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(Fate) Chapter 241: Open the Gates of the Underworld
🕑 Added 2024-12-28 17:39:05 +0000 UTCPromise watched her departing figure for a moment, lost in thought, before speaking to himself:
“The Sword of Rupture, Ea, capable of cleaving the world… If Emiya ever saw Gilgamesh being so cautious—taking out that Noble Phantasm right from the start—he’d be utterly shocked.”
The image of his friend from this world, Emiya, reacting with astonishment brought a smile to Promise’s lips.
Chuckling softly, he patted the silver wolf beside him and resumed plucking the strings of his harp.
He hummed a gentle tune, disappearing into the night with the wolf at his side.
Promise had no intention of observing the first battle of the evening—the reunion and ensuing fight between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, after all, had someone else to wait for.
That someone was, the great hero of ancient Greece, who, as if guided by fate, was destined to meet Gilgamesh once again in this Holy Grail War and fight him... one of Promise’s dearest friends, Heracles.
"Hm… If I manage to get Emiya and Tohsaka to join me when the time comes and send Gilgamesh packing together, it would certainly be a spectacular scene,"
Promise murmured, a mischievous grin curling at the corners of his lips.
As fate would have it, events unfolded in Snowfield exactly as recorded in the destiny of this Holy Grail War.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s reunion, marked by a battle under the light of the Sword of Rupture, Ea, was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Their shared joy at meeting again caused the very earth of Snowfield to tremble, striking fear into the hearts of hidden magi and summoned Servants alike.
However, their battle did not reach its conclusion.
For the greatest wildcard of this Holy Grail War emerged—interrupting the clash of the two ancient companions.
It was not even the full embodiment of this force, but a mere avatar, yet its presence alone caused both Enkidu and Gilgamesh to halt their fight immediately.
This was the Incarnation of Calamity, the embodiment of plague, bestowed with the title of the Pale Rider, a curse of death given form.
"It seems I must retreat for now, Gil,” Enkidu said as she felt the calamity’s approach, ceasing her battle with Gilgamesh.
Then she spoke the golden-armored King of Heroes before her.
"The rest of this fight will have to wait for another time.”
As she spoke, she glanced toward the horizon, with her emerald gaze.
"I have a duty to protect my Master. That is the reason I am here. And… there is a very kind person who asked me for a painting. I promised him, and I cannot break my word."
Hearing this, Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow in curiosity and questioned her:
"A Master who warrants such protection from you? What kind of human could possibly earn such favor from you? And… a painting?"
"Yes, a painting," Enkidu replied with a warm smile, nodding affirmatively as continued speaking to Gilgamesh,
"He’s truly an adorable human. I think even you, Gil, would surely like him if you met him."
Before Gilgamesh could respond, Enkidu seemed to have thought of something as she added,
"No, wait. If it’s you, Gil, you wouldn’t express that kind of affection openly.
Instead, you’d probably act disdainful, pretending to be completely annoyed, while secretly acknowledging him in your heart."
In her heart, Enkidu was certain of this.
What she didn’t notice, however, was that with every word she said, Gilgamesh’s expression grew darker and darker.
"Well… now I’m truly intrigued," Gilgamesh finally spoke in a sharp tone, as he raised the Sword of Rupture, Ea, once more.
Enkidu tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion in her emerald eyes. "Gil, are you… angry?"
But why?
"I am not," Gilgamesh snapped, averting his gaze toward the uninvited Pale Rider avatar that had intruded upon their battlefield.
His voice turned cold as he spoke,
"I’m merely planning to punish a tactless interloper with a small lesson.”
With that, the legendary sword, capable of cleaving the world, swung down again.
A deep scar was left upon the desert lands in the southern region of the city, marking the end of this clash.
At the same time, this moment heralded the true beginning of this exceptional Holy Grail War.
Yet the night had not fully waned.
After parting ways with Gilgamesh, Enkidu returned to the western forests under the deep cover of night.
There, she found Promise, who seemed to have no idea what kind of battle had just broken out, sitting atop a tree stump, lightly plucking the strings of his silver harp.
The enchanting melody filled the forest, causing the silver synthetic wolf to close its eyes in tranquility as it lay at Promise’s feet.
Fireflies and small forest creatures had gathered around, drawn by the music.
Even the trees, flowers, and grass, as sensed by Enkidu, seemed to be swaying joyfully in response to the melody.
If it were daytime, surely the radiant sunlight would race to shine upon him, illuminating his figure.
"…It seems I missed an exquisite song. Perhaps it will be one of my life’s greatest regrets,”
When Enkidu came back, Promise stopped playing so, Enkidu sighed silently and said this to the boy.
Promise looked up to meet her gaze.
Enkidu’s soft sigh wasn’t a mere compliment; it was a heartfelt sentiment.
In that moment, she truly regretted not postponing her meeting with her dearest friend to the next day.
Promise offered her a gentle smile.
"If you enjoyed it, I believe there will be other opportunities."
With those words, he glanced at the silver synthetic wolf beside him.
The wolf stood up and, responding to Enkidu’s gaze, let out a soft call before trotting back to her side.
"Thank you, Promise," Enkidu said graciously, expressing her heartfelt gratitude for his protection of her Master.
"If you don’t mind, we can complete the promise we made earlier now."
To her surprise, the young man, who seems to have been waiting for her return and paint a picture, shook his head.
"Not today. Let’s save it for another time.”
Raising his head, Promise’s clear emerald eyes gazed into the distance, toward a hospital within the city.
"Tonight, I still have something to take care of… because it is something that shouldn’t exist in this world.”
Promise spoke calmly,
"Though at first, I had no such intention, when I saw its emergence—witnessing the cries of death, the whispers of pain mixed within its calamity—I realized that it doesn’t belong in this world.
Even if it is mindless, it still constantly robs others of their lives.
"As for that poor little girl… adopting a child is hardly an issue for my family."
Hearing these words, both the silver synthetic wolf and Enkidu looked confused for a moment before quickly grasping the meaning behind them.
"You… know what it is?"
As a creation of the gods, bestowed with wisdom and humanity by a saintly divine courtesan, Enkidu quickly realized what Promise was referring to: the calamity she had sensed earlier—Pale Rider, the embodiment of plague and one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Once she understood, Enkidu furrowed her brows and said to Promise:
"No, you can’t. It’s too dangerous. It wields the authority of death. While I don’t know what you intend to do, if you plan to eliminate it, you will inevitably have to embrace the underworld!"
The underworld itself was the Noble Phantasm of Pale Rider—a simulated realm of the underworld, a world-boundary recreating the domain of death.
That was the underworld; a place of no return, a land forbidden to the living!
Enkidu hoped her words would dissuade Promise, urging him to reconsider and devise a more measured plan rather than rushing headlong into peril.
But what she didn't expect was that, after hearing her words, the young man didn't even think before he chuckled lightly.
"The underworld… huh.”
"But that’s only the underworld, isn’t it? It’s not as though it’s the abyss—the prison capable of confining even the gods, where time and space cease to exist."
The moment Promise finished speaking, a silver star descended from the night sky, falling gently beside him.
The star unfolded radiant silver wings, shimmering with brilliance.
At the same moment, Promise reached out toward the starlit night, as if plucking something from among the celestial bodies.
From his hand emerged a breathtaking painting.
The painting depicted the eternal darkness of the underworld.
Yet this underworld was covered in blooming flowers, their vivid colors stretching across its desolate expanse.
Along the path leading to the grand palace of Hades, a lone boy was shown strolling gracefully.
In the corner of the painting, behind the boy, were gods gazing in awe, their expressions filled with astonishment and reverence.
At that moment, Enkidu was utterly astonished.
Because, she had already sensed the presence of night, wisdom, and destiny in Promise.
But now, to her shock, she even felt the unmistakable aura of the Lord of the Underworld radiating from him!
The authority of the ruler of the underworld from Greek mythology had descended.
What unfolded before Enkidu’s eyes was the faint shadow of a bright-eyed goddess.
It was Persephone, Queen of the Underworld in Greek mythology.
With a radiant smile, she opened her arms and embraced Promise tightly, as though greeting a beloved child.
Then, with the same gentle smile, she handed him a lamp of the underworld, its ghostly glow flickering softly.
This lamp would illuminate the path to the underworld.
Within it fluttered a tiny, pitiful underworld butterfly familiar, its wings trembling as though weighed down by sorrow and helplessness.
At this moment, the Gates of the Underworld—whether false or real—swung open for Promise across the land.
Holding the lamp, with the winged Pegasus at his side, Promise smiled as he nodded toward Enkidu and the silver synthetic wolf, who were both staring at him in stunned silence.
"Our promise for the painting will have to wait until I return,” Promise said with a smile. "For now… it’s time for judgment!"
Enkidu stood frozen, because, after the auras of night, wisdom, destiny, and now the underworld, she sensed yet another from Promise: the presence of judgment itself.
'Ah… I think I finally know who he is.
Gil, I have a feeling you’re in trouble now.'
As Promise and Pegasus disappeared into the shadowy gate of the underworld, Enkidu couldn’t help but laugh softly to herself.
After all, this was someone spoken of in legends—an existence infamous for holding grudges, so much so that not even the gods could escape his ire.
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Comments
paladar blade
So just to recap at the possible classes for Promise there's Painter, Archer (Has used Apollo's bow with Artemis' arrow multiple times), Rider (Pegasus), Caster (Due to his paintings that can summon, but that feels redundant with the Painter class), Ruler (Has judged the gods and titans in court), and Avenger (Due to his grudge book which I completly forgot about this class till I read the last sentence). Did not expect the avenger qualification sense that seems close to a berserker with focused rage, but then again that's why I guess he would qualify as one.
Naga
Damn i read it so fast
