Boom—
Boom—
Explosions rang out one after another behind him.
Ian knew that was the sound of Emiya [Alter]'s Noble Phantasm, Kanshou and Bakuya—Unlimited Lost Works, striking against Mash's shield.
Every strike was sonorous and powerful.
If one listened carefully, there seemed to be many Magecraft formulas mixed within.
But...
There was no time to think about that much.
The time Mash fought for him with absolute trust must absolutely not be wasted!
He sped along the path.
Ian charged directly toward the summit of Mount Enzou.
However, the closer he got to the destination, the more incongruous the man felt.
Because the mountain road, which should have been rugged and difficult to traverse due to destruction, had unknowingly been restored to a complete state. Collapsed trees stood lining the road again as if reborn.
Everything looked so beautiful—if not for the devastated cityscape behind him.
It was a rather absurd and somewhat eerie scene.
One step forward, and it seemed like heaven;
One step back, and it was hell.
Associating this with the Emiya [Alter] who shouldn't have appeared, Ian immediately realized this was definitely not a good thing.
He had to be faster.
Harboring worries about the unknown, the man sped through the mountain path.
Finally—
Ian arrived at the summit of Mount Enzou.
Artoria [Alter] should have been right here.
As long as he could achieve results from her side, the twisted Singularity F might see its end.
Only...
When he crossed the final stone steps where light and shadow intertwined, the scene Ian saw made him freeze for a moment.
Good news: There was indeed a figure present here.
Bad news: It wasn't Artoria [Alter], but Artoria!
Clad in blue and white armor, one hand resting on Excalibur, which was stabbed into the ground and concealed by Invisible Air.
Her tied-up golden hair shimmered slightly in the sunlight, and a single cowlick swayed gently in the wind like a blade of grass.
Although her figure was somewhat petite, the heroic spirit she radiated would absolutely not let anyone doubt that she was the King the Knights of the Round Table believed in.
How...
Could it be her?
"To think... someone else could still arrive here?"
Artoria looked at the man before her; those beautiful green eyes already held a few traces of fatigue.
"But—"
"It doesn't matter."
"No matter how many times, I will absolutely achieve victory..."
Clang.
Excalibur was pulled from the ground by Artoria, then gripped tightly in her hand.
She assumed a combat stance, yet couldn't stop panting.
Such an obvious reaction, Ian naturally couldn't fail to notice.
He secretly observed the surrounding environment and soon sensed something from the extremely obvious residual magical energy in the air.
The mountain road he had just walked also surfaced in his mind bit by bit.
"King of Knights, is this your 'dueling ground'?"
Artoria [Alter] was a tyrannical and powerful existence.
This point could be felt just from the Excalibur in her hand that had fallen into darkness; it was an extremely obvious change.
If it was necessary to act, she would probably resort to any means necessary.
Though the knightly glory deep in her heart would keep her from becoming as extreme as Emiya [Alter].
But...
As her original self, Artoria was completely different.
As the King of Knights, she also possessed impressive power, but compared to the altered individual, she had an extra measure of dignity.
Where the sword points, even the most hateful enemy must be defeated openly and squarely.
This was a dueling belief unique to her, the constant underlying logic of being a knight.
So—
In this situation, the person who could reach the top of Mount Enzou was an opponent.
And Mount Enzou, as the "dueling ground" of Artoria's true self, naturally couldn't let the death of the previous challenger pollute the arrival of the next.
The scenery along the way was no accident.
Instead...
It was that open and square invitation to duel issued by the King of Knights!
"You are correct."
Artoria was not ashamed to admit such a thing.
"However..."
The King of Knights' gaze scrutinized him, who had arrived alone.
"You are a magus of this Holy Grail War, right?"
"Let your Servant appear and fight me openly—"
The time point of Singularity F was indeed located within the Fuyuki Holy Grail War.
And unlike Artoria [Alter], Artoria's cognition seemed to be limited to that moment.
"King of Knights."
Ian looked directly at Artoria before him.
"I don't have a Servant."
"No Servant...?"
Artoria gripped the blade, looking at Ian warily.
It could be seen that although she upheld the concept of open combat, she had probably been ambushed by other "challengers" before this.
As for who...
Ian felt he should cast a vote for a certain Assassin.
However, such vigilance did not last too long.
Because the man indeed had not set any traps, so naturally, the King of Knights could not perceive any so-called anomalies.
"Then—"
"Do you intend to challenge me yourself?"
Artoria's eyes remained serious, but they also held a fatigue that couldn't be hidden.
The breath rising from the corner of her mouth was excellent proof.
One battle.
Three battles.
Or more?
Ian couldn't estimate how many battles Artoria had gone through before this.
But to make her, who possessed the bloodline of the Red Dragon, so bedraggled, the intensity was probably no less than a full-scale siege.
"Do you think I am suitable to be your opponent?"
"Perhaps not—"
"But as long as you have arrived at this place..."
Artoria gripped the Excalibur in her hand.
Imperceptible wind currents flowed within the King of Knights' arena, kicking up fine dust.
"Whether it is a magus or a Servant, I will absolutely show no mercy."
"In that case—"
"I have a proposal that might be a little better."
Ian once again picked up the [Sword of Slaanesh].
He walked towards Artoria step by step, finally stopping in front of her.
Amidst the other party's puzzled gaze, Ian reached out his hand to her and smiled faintly.
"Continuous combat can be quite exhausting."
"King of Knights, let's sit down and rest a while until you recover."
"How about it?"
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 50 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 20 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉