Also wanted to thank everyone who made us reach 100k views along with above 400 power stones in just the first week.
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Hundreds of Sleepers walked across the streets of the Dark City, heading towards the gates of the castle.
With Gilgamesh at the front, the Sleepers finally had hope that things were about to change.
Gilgamesh had his arms calmly clasped behind his back, leading the procession towards the gates of the Castle.
He hadn't planned on taking out Gunlaug this early in the morning, but he wouldn't waste the opportunity provided to him on a golden platter.
Hundreds of angry Sleepers marched towards the Bright Castle, their thunderous footsteps echoing against the ground. It looked as if the dark sea itself was rolling against the floor towards the castle.
"Death to Gunlaug the coward!"
"His tyranny ends today!"
"Justice shall be served for all his actions!"
"Praise the rightful King, Wedge of Heaven, Gilgamesh!"
Multiple other exclamations rang throughout the air, roaring against the winds, spelling doom for the Golden Serpent.
Once they had reached the gates of the Castle, Gilgamesh raised his hand.
The guards on top of the towers had nocked their bows and crossbows, preparing to shoot them even with fear written across their faces.
"Gunlaug has asked me to arrive at the throne room. It is only fair that my subjects, along with me, are allowed to witness what is going to happen. I do not want any unnecessary bloodshed today. Be warned, however, if you do not release your hold on your weapons, then I shall be left with no other choice."
Gilgamesh's voice pierced through the air commandingly, reaching the ears of the guards on the wall.
They looked at each other with faltering resolves before dropping their weapons fearfully.
At the same time, a loud noise thundered from in front of them. The ornate gates of the castle were being opened for them.
The two guards were sliding a heavy iron bolt away from the sockets, their faces red from strain.
Nodding his head, Gilgamesh proceeded further into the gates, with the gate guards parting away fearfully at the sheer number of Sleepers behind him and at the display of his power yesterday.
He noticed an unoccupied desk beside the entrance of the Castle but didn't pay much attention to it.
As they passed through the ornate gates, a large hall opened up before them.
Gilgamesh raised his head and saw the tall windows with stained glass panes soaring to the distant ceiling. Because it was daytime, the hall was filled with cascading rays of beautiful light. It might have looked good, but after gazing at his Soul Sea for hours, he wasn't impressed by it.
They moved further in, straight towards the keep where the main hall was located.
While walking, Gilgamesh noticed the multiple crudely made tapestries hanging from their locations on the wall, gently swaying in the wind.
The Sleepers who stayed inside the castle, had just gotten up and we're looking incredulously at the people from the outer settlements streaming through the hallways.
Not long after, Gilgamesh finally arrived. Stepping inside the hall, he looked around.
The vast hall was made of imposing stone walls; it looked quite similar to the halls he had seen in Game of Thrones. A high, dark wooden ceiling with exposed beams spanned its length. Multiple large, ornate chandeliers, each adorned with numerous candles, hung from the ceiling; they didn't have any candles, though, probably because of the sunlight streaming through the windows.
A long, red rug, which looked like it had seen some wear and tear, stretched down the center of the hall. Towards the far end, the hall narrowed slightly, and on a slightly elevated platform was a figure clad in gold, sitting on a throne.
(Image)
On both sides, multiple tables were arranged neatly, with people who had just started to eat their food, looking in surprise at his entrance.
Gilgamesh walked towards Gunlaug, his armoured feet still ringing out even with the carpet beneath his feet. Once he was only a couple of feet way, he looked at the current Bright Lord with a bored expression
Gunlaug was clad in strange, gilded armor that covered his tall figure from head to toe, not leaving even his eyes exposed.
It seemed simultaneously solid and liquid, almost flowing over his mighty muscles and broad, powerful shoulders.
In the place where his face should have been, a smooth and empty expanse of polished gold reflected across the
"For your terrible sin of ruling these people unjustly, letting your men harass anyone and turning a blind eye towards it. And worst of all, losing your hope as a King and failing to try and take these people back to the real world, you have been ordered to abdicate the throne and swear your eternal loyalty to me."
Silence dominated the area, no one daring to even mutter a word under their breath.
For a second, nothing happened, then Gilgamesh's portal opened, depositing the beaten and bruised bodies of Gunlaug's men at the Golden Serpent's feet.
Gunlaug, however, refused to react, not moving a muscle.
A second passed and then another, with Gilgamesh staring into the Transcended Echo's helmet boredly.
"What do you know about being a King, boy? You come here, a day ago, and try to steal the throne that I have bled for. You try to accuse me of being unjust, when you are the one who harmed my messengers, who had done nothing wrong. You are no king, but just a boy playing hero. Nothing but a cheap, fucking knockoff."
Gunlaug rose from his throne, and the people looked away or fell down, gazing at his armor while it had no effect on Gilgamesh.
Raising both of his hands, the Echo armor shifted fluidly, morphing and moving, before taking the form of a golden battle-axe in each of his hands.
Walking down the steps of the dais, he jumped to avoid the bodies of his men and landed a few feet away from Gilgamesh.
"Oh no, no, I am... the upgrade."
With a grin on his face, Gilgamesh raised his gauntleted hands, taking a boxing stance without summoning [Sword of Rupture].
Perhaps infuriated or scared, Gunlaug didn't exchange words with him, opting to rush forward with both the golden axes extended, ready to strike.
By the looks of it, the Echo didn't increase his speed, the only thing it did was make him impenetrable.
With the grin spreading even further on his face, Gilgamesh widened his stance.
Gunlaug didn't stop, rushing forward with both his arms raised to strike decisively and brutally at Gilgamesh's unprotected head.
Sidestepping away from the first axe, and ducking under the other, Gilgamesh pulled his arm back and clenched his right fist.
With devastating force, his hand burst forth from below.
The uppercut found its mark on Gunlaug's armored chin, lifting him up in the air because of the sheer force.
A crack could be heard when the fist connected with Gunlaug's face.
Using his axes for leverage, he stood up, the crack on his armor visible.
Assuming the same stance, Gilgamesh pointed his finger at Gunlaug, beckoning him to come forward.
Not giving up, Gunlaug dashed towards him again. Raising his arms at the same time, he brought them down towards Gilgamesh, who was standing in the same place with a smirk on his face.
Gilgamesh expertly wove through the two strikes and kicked at Gunlaug's knee, making him lose his balance.
Having fallen with one knee on the ground, tried to back away as quickly as possible and looked up.
A kick flew towards his face, knocking his head back.
Sprawled across the floor, Gunlaug tried to get up, once again, with the helmet around his face cracking further.
"Kneel, mongrel."
Gilgamesh ordered the Golden Serpent before assuming the same stance as before.
Trembling, Gunlaug put his elbows on the ground and got up. This time, he didn't rush immediately, hoping for Gilgamesh to attack first.
Gilgamesh stood in his place without moving. Then, with a burst of speed, he dashed forward. Gunlaug tried to raise his axe to strike once again but was too late.
Gilgamesh instantly struck him multiple times at different spots:
Head, neck, shoulders, elbows, solar plexus, stomach, and knees.
All of these spots were struck before he could even react.
Gunlaug flew through the air, his Echo cracking visibly at multiple spots.
Just when he stood on his knees to stand up again, Gilgamesh dashed towards him and jumped in the air.
He seemed to hang in the air, before rotating and bringing a skull-cracking roundhouse kick towards Gunlaug's armoured face.
Crack..
The Bright Castle's third lord flew down to the ground, his golden, fluidly moving helmet cracking.
Crack...
With his neck moving back at a weird angle, his head bent back towards the ground.
CRACK...
With Gunlaug's head hitting the steps of the dais, the helmet finally cracked fully.
Bursting into pieces, the Bright Lord's real face was finally exposed to the public for the first time in multiple years.
His henchmen, Gemma and Tessai, seeing that that their lord was down, instantly flew towards Gilgamesh, hoping to end Gunlaug's battle by themselves.
Along with them, multiple other people from their side jumped in as well against him.
Throwing a gesture at the Sleepers behind himself, Gilgamesh told them not to interrupt the fight.
Instantly, multiple blows rained down at Gilgamesh's position at the same time.
Weaving through them, Gilgamesh laughed. He hadn't had this much fun in years.
Ducking down, he performed a low sweep, making multiple people fall at the same time.
Using his hands to jump back, Gilgamesh maintained the distance between them before rushing back in towards them.
Lashing out with a hook, he punched the face of one of the goons and kicked the other one in the stomach at the same time.
Dodging the axe flying at him, he elbowed the wrist of the person using the axe, breaking the bone located there entirely.
Grabbing the hand of one of the people, he launched them at one of their own men.
While weaving through the multiple blows, he grabbed a dagger aimed at his head and broke it. Kicking someone's face in, he jumped at the same time and brought his leg down at the other person, breaking their skull.
Next , he grabbed two people's heads nearest to him at the same time and smashed them against each other and threw them at their teammates.
Then he realized that no one was attacking anymore. Looking around, confused, Gilgamesh saw that most of them had run away or were bleeding on the ground from various places.
"Come on, get up! It was just getting fun."
He kicked a body lying before him, encouraging the guy to move.
Gilgamesh sighed when he noticed that none of them were moving. He went around, nudging a few others with his feet, hoping that they would move and challenge him once again.
A sigh escaped his lips when none of them were willing to get up. Still, he felt satisfied after the battle; it had been worth it.
Once the fighting had stopped, he looked around and saw Sleepers were looking at him in astonishment.
Not only had he fought and beaten Gunlaug bare-handed but had started to fight against his top lieutenants just after defeating him.
As he turned away from the Sleepers, he looked at Gunlaug, who was sitting with his legs spread near the dais, his helmet cracked completely, bleeding profusely from his nose, ears, and head.
By the looks of it, he was starting to wake up again.
Gilgamesh started moving towards him and stood in front of him once he was awake.
Gunlaug blinked his brown, bleary eyes multiple times, as if he had forgotten where he was.
Finally realizing what was happening, he looked around himself in anxiety and panic.
"Kneel,"
The first thing Gunlaug saw was Gilgamesh heading towards him with a serene smile on his face, arms clasped.
Instantly, his heart started beating fast, his breathing became short and fast, and his eyes continuously flickered from left to right.
"Mongrel."
Not understanding what Gilgamesh was saying, he tried to stand up but stopped when his brain processed what he had heard. Immediately, Gunlaug fell on one knee and bowed his head.
[Sleeper Gunlaug has been conquered.]
[Aspect Legacy unlocked]
[Claim Legacy Relic?]
[Your treasury grows deeper.]
Ignoring the notifications of the Spells even though he was surprised, Gilgamesh walked towards the throne and sat down on it, throwing his right leg over the other.
There was a pause in the area, with no one knowing what to say.
"Praise the new lord of the Bright Castle, Conqueror of multiple Fallen Nightmare Creatures, The Savior, Our Salvation, Destroyer of his enemies, Wedge of Heaven, Gilgamesh!"
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Word Count: 2137