The king from the ancient past narrowed his eyes, his crimson serpent-like pupils fixed tightly on Sakutsuki as he said:
"In my eyes, this thing is like a spiked club placed in an infant's hands. It has no use beyond smashing its own head bloody."
"Answer me, cook."
"Why would humans of this era do something so laughably foolish?"
Faced with Archer's questioning, Sakutsuki merely gave a cold laugh.
"Don't get it wrong, Hero King. 'Gods' will never vanish, because at their core, they are things stronger than humans, things humans cannot understand. That is why people revere them as 'gods,' with both fear and respect."
"And what is laughable is this—no matter how humanity develops, aren't they all pursuing such things?"
Refilling his cup, Sakutsuki stared blankly into the wine and murmured:
"Your great deeds merely made 'gods' more controllable, more human."
"MK-24, the Atlas Institute's forbidden research, the Tsar Bomba, the Five True Magics that shattered order, the artificial intelligence of the future... The authority to destroy the world has never disappeared. People merely seized it from the hands of gods."
"Even Ultimate Ones have once been trampled beneath humanity's feet, have they not?"
"Interesting. You do not deny the existence of gods, Sakutsuki?"
Archer folded his arms, his meaningful gaze seeming capable of piercing through anyone's secrets.
"Since you refused to judge Saber's past, what verdict can you offer this king regarding the modern age?"
At that, Sakutsuki smiled faintly.
"If gods must exist, then... why can't that god be me?"
Clang!
The wineglass struck the table heavily. Rider seemed wholly unaware of his lapse in composure, his blazing eyes fixed on Sakutsuki as though he wished to tear away his false mask and see the heart hidden beneath the mist.
Even the King of Conquerors, who