My Fates Codex in Type-Moon

This move fully displayed Volumen Hydrargyrum's advantage of being able to change at will. This fluid-control magecraft was both precise and perfect, worthy of being called the ultimate secret technique that did not disgrace the prestigious El-Melloi family.

However, at the very instant Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald successfully unleashed this perfect magecraft, which exhausted both mental power and skill—his fate had already reached its end.

Please keep reading! Everyone, please flip to the last page before stopping so it counts toward the read-through data. Pretty please! (My King acting cute.jpg)

Bang, bang, bang bang bang!

Within the arena enclosed by magecraft barriers, two figures fought with utter abandon.

They had discarded weapons and magecraft, relying only on fists and feet, yet the clash was immensely fierce. The shockwaves they released even swept up the fallen leaves around them, forming miniature tornadoes.

Though he had inherited the physical abilities of the Heroic Spirit Emiya, D-rank strength was not beyond the reach of ordinary humans. Besides, Emiya himself had become a Guardian in the modern age, where Mystery had faded, so naturally he did not possess the overwhelming power of mythological heroes.

And his opponent happened to be Kirei Kotomine, a first-rate Executor of the Church who had practiced internal martial arts since childhood. With Sakutsuki deliberately holding himself back, there was no obvious difference between their physical capabilities.

The famous military treatise The Book of Five Rings devoted considerable space to explaining the importance of balancing "body and spirit" and "technique and mind" in training—the unity of mind, technique, and body, representing the completeness of one's cultivation.

Both Kirei Kotomine and Sakutsuki possessed unwavering wills. With little difference in the "body" aspect, only "technique" could determine who was superior.

And as it happened, the martial art they used came from the same school—Bajiquan.

His kimono had long since been replaced by a Spirit Dress. Sakutsuki took a deep breath and stepped forward, instantly closing the several-meter distance to Kirei Kotomine.

This was a footwork technique that silently glided across the ground to approach an enemy. Known as Living Step, it was one of Bajiquan's movement techniques.

Having trained since childhood, Kirei Kotomine naturally recognized the move. His expression remained unchanged as he took a step forward.

One foot stomped, then stepped forward and stomped again. Power rose from the heel, traveled through the waist, flowed through both arms, and burst from the fingertips.

This strike had a resounding name: Welcoming Sun Palm, one of Bajiquan's eight great secret techniques.

Facing the killing move, Sakutsuki immediately stepped back and twisted aside to evade Kirei Kotomine's attack. Yet the latter advanced with his right foot and drove a left straight punch toward his face.

"Don't hit people in the face, damn it!!"

Sakutsuki loudly complained as he leaned back to dodge. Yet the black-robed priest refused to let up, swiftly turning to the right, palm facing upward, and stabbing his left hand toward the golden-eyed youth's throat.

Bang! Sakutsuki raised his left arm to block, exerting force through his right forearm to knock aside Kirei Kotomine's killing move. Then he swiftly turned and launched a straight punch at his opponent's face.

Kirei Kotomine frowned and blocked Sakutsuki's attack with the same posture. He then retreated with Living Step, leaving the range of their close-quarters fight.

It was not that he could not defeat Sakutsuki. Rather, he had realized that this youth was using him as a sparring partner. Sakutsuki's increasingly refined Bajiquan was proof enough.

There was no better experience fodder than a fellow martial artist from the same school.

Though he had no idea where Sakutsuki had acquired Bajiquan that had form but no foundation, Kirei Kotomine could not allow his enemy to keep growing.

Then one strike would decide the victor!

His chest rose slightly as Kirei Kotomine softly chanted the incantation Tokiomi Tohsaka had taught him, Reinforcement Magecraft strengthening his entire body to a level comparable to a Heroic Spirit.

Enhanced by Reinforcement Magecraft, the man in priestly robes ran like thunder, transforming into a blur as he charged into Sakutsuki's guard. His hands struck in succession, one forward and one back, one left and one right.

Bajiquan secret technique, Twin Opening Fists!

Unlike Welcoming Sun Palm, Twin Opening Fists sent its two fists along separate trajectories, striking at Sakutsuki, who appeared caught completely off guard.

Though Bajiquan possessed enormous power, it only mattered if it hit its target. If it did not land, it was meaningless. The Type-Moon world had no concept of internal energy like martial arts novels did. Even Li Shuwen, the grandmaster known for "No Second Strike," might not be able to injure someone through empty space using only the force of his fists. That was precisely why Kirei Kotomine had decisively used magecraft to reinforce his physical abilities, intending to kill with a single blow.

But that also meant he had broken the rule of "competing purely through Bajiquan."

Then Sakutsuki naturally had no need for restraint either.

A diamond-shaped space passed straight through Kirei Kotomine. The next instant, the black-robed priest appeared high in the air, while the golden-eyed youth drew his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming the mana-laden projectile at his head.

"Since you want this game to end so badly..." His headscarf fluttered as Sakutsuki stared at the suspended Kirei Kotomine and mercilessly released the bowstring.

"Then farewell, priest."

The bursting blaze rose from Einzbern Forest like a miniature sun.

Turning his back to the flames, Sakutsuki casually put away his bow and walked toward Irisviel.

"Madam, please stand behind me." Maiya Hisau did not dare slack off. Dragging her heavily wounded body forward, she shielded Irisviel, only for Sakutsuki to impatiently brush her aside.

The killing intent faded, and his Spirit Dress dispersed. With his hands tucked into his kimono sleeves, the harmless-looking youth teased, "So, tell me about your thought process? Saber and I both warned you over and over, yet you still dared to stand in front of Kirei Kotomine. You're pretty brave, aren't you, Madam?"

"Well~" Irisviel covered her mouth and chuckled. Naturally, she would not say that this was an effort she and Maiya had made for Kiritsugu's sake.

"All I can say is that the human heart truly is mysterious."

For Kiritsugu's sake, she could risk her life—yet there were others besides herself who possessed the same resolve.

That answer had once made her feel so frightened and uneasy. But now, this fact made her feel deeply reassured.

Even if she was gone someday, someone would silently support Kiritsugu and keep him from losing his way, wouldn't they? (The main wife has spoken.)

Though Irisviel had spoken vaguely, Sakutsuki, who knew the plot well, still smiled helplessly. "Calling the 'human heart' mysterious... it seems you've become more and more like a human, Irisviel."

The next instant, Sakutsuki's instinct sounded an alarm, while Irisviel's expression abruptly changed before she blurted out.

"Watch out, Sakutsuki!"

Noble Phantasms rained down from the heavens like a sweeping golden storm.

And amid that torrential curtain of death, a crimson blur shot through the air. The petal-shaped shield behind him shattered inch by inch, yet it ultimately held until its master escaped the battlefield.

Having regained his fighting stance, Sakutsuki set Irisviel and Maiya Hisau down. Displacement Magic activated, teleporting them directly away. Then he turned to look at that unexpected golden figure.

"Hero King... Gilgamesh."

Standing atop a tree branch, Archer wore golden armor and crossed his arms, his serpent-like eyes brimming with mockery.

"I told you, didn't I, cook?"

"Do not be so impatient. At night, I shall naturally show you the majesty of a king."

I discussed it with my editor. The book will go premium this Friday. Since I have no experience, can any readers tell me how much I need to update on launch day for it to count as a massive update spree? (Brothers, be reliable.)

The golden king, the oldest Hero King, Archer, Gilgamesh.

On this night when storms converged, he had not joined the chaotic battle between Servants. Instead, he appeared before the Masters—before Sakutsuki.

But the golden-eyed youth did not panic. He merely raised his head and calmly asked:

"Where is Kirei Kotomine?"

"Hmph. Since I intervened, naturally he survived."

"Why did you protect him?"

"Are you joking, cook?" The golden king sneered. "A retainer's merits and faults should naturally be judged by his king. Since when was it your place to meddle!"

The plan to kill that pleasure-seeking freak in advance had once again failed. Sakutsuki's expression turned cold as well. Tilting his head, he wore a distinctly defiant look.

"Come to think of it, there's something I've wanted to ask for a long time..."

"Hm?"

"You're a king who died nearly five thousand years ago. How do you dare spread that antiquated, rotten-to-the-core kingly doctrine of yours all over the modern age? Do you simply want to protect your kingly pride, or do you believe that the development of human civilization after your death was beneath notice?"

"Do you look down on the progress civilization has made over these millennia?"

"Oh? You really dare say that?" The Hero King's expression chilled as layers of golden ripples spread behind him. "Mongrel."

Demoted from cook to mongrel, Golden Sparkle was clearly truly enraged.

Countless Noble Phantasms poured forth again, swallowing Sakutsuki's foothold whole.

Yet diamond-shaped spaces unfolded layer upon layer, devouring swords, spears, blades, and halberds like the gaping maw of a starving beast. The golden-eyed youth stood proudly upon the earth, meeting the gaze of the king from the past as he shouted:

"Why won't you answer me? Do you have nothing to say, Hero King Gilgamesh?!"

"In what capacity do you demand an answer from me, mongrel?" The golden king frowned and personally drew a short spike from his treasury, hurling it forth.

The short spike, engraved with unknown patterns, hung in the air and fixed space in place.

Thus, the diamond-shaped spaces shattered inch by inch. And as the golden tide surged forward, Rho Aias rose up, protecting the pure ground behind it.

His white hair was tossed into disarray, but the gold in the youth's eyes shone even brighter under its reflection. "I have never possessed any particular status. You can regard me as a cook, an older brother, a magecraft user, or even a king who rules himself... but before all that!"

The Mountain Cleaving Sword roared forth, piercing the frenzied storm of Noble Phantasms and flying straight toward Gilgamesh in the tree.

The century-old tree was crushed into dust. The Hero King in golden armor drifted lightly to the ground, standing on the same level as the youth.

"First and foremost, I stand as a human!" Sakutsuki raised his sword and charged at Gilgamesh.

"As a member of humanity that still endures today, I question the ancient king recorded in the earliest epics—"

The black-and-white blades cut down weapon after weapon, while the youth drew ever closer to the king who stood with arms crossed.

"In your eyes, does your kingly path surpass everything? Do you believe people must be divided into ranks, and that everyone must bow before a king's dignity?"

Faced with Sakutsuki, whose blade and words were both incomparably sharp, Gilgamesh's anger suddenly vanished for some reason. A faint smile even appeared on his lips.

"Humans of the modern age? Truly interesting... Since you have raised your weapon against me for such a reason, I have no choice but to show you the radiance of true sovereignty!"

The endless rain of swords came to an abrupt halt. Archer personally drew out a battle axe, and with only one clash, shattered the twin blades in Sakutsuki's hands.

"Then listen carefully, self-proclaimed modern human!"

The battle axe slammed heavily into the ground. The handsome King of Uruk abandoned his arrogant tone and proclaimed in a ringing voice:

"So-called status is merely an annotation to one's walk through this world. Is a shoeshiner destined to be dim beneath a king's radiance? No. Human lives have always possessed the same beauty!"

"But he is greedy, greedy for the king's wealth and splendor. He fears, fears the soldiers commanded by the king."

"Thus, he is lowly because of greed, and bows because of fear!"

"It is not because I force them to submit to me, but because they behold the king's radiance and willingly allow themselves to be commanded by me!"

"Remember this, Sakutsuki. My kingly path has never been oppression or tyranny. Uruk prospered because of me, understand? Only my will can rule all things, and only my existence can reign over all things!"

A deep forest beneath brilliant moonlight.

An emerald greatsword pierced the night, while golden radiance illuminated the darkness.

The ancient king stood upon the ageless earth of the planet, laughing wantonly at the sky.

The kingdom of the king had become history, but so long as he still stood here, Uruk would forever exist—because he himself represented that most ancient civilization.

Hero King Gilgamesh.

Such bearing, such will—those were the reasons he had been engraved upon the Throne of Heroes and become a Heroic Spirit.

Flowers of crimson flame bloomed one after another in the darkness.

This was the battlefield where three Servants fought bitterly. The stalemate between the swordsman, the lancer, and the berserker had already become a thing of the past. When Berserker drew two weapons from behind his back, the situation changed unexpectedly.

"Arrrr—!"

Explosions erupted alongside the roar. Lancer and Saber leaped back, and a barrage of sparks instantly flooded the nearby trees like a swarm of locusts. In the blink of an eye, the once-lush forest was reduced to ruined ash, leaving no trace of its former shape.

The acrid scent of burning gunpowder rushed into the nostrils of the two Heroic Spirits.

"That weapon is—" Saber was the first to recognize the weapons in Berserker's hands. They were the modern firearms her Master was most skilled at using, mechanical launchers regarded as mainstream weapons in the modern world.

Ordinary bullets should not have any effect...

Yet when the barrage of bullets swept toward them once more, both Saber and Lancer honestly kicked off the ground, rapidly widening the distance as they dodged the spewing fire.

Stray rounds that missed their targets blasted holes into the earth and tree trunks with unimaginable destructive power. Even Servants clicked their tongues at such force.

"Even we would suffer fatal injuries if we were hit, wouldn't we?"

"Is it because of Berserker's Noble Phantasm?!"

Though they had no idea where Berserker had obtained the guns, the mad knight in black armor held a modern firearm in each hand. Both the weapons and their magazines had been corroded by hateful mana, becoming vicious magical armaments capable of threatening Servants.

In a forest with no cover—or rather, where the cover was painfully fragile—Lancer and Saber, who used cold weapons, could not close the distance between themselves and their enemy, much less attempt a counterattack.

It was as though they had returned to the beginning. Under Berserker's fierce assault, the other two Servants could only keep moving, beginning a war of attrition on the level of mana.

But the deadly part was that compared to the expenditure Saber and Lancer incurred by constantly moving, Berserker only needed to pull the trigger—there was a world of difference in mana consumption, which also meant Berserker's Master had more mana to support his actions.