All Present
A radiant "boat" of gold and emerald flew through the sky, dazzling enough to draw everyone's eyes. A king clad in golden armor stood proudly at its prow, while behind him, Tokiomi Tohsaka, staff in hand, wore an expression even darker than Kaineth's.
How should one put it? Wouldn't flying around everywhere in something that flashy attract public attention?
Li Zihan spared Kirei Kotomine and Tokiomi Tohsaka 0.33 seconds of sympathy, then hurriedly shielded the chicken legs that had yet to finish grilling. Anyone who had ever barbecued knew the ugly faces of companions waiting for skewers—each one like a starving ghost reincarnated. Right now, beside Li Zihan's grill stood a burly man who wanted to take a bite out of everything he saw.
The ones responsible for handling such matters were Tokiomi Tohsaka, manager of the ley lines, and Kirei Kotomine of the Holy Church. No matter how serious things became, they had nothing to do with Li Zihan. If he won, he would go to another world and become Long Hao, Liangchen, or Aotian. If he lost, what the hell was there to talk about? He might not even keep his life, so why worry about preventing the exposure of mysteries? Why not run for it? Wait for love?
"Wh-what is that?" Kiritsugu Emiya stared at the airship in the sky, the hand holding his cigarette trembling slightly.
Kaineth also frowned deeply. He had just dealt with the troublesome Caster, only for an even more troublesome figure to appear. Furthermore, Berserker in Li Zihan's hands was exceptionally powerful. Looking at it this way, he was actually at an absolute disadvantage in this Holy Grail War.
Saber and Lancer both entered defensive stances. The newcomer was far too arrogant, making it difficult to tell what attitude he had come with.
"It seems this flashy golden fellow is better suited to the Rider class than I am." Rider watched the airship overhead, his eyes gleaming in a way that made Waver's scalp tingle. "Once I buy a B-2, I must settle things with Archer in the skies."
Even after Waver's earnest attempts to persuade him, Rider had not given up on his plan to buy a B-2 bomber.
He listened humbly, then stubbornly refused to change.
"Hey, Berserker's Master, do you know what Archer's ride is?" Rider pulled out a can of draft beer and poured it into his mouth. He drank so fiercely that plenty of foam stuck to his beard. Rider raised an arm to wipe the corner of his mouth before asking, "If it's cheap, I'd like to buy ten."
"Vimana, a flying craft that traveled the skies in ancient Indian mythology. It is also mentioned in India's two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata." Li Zihan did not give a specific price, because he did not know either. "That thing is made of gold and emeralds. Even a B-2 bomber is cheaper."
"If only there were a wealthy city for me to conquer." Rider sighed. "If I had enough wealth, I could buy a B-2. I might even be able to buy that airship from Archer."
It seemed that even the King of Conquerors yearned to become someone with money superpowers. (The author muttered quietly: I want to as well.)
"Wretch, you certainly dare to speak!" Archer stepped down from the halted Vimana, his crimson eyes filled with amusement. "To dare set your sights on this king's treasures—your courage is commendable."
"It can't be helped. After all, I am also known as the King of Conquerors. If I did not at least try to seize something this interesting, I would be letting down my title." Rider crossed his arms over his chest. He did not conceal his coveting of Archer's Noble Phantasm, bluntly laying bare his desire.
That was probably one of the reasons Rider could so easily win over his retainers and earn the admiration of his people.
His desires were stronger than anyone's, he was bolder than anyone's, more quick-tempered than anyone's. He contained both purity and filth, and was more real than anyone else—someone people both feared and admired.
A person like that would become a banner wherever he stood, inspiring those who came after him.
"Though you are merely a wretch, you are undoubtedly one of the finest among wretches." Archer looked at Rider and withdrew his previous tone of contempt. "I have decided. A madman like you will be personally slain by this king."
There was no further exchange. The moment the two kings met, they had identified each other as enemies. They conversed as though no one else existed; even Tokiomi Tohsaka and Waver, their respective Masters, could not get a word in.
"Are we going to have our final battle here?" Rider shook the half-finished beer in his hand, sounding somewhat helpless. "Neither I nor my army would mind, but if the fine things prepared for today's banquet were destroyed, that would be too wasteful."
"At a banquet attended by this king, there can be no clashing of blades." Archer's tone suddenly sharpened. "But can this even be called a banquet?"
Archer raised a brow and sneered at the exceedingly crude "feast." "Is the taste of wretches truly this low-class? Or is Berserker's Master fooling this king? To fool a king is a capital offense."
"To you, even this world's so-called high-class food and wine would merely be inferior goods. After all, you are a king who was active in the Age of Gods. Rather than embarrass ourselves with those 'high-end banquet supplies,' it would be better to choose specialties of this era and let you experience the flavor of modern times."
Li Zihan dragged Waver over to the grill to help out, then stretched lazily. "Your Majesty Gilgamesh."
"It seems there are still people in this era capable of recognizing this king's radiance." Gilgamesh nodded in satisfaction when his true name was spoken. He paid absolutely no attention to Tokiomi Tohsaka, whose face wore the same despairing expression as Waver's because his Servant's true name had been exposed.
Iskandar picked up a bottle of cola from the tablecloth and tossed it to Gilgamesh. "This is a specialty of this era. You must try it."
Archer caught the soda, opened it, took a drink, then frowned. "Though the taste is quite peculiar, this is not a healthy beverage."
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