Time slipped by unnoticed.
The King of Conqueror's and Waver entered the small restaurant one after the other.
Despite last night's drinking bout, Iskandar complexion remained unchanged.
Waver, however, looked ashen-faced and drained of energy.
When Iskandar patted Waver on the shoulder while carrying another case of sake, the younger man's face flushed with anger.
"Can't you see what state I'm in?!"
"Maa~ don't be angry! Precisely because I see your condition, you need to drink!"
"Hey! Are you an idiot?! Do you think I ended up like this by choice?!"
"Sigh, Waver, can't you just act like a man?"
"You moron! You imbecile! You fool! Does not being able to drink make me less of a man?!"
"But not drinking takes away so much of your aura!"
"Is that the Conqueror King's theory?"
"Ha ha! Exactly!"
"That's ridiculous!"
"Hey, you brat! How dare you speak to your King like that! As a subject, show some respect!"
"Then as a King, you should listen properly to your subject's voice!"
The two bickered for five minutes before calming down.
In the end, Iskandar gave up drinking and for the first time, the King yielded to his subject.
The pair then draped their arms around each other's shoulders and sat down at the table to chat.
Yuto smiled at the scene.
After witnessing the King and his subject's argument, everyone resumed their original activities.
Ainz and Rimuru continued playing games while Saitama watched them.
Hestia and Sakura also chatted.
Yuto found himself with nothing to do.
As he watched Saitama, he recalled everyone's concerns about him from the previous night.
"Saitama," Yuto called out.
Saitama turned his head with a blank look on his face.
"What's up, Kamisaka?" he asked, his expression flat, a faint smile playing on his lips.
His bald head gleamed under the lamplight and his eyes vacant.
Yuto cleared his mind and said, "Saitama, have you noticed any changes in yourself recently?"
Saitama tilted his head, crossed his arms, and just stare at Yuto.
"What changes?"
Yuto felt a sense of foreboding.
'If Saitama hasn't noticed these changes himself, and if I hadn't brought it up today, wouldn't he gradually lose his ability to empathize with other people without even realizing it?'
At that point, Saitama would become a man devoid of emotion.
This was a grave problem!
"Stop playing around, you two! We need to discuss Saitama's issue right now," Yuto said, rapping his knuckles on the table in front of Ainz and Rimuru.
The two had been absorbed in their game.
Yuto's reminder snapped them out of their trance, Saitama, however, remained bewildered.
'My issue? What's my issue?'
"Saitama, you might not have noticed it yourself, but you're no longer the same person you used to be," Yuto said with a hint of solemnity.
Saitama rubbed his bald head.
'Not the same... Right, I'm bald now...'
"Saitama, have you noticed you've been smiling less and less these past few days?"
When Yuto spoke again, Saitama fell into deep thought.
"Yeah, Saitama, we used to laugh our ass off together, but now you just give a calm polite smile," Ainz chimed in.
Saitama's thoughts deepened.
"Saitama, you seem to have become a bit too calm lately," Rimuru added.
"Hmm... you're right," Saitama realized, acknowledging his own change.
Seeing Saitama become aware of himself, Yuto breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, all that remained was to pinpoint the cause of this shift.
"Saitama, do you feel anything off about yourself?"
Saitama pondered.
After a moment, he seemed to remember something. "If something feels off... I guess I've lost my drive. I feel empty inside."
Saitama's words left Yuto, Ainz, and Rimuru in stunned silence.
"Can you be more specific?"
"Well, when I train each day, I don't feel as passionate anymore. It's starting to feel a bit boring. I'm still keeping up with my routine, but it's not as efficient as it used to be. Sigh... if you hadn't brought it up today, I wouldn't have even noticed the change in my mindset. I feel like I'm getting old or something."
Saitama said this with a slight chuckle, causing Yuto to fall into deep thought.
'He seems like a disillusioned young man who's lost his drive,' Yuto thought.
"So you don't want to be a hero anymore?"
"No, I still want to be a hero," Saitama replied, "but I feel like what my body truly craves isn't just the word 'hero'."
As he spoke, Saitama clenched his fist.
His usually blank eyes held a trace of loss and helplessness. Saitama himself was starting to feel lost.
'After all this training, what am I still yearning for?' he wondered.
The fire that had once burned so fiercely in his heart had dimmed.
'Something crucial is missing!' Saitama thought. 'If I can find that missing piece, I can change who I am now! Something that will make my blood boil again, rekindle the flames in my heart!'
Yuto sighed as he watched Saitama's current state.
Everyone yearns for different things.
This was something only Saitama could discover for himself. If even Saitama was confused, then Yuto, Ainz, and Rimuru were at a loss.
"Could it be caused by his hair loss?" Ainz speculated, propping his chin on his bony fingers.
Yuto found himself at a loss for words.
He had expected Saitama to be annoyed, but instead, the bald hero nodded thoughtfully while stroking his chin.
"It seems like this emptiness I feel became noticeable right after my hair vanished."
Yuto stared dumbly at Saitama, speechless.
'Could it really be connected to hair loss? Is hair some kind of mystical switch?'
As Yuto stood speechless, the restaurant door opened.
Siduri, looking as vibrant as the night before, stood gracefully at the entrance.
Instead of entering immediately, she greeted Yuto politely and stepped respectfully to the side, as if she was welcoming someone.
"Hmph! i shall see for himself what manner of place this is!"
A haughty voice echoed through the room, dripping with arrogance—an arrogance that felt less like a deliberate act and more like an inherent part of his being.
It was the kind of pride that came naturally to a ruler who considered dominion over all things his birthright.
...
The speaker hadn't even entered the restaurant, yet his voice had drawn the attention of many.
Yuto and his companions were surprised by the arrogance in the voice.
But Iskandar and Lord El-Melloi II's expressions became complex.
Lord El-Melloi II's eyes flashed with furious light, as if he harbored some deep-seated grudge against the speaker.
In contrast, Iskandar's bushy-bearded lips curled into a wide, joyful grin.
His eyes sharpened, as if he had encountered a rival worthy of a thousand-year wait.
The King Conqueror's heart swelled with exhilaration.
Though he hadn't yet seen the newcomer's face, Iskandar was certain.
'It's him! No one else could possess such unparalleled arrogance like him!'
Tap, tap, tap...
Soft footsteps echoed, accompanied by the rustle of fine fabrics as a handsome man entered the room.
His face carried a haughty bearing that evoked the image of royalty.
His attire was exotic, his upper body was bare except for a sleeveless jacket, gold on the outside and blue on the inside.
His lower body was draped in loose red trousers.
A white hat adorned his head, encircled by decorations resembling bull horns.
Upon entering the restaurant, his gaze locked onto Yuto.
A flicker of surprise flashed through his proud piercing eyes, but his expression returned to its usual calm.
As for the others, he dismissed them with a cursory glance and ignore them.
Only Hestia and Iskandar drew brief pauses in his scrutiny before he moved on.
His haughty demeanor was palpable, yet his presence conveyed that such arrogance was inherent to his being.
If Iskandar first entrance into the restaurant had been marked by the overwhelming presence of a peerless monarch, this man's arrival carried the condescending air of an arogant king.
"Are you Gilgamesh?" Yuto asked, observing Siduri's deferential posture and the man's regal arrogance.
After a moment's deduction, he concluded that the man before him was Gilgamesh.
"Correct, boy." Gilgamesh's lips curled into a smile, his face radiating joy.
At that moment, the King of hero heart was a mix of curiosity and delight, the emotion of pleasure seeping through him.
The excitement within him began to surface as he walked to the bar and sat down.
"Boy, would you kindly tell me your name?" Gilgamesh's piercing gaze locked onto Yuto.
As he spoke, Siduri behind him blinked in surprise, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
The all-knowing, all-powerful King had asked a question—shattering the image of the omniscient ruler she held in her memory.
"Kamisaka Yuto," Yuto replied, revealing his name.
A faint smile appeared on Gilgamesh's lips.
"Hahahahaha! How amusing! Utterly fascinating! Siduri, you've brought me to a remarkable place! A reward is well-deserved!"
Under the dumbfounded gazes of Yuto and his companions, golden ripples shimmered in the air beside Gilgamesh.
With a flourish, Gilgamesh conjured a brilliant gem and bestowed it upon Siduri.
Siduri accepted the gem with reverence, her expression brimming with gratitude for the King's favor.
Having completed this gesture, Gilgamesh took a breath as a smirk playing on his lips.
"If you harbor animosity towards me, come forth and face me! Is your inner mettle and courage only sufficient for harboring resentment in the shadows?"
He spoke without turning his head, yet the derisive curl of his lips and the arrogant disdain in his voice were unmistakable.
Upon hearing these words, Yuto grasped their meaning.
He glanced toward Lord El-Melloi II.
As expected, Lord El-Melloi II's face had lost its composure.
Flames of fury burned in his eyes, and his hand gripping the table's edge tightened until his knuckles turned white.
Ten years had passed since Waver, the naive child, had transformed into the man now known as Lord El-Melloi II.
Yet deep within his heart, his obsession with Gilgamesh had never wavered!
Ten years ago, Gilgamesh had slain Iskandar before his eyes.
Obeying his King's final command, he had lived on in humility. He had resented his own weakness and helplessness back then. He had traveled the world, returned to the Clock tower and strengthened himself—all fueled by the obsession that had taken root a decade ago.
He was determined to prove that his King was the strongest!
Now, that Gilgamesh stood before him.
'If I can defeat him, I can end this decade-long obsession!'
"Waver, calm down," Iskandar said, placing a hand on Lord El-Melloi II's shoulder with a hint of resignation.
He sighed... his retainer still had a long way to go!
"Rider, I dragged you down with my weakness back then," Lord El-Melloi II said, his voice strained.
"Now that he's right in front of us, I'll prove to him that you were the strongest King! The strongest Heroic Spirit!"
Lord El-Melloi II was far from calm.
Gilgamesh's gaze had locked onto Lord El-Melloi II and his eyes saw everything.
The distant future, its events laid bare before his gaze. A flicker of approval flashed in his eyes as he regarded Lord El-Melloi II.
Then, he rose to his feet, facing Lord El-Melloi II.
"Upholding the King's glory is a noble cause, and I commend you for that. However, you'd best understand this: Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the strongest King." Gilgamesh's words overflowed with self-assurance.
Lord El-Melloi II's expression darkened with fury.
Iskandar chuckled. "You've mellowed out a bit since last time, haven't you?"
Iskandar had noticed the difference between the Gilgamesh before him and the one he had encountered previously.
Gilgamesh smiled with a look of confidence on his face.
"The Gilgamesh you once knew was merely an immature version of myself. Now, having been reborn on my journey home, I stand before you as my most glorious self!"
Gilgamesh spread his arms wide, his being exuding a regal aura that was both similar to and distinct from Iskandar.
Both possessed the bearing of kings.
But the Iskandar aura was one of barbaric dominance!
Now, Gilgamesh exuded an air of proud responsibility and authority!
(AKA, Gilgamesh out aura Iskandar)