Faced with Kamitani Yuu's instant and unwavering refusal, Iskandar muttered something under his breath, looking a bit sheepish as he rubbed his temple with his fist. Though the gesture appeared somewhat comical, it didn't diminish his majestic presence in the slightest. He was, quite simply, a man with a singular, overwhelming sense of existence.
"...We can negotiate the benefits, you know?" Iskandar tried once more, extending a second "Invitation of the King."
"No." Yuu shook his head, looking the red-haired giant straight in the eye. "Leaving aside whatever those benefits might be, I'm not the only one you're trying to recruit, are you?"
"Hahaha!" Hearing this, Iskandar let out a boisterous laugh, his rugged face full of approval. "Well said! Whether it's those of you present here or the heroes watching from the shadows, you are all within my scope of recruitment."
Turning his head, Iskandar cast his gaze toward the wary pair of Arthur and Fionn, offering his lure: "Would you two care to submit to this King and cede the Grail to me? If you do, I shall treat you as my dearest friends and share with you the joy of conquering the world."
"..."
The proposal was so absurd that Arthur was too stunned to even be angry. Opposite him, Fionn seemed equally perplexed, unsure of how to react.
Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, was indeed an extraordinary Heroic Spirit—one of the few in human history who could truly claim such greatness. But greatness aside, this arrogant proposal was another matter entirely. Running out into the open, shouting his True Name, and demanding submission without so much as a single exchange of blows—this outlandish behavior showed a total disregard for the rules of the Holy Grail War.
"Well now... though I admire the spirit of your self-introduction... I cannot accept your proposal." Fionn smiled elegantly, his tone firm. "Betrayal is a foul thing. Once one has chosen an object of loyalty, one should not turn their back on their Master to join another."
"Your joke has gone too far, King of Conquerors," Saber added, following Fionn's lead. "As a knight, the act of betrayal is utterly intolerable." A flicker of displeasure crossed Arthur's face, perhaps touched by a dark memory. "Furthermore, I am a sovereign myself. I carry the weight of all Great Britain on my shoulders; it is naturally impossible for me to bow to another."
Because the golden sword was so famous, the moment the blade was exposed, Arthur had anticipated that his True Name would soon be deduced. Thus, revealing a bit of his identity now was of little consequence.
"Oh? The King of Britain?" Iskandar seemed genuinely intrigued by Arthur's statement, his eyebrows arching dramatically.
"Then it seems our negotiations have broken down. What a pity..." Rider sighed. As he looked down, his gaze met the resentful eyes of the boy at his feet.
"Ri... Rider—!!" Between the pain of his swelling forehead and the even deeper sting of humiliation, Waver's voice was low and raspy.
However, before Waver could vent his rage, a cold voice—sounding as if it crawled out of the depths of hell—rang out from the darkness.
"Is that so? So it was you—"
Through the power of magecraft, Kayneth's voice echoed clearly across the warehouse street, reaching everyone's ears. "I was wondering who had the audacity to steal my catalyst... I never imagined you were planning to join the Holy Grail War yourself, Mr. Waver Velvet."
While Kayneth and Waver were "catching up" and drawing everyone's attention, Kamitani Yuu discreetly touched his demonic spear to the ground. As prana extended from the tip, he began carving a new Rune into the asphalt.
Based on the current situation, the only Servants who haven't appeared are Archer, Berserker, and Assassin, Yuu thought, narrowing his eyes as he finished preparing his Transfer Rune.
To be honest, the shifts in the roster for this war had caught him off guard. Saber had swapped from Artoria to Arthur, and Lancer had upgraded from the second-rate Diarmuid to Fionn—the hero who had actually won the Third Holy Grail War. Furthermore, Ryuunosuke, who should have summoned Gilles de Rais, was long dead, with the Caster slot now occupied by Cú Chulainn (wearing Odin's skin).
If things go as planned, Tokiomi's Servant should still be Gilgamesh. The old worm of the Matou family will likely stick his hand in too, though I don't know who he's picked as his pawn.
"So, the only ones left whose identities are unconfirmed are Assassin and his Master."
Analyzing the intel rapidly, Yuu knit his brows, wondering who the Greater Grail would choose to fill the final vacancy. Would it be Kotomine Kirei acting as an arbiter, or some random person with magical aptitude?
Regardless, as long as it wasn't a powerhouse like King Hassan or the more exotic Hassans, it didn't really matter. The ritual for the Greater Grail would only begin after the fifth Servant was retired. Yuu only needed to defeat four Servants and wait for Odin to purify "All the World's Evil."
Now, which Servants would be the easiest to knock out...
Yuu's musings were interrupted by a thunderous roar.
"Now! All Heroic Spirits chosen by the Grail, gather here! If any coward still refuses to show his face, he shall earn the contempt of Iskandar, the King of Conquerors!"
Yuu looked up. Iskandar was scanning the surroundings with a provocative gaze, while a frail-looking Waver clung to him in a daze.
If things follow the script, the one appearing next should be the Golden King, Yuu thought, instinctively shifting his gaze to the only remaining streetlamp in the vicinity.
Sure enough, as Iskandar's roar faded, a golden light flickered in mid-air. The crowd didn't seem particularly surprised—three Servants and a Master capable of fighting them were already gathered, so one more didn't change much. The golden light descended onto the tip of a streetlamp ten meters above the ground, manifesting into a tall figure clad in shimmering armor.
As the man's dazzling—literally—figure appeared, everyone present couldn't help but catch their breath.
___
There's a few advance chapters on my P@treon
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