That Golden Light Illuminating Heaven and Earth

The sounds of slaughter!

The shouts of war!

The unique clang of clashing weapons!

An army composed of a thousand Heroic Spirits, each one a famous and renowned overlord in their own right.

Among them were kings, generals, soldiers, and nobles.

But they all shared one commonality: they had willingly joined the ranks of the great Conqueror King, Alexander the Great, to share in the joy and thrill of conquest!

"——Whose is our King!"

"——The great Conqueror King! Alexander the Great!"

As the thousand Heroic Spirits raised their voices in a roaring chant, the deafening cries made even the heavens tremble.

Following this, the charging soldiers, filled with a spirit that feared no death, rushed headlong into the azure storm before them!

They were weapons of murder.

They were the most magnificent colors on the battlefield.

Like the wind, a golden-haired figure weaved through the Heroic Spirit army, continuously swinging their Holy Sword as they fought their way towards the Conqueror King's position!

Their golden hair was already stained with blood.

Their clean face was also smeared with mud.

Their bright silver armor bore countless scratches from soldiers who, even in death, still gripped their weapons tightly.

The sun in the sky had, at some point, hidden itself behind layers of clouds.

The gloomy sky sent shivers down one's spine.

A flash of silver light!

The head of a soldier was severed.

Another flash of silver light!

A soldier was cut in half at the waist!

Beneath the gloomy sky.

There stood a maiden king, engaged in battle, battle, and more battle.

Her small, slender frame appeared so fragile before the robust Heroic Spirit soldiers, making one feel a pang of pity at the sight.

Yet, from this seemingly weak body erupted a strength that even dozens of burly Heroic Spirits could not match. It was the strength of a dragon!

The Holy Sword she wielded was like a meat grinder, cruelly and efficiently reaping the lives of Heroic Spirits.

"Hah!!" With a sharp cry, Saber bent low to dodge a surprise sword attack from behind, then powerfully kicked upwards, shattering the jaw of the attacker.

Having just dealt with the ambush from behind, her intuition, honed by twelve great battles, suddenly warned Artoria of the threat ahead.

A massive axe blade descended! It was wielded by a monster with long, protruding fangs, aiming to cleave Artoria's slender waist!

Crack!!

A deafening thunderclap suddenly roared across the sky.

Illuminated by the stark white lightning, The invisible Holy Sword that met the attack blocked the axe blade's descent. However, the immense power transmitted from the axe blade caught the unprepared Saber off guard.

"Gah!!.." Pinned to the ground by the blow, Saber gritted her teeth, her emerald eyes narrowing sharply!

Wind King Barrier!

"Begone!!!" The Wind King Barrier, unleashed in an instant, sent the fanged monster flying into the air and torn to shreds!

But this momentary display of power did not cause the Heroic Spirit army to retreat even slightly. Instead, it only made them charge forward even more ferociously, raising their weapons and roaring at Saber.

In almost an instant, the clearing Saber had painstakingly created was once again engulfed by the massive tide of bodies! Angry shouts, the slicing sound of blades entering flesh, and the unyielding roars of the dying! All transformed into curses that clung like ghosts, incessantly assaulting Saber's mind.

Charge! Charge! Charge!

Slaughter! Slaughter! Slaughter!

Roaring fury echoed across the gloomy sky.

Blood was staining the increasingly damp earth.

A pungent, metallic odor spread through the air.

Crack!

The sound of thunder rang out again, accompanied by the sudden onset of heavy rain.

The raindrops falling from the sky washed over the bloodstains on the ground, again and again.

Amidst the falling rain, standing atop a pile of corpses that had already formed a small mountain, was a golden-haired maiden, completely soaked, still relentlessly swinging her Holy Sword against her enemies.

Drip. Drip-drop, drip-drop-drop...

The raindrops falling on the armor were like a concert being performed.

The sharp blade, swung in the downpour, repeatedly struck the girl's body, accompanied by scattering water mist.

The enemies were endless, like locusts, impossible to kill or cut down.

But.

The sword in her hand! Would not be lowered!

Her exhausted body, already soaked through! Would not fall!

Her vision, completely obscured by the heavy rain! Would not vanish!

The enemies... were still charging in the downpour!

The girl... was still fighting under the thunder!

When the mountain of corpses rose higher once more, when blood flowed like a river again, and when the stench filled the sky.

The Holy Sword, plunged into the mountain of corpses, the girl, hunched over, gasped for breath.

Rainwater had soaked her brilliant golden hair.

The enemies' blood, even with the rain washing it away, still stained her silver armor crimson.

Swords lay scattered haphazardly, a broken spear at her waist, a completely twisted and deformed shield, fallen banners.

In the torrential rain and on the muddy ground slick with crimson, they appeared so pale and powerless.

All of this painted the girl's location into a post-battle hellscape.

The god of war on the battlefield.

The king of knights.

"Ugh... ha... ah... ahhh!!!"

She raised her unyielding head, shouting to the sky! Like a declaration of victory.

Drip... drip...

The sound of the rain gradually subsided.

The ** had finally stopped their actions. In the sky, the dissipating clouds allowed the sunlight, now that of the setting sun, to shine down again.

In the sunset, the golden-haired figure standing atop the many corpses looked so dashing and proud.

In the light breeze carrying a faint scent of blood, Her brilliant golden hair fluttered freely in the air.

Against the backdrop of the setting sun, her emerald eyes still radiated brilliance.

My goddess...

But...

The battle was not over.

The figures of many soldiers reappeared around Saber.

These soldiers were even more robust, their weapons gleamed with a sinister cold light, and a faint blood-red glow flickered in their eyes.

If the soldiers lying on the mountain of corpses could each fight five enemies, then these soldiers could each fight ten.

They were the elite of the elite.

Clang. Clang-clang-clang...

The group of soldiers closest to Saber had their weapons held horizontally across their chests.

"Still unwilling to surrender?! Knight King! Do you still believe you can defeat my most valiant soldiers?!" The Conqueror King's voice came from behind the ranks of soldiers.

His imposing figure, standing on his chariot, had been watching this battle from the very beginning.

He watched the Knight King, who, despite facing enemies numbering hundreds of times her own, still dared to swing her sharp blade and charge.

Surrounded by wave after wave of enemies, she still dared to counterattack time and time again, and during the battle, she constantly sought a way to charge directly towards him and slay him personally!

Brave.

Fearless.

And decisive in her slaughter.

Her resolute back against hundreds of times her number of enemies. Even though her body was so petite, to others... she was more reliable and reassuring than ever before.

And her performance while fighting amidst the enemy ranks, her unwavering expression even now. Her emerald eyes still reflected her strength and fearlessness.

The girl standing on the mountain of corpses simply remained there, still.

Facing the Conqueror King's question, the girl offered no reply, no expression. She merely straightened her petite body once more, gripped the Holy Sword in her hand, and yanked it forcefully from the mountain of corpses.

With scattered blood droplets, a golden blade swung.

Blade against blade...

"Come on!"

Her lips curved upwards slightly, filled with infinite confidence and determination. Though no words were spoken, her stance was enough to clearly convey her choice to the Conqueror King.

Her strong smile, revealed even under the threat of imminent death.

It made her figure, standing in the setting sun, even more captivating and enchanting.

Valkyrie...

"Sigh... I sort of understand why that guy was so infatuated with you now," the Conqueror King said with a sigh, looking at Saber, who was like a Valkyrie. He spoke with a mix of regret and strange satisfaction.

His thick hand slowly rose, then he slammed it down with a fierce swing!

"Kill!!!!"

With a unified roar from the soldiers, the troops, like a swarm of locusts, once again charged madly towards the small figure standing on a mountain of corpses!

Swish! Swish!

The first few soldiers to reach Saber instantly raised their weapons and swung them down at her together!

Facing the renewed danger, Saber showed no signs of tension, as for her, this was merely another experience of facing death, one among many.

She adopted her stance, holding the Holy Sword raised behind her head with both hands.

Her head snapped up, her large green eyes narrowing sharply.

"Ex...!" Her lips parted slightly. She uttered the forbidden name.

A violent gale instantly erupted around the girl, tearing the nearest soldiers to shreds like a storm.

The wind roared in fury! Brilliant golden light emanated from the girl's unseen sword!

The armor and skirt she wore dissolved into wisps of smoke, coiling around the golden blade.

The golden sword stood tall, piercing the heavens.

The radiant golden light it emitted made it impossible for anyone to look directly at it.

"This strike... is my last and strongest! If you have the confidence to receive it, then come at me! Conqueror King!!"

Her clear voice, accompanied by a golden radiance comparable to the sun, reached the Conqueror King's ears.

"Hahahahaha!!! Then come!" With that, the Conqueror King, taking the lead, charged forward, driving his divine bull chariot towards Artoria.

"My brave and fearless soldiers! Follow me! Alexander the Great!! Charge!!!" With the Conqueror King's shout, the cavalry, who had been staying behind him without engaging, immediately followed!

The sound of hundreds of thousands of horses galloping across the land felt like an earthquake!

Facing the elite army charging towards her, Saber took a forceful step forward!

The Holy Sword she wielded swung down in a direct, vertical cleave!

"Ex...calibur!!!"

The last vestiges of the setting sun were completely replaced by the sudden burst of golden light.

The sky, already choked with smoke, was instantly obscured by the erupting radiance.

In this instant!

Only a brilliant golden light existed between heaven and earth!