"If your Army of the King is the embodiment of unity and collective solidarity, then my army is the fragmentation of my individual self, one becoming ten thousand!"
Facing the King of Conquerors' realization, Rin smiled proudly.
"I am the core of everything, everything is within my grasp! All people, events, and things must operate according to my will. I am the very essence of the world; my word is law, my actions are rules, my will is the will of Heaven!"
"In that case, if I am an unrivaled hegemon who incites war, then you are an utterly selfish Demon King, not one who guides the will of her subjects with her own will, but one who demands that everyone's will be yours."
"Precisely! Every person who follows behind the King should be a manifestation of the King, practicing the King's words and deeds, fulfilling the King's will. All subjects need only look to the King's back, following the King's footsteps, and they will not be lost on the path ahead!"
At this moment, Rin's delicate body exuded a majestic aura, as if standing between heaven and earth, and a nascent King's will was emerging within her.
"In the past, I once, by chance, had the thought of becoming a king, but I didn't take it to heart. I didn't have the ambition to lead a nation or a world; I only wanted to pursue my own dreams. Therefore, I must thank you, King of Conquerors, for showing me the dream of a king! You ignited my hope of becoming a king! But my dream is not as grand as yours, captivating everyone's hearts. I once said that I have many wishes, so the Holy Grail, which can only grant one, is too small. But if I gather all these wishes together, then my ambition is to live every day of my life to the fullest and with joy."
It sounded like the words of a carefree princess dreaming a fairy tale, incredibly willful and childish. Yet, the King of Conquerors showed no contempt, nor the angry denial he had shown toward Saber. Instead, his rugged face grew increasingly serious.
"For this ambition, I must advance ceaselessly, seeking new things. I must constantly ascend to higher places, overlooking more distant landscapes. With this will as King, my body is the world, and I am the Demon King of this present age!"
The King of Conquerors' rugged, granite-like face was now as calm as still water. A heavy atmosphere appeared for the first time between Rin and the King of Conquerors. The hegemon renowned through history for conquering the world, and the young Demon King who now aspired to rule the present world—they stood a hundred paces apart, yet the battle between them never ceased for a moment. This was a clash of kingly wills.
Standing within the Army of the King, with tens of thousands of loyal soldiers behind him, the King of Conquerors' kingly aura had undoubtedly reached an unprecedented peak. Yet, Tohsaka Rin, facing the united will and pressure of these tens of thousands of people alone, showed not a hint of fear or wavering.
When she realized that this entire world had begun to turn against her, Tohsaka Rin knew that she must become the Demon Lord who trampled the world underfoot. If that were the case, she must have the resolve to face the world alone. The King of Conquerors' kingly will was not just himself or the army behind him, but the entire empire he had conquered, built, and led to prosperity! This was a microcosm of the world. If Tohsaka Rin could not face this pressure now, then it would be better to stop here.
What seemed like a long time was actually only a moment. The King of Conquerors, his face like still water, suddenly let out a booming laugh that echoed throughout the world. His powerful and unrestrained laughter even drowned out the clashing of swords and battle cries of tens of thousands of soldiers, reaching the ears of every single one of them.
"Good! Good! Good! I, Iskandar, hereby acknowledge Tohsaka Rin as a King, in my capacity as the King of Conquerors of Macedon!!!"
The King of Conquerors, laughing, wielded his war sword as if it was tearing through the vast sky.
"Glory lies beyond! This is my, Iskandar's, path of conquest!"
With a body more robust than a bull, the King of Conquerors, having lost his noble phantasm mount, did not summon his beloved horse Bucephalus, but instead took large strides and charged at Tohsaka Rin. Having removed his magnificent cape, the King of Conquerors now resembled a Greek warrior charging fearlessly into battle for glory.
At this moment, the King of Conquerors was like his soldiers, having put aside all his noble phantasms. Without the advantage of his class, he charged towards the glory that lay ahead with only a single, true heart. At this moment, the King of Conquerors was at the peak of his power!
Cells were boiling, blood was burning! At this moment, facing such an opponent, any calculation or strategy would be a sign of trepidation and cowardice! Tohsaka Rin looked up and let out a clear cry like a phoenix from the nine heavens. Although the fluctuations of her Mana Burst were not as grand as before due to the long-term supply for Miku and Lancelot's battle, an invincible belief permeated every one of Tohsaka Rin's actions.
"Clang!!!"
Her hands, imbued with the principle of a magic sword, collided with the ancient war sword! The metallic clang of the weapons was as dense as a sudden storm, and the surging magic, like a raging tide, stirred up a catastrophic storm in the boundless sand sea. The sand, like seawater, rose in hundred-meter-high waves!
Webber, watching this soul-stirring clash from afar, found the battle of just two people more captivating than a battle array of tens of thousands. This was because one of the combatants carried the perfect support of an empire that transcended time and space, fighting him was like fighting an empire, while the other was single-handedly resisting the will of an entire empire!
At this moment, the King of Conquerors and Tohsaka Rin, locked in a desperate struggle, both wore joyful and excited smiles on their faces. Their mutual goal was to unhesitatingly take the other's life, but whether victor or vanquished, in this battle, they gambled everything and burned everything, ultimately having no regrets about their choice!
The war between the ancient King and the modern King, these two Kings, lasted for an unknown duration, and the figures on the battlefield grew fewer and fewer. Whether it was the King of Conquerors' warriors or the Mikus that Tohsaka Rin had to merge and converge due to excessive consumption, they disappeared from the battlefield one after another.
"Clang!"
Tohsaka Rin, with her bare hands, parried the Sword of Alexander wielded by the King of Conquerors, entering a stalemate of strength. However, Tohsaka Rin, who usually won by force, was subtly showing signs of defeat, as the gleaming blade pressed closer and closer to Tohsaka Rin's fair neck.
Yet, even in such a life-and-death situation, the two could still converse and laugh like long-lost friends. The smiles on their faces spoke of their excitement and joy at this moment. If not fearing war was fearless courage, then such heroic demeanor was the bearing of a King!
"King of the Present! Behind me are not just these tens of thousands of soldiers who regretlessly followed me on the path of conquest, but also all my supporting subjects! Although they cannot join me on the battlefield, their will remains with me. This is a great disadvantage for you, who are a nation unto yourself!"
Indeed, the longer the battle dragged on, the more unfavorable the situation became for Tohsaka Rin. Even with the world's rejection minimized as much as possible, the activation of the Second Magic had already reached its limit. The burden of mystery, which no Magician could bear, was gradually crushing Tohsaka Rin's soul, and the greater crisis was undoubtedly the formidable enemy before her.
Even with the principle of noble phantasm applied, her body, wrapped in tough dragon scales, was still covered in wounds and bleeding, staining her damaged outer garment. Her jade-like arms, which had become noble phantasm magic swords, were even more scarred, with some cuts deep enough to reveal bone. It was unimaginable how a war sword that was not a noble phantasm could achieve this.
But even facing such a life-and-death crisis, Tohsaka Rin's confidence and smile never faded, even as the blade was about to press against her neck.
"King of Conquerors, are you saying that my duel with you is actually at a great disadvantage in terms of numbers, right?"
"Precisely!"
Tohsaka Rin's smile at the corner of her mouth grew even wider; her confident smile could almost be called arrogant.
"A numerical disadvantage… What a joke!"
Tohsaka Rin, who was already at the end of her rope, suddenly burst forth again! At this moment, she seemed to be truly burning entirely! Incredibly potent magic coiled from Tohsaka Rin's hands around the King of Conquerors' war sword, and two rows of neat silver teeth bit down hard on the blade at her neck! With a twist of her hands, one in front and one behind, she pressed them against the spine of the Sword of Alexander, exerting all her strength, while the ignited magic also unleashed its power—
"Clang—!!!"
The Sword of Alexander, loaded with the beliefs of an empire's subjects, was shattered by Tohsaka Rin!
"What kind of Demon Lord can't slaughter ten thousand with one hand and stand against an entire nation alone!!!"
With power converted from her burning body and life, Tohsaka Rin seemed intent on burning away both her reason and her body entirely! After an already impossible magic burst, an even stronger magic fluctuation surged forth! Poured into Tohsaka Rin's tightly clenched right hand, the thrown punch carried a shriek that tore through the void—
"Tohsaka Rin ascends to the throne of the Demon Lord with this one strike!"
Even facing Tohsaka Rin, who was now burning herself out, the King of Conquerors remained unperturbed. His bold and domineering smile was more brilliant than ever. Raising the broken sword in his hand, the shattered Sword of Alexander emitted a radiance more dazzling than at any other time!
"Iskandar, with this one slash, I claim supreme power!"
In an instant, the light of the King illuminated the entire world—
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