Conqueror King

"Draw your sword! Unknown Servant! The shame you just experienced will be washed away with your blood."

Saber, her voice sharp, gripped the Holy Sword with both hands again and pointed it at Xia. No matter what had just happened, Saber understood only one thing now! That man before her was an enemy! A Servant just like her, vying for the Holy Grail!

Then there was only one thing she needed to do, one thing she needed to think about.

Defeat him! And then seize the Holy Grail to fulfill the only wish of this broken body. With that thought, Saber gripped the Holy Sword even tighter, the "king's" pressure emanating from her body growing heavier, causing the air to crackle.

Seeing Saber issue the challenge, Alice sighed helplessly and slowly retreated. Lancer, glancing at the two before him, crossed his arms with his spear and slowly stepped aside. The pride of a hero would not allow him to interfere in this duel!

At this moment, Xia, who had been consumed by emotion since earlier, also sobered up. He emerged from the state of being too agitated by seeing Artoria, which had prevented his brain from functioning correctly. His recovered rationality began to operate at full speed, and the stiffness in his body slowly started to ease.

His previously lost and helpless eyes gradually regained their sharp gaze, and the deathly gray aura that had surrounded him vanished, replaced by an imposing presence.

{Artoria's memories were tampered with. The her in front of me now isn't her true "complete" personality! So everything that just happened was fake! A lie! A deception!} Xia harbored such a self-comforting thought, his pale complexion gradually becoming more rosy.

{Artoria... is still the goddess in my memories! My life! The one for whom my soul roars!}

Whoosh~~! The wind blew.

Clang~~~~~, Xia, his spirit renewed, casually waved his hand, and a flash of golden light! The Golden Dragon Lance reappeared in Xia's hand.

"Artoria, no matter what problem your memory has, or why you've forgotten me. I'm too lazy to bother with those things now! Since you've forgotten me, then let me make you remember me firmly once more! No objections allowed! No refusals! This is the only time in my life, Drake D. Xia, that I will be so willful with you! Accept it properly! This persistence of mine!" He smiled, his expression filled with immense confidence and arrogance as he looked at Saber.

Clang! The Holy Sword was raised.

"For your presumptuous words! I will make you personally experience! How terrifying the King's wrath is!" Artoria replied, holding the Holy Sword with both hands, her body slightly hunched, ready to unleash an attack at any moment.

"My name is Drake D. Xia!! The man who has traversed a thousand realms to return to your side!!!"

His roaring cry echoed through the sky~! Then, the sky, which had already darkened, was replaced by a expanse of golden light~! The Dragon Lance, shimmering with golden light, swept through everything in sight like a fierce wind! Flowers? Grass? Trees? Stones? People? Servants?!

All were annihilated like leaves in a gale! This was a spear technique honed beyond life and death! This was the spear blade wielded to defend my soul!

My King! My Soul! My Existence!

Since you have forgotten the existence of this body, then this time, please allow me to forever brand my existence upon your soul!

That spear! It pierced the limits of time and space!

That dance! It danced out the cry of the soul!

In this extremely violent spear-wielding style, Saber's Holy Sword could not only steadily parry but also counterattack at any moment. The Golden Dragon Lance was indeed powerful, and this miraculous spear technique earned the admiration of even the Lancer Servant from the depths of his heart.

The spear technique of that mysterious Servant was indeed as fast as a swift wind, and the momentum of never looking back was truly astonishing.

But...

Swish! Another flash of golden light! A divine stroke, like a meteor from outer space, instantly pierced Saber's defensive perimeter and aimed straight for her brow! But Saber didn't care at all; instead, if her guess was correct about this divine stroke...

Whoosh!! The Golden Dragon Lance grazed Saber's brilliant golden hair by a hair's breadth and swept past!

"As expected... the strangeness I've felt since earlier was here." At this moment, Lancer, watching the battle from a distance, muttered to himself, resting his chin on one hand and holding his spear with the other.

"?" Alice, maintaining a certain distance from Lancer, threw him a questioning look upon hearing his mumbling.

"That guy... since earlier. It seems he's never once pointed the tip of his spear at that powerful young lady, has he?" {Moreover... that young lady has never once attacked that Servant's vital points, and even when she did, she subconsciously dodged the blade in her hand. This point... perhaps even she herself hasn't noticed it... it's a kind of "instinct"... right...?} Lancer, swallowing this thought, continued to watch the battle. Alice, hearing this answer, widened her eyes in surprise and looked back at the battlefield.

Indeed, the Servant clad in red armor had not pointed his spear tip at Saber even once since the start of the battle, and every attack was executed using the shaft or the tail of the spear. What did that guy mean by this?!

Alice thought with some distress, but Saber, in the midst of the battle, was even more distressed! If their true strength were compared, she should have the absolute advantage, but that guy on the opposite side! He seemed to know every time where she would attack, from which angle she would counter, and from where she would suddenly burst forth!

This ability, which was more cheating than her own intuition! It was incredibly annoying!

Moreover, since the beginning, the tip of his spear had never once charged towards her. The more she looked, the angrier she became!

Clang!!

With another crisp sound of swords and spears colliding, Saber pushed him away with all her might, much to Xia's bewildered gaze. Saber also used this momentum to perform a backflip and retreat.

"What kind of joke is this?! Are you insulting my sword?! Use your weapon properly, Drake!" Saber roared in anger. For a knight engaged in combat, the greatest insult was for the enemy to never face them directly! To fight you as if it were a game.

Saber, trembling with anger, her usually calm eyes began to ripple again.

{This man!! He's infuriatingly annoying!! I absolutely must kill him!!!}

Saber's teeth gritted, wishing she could rush forward and beat that man soundly right now!

"Hmph! If you don't even have the strength to make me point my spear at you, that's your own fault, isn't it, Artoria...?" Xia deliberately put on a disdainful expression to hide the joy deep within his heart. {Even if she... has forgotten me in her memories, that instinctive memory of her body still exists. Just as I would never point my blade at her... in the depths of her heart, she also never wishes to be my enemy.} With this thought, the corners of Xia's mouth turned up in a more pronounced smirk.

{My goddess... even if this broken soul is tormented to death! I will absolutely restore your memories! No matter how arduous and desperate this path may be!

Absolutely! Absolutely! Absolutely, I will restore your memories! Just so that, with these eyes of mine! I can once again see! The happy face with which you once smiled at me in the Fairy Forest!!}

Fantasy is beautiful, reality is shit.

Crack!

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

Hearing Xia's words, which clearly insulted her lack of skill, a grid-like pattern appeared on Saber's forehead.

Crack! Crack!

More grid-like patterns appeared on Saber's forehead...

"Hiss!!" Saber looked up and took a deep breath. Then she held her breath in her chest. Her hands tightly gripped the Holy Sword in her grasp!

Whoosh~~~~·

Hoo~ hoo~~~~!!

Suddenly, a fierce gale began to blow through the previously calm forest! A cyan storm swept outwards from Saber's center.

"Oh my?! This is an unexpected development! That young man's ability to provoke is truly impressive!" Lancer exclaimed in surprise, looking at Saber, who was in the complete form of a Servant unleashing their Noble Phantasm.

"Stop it! Saber! If you use it here, your identity...!" Alice shouted in shock. If her trump card's origin was revealed to another Master on the very first day of the Holy Grail War!

"I refuse! That man! He has perfectly pushed my patience to its limit! Whether it was that earlier tremor of my heart! Or his disrespect during our battle! Or even his slanderous words just now!! Everything has reached the limit of my endurance!! If you wish to stop me! Then use a Command Seal!!" Saber retorted roughly. The man before her was no longer someone she could tolerate! The humiliation she just suffered had to be washed away with his blood!

Clang—!!!

An invisible sword, flashing with golden light, slowly revealed its true form amidst a dazzling golden radiance. Its body was plain and unadorned, inscribed with the script of Elven curses.

"Let me remind you again! Raise your spear! Otherwise...!" Looking at Xia, who was still holding his spear with both hands not far away, Artoria, out of knightly etiquette, gave her opponent a warning. Although in her heart, she desperately wanted to swing her sword...

However, Xia, as if he hadn't heard Saber's words, simply released his grip on his spear.

He firmly planted the butt of the spear in his right hand into the ground. He slightly bent his body. As if preparing to charge.

"Is he planning to self-destruct...? That guy...?" Lancer, who had already leaped far away again, watched Xia's peculiar stance from a hundred meters away and said.

"Since you underestimate my sword so much!" As the words fell, Saber raised the Holy Sword shining with brilliant golden light high above her head. "You cannot afford this price, proud Servant!!"

Before Saber could finish speaking, Xia had already charged forward instantly. The immense explosive power sent a large chunk of the ground behind him flying!

"Too late! Oath... Victory...?!!!!" Saber cried out, gripping the Holy Sword with both hands, about to strike down! But she suddenly found that the proud Servant named Drake D. Xia had already appeared before her.

"Too fast!" Lancer was also astonished by Xia's instantaneous burst of speed.

But Xia didn't care what Lancer was saying now. He... was merely quietly admiring the look of astonishment and the disbelievingly wide eyes of Artoria before him.

Her large eyes sparkled with disbelief. Her hands, stopped mid-swing due to a moment's hesitation, were held high above her head. Her small nose twitched slightly, and her slightly parted lips exhaled hot air.

{I remember... the first time I made Artoria show this expression. It must have been when we met at that noble estate? Heh heh... She wasn't much better than this back then, you know.} Thinking this, Xia, with a touch of mischief, suddenly reached out and pinched Artoria's nose.

This was an action Xia would often do during their time in the Fairy Forest whenever Artoria did something that displeased him.

And every time Xia did this...

"Don't pinch me like that! You idiot Xia!" Saber's brain didn't even have time to think. Instinctively, while shielding her face, she waved her hand and said coquettishly. She didn't even notice the Holy Sword falling from her hand again.

Hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar phrase, it was Xia's turn to look at Saber before him with a stunned expression. It was just a spontaneous action... he didn't expect...

And the moment her instincts took over, Saber's reason returned to her brain. Thinking about her previous behavior, Saber almost wished she could slit her own throat to end this humiliation!

"You bastard...!!!" Ultimately, Saber rationally recognized that all of this trouble was caused by the man before her. As long as he was dealt with! Then all the nightmares and shame would end!!

"Mmm... You looked very cute just now, it's quite nostalgic... Can you do it again?" Xia said with a smile, completely ignoring Saber's almost apoplectic state.

"Mmm... she really is quite cute."

"Eeeh~ I didn't expect little Saber-chan to have this side to her~~ So cute~!"

At this moment, Lancer and Alice's comments also suddenly chimed in, further fueling Saber's already burning rage.

Just as Saber was about to lose control!

BOOM! A thunderous sound echoed from the previously silent sky.

Startled by the explosion, everyone subconsciously looked up at the sky. Xia, on instinct, stepped in front of Saber, shielding her firmly behind him.

"Halt, I am!!!" A powerful shout echoed from the sky. A magnificent blue bull, crackling with electricity, its hooves in the air, pulled a chariot as it arrived before them.

"Good evening, all you valiant heroes! My name is the King of Conquerors!"

Might I have missed something?