Journey to Tiamat (247)

Ainz were hovering in place, staring at the figure of the Medusas – two versions of his own Medusa, sealed in a constant agonizing paroxysm, unsure on what he should do about it.

In Ainz's view, stopping the killing of one Medusa by the other Medusa seemed quite simple. Even if in the end the solution involved something more than just picking one up, the smaller Medusa that is, and just flying away, Ainz was confident that he would be able to do it. In the most extreme case, here, in this separate dimension, far from the ordinary world, Ainz believed that he could at least use Super-Tier magic without causing excessive destruction to the real world.

Of course, the amount of damage that could be done in this strange other world would be incalculable. But that’s a problem for future Ainz. Of course, it is easier said than done.

Ainz could not even confidently imagine what exactly such actions would lead to, let alone proceed to carry it out. 

For instance, let's assume he could convince one of the Medusas not to kill the other, either one of them – it would only lead to the large Medusa being consumed by the Black Sea. And then Tiamat, whose awakening Merlin has been trying to prevent all this time, would finally wake up when the large Medusa was fully consumed. Most likely, with a desire to settle the score with humanity – permanently.

Perhaps even with Ainz.

And Ainz, although he was now confident with his own standing in the world, after fighting many Servants both powerful and weak. He now has a more concrete view of just how he would measure up with the powers to be of this world. Therein lies the problem – Tiamat was not a ‘mere’ Servant, if such a thing even exists – she is a Beast. The capital letter means that she is a BIG deal in this world. A World Enemy by another name in the worst case.

Of course, overestimating an Enemy, could be just as bad as underestimating one… But then, Tiamat’s showing so far, indicated that she was horrifyingly powerful.

Just judging by the amount of destruction and caution everyone in the world above was displaying against a Tiamat that is in chains and sealed, bodes for very bad things happening should the Beast slips through her chains. The prospect of facing a World Enemy alone…

No, even in that case, Ainz did not think that he would lose, taken to his utmost limit, yes, but losing? No.  

After all, just the Super-Tier magic from his old world, although it was a very powerful ability, rarely could deal with a level one hundred Player by itself. It was both weak enough, with holes that can be exploited, and decisive enough that it was still used, that Ainz had enough experience to expect and plan around it. It was definitely not the world changing Magic that it is now – such a thing was usually relegated to the Named Twenty.

If even his strengthened Super Magics were not enough, however, he still has the aces in his pocket, the three sparks of power that had been with him ever since he had arrived in the New World. Only now, after interacting with many Servants, and funnily enough, watching Mash’s training, could he even consider using. After all, you could not use what you didn’t know that you had in the first place.

His very own ‘Noble Phantasms’, all three of them… But of course, Ainz, for quite understandable reasons, did not want to use them. 

When he just used Super-Tier magic in the past, it actually changed the world, to such an extent that even Da Vinci could not intelligibly formulate the causes and consequences of such changes. And, as already mentioned, although Super-Tier Magic could be considered one of the most powerful abilities in Ainz's arsenal, his own Noble Phantasms surpassed it many times over. Using such an ability to save the world… Only to then accidentally destroy the world in the process of saving it? Even to Ainz's taste, who was ready for certain ‘collateral sacrifices’, found it excessive.

So, then, what spell or ability in his arsenal could be used to destroy the Black Slime that is currently trying to devour the Gorgon? It was the simplest and most expedient method of cutting through the Gordian Knot, after all. 

Immediately, [Creation], the Super-Tier magic specialized in creating and neutralizing the effects of Terrain Effects, came to Ainz's mind. It sounds to be the most effective Super-Tier Magic to use, and, well, he already has practice using it. In Ainz’s estimation, it could distort the world around him and the Abyss, but it should not go beyond that. 

Only there’s one hitch to that plan.

[Creation] is solely focused on transforming inanimate Terrain Effects, fire tornadoes or even a raging sea of acid? No problem, a simple cast time, and all would be gone – the Mobs that lived and thrived in said fire tornadoes and sea of acid, however? Completely unaffected. Sure, fighting against them is now much easier when they are no longer supported by the Terrain Effects and… No, that’s not important.

So, how would [Creation] interact with the Black Sea? According to the stories and the information he had gathered, the Black Sea was something ‘alive’, would it then be counted by [Creation] as a creature? If that is the case, then [Creation] would have no effect on it whatsoever… Actually, how about the Abyss around him? How would [Creation] affect it? It would distort it, for sure, into something much more livable and less restricting… But could a change in the Abyss itself affect Tiamat?

Ainz would like to say ‘no’, but then again, it was not something that he could risk. He did not want to take extra risks by relying on unverified information.

So, with [Creation] off of the table, what else can he do?

‘Well, I could always just ‘kill’ the Black Sea?’

After all, if it’s something living, then killing it should also be possible, right?

He, after all, specialized in ‘killing’ things… But his widest AoE Spell, [Cry of Banshee], could maybe clear the area for a few minutes at best, before the rest of the Black Sea would rush in to fill in the hole he makes. But in time, perhaps months, the Sea would clear. That is, of course, assuming that the Black Sea was finite, and that Tiamat could not just create more. And seeing that the Black Sea on the surface does not recede even an inch after Uruk had probably killed countless monsters?

It would be replicating Sisyphus’ task if Ainz wants to go with this route if that was the case – and he would not learn of it, until months of waste time. No, such a plan would not succeed.

Ainz could also try to destroy Gorgon? There was at least some theoretical sense in this… Though he was reaching a bit. Perhaps if he managed to deal with Gorgon completely before Tiamat absorbed her, Ainz would be able to stop her awakening… Alternatively, on the contrary, having lost the interfering element, as after getting rid of a splinter, albeit perhaps painful, Tiamat would awaken in her full strength and attack Ainz. 

In principle, this outcome was equally likely with all other possible outcomes, since it was a random guess.

In general, looking a little closer at the situation with Tiamat, Ainz suddenly discovered that despite all the information he had received, explaining the situation that had developed in this Singularity to him… Ainz still had a very weak idea of what exactly he could do in order to correct it, without risking aggravating the situation even more.

Though, on the other hand, if this situation was simple, then surely Gilgamesh and Merlin would have dealt with it on their own long ago. Despite their… unique personalities, those two are very powerful and capable. Just take into account where he was for instance, after all, despite this place being the whole anathema to the concept of ‘Living Beings’, Merlin was somehow able to seal the young Medusa in it.

Despite the rather macabre job that she had, pricking the Gorgon, so that she would struggle against the Black Sea, she was completely safe.

Examining the scene in front of him again, to see if he was missing anything, Ainz had a singular insane idea that he needed to check out.

Slowly, and with a deep, bone weary sigh, Ainz slowly floated downwards, toward the sticky, and tar like black substance. He was not seriously expecting to find any information in this way, but he had no other ideas anyway, so such actions were no better and no worse than all the others in his view.

Hovering just above the Black Sea, so close that he could reach it with his hand, a light touch with his pointer finger let Ainz discover just how sticky the Black Sea could be. It was almost as if the Sea itself was trying to drag Ainz in… Considering the fact that the Black Sea is alive, that was not out of the realm of possibility.

Of course, since Ainz could move irrelevant to the force of gravity, able to counter the pull even if it was magnified a thousandfold, he was not in any danger. And yet, the longer his finger was in contact with the liquid, a strange feeling seemed to be transmitting from the liquid to his mind.

It was a literal alien feeling, separate from anything he was feeling right now – pain, malice, and hatred. And yet it was not the boiling black rage of an enraged monster, but that of childish resentment, like a child wanting to eat a snack that was denied to them. And still above it all – pain.

As the feeling started to intensify, Ainz instantly jerked his hand away and the feeling disappeared… Then, as a test, he touched the Black Sea again, the feeling appeared again.

For someone like an Undead, to have an outside thing being able to affect his emotions, even if it was just a transferred one… It was disquieting.

Ainz was sure, there was something special about this Black Sea now, something had changed. He was sure that when he had arrived in this space, when he had been swallowed whole by the Black Sea, only escaping because of his Undead nature, and his ability to fly, he did not feel anything…

Ainz shifted his gaze to the Gorgon, who had not stopped screaming in agony during Ainz’s experiment. Of course, it was not from some great act of magic, Ainz had simply chosen to ignore the unceasing screams of pain. It was the only way he was able to do anything, without having to be constantly distracted by it, after all.

“Ah… So that’s how.”

The Black Sea of Tiamat could convey to him what the Gorgon was feeling.

Perhaps it was because Gorgon was not yet completely absorbed by Tiamat, or maybe just his proximity to the Gorgon, but this was the only possible explanation for the Gorgon’s emotion to bleed into him. 

However, even if this was so… It still did not answer Ainz's main question. What was he supposed to do with this information?

Having waited a few more seconds for an idea to just pop into his head, for inspiration to strike…

“There is always that one…”

Ainz shifted his gaze to the Black Sea under him, both paradoxically calm, and roiling with life. 

Perhaps it was a stupid idea, but if he had received the Gorgon's feelings through the Black Sea as he touched it, then, it, at least, means that the Black Sea was connecting living beings. Even, perhaps, with Tiamat herself. 

If that was the case, then perhaps Tiamat, being the progenitor of it, was also connected to the Black Sea. 

And perhaps if he could study one, he would understand the other.

An absolutely stupid and random thought, born out of desperation rather than any concrete facts, built on a million assumptions… But well, he already tried everything he could think of, trying and failing would at least give him some actionable intelligence.

“What was the quote again? ‘I have just found ten thousand things that don't work’? Let’s hope that it doesn’t get to that far before I find something that actually works.”

Even if he does not learn anything, perhaps the answer will lie in what the Gorgon was feeling or, maybe, in something else… It’s not like I have any other better ideas.

And so, after a moment, Ainz descended again. This time, not just to dip his fingers in, with a finality to it, Ainz dropped fully, the Black Sea consuming all of his body.

And just like that, the all consuming Black Sea consumed Ainz whole, and on the surface of it, it was like it had never happened at all.

The Black Sea remained the same – placid, and yet roiling with life. 

***

Along with the dawn of another day, for the people of Uruk currently living under the reign of Gilgamesh, life goes on. The monsters invaded, their numbers innumerable, their morale unshaken, and then they were beaten back. Their bodies piling up again against the impregnable walls of Babylonia.

The wave of monsters was almost totally mindless.  Maybe it was guided by some minimal consciousness, but Jacques did not observe any tactics, even animal tactics, in their movements. 

A huge wave of monsters rising from the sea, gliding across its oily surface like water striders, they did not even try any encirclements or false attacks. They did not even try to use a semblance of siege tactics or long-range attacks. Jacques could clearly see, with how they attacked the men and the wall, that each of the monsters possessed enough power to be able to throw their fellow monster like a living missile against the walls and the men. Or, even through it. 

However, instead of any actions that would guarantee victory, the monsters literally crashed into the walls like a mindless wave of meat. They would collapse into a huge writhing mass of flesh, on which the next monsters would climb up onto its fellow monster. Unable to jump up to the walls, they would fall on top, creating mounds, on which more and more creatures would climb up on them.

Jacques could confidently say that the reason for this behavior was Tiamat, or more precisely, on the fact that she was only half-asleep. If she woke up… She could direct all the monsters personally, demonstrating the perfect coordinating capability of a living swarm. If she were to fall to sleep completely, however, it would just be the cruel and wild animal mind of these creatures that is leading them forward, guided by instincts. 

In both cases, the death of humanity would be a foregone conclusion.

However, locked on the verge between sleep and wakefulness, mind and madness, Tiamat could not take control of the swarm of monsters or let it go completely. Because of which, the fantastically powerful monsters could not demonstrate even a percentage of their true strength, acting more like broken toy soldiers, literally trying to bury their enemy with meat, rather than the engine of destruction they actually are.

The most terrifying thing to note, however? 

Even in this case, where they could not display more than a single percentage of their strength, the danger posed by the monsters was still incredible. As Jacques is becoming quite intimately aware personally.

A tentacle bursts out of the wall, not through it of course, that would just be silly. The tentacle burst from the surface of the wall, appearing as if woven from black slime, it grabbed one of the monsters and began squeezing. It was one of the ones that was trying to climb over the wall, before it was squeezed and thrown to the side, as its body burst like an overripe fruit.

Almost immediately, the corpse crumbed into particles and splatters of the primordial soup. For any normal humans, and perhaps even the average Servant, getting even a drop of the Black liquid would quickly turn lethal. But, as someone related to the creatures from the Outside, Jacques de Molay was related, was one of the rare things that could withstand even the influence of Tiamat.

Not originating from earthly life, and not being fully ‘alive’ per se, the eternal gods of the stars could not be influenced by the Primal Goddess of Life. But, of course, no matter how much of Jacques consists of the Outside, her essence was part of the Earth, as a Heroic Spirit originating from the Throne of Heroes, Jacques did not want to test her luck.

Like discarding dangerous trash, the tentacle that touched the monster was immediately cut off, crumbling as it fell into the black waters below, dissolving into the Black Sea of Tiamat.

A second later, a similar scene was repeated a few meters to the left, then to the right, and once more to the right. Jacques was not too prepared for long-range combat, but at least unlike the various Sabers and Lancers, she could attack the enemy a little further than the length of her arm plus her weapon, clamped in that same hand.

Monstrous creatures fell by the dozens, killed not only by Jacques, but also by the simple soldiers on the walls. The ballistas, created by the best engineers of Uruk, were working at full capacity, and those who were not operating the ballistas showered the enemy with arrows, or brought arrows to other soldiers. 

All the Soldiers were doing their job, blunting the charge of the endless tide of monsters, killing them again and again.

But, even taking into account how surprisingly easy it was to deal with their opponents, the situation was still incredibly far from being a victory. Even a brainless army capable of nothing more than crushing the enemy with its sheer mass would be dangerous when their numbers were simply endless. 

For every dozen Jacques killed, hundreds of more arrived at the wall. Even if the crafters and engineers of Uruk worked day and night to supply the ballistas and arrows, more and more were being consumed by the army. Sooner or later, the bowstring would no longer have an arrow to fire, the ballistas’ twang would fall silent.

Even now, the ballistas were slowing in their rate of fire, the runners for their ammunition having to run farther and farther to reload the weapon. Each shot, when before, was fired freely into the throngs of monsters, now was used only to fire against the injured and the largest of monsters. 

Jacques hardly felt any fatigue, eliminating one monster after another, but she simply didn't have the ability to kill more than a dozen monsters per minute. And therefore, after more than a hundred, when the piles of bodies slowly sinking in the Black Sea became a bulwark that makes it easier for the Monsters to climb, they threaten to slip past her. 

Until finally, some would slip past her by… But before such a future could come to pass, a force came to turn the tide.

"Watch out!" Ishtar's warning caused the soldiers to flop into their bellies immediately, hiding behind the walls, while Jacques herself moved slightly to the side, shielding herself with the wall's merlons, finding Ishtar’s flying figure with her gaze.

The goddess floating in the sky didn't look too taken with the course of the battle, but her strange device made of two arches floating in the sky transformed. Now, stretched in between them were translucent threads, from the larger arch to the smaller one, creating a likeness of a figure of a fish floating in the air. 

Or a very exotic-looking bow.

Given that the goddess Ishtar was a servant of the Archer class, the latter was probably closer to reality.

The two arches of Ishtar's bow shone for a moment, emanating light… Before a distortion in space in between the two arches, gave birth to a huge beam of energy, destroying the column of gathered monsters, thunderously destroying the monsters. The beam of destruction swept to the side, its passing was heralded with a titanic roar, sweeping away not only the monsters around the sea, but also the Sea itself, showing the soil underneath.

It had been an eternity and half, or at least seeming like it, the ground looked disfigured by the constant battles, but still alive… Before it was turned into a huge crate by Ishtar’s attack.

Of course, after the attack passed, the Black Sea rushed to fill it in again.

Ishtar had absolutely no idea how to control her power, the walls of Babylonia itself shook from her shot. And if the soldiers had not rushed to cover, perhaps it would be Ishtar who would have shed the first blood among the defenders.

Those people that would not have been vaporized on the spot from a blow of such force would at least have been thrown out by the shock wave, breaking bones and landing on the distant ground below. Inside the walls if they are lucky, if not… Well, at least their landing would have been soft, before they are devoured whole by the Black Sea.

That was why the warning was so important, the fact that it was Tomoe that had given Ishtar the idea, and insisted on it, only embarrassed Ishtar further. So, if Ishtar could not control it, she could at least warn others when she was about to do it. 

The last remnants of Ishtar’s attack subsided, the shock wave buried dozens, and if the defenders of Babylonia were lucky, perhaps even hundreds. But of course, even if that was the case, the respite would only last seconds, more and more monsters are birthed in seconds by the Black Sea, replacing the ones that Ishtar had vaporized and buried. 

But that was a second more than the defenders had before.

Ishtar could not stay still however, defending only one section of that wall, as more breaches seemed imminent in other spots. Ishtar rushed away, to a new gathered crowd of monsters a little distance away, leaving the defenders to weather the new tide of monsters brought by the Black Sea.

Jacques, peering out from behind the merlon on the wall, proceeded to systematically destroy the monsters again.

The Sun, which had barely risen above the horizon, in turn meant that such an intense routine would last for more than an hour, until night would fall, and the tide would finally cease…

Before then, it would repeat again tomorrow, and the day after, and another day after, until the last of Humanity was grinded down by the tide of bodies.

***

Alturia, pulling the spear out of the monster, turned her weapon over, using the blunt end she pushed away the body that had begun to fall apart into its component parts, throwing it away from the wall. Of course, being a creature of divine nature, protected by the power of her spear and the tower connecting the two worlds, Alturia did not need to worry the least about the corrupting Black Sea.

But of course, should the wall fall, and the Black Sea consumed all, who knows what would happen to an ordinary person who touched it? Even a drop is too dangerous.

Therefore, after a moment, Alturia sharply waved her hand, creating a wall of air that immediately scrubbed the walls clean of the primordial broth. Looking around now that the wall she was manning seemed clear of the monsters, at least for a time, she found Ushiwakamaru with her gaze… 

Right in the middle of the Black Sea.

Of course, a tragedy had not befallen the Servant, and she was not being consumed by the Black Sea as she fell in. No, such was Ushi's fighting style, relying on her agility, the Rider was incredibly light in her gait and dexterous in her movements. So much so that, easily jumping onto a monster still wading through the Black Sea outside the walls of Babylonia, she could slit its throat. Then with a quick jump, she could jump onto the body of another before the old one could fall into the Black Sea. 

She would then repeat such feats again and again.

In Alturia’s view, such acrobatics might look impressive, but they were irrationally dangerous… However, it was not Alturia's business to interfere with the fighting style of another Servant, about whom she knew little less than nothing at all. Besides, as far as Alturia herself understood, it was not just a crazy stunt, but also the action of Ushi's Noble Phantasm, so she was not going to think long about what was happening.

Least of all criticize someone else’s fighting style. If it worked for her, then all is good.

Somewhere not far away, Alturia heard a roar on the verge between human and demonic, recognizing it as Benkei's. But, before she would allow herself to be distracted again, she examined her section of the wall for any remaining monsters of Tiamat. 

Fortunately, she managed to finish off the last one in her section. 

However, the armies of monsters were almost endless, and therefore the fact that her section of the wall was safe only meant that she should move on to the next one.

Picking up her spear, Alturia walked away, briskly and decisively, along the way looking at how the Sun slowly crept across the sky.

Today's attack will last for at least another five or six hours.

An amazingly short time for Tiamat's daily attacks.

***

Gilgamesh the Great, King of Kings, leaned back slightly in his chair. Silently he raised the goblet of wine to his lips before lowering it without taking a sip… 

He tried a couple of times to move the goblet in his hand, rotating its contents, allowing the glare of light to reflect off of the scarlet translucent liquid inside. There was no problem with the wine… Of course, in Gilgamesh's opinion, it did not even come close to being suitable for washing his feet, let alone for him to consume it, but to say so would be tantamount to spitting on his own achievements. 

After all, it was the creation of the hands of his followers living in the state built by the deeds of Gilgamesh. To insult it was to insult himself.

No, instead, Gilgamesh was simply too busy thinking to waste his energy actually doing anything else.

Rarely could a thought confuse the mind of Gilgamesh. Ozymandias’ words, who falsely considered himself the king of kings, for there was only one King of heroes, the great Gilgamesh, had confounded him. Perhaps it was expected of the damned Pharaoh, as, of all those who stood below him, Ozymandias stood above all others, albeit unattainably lower than Gilgamesh himself of course, and therefore Gilgamesh could at least pay attention to his words. 

Ozymandias' words said that he saw Ainz as a likely winner, the hero who resolved this Singularity, with Gilgamesh as the second fiddle in his actions.

Gilgamesh had killed others for less, but Ozymandias was allowed to express his opinion, as the closest to an equal that existed beside Gilgamesh.

Of course, Ainz, who arrived from distant Chaldea to this Singularity, did not even come close to the level of greatness of Gilgamesh himself, and even more so could not surpass him… But it was worth taking a second glance. He could admit to himself that his gaze, capable of seeing the ‘source’ of all events, could not find the original history of Ainz, could not see how it would be ascending to the history of Gilgamesh himself. This was in itself a rare, albeit not unprecedented, event. 

Some special Servants, generated, for example, by fusion with unknowable gods of outer space, could hide their origin, if it was ever possible to distinguish it in their nature at all. However, they could not hide forever, their taint evident all the same no matter how hard they hide.

This is something different.

Merlin might think that he would be able to betray or use Gilgamesh in his own petty schemes, but, of course, Gilgamesh only allowed him to think in this way, while using the Mage of Flower’s plans for his own purposes of containing Tiamat. However, the very fact that Merlin decided to create such a situation, relying on the appearance of Ainz, again piqued his interest. 

And, finally, according to the latest reports, Ainz had ended up in the realm of the dead, Ereshkigal’s domain. It is unlikely that he was tempted by the search for immortality, like Gilgamesh, in his youthful stupidity, had sought. Most likely, Ainz had decided to descend into the Abyss and meet Tiamat there, an achievement that, with great reluctance, Gilgamesh was forced to admit… Even the great king himself could not accomplish it. 

Surviving in the Abyss for someone with his level of strength and his treasures was easy, but to face Tiamat – no, that was excessive even for the greatest king of all kings.

In other words, at every step, from Ozymandias' recommendation to the confrontation with Tiamat, Ainz seemed to strive to show his magnificence… And at the same time, he did this without turning to Gilgamesh himself. In other words, not lowering his dignity like a dog, barking senselessly at passers-by in the hope of showing its strength, Ainz really showed his qualities worthy of at least being a commander.

Not of a King, of course.

Could great kings become subordinate to commanders? They could, on the battlefield that is. Even the greatest kings follow the lead of their tacticians, strategists and generals. Being capable of ruling empires and all-crushing armies, a king could still become subordinate to grassroots captains, for a brief moment, for winning a battle… 

But could a King yield their authority? Could Gilgamesh make such an agreement, first of all with himself, since no one had the right to judge Gilgamesh, except himself?

Such a decision was simultaneously incredibly difficult, because no one could stand above Gilgamesh, and incredibly easy – since no one could limit Gilgamesh in his choices. Gilgamesh simultaneously needed to simply make one decision, and completely overturn the very essence of his being.

And, what was the most irritating factor… Ozymandias was nearby, observing Gilgamesh with the annoying smile of one close to the status of a great king, forcing Gilgamesh to keep his tongue silent. After all, only Ozymandias was allowed to speak so directly and openly with Gilgamesh, and where there was a right to express one's thoughts, there was also value in those thoughts.

In other words, Gilgamesh would prefer not to see in Ozymandias's face an attempt to express the thought that Ozymandias had surpassed Gilgamesh himself, that Gilgamesh followed his commands. And, to an equal degree, did not want to see in Ozymandias's face, condemnation for the stupid possible actions of Gilgamesh himself, who refused to follow the best of possible paths for the sake of preserving his own ego. 

Once upon a time, Gilgamesh would have chosen such a path without hesitation… But the times of the almighty tyrant had passed. Gilgamesh had become the King-Sage, forced to stifle his ego for the sake of his people, from the facts that seemed unbreakable to him a few days ago.

And therefore, having allowed this reflection to pass through his mind a few more times, a monumental event fitted into a few seconds, during which Gilgamesh rotated the glass in his hand once. It had made quite the intricate swirl, before he finally took a sip, and nodded to himself… 

However, Gilgamesh himself could not doubt that Ozymandias not only saw his gesture, but also interpreted it correctly.

And let neither Ozymandias nor the Master of Chaldea, nor his Servants overestimate their significance or their position in this world… However, Gilgamesh the Great ceased to be the Almighty Tyrant in order to become the King of Sages and the Sage of Kings. As great kings can listen to the words of their advisers while remaining the full-fledged rulers of their lands, so could Gilgamesh the Great allow the creatures of Chaldea to direct his will forward. Acting according to his decision, but with information provided by the Master of Chaldea.

A barely audible short snort from Ozymandias made Gilgamesh have to force his reaction to cease, his eyebrow almost twitching from a sharp movement. Gilgamesh could almost read in Ozymandias's facial expression, even when he was facing away from the Pharaoh – a mockery of his decision. 

But he refrained from reacting to such a childish insult. 

If Ozymandias finds something amusing in the situation in which Gilgamesh had found himself in, then, of course, he only shows that, if he had found himself in Gilgamesh's place, he would have shown himself to be a much more amusing circus clown.

"The walls of Babylonia will be prepared for the beginning of the final battle, as well as the defense of Uruk," Gilgamesh said calmly, after which, realizing instantly that Ozymandias did not react to his words, he turned to him, not refraining from a small grin already on his face. A sight that made Ozymandias raise one eyebrow in almost irritation, an excellent blow against the will of the King of Kings. 

"Hmm, although I am granted all earthly and heavenly honors, to obtain a sufficient amount of stone and metal in order to create defensive structures around my entire kingdom in my time was impossible, including even taking into account the possible spending of my entire life on such an achievement. Not to mention the fact that no wall could withstand even a second of collision with Tiamat's Black Sea of life, much less with her hordes of monsters."

After that, having endured a long pause, enjoying Ozymandias's silent expectation and control over the narrative, Gilgamesh still graciously continued. Hammering into Ozymandias's mind the thought that should avenge him with its awareness for the audacity in the form of introducing thoughts into the mind of Gilgamesh himself, "I will say that enormous sums of valuables were required to create a worthy defense. I would even say – most of my treasures…"

Judging by the look that the King of Kings threw at Gilgamesh a moment later, Ozymandias adopting an even worse expression than Gilgamesh, now realized how significant Gilgamesh's promise to prepare the ‘walls of Babylonia’ at the right moment was.