Under the shroud of night, the silver moon had climbed high into the firmament, casting its cold radiance over the courtyard. A deathly silence began to permeate the air.
"Hmph. So, you mongrels intend to pool your meager strength to deal with this King first?"
Looking at the crowd gradually encircling him, Gilgamesh let out a cold snort. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, his face etched with pure disdain. "Then come. No matter how many ants gather, they remain nothing more than lowly insects."
"That is not necessarily true, Archer."
In the face of Gilgamesh's mockery, Iskandar's voice was unexpectedly calm, yet he exuded a sudden, staggering pressure. "Even ants, if their numbers are vast enough, can devour an elephant. Normally, I might not be this cautious. But against you, Heroic King... I must admit, you are an enemy worthy of everything I have."
Before his voice even faded, a whirlwind erupted.
The wind was scorching and dry, as if intended to burn everything to ash. In a forest at night, within a courtyard enclosed by stone walls, such a wind was a physical impossibility—yet here it was, a howling gale direct from a blistering desert.
"Saber, Archer, and all you heroes and magi gathered here! Today, let me teach you what it truly means to be a King!"
Accompanied by a boisterous roar of laughter, the strange heat eroded reality. Then, the world flipped. In this sudden, bizarre phenomenon, distance and orientation lost all meaning. The dust-laden gale transformed everything it touched.
"This... this is..."
Standing behind the group, Waver gasped. This was a phenomenon only a practitioner of magecraft could truly comprehend. "A Reality Marble?!"
A scorching sun, a cloudless sky of endless blue, and a horizon blurred by shifting sands—as far as the eye could see, there was no cover. The nighttime Einzbern castle had vanished in an instant. This was the pinnacle of magecraft, a literal miracle that projected one's inner world onto reality.
"How is this possible... to manifest your internal landscape... you aren't even a magus!" Waver stammered, his mind reeling from the shock.
"Of course I'm not. I couldn't possibly do this alone," Iskandar replied, laughing proudly as he stood amidst the vast desert. "This is the land my army once crossed. The image of this scenery is burned into the hearts of every brave warrior who shared my joys and sorrows. This world manifests because it is mirrored in all of our hearts!"
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, cavalrymen began to materialize around Iskandar one by one. Though their ethnicities and gear varied, their powerful physiques and fierce countenances marked them as an army of legends.
"Hahahaha! Behold! This is my peerless army!"
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Iskandar spread his arms wide, laughing toward the heavens. Countless figures and military phalanxes emerged from the swirling sands behind him. These were thousands upon thousands of Heroic Spirits.
"Though their bodies have perished, their spirits are summoned once more. They are the loyal warriors of legend, my eternal friends who answer my call across time and space! They are my greatest treasure, my Kingly Way—the ultimate Noble Phantasm of the King of Conquerors, Ionian Hetairoi!"
Due to the limitations of Iskandar's personal capacity, these warriors lacked their own Noble Phantasms or specific Classes—they were "blank" Servants. Yet even so, Kamitani Yuu could sense that some among them possessed power even more terrifying than Iskandar himself, reaching at least first-rate levels or higher.
At that moment, a riderless horse galloped forward. As it passed Waver, the magnificent, powerful steed slowed down, nudging the dazed boy toward Iskandar.
"Long time no see, partner."
Iskandar hugged the horse's neck with a boyish grin. This was Bucephalus, the legendary steed whose bond with the King of Conquerors had elevated even a horse to the rank of a Servant. Iskandar then turned his gaze to the wide-eyed Waver.
"What's the matter, boy? Do you wish to join my army?"
If Waver didn't have the heart for it, his beloved horse would never have driven the boy toward him.
"I..." Waver's throat was dry, his voice trembling. But after witnessing this, the fog in his heart had cleared. The frail youth took a deep breath, his eyes turning resolute as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "My King, please let me follow you!"
"Hahahaha! In that case, keep up, boy!" Iskandar grabbed Waver by the collar and hauled him onto the chariot. "From this day forth, you are my new strategist!"
With that declaration, Iskandar stood tall, raising his gleaming blade toward the sky.
"My brave warriors! Our enemy is the matchless King of Heroes—a foe worthy of us! But have no fear, for we are joined by the famed Knight King, the Guardian of Ireland, a hero of this age, and my own strategist! Now, let us show the Original Heroic Spirit our path of conquest!"
"ORRRRRRRRAAAAAAA—!!!"
The assembled army echoed the King's roar, a deafening sound that seemed to split the sky.
Battle! Battle! BATTLE!
This was, without a doubt, the ultimate clash of kings! Yet, facing this earth-shaking war cry, Gilgamesh remained unmoved, watching the approaching army with cold composure.
"Come then, Lord of the Army of Conquest. You shall learn the meaning of a true King's stature..."
Before the thousands of enemies, the oldest King of Heroes folded his arms, his expression arrogant and frigid.
"AAAALaLaLaLaLa—!!!"
Iskandar led the charge with a thunderous shout. The cavalry followed, and in the midst of the world-shaking charge, even Waver used his thin voice to scream alongside them.
The earth trembled. Scorching dust filled the air. Led by the bull-drawn chariot, the army of Servants surged toward Gilgamesh in a perfect, unstoppable formation.
___
There's a few advance chapters on my P@treon
Usually upload 2 Chapters a day in there, except Sunday
43 Chapters Ahead, and will continue to increase
[email protected]/Sp1ced
If you're new to this stuff just replace "@" with "a" for the right link ^^