On the Road to Becoming a Demon God: Come, Radiance of the King! / I'll Become a Demon God Too-The Solitary King's Way!

At this moment, the King of Conquerors stood with his back to everyone and spoke.

"This is the land my great army once rode across, the sight forever preserved in the hearts of the soldiers who shared both hardship and joy with me. This world, this landscape, came into being because it is the image held in all our hearts. Behold! My peerless army—whose bodies were destroyed, whose souls were summoned by the world as Heroic Spirits, yet who still remain loyal to me! The bond between them and me is my greatest treasure, my kingly path."

Then he turned to face them, spread his arms wide, and shouted proudly.

"This is my, Iskandar's, strongest Noble Phantasm—Army of the King!"

As soon as the King of Conquerors finished speaking, tens of thousands of soldiers roared in unison!

Lancer cried out in shock.

"These tens of thousands of troops are all Servants!"

The King of Conquerors lowered his arms, puffed out his chest, and shouted.

"A King is one who lives more brilliantly than anyone else, one who captivates all who see him."

"Indeed! Indeed! Indeed!" Tens of thousands of soldiers answered.

"Only one who gathers the admiration of every warrior and becomes the direction in which they advance is a King. Therefore, a King is not solitary. His great ambition is the sum of all his subjects' ambitions."

"Indeed! Indeed! Indeed!"

"Then let us begin, King Arthur, Lancelot."

Gilgamesh showed a trace of nostalgia and spoke solemnly.

"You truly are an interesting mongrel. If you survive this, then I shall personally see you off."

King Arthur rested on her sword and smiled.

"What a dazzling kingly path. But our paths are different, King of Conquerors! Come."

Rin hurriedly stopped both sides as they prepared to fight and said.

"Wait. At the very least, wait until the rest of us have left the center of the battlefield before you begin. And Lancer, stay behind and lend the King of Conquerors a hand. Kotomine Kirei, you won't refuse, will you?"

Kotomine Kirei looked at the three other Servants belonging to Rin beside Lancer, snorted coldly, and turned his head away. Could I even refuse in this situation?

Irisviel stepped forward excitedly and said.

"Even now, Rin Tohsaka, you still aren't reassured? Are you still playing your schemes to reduce the number of enemies?"

Rin Tohsaka rolled her eyes at Irisviel and replied irritably.

"Einsbern, I forgot to mention this earlier. Wasn't it your Einsbern family that caused the Grail's corruption after being eliminated during the Third Holy Grail War? You Einsberns have no right to say that. Besides, doesn't Lancer also look eager to join this battle? Rather than let it end in tragedy, why not let Lancer fight to his heart's content here—for his Lord, and for himself?"

Unaware of the truth, Irisviel processed the news in shock. As a Lesser Grail created only nine years ago, she knew nothing of what had happened in the Third Holy Grail War. When she learned that her own family had been the true culprit behind the Grail's corruption, and that her family had shattered Kiritsugu's dream, she looked at Kiritsugu sadly and whispered.

"I'm sorry, Kiritsugu. I truly didn't know."

Kiritsugu Emiya held Irisviel in his arms and spoke calmly.

"No, Irisviel, it isn't your fault. You don't need to apologize. This is only the Tohsaka family's claim for now. And even if it is true, the Grail may not be impossible to purify. Even if it doesn't work this time, we can still participate in the next Holy Grail War."

Rin looked at Kiritsugu Emiya and shook her head helplessly. Where did this guy get such a huge heart? Always talking about saving the world. Damn it, when did the world ever ask you to save her? Thinking that she herself was one of the people being represented, a chill ran through her heart.

Only then did Sola, who had been stunned ever since the Bounded Field appeared, react to Rin's words. Her face twisted as she glared at Rin.

"No! What right do you have to make Lancer join this battle? No! Kotomine Kirei, don't you agree? Lancer, you won't go, right?"

Rin shook her head and snapped her fingers at Semiramis behind her.

At the sound of Rin's snap, a cloud of purple poisonous mist instantly paralyzed Sola.

Kotomine Kirei hurried forward to support Sola, then turned and stared at Lancer. Damn Holy Grail War. Damn Servants.

"Kotomine Kirei, relax. I only had Assassin paralyze Miss Sola. Lancer, the decision is yours."

Lancer looked at his Lord, who was staring at him, then helplessly touched the tear mole beneath his eye. He dropped to one knee before Kotomine Kirei and said.

"My Lord, please permit me to join this battle."

Kotomine Kirei supported Sola with one hand and raised his left hand, bearing the Command Spells, with the other. As if freed from a burden, he used his remaining two Command Spells.

"Lancer, go. By the authority of the Command Spells, Lancer, strengthen your body. Lancer, strengthen your mana."

"By your command!"

Though the outcome was not perfect, it was still far better than the original course of events. Lancer shook his head helplessly, then thought, At least in the end, my Lord did not abandon me. That can be considered a decent ending for me. He picked up his twin spears and slowly walked to the King of Conquerors' side.

"Rider, it seems we will be fighting side by side this time."

"Ha ha ha! A warrior like you joining my side is naturally most welcome! Then come, King Arthur!"

Watching Rin and the others retreat from the battlefield, King Arthur pulled Excalibur from the ground. She glanced at the ready Lancelot beside her and shouted.

"Come, King of Conquerors! Knights of the Round Table, march!"

Devastating Conquest from Afar!

Come, Brilliance of the Kingly Path!

Amid the yellow sands filling the sky, King Arthur and Lancelot had already clashed head-on with Lancer, the King of Conquerors riding his chariot, and the tens of thousands of Servants.

As longtime partners on the battlefield, King Arthur charged at the forefront, cutting through the Servant army, while Lancelot guarded her at her side, blocking attacks from every other direction.

Relying on his formidable martial skill, Lancelot continuously seized weapons from other Servants and wielded them with ease. Swinging different weapons, he kept every Servant attempting to approach King Arthur outside his defensive perimeter.

Meanwhile, King Arthur's charge had been halted by Lancer. Their unfinished battle at Fuyuki City's docks began again here. King Arthur used both arms to deflect Balmung's thrust, then leapt backward to Lancelot's side.

"Sir Lancelot, can you still hold on?" King Arthur asked, seeing that Lancelot's shoulder wound had split open again from the intense exertion. At the same time, she swung her sword and forced back the pursuing Lancer.

Lancelot gripped the spear in his hand and swung it, driving back several Servants who had surrounded them. Then he looked at King Arthur with a brilliant smile.

"My King, I'm fine." At the same time, he hurled the spear in his hand, pinning a Servant to the ground.

Among the spectators, Rin watched King Arthur and Lancelot, who were completely surrounded, and said to Sakura.

"Sakura, use your last Command Spell. Help that big fool."

"Okay, Sister. By the authority of the Command Spells, Berserker, restore your stamina and mana."

On the battlefield, the fighting Lancelot also felt his connection with that little girl Master sever. At the same time, his stamina and mana nearly returned to their peak.

After knocking down a Servant with one punch, Lancelot seized a spear from another Servant beside him. Then he leapt up and joined King Arthur's battle against Lancer.

After forcing Lancer back with a thrust, Lancelot swung his spear forward and blocked Lancer, saying.

"My King, leave Lancer and all these men to your servant. My King, go and claim your glory."

King Arthur nodded solemnly, then leapt into the air and charged toward the King of Conquerors.

"Sir Lancelot, take care."

Watching his King carve her way out of the encirclement, Lancelot took a step forward and blocked the army from advancing toward the battlefield where King Arthur and the King of Conquerors would clash. Holding his spear horizontally, he shouted coldly.

"Come, Lancer! And all of you! So long as I yet live, none of you will take another step forward."

The King of Conquerors watched King Arthur race toward him, smiled, and raised the sword in his hand.

"King Arthur, you have a fine retainer. Come, let us settle this."

His chariot started with thunder beneath its wheels and charged furiously toward King Arthur.

The long battle had inevitably exhausted both sides and drained their mana. Lancelot in particular had truly reached the end of his rope.

By now, Lancelot had held off the vast army for more than ten minutes. The armor on his body had long since shattered after enduring too many attacks, revealing muscles covered in scars. Among the many old and fresh wounds, the most fatal was the one left by Lancer's Rhongomyniad.

Panting heavily and drenched in blood and sweat, Lancelot understood that he had reached his limit. His nearly exhausted stamina and the emptiness of his mana both told him that his journey of atonement was about to reach its end.

Gathering his last reserves of mana and strength, Lancelot launched one final charge at the army before him.

"My King, have you forgiven me?"

As Lancelot hovered on the brink of death, he seemed to hear his King's voice.

"Sir Lancelot, I have already forgiven you!"

Looking at his own body, pierced through by weapons, he slowly turned his head. Gazing at King Arthur's distant back, he smiled and turned into a streak of light, vanishing within the Bounded Field.

King Arthur swung her sword and forced back the King of Conquerors, then ceased her assault and turned toward where Lancelot had fallen. There was already no sign of Lancelot there, only the encroaching army. Then she turned back to the King of Conquerors, who had also stopped attacking, and said with a smile.

"It seems victory will soon be decided. King of Conquerors, do you know? I have already forgiven Sir Lancelot. It is a pity that I never had the chance to tell him. I hope there will be another opportunity someday. I have truly been happy this time—not only because I could fight heroes and Kings like all of you, but because I finally understood the path I truly must walk. And now, this is the end. Come, King of Conquerors. Let us decide this with one blow."

"Yes. To witness so many heroes and Kings from different eras at once has truly made this journey worthwhile. And to think that every one of us was played like a fiddle by a little miss—it has truly opened my eyes. Come, King Arthur."

At the edge of the battlefield, Rin turned to Kiritsugu Emiya and asked.

"The final battle is about to begin. Aren't you going to use your Command Spells?"

Kiritsugu Emiya looked at the five Command Spells on Rin's hand, shook his head, and said firmly.

"There is no need. Since I now know that Command Spells can be preserved, it would be better to save mine for the next Holy Grail War."

"Tch. Looks like you have no intention of giving up at all. But aren't you worried that I'll take them away?"

Kiritsugu Emiya glanced at the little girl beside him and silently lit a cigarette.

"You wouldn't do that." Yet he thought, Having arranged all this and wielding such power, you still chose to end things this way. A naive person like you would never understand my ideal.

Rin did not answer. She merely snorted and turned back toward the battlefield.

Facing the King of Conquerors, King Arthur used the last of her mana. Excalibur in her hand radiated golden light. She raised the sword above her head as shining golden particles continuously emerged from all around her and began gathering upon Excalibur.

Lancer stood beside the King of Conquerors and watched King Arthur's sword gravely. Seemingly having made up his mind, Lancer secretly stepped forward and stood in front of the King of Conquerors.

Gilgamesh crossed his arms and looked at King Arthur arrogantly.

"Come, King Arthur. Allow me to appraise the splendor of you as a Heroic Spirit."

"Light..." Waver murmured.

Irisviel understood that after Kiritsugu Emiya refused to use Command Spells to support King Arthur, this would be the final light radiated by King Arthur, the friend she had spent several days with. She could not help assuming a prayerful pose as she gave her friend one final explanation.

"Sparkling brightly... That sword truly connects the past, the present, and the future. It connects the lives of soldiers who withered away on every battlefield, the tragic yet noble ideals they held in their hearts at the moment of death. She takes pride in that faith and carries through that will to the end. At this moment, the ever-victorious King sings the true name of the miracle in her hand. That is..."

King Arthur stepped forward several paces, opened her eyes, and shouted.

"Excalibur!"

I shamelessly ask all you esteemed readers once again for—

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