Under Fuyuki City's night sky, a great battle was quietly brewing.
After Archer's departure, both Saber and Rider keenly sensed that the moment for the final battle was drawing near.
This was a confrontation concerning honor and destiny. Three Heroic Spirits, two kings—they all understood that this battle would decide who gained the Holy Grail and reshape the course of their respective fates.
Especially Rider, Iskandar, the King of Conquerors. He knew that Berserker's first target would inevitably be him.
At that moment, he was driving the Divine Bull Chariot through the night sky above Fuyuki City with Waver, searching for the final battlefield.
"Waver, let's go over there."
"Where?"
"Hahaha, right there! Ha!"
Rider laughed loudly and snapped the reins. The Divine Bull Chariot streaked through the sky like black lightning, carrying them to a beach.
The beach, with February approaching, was lashed by piercingly cold winds. It was deserted, and the silence felt somewhat oppressive.
This was undoubtedly the ideal place for battle. At the same time, it held extraordinary meaning for Rider. He and Waver stepped down from the chariot and slowly walked across the sand.
The sea wind howled, rolling up wave after wave that crashed against their bodies.
Rider gazed at the churning ocean, his eyes deep and distant, as though they could pierce the endless waters and see the far shore beyond.
"The beach... this place..."
Waver murmured to himself. From Rider's gaze, he felt an intense obsession.
The contractual bond between Master and Servant had gradually allowed Waver to understand what Rider desired most deeply.
And Rider, Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, was most fixated on seeing what lay beyond the Sea of Dreams.
"Waver, remember this: even until the day he dies, a man must never abandon his dreams! Hahahaha!"
Rider's laughter echoed through the sea wind, bold and unrestrained.
"Rider..."
An indescribable emotion rose within Waver. Looking at the great king before him, his heart filled with respect.
Along with his hearty laughter and the surging roar of the waves, a powerful aura radiated from Rider.
That aura spread into the distance like tangible force, as if declaring to the opponent hidden in darkness: he was here, and this was the battlefield he had chosen.
That aura was keenly caught by Saber, far away at the Emiya Residence.
At that moment, Saber sat quietly with her holy sword planted before her, her gaze as calm as still water. She was waiting—waiting for the final battle.
She knew clearly that, given the current situation, Rider would most likely fall in this battle.
Shiki, the boy who was Lancelot's Master, had left a deep impression on Saber.
He was unlike Kiritsugu, and completely different from the other Magi.
His calm attitude when facing her, as well as his respect for Heroic Spirits, had earned her favor.
Moreover, his methods were astonishing. In barely more than two days, he had eliminated the powerful Archer. Saber did not believe Rider could defeat such an opponent.
Selfishly speaking, Saber did not want anything to happen to that boy.
The Avalon she had given him should be able to offer him some degree of protection.
At the thought of fighting Lancelot, the foremost warrior in martial skill, an uncontrollable excitement rose within Saber, and her fighting spirit burned like raging flames.
She had no overwhelming desire for the Holy Grail, and Irisviel had already been saved. Now, her greatest wish was to have a true duel with Lancelot, displaying her strength and honor in battle.
Lancelot, the Black Knight, also sensed Rider's aura.
"Master, I have detected Rider's aura. He is at the seaside in Miyamachi."
"The seaside? So he chose that as the battlefield? Fine. That saves us some trouble."
At the Black Knight's reminder, Shiki immediately changed course. Rather than passing over Shinto, he flew along the coastline toward that battlefield.
When Shiki descended from the sky and appeared before Rider, the two sides truly met for the first time.
Seeing Shiki's young face, Rider could not help being startled, despite having been mentally prepared.
"What a young Master."
Rider marveled inwardly. The boy before him looked as though he might not even be older than Waver. He was undoubtedly the youngest Master in this Holy Grail War.
Furthermore, he actually had the courage to take the battlefield alongside a Heroic Spirit. That boldness made Rider view him favorably.
Rider first laughed loudly, breaking the brief silence. "Hahaha, Berserker's Master, how about a drink before the battle begins?"
As he spoke, he pointed to a bottle beside him. He had prepared it beforehand, apparently wishing to ease the tension before battle in this unique way.
However, Shiki could only apologize for the goodwill.
On one hand, there was the issue of language communication. On the other, in this country, only those over twenty were permitted to drink.
Although that rule was often little more than decoration, Shiki had no intention of breaking it.
The Black Knight immediately served as a translator, ensuring that communication between both sides went smoothly.
"That is rather regrettable. Still, Berserker—no, I should say Lancelot—would such a loyal and valiant knight like to share a drink with this king?"
Rider turned his gaze toward the Black Knight, expectation in his eyes.
"It would be my honor, King of Conquerors."
The Black Knight did not refuse. The man before him was, after all, a king, and it was only proper to show him due respect.
Rider laughed heartily at the response, thoroughly pleased. "Come. Though our goals and wishes differ, we are all Heroic Spirits who came for the Holy Grail. We should share a drink."
"King of Conquerors, please."
The Black Knight raised his cup and drained it together with Rider.
After drinking deeply, the two Heroic Spirits smiled at one another and returned to their respective Masters.
That drink before battle seemed both an expression of mutual respect and a unique farewell before the cruel fight to come.
No one knew whose blood would be spilled across this beach after the battle.
Aboard his chariot, Rider was filled with heroic spirit. He raised his sword high and shouted, "My comrades! Tonight, let us drink deeply of battle's hot blood! Come forth, Army of the King!!"
With his cry, dazzling light blossomed from his sword. It spread like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing the entire beach.
His Noble Phantasm, his ultimate trump card, displayed its astonishing power for the second time in the Holy Grail War.
Shiki only saw a flash of white before his eyes. Then, the damp scent of the ocean vanished instantly, replaced by dry air that filled his nostrils with faint heat and sand.
When his vision returned, an endless desert stretched before him.
He had been transported from the beach to this unfamiliar land by Rider's Reality Marble.
"Reality Marble!"
Shiki marveled inwardly. This was a powerful form of magecraft that eroded the world and manifested the landscape of one's inner reality, normally something only powerful Magi could perform.
Yet Rider, a Heroic Spirit, had unleashed it so effortlessly. It showed just how formidable he was.
Shiki looked into the distance several kilometers away and saw dense ranks of soldiers. By his rough estimate, there were nearly fifty thousand of them.
Eighty percent were infantry, while the rest were cavalry.
The formation created by those soldiers was the historically renowned Macedonian Phalanx.
Shiki turned to the Black Knight with a smile. "Sir Lancelot, would you like to warm up first, or shall we end this now?"
"Master, for the sake of your health, allow me to first wear down Rider's strength before dealing with him."
The Black Knight knelt on one knee and spoke respectfully. He understood the danger of this battle and did not want his Master to bear too much pressure.
"So that's what you think. All right, then show me everything you have. Let me see Sir Lancelot's strength."
Shiki did not object. He understood that the Black Knight was thinking of him.
In a battlefield environment of such immense scale, wiping out Rider and his army in one stroke was indeed no easy matter.
"Master, please protect yourself well."
Having said that, the Black Knight slowly drew the Demon Sword from the void.
In an instant, his aura surged. Wild power, like a raging tide, trampled the desert beneath his feet and kicked up waves of sand dozens of meters high.
He shot toward the enemy army like an arrow released from a bow, moving at extraordinary speed.
Shiki hovered in the sky, silently watching the Black Knight's receding figure.
A thrilling battle was about to begin, and he would witness the Black Knight's valiant performance upon this battlefield.
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