrous enough to not start a fight at a dinner table with the host, but Gilgamesh was testing the upper limits of her patience.

Still he spoke. The King of Heroes did nothing but entice her to violence. He made claims with no knowledge of her thought process, his words alone claimed a foolhardiness the Queen of Knights was not. Never would she consider a strategy that did not fit the bonds of her current existence. And now she would be given a full breadth of understanding of Gilgamesh's existence. The gods walked here, he was the linchpin it was his fault because he showed interest in her, nothing else. Something about his words annoyed her deeply, it bristled against her very soul. He really spoke as if he was the only one targeted by this errant goddess. The world was not that small, and a woman who would do the sorts of things this one was purported to, did not have enough limits to stop at one target. How would she defend herself? What could she say? Well... nothing. Actually, that wasn't entirely true, Artoria Pendragon was one thing and one thing only, and that was a fighter. She wouldn't lament her weakness she'd take it at face value. If he didn't want to believe in her, that was fine, she believed in herself and the rest of humanity. If she was truly unprepared she'd find out today, but she would not simply be taking the word of someone else about it. "Outside." Just that one word and the opening of a glare that caused Merlin to claim she was staring daggers at him on a semi-regular basis, turned up to twenty-five. It was a strange moment, but Artoria was not going to tolerate this annoyance. She was too tired to place arguments and hedge complaints. Why did Merlin send her here? She'd have to ask him, if she remembered past this burning anger and her mental anguish.

Further foolishness was the thought that she could kill him, the king of all who inhabited this world. In all history he knew, only one could make such a claim... and even that would have been a mutual slaying for the good of none. No matter. Unless Ishtar herself appeared, there was no conceivable way for Artoria to challenge her directly. She could take up the task of felling the goddess' servants time and time again, bringing further ire to herself with each increasing threat. Before the situation became too dire, Gilgamesh would complete the task of shutting those wretched gods out from this world. He cared not what she thought of this ultimatum. He would not have another point of interest taken by that whore goddess─ never again. She could detest him if she wished, but it would all be for the best. Before taking up the role of bridegroom, he would deliver himself the role of a father who sheltered the babe, keeping danger from the homestead.

Artoria would not be having that, it seemed. Outside, she said. What? She dared oppose him so brazenly? A twitch came to the king's brow, and to his lip. Only once had he seen such insubordination. Whatever the case, chivalry was not a concept shared between the two of them. If it was combat she wanted, he would respond with only the opening of his Divine Gates. From a dozen or so gates came the Chains of Heaven. She wanted to play the rambunctious child, so he would play the strict parent by having those chains chase her down, aiming to ensnare the limbs. "Do not make two mistakes this day, you insufferable woman."

There was something strange in the mind of Artoria Pendragon. She did not detest Gilgamesh in a literal sense, she found his methods and ways annoying but outside of the way he acted in moments that his ego was so blaringly obvious, she could not dislike the sort of person he was. What she could do however was oppose him at every turn when he said something she disliked. Perhaps he did not understand this truly but what was the point of people if no one made sure you stayed honest? That was how Artoria saw other people in relationship to herself, she simply was incapable of laying down and taking orders from anyone, least of all him. So, he was content to keep her in his life? She was content to see if he truly understood what it meant to be in the company of someone who was prone to anger, longed for fights, and who could switch from chivalrous knight to murderous killer in less time than it took to blink.

The twitch of his brow and lip did not go unnoticed by the blonde haired lass. The fact that he did not do as she asked made her smile, why was she smiling? Well, in all honesty, Chivalry made her issue the order to go outside. She wished to save him the expense of repairing the place he lived. But if he was a person would not spare his own things, she would oblige him. That sword at her side was drawn with urgency, as the sheath of it shattered, into almost golden dust. Her eyes, didn't leave those open gates as she pushed back against her feet sliding as chains erupted from those portals. She would not be captured so easily, especially not in a room this large. She'd been too recently fighting within a small space to be hindered by the change in venue. She'd dodge chains with an accuracy that might make one think she knew they were coming. And what would happen, the light of her sword grew brighter almost instantly, but not by hopes and dreams, no... Artoria's own mana moved through the blade, sending a slash of bone shattering concussive wind directly at the point as she lifted it, which she followed up in fresh pursuit still waiting to dodge. There was enough pressure in the blast to knock a hole in stone and blast the king backward through it depending on his actions.

Chains were launched, and chains were evaded. It should be considered audacious for one to evade Enkidu, but he'd come to expect as much from this woman. If anyone could challenge him, it was Enkidu... but if anyone stood a chance of rivaling Enkidu, it was the woman once known as Hoshimi Eri, his most powerful memory from a previous life. "Hmph. Hardly the dance that should follow our first night of dining. I will allow it," he said, seeming unusually nonchalant. To Gilgamesh, this was no fight, no battle, no epic clash. It was not the pest control he considered felling criminals and the like, nor was it the heroic escapade of going against the gods and their creations. This meeting was mere confirmation of Artoria's inability, and her need to leave the matter of gods in capable hands lest she lead herself to unnecessary ruin.

His arms remained crossed even as Artoria's evasion was followed by offensive measures. Her mana, did it serve her well in the lower world? That would not be the case here. Unmoving was the king as that burst of wind encroached. Unfazed was he when it struck not his flesh, but the barrier of a golden armor suit manifested onto his body in a moment. He'd once used this armor against Enkidu, but never had he donned it with its breastplate attached. From shoulder to toe, King Gilgamesh had submerged himself in that golden suit that took neither scratch nor dent from that stone-crushing blow. Gilgamesh tilted his head while watching the Queen of Knights move about. With that tilt came another gate in the space his head previously occupied, and from that came a golden lance unleashed with the same ferocity as all his tools. Said lance was led toward the woman's left thigh in two paces, while the Chains of Heaven followed up behind her with their same original goal in mind.

According to Gilgamesh this wasn't the dance he wished for after a meal. She hadn't asked for the meal and there was no other form of dance she could prefer. Strangely enough she also wasn't in the mood to talk, as always her thoughts were rather busy and she did not have the space for extra commentary. How would she react? What could she do to him, while respecting her chivalry and not tarnishing her own image? These were always the questions she asked herself and these little dalliances in her mind, required precious seconds. Still her eyes were dancing around about as much as her body was, a dozen chains, a lance fast speed. 'No openings. Dodge and block.' Her sword spun in her hand as she danced out of the coming chains all the while protecting herself from the damage of piercing at a distance such as this. 'Move forward.' Her next step would give her the freedom to swing her sword upward, Excalibur was brimming with the energy of her body, no Invisible Air. There would be no stopping her as she pumped mana into Excalibur at the same frequency that she'd previously shattered Caliburn, but she wasn't simply being reckless, she was looking for openings. Besides, it wasn't like she could shatter Excalibur, it wouldn't let her use enough power for that to be a problem. 'More stuff, archer makes more sense.' The energy blast would test the armor, it had more force than her original one. Artoria's anger decreased with every swing of her sword and every movement of her body. So many chains for her to dodge, how was she supposed to focus on attacking? She slowed herself down to dodging at the last possible seconds to avoid capture by chains each step looking for the appropriate opening. Her fury was fading but her determination burned just as brightly as it had when she made her declaration. To be perfectly honest, she enjoyed fighting most when she thought she wouldn't win.