Chapter 357

"Oh~" Li Pu tried his best to appear as if he was still very confident and said, "The Chain of Heaven."

"Is this all the skill of the King of Heroes, the King of Heroes?" Li Pu sneered. "Hiding in the dark to throw chains? This is neither the act of a hero nor that of a king."

Given Golden Flash temper, he definitely wouldn't tolerate such a sarcastic remark.

So...

Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and an oxcart smashed through the iron chains and charged rudely into the battlefield!

"Both sides sheath your swords! No disrespect is permitted before the King!"

Chapter Eight: Kings and Gods

The sudden appearance of the oxcart silenced the entire scene.

The tall, imposing Redhead roared with overwhelming force and heroic spirit, "Under the king's command, surrender your weapons!"

"Who are you?" Saber asked, taking a step back to protect his wife. "Could you be the King of Heroes the Foreigner spoke of?"

"King of Heroes?" The burly man in the red trench coat on the oxcart seemed to like the title. "Oh, that does sound like a nice title. But if you're talking about someone who ambushes others from the shadows, that's not something I'd do."

"He is not the King of Heroes." Li Pu over to Saber and said condescendingly, "If you were to describe him, you could actually call him the 'King of Conquerors'."

"This one is quite different from the King of Heroes." Li Pu landed and bowed slightly, saying, "Actually, if I had to say which king I admire more, I would definitely admire him! He is bold, upright, open-minded, and unconcerned with trivialities. Of course, he also possesses the domineering aura of a king! He truly deserves to be called the emperor of that era!"

"How is that possible?" The thin figure next to the burly Redhead man on the oxcart said, seemingly very surprised, "You can actually recognize Rider! Could it be that you're a hero from the same era as Rider?"

"A face I've never seen before." Rider looked at the girl who had fallen from the sky and instantly killed Lancer with a puzzled expression. "If she's a heroine from my era who knows me so well, there's no way I wouldn't know her."

It's highly unlikely that he wouldn't know her; she seems like a very powerful female hero. For her to recognize him so instantly means she's not just heard of him, but has actually seen him before.

"Who exactly is he?" Saber asked curiously from the side. "You seem to think highly of him."

To be favored by the Goddess —though the Goddess said she also favored herself, it was clear that her favor towards herself and this burly man was not the same. This made Saber even more curious about this strong man; who exactly was he to have won the Goddess's favor?

To be honest, Li Pu felt that although showing off was fun, sometimes he should still ask for other people's opinions, right?

In the early stages, if you can form an alliance with this king, it will be extremely beneficial to you!

"Hahaha~~" Rider laughed and said, "Since you know me, I don't mind if you reveal my name!"

"Iskandar, well, compared to the name 'Alexander the Great,'" Li Pu introduced, "Son of Philip II, King of Macedon, and a student of the famous ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. He was the former king of the Kingdom of Macedon, and later the emperor of the Alexander Empire, whose territory encompassed three continents. The territory he ruled was several times larger than your kingdom, Saber."

"Of course, from the perspective of later generations, Alexander the Great had heroic achievements as well as a regrettable ending."

"Early death and the ephemeral nature of the empire."

"An empire that was only a flash in the pan?" Saber seemed lost in thought, her tone ambiguous, whether mocking or regretful, as she said, "Can such a person truly be called an emperor?"

"Why not?" Li Pu countered. "To be honest, the three kings gathered here this time have some things in common and similarities. As for me, the King of Conquerors is much stronger than you. If you can be better, then the King of Conquerors is your ceiling. Of course, if you are not that good, then the King of Heroes, who has been hiding until now and has not dared to come out, is your floor."

That's pretty much it, and from Li Pu's own perspective Golden Flash, that's certainly true. Furthermore, Golden Flash's character isn't very likable; in the original world, there were tons of people who disliked him. Li Pu wasn't particularly fond of Golden Flash, but now, after being suddenly attacked by Golden Flash, he dislikes the guy even more!

"Lower limit? Oh, hahaha!" Rider laughed loudly, "If you can't even compare to a little girl, what kind of king are you? Do you even deserve to be called a hero?"

"What a laughable bastard!" Rider's laughter and Li Pu's comments made Golden Flash unable to hold back any longer! To hell with Tohsaka's schemes! He absolutely could not allow these guys to criticize him here.

Accompanied by that not-so-deep voice, which was filled with hostility, the golden figure, Golden Flash light, finally appeared where he was supposed to be.

On top of the streetlight.

"Two self-proclaimed kings and rats just showing up without permission." Golden Flash didn't care much about Rider and Saber. He turned his gaze to Li Pu was standing to the side staring at him, and said, "And you, you disgusting bastard! How dare you criticize me!"

"Oh?" Li Pu wasn't intimidated at all. "If I'm a mixed cultivator, then what are you? King of Heroes with two-thirds divine blood?"

The best way to deal with these kings is to confront them head-on! The braver you are, the more you provoke them, the more interested they will be in you. But if you are afraid and timid, they will definitely despise you even more.

Sometimes, "seeking life even in the face of death" refers to situations like this.

Besides, as Goddess, I might not necessarily die!

"A hybrid of a mongrel and a mortal..." Li Pu said, as if deliberately mocking, "Isn't that just a bastard?"

"You..." Li Pu's mockery left the arrogant Golden Flash speechless except for stomping out a streetlamp. He gritted his teeth and said, "Damn gods! You really are as annoying as ever! But as a god, you can actually descend to participate in the Holy Grail War, which means you can also be killed, right?"

"It seems that I can experience what it's like to slay a god."

"A god?" the short man next to Rider exclaimed in surprise. "You... Foreigner, are you a god?"

"If that's the case..." a weak but still strong voice interjected, "Then it explains why they know me, Rider, and Acher."

"You brought me this curse, wove my destiny, and pushed me towards a tragic end." Lancer forced himself to stand up and said, "You are the Goddess of Fate, aren't you?"

"I never imagined I'd actually be able to fight against the Goddess of Fate. Is this my way of fighting against destiny?"

Li Pu didn't answer, as if he didn't need to say anything more. Explaining or covering up would feel superfluous. It seemed like the way people were looking at him had changed.

"The Goddess of Fate?" Rider looked Li Pu up and down and kept saying, "She's actually a legendary Goddess. If she's a legendary Goddess, then it doesn't seem quite right to recruit her into my ranks."

"In that case, I have made my decision! Become my queen!"

"Goddess of Fate! I, the King, am willing to marry you and make you my Queen!"

Chapter Nine: God's Breakthrough

The atmosphere seemed to freeze.

Even Waver, who was supposed to be the real Queen, was taken aback by Rider's nonsensical statement. He stared at Rider dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.

At this moment, the night sky, which should have been clear, was suddenly covered with dark clouds, and a fierce wind swept across the sea, crashing against the dock. Streaks of lightning struck from the sky! In that instant, the world seemed to be on the verge of its end.

"What... what's going on?!" Waver was so frightened he was almost crying! He grabbed the Emperor's cloak and said, "Idiot! Idiot! What are you saying? Even if she's Goddess, she's still an enemy's Servant! It's over! It's over! It looks like the Goddess is angry!"

Kiritsugu, clinging to the top of the gantry crane, gripped the iron railing beneath him tightly.

"This Rider really dares to say that." Although he was in a sorry state, he was certain that he would be blown away if he let go. Because there was already an example of that.

Assassin.

He was crouching on the gantry crane next door, and since he was at the very edge and there was nowhere to hold on, he was swept away by the strong wind.

Kiritsugu was lucky, because the place he hid in had cover and a handrail. Otherwise, he might have been the next one to be swept away.

Although he wasn't blown away, he was no longer able to observe the battlefield situation.

"Maiya!" Kiritsugu pressed his walkie-talkie and said, "Can you hear me, Maiya?"

A distinct hissing sound and intermittent voice came through the earpiece, "The hissing isn't very clear, it's like communication is hissing..."

"What's the current situation with Lancer's Master?" Kiritsugu asked urgently.

"He's rustling, he's hiding, rustling, I'm rustling..." Maiya's voice was intermittent and not very clear. But you only need to know the core meaning.

Lancer's Master Kiritsugu has just been found, but he didn't make a move. It seems that he let him escape, and now he himself is in danger because he ran to a high place.

"This is truly unexpected. Is this the power of the Goddess?" Kiritsugu clung tightly to the crane, saying, "I never imagined that Rider could anger the Goddess of Fate with just a few words."

Fortunately, she was his Servant; otherwise, facing such a powerful enemy would have been extremely difficult.

"Foreigner!" Saber shouted, protecting his wife. "Foreigner! What are you doing?! Wake up!"

Only by truly approaching the Goddess of Fate can one feel the seemingly calm yet irresistibly powerful divine force emanating from her! Heaven and earth are enraged by her wrath. If the Goddess of Fate continues in this manner, the consequences will be almost unimaginable. She must be awakened!

"Foreigner!" Saber shouted, but received no response from the Goddess of Fate.

And the situation seemed to be getting worse. Even Golden Flash, standing on the lamppost, was gradually starting to lose his royal pride.

"Saber." The lady knew something was wrong. Although she wasn't a strategist, she seemed to sense something instinctively.

At this point, resorting to force would only make things worse, and having Kiritsugu use Command Spell would only have a temporary effect and wouldn't solve the problem.

And she and Saber, as Belldandy's allies at this moment, are the key to solving the problem.

"Saber!" The lady pushed Saber aside and said against the strong wind, "This is not about protecting me! Although I can't say it directly, I can feel the loneliness in the Goddess's heart! I don't know what to do, but I feel that this is not the time to calm things down and then care for her, but rather it is because we care about her that we calm things down."

It was loneliness! It must have been loneliness. What truly angered Belldandy wasn't Rider's words, but that loneliness.

Rider's words merely triggered this long-suppressed negative emotion.

Braving the strong wind, the Li Pu tightly from behind and said gently, "Belldandy, don't be sad, don't be angry. We are your friends. We will always care about you sincerely and will always stand with you and support you."

"Belldandy!"

Saber also stood in front of Belldandy and said, "I declare: In the name of a knight, I will protect the glory of the Goddess!"

Belldandy and his wife finally calmed Li Pu down, and the sky returned to calm. The lightning and thunder seemed to have never existed, and the only sound on the turbulent sea was the gentle lapping of the waves.

The previous mania seemed to have never existed.

"It's Honkai." Li Pu breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself, "That wasn't the power of the Goddess, but the power of Honkai! Or rather, divine power infected by Honkai."

Because her past self had become Herrscher, even without displaying Herrscher characteristics, the power of Honkai had taken root in her mind and body. Currently suppressed by divine power, she couldn't feel it, but the slightest mental lapse would cause it to erupt. Although the divine power was strong enough to suppress this Honkai energy and prevent Belldandy from becoming Herrscher herself.

However, if this back-and-forth continues for a long time, Li Pu himself will not feel good either.

And it was indeed breached just now.

"I'm fine," Li Pu said. "Thank you, my wife, thank you, Saber."

I was able to recover this time thanks to my wife and Saber.

'The power of the gods.' Golden Flash, arms crossed, maintained his superior posture as he looked down at Li Pu. Although he still maintained his imposing aura, he knew very well that directly confronting the gods, whether in the past or present, was not the best strategy. Even with two-thirds divine blood, he could only manage a draw against warriors created by the gods.

Going head-on to confront a real god doesn't necessarily give you an advantage.

But she's Goddess, and judging from what Rider just did, it seems there's another way to deal with Goddess.

"Belldandy ..." Rider said, stroking his chin as he spoke the name, "She is the daughter of the giant Norvi, the second of the three Jo sisters, the Goddess who governs the 'present.' She is also the embodiment of fairness and justice in legend, the Goddess who wields the law!"

"Yes, that's great!" Rider said, sounding quite pleased. "I've made up my mind!"

Rider, seemingly having forgotten everything that had just happened, or rather, not caring at all, loudly proclaimed, "My wish for this Holy Grail War is to marry you! Goddess of Fate Belldandy! I want you to be my queen!"

The emperor's declaration plunged the situation, which had just begun to improve, back into tension.

Even Lancer, who had just narrowly escaped death, was speechless at Rider. He spoke as if he had been through it all, saying, "Are you an idiot, Rider? Goddess's blessing is never just a blessing, it's a curse! And you actually dare to loudly proclaim that you want to marry the Goddess of Fate! She is the Goddess of Fate!"

"Goddess who writes the destinies of everyone," Lancer said. "You really dare to dream."

"So you really are an idiot!" Waver cried out in despair, "Goddess! Goddess! The real Goddess! You've already angered her once, and you still haven't shown any remorse!"

Oh no! If we didn't know the Foreigner's identity before, then continuing like this now is just suicide, isn't it?

It now seems that the Foreigner is definitely the strongest of all Servant. Either ally with her, or at the very least, don't fight her alone! Now that we've completely offended the Foreigner, there's absolutely no way out!

"Idiot!" Rider flicked Waver on the forehead and shouted, "I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors!"

"The so-called King of Conquerors is one who conquers everything he sees, goes, and thinks! If it is a warrior or a strategist, he will bring them under his command; if it is land, he will conquer it without mercy; if it is gold, silver, or beautiful women, he will take them all into his pocket! This is what it means to be King of Conquerors! If I do not conquer, I will be unworthy of the title 'King of Conquerors' given to me by the Goddess; if I do not conquer, I will be unworthy of the destiny that the Goddess has woven for me!"

"Therefore, Goddess! Especially the Goddess of Fate, are the objects of conquest!" Rider pointed at Li Pu and loudly proclaimed, "Since conquest is my destiny, then conquering the Goddess of Fate is my destiny!"

'Good heavens! This guy's logic is completely closed!' Li Pu was speechless.

"Belldandy." The lady was a little afraid that Li Pu would act like he had just done, and she couldn't help but call out her name with concern.

"It's okay," Li Pu said with a shrug. "Suddenly I feel like I've gotten used to it. It seems like no one cares about my feelings or thoughts. Iskandar isn't the first person to want to marry me."

"Thank you, Mrs. and Saber," Li Pu said gratefully. "Thank you for your concern."

"Iskandar!" Li Pu said, pointing at Rider, "Since you want to conquer me, then go ahead and try! Even if I have good feelings for you, whether you can conquer me depends on whether you're delusional or truly capable."

As soon as Li Pu finished speaking, a long sword suddenly fell from the sky and pierced in front of Li Pu.

'What is this?' Li Pu looked up at Gilgamesh standing on the street lamp. This thing must belong to Gilgamesh.

"The Dawn of Ruin," Golden Flash said haughtily, arms crossed, "This is my gift to you!"

"Huh?" Li Pu was a little confused. Wasn't this Golden Flash supposed to be a collector? What did he mean by this? Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious!

However, since the gift had come to him, Li Pu didn't hesitate to grab the sword hilt and say, "I'm afraid the gift isn't so simple, is it?"

Even if it's a sugar-coated bullet, she will not hesitate to take it down!

"Because I will take you into my treasury!" Golden Flash laughed and said, "The Goddess of Fate!"

"Only you, and only I, can become your husband!"

Chapter 10 Saber's Lancer

"Aren't you fighting for the Holy Grail?" Li Pu said, utterly speechless. "The Holy Grail! This is the Holy Grail!"

"This isn't Goddess competition! It's not!"