-----
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BOOM!
"Not bad. Everyone's improved a lot."
Minato nodded with satisfaction as he watched Utaha and the others tearing through the battlefield.
That's the "catfish effect" in action.
Even someone as normal as Utaha was forced to get stronger under pressure.
"Well then, I guess it's my turn."
With that thought, Minato turned his gaze toward Iskandar and began to walk forward.
The battlefield was bloodless, yet filled with dismembered limbs.
"What kind of monsters are these women?"
Elsewhere, Iskandar's face was growing more serious.
He'd realized that his Ionioi Hetairoi was on the verge of collapse.
Their numbers were even, but when it came to top-tier combatants…
The difference was massive.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a giant of a man, over two meters tall, leapt into the air and charged straight at Minato.
"So you're their Master, huh?"
"If I kill you, then victory will belong to our King!"
The man laughed loudly, thrusting his spear forward with such force that it tore through the air.
"Remember the name of the man who kills you—"
He hadn't even finished speaking before a cold voice suddenly cut him off.
"Who the hell do you think you are, raising a weapon against my Master?"
Buzz!
A wave of frost exploded, and the man froze midair—literally. In the blink of an eye, his entire body turned into a statue of ice.
And yet...
Minato's expression didn't change. His pace didn't slow either. Step by step, he kept walking toward Iskandar.
Wherever he passed, it was like a casual stroll in the park.
Anyone who dared to raise a hand against him was already taken out ahead of time by Esdeath and the others.
"H-He's coming..."
Hiding behind Iskandar, Waver's teeth were chattering.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
Could this demon... actually be defeated?
"Hahaha! So you want a king-to-king showdown?"
Iskandar laughed boldly, then shoved Waver right off the war chariot.
"Watch closely, Waver.""Witness your king's glory—and pass it down to future generations!"
With that, he grabbed the reins of his Divine Chariot and charged straight toward Minato.
"Come! Let us settle this in the name of kings!"
Moo! Moo!
The bulls roared, lightning crackled, and the storm broke loose.
Thundering hooves. Divine war chariot.
This was Iskandar's strongest Noble Phantasm besides Ionioi Hetairoi—his army of loyal warriors.
But could it win?
Waver's eyes lit up with hope… then instantly went blank.
Minato stopped walking.
Facing down the divine chariot, he simply raised his hand—and calmly reached out to meet the incoming lightning charge.
BOOM!
The earth quaked violently. The thunder... vanished.
Both the thundering bulls and the divine chariot were frozen in place, stopped cold by nothing more than Minato's outstretched palm.
"You…"
Iskandar's pupils shrank, his face frozen in disbelief.
"I don't dislike you," Minato said, meeting his eyes."That's why I'll make this quick."
The very next moment—
The air began to shake violently as golden lightning burst out from Minato's palm, rolling forward in a wave.
There was no sound. No warning.
The bulls and chariot disintegrated into dust.
And Iskandar's body was completely swallowed up in golden light.
"…So it ends."
But instead of despair, Iskandar smiled as he stared at Minato.
Even in death, his heart felt strangely alive.
Yes.
This—this was the roar of Okeanos, the tide of the great sea.
That was his final thought… before his consciousness sank into eternal silence.
With Iskandar's death, his Reality Marble finally collapsed.
Meanwhile…
"Oh? What's wrong, King of Knights? All you can do is dodge?"
Up in the sky, Gilgamesh stood tall. From the golden portals around him, countless treasures flew out like a storm of blades.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A brilliant streak of light flashed across the battlefield below.
But the oncoming barrage was suddenly sliced apart by an even stronger force.
Saber—Artoria—swung her sword, unleashing a massive explosion.
Deep, wide trenches tore across the ground like claw marks from a titan.
At that moment—
Minato and his group appeared out of thin air.
Esdeath stared toward the battlefield, her eyes burning with excitement."Those two are seriously strong, huh."
"You must be the rest of Master's followers, right?"
After spending some time together, Medusa and Irisviel had already learned quite a bit about Minato.
Hearing Esdeath's comment, the others turned to look at the two new girls.
Figures.
This pervy Master of theirs…
Utaha's eyelid twitched as she sized up Medusa and Irisviel, falling into stunned silence.
Those bodies were insane.
How did they even grow like that?
Utaha suddenly felt like her world had gone a little dimmer.
Akame nodded politely. "Nice to meet you. I'm Akame. Let's work well together."
"I'm Asia. It's nice to meet you."
"Leoine. Happy to meet you two."
"I'm Irisviel, but just call me Iris."
"…Medusa."
"..."
Not long after, the introductions were over.
But Medusa's identity definitely got some surprised looks.
A mythical gorgon? Master's tastes were getting wilder by the day...
"Alright, now that everyone knows each other—"
Minato pointed toward the distant battlefield."It's time to go all in."
He hadn't forgotten his plan to make Gilgamesh rain gold.
Plus, this was the perfect way to help the girls gain combat experience.
Golden cash cow like this didn't show up every day.
"Isn't it a bit rude to interfere in someone else's duel?"
Esdeath looked eager but hesitated.
"This is Master's order."
"Haha, then I won't hold back."
Esdeath took the lead. With a wave of her hand, countless icicles rained down on the flying Noble Phantasms.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rang out one after another. Smoke and chaos filled the entire area.
"Count me in too!"
Utaha wasn't about to let herself fall behind.
The enemies looked strong—but no matter what, she had to level up too.
She couldn't afford to be outshined by the other women around her.
"Everyone, go."
Minato's voice rang out again.
"Yes, Master!" the girls responded in unison.
"....."