Mikaela headed toward Diarmuid. He had already returned to his original appearance and was preparing to see how things were going over there.
In the original Holy Grail War, when Diarmuid fought the Knight King—Artoria—it drew the attention of most of the Servants and Masters, though it was not the first battle between Servants.
Yet that battle had opened the curtain on the Holy Grail War. Most of the Servants and Masters revealed themselves, and everyone got to "know" one another.
But the battle that should have opened the curtain had been cleverly avoided by Mikaela. He had not stubbornly fought Diarmuid to the bitter end, instead promptly "backing down" and forcing Diarmuid to return to his lord's side by ambushing his Master.
Perhaps even the "spectators" found his disgraceful, hasty retreat unpleasant to watch. The King of Conquerors did not drag his "queen" out to mock everyone and lure out Gilgamesh and Lancelot.
However, the current campaign against Caster would likely become an opportunity for him to meet every Servant and Master in this Holy Grail War.
Right now, Mikaela could only hope that no organization like "Chaldea" appeared, and that Waver summoned the King of Conquerors rather than summoning his future self...
"Not many people know Assassin has withdrawn yet. The Holy Church still holds a certain amount of authority, and the reward it offered is a Command Seal. As long as Waver isn't an idiot, he definitely won't pass up this chance."
Mikaela's eyes shifted as he hurried toward the site of the battle. It seemed Diarmuid had encountered Caster and was currently fighting him.
It seemed Caster had not gone too far from Ryunosuke this time. Instead, he was preparing fresh troops for this Holy Grail War within his workshop.
Originally, Diarmuid had planned to kill the sea demons Caster had stationed around Ryunosuke, rescue the kidnapped children, then kill Ryunosuke and draw Caster out.
But now, that plan seemed to have failed. The battlefield had expanded considerably. Even from some distance away, Mikaela could sense that Diarmuid's situation did not seem very good.
"Hm?" Mikaela suddenly seemed to sense something. He crushed a card, and Oath of Judas appeared behind him. His gaze turned toward the rear, where something seemed to be charging at him.
A thunderous roar rang out as an ancient chariot came rushing over amidst lightning. Looking closely, the beasts harnessed to it were not powerful warhorses, but muscular, sturdy bulls. Their hooves trod upon empty air as lightning surged around them, pulling the chariot forward.
Two figures stood atop the chariot. One was a massive, red-skinned man overflowing with muscle. With a smile on his face, he looked like a king personally riding into battle. Looking at Mikaela, who carried a cross on his back, he laughed. "Yo! You must be Saber. Judging by the looks of it, are you headed to subjugate Caster too?"
"!!!!!" Mikaela looked at the King of Conquerors in surprise. The man had identified his class in a single sentence! But wait, wasn't there still one unrevealed Servant left—Berserker?
Why was he so certain Mikaela was Saber?!
"Let me introduce myself. My name is the King of Conquerors! Iskandar. I have participated in this Holy Grail War and obtained the Rider class."
Just as in the original story, he had revealed both his true name and class the moment he appeared. He seemed like a reckless, forthright middle-aged man, leaving people speechless while somehow making them lower their guard.
But... was that really the case?
Mikaela looked calmly at the King of Conquerors. He did not believe the man before him was truly "reckless."
"What the hell are you thinking, you idiot?!" The King of Conquerors' Master, the future workaholic Waver Velvet, wore an expression of utter despair as he shouted, "Who reveals their true name the instant they show up?!"
No one exposed their true name at the beginning, because true names were crucial in a Holy Grail War. Just like Mikaela, he knew the innate abilities and Noble Phantasms of every Servant in this war. Though he would not say so, this allowed him to avoid many dangerous situations and gain the greatest advantage in the Holy Grail War.
Who was worth fighting, who was foolish enough to be worth befriending, who was too clever to associate with too deeply, and who was so powerful that they had to be saved for the end and killed with a trump card in a single blow.
The King of Conquerors and Waver were the Master-Servant pair Mikaela least wanted to encounter. The two of them were far too intelligent. If he associated with them too deeply, his plans might be seen through.
"Is a true name really that important?" The King of Conquerors rolled his eyes at Waver and said helplessly, "Kid, don't take true names so seriously sometimes. You think you've hidden yours well, but in reality, others have already uncovered that information."
"So that's your excuse?!" Waver felt like he was about to explode. If anyone in this Holy Grail War knew his Servant's true name, it would only be his teacher.
If they had run into his teacher, then Rider revealing his true name would not have mattered. But why did he reveal it the instant they met this Saber who did not look like a Saber?!
"Stop making a fuss." The King of Conquerors shut Waver up with a single slap.
"..."
Mikaela silently took several steps back. He said nothing, merely watching the King of Conquerors calmly as though prepared to retreat at any moment.
"What is it, Saber? Aren't you going to assist the Lancer from last night against Caster? We happen to be going the same way. Why not go together?" The King of Conquerors wore a harmless smile.
He did not appear hostile in the slightest, as though he simply wished to join Mikaela in subjugating Caster.
"No, thank you. My Master told me not to listen to other Servants and Masters." Mikaela shook his head. He watched the King of Conquerors with extreme vigilance and quietly retreated another few steps, clearly unwilling to travel with him.
"What a pity."
The King of Conquerors shook his head, seemingly regretful that Mikaela was unwilling to accompany him. Still smiling, he said, "Then I'll wait for you up ahead. I hope you get there soon. Your performance with Lancer last night truly opened my eyes."
PS: "Still owe 20 chapters."
"Two-Dimensional Apocalypse Countdown"
Synopsis:
The glorious civilization of the past had now been reduced to a desolate, lifeless wasteland.
If you had the chance to start over, would you save this world?
He chose yes.
He would face the apocalypse once again. Its code names were Dead Apostles, Resurrected Honkai Beasts, Iron-Blooded Machine Tide, Azure Deep Sea, and Originium Calamity.
At the same time, his life no longer belonged to him alone.
Beneath blooming cherry blossoms, he and Yukinoshita Yukino passed each other by.
On a bustling street, he and Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at each other in silence.
In a white winter landscape, he and Ogiso Setsuna became strangers.
Upon a dazzling stage, he and Sakurajima Mai were already strangers.
At the end of the world, everyone was retreating. Only he continued forward.
A Stalemate
The King of Conquerors drove away in the Chariot of Godly Might. His departure made Mikaela quietly let out a breath of relief. In this Holy Grail War, although the King of Conquerors looked like a brute—
Based on the information in his memories, he only looked like a brute on the surface. In terms of intelligence, he was among the very finest in this Holy Grail War.
He was the only one who had guessed Gilgamesh's true name. In this Holy Grail War, the King of Conquerors was the only one to deduce Gilgamesh's identity. Through only a few meetings and tests, he had drawn out the other man's true name.
That intelligence was terrifying. Even his seemingly reckless actions concealed profound wisdom.
Take his true name, for instance. Everyone knew that a Servant's true name was something that needed to be concealed, because the deeds of the Heroic Spirit in life could reveal some of their Noble Phantasms and innate skills.
For example, Artoria's Excalibur, Diarmuid's Red Rose of Purgatory and Yellow Rose of Mortality, and so on.
There was also Siegfried's back, where the Bodhi leaf blocked his dragon blood enhancement, as well as weaknesses like Achilles' heel.
But what could be exposed by the King of Conquerors revealing his true name? Could anyone guess his Noble Phantasm? Could anyone deduce his weakness?
Those who thought him foolish would investigate to the end only to discover that they themselves were the foolish ones! That was why Mikaela kept his distance from the King of Conquerors. Against clever people like him, either kill them with one blow, or do not engage in unnecessary conversation.
"Still, this basically confirms that everything is proceeding according to my plan." Mikaela quietly let out a breath. In truth, he had been afraid that Waver might summon him.
He knew that was impossible, but Kayneth's fiancée had not even come to participate in the Holy Grail War. If Waver really summoned him, things would become extremely troublesome.
"Boom—!!!"
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance. It seemed the King of Conquerors had officially joined Diarmuid's battle against Caster. Mikaela inwardly marveled at the man's speed, then hurried after him.
On the surface, he also had to go and join in. He would deal a little damage and show that he had "done his best."
As for who would take that Command Seal, Mikaela did not care in the slightest. It did not matter who took it. As long as they were not given the chance to use it in the end, that was enough.
With that thought, Mikaela accelerated and ran toward the battlefield.
"Is it about to begin, clown?" Gilgamesh stood in the distance, watching Mikaela with a delighted smile. "Will you continue to bare your fangs, or keep enduring like an insect?"
"Either way, it matters not to me. Show me whether you, whom those people favor so highly, can bring me even a trace of amusement in this dull Holy Grail War."
"Be proud, clown. You shall present me with a comical and laughable performance."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Gilgamesh laughed wildly, concealing himself as much as possible. He was not hiding from Mikaela, but acting in accordance with the role of a "spectator." He had come to watch the show, not to step onto this ridiculous battlefield like those mongrels and fight desperately for the so-called Holy Grail.
"Ohhhhhhh!!! Despicable wretch!! You dare interfere with my ritual to resurrect Jeanne d'Arc!!! Unforgivable!! Unforgivable!!!"
Gilles de Rais was the Caster of this Holy Grail War.
His true identity was Gilles de Rais, the French marshal from the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He was an extremely controversial figure in history. In his early years, he fought bravely, leading those loyal to faith and fortune alongside Jeanne d'Arc, the saint who had received God's revelation, through battle after battle of life and death.
In other words, he was Jeanne d'Arc's obsessive fan. Everything Jeanne d'Arc said was right! Jeanne d'Arc was heaven! Jeanne d'Arc was an immortal descending from the skies, and so on... Whenever it concerned Jeanne d'Arc, this French marshal always expressed his agreement.
Likewise, his heroic deeds had been regarded as glorious achievements, and at the time there were scarcely any who could replace him. But after Jeanne d'Arc was slandered as a witch and finally burned to ashes upon the stake, he... changed completely!
"Despicable wretch?! Heretic! You are talking about yourself!" Diarmuid's eyes were filled with rage and guilt. If only he had not shown mercy at the start and simply killed that man's Master!
Around them lay the corpses of several children. Their upper bodies had transformed into revolting monsters, while their lower halves remained the broken bodies of children. Clearly... they were dead.
Although Diarmuid had rescued some of the children, others had still been seized by the enemy's familiars. Diarmuid possessed martial skill worthy of admiration, but his attack range was truly far too limited. Though he had protected most of the children, some had still died tragically at Caster's hands.
After eliminating the nearby sea demons, Diarmuid had indeed done as Mikaela expected. He first released the children imprisoned in the basement, then intended to kill Ryunosuke and force Caster into the open.
But he had not expected Ryunosuke to be so decisive! The moment he saw Diarmuid release the children, he immediately used a Command Seal to summon Caster.
"Ohhhhh!! Jeanne d'Arc! Jeanne d'Arc!! Do not worry! I shall kill this brute myself! I shall obtain the Holy Grail as well!! And I shall revive you in this world." Gilles de Rais held a book bound in human skin as he stared at Diarmuid excitedly and shouted, "This living sacrifice will surely satisfy the evil god!"
"A living sacrifice?! How laughable! Today, I shall take your head and bring victory to my lord!"
In response to Gilles de Rais talking to himself, Diarmuid answered with his own killing intent. He intended to kill this Caster completely!
Not because killing him would bring some so-called glory to his lord, but because Diarmuid sincerely wanted to kill the Servant before him, this dark sorcerer who regarded life as worthless.
"If you can do it, then try!" Gilles de Rais controlled the sea demons and launched them at Diarmuid.
In truth, Diarmuid had already slain many of these bizarre monsters. Yet the monsters summoned by his enemy seemed capable of reviving, emerging endlessly from the corpses.
From a dozen monsters at the start to more than sixty now, their numbers would likely grow greater and greater if he continued killing them. Although Diarmuid had already found a path to victory—destroying the enemy's Noble Phantasm, the human-skin book in his hand, which would cut off his source of magical energy—
The enemy Master was merely an ordinary human. From his earlier observations, Diarmuid had already seen it clearly: that "ordinary" Master could not possibly provide enough magical energy to sustain so many monsters.
Therefore, the source of that magical energy had to be either Caster himself or the Noble Phantasm in his hand!
Thus, Diarmuid was confident he could kill his opponent, but he needed an opportunity. An opportunity to break the stalemate.
My wife~.jpg
PS: "Still owe 19 chapters. Everyone, send more recommendation votes~~~"
"Red Alert, Apocalypse, and Infinity"
The ordinary, unremarkable daily life of an average person came to an end with the arrival of the Red Alert 3 system.
Not only that, this world would face an apocalypse two months later. During those two months beforehand, he would experience different worlds as training and undergo change.
This was a journey from ordinary to extraordinary...
Worlds: Resident Evil (1, 2, teammate Rachel)---
(PS: The first world starts slowly. The first world unlocks Conscripts, the second unlocks Imperial Warriors, and the third unlocks Peacekeepers, Javelin Soldiers, and Multigunner IFVs...
You can still read this even if you have never played Red Alert... I believe I have written it in a relatively clear and easy-to-understand manner...
PS2: Although I really did write original content... I also wrote a crossover anime story... Yes, after Resident Evil comes the crossover anime arc. I wanted to write this ever since I played Red Alert in the past, so I unconsciously included it while writing original content, and wrote a lot of it too...
Since the original content only reached 50,000 words, I decided to release the crossover anime part first... Finally, here is a fanfiction...
Well, it should be the last one. A man's vows are like farts, so I really cannot be sure...)
Leave Request
The author is not feeling well today and will rest for the day. Updates will resume tomorrow.
Ah... I do not know why, but I feel dizzy and weak. I am very sorry for skipping an update, but I will still work hard to update.
As for who the female lead of this book is... of course it is Shopkeeper's Daughter!!!! She will appear in the future.
(The protagonist has no one he loves, so do not make up any gay nonsense. He will not fall in love with any man in the Type-Moon World.)
Predicament
"HAHAHAHAHA, I am the King of Conquerors—Iskandar!!!"
The King of Conquerors' bold voice resounded through the heavens. Amid the booming thunder, he flashed a broad smile at the still-stunned Diarmuid below and said, "Lancer, I have come to lend you a hand!"
The chariot, surrounded by dazzling lightning, cleared away a large portion of the sea demons besieging Diarmuid. At that very instant, Diarmuid tightened his grip on his twin spears, revealed an exceedingly bright smile, and shouted, "Then I shall gladly accept your gift, Rider!!"
Although he did not know why Rider had suddenly appeared and announced his true name, Diarmuid would not let such a fine opportunity slip away. He clenched his teeth, looked at Gilles de Rais' stunned expression, and watched blazing flames burn in his eyes.
They were flames known as anger. He had thought he could save every child, but because of his carelessness—or perhaps because he had underestimated Ryunosuke's decisiveness.
Before you continue