"Hm~ Beauty, are you sure you're really not going to move? You know, they're having trouble~"
Miku was the only one who stayed behind under Jeanne's watch. She clasped her hands behind her back and smiled mischievously.
"Oh… am I so charming that the Saint can't bear to leave me alone? Kyaaa~ how adorable."
Wriggling like a worm, drool began to slip from Miku's mouth. Her Yuri-fueled delusions made Jeanne shudder, but she did not hesitate. She kept her Flag raised and, regardless of what was happening with the other Servants, she would not allow Saver to take a single step forward.
"Saver, you're supposed to be a savior. You should understand that fighting now won't be good for either of us. Please, withdraw…"
"That's impossible~, like a good wife, I'll support Darling in everything~"
Miku stopped moving. Her smile was no longer playful. The chill slowly seeped out, and Jeanne felt the pressure of the mother of Humanity bearing down on her.
"So I can't do that. But don't worry, Beauty~, I'll stay right here with you~. Come on, come on~ let me give you a hug and a little kiss."
Extending both arms, Miku approached Jeanne without any caution at all. She even closed her eyes and puckered her lips for a kiss.
"Tsk! Don't come any closer!"
Raising her Flag into an attacking stance, Jeanne clenched her teeth. She did not know why, but a terrible premonition washed over her.
She felt that if she allowed Miku to touch her, there would be no turning back.
That was only natural. The Yuri taboo was something a Saint like Jeanne could never have imagined.
"Hyaa~ such a cold rejection. You're breaking my heart. But that's part of your charm too, Beauty~"
Wriggling again like a worm, Miku found herself liking Jeanne more and more. That spotless, textbook Saintly posture made Miku's perverted, sadistic heart leap with excitement.
She wanted to see what would happen when Jeanne dropped that Saintly façade and revealed her true colors. Just imagining it was thrilling.
Ignoring Jeanne's warning, Miku drifted slowly closer. Cold sweat ran down Jeanne's cheek.
"Everyone, lower your weapons! You stand before the presence of a King!"
Unfortunately for Miku, her wish was not something that could be fulfilled so easily—not with a third party stepping in.
"Wait! Rider, you can't go, it's dangerous!"
"Hahaha! You ask the impossible of this King. I am Iskandar the Conqueror. I live for danger."
Moments earlier, high in the skies, a massive ancient war chariot was racing toward the Yggdmillennia Castle.
The chariot was pulled by two Divine Bulls, galloping across lightning in the heavens, manifesting the divinity of Zeus itself.
This was Iskandar, Rider of the Green, newly entered into this war.
As a King, Iskandar was delighted to have been summoned into the most dangerous war of all.
His life had been conquest, and what better place to pursue it than a war that used the World itself as its battlefield?
The moment he was summoned, he sensed an enormous concentration of magical power. Without hesitation, he dragged his Master along on a journey of conquest.
"Are you insane?! You said this was the World Holy Grail War! It's insanely dangerous. Even Gods can be summoned! Don't you have any common sense?! We'll die!"
For Waver Velvet, this was the worst day of his life, and he bitterly regretted his own stupidity.
Driven by anger at his teacher for rejecting and tearing apart the thesis he had worked so hard on, Waver had stolen an ancient relic his teacher intended to use in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
At first, his plan had been simple: enter the war, defeat his teacher, and prove that he was the superior mage—that his ideas were not wrong.
He was wrong.
The moment he summoned Rider, the Servant grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and declared they were changing venues.
The World Holy Grail War.
The most powerful Holy Grail had chosen him to participate in a four-sided war where Gods and the strongest Servants in the World would clash over the World Grail.
Waver nearly wet himself in fear and refused to take part. Unfortunately for him, the decision was irreversible, and he was transported to the World of War.
He planned to hide and wait it out until everything was over. With Iskandar, a powerful Heroic Spirit, escape should have been possible—or so he believed.
Iskandar did not agree.
As the King of Conquerors, hiding was never an option.
"Hahaha, enjoy the ride, boy. I, Iskandar, will conquer this world war…"
"Idiot, you're going to get us killed!"
"Hahahaha!"
Ignoring his Master, Iskandar cracked the reins harder, pushing the chariot to even greater speed.
Before long, the battlefield came into view.
Fire and light rained down from the sky, and most shocking of all, an Angel was attacking everything indiscriminately.
"Is this even possible?! An Angel?! Rider, we have to get out of here!"
No matter how strong Rider was, Waver did not believe he could be stronger than an Angel—a being whose myth embodied the punishment of God. A single Angel was enough to throw the World into chaos.
Just the presence of that Angel pushed the danger of this war to its absolute peak, not to mention that Servants grew stronger the more famous they were. An Angel in a Christian context was nothing less than an executioner capable of wiping out civilizations.
"Relax, brat. Let's watch first…"
"R-really? Thank God."
Waver felt a wave of relief. At least observing from afar was somewhat acceptable.
Of course, Rider could sense the Angel's immense power, but that only excited him further. He was no fool, yet as a conqueror, the thought of adding Angels to his ranks was intoxicating. If he could, the World itself—and even the stars—would be his.
Even so, he acted prudently and did not charge in right away. He observed the battle, studying his enemies. He quickly grasped the danger posed by the Angel and the fire-wielding girl. There was no doubt they were top-tier Servants, their power rivaling his own or perhaps even surpassing it—though that would change once he unleashed his Noble Phantasm.
He was also disappointed by the overall quality of the Black Faction's Servants. Only Vlad III and Siegfried were worth his attention. Chiron was strong as well, but to a conqueror like him, not a real obstacle.
He also noticed Jeanne and Miku. Since neither had acted yet, and judging by their magical output, Iskandar did not take them seriously.
"That Angel… it's terrifying."
Waver's fear only deepened as Origami continued to bombard everyone. That Crown was no joke.
"What a shame. The Black Faction is going to lose…"
Arms crossed, Iskandar shook his head. No matter how hard they struggled, if they could not eliminate the threat from the sky, defeat was inevitable. And he was right—Chiron had been wounded and was on the brink of being finished off.
"Come on, boy. It's time for the King to make his appearance…"
"What?! Are you insane?! Weren't we just going to watch?!"
"Haha, brat. Even if they're Angels or the heavens themselves, I will conquer them all!"
Without giving Waver a chance to object, Iskandar lashed his chariot forward, barging into the battle like the roar of a maddened beast.
"Everyone, lower your weapons! You stand before the presence of a King! I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors. I have come to this world war as Rider of the Green. Now I ask you—are you willing to renounce the World Grail, join my army, and share with me the joy of conquering the World?"
"..."
An awkward silence followed.
Origami had been about to deliver the finishing blow to Chiron. Kotori was locked in a large-scale clash with Siegfried and Vlad III.
The thunder and the roar of the Divine Bulls were impossible to ignore.
Even so, this interruption benefited the Black Faction. They seized the chance to pull back, and Kotori's bloodlust was cut short, allowing her to calm down.
"Well? What do you say? Will you join me?"
When no one answered, Iskandar slowly turned his head, looking over everyone present.
Still, no one spoke.
No one could believe someone would be foolish enough to intrude on a battlefield dominated by an Angel of Extermination.
It was like a civilian barging into a tank battle to sell office supplies—utterly absurd.
"And you, Miss Angel. I can assure you the benefits of joining my army are far from small…"
Fixing his gaze on the most dazzling prize—the Angel of Extermination—Iskandar smiled and extended his invitation with complete sincerity.
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