Desperate Predicament and Reversal

"It's fine, Lancer. A few useless Assassins are nothing. How could they possibly hurt a Lord like me? It's just..."

"Assassins, it seemed you were having quite a good time just now..."

Killing intent showed in his eyes, making even Fionn mac Cumhaill, who had just been summoned back, glance sideways.

"A golden Lancer? You're actually the Master of two Lancers?!"

At the sight of Fionn mac Cumhaill appearing, Hundred-Faced Hassan, who had been brimming with confidence, suddenly narrowed her eyes. An ominous feeling immediately rose within her.

"But do you think one Servant alone can protect you from us, Magus!"

Looking at Fionn mac Cumhaill before her, she hesitated somewhat, but she was not easily intimidated. After all, she was also the leader of the Assassins' Order—one of the successive Hassans.

Unfortunately, under the Command Seal's forced order, she had clearly failed to properly assess the gap in strength between the two sides, nor had she understood why Kenneth had suddenly become so confident.

"Hahaha, it seems you truly understand nothing... Assassin, I pity you and your Master for your stupidity."

Covering his face, which had become somewhat disheveled from his earlier escape, Kenneth's killing intent was nearly tangible as he coldly addressed the Hassans before him...

"Now it is time to send you off the stage, you despicable Assassins!!"

Bluffing?

Looking at Kenneth before her, Hundred-Faced Hassan could not help but entertain that thought.

After all, once they swarmed forward after releasing their Noble Phantasm, even Fionn mac Cumhaill, a godslayer, could not kill them all in a short time.

As long as they seized the opportunity in that gap and killed Kenneth, their mission would be complete. Victory was not impossible, but...

The next moment, a terrible thought suddenly rose in their hearts.

Almost the instant Kenneth's words fell.

A deafening horn suddenly rang in their ears, followed by the sounds of slaughter erupting all around them.

"—Hahahahahaha!! Come, tell this King: what is conquest?!"

Finally, accompanied by hearty laughter, a bright voice from nowhere issued a question that struck directly at their souls.

"What is the kingly path?!"

The next moment, yellow sand filling the sky swallowed the entire world in an instant.

Desperate Straits and Reversal

—That voice that pierced deep into my heart was like cheering that never ceased.

"—Hahaha!!"

Under the night sky, just as Hundred-Faced Hassan activated her Noble Phantasm and prepared to fight Fionn mac Cumhaill to the death in order to forcibly eliminate Kenneth, that enormous threat, blue lightning accompanied by laughter rolling like thunder began ringing out from the heavens.

On the chariot, Iskandar gripped the reins tightly in one hand while raising the Sword of Cyprus high with the other—a sword symbolizing his achievements, presented by the king of Cyprus. Throwing back his head, he laughed freely. "My name is Iskandar, the King of Conquerors fated by destiny! Now tell this King, what is conquest—?!!"

Amid surging thunder, a deafening question echoed throughout the night sky from above. That bright voice instantly blanketed the entire battlefield, even the whole district.

Even though Tokiomi Tohsaka had arranged for people to evacuate the area in advance, and even though spells to drive away ordinary people had long been set up around them, they still lost their effect beneath that loud laughter spanning a thousand years.

Under that resounding voice, pedestrians by the roadside stopped one after another. Hearing the impassioned cry, they raised their heads to look toward the blue arc in the sky. Their hearts were stirred by the fervent voice, and their blood began to boil.

Their imaginations ran wild...

King of Conquerors—what an awe-inspiring title.

The King of Conquerors who had once swept across Europe was now announcing his return to the world in this manner.

"That idiot! Making such a grand entrance, what exactly is he trying to do?"

Listening to Iskandar's loud proclamation atop the ruins, Kenneth frowned. He was clearly extremely dissatisfied with such ostentatious behavior.

This was the Holy Grail War, after all. Those beings who had lived in the past had long become history, legends, mysteries—existences this modern world could neither accept nor understand.

Since that was the case, then as mysteries, they should obediently follow the rules of mystery. They should not appear before ordinary people, and simply bring everything to an end in silence. What use was there in making such a spectacle now, other than causing trouble for themselves?

As a Lord of the Clock Tower and the leader of the El-Melloi Faction, he could not tolerate such a serious leak of mystery in a magical ritual he was participating in. Thus, Kenneth once again felt like he was having a stroke over Iskandar's absurd actions.

After witnessing that red-haired gorilla's various antics, even the anger he had once felt over Weber stealing his Sacred Relic had completely vanished.

The King of Conquerors was powerful, but he was absolutely not a Servant suited to him. If he truly had to work with that red-haired gorilla, they would start fighting each other before anyone else even made a move.

"Rider! What are you doing? Won't shouting like this drag ordinary people into it?! It's over, it's over! If you keep causing trouble like this, Professor Kenneth must be furious by now!"

Kenneth was not the only one below who was anxious. In the sky, Weber, clutching the chariot's handrail, was equally frantic.

"And who exactly are you asking? There's no way anyone here can answer you..."

He could not understand whom Iskandar was asking. There was nothing here but the sky, the earth, the enemies below, and himself at Iskandar's side. Who could possibly answer that question?

The sky? The earth?

Or perhaps... himself?

Suddenly, Weber seemed to realize something. He turned back toward Iskandar and saw that the other man had turned around, smiling at him.

"Hold tight, kid. Feel what true vastness is!!"

There was no time to say anything else. The next instant, fierce winds rose and yellow sand filled the air—

In the span of an instant, the chariot transformed into a bolt of lightning and dove down from above, carrying the phantom of an entire world as it crashed fiercely into the battered battlefield below.

"What is this?!"

Hearing the roar from the horizon and feeling that enormous magical energy rapidly approach, the hundreds of Assassins on the battlefield below seemed to realize something. They all raised their heads, terror showing in their eyes. Even their advancing steps could not help but halt.

The approach of an overwhelming threat filled them with panic and unease.

In only an instant, death was already beckoning to them. The evening bell that lay silent within the Valley of Shadows now tolled for them!!

"Lemon Head, I've kept you waiting. Now let this King show these despicable wretches what conquest is, what dominance is, and what the power of the King of Conquerors is!!"

Accompanied by one final roar.

Iskandar raised his arm and shouted. Terrifying magical energy immediately sealed off the entire battlefield. The next moment, the world changed. The ruins of the building ravaged by Emiya Kiritsugu's artillery fire vanished, replaced by a world shrouded in yellow sand.

Countless howling gales suddenly rose around them. Looking up, they saw endless elite soldiers at the edge of the world, with no trace remaining of the ruins from moments ago.

This was a Noble Phantasm, and also magecraft. Its name was—Reality Marble.

It was a form of magecraft capable of materializing one's inner landscape. It was a powerful technique that a Magus could only possibly acquire after reaching the pinnacle of their craft. Once activated, it transformed the surrounding space into an entirely different landscape. The materialization of an inner landscape meant that a Reality Marble replaced oneself and the world without changing the boundary between them. At that moment, the scale of oneself and the world was reversed, and the world was completely enclosed within a tiny vessel. This tiny world was called the World Egg, and it became the name of the theory.

According to records, Reality Marble was originally an ability only spirits and demons could wield. Yet through the long development of magecraft capable of creating a personal inner world, some high-ranking practitioners had made the construction of a "Reality Marble" possible. Even so, Magi capable of wielding this grand magecraft that changed the world were exceedingly rare, even across the entire world.

That was why Kenneth and Weber were so horrified to discover that Iskandar, that red-haired gorilla who did not even look suited to Caster, possessed a skill like Reality Marble.

He... no matter how one looked at him, did not match terms like "supreme achievement in magecraft," did he? Weber had originally assumed Iskandar's Noble Phantasm was probably the Gordius Wheel. He had never expected him to possess such a completely mismatched trump card.

However, Weber, who had always remained at his side, had also noticed some clues.

When Iskandar deployed his Reality Marble, unlike a Magus, he did not chant a spell. He merely raised his arm and shouted, completing the activation directly. Rather than magecraft, it was more accurate to call it an ability.

As for the principle behind this technique, even Iskandar himself, its owner, could not explain it clearly.

He only needed to know that using this technique allowed him to recreate the conquests of his past. That was enough.

Yellow sand filled the sky, and the ancient battlefield appeared once more in this world.

Within the Reality Marble—the King of Conquerors' own inner world—the battlefield where he had once swept across heaven and earth was recreated.

The Assassins trapped within would be regarded as enemies, while he would lead his invincible army to begin a brand-new conquest here.

Its name was...

"—Ionian Hetairoi!! Hahaha, come! Let a new conquest begin!!"

Iskandar leaped down from the chariot, mounted his warhorse, and laughed heartily.

He was a king, a conqueror, and a ravager. Only conquest could bring him the purest joy.

For that, even if he had to pay with his life, even if he had to shed blood, he would continue forward and continue conquering, because his essence was...

A conqueror!!

In the world of endless yellow sand, an imposing army stretching beyond sight stood ready behind Iskandar. The boundless pressure made the Assassins, completely dragged out from the shadows and exposed beneath the blazing sun and sands, feel every hair on their bodies stand on end.

Not one more, not one less.

Because of Kirei Kotomine's Command Seal, every one of Hundred-Faced Hassan's duplicates had been caught in Iskandar's Noble Phantasm and trapped within this sealed battlefield.

This was an arrangement Rovey had prepared in advance. Though Hundred-Faced Hassan was not particularly strong, her inability to be killed was far too troublesome. If left alone, she might have ruined the plan. Therefore, this Assassin had to leave the stage today. While Scathach held Artoria back, Iskandar, who possessed a Reality Marble, was undoubtedly the best executioner.

Tokiomi Tohsaka had been too hasty. He had actually dared to cooperate with Emiya Kiritsugu.

And without fully investigating the situation, he had dared to join others in launching an attack on Kenneth's stronghold.

He had never imagined that the forces gathered here had already become the largest group in the Holy Grail War.

Not to mention Assassin and Saber, even if Gilgamesh came today, he might still meet his end here without prior preparation.

Two godslayers, along with the King of Conquerors, who had just been restored to full strength through connection to the Mana Furnace—equivalent to three exceptional Servants.

Not to mention Lancelot, who was still on his way.

This could be called a certain-kill trap. As long as they harbored misgivings, whoever came would die.

—Rumble!!

"Kill!!!"

The sounds of war drums and slaughter rang without end.

Under Iskandar's command, the endless soldiers of Ionian Hetairoi launched a fierce charge at their enemies.

Countless cavalry and phalanxes of spears shifted without pause, surrounding the Assassins at the center from all directions before launching their ravaging assault.

There was no suspense whatsoever beneath Iskandar's terrifying power.

In only a few short minutes, around the sole female Assassin standing blankly in place, every Hassan duplicate had been pierced through by spears and hung in the air. At that moment, every Hundred-Faced Hassan except her had been slaughtered without the slightest ability to resist.

A warhorse charged through the yellow sand, its blade aimed in her direction. Iskandar mounted his beloved horse once more and swung his sword at the only one still capable of fighting...

At that moment, she was the only one left in the world.

Countless soldiers stopped behind him, cheering for their king and erupting with overwhelming might.

"Farewell, Assassin."

The crimson-clad king arrived in an instant. The Sword of Cyprus in his hand descended fiercely, a cold gleam flashing through the air as it effortlessly severed the final enemy's head.

Thus, Assassin—Hundred-Faced Hassan—was the first to leave the stage.

"King!!!"

"King, King!!!"

"King of Conquerors!!!!"

For a time, the army's cheers behind him grew even more fervent.

Having dealt with his opponent, Iskandar turned to look at his soldiers, his generals, his comrades, and...

His little Master. A brilliant smile appeared on his face.

He beckoned Weber over, then rode swiftly to his side.

"Kid, what do you think? This is this King's kingly path, this King's conquest, and this King's power!"

He lowered his head and calmly gazed into Weber's eyes, which had been stunned by the charge just now. "Did you feel the pursuit in this King's heart?"

"I..."

Looking at Iskandar, then at this vast world.

Even Weber's heart had long been stirred at this moment.

"I saw it... Here, I felt the world's furthest reaches... I saw... a broader heaven and earth."

He murmured his reply. It seemed that some shackle in his heart had silently broken as he witnessed such a magnificent sight.

At this moment, he felt an unprecedented lightness throughout his body.

"A broader heaven and earth? Hahahaha, well said, little Master. Your wish is finally no longer something as petty and humble as proving yourself or pleasing others!"

Hearing Weber's answer, Iskandar, already in high spirits, laughed heartily once more.