Awakening the Knight King

The herb's immortality immediately took effect, and powerful magic erupted within Gilgamesh's body. He stood up, his spiky hair falling down, and then he snorted coldly. In that instant, the golden armor he was wearing shattered, revealing his lithe physique and the outline of red battle patterns covering his body. This was the attire of Gilgamesh's mythological era, recreated in this era.

"Now, I will sweep away all the enemies in this state."

He stretched out his palm to feel his current state, and then asked Kirei Kotomine beside him.

"Kirei, what are the locations of the enemies that we can currently ascertain?"

"Berserker, Lancer, Rider, and Saber—except for Scáthach, we've got them all under our control. But since they've formed an alliance, they're probably not at their bases right now. If nothing unexpected happens, they should come looking for us."

Kirei Kotomine pondered for a moment before answering.

Currently, apart from Saber, the other Servant are all in groups, making it difficult to utilize the surprise attack effect.

"Hmph... Is that so? Then I'll wait for them here today."

Gilgamesh didn't think too much before speaking.

"Let's make some preparations here in advance, and wait for them to rush over and die. I want to see how a mere bunch of miscellaneous cultivators can stir up any trouble!"

"Fighting positional warfare here? Hmm, that's fine too."

The outer perimeter of the Einzbern Family's territory.

"... Well, Tokiomi Tohsaka is dead... no, he's not really dead, but he's practically dead. It seems that being betrayed by his student and being saved by Matou Kariya has been a huge blow to him. Kirei Kotomine has become the new Archer, and the battle between the Master has returned to square one. It's really a headache."

Sitting in the passenger seat of the sports car, Rovey rested his chin on his hand, pondering the current situation.

"Back to square one? Master, don't be so smug. Back then, you didn't have the Holy Grail, the Philosopher's Stone, or Avalon, let alone all those Command Seal."

Scáthach joked bluntly.

"In this Holy Grail War, you are undoubtedly the one who has benefited the most. While everyone else was fighting and scheming, you not only obtained the puzzle piece to complete your spell, but you have also separated yourself from the world and are almost beyond its reach. You can say that you have made a huge profit."

"Haha, that's true. It seems like I've been the beneficiary from beginning to end."

Hearing Scáthach's words, Rovey looked at her and smiled, but his expression remained uneasy, and a hint of worry flashed across his face.

"But I wonder how things are going with Professor Kenneth and the others? It's three against one. Even if they get counter-killed, with his skill level, escaping with Weber shouldn't be a problem, right? Besides, I've already asked Aoko to be there to provide backup. I hope nothing goes wrong..."

Rovey was still somewhat worried about Kenneth's suicide squad's plan to fight Gilgamesh.

Although he had made proper arrangements for his backup plan and was doing his best to weaken the opponent to balance the gap between the two sides, for some reason, Rovey still had a bad feeling.

It's impossible that the curse about Kenneth not surviving the Fourth Holy Grail War suddenly takes effect, causing Kenneth, whom he painstakingly protected from Emiya Kiritsugu, to ultimately die in the Holy Grail War without changing his fate.

"What are you worried about, Master? Even if the King of Heroes is the strongest and his Ea counters Rider, don't forget that the other team also has Fionn mac Cumhaill and Lancelot, who counter him. His treasury and divinity are both countered, so he shouldn't be wiped out without any resistance, right? Besides, didn't you already take away their trump card?"

Scáthach pointed to the row of Command Seal on Rovey's arm.

In her opinion, Rovey was being somewhat overly worried. Even if Gilgamesh strong, he was still just one person, while Kenneth had three top-tier Servant on his side. How could they be defeated so easily?

"I hope so, but I have a bad feeling about it."

Upon hearing this, Rovey nodded slightly, his mood calming down somewhat.

Although he didn't know where that premonition came from, all he could do now was pray that they wouldn't die too horribly. After he dealt with Saber, they would be the ones facing the King of Heroes.

Since that's the case... let's just focus on doing what's in front of us well.

After all, the faster you try to get things done, the greater the chance of things going wrong.

"Scáthach, I'm counting on you from now on."

As the two chatted, the sports car drew ever closer to the Einzbern castle, and Scáthach's emanating magic practically announced their arrival.

Seeing the outline of the castle in the distance, Rovey smiled slightly, then spoke to Scáthach beside him, offering a reminder.

"Scáthach, unless I'm about to be killed by King Arthur, please don't personally help me, okay?"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing Rovey's reminder, Scáthach raised an eyebrow, a meaningful smile appearing on her beautiful face.

"Hahahaha... I didn't expect you to be serious, Master. Are you really going to fight Saber all by yourself? That really surprises me. But since it's your request, I certainly have no reason to refuse."

"..."

Rovey: "While I appreciate your understanding, I always feel like you just want to see me get beaten up."

"I do have that thought, but... Master, do you know Land of Shadows I love most is seeing humans create miracles through their own efforts? And you... can you create one for me?"

As she spoke, Scáthach gripped the steering wheel with one hand, then turned her head to look seriously at Rovey beside her, before asking with a smile, her crimson eyes filled with anticipation and curiosity.

She knew that although her Master was sometimes a bit nagging and irresponsible, he was by no means someone who liked to court death or spout nonsense.

To date, he has fulfilled every promise he has made.

Now that he is going to face the Sword Heroic Spirit alone, it means that he has a certain degree of confidence in his actions.

Now that her Master has shown such resolve, what reason does she have not to agree? She can simply offer her silent support; she also hopes to witness an interesting drama.

"Of course, after all, aren't miracles created by humankind?"

Looking intently into Scáthach's beautiful eyes, Rovey smiled and nodded in response.

"—All people are like stars."

"All of them are stars, that's really true~"

"Wait, stop staring at me and watch where you're going, Scáthach!!"

Before Scáthach could say anything more, Rovey suddenly realized that the other person was driving. He looked at Scáthach, who was smiling at him, and hurriedly grabbed the steering wheel and shouted.

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot I was driving."

"Haha, but Master, isn't driving hands-free romantic too? Driving freely, isn't that nice..."

"You big idiot!"

Laughter and cheerful voices echoed along the winding road.

"Hmm, this is really interesting..."

Meanwhile, in the distant Starry Sky, a white figure couldn't help but sigh upon witnessing this scene.

"You actually get along so well with the Queen of the Land of Shadows. You're becoming more and more unfathomable."

As she spoke, her colorful eyes suddenly turned to look into the distance.

Having traversed mountains, cities, and oceans, and crossed countless years, it once again landed upon that petite figure from a thousand years ago, with whom it had once played pranks.

"Artoria, my king... I hope this time I can awaken you."

"He will free you from that nightmare called the destruction of Britannia."

With a slight sigh, the voice gradually grew fainter and fainter, finally disappearing completely into the white tower of the amusement park, silently echoing in the unknown realm.

He stopped speaking and simply watched quietly as the future might unfold.

At the same time, wait and hold onto hope.

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Awakening the King of Knights (7,500 words)

As night fell, the moon was bright and the stars were few, and crows flew south.

A light mist hung in the air, the moonlight was cool, the stars were bright, and occasionally a few black ravens could be seen flying over the forest outside the castle, their eerie cries echoing from afar.

Crack!

Under the moonlight, the small animals that lived around the castle scattered in panic, leaving the forest far behind. Even some drivers passing by and people who had started jogging on the road at night subconsciously left the area, making the already somewhat remote castle area even more deserted.

Just as the last passerby instinctively ran in the opposite direction, Rovey emerged from the cold forest, followed by Scáthach, a beautiful woman with flowing purple hair, stunning looks, and an almost bewitching aura, wearing a stylish trench coat.

"Mission accomplished. The last few irrelevant people have also left. That way, there won't be any unwanted people bothering us later."

After using the raven familiar to survey the surrounding area, Rovey Wei slightly opened his eyes and calmly delivered his conclusion.

"Yes, there are indeed no irrelevant people around here, or more accurately, even irrelevant animals are gone."

Scáthach nodded, then looked at Rovey with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"Master, even at such a critical moment, you still have to go through the trouble of setting up a barrier to disperse bystanders? You really are a stickler for the rules."

"What else? Just go in and start fighting? That would not only lead to the leak of secrets, but also drag innocent people into it. The grievances should be directed at the perpetrators, and the debts should be settled with the perpetrators. We only need to target Saber and her Master. There is no need to do anything like indiscriminately killing innocent people."

Rovey shook his head, then looked up at the night sky above. "Besides, I believe you've already noticed, haven't you?"

"Yes, of course."

Scáthach nodded, then looked at the castle, which was only a few hundred meters away, and calmly stated her conclusion.

"It seems they anticipated our arrival and took some precautions in advance. For example, the magic power of this land is constantly converging towards the castle, transforming it into a Magic Workshop. So no matter how much we cause trouble outside, they haven't come out on their own, and Emiya Kiritsugu hasn't shown up either."

"Yes, whether it's the aura he deliberately emitted along the way or setting up a barrier to dispel evil spirits right in front of someone else's castle, it's all tantamount to a provocative act of entering someone else's territory. But even so, Mr. Emiya Kiritsugu still hasn't shown up. So, what do you think that means?"

After thinking carefully for a moment, Rovey asked Scáthach a question.

"Are you asking me, Master?"

"Um."

Rovey nodded, and then he heard Scáthach reply from beside him, "Well, this situation isn't hard to understand. After all, the plan has already been exposed. Given the specific amount of combat power we control, choosing a simple and brutal approach is naturally the most effective. So the other side guessed our troop deployment and took countermeasures."

"The only options they can take are to fight or to flee. The current situation clearly indicates that Emiya Kiritsugu seems to have chosen the second option."

After all, she was the Queen of the Land of Shadows had lived for countless years, the ruler of the Dead Kingdom in Celtic Mythology, and the one who commanded countless warriors. With her rich experience and life wisdom, Scáthach analyzed the battle situation almost immediately and gave a decent answer.

"You mean to say that Emiya Kiritsugu most likely escaped?"

Rovey thought about it and did not agree with Scáthach's point of view, but he did not deny it either.

"It can't be guaranteed, but I feel that the possibility is very high. After all, in this situation, running away is also a tactic."

"Escaping may be shameful, but it's very useful."

"That's true, but there are still some things that are not right. You have misjudged Emiya Kiritsugu's determination."

Rovey shook his head slightly, then explained, "Even if running away is useful, it's only in the case of a protracted war. Tonight, it's not just us; Gilgamesh's side is also determined to engage in a decisive battle. At this point, running away is too late."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Hearing what Rovey said, Scáthach felt a little curious.

"It's simple. Because he's been constantly losing and always on the weakest side, Emiya Kiritsugu's situation is now extremely dire. His only trump card is probably the Lesser Grail, Irisviel. But this Lesser Grail can't be activated directly. To make it a medium to connect with the Greater Grail, a sacrifice is naturally essential, and the sacrifice required for the Lesser Grail is..."

Rovey smiled and looked into Scáthach's eyes, then continued, "Your souls, so..."

"At this time, Emiya Kiritsugu must do his best to speed up the completion of the sacrifice, so that the Lesser Grail will descend sooner. The best way to do this is to intensify the battles between the Servant and gather the sacrifice as quickly as possible. This way, he can secretly carry out his plan and deceive everyone."

Scáthach and Rovey exchanged a glance, and then they both realized the answer to the question.

"So, since Emiya Kiritsugu determined to bring about the arrival of the Greater Grail, this castle is naturally not going to be empty. And isn't it already quite obvious who is waiting for us inside?"

"... Yes, you're right, Master. Now I know who's inside the castle."

Scáthach thought about it and realized that Rovey's idea was correct.

"In that case, let's go in and pay a visit, and say hello to that poor, weak, and helpless old friend."

As soon as he finished speaking, Rovey strode to the gate of the castle. He then stopped concealing his powerful magic and his gaze narrowed slightly as a burst of blue magic suddenly erupted out.

As the Alchemy Array beneath his feet suddenly activated, a blurry blue figure abruptly appeared in front of him.

"...This is?"

Under Scáthach's slightly surprised gaze, the blue figure in front of Rovey began to move. The six phantom wings behind him spread slightly, instantly stirring up an extremely violent storm around them.

"Please, Raphael."

Immediately after Rovey raised his palm, the blue figure directly in front of him, named Raphael and symbolizing the Front Seat of the Wind, also raised its own palm made of wind elements, and then chopped down in sync with Rovey's movement.

--brush!!

The cyan palm touched the city gate without any hindrance, and the dazzling magic power and the cyan vortex collided in that instant.

The sharp wind blades, composed of dark blue, contained terrifying power and authority. In the very instant after they appeared, the castle gate, reinforced with steel and Magecraft, was easily sliced open as if it were tofu.

The wind is unrestrained, and the wind element is the most unpredictable of the four elements. When faced with the fusion of the wind spirit Sylph and Raphael, the archangel in the Christianity who is in front of the Lord and in charge of the wind, this iron gate is as useless as nothing.