Rider: Alexander the Great, Iskandar. He rode the Gordian Chariot (which was only his weakest Noble Phantasm, yet it could instantly defeat the fourth Berserker, who could fight Gold Archer to a standstill and suppress Saber). He possessed overwhelming strength and had a bold, optimistic, and honorable personality. He loved poetry, dreamed of unifying the world, considered Clinton his greatest rival, and planned to buy a B-2 bomber (sweat...).
"Good evening, brave heroes! Before you start fighting, answer me this! I am Alexander the Great, Iskandar, King of Conquerors. What are you fighting for the Holy Grail?" The Conqueror King stood on his chariot with his arms crossed, looking down as he asked. But the small figure beside him was nowhere near as imposing. Huddled in a corner of the chariot, he trembled from head to toe.
Saber and Lancer were astonished to hear a Heroic Spirit announce his own name. They looked up at the figure speaking from the sky: a man with a full head of bright red hair and a thick beard, his powerful body wrapped in a red cloak patterned with gold. He stood proudly on a chariot pulled by divine bulls.
"Idiot! Moron! You have to be brainless! What kind of Heroic Spirit announces his own name?! W-waaaah..." An exasperated string of curses came from inside the chariot. Compared to the Conqueror King's towering frame, the tiny figure was pitifully small.
"Wahahaha! Little Master, anyone who doesn't even have the courage to announce his name doesn't deserve to be king!" The Conqueror King laughed without a care.
"Tsk, tsk... Should I call him brainless, or say he's completely ignoring the threat we pose? Either way, it's not exactly reassuring." Lancer jokingly twirled his spear before resting it on his shoulder.
"He may be a brute, and he may have overwhelming presence and talent, but in the end he's just a defeated general. He's no threat." Xia tilted his head and smiled, completely ignoring Saber's murderous glare from behind him. A knight sought to defeat his enemy face-to-face in battle, not stab him in the back! Such tactics were beneath a knight.
"Oh? I don't know who you are, but making such bold claims isn't wise." Hearing Xia's provocation, the Conqueror King maintained his haughty air as he replied.
"Hey, hey, old man, you'd better not underestimate that guy in red. He was just pressing Saber in battle." Lancer cheerfully gave the Conqueror King some information. The mysterious Heroic Spirit in red had such formidable strength and explosive power that Lancer was beginning to fear him. Especially after seeing the explosive burst of speed Saber had displayed when she unleashed her Noble Phantasm. If that was the effect of some Noble Phantasm, then the speed the mysterious red-clad Heroic Spirit had just demonstrated was a terrifying burst that had broken the sound barrier. His speed was even more dangerous than Lancer's—or Rider's!
If Lancer hadn't seen that the weapons this man used had nothing to do with assassination, he would have been almost certain that he was an Assassin-class Servant. His explosive power was terrifying, his ability to dominate in direct combat formidable, and his insight even greater than a Saber's.
"More of a monster than a Servant...?" Lancer muttered, glancing at Xia with a baffled look.
"Anyway, we can talk about all that later! First, answer my question. What... exactly do you want the Holy Grail for?" The Conqueror King repeated his question, but after waiting for a long while, no one responded.
"No one's listening to you... That's tragic," the Conqueror King's Master muttered.
"Fine, I'll ask something else. Will you come with me to the other side of the mountains? If you do, I'll share the Holy Grail with you!" He waited for the three Heroic Spirits below to answer.
"What are you talking about?! You barged into a battle between Heroic Spirits, then asked us this utterly incomprehensible question. What is your purpose, Conqueror King?!" Saber finally lost her patience and shouted up at him.
"Hm? I thought I made myself perfectly clear. Will you submit to me? If you do... I'll share the Holy Grail with you!" The Conqueror King said without batting an eye. He really thought a few words would be enough to make Heroic Spirits famous throughout every age and every world submit to him. Honestly...
"I refuse! I don't know what your purpose is, but I have my pride. I am King Arthur, king of England and Britannia! A king will never bow to another king!" Saber rejected him decisively. Then, to show her respect for the Conqueror King, who had dared to announce his own name, she announced her title as well.
As soon as Saber spoke, two people silently thought, This is bad. The three of them were left speechless.
"Uh... Hahahahahaha!!! I never imagined the famous Knight King would be a little girl! Hahahahaha! History is something else... Hahaha!" After a brief moment of surprise, the Conqueror King burst out laughing.
"Indeed. I'd already begun to suspect as much from our conversation... But hearing it confirmed is still hard to get used to." Lancer regarded Saber with a hint of emotion. "I am Diarmuid Ua Duibhne! I was once a knight of the Knights of Fianna." Following Saber, Lancer announced his true name as well, honoring his pride and the dignity of a Heroic Spirit, and showing respect for the great heroes present.
...Silence fell. The three Heroic Spirits and two Masters (with another one hidden) turned their attention to the mysterious Heroic Spirit who had yet to speak.
In the Conqueror King's eyes, the man before him was handsome and striking—perhaps a youth—and hardly less so than the Lancer standing nearby. He wore crimson armor and carried a Dragon Crest Golden Spear, with two ornate swords at his waist. Judging by his bearing alone, the Conqueror King would have taken him for a well-mannered young nobleman, not a general who had fought on the battlefield.
To Lancer, the man was a mysterious Servant with terrifying strength. It wasn't just his keen, powerful instincts or his oppressive might. It was also the eerie, murderous chill that seeped through whenever he fought, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. This man had definitely killed more people than everyone else present combined!
As for Saber's opinion...
It couldn't have been good. The fact that she hadn't run him through from behind already showed the limit of her patience.
As everyone turned their eyes toward me, I smiled helplessly. Then I straightened up and walked step by step toward Saber behind me.
As I drew closer, Saber tensed up again, ready to strike at any moment.
Just as Saber's wariness of me reached its peak, Xia suddenly dropped to one knee before her and performed the oath of fealty a noble knight would offer his Master.
"Huh?!" Saber stared at Xia as he abruptly knelt before her, completely bewildered by his behavior.
"My name is Drac D. Xia. I am the man who once swore on his soul to remain by the side of the girl named Artoria forever. I swear absolute loyalty, absolute faithfulness, absolute obedience to your heart, and that I will never raise a weapon against you. And..."
As he spoke, Xia slowly lifted his head and gave Saber a suggestive smile. Then, while she was still stunned, he sprang to his feet and suddenly reached out with both arms, forcibly pulling her into his embrace.
"And... I swear I'll see you smile with happiness again—the smile you haven't shown since the moment you took on the burden of being king. I'll make you smile again, just like you did back in the Fairy Forest. I'll bring back the innocent, joyful girl you were then! I swear it!" By now, the smile had vanished from Xia's face. In its place was the look of someone resolved to shoulder a burden and carry it to the end, even if he was hated and rejected for it.
...Artoria's expression shifted from shock, as she listened to Xia's words, to a faint chill, with a tiny flicker of unease hidden deep within.
With a slight effort, her petite body broke free of Xia's embrace, and she quickly retreated a few steps.
Xia still held the pose he'd been in while embracing Artoria, as though savoring the feeling of her in his arms. But when he looked up and saw that she now regarded him as her number-one deranged enemy, all he could do was fall silent...
"Aw, you got rejected, buddy," the Heroic Spirits who had been watching the whole time joked from the sidelines.
"Hmph..." Xia gave a crooked smile and a snort. He waved a hand and walked aside, pretending to be at ease. The truth was... he'd taken a bit of a hit.
"If it were that easy to win the heart of the Knight King, I wouldn't have had to travel through so many different worlds. Please ignore what just happened. In return... allow me to introduce myself again." Xia walked aside, taking a position that formed a square with the other three Heroic Spirits.
"My name is Drac D. Xia. I am the supreme ruler, hailed as the King of All Ages, or the Undying Emperor. In this Holy Grail War, I am participating as a 'Returner.' I look forward to meeting you, weaklings who ruled for just one era..." Xia introduced himself to everyone present with an air of arrogance.
"King of All Ages?" Those words seemed to provoke the Conqueror King, whose gaze turned as sharp as a blade.
"Undying Emperor?" Saber frowned slightly at his boastful claim.
"Arrogant!" x2
The Conqueror King and Knight King judged Xia at the same time.
"Hmph! You ignorant fools dare call yourselves kings, and now three of you have appeared in a single night! Don't get carried away, you pieces of trash!" A sneer suddenly rang out from somewhere among the four Heroic Spirits. Following the voice, they saw a man clad head to toe in golden armor, standing atop a bridge railing. His voice was even more arrogant than Xia's, his eyes even more disdainful, and the kingly aura he had released from the moment he appeared left no room for doubt.
"Hero King, Gilgamesh?" Xia coldly fixed his gaze on the ancient king, who was gilded from head to toe. This bastard had dared insult my Goddess during the Fourth Holy Grail War! Then, at the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War, he'd dared lay hands on Saber!!!
At the thought, Xia's expression slowly twisted, and his murderous aura burst forth.
BOOM!!!
The ground throughout the park shook violently. When it finally settled and they looked toward the source of the tremor, they saw that the ground within a five-meter radius of Xia had collapsed.
"Hm? You know my name... For that alone, I'll—" The golden man hadn't finished speaking when—PFFT!!!—a red blur flashed before him! Xia, his face twisted with rage, had already lunged at him and landed a vicious punch square in his handsome face!! Then, with an enraged shout, Xia drove his right fist a few more millimeters into Goldie's face before whipping his arm around and sending him flying through the air.
"Artoria... Saber is mine, forever!!! You filthy Goldie, get as far away from her as your thoughts can take you!! Rival in love, my ass!!"
Before you continue