C399

"Onii-chan..."

Chloe glanced at him.

As Shirou glanced towards Illya and the others, he let out a quiet sigh.

Even without using Eternal King's Class Card, he could already tell that Gil was after Chloe.

"Let's end it here, Gil."

Gil scratched the back of his head, looking troubled. "You know it's not possible, Eternal King. Only Enkidu can share treasures with me. Besides, that's still a part of me. I can't just hand it over to someone else."

He added, squinting, "But then again, are you going to take their side?"

Gil looked at him, while Illya and Chloe also turned their gaze towards him.

After some thought, Shirou suggested, "What if we borrow your Class Card for now? Once we figure out a way to replace it without causing any harm to her, we'll give it back to you. How does that sound?"

"Good proposition. I can lend it to you, but to no one else," Gil shook his head and added, "This Card carries my records, wearing my shell. I detest fakes."

"In that case, there's no other way," Shirou sighed.

"Are you going to stand on their side, Eternal King? But I guess it makes sense. Compared to me, they look more like weaklings."

"No," Shirou shook his head.

Illya and Chloe looked at Shirou, understanding that he held the power to control the situation and decide what happens next.

He glanced at Chloe and then shifted his gaze back to Gil, remarking, "How about this, if you're defeated by them, then your Class Card will be their spoils. As they say, the victor is king, and there shouldn't be any complaints if you end up losing to them."

Gil narrowed his eyes and said with some anger, "If you belittle me like that, I'll be very upset, Eternal King!"

"I'm not belittling you. I'll join the battle as the Eternal King, but I won't make any aggressive moves; I'll only provide support. How does that sound? The King of Heroes wouldn't resort to using his vast combat experience to bully two young girls, right? And surely, you wouldn't be so afraid of me that you wouldn't want to accept this proposal, right?"

Gil wore a helpless smile and replied, "Well, when you put it like that, there's not much I can say."

After a brief pause, Gil pointed at Chloe and stated, "I can accept this arrangement, but on one condition: if I win, I'll mercilessly claim her heart, and you won't intervene. How about it, Eternal King?"

"Alright," he nodded.

Chloe glanced at him.

Shirou turned to her and called out, "Illya."

The other Illya also instinctively looked at him.

After a moment of silence, he spoke, "Regardless of which Illya you are, always keep this in mind: your destiny, your life, you must walk it on your own. Others, including me, can only give you a push from behind. The rest of the journey lies entirely in your hands!"

"Onii-chan..." Chloe paused briefly, then nodded with determination, "I get it, onii-chan!"

She turned around, glaring fiercely at Gil, "Bring it on! I'll protect my own heart!"

"I'll help you," Illya placed her hand on Chloe's shoulder, a warm smile on her face, "Because we're sisters born from the same person!"

Chloe stayed quiet for a moment before nodding with determination.

As he watched the deep bond between the two sisters, Gil revealed a somewhat lonely smile and then said, "Come forth, O Holy Grails! Your enemy is the most ancient of kings among humans!"

"Rumble—"

Countless Chains of Heaven coiled around Gil's body, which twisted and merged into serpent-like shadows, hurtling towards the two girls.

Illya channeled her magical power, aiming to strike the weak point in the heavenly chains, but the gap quickly closed as more chains emerged to replace the ones she managed to deflect.

Chloe unleashed her Noble Phantasm's bombardment, but it proved futile against the Chains of Heaven.

It was only natural. Her Class Card was modeled after Gilgamesh, possessing the Divinity of B+. As a result, the chains, which were Anti-Divine, became incredibly sturdy and difficult to pierce.

To make matters worse, Gil periodically summoned Noble Phantasms, putting immense pressure on both girls, leaving them visibly distressed.

Understandably so, as it was their first real battle, and both girls were relatively inexperienced in combat. Facing the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, was no easy feat for anyone, let alone two young girls with limited battle experience.

Chloe and Illya were in a miserable state as they were being hunted down.

Shirou retrieved the Eternal King's Class Card and called upon the Young Shirou.

Young Shirou and Shirou were two sides of the same coin, essentially the same person despite their differing perspectives.

Glancing at the ongoing battle below, he snapped his fingers.

---[Imperial Privilege EX]!!

"This is...!" 

Gil frowned instinctively, while Illya and Chloe were taken aback.

---[Godslayer C]

---[Godslayer C]

---[Godslayer C]

Young Shirou directly imbued Illya and Chloe with three layers of [Godslayer C], granting them a tremendous advantage against Gil.

With all three layers of [Godslayer C] stacked up, Illya's magical strike packed enough punch to tear through the Chains of Heaven, leaving Gil with no choice but to begrudgingly use the Shield of the Gods to fend it off. However, Chloe's attacks still couldn't break through the chains, even with Godslayer buff.

"Don't underestimate me, Eternal King!"

Gil shot a sharp glare of irritation at Young Shirou, who was observing the battle from the rear. He decided to unleash his treasury, causing a flood of countless Noble Phantasms to rain down upon Illya and Chloe.

The overwhelming torrent of Noble Phantasms struck fear into both girls, and a sense of panic gripped them.

But just as they were on the verge of being overwhelmed, Young Shirou calmly snapped his fingers again.

---[Protection from Arrows C]

---[Protection from Arrows C]

---[Protection from Arrows C]

He simply swapped out the three layers of [Godslayer C] for three layers of [Protection from Arrows C].

"Huh... They can't land a hit on us?"

Illya and Chloe were left in awe, taken aback by these buffs. Despite the relentless barrage of Noble Phantasms, they quickly realized that most of the attacks could be effortlessly evaded with minimal effort.

Gil quirked an eyebrow and summoned the massive sword, [Ig-Alima: Green Field Cutting Through the Thousand Mountains], swinging it fiercely at Illya and Chloe.

In response, Young Shirou activated Gawain's record, buffing the duo with the [Wall of Firmly Honorable Snowflakes], granting them Gawain's defensive protection.

"Boom—!"

The colossal sword crashed down, creating a massive shockwave, but Chloe and Illya remained unscathed, thanks to the impenetrable shield of the [Wall of Firmly Honorable Snowflakes].

Gil let out a sigh and directed his gaze at him, who stood calmly in the rear of the battlefield. "You're quite sneaky, Fujimaru Shirou. I must admit, I fell right into your trap."

Shirou flashed a smile, "Oh, but I'm just giving the girls a little boost, nothing more."

"They're part of your Noble Phantasm... And I didn't even notice. So, that's your true strength."

Gil continued, "As someone who directly engages in battle, you have your vulnerabilities, but as a commander and supporter from the rear, as long as the front line doesn't collapse, you're practically untouchable. And because of our wager, I can't lay a hand on you. It's so frustrating. I've been nothing but sincere in our dealings, so why do you always set traps for me?"

"I didn't set a trap for you; I simply used my enhancement abilities. So, in a way, I didn't deceive you," Shirou replied, shaking his head with a smile. He then asked, "So, are you having second thoughts about our wager?"

Gil shook his head, "I've already agreed, and backing out is not my style. Besides, I have complete confidence that I won't lose!"

As he spoke, Gil's expression turned serious, and his eyes glowed with a flicker of red light.