Eternal Throne

A Happy Dream.

While unconscious, Xia was having an exceptionally sweet dream.

In the dream.

Xia dreamed of living with Artoria by the Sea of Goodwill.

A clear, azure sky,

Clouds as white as cotton candy.

Crystal-clear seawater,

And a boy and a girl playing together by the shore...

The boy wore only swim trunks, exposing his athletic body to the sunlight. His long black hair, casually tied back, hung damply over his shoulders.

His bright, sunny smile never left his face.

He scooped up clear seawater in both hands and mischievously splashed it at the pure girl dressed in a white sundress.

The spray of water landed, by sheer luck, right on the girl's golden hair.

The droplets glistened brilliantly in the sunlight~

Just like the girl's puffed-up cheeks.

And beside the boy and girl, two small figures were sharing in their happiness.

Shouting, laughing, happy...

Time slipped by as they played. Like an old man who had lived for centuries, the sun slowly sank from the sky...

The glow of the setting sun was dusky and utterly enchanting.

The people lying comfortably on the beach peacefully enjoyed this final moment.

The girl was curled up in the boy's arms, a faint, intoxicating blush on her fair cheeks.

The boy held her petite body tightly.

Feeling the reassuring warmth of his embrace, the girl smiled, her face filled with comfort and happiness.

"How unfair~! Mother has Father all to herself!"

"Exactly! Skyla's right!"

The children's voices suddenly shattered the heartwarming moment. The girl gave a small start.

Then she turned toward them, a little annoyed, wanting to see who would dare interrupt her. And there, looking right back at her with indignant faces, were her two adorable children.

"Ugh..."

The golden-haired girl let out a pained groan, making the black-haired boy beside her burst into laughter.

"Mother should share Father with us! Sharing happiness with others is a knight's virtue. Isn't that what you told us, Mother?"

The two little girls continued in their uniquely sweet voices, accusing their mother of being selfish~

Hearing them, the girl showed no sign of acting like a grown-up. Instead, she wrapped both arms around the boy's waist.

Then she stuck her tongue out at her two children~

"Not a chance~! Right now, he's mine and mine alone! Hehe~"

Clearly, this was the mother's unusual way of expressing her love...

By arguing...

The twins weren't about to give up. They charged at their mother~!

In an instant, the beach, which had been quiet and peaceful, filled once more with laughter and playful shouts.

The sun set, and the last glimmer of light disappeared beyond the horizon.

The stars of night took the place of the daylight sun.

The crescent moon hung high in the sky.

Pure, flawless moonlight fell gently upon the four figures below, like a thin veil of silver.

The black-haired boy walked along a dirt path, smiling helplessly. His older daughter had claimed the "high ground" on his shoulders, while he held his younger daughter by the hand as she shared in the "spoils of victory."

Listening to the sisters celebrate their win, the boy could only sigh in resignation.

The "defeated" girl walked alone at their side, angrily turning her face away and refusing to acknowledge her children or the man who had "abandoned" her.

Feeling the chilly night breeze, the girl unconsciously hunched her shoulders.

She blew warm air into her palms and rubbed them together, trying to warm herself a little...

The boy, who had been walking ahead, gently stopped and turned around.

He smiled at the sulking girl and slowly held out the one hand he had free.

"What? I don't need your 'pity'!"

Looking at the boy's smile and the hand he held out to her,

She desperately wanted to reach out and take it.

But her stubborn nature and refusal to ever back down made her force those words out.

As soon as she finished speaking,

Before the girl could react, the boy had already taken her hand in his, decisively.

"A king needs to have a generous heart."

The boy's smile and teasing gaze

Left the girl with no choice but to accept her fate as he pulled her to his side.

There, beside him.

The wind danced, and the stars sparkled.

The beautiful Milky Way streamed across the heavens...

"This is the true ideal land!"

"The true... ideal land?"

Xia slowly opened his eyes, murmuring the last words he had heard in his dream.

The sensation still churning through his mind made him clutch his head.

"How strange... why would the backlash from the Reality Marble...?"

And why couldn't he feel Artoria's presence? What about the other two kings...? Where were they?!

Rumble!

Rumble, rumble!!

Boom!!

The explosions suddenly reaching his ears made Xia forget the pain. He sprang up from a battered sofa.

He looked toward the building before him, now reduced to a heap of rubble...

Flames.

Scarlet flames.

A raging inferno consuming the sky!

Golden streaks of light flashed across the heavens without pause.

A beastlike roar echoed through the woods.

A brown streak and a blue streak twisted and darted through the fray.

Countless people wearing strange masks emerged from the woods.

The Conqueror King rode his Noble Phantasm chariot, sweeping back and forth through the crowd.

"Damn mongrel!"

"Roar!!!!"

At the Hero King's furious roar, a rain of Noble Phantasms, unleashed in the wrath of a king, flew toward a knight clad head to toe in black armor.

All around the black knight, countless luxurious Noble Phantasms were already embedded in the ground.

Facing the Noble Phantasm rain that blotted out the sky, the black knight didn't retreat. Instead, he casually grabbed one of the spears the Hero King had fired.

The moment the golden spear was seized by the black knight, it transformed into a black weapon radiating an ominous aura!

With a mighty throw from the black knight, the dark spear collided with the rain of Noble Phantasms overhead, setting off a tremendous explosion!

"Berserker? Lancelot!"

At the sight, Xia's pupils contracted sharply.

Then those countless masked figures must be the Assassins behind all this.

And that brown streak must be Lancer.

Then the blue one was...

"Tch! So it's finally begun... the Holy Grail War!"

According to the plot, Berserker and the Assassin's Master should have teamed up here. That mage who mistook Artoria for the Saint Joan should be nearby, too. Kiritsugu is probably up to something strange right now, but that priest who's holding a grudge against him has likely got his eye on him already. And Lancer's Master...

(I'll be writing the story myself from here on, since I haven't watched Fate/Zero...)

The dazzling swordplay collided with the fierce spear techniques.

Sparks danced excitedly beneath the moonlight.

The fury of thunder roared in the sky.

Angry curses rang out.

Noble Phantasms clashed in a dazzling display.

The once-magnificent Einzbern Castle had been reduced to ruins.

All its servants and masters had been evacuated through secret passages before the war broke out.

The feast between kings had been abruptly interrupted.

Xia had just begun to feel a little warmth, but now an inexplicable anger was burning hotter and hotter inside him.

Xia frowned and stepped forward, gazing at the chaotic battlefield before him.

"You insolent fools who dare interrupt a king's pleasure! I hope your strength matches your audacity!"

The king's furious words rang out across the battlefield.

"Oh dear, oh dear. This is troublesome. If that man notices I'm fighting you... I might be the first one eliminated from this battlefield, right?"

Hearing Xia's angry shout, Lancer leaped back after crossing spears with Artoria.

He spoke with a wry smile.

"What do you mean by that?! Are you saying I'm not strong enough to defeat you, Lancer?!" Saber, slightly annoyed, leaped up again as soon as she had spoken and swung the Holy Sword at the taunting man before her!

Having inadvertently offended Saber, Lancer could only raise his spear and resume fighting.

"Hmph! You only just woke up! You're even more of a... mongrel!"

The Hero King had been about to sneer at him when a dagger, casually thrown by Berserker, forced him to take half a step back!

The half-step he'd been forced to take caught him off guard. The Hero King's normally handsome face twisted with fury! Shouting curses at the mongrel, he opened the Gates of Babylon to their fullest. In an instant, hundreds of Noble Phantasms shot toward the black knight!

Looking at the battlefield, which had descended into utter chaos, Xia furrowed his already tightly knitted brows even further.

After taking stock of the mana within his body,

He carefully considered his options and made a decision.

He raised both hands before his chest.

He slightly lifted his noble head.

His dark eyes slowly closed...

His thin lips began to move...

"I have conquered countless worlds and commanded the armies of the land."

"I declare: every territory beyond the sea belongs to me."

"I declare: none in this world can stand against this body."

"A million soldiers obey my command."

"With a single order, the heavens run red with blood."

"Thus... the throne has become unbearably lonely."

"Therefore, my body shall become the Eternal Throne!"

The seven true words shook the heavens~!

Centered on Xia, a tide of blood swept instantly across the surrounding land!

In a single moment, it swallowed every Heroic Spirit still fighting and drew them inside!

The instant Xia drew the Heroic Spirits into his bounded field, the connection between each Master and their Heroic Spirit vanished.

"Eternal Throne!"

(The Eternal Throne)

The two children in the story: one wore a sky-blue princess dress and had a head of dazzling short blond hair. She was the older twin, named Skyla.

The other wore a bright red dress and had long black hair. She was the younger sister, named Yana.

Next up: cleaning house with the Heroic Spirits...

Honestly, other than knowing about the King's banquet— and even that, I only know a little—I'm completely in the dark about the Fate/Zero plot.

So... if the second half of this chapter feels a little... weird...

Just tell me! If you don't say anything, I won't know!

Besides, I really want to wrap up the Fourth Holy Grail War soon and move on to the Fifth, which I'm familiar with.

So... anyway, this chapter was a bit rushed!

That's all!