The exchange between Gilgamesh and the King of Conquerors caught the attention of the audience across the multiverse.
Frankly, at this point, the best outcome would be for neither the King of Heroes nor the King of Conquerors to die.
After all, when facing those unknown Outer Gods, every extra hand would be a help, especially since these two were top-tier Servants. A real fight between them would likely result in mutual destruction, which would be detrimental to the situation that followed.
Many viewers now hoped that Jeanne or Elysia could reach the battlefield before the two kings decided the victor.
After all, both of them should be heading this way...
[Conan Edogawa]: "At a Servant's speed, it should only take a few minutes to reach the bridge. It seems the two of them won't be able to settle their match after all..."
The great detective analyzed. A battle between two top-tier Servants would be like Saber versus Lancer, full of probing and clashing.
However... the main party involved, Gilgamesh, did not think so—
[Gilgamesh]: "Mongrel, you seem to be underestimating this King's power... Defeat the King of Conquerors? A few minutes? Entirely unnecessary. A few seconds will suffice..."
Even now, this king was still so arrogant? Judging from the situation alone, the King of Conquerors, boosted by Command Spells, was very likely superior to him.
But after getting to know this king's temperament, the audience outside the light screen paid little mind to his arrogant words.
---o---
[Light Screen Projection——
The final battle between the King of Heroes and the King of Conquerors had begun.
As the golden wine cups fell to the ground, the King of Heroes stood on one end of the bridge, while the King of Conquerors returned to his chariot.
Then, with a grave expression, the King of Conquerors said to Waver, "Are you prepared? This may be my last battle."
Waver was stunned, then replied angrily, "Don't talk nonsense! How could you be killed? Have you forgotten the Command Spells I just used?"
The King of Conquerors paused slightly at his words, then smiled, a bold spirit showing as he drew the spatha from his waist. "Indeed, you are right! In this battle, the final victory will belong to us!"
Then, he raised the sharp sword high, his magical energy erupting at that moment.
"Gather, my warriors!"
"Tonight, we shall imprint our glorious figures upon the strongest of legends!"
"This is—"
"Ionioi Hetairoi!"
As his voice fell, a torrent of air and mana exploded outward. A pure white light instantly swallowed the three people on the bridge.
In the next moment, the three of them had entered the Intrinsic Bounded Field of the Army of the King.
Yellow sand filled the sky. The scene of Assassin's demise appeared once more, but this time, the enemy was not a weak Servant like Assassin, but the King of Heroes, who stood at the very pinnacle of the Servant concept.
Countless soldiers appeared behind the King of Conquerors. Every single one of them was a Servant, and under the enhancement of Waver's Command Spells, each could exert power beyond their own limits.
"The enemy is the King of Heroes, a warrior worthy of ten thousand men! He is worthy of our full strength!"
"My brave warriors, show that most ancient of heroes our path of conquest!"
Raising his sword high, the King of Conquerors issued his pre-charge declaration, letting out a roar.
His infectious voice immediately spurred the army of tens of thousands of Servants to let out a fervent, high-spirited battle cry.
Then, the King of Conquerors pointed his sword forward, and his chariot began its thunderous charge.
"AAAALaLaLaLaie!!"
That roar, like the bellow of a king, like the blast of a horn, drove the entire army into a charge. The earth trembled under the stampede, and the yellow sands were kicked up into a storm. The terrifying explosive power and speed of the Servants were enough to mercilessly crush any army in the world.
Caught up in this passionate charge, even Waver was infected, letting out the same roar as the King of Conquerors.
Though his voice was as green as ever, and he still seemed weak, it now carried the same wild momentum as the King of Conquerors.
The King of Conquerors, having surpassed his limits, was undoubtedly the pinnacle among top-tier Servants, a hegemon who towered over the world.
This was the first time the audience outside the light screen had felt the oppressive presence of the King of Conquerors as a top-tier Servant. It was completely different from his previous simple-minded and comical image. This was a true conqueror!
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh stood motionless, as if stunned silly. But his eyes were filled with intense self-confidence. Facing the King of Conquerors' invincible posture, this king's expression remained arrogant, without a hint of panic. He hadn't even opened his Gate of Babylon.
Absolute confidence and a king's domineering aura filled the King of Heroes. It was as if what charged toward him was not an army of tens of thousands of Servants, but merely a group of insignificant ants.
This only made the audience outside the light screen more curious about what kind of trump card the King of Heroes still had to deal with such a powerful and ferocious legion.
One had to remember, under the enhancement of the Command Spells, the power of Ionioi Hetairoi far exceeded what it was before.
It felt as if a simple stampede could trample the King of Heroes into dust.
But the King of Heroes paid it no mind, acting as if victory was already in his grasp.
Finally, as the army closed in, the King of Heroes spoke, his voice calm and composed. "Come then, King of Hegemons. You are about to witness what a true king is!"
The yellow sand swirled relentlessly as Gilgamesh continued his speech, which sounded almost like an evaluation. "To gather dreams and aspire to the path of conquest... the passion you all possess is commendable."
Then, his tone suddenly shifted. "However, warriors, there is one truth you must understand..."
He raised his right hand. In the next moment, with a flash of gold, a key-like object made of gold with a highly complex structure appeared in his hand.
"A dream, by its very nature, is something you must one day awaken from..."
He raised the key-like object with one hand, then gripped it and twisted it forward.
Instantly, as if a mechanism within the key had been activated, it emitted a red halo of magical energy and, like an ornate clockwork creation, began to rapidly transform.
In the next moment, red lines, resembling extremely complex data cables, extended outward, forming an inverted triangular structure that stretched upwards. It stopped about twenty meters in the air, and the inverted triangular structure completely enveloped that patch of sky in red light, like a crimson curtain.
Immediately after, the light rapidly converged, returning to the key. Within this red light, the key's form completely changed, becoming a sphere of light like a small sun floating before the King of Heroes, dyeing the entire area red.
The King of Heroes' voice rang out once more.
"Therefore, it is inevitable that I stand in the way of your campaign—King of Conquerors!"
As his voice fell, the sun-like sphere of light rapidly transformed, finally settling into the shape of a red 'sword'.
Could this weapon truly be called a "sword"?
It was far too bizarre. It had a hilt and a handguard, and its length was similar to a standard longsword, but the most crucial part, the "blade," was a far cry from the traditional definition of a sword.
Three cylindrical segments were linked together. The unsharpened "edge" was twisted into a spiral, and the three cylinders slowly wound around each other like a chain, rotating and extending in tandem.
Yes, it could no longer be called a sword. Something born into the world long before the concept of a "sword" existed could not possibly take the shape of one. It was crafted by the gods before they created man, a divine manifestation that had witnessed the moment of creation.
Holding this unique weapon, the King of Heroes wore a confident yet cold smile as he delivered his judgment. "Come. This King will show you the end of your endless dream! Allow me to personally teach you the law of this world."
As he spoke, the three millstone-like cylinders responded to the motion of the celestial sphere, grinding against each other with a weight and force comparable to the shifting of tectonic plates. The immense magical energy that rolled forth was simply immeasurable.
The King of Conquerors, in the distance, noticed it. His pupils contracted. He could clearly feel the power contained within that 'sword'.
In its current state, Ionioi Hetairoi would be unphased even by A-rank Noble Phantasms, but... that 'sword' was no simple treasure from the King of Heroes' treasury.
The power it wielded had far surpassed a released Excalibur—
To this, the King of Heroes simply declared with great presence:
"Awaken! Ea! A stage worthy of you has been prepared!"
The crimson torrent boiled with the rotation of the 'sword'. In the next moment, the King of Heroes released the Noble Phantasm's True Name.
"Behold the heavens—Enuma Elish!!!"
A flood of red magical energy surged forth.
And then...
Heaven and Earth split asunder!
This was no metaphor, but a literal sundering of heaven and earth. The EX-rank Noble Phantasm, the divine instrument that once cleaved the world at its genesis, began to display its power in the hands of the King of Heroes.
With just a simple forward thrust, the dense magical energy expanded out from Ea as its center, spreading across the entire Intrinsic Bounded Field in a near instant.
Then, the King of Conquerors sensed something and immediately drove his chariot up into the sky.
Waver didn't understand what was happening and subconsciously glanced down.
With that single glance, Waver's pupils contracted violently, an expression of disbelief on his face.
The land of yellow sand had split down the middle, revealing a bottomless chasm.
The earth, as if brutally torn apart by an immense force, began to rapidly collapse, starting from that great fissure.
Then, the sky darkened.
When he looked up, all he could see were cracks of various sizes appearing in the sky. The bright, sunny blue sky shattered like glass, creating voids into which the fractured pieces poured, ultimately disintegrating and vanishing completely.
Powerful...
Terrifying...
This was the true power of the King of Heroes. With a single strike, he had effortlessly shattered the King of Conquerors' miraculous Noble Phantasm, a convergence of the wills of countless warriors. And from beginning to end, Gilgamesh hadn't even moved.
The audience outside the light screen was dumbfounded. Gilgamesh was arrogant and insufferable, but his strength was beyond imagination. Perhaps, as the light screen had suggested, on the very first night of the Holy Grail War, the King of Heroes truly could have eliminated every Heroic Spirit present.
Before, they had taken it as an exaggeration. Now, it seemed it was a simple statement of fact...
Those who had thought the King of Conquerors would be an even match for the King of Heroes, or even defeat him, were now utterly speechless. They had considered that the King of Conquerors might lose, but they never imagined he would lose so swiftly, so completely...
This battle, worthy of being recorded in an epic, was not long. Just as Gilgamesh had said, defeating the King of Conquerors only required the few seconds it took to release his Noble Phantasm.
In the face of absolute power, everything else seemed meaningless. To Gilgamesh, everything the King of Conquerors had was merely a source of amusement in his idle hours.
---o---
At this moment, inside the light screen, Waver stared blankly ahead, completely stunned by what he had just experienced.
The King of Conquerors stopped the chariot on the bridge, and Waver dazedly turned to look at him.
The King of Conquerors' expression was heavy and solemn. The end of a hegemon is always a lamentable sight.
Gilgamesh lowered the Sword of Rupture in his hand. There was no mockery, no disdain. This was his final respect for this king.
For this arrogant King of Heroes, victory in this war was a matter of course, but the King of Conquerors' path was worthy of him responding with his full strength.
Seeing the King of Conquerors' solemn expression, Waver felt immense sorrow. He couldn't help but say, "Rider..."
He wanted to say something, but he was at a loss for words.
However, it was the King of Conquerors who spoke. "Speaking of which, there is one more thing I must ask you..."
Waver was taken aback. The king's expression was grave, his previous overflowing confidence gone, replaced entirely by the feeling of a hero in his twilight years.
But, at this moment, the King of Conquerors was also more earnest and serious than ever before. He asked, his voice resonating with weight, "Waver Velvet, are you willing to become my subject?"
Waver's eyes widened in that instant, and tears began to stream down his face uncontrollably.
The boy's voice became choked with emotion, yet it was firmer than ever before. "You are... You are my one true king!"
"I am willing to serve you, to pledge my loyalty to you!"
"So, please, guide me forward! Please let me... share the same dream as you!"
In less than seven days, Waver had grown tremendously, all thanks to the guidance and leadership of the king before him.
At the same time, Waver had long been conquered by the King of Conquerors' charisma; he had just been too stubborn to admit it before.
Faced with Waver's choked yet resolute answer, the King of Conquerors revealed a smile. "Good!"
As he spoke, he reached out, grabbed Waver, and placed him on the ground.
"It is the duty of me, the king, to show my dream to my subject. And it is your duty, as my subject, to witness the dream the king shows you and pass it on to future generations!"
In the final moments of his life, the King of Conquerors grinned and said in a low voice, "Live, Waver! Then, witness everything, and live to tell others."
"You must let them know what splendor your king possessed!"
"Tell them how I, Iskandar, galloped across the land!"
These were words of farewell, a complete display of the King of Conquerors' will.
He had decided to make a tragic final charge against that absolutely undefeatable, irresistibly terrible foe.
Under Waver's reluctant yet determined gaze, the King of Conquerors grinned a broad, heroic smile. Then he drove his chariot forward with unstoppable, thunderous might, launching his final ravaging charge.
Answering him was the Gate of Babylon, unfolding to cover the heavens, sweeping over him like a tempest.
Under the bombardment of countless Noble Phantasms, the King of Conquerors' inner voice resounded.
"Glory lies in the distance. And it is because it is unattainable that I must challenge it!"
"I sing the praises of my path of conquest, I display my path of conquest, and all of this is for the subject who watches my back!"
The image, at this moment, showed Waver. This young man was witnessing the final charge of the King of Conquerors with his own eyes.
The boy wiped away his tears, his expression more determined, more unshakable than ever before.
Facing that sky-covering rain of treasures, the King of Conquerors' crushing defeat was already sealed. Yet, the great emperor still did not give up his resistance.
He swung the sword in his hand with all his might, deflecting Noble Phantasm after Noble Phantasm.
The Gordius Wheel erupted with lightning, ravaging the very ground beneath it.
However, the King of Heroes' Noble Phantasms were simply too numerous. Hundreds, thousands of them, many of which were A-rank or higher.
Soon, the thunderous power of the Gordius Wheel was torn apart and breached. The chariot was directly impacted by the rain of treasures.
The chariot was destroyed with incredible speed. The two bulls cried out in agony and collapsed under the assault, and the King of Conquerors was forced to leap from the wreckage.
Yet, he still did not stop. He began to charge on foot, roaring, enduring the bombardment of the Noble Phantasm rain, closing in on the ever-nearer Gilgamesh.
The latter calmly watched it all, not using Ea again, simply observing the King of Conquerors' approach.
Finally, the King of Conquerors reached the King of Heroes and raised his sword, preparing to bring it down with force.
But at that critical moment, unknown chains shot out from golden ripples, swiftly binding the King of Conquerors and stopping his sword just centimeters from the King of Heroes' head.
However, those few centimeters were like a heavenly chasm.
Bound tightly by the chains, the King of Conquerors could not advance even another centimeter. His body was completely immobilized.
Seeing this, a helpless smile appeared on the King of Conquerors' face. "You... you always manage to pull out the strangest things..."
In the next instant, with the sound of tearing flesh, the King of Heroes pierced the King of Conquerors' chest with the Sword of Rupture.
To let the King of Conquerors die by Ea was the greatest respect Gilgamesh could imagine showing him.
Then, the King of Heroes' voice sounded again. "Have you awakened from your dream, King of Conquerors?"
"..." The King of Conquerors was silent for a long while. Only when blood began to flow uncontrollably from his mouth did he sigh with regret. "Ah... Yes..."
Then, he smiled with relief. "This expedition, too, has been most... exhilarating."
Hearing this, Gilgamesh's voice sounded solemn and serious. "This King will always accept your challenge, King of Conquerors."
He then pulled out the Sword of Rupture, and blood instantly spurted from the King of Conquerors' chest.
The King of Heroes' voice came again. "This world, until the end of time, the end of space, is this King's garden!"
"Therefore, I promise you, this world will never bore you!"
Hearing the King of Heroes' words, the King of Conquerors seemed to see an ocean in his eyes.
"Is that so... This surging in my chest... it is the sound of the waves of the endless sea..."
As his words ended, his eyes finally closed, and the body of the King of Conquerors gradually faded away.
The King of Conquerors, Iskandar, has made his exit.]