Chapter 20: Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven!

Zoran's words resonated deeply within Kiritsugu Emiya's soul. He stared wide-eyed, mentally parsing the implications of that statement.

When a Servant is summoned to the physical world, every movement, and especially combat, requires mana support from the Master. If this were a duel, the Master's mana was the Servant's "energy pool." What did infinite mana mean? Kiritsugu understood all too well.

His gaze sank, landing on Shendu's monstrous form in the center of the battlefield. It meant this dragon-headed Caster was a monster that could spam ultimate attacks without limit. Kiritsugu felt a sharp pain in his temples and massaged his forehead. He no longer understood this game at all.

…

On the battlefield constructed of shipping containers, Gilgamesh's voice was icy. "Mongrel. Though your conduct disgusts this King, I shall grant you the special privilege of declaring your name."

He stood atop the streetlamp, arms crossed in an arrogant posture. Generally, Servants kept their True Names a secret to avoid exposing their weaknesses. But to Gilgamesh, allowing an opponent to introduce themselves was a mark of his personal recognition, a matter of great honor.

Nearby, Lancer leaned against a container with his arms folded. Since his Master, Kayneth, had not issued a new order, he was content to watch from the sidelines. High up on a gantry crane, Kayneth himself was equally bewildered. With nearly all the Servants present, he had no desire for Lancer to become the first target of a focused assault.

Elsewhere, Saber stood protectively in front of Irisviel, clutching her wrist. Her wound, inflicted by Lancer's Noble Phantasm, Gáe Buidhe, the Golden Rose of Mortality, could not be mended by ordinary healing magecraft. She scanned the area, realizing this was no longer a chivalrous duel between her and Lancer. Irisviel, having received a message from Kiritsugu, ordered Saber to temporarily fall back.

Berserker, shrouded in black mist, stood silently at the edge of the clearing. It seemed his Master, Kariya Matou, was also waiting for the show to begin. However, Berserker's state seemed volatile upon seeing Saber, and Kariya was forced to suppress him through their link.

"Well, even I'm stumped now," Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, said, scratching the back of his head with a boisterous grin. His intention had been to make a grand entrance worthy of a King before so many heroes and mediate the conflict. But while the original fight had stopped... a new, more terrifying one seemed about to begin.

He wanted to say something like, "Give me some face and stop," but this Archer and Caster looked like they were not to be trifled with.

"Mongrel?"

Shendu's lips peeled back into a snarl. His hunched back slowly straightened; at over ten feet tall, he could look Gilgamesh in the eye even while standing on the ground.

"You are the first human to ever dare address me as such."

Dragon breath churned in his throat, the sheer power causing the ambient temperature to spike. In the next heartbeat, a scorching pillar of flame erupted.

Gilgamesh's hand, already raised, pressed down slightly. Behind him, the air rippled with golden, water-like undulations. Hundreds of weapons revealed their tips. This was his unique Noble Phantasm, the Gate of Babylon, said to contain every treasure in the world. In an instant, swords, spears, lances, and axes shot forward to intercept the pillar of fire.

A massive explosion thundered in mid-air.

Gilgamesh's figure blurred as Shendu's thick arm lunged out, ripping the streetlamp from the pavement by its roots. With the supernatural strength of the Ox Talisman, uprooting a steel pole was no harder than pulling a weed.

The battle exploded into full force. Precious weapons from the Gate of Babylon rained down like a relentless bombardment, seemingly infinite. Despite his size, Shendu showed no signs of sluggishness; he blinked across the battlefield, leaving only afterimages.

Pillars of fire scattered, and two concentrated golden beams swept through the smoke of the explosions. A shipping container was sliced clean through, its edges melting into molten iron. At this point, the other Servants had wisely moved far away. The range of this collateral damage was simply too vast. If they were caught in the crossfire, they'd have no one to blame but themselves.

In the distance, Zoran stroked his chin in contemplation. From Shendu's current performance, he was far below his true peak. The Shadowkhan were ineffective against Gilgamesh; Shendu could only summon the basic Shadow ninjas here, which were no sturdier than paper under the bombardment of the Gate of Babylon.

Even the power of the Twelve Talismans, Shendu's greatest pride, was currently weaker than it had been back in their original world. For instance, the immortality of the Dog Talisman, in this world, a summoned Servant could not achieve true, absolute immortality. If they could, the war would be over, and the Grail would be theirs by default. Every Talisman's upper limit had been capped to some degree.

Zoran understood why. It was logical. Shendu was a Servant summoned through a ritual, bound by the rules of this world. Consequently, he had to operate within the parameters of the power available here. To summon Shendu at his absolute peak, this world simply didn't have the "capacity."

Like a bucket that can only hold so much water, a Servant is limited by the world that hosts them.

Still, this version of Shendu was far superior to his statue form. Zoran could see the dragon was clearly in a state of "battle-high."

At the moment, Gilgamesh was becoming irritated. Even in its weakened state, the speed granted by the Rabbit Talisman made Shendu incredibly difficult to pin down. The Gate of Babylon struggled to lock onto him. Even when Shendu was caught in a wide-range carpet bombing, his wounds would inexplicably mend themselves.

Healing magecraft? Gilgamesh sensed no magical ripples.

His brow furrowed, and the range of the Gate of Babylon expanded until the entire wharf was under its shadow. Since the beast wouldn't let go, they would play. The weapons in his treasury were near-limitless.

A storm of blades poured down. A portion was reduced to ash mid-air by the Dragon Blast, while Shendu's unpredictable movements dodged the rest.

Gilgamesh's eyes flashed. Now.

He unleashed his legendary tool. Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven!

From the golden ripples behind him, the indestructible chains shot out like vipers, lunging toward Shendu.

Gilgamesh shouted, "It is over, mongrel!"