"Sir Tristan, it has been a long time. Everyone, it has been a long time."
"My King, it has been a long time. May you and the Queen find eternal happiness."
"My King! May you and the Queen find eternal happiness!"
Amidst the clamor, the knights formed a charging arrowhead formation, with Guinevere still leading at the very front. As the King of Knights, Artoria protected Guinevere's flank, acting as her wingman for this battle.
In stark contrast to the noisy, swift charge of the knights, the vast army on the other side advanced slowly and silently under the King of Conquerors' command.
"Rider, you..."
"Master, even knowing defeat is certain, the King of Conquerors will only die on the path of conquest. Messenger, take..."
"No! I am your subject too!"
With ten thousand against one thousand, the King of Conquerors held the numerical advantage. However, ninety-nine percent of his ten thousand soldiers were inferior to the Camelot Knights, and the remaining hundred-odd heroes lacked Classes and Noble Phantasms.
In contrast, every one of the thousand knights behind Guinevere was a genuine Heroic Spirit Knight, complete with a Class and Noble Phantasms.
"Kill them!"
"Knight Order, charge!"
The armies advanced, the earth trembling beneath them. When they drew near, the King of Conquerors' army dared to charge the cavalry with infantry, showing no trace of fear.
So, Guinevere granted them their wish.
She broke through their lines, crossing paths with the King of Conquerors. The rest of her knights followed, plunging deep into the enemy ranks.
Before long, they had pierced through the enemy army. Just as they had in dozens of battles during their lifetime, they continued to charge back and forth, repeatedly carving through the enemy ranks.
However, this Knight Order was not the same as when they were alive. As the saying goes, "The first charge is full of vigor, the second wanes, and the third is exhausted." Summoned by Guinevere's Noble Phantasm, their stats were reduced, and they couldn't replenish their Mana. Casualties began to mount far sooner than they would have in life.
If the Ionioi Hetairoi had suffered no losses, they might have truly been able to wear down the knights.
"Lia, let's end this quickly. You go take down the King of Conquerors while he's focused on commanding."
In this Holy Grail War, the King of Knights had only managed to repel Diarmuid. Her desire for battle was far from satisfied.
Guinevere and her Knight Order pierced through the enemy army once more, with the King of Knights leading the charge straight toward the King of Conquerors, who was directing his forces from the center.
When the King of Knights faced the King of Conquerors one-on-one, her first strike beheaded his Thunder Ox. Her second shattered his chariot's wheels.
By her third strike, the Sword of Promised Victory was already at the King of Conquerors' throat.
The King of Conquerors was not a Servant skilled in close combat.
"Rider, once the Mages understand the true nature of the Holy Grail War, there will be more wars to come. I look forward to sharing a drink with you again then—hopefully, by that time, you'll have a physical body."
"However, if you restart your conquest and wage war in the modern era, I will send you on your way again."
The King of Conquerors felt a pang of regret at his defeat, but he couldn't complain much about losing to an army composed entirely of Knights.
A direct defeat left no room for excuses.
He watched his loyal followers vanish one by one, their resentful expressions fading as Guinevere sent those still trying to protect him on their final journey. Ionioi Hetairoi was collapsing, its remnants dissolving until they all reappeared on the Fuyuki Bridge.
While the Reality Marble was active, no one knew the battle's outcome. Now that it had ended, the victor was clear at a glance.
In his final moments, the King of Conquerors watched Guinevere flick Waver on the forehead. "Your Master says that when you get back, you are to write a 30,000-word report on the Holy Grail War and a 30,000-word apology letter. Otherwise, he will no longer acknowledge you—the little thief—as his student."
Listening and watching, the King of Conquerors stepped past the King of Knights' sword and roughly ruffled Waver's hair.
Then, without needing Guinevere or the King of Knights to add insult to injury, he spoke:
"King of Knights, I'll remember your invitation to drink. And Guinevere, how can you be content as this little girl's Queen? Your relentless charge on the battlefield didn't seem like the mark of someone who would ever bow to another."
"And I haven't."
The King of Conquerors was already fading away, having shattered his own Spirit Core. Hearing Guinevere's words, he froze for a moment, then realized the double meaning.
He burst into laughter again. "I hope so," he boomed as the laughter subsided.
One second, two seconds... until he vanished completely, his hand remained on Waver's head, bestowing all his remaining care upon the boy.
Waver Velvet, choking back sobs, watched every moment of the King of Conquerors' departure without blinking.
After a while, he wiped away his tears and looked at Guinevere with a slightly more mature expression.
"Did Kayneth... did Master Kayneth really say that?"
"Oh, I almost forgot," Guinevere added. "He also wants you to return the Holy Relic. He said if you want to keep it as a souvenir, you'll have to pay for its acquisition. He'll send you the bill."
All of it—the apology letter, the report, everything—was a fabrication by Guinevere.
Waver had matured, but not enough to suspect that an incredibly beautiful and kind woman would lie to him.
He also declined the invitation to visit Einzbern Castle again. Instead, he turned and hailed a taxi. After packing his belongings, he headed straight to the airport that same night to wait for his flight home.
With his Command Spells spent, his Servant gone, and Kirei's attention elsewhere, Waver's journey home was remarkably smooth. However, he couldn't sleep well for the next few days—a 30,000-word thesis and an apology letter were no easy tasks.
Meanwhile, back on Fuyuki Bridge, after watching Waver depart, Guinevere received a message from Irisviel. She had successfully absorbed the soul of the King of Conquerors.
"Lia, how did your chat with everyone go?"
The Knight Order had one major advantage: Guinevere didn't need to supply mana to any of the Knights. After defeating the King's army, they could have a proper conversation with the King of Knights until the Noble Phantasm's duration ended.
When the King of Knights asked if they had any regrets, they only lamented that their lives had been too short to protect Mordred's kingdom for their King and Queen.
If they had another chance... they would wish to live longer, to shoulder more burdens for their King and Queen.
"Speaking of which," Guinevere mused, "Sir Tristan also has a legend involving a 'Faerie Girl Falsification,' yet he didn't turn into a Faerie Girl.
"By the way, would you all like to see a photo of Lancelot as a Faerie Girl?"
The Knights had no regrets, only a slight sense of unfulfillment that differed from what the King of Knights had expected. After hearing them cheerfully share their thoughts, the King of Knights' ahoge finally stood up noticeably.
With the shadows in her heart dispelled, she wrapped her arms around Guinevere from behind, trying to spare Lancelot some face.
Amid laughter and playful chaos, they eventually got to see the photo. When they returned to the Throne of Heroes and had the good fortune to meet Lancelot again, they would surely tease him about it.
This was the nature of comrades-in-arms: constantly teasing each other in peacetime, yet entrusting their lives to one another in battle.
When the Noble Phantasm's duration ended, Guinevere reverted to her Caster class. The King of Knights drove her back to Einzbern Castle.
If the King of Heroes didn't attack tonight, then tomorrow night would likely be the final battle of this Holy Grail War.
"Irisviel, you're still willing to die for Kiritsugu? Are you really so confident you can maintain your sense of self after being absorbed by the Holy Grail and corrupted by the Black Mud?
"Are you truly willing to sacrifice your life to fulfill Kiritsugu's ideal? Is Kiritsugu really that much of a succubus?"
At Einzbern Castle, Guinevere watched as Kiritsugu removed the Scabbard from Irisviel, leaving her paralyzed in agony...
Guinevere winced and increased the Falsification on Irisviel's body. But if Irisviel insisted on trying, Guinevere couldn't stop her.
All she could do was wait until after Irisviel's attempt, then pull out her soul and cleanse it.