The path led toward the Sanmon—the Great Mountain Gate. Emiya, Artoria, and Hassan of Serenity ascended the stone stairs with practiced urgency, their footfalls light yet swift upon the weathered rock.
As they climbed, Emiya suddenly drew to a halt. His eyes, sharpened by the Gift of Clairvoyance, peered through the darkness toward the gate looming above. He caught sight of a silhouette, cold and imposing, standing guard at the threshold.
Artoria and Serenity stopped immediately behind him. Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, the King of Knights looked toward the Archer.
"What is it, Archer? Why have you stopped?"
"...Someone stands before the gate," Emiya replied, his voice low and focused.
"An enemy, Archer?"
"By the way they hold their post, it would seem so... Trace on."
Responding to Artoria's inquiry, Emiya projected his blackened bow and a single, honed shaft. He notched the arrow, the string groaning under the tension of his draw as he calculated the trajectory.
A brief silence followed, heavy with the scent of stagnant prana. Then, Emiya released. The arrow screamed through the air, propelled by the sudden snap of the bowstring toward the guardian.
However, the figure moved with unnatural precision. A blade flashed, parrying the arrow with such force that it was sent spiraling into the ground. A sharp explosion followed, the arrow detonating against the stone and kicking up a cloud of debris.
Emiya watched the smoke settle, but a sudden, icy chill crawled down his spine.
The spot where the guardian had stood was empty. The figure had vanished amidst the dust. Instantly, Emiya dissolved his bow and projected the twin blades, Kanshou and Bakuya—but he was already a fraction of a second late.
[—Intruder... excluded.]
"...!"
The assailant had already closed the distance. Accompanied by a strange, discordant mechanical hum, the blade swept toward Emiya's throat.
A resounding clang of steel echoed across the mountain.
Guided by her Instincts, Artoria had lunged forward. Her unseen blade intercepted the enemy's strike mere inches from Emiya's flesh. With a sudden surge of Prana Burst, she threw her weight into the parry, repelling the intruder with a powerful shockwave.
The assailant was thrown backward, but they twisted in mid-air, righting their posture with predatory grace before landing softly upon the stone stairs. Artoria, feeling the lingering vibration of the blow in her arms, spoke to her companions without taking her eyes off the threat.
"Be on your guard, Archer, Assassin. This is no ordinary foe."
"Understood," Emiya gritted out.
Serenity gave a silent, sharp nod. The moment they acknowledged the warning, the guardian drew its sword once more and charged.
***
"...Hoh. To think a creature such as you could maintain its sense of self within the curse of All the World's Evil."
Gilgamesh spoke in a low, resonant tone as he watched me deflect his blade. I felt a cold smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth.
"Did you truly believe I would be stained by such a triviality as 'All the World's Evil'?"
"...What did you say?"
I looked back at the King of Heroes, narrowing my eyes. Admittedly, the malice of that curse was a burden that would have crushed most souls. When I was submerged in that cursed mud, the weight of billions of prayers—vile and agonizing—had tried to breach my mind in a multitude of ways.
The seductive, whispering voices of the human psyche's darkest depths had nearly swayed my focus for a fleeting second... but I had forced my will to steady itself. I had anchored my soul and walked out of that abyss.
"If I were the type to lose myself to a mere curse, I would never have survived Britain, Gilgamesh. Nor would I deserve the title of Hero. For a Hero, by definition, is one who overcomes adversity."
I paused, letting my gaze pierce him. "I assumed a man hailed as the King of Heroes would understand that better than anyone else."
Gilgamesh's eyes widened. For a moment, he was genuinely stunned. Was he hearing this correctly? Had someone truly dared to lecture him on the nature of heroism?
The shock lasted only a heartbeat. He clutched his forehead with one hand and let out a roar of laughter that shook the surrounding air.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha! You dare? To Me? You would preach the path of the hero to the Sovereign of all Kings? Hahahaha!"
The laughter died as quickly as it had begun, replaced by a gaze that burned with a frightening intensity. "Very well. I acknowledge it. You have exceeded the meager expectations I held for you. Therefore... I shall face you with the sincerity you deserve."
As the final words left his lips, a blinding radiance of gold enveloped his form.
The light solidified, manifesting as the ornate Golden Armor that clad the King of Heroes. Recognizing this as the sign that he would no longer hold back, I tightened my grip on my blade and looked toward Rin.
"I will handle Gilgamesh. In the meantime, find the seaweed-haired brat and get him to safety."
"...I'm on it!"
Rin gave a sharp nod and turned, sprinting away from the clearing. Gilgamesh did not move to stop her; his attention was locked solely on me. He let out a sneer as I maintained my vigilant stance.
"Hah! Do you truly believe you can stand against Me alone, Knight?"
"I've faced you alone once before. I see no reason why I cannot do it again. Tell me, Gilgamesh..."
I let a provocative smile touch my lips. "Has that fatal wound I gave you at the castle finally healed?"
Rage flickered across Gilgamesh's face, his features contorting with indignity. "This time, for the sin of mocking the Heavens themselves, I shall ensure not a single shard of your bone remains in this world!"
With that thunderous declaration, the space behind him rippled. Golden gates manifested in the air—hundreds upon hundreds of them—each shimmering with the promise of a different legendary weapon.
It was a sight that would drive any ordinary man to despair. But I laughed. To face the strongest of foes—how could I not feel the blood stir in my veins?
I stared into the eyes of the King of Heroes and shouted over the rising prana: "Then let us see it! This time, I shall cast those 'Heavens' of yours down into the dirt!"
The moment my voice fell, a torrential storm of weapons erupted from the golden gates, all aimed at my heart. I lunged forward to meet the steel tide.
The final battle had truly begun.