For a moment, people all over the world stopped what they were doing. Even those planning to commit crimes temporarily suppressed their urges and found somewhere to sit, ready to watch the images on the Light Screen in the sky.
After three days, the Light Screen appeared again, and people across the world could hardly wait to watch.
The images on the Light Screen three days ago had left such a deep impression on the world that excitement continued to build in every country. The celebrities and idols who were used to buying publicity and attention could only grit their teeth and endure it.
On top of that, the news of the Supernatural Disaster attacking Chiba City two days ago had spread across the world. Many people had fallen into a panic. Even though the Mystery had been eliminated, many found it hard to accept that "even a place like Yingzhou had been attacked by a Supernatural Disaster." They were desperate for something to lift their spirits.
The governments of various countries had planned to reveal Artoria's situation over the past couple of days to boost public confidence. Now, the appearance of the Light Screen was a timely assist.
At least the moment they saw the Light Screen, even those who had been lost and terrified felt reassured.
Then they couldn't help feeling a little resentful, too. Three days had felt far too long—like an eternity.
Three days! Three days without the Light Screen! Do you know how we got through those three days?
Get the show started already!
Sunflower seeds, peanuts, crispy crackers, popcorn, soda, watermelon, coffee—can't go without a single one!
That was how the spectators felt.
The professional organizations set up by various countries were, naturally, much more professional. Experts and professors were immediately summoned to get to work, ready to launch another round of speculation and analysis.
And of all the organizations, the best prepared was undoubtedly the former Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Office, now Yao Guang-Chaldea.
Because of her special status and the world-shaking power she had displayed, Artoria was now a central pillar of the new organization and enjoyed special privileges. She wasn't required to stay at headquarters all the time.
The others, however, had no such freedom. The people who had appeared in the Light Screen's images, along with their families, were still staying at Yao Guang-Chaldea's temporary headquarters. After all, the organization had grown directly into a massive international body, and its old headquarters were no longer suitable. A new one would be built in the suburbs of Tokyo.
Besides the Emiya family, the Tohsaka family, and Kotomine Kirei, who had already arrived, a few new faces joined them today.
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, who had appeared in the Light Screen's images as the strongest warrior of the Fianna Knights, had a counterpart in the real world, too.
Mr. Diarmuid O'Dyna, a gymnastics coach in Osaka, and his fiancée had both been brought in.
Then there were Waver Velvet, a professor at the University of Tokyo, and his mentor, Kayneth Archibald. Also employed at the University of Tokyo, Kayneth had many research accomplishments and enjoyed considerable standing in academic circles.
They had all appeared in the Light Screen's images. Kayneth hadn't shown up directly, but his voice was too distinctive to mistake. When they found Waver Velvet, now a grown man, they also dug up Kayneth, a prominent academic in his forties.
Yes, the people who had appeared in the Light Screen's images, like Waver Velvet, were now adults. At thirty-six, Waver stood over 1.8 meters tall. He had long hair, a gaunt face worn down by the years, and the unmistakable air of an overworked wage slave from Yingzhou.
Without old photos of Waver as direct proof, no one would have believed he was the timid, delicate boy with a bowl cut from the Light Screen's images.
And yet they really were the same person. As a boy, Waver had looked exactly like that delicate youth in the Light Screen.
For a moment, everyone who knew about it couldn't help lamenting that time was one hell of a butcher's knife.
Amid all those wistful sighs over the ravages of time, the images on the Light Screen began.
The events shown on the Light Screen picked up where the previous installment had ended.
Iskandar, King of Conquerors, made a commanding entrance. With the grand bearing of a conqueror, he declared his true name, leaving the entire world baffled and shocking everyone in the Light Screen to the core.
"I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors! In this Holy Grail War, I have descended into the world as Rider!"
The Light Screen opened with Iskandar revealing his identity—a perfect replay of that iconic scene. Even though everyone had already watched it, and had rewatched the recording several times over the past few days, seeing it again on the Light Screen still left them awed by the presence of Alexander the Great.
The Light Screen wasn't merely a moving image. Watching it could make people feel as if they were there, letting them clearly experience the presence of the heroes and great figures it depicted.
Then they saw Waver, the little, timid Master, with excited tears in his eyes from sheer terror. He grabbed the King of Conquerors' cloak and shouted a curse with all his might, though it still sounded pathetically weak. "What on earth are you thinking, you idiot?"
Smack!
The crisp sound came as the King of Conquerors flicked Waver on the forehead with his index finger, which was almost as thick as Waver's forearm. Waver let out a yelp, fell back into the chariot, and clutched his forehead, silently bearing the pain.
Feel the pain, Waver!
Countless people watching Waver on the Light Screen found themselves thinking the same thing, then looked at him with sympathy.
Then they saw the King of Conquerors ignore his own Master and turn his gaze toward Saber on the left side of the chariot, then Lancer on the right.
Taking a deep breath, the King of Conquerors smiled and said, "Though fate has made us rivals in our struggle for the Holy Grail, there's something I'd like to ask you first—you..."
He spread his arms, clenched his fists, and grinned as he spoke with boundless enthusiasm. "Would you join my ranks and yield the Holy Grail to me?"
He lowered his arms and pounded his fists together. "If you do, I'll treat you as friends, and we'll share in the joy of conquering the world together!"
A long silence followed.
Outside the Light Screen, the entire world fell silent, too. That opening blow had left everyone speechless.
You want other people to hand over the Holy Grail to you? And then they get to become your friends and conquer the world with you?
In an instant, countless people around the globe wanted to make fun of him. But there were so many things to poke fun at, they didn't know where to start. Many people's impression of the King of Conquerors shifted from a heroic man of boundless ambition to a thickheaded idiot who didn't think before he spoke—and an incredibly narcissistic one at that.
Of course, not everyone saw it that way. Some immediately thought the King of Conquerors was magnificent, while plenty of chuunibyou teenagers thought he was unbelievably cool.
This display of kingly swagger was just too cool. He was the perfect model for a gang leader, a school delinquent, or the boss of a criminal underworld!
If the King of Conquerors were in the real world and raised his arms to call for followers, plenty of terminal chuunibyou and people with no sense would join his ranks.
After all, conquering the world sounded unbelievably cool, didn't it?
They could hardly wait to leap into the Light Screen and answer for Saber and Lancer.
However, Saber and Lancer clearly had no chuunibyou desire to become someone's dogs. Lancer immediately gave a disdainful smile. With his eyes closed and unwavering loyalty in his voice, he said, "I must decline your offer. The only person for whom I will offer up the Holy Grail is my new lord, with whom I have made a pact."
As he spoke, he opened his eyes, let his smile fade, and looked sharply at the King of Conquerors. "But that person is certainly not you, Rider!"
Then King Arthur spoke as well. In a calm voice, she said, "Is this the sort of nonsense you interrupted my duel with Lancer to say? If I were not a knight as well as a king, Rider, this would be an unforgivable insult."
The King of Conquerors looked a little helpless. He scratched his head, then made the universally understood gesture for money. "We can negotiate the terms."
Lancer roared, "Enough!"
"..." Saber said nothing, but she looked at the King of Conquerors as if he were an idiot. In all her years as a king, she had never met anyone with a screw loose quite like him.
Rejected outright, the King of Conquerors stared at his hand gesture with the baffled expression of an idiot wondering if he'd gotten it wrong. Then he scratched his head again, apparently trying to think of what to say next.
Saber spoke up then. "Alexander the Great, you are indeed a great king, renowned throughout history. Many kings have followed you and been conquered by you. But I am not among them. As a king myself, I have things I must uphold and protect."
"So there's no need to try to recruit me. It will only make me think you're just like those self-important lords I've met before—all of them laughingstocks."
She wasn't the naive, sweet-tempered knight from Urobuchi's writing. After witnessing countless lies, viciousness, and treachery, she had remained pure: Artoria, the true Knight King. Speaking as a great monarch, she rebuffed the King of Conquerors' arrogant offer.
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