Fear

"Whatever. I don't care anymore."

In the split second Gilgamesh's guard appears lowered, his two opponents rush to attack. Without a single word from its owner, the sword-cleaver twitches in his hands as if reacting to danger. The king's grip hardens. Closer and closer, the bone daggers rattle sinisterly. Judging by noise alone, the number of weapons headed his way far exceeds the four to be expected. In the next moment, Gilgamesh is surrounded. One, three… nine Xipe Totecs. He feels insulted. And, to rub salt into the wound, these don't look any different than all the previous ones.

"Perish," the king pronounces without any mercy.

Clouds of crimson powder burst all around, each one carrying a profound smell of blood. His vision impaired by the red curtain, Xipe Totec feels tempted to stop. Except he doesn't. The two blades are thrust forward with confidence, through the dust and towards the human's vague outline. He feels both tips rip through fabric and into flesh. And so, the sound which should've been music to his ears turns into an unsettling realisation. Fabric… Before his eyes, another burst of particles emerges, and, from within, a stern hand. The last clone felled by his own strike, Xipe Totec can only manage a, "You're kidding," before the king takes hold of his now unmasked head. The pressure of Gilgamesh's first attack, in truth, feels like a joke. He can sense it. Though he's not moved an inch, he can already smell the hot earth waiting to welcome his face for the second time. And that's exactly what happens. As he's shoved towards the ground, it's as though his opponent's fingers are trying to dig into his skull.

"I told you before. Grovel before me like the worm you are."

So down he goes. The crash is so painful it seems painless at first. Dull snapping inundates the god's mind, so vivid he can't tell whether it's the ground giving way… or his bones falling apart. The earthy smell permeates his body as he continues to sink. It doesn't last long, the whole ordeal, but the confusion it instils inside him is maddening. How deep was he pushed? How damaged is he?

However, despite that bottomless darkness, Xipe Totec can still observe a thin line, bright as if it's made out of pure light. It's wavering. "Not much, but just enough," he figures. And, with that, the deity vanishes!

Red smoke spews angrily from the crater. From a distance, it's reminiscent of a volcanic eruption. Facing the irrefutable truth, Gilgamesh withdraws his hand a little disappointedly. His sword remains at his side. For, even if he were to swing it now, it would be in vain.

"He Who Owns Sky and Earth: Ilhuicahua Tlalticpaque!"

Like a blazing phantasm, Xipe Totec bolts in the king's direction. His armadillo-like tail stiffens as its segments lock into place. The king doesn't budge. As the sharp appendage digs into his left leg, he does not grimace. Even when, having cleanly severed his limb below the knee, the bloodied tail emerges on the other side, both his composure and balance remain unyielding. Dry as it is, the soil gratefully sips the blood gushing onto it. Gilgamesh trains his eyes in the distance. Far ahead of him, where the ruined temple once stood, the god's dash comes to an end.

"My spear shall intercept the fleet-footed hazard!" the man orders.

"Ilhuicahua Tlalticpaque!" Xipe Totec bellows at the same time.

The sword-cleaver changes its shape once more, the scarlet runes instantly migrating to its tip. What was mere moments ago a hilt turns into an elongated shaft, parts of the metal narrowing and fusing with the wood. In less than a second, it is a spear that Gilgamesh aims at his opponent.

While all this transpires, Xipe Totec darts confidently. Sword or spear, as long as the weapon doesn't hit him, it's all the same. The line is still shaky. His posture more aerodynamic now, the god focuses his attention on the mortal's other leg. All segments of his tail snap together.

"Huh?"

It went back to normal. Whatever trembling there was in the bright line is all of a sudden completely gone. But he's moving too fast. If he were to stop now, he would only make himself an easy target for the spear. There's only one way. At the last possible second, the god's tail scores the ground, and the friction steers him just enough so the human's weapon doesn't impale him.

"Stop bleeding," the king orders, and his leg stops bleeding indeed. Naturally, Xipe Totec's dash was impossible to see. The scarce drops of blood on the tip of his spear, however, tell him all he needs to know. Scratched him, at best. That aside, those reactions… "I take it my assumption was correct, then. You can read my mind, can't you?" he poses.

Gilgamesh discerns a definite growl in the god's panting. He can't imagine the earlier smackdown had no effect on him, but it didn't do a whole lot.

"You give me too much credit, dearest king." A guttural laugh leaves Xipe Totec's throat. "Even royalty such as yourself should know this much. Fear is the most primal emotion there is. You humans learnt how to live by fearing everything around you. It's what pushed you to adapt. The wilderness. Hunger. Lightning. Us gods. Your ancestors were frightened of everything there was to be frightened of! And that's why they survived. Humans can't live without fear," the god scoffs. "You know what they called me? Ipalnemoani, 'He by Whom We Live'. The aspect of Tezcatlipoca that allowed mankind to survive!"

"Isn't that a bit of a stretch…" Gilgamesh voices, unimpressed. "So, you had humanity give you that stupid name because you can sense and interpret fear? To think they called me arrogant. But it seems I'll have to switch things up a bit." He shifts his weight to make up for the loss of his leg before adding fiercely, "After all, my caution was misunderstood as fear. And it's less than flattering that you thought I would be scared of you!"

Inside the Mesopotamian lobby, Enki jumps out of his seat. The two sisters give him a confused look, but decide against asking. He shakily approaches the levitating screen, getting so close his face is basically touching it.

"Hey, what's the big deal? We can't see anything if you do that!" Ereshkigal groans.

"Can't you see!?" the old man yells. "Gilgamesh-kun… that aura's no good, my boy. It means he wants to throw all caution to the wind. But if he stops paying attention now, he'll never beat Tezcatlipoca!"

"H-hey, isn't it a bit early to jump to such conclusions? I mean, he lost his leg, but he's been through worse. R-right, sister?"

Inanna pushes Enki aside, seizing the screen for herself. Clearly, the way Gilgamesh holds his weapon is different. This time, he's aiming to kill. That idiot is completely serious.

"No, this is bad. This is unthinkably bad. Without his other half…" she mouths silently. "He's the one who'll get killed."