"Who are you?"
Saber pointed her invisible sword at the red-haired man, instinctively shielding Shichen behind her. She stared at the man with sharp vigilance.
Now that he was closer, she could clearly see—this red-haired man looked absolutely wild.
He was tall and brawny, muscles bulging all over his body. His short hair was bright red, as was the beard along his jaw that connected to his sideburns. Even his thick eyebrows and eyes were red.
He wore a red coat, brownish-red bracers on his arms, a brown battle armor underneath, a warrior's skirt, and leather sandals on his feet.
"Me? I'm Rider—Alexander the Great, King of Conquerors, Iskandar!" Rider introduced himself boldly, voice booming with heroic confidence.
"You idiot! Why would you just blurt out your real name?!" the young boy beside him slapped Rider's arm, visibly annoyed.
"Haha, what's the big deal? This is the dignity of a true king. Besides, we already know Saber's identity." Rider didn't seem to care at all.
"Idiot!"
"King of Conquerors…" Saber muttered, staring at him warily.
His fame was no less than hers.
"Relax, Saber. I'm not here to fight you," Rider said, waving his hand casually.
"Then what do you want?"
"Obviously, I'm here for that thing." Rider turned his eyes to the monstrous sea creature in the distance.
"If we don't take care of that, it's gonna cause serious trouble. I can help."
"You're serious?" Saber asked in disbelief.
"Hahaha! Don't underestimate me! I'm the King of Conquerors. This land—and all its people—will one day belong to me. Of course I'll protect what's mine!"
A mocking laugh echoed from the sky.
"Well well, that's quite the ego."
Saber looked up. "Who are you?"
"Me? You really want to know?" The golden figure lounged smugly on a flying golden ship, tilting his head at her.
"No, she doesn't," Shichen suddenly pulled Saber behind him, smiling at the golden man.
"And you are?" For once, the golden man didn't immediately insult him, sensing something different.
"I'm just Saber's Master."
"If you're just a lowly mage, then stay out of this, worm!"
And there it was—the mouth.
"Archer, I'm not looking to pick a fight with you right now. Don't push it," Shichen said flatly, eyes cold.
"Hmph, a bug with attitude. You're asking for death."
As soon as Archer finished, multiple golden ripples appeared behind him, and from them emerged spears, swords, axes, and halberds.
"That's—!" Saber gasped.
"All Noble Phantasms!" the young boy beside Rider exclaimed in shock.
Rider could only shake his head in awe.
"Relax," Shichen reassured them. "He's not someone we need to deal with."
"…Huh?"
A deafening roar tore through the air. A black-armored figure—clearly a Servant—rushed down from the sky riding a jet fighter and charged directly at Archer.
"Who the hell is this trash?" Archer frowned, sending weapons flying toward the attacker.
But the clashing metal did nothing to stop him. The black figure seemed to grow more aggressive, pushing his fighter toward Archer.
"Trash…" Archer sneered and flew off in his golden ship.
"That was… Berserker, right?" Saber asked, her expression tense.
"Definitely," Shichen replied, then gently patted her head. "But stay away from him."
"Why?" Saber blinked at him, letting him do the infamous headpat.
"You two… have some history."
"You know who he is?" she asked quickly.
"It doesn't matter. He's already a Berserker. He's lost all reason."
"…I see."
"And besides, don't forget what we came here for." Shichen pointed at the now fully-formed sea monster.
"You're right," Saber nodded.
"Much better." He patted her head again—this time including the ahoge. He made a mental note to play with it more later.
Saber huffed and finally slapped his hand away.
Unbothered, Shichen turned to the curious young boy beside Rider. "Kid, what's your name?"
"Eh? I… uh…" The boy glanced at Rider.
"Haha! Don't worry, just tell him," Rider said, slapping the boy on the back.
"Ow!" The boy nearly stumbled from the hit. Rubbing his back, he sighed. "I'm Waver Velvet."
"Waver, huh? Good name," Shichen nodded.
"Th-Thanks…" Waver responded awkwardly.
"Alright, enough chatting. Let's take care of this thing."
"Uh… how do we even do that? Rider doesn't seem to be able to beat it," Waver said.
"Yeah," Rider admitted. "My Noble Phantasm can buy us time, but it won't kill it."
"No worries. We've got Saber." Shichen confidently threw his arm around Saber's shoulder.
"Shichen…" she immediately slipped away again, shaking off his arm.
Ever since her fight with Lancer, he'd been getting handsy, and she still wasn't used to it.
"What's wrong?" he feigned innocence.
"…Nothing," Saber shook her head, then stepped toward the riverbank, raising her invisible sword toward the beast.
"Rider," Shichen suddenly called out.
"Yeah?"
"Watch carefully. You're about to witness the radiance of a true king."
"…Radiance of a king?" Rider echoed, eyes now fixed on Saber.
She didn't hear him. Calm and focused, Saber stared down the monster, took a deep breath—and raised her sword.
The wind barrier dispersed, revealing her weapon in full golden brilliance.
A holy sword: silver blade reflecting a soft green light, gold inlaid into the hilt and crossguard.
Excalibur—the sword given to her by the Lady of the Lake.
"That's… Arthur's Noble Phantasm?" Waver stood stunned as the golden particles began rising from sea, shore, and land alike, drawn to her blade.
That shining sword represented the hopes and dreams of countless warriors who fell on the battlefield—past, present, and future.
She was proud to carry that will, to fulfill that promise.
At this moment, the victorious king called out the name of her miracle.
The sea beast sensed something. Tentacles lashed out toward her.
A breeze picked up, lifting her golden bangs. Her eyes opened—serene and divine.
She tightened her grip on the sword, eyes burning, and swung down.
"E—xcalibur!!"
A golden beam exploded toward the heavens, then crashed downward.
Every tentacle it touched evaporated instantly.
The beam engulfed the monster's colossal body—erasing it in an instant.
The sea calmed. The violet fog cleared. The monster—gone without a trace.
"That's Saber's radiance, huh…" Rider murmured, then shook his head.
"To carry an entire era and the hopes of all people on her back… no wonder her light shines so bright. But maybe that's why it hurts to look at."
"Oh?" Shichen glanced at him.
"Because the one bearing it all… is just a young girl. One who's never been loved properly, never fallen hopelessly in love. Cursed by her ideals—she's become a figure too painful to watch."
"That's none of your concern," Shichen smiled.
"Huh?"
"Because I'm here."
"…You?"
Rider blinked, then laughed heartily. "I see now! You really are an amazing Master."
"I think so too," Shichen grinned.
"Haha, well then—I hope you succeed."
"What are you guys talking about?" Saber asked as she walked back, still catching her breath.
"Nothing," Shichen said, reaching out and patting her head. "Just praising how awesome you are."
Her golden hair was so soft.
"Impressive~"
"Stop treating me like a kid!" Saber swatted his hand away.
"Okay, okay…" he said—then reached out and patted her again.
This time, she gave up.
"Hey, Saber." Rider suddenly turned serious.
"Yes, Rider?"
"How about we have… a king's discussion?"
"…King's discussion?" Saber frowned.
"You, and that guy over there—how about a banquet?"
He looked toward Archer, who had just escaped Berserker.
"A banquet, huh? Heh. Sounds fine to me," Archer smirked.
Saber glanced at Shichen. Seeing him nod, she also nodded.
"…Alright."
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 220+ Chapters Ahead of Others!