The King's Feast - One~

It's not just a title, but a symbol of power and glory.

Those who bear the title of "King" are the most respected among humanity.

Kings stand at the pinnacle of ordinary humans, at the peak of power.

A king's gaze, a king's command, a king's action, can make the world revolve according to his thoughts.

What is a king?

A person with great resolve, a person with great perseverance! They are kings!

What is a king's glory?

The withered bones watered by rivers of blood! That is the glory of a king!

***

Now, within a castle standing in the midst of ice and snow, four individuals possessing such resolve and glory are gathered.

Luxurious furnishings, a golden, roofless palace, roads paved with purple-gold stones, and streetlights crafted from deep-sea luminous pearls.

At a large table constructed from Jinhua Stone (a precious gemstone from ancient times, now lost).

The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.

The King of Conquerors, Alexander the Great.

The King of Knights, King Arthur Pendragon, Artoria.

And the king crowned with the name of "Eternity," Drake D. Xia.

Four kings from different eras, four kings with different beliefs, are seated around the grand table, each occupying a corner.

Commoners, be gone! Those without wealth and honor may not approach within a thousand feet; those without high reputation and virtue may not approach within a hundred feet; those without high official rank and nobility may not approach within ten feet!

This is a gathering of kings!

This is the glory of kings!

But... how did it come to this? Why are kings who should be enemies gathered together? This... all started two hours before the present time...

***

Very red.

Extremely red.

Conspicuous.

Very conspicuous.

A red and conspicuous slap mark was firmly imprinted on Xia's face.

Walking through the castle corridors, Xia, with a sulky and resentful expression, walked forward quickly. Artoria, following closely behind him, her face flushed red and looking apologetic, kept pace with the man in front.

This strange scene drew curious glances from the servants.

"Oh my, isn't that Xia and Saber? What? Have you finished talking... ah?" At this moment, Alice, who suddenly appeared before them at a corner, politely asked them. Then, as Alice's gaze swept over the red slap mark on Xia's handsome face, she involuntarily covered her mouth, mid-sentence.

She looked at Xia, who was sulking, and Artoria behind him, who looked flustered and unsure, with a sense of disbelief.

"That... what is that on Xia's face...?"

"I've made too many mistakes! Heaven's punishment!" Before Alice could finish speaking, Xia interrupted her impatiently!

"Huh...?"

After speaking, and without paying any further attention to the still-astonished Alice, Xia angrily turned and left.

"Ah... wait for me, Xia! Uh... I'll take my leave for now, Alice." After saying that, Artoria bowed to Alice, then hurriedly turned around and rushed in the direction Xia had left.

Leaving Alice bewildered on the spot.

"Hmm... well~ it seems their relationship no longer needs to be worried about. Then... I wish you both happiness~ heh heh." After being troubled for a moment, Alice seemed to release something and said with a smile. She then turned and walked towards Kiritsugu's laboratory, where a "critical" patient needed her timely treatment~

"Wait for me! Xia! Listen to my explanation~!"

With a cry to hold him back, Artoria chased after Xia's retreating figure, only stopping when they reached a pavilion.

Looking at Xia, who was standing on the pavilion, staring out the window with an angry expression.

Artoria couldn't help but give a wry smile. Despite being someone who had lived for who knows how many years, he still had such childish temperaments... Honestly.

She stepped carefully, quietly standing behind Xia, who was still sulking.

"...Are you still angry about what just happened?"

There was no reply, only a slight easing of the originally sulky expression on his face.

{Is it because I followed him...?}

For some reason, Artoria instinctively felt that this was the reason Xia's anger had slightly subsided.

"I'm sorry about that time. Because... it was the 'first' time I was so close to a man, and in such... such a strange position. So it was an instinctive reaction..." Artoria explained, feeling a little embarrassed.

Her face was slightly flushed, and her expression was a bit helpless.

Watching Artoria like this, Xia could only sigh in resignation...

"It's fine, it's already in the past..."

To be able to make the stubborn Knight King show such an expression, I should be content.

With this self-consoling thought, Xia shrugged helplessly.

Then, he raised his right hand and pinched the face of the person in front of him. He wore a smile of a successful prank.

Satisfied, Xia looked at Artoria, whose face had turned red again because of his actions.

"This is a return gift for what just happened~" Xia said with a smile to the goddess in front of him.

"Mmm... You're too rude, Xia."

Artoria said with a blush. Although her tone was a little scolding, when she looked at Xia's satisfied smile.

{Well... forget it...}

Thinking this in her heart, Artoria unconsciously curled her lips, laughing along with the man in front of her.

The previous entanglement vanished with this laughter~

When dark clouds cover the sun, it certainly makes one feel gloomy.

But when you grit your teeth and endure this period.

As the dark clouds dissipate, the warm sunlight that reappears will make you feel even brighter and warmer than before.

As Artoria and Xia's laughter filled the air, suddenly, bursts of powerful thunder joined the fun.

Following the sound, they saw a green ox with lightning at its feet, pulling a chariot behind it, charging towards them.

"It's the Conqueror King?!" Upon clearly seeing the person standing in the chariot, Artoria immediately tensed up and quickly turned around, wanting to rush towards Kiritsugu's location.

But before she could even take a step, Xia grabbed her from behind.

"Don't worry, Artoria, that guy isn't here to fight. He's just... here for a drink." Although Artoria was strange as to how Xia knew the Conqueror King's purpose, she still chose to believe Xia's words and slowly moved behind him. However, she did not relax her grip on the Holy Sword she held.

"Yo! What's-his-name, King of Faraway Lands! I, the Conqueror King, have brought fine wine! Interested in joining me for a drink together?!" The Conqueror King's booming voice carried from a distance.

"I am the Eternal King! You bearded fellow, remember this name clearly! And... barging into someone else's territory just for a so-called gathering is too rude! Conqueror King?!" Xia replied loudly in an arrogant tone.

"Hahahaha!! Don't be so uptight! This is an invitation from a King! Don't you have the courage to come?!"

"Ridiculous! I am the undefeated Eternal King! Come! I'll let you know that even off the battlefield, I am still the undefeated King! Follow me!" After speaking, Xia leaped out of the pavilion and walked directly into a garden not far away.

"Hahaha! That's more like it!... Knight King! Aren't you coming?" Seeing Xia's decisive actions, the Conqueror King, who let out a hearty laugh, suddenly noticed the small figure still lingering on the pavilion. He asked in confusion.

"...Since it is an invitation from a King, then as the King of Britannia, I naturally accept!" After performing a standard knight's salute, Artoria also leaped out of the pavilion and headed towards the garden.

However, just as Xia, Artoria, and the Conqueror King were about to step into the garden, the sky, which had been dim, was suddenly illuminated by a golden light.

A magnificent ship, a noble flying vessel made entirely of gold.

Standing steadily at the bow of the ship, a man in golden armor looked down upon Xia and the others with an arrogant expression.

"You invited even him? Conqueror King?" Artoria asked uncomfortably, looking at the arrogant king in the sky.

"En, regardless, he is also a noble King, so naturally, I invited him!" the Conqueror King said nonchalantly.

"Indeed, inviting Kings as a King is a matter of etiquette, so don't worry too much about it, Saber," Xia said with a smile to Artoria.

When they arrived at the garden, they found that it had already been cleaned up and a banquet table was set.

"Kiritsugu... this guy wouldn't have planted an N2 bomb here, would he?" Xia thought with slight apprehension, looking at the banquet table. After all, that man Kiritsugu was chillingly terrifying before the Fifth Holy Grail War, and his calculation ability was like a machine.

The Hero King and the Conqueror King sat down carelessly and without hesitation.

"Hmph, what are you waiting for?! Don't you even dare to take your seat? You trash who calls himself the Eternal King!"

The Hero King, with a look of amusement on his face, shouted at Xia.

"No, it's just that although the environment here is nice, and there are even snowflakes to admire. But for a gathering of Kings, isn't it a bit too shabby?"

Hearing this answer, the Hero King looked around carefully and then nodded in agreement.

Indeed, as a gathering of Kings, although the surroundings here were scenic, it was indeed too shabby as a venue for a royal banquet.

The Conqueror King, however, paid no mind to these details.

Xia slowly extended his left hand and raised it above his head.

"Then, allow me to make this place more fitting for our status."

With a snap of his fingers in mid-air.

Beiju, who was in Kiritsugu's laboratory, immediately felt his entire body's magic begin to boil!

"Eternal Celestial Palace."

A softly spoken word, though not loud, was enough for everyone in the entire castle to hear clearly.

The dim sky was replaced by the shimmering starlight of the galaxy in the night.

The scene of falling snowflakes was replaced by a mist of immortal mountains and clouds.

The cold and shabby table setting was replaced by a jade stone table of emerald green, and on the table were dishes made from the most precious animals from a total of 53 worlds.

The luxurious setting was a golden, open-roofed palace, with roads paved in purple and gold stones, and streetlights made from luminous pearls from the deep sea.

Everything here had been transformed into a banquet befitting a king.

"HO...?" The Conqueror King looked on in surprise at the environment that had been replaced almost instantaneously. Such control, and the "Reality Marble" from last time, which could be called a dual world. Was this that guy's special ability? The "ninth" illegal Servant, the "Returner."

Heroic Spirits who had experienced countless "Inner Worlds" and "Outer Worlds," were they a different kind of existence from us, who are from a single "Inner World"...?

The seemingly brainless Conqueror King carefully calculated the gap between friend and foe in his mind.

"Hmph, though you're an annoying fellow, I appreciate your taste. I'll acknowledge your claim to kingship for now!" Compared to the Conqueror King's judgment, the Hero King clearly didn't care about Xia's move. Perhaps... it was because his mind was entirely that of an arrogant individual?

"Hmph, my kingship is an existence that even Alaya has to acknowledge. I don't need your acknowledgment! But... this is a king's banquet, so there's no need to discuss any more unpleasant matters." After saying that, Xia pulled out a seat and casually sat down.

Artoria followed suit and sat opposite him.

Four kings.

Four heroes from different eras.

They sat scattered in a square formation, each on one side.

Let us begin.

The King's Feast. ~!