The World's Finest Emperor

"It's nothing, just a little farce." Bai Mo sat down cross-legged again, as if he had simply stepped away to grab a drink during the gathering. The pile of assassin's body parts gradually disappeared with the evening breeze, and everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, this guy won't be competing with us for the Holy Grail.

"You... you and Lancer were evenly matched before, weren't you... were you just toying with him?" Iskandar asked. Bai Mo flatly denied it. "My sparring with him was a pure martial arts contest. If he could defeat me in martial arts, then he could naturally kill me. Well, that's still unlikely at that time."

Picking up the Holy Grail, this useless thing, he knew he had to deal with it now. A burning desire gleamed in Iskandar's eyes. This wasn't just the Holy Grail that could grant wishes; it was also an affirmation of their path to kingship. For a king, nothing could be more valuable. As for Artoria, she sat to the side, never raising her head. Compared to the wishes granted by the Holy Grail, she was now consumed by self-doubt, and thus, in her mind, she had already placed herself in the position of a loser.

Here, for you.

The decision was made, but there was an eerie silence. There was no triumphant air of the award winners, only silence. What was going on? Neither of the two people should be this quiet.

Artoria looked up, and there before her stood the gleaming golden Holy Grail.

"What? You're having a Maria complex now?" Gilgamesh clearly disagreed with the result, and said with a hint of aggression.

"If you're only doing this to vent your frustrations, then you've lost the composure expected of a king."

"Hmph, it seems he's not just all strength; he's also quite adept at provoking people."

"Alright, alright, you two wait a minute, kid. You must have your reasons for doing this," Iskandar interjected, showing no disappointment or dissatisfaction, and asked magnanimously.

Bai Mo flicked his finger, and the Holy Grail fell to the ground. Artoria caught it, still feeling that it all seemed somewhat unreal. Was this for me? Huh? For me? Her emotions surged wildly. She didn't even make a wish right away. No, if she made a wish now, she probably would never forgive herself.

Bai Mo returned to his seat and said, "Isn't this just natural? You've misunderstood something. I am not a king, nor do I have any desire for power. So, from the perspective of an ordinary person, I naturally hope that the ruler of the country is someone who is willing to work hard, make sacrifices, and give for the people. That's all."

Iskandar's expression changed, his brow furrowed. "Indeed, you, who are not king, would have such thoughts, but you know the fate of the King of Knights, don't you? Would you really look forward to such a kingdom?"

Bai Mo glanced at him. "You seem to have no right to say that. You've only ever focused on expanding your territory, never caring about the lands you conquered. While their homes were being trampled by your iron hooves, you were still pushing forward towards even greater and farther desires. Indeed, as a ruler, you know very well how to guide your subjects. But how many bones have been piled up beneath your dreams? Have you ever even glanced at those people?"

Iskandar fell silent, drank the wine in his hand, and the fragrant brew seemed to have lost its original sweetness.

"As a king, your achievements in expanding territory are unparalleled. However, those countries you conquered, those ordinary people kneeling under your iron hooves, calling you king—you have always ignored their cries. There is a saying in the East: ' Tianxia the world is easy, but maintaining Tianxia is difficult.' King of Conquerors... no one has the right to forgive the calamities you brought on behalf of those ordinary people."

After listening to Bai Mo's words, Iskandar tilted his head back and drank what was in his cup. "Indeed, even if I had to do it all over again, I would still do the same. This time, you're the one who chose me, and I can't deny your words." He spread his hands and said, "You've convinced me. In your eyes as a person of Iskandar people, I am indeed inferior to the King of Knights, at least in terms of heart. But I will not deny my life. Once I obtain a physical body, I will personally show you how glorious my achievements are. This time, even if you win, King of Knights, I will win back next time, hahahaha."

Iskandar didn't care at all, openly admitting that he had never looked back at those behind him even once, but he would not deny his own life. A king can never be defeated, and even if destroyed, he will not stop pursuing his desires. This was his life motto.

A cold snort rang out, Bai Mo turned to Gilgamesh, "What, you don't want to hear it? You can take it back now, okay?"

"What a joke! My laws respect contracts above all else. That cup is your reward, so you can use it as a dog bowl or whatever, it's up to you. But if you can't say anything meaningful, I'll definitely chop off your head, boy." A golden throne popped out from under Gilgamesh's buttocks, and he crossed his legs, looking like he was ready to watch a court clown's performance.

Faced with this attitude, Bai Mo's expression became somewhat subtle as he said, "Are you sure? Sometimes face isn't that valuable."

"Enough with the nonsense. Do you think I Gilgamesh, am such a narrow-minded person?"

"Aren't you one of them?" Almost everyone present wanted to ask the same question.

Upon seeing this, Bai Mo suddenly seemed to perk up, as if Bai Cinan had finally found some amusement while watching a magnetic field performance, and he straightened his back with joy.

"Then I won't hold back, Artoria. Watch closely, I really don't understand how you managed to get past those two's insults." As if a history teacher in a classroom was about to discuss things that wouldn't be on the exam, Bai Mo cleared his throat and said, "Gilgamesh was a god-like figure, in every sense of the word. He was born with the blessings of the gods, possessing divine blood. This emperor, with such an incredible start, united heaven and earth, and his ancient Ancient Babylon reigned relatively peacefully. He truly lived up to the name of the King of Heroes."

Gilgamesh arrogantly interjected, "Of course, you should understand the sentiment behind that offering, right? Since that's the case..."

"But you stole this thing, didn't you?"

Bai Mo showed no mercy, saying, "You levy taxes without hesitation when the people gain wealth, and you even carry away any pretty woman you see on the street. Before you met Enkidu, was that what you called governing the country? You were just ruling the people. What's the difference between a king who torments the country and its people and a human-shaped natural disaster? Artoria, don't feel inferior just because your country is destroyed. If you switched places with them, Britain would be Britain to last half a year."

Bai Mo showed absolutely no mercy, leaving everyone dumbfounded, like disabled people sitting on the shore facing an impending tsunami. Was this something to be said? Were these two about to fight to the death? For a moment, only Iskandar's loud laughter filled the arena. Waver, standing beside him, tried desperately to stop him from laughing, to hold back, to force himself to, but... how could he possibly suppress such a ridiculous amusement?

"You keep saying that the law is an indelible iron law, but in the end, it's still a tool of your rule. If you fully enjoy the benefits of the law, you will naturally abide by it. Anyway, I can't accept that after working hard to gain wealth, I can just have a large part or even all of it taken away by taxation."

Bai Mo opened his hands, sealing the title of "King of Heroes," and asked, "So, are you ready to start the fight?" This voiced the question in everyone's minds.

Surprisingly, Gilgamesh snorted coldly, "Hmph, that's just your modern perspective. It has absolutely no real-world reference. At best, it's just something to talk about after dinner. Are you happy, kid? I'm not going to get angry over such idle chatter. In the end, it's just a lighthearted drama to relieve boredom."

"Yes, yes, whatever makes you happy." Bai Mo felt a sense of helplessness when dealing with a child. No matter how you reason with him, he just throws out a "rebound" remark. What can you do?

"Boring. Holding this kind of game without considering your background makes this banquet so dull it even caused me to misjudge," Gilgamesh continued. Iskandar, standing beside him, chuckled, "To remain seated after such a assessment, you're truly remarkable, King of Heroes."

Gilgamesh grinned, and for no apparent reason, this smile made Artoria's heart skip a beat. What's with this guy smiling at me? What's wrong with him?

"What's wrong, King of Knights? The Holy Grail you've been longing for is now in your hands. Be thankful; your pointless efforts actually moved a fool to the point of bestowing it upon you."

Artoria glanced at him sideways, as if she had once again become the heroic King of Knights, raising the Holy Grail towards Bai Mo.

"Thank you... I really don't know how to express my gratitude right now."

"Then don't bother expressing it; it's something I don't need anyway."

Artoria was speechless. "Are you uncomfortable if I don't get verbally tortured by you?" But she could only accept that this was Bai Mo's personality. The thought of changing the future of Britain soon made her willing to be verbally tortured by Bai Mo, or even to be beaten up.

"No, I must convey this gratitude to Bai Mo. I don't know if you've lived since the Age of Gods, or if you visited the Age of Gods for some reason, but if one day you come to my kingdom, Britain, I will personally give you the warmest welcome. Really... thank you."

Bai Mo frowned and said, "To be honest, I don't feel good about this. Rather than worrying about that, I think you should first consider whether this thing will even work. I'm actually quite busy, so don't worry about me."

"You're always like this. Never mind." Artoria lowered her head, looking at the golden Holy Grail. At the bottom of the cup, she seemed to see beautiful Britain. Then, she raised the Holy Grail high and cried out, "Holy Grail, please save my country and spare Britain from destruction!"

A golden light burst forth, illuminating the entire night. Then, within that dazzling light, Artoria seemed to see her distant homeland, Britain ...

The light faded, Artoria opened her eyes. Who would she see first? Kai? Bedivere? No, judging by the distance, it would probably be Mordred. What should she say to him then...?

However, what came into view were Bai Mo, Iskandar, and Gilgamesh.

Artoria:?

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha!" Gilgamesh burst into laughter on his golden throne, completely disregarding his image. He was laughing even more heartily Iskandar had just been, unable to control his laughter, a wild, unrestrained laugh!

Artoria, somewhat out of control, "What's going on? Where's my Britain?!"

Gilgamesh needed all his strength just to keep himself from laughing so hard he collapsed off his throne. Bai Mo looked over with pity. Irisviel, Waver was still here; she was still in Fuyuki.

Artoria drew her sword and pointed it at Gilgamesh, "Are you trying to fool me? You bastard!"

Gilgamesh, unfazed by the Holy Sword, continued his unrestrained laughter, "Hahahaha, a bunch of idiots who don't even know the true nature of the Holy Grail Holy Grail, actually pinning such unrealistic hopes on it! Hahaha, it's hilarious! Saber, you're the most brilliant clown I've ever seen!"

"You bastard!" Artoria drew her sword to strike, but Iskandar quickly grabbed her arm armor.

"What do you want, King of Conquerors? Do you want to be my enemy?"

"Calm down, King of Knights. If you kill him, we'll really have no idea what this cup is."

Iskandar's words made her stop. Bai Mo questioned Gilgamesh, "Hey, King of Heroes, is this thing really the Holy Grail? You're not just trying to fool us with a glowing cup, are you?"

All eyes were on Gilgamesh, who was still laughing loudly. Bai Mo frowned and said, "If you don't have time to answer, I'll find the answer myself." These words echoed in Gilgamesh's mind, and he finally stopped laughing and explained to everyone.

"This Holy Grail, in essence, is merely a crystallization of magical power—that is, a vast amount of magical power—more than enough to fulfill ordinary wishes."

"Don't joke around, this is supposed to be all-powerful..." Artoria was about to question her, but she seemed to suddenly realize something and froze. Bai Mo, rubbed his temples and muttered, "An all-powerful wish-granting device, not an omnipotent one."

With a clatter, the Holy Grail, which Artoria had just treasured, fell to the ground.

Gilgamesh continued to laugh, "Looking at your pathetic state, I'll give you another piece of information as a bonus, King of Knights. The fall of Britain was the inevitable result of the decline of the Age of Gods, a key process in the evolution of the world. Your wish cannot be fulfilled by any number of Holy Grail, hahaha."

Artoria seemed to have lost all her strength. She braced herself on the ground, looking at the Holy Grail before her, the wish she had for death.

"Smack!" A slap sent the Holy Grail flying, hitting Waver squarely on the head.

"Caw!" Waver winced in pain, clutching his head, but compared to Artoria's pain at this moment, it was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Artoria knelt on the ground and screamed hoarsely, "What a joke, what a joke! You idiot! Ah--"

Some were happy, some were sad. Gilgamesh laughed even harder, while Irisviel was quite frightened, but she still stepped forward and asked, "Then... even the wish for lasting peace in the world can't be fulfilled?"

Gilgamesh laughed and said, "That kind of thing, huh? It should be possible, right? A wish that can be fulfilled by wiping out all of humanity, maybe the Holy Grail can do it, hahaha!" Then, like a satisfied spectator, he left, leaving behind the shattered hearts of the crowd.

Waver clutched the Holy Grail, Gilgamesh's words making him hesitant to make a wish. The way to achieve lasting world peace was the extermination of humanity. Was this really the Holy Grail? Or the Ark of the Covenant?

Seeing the Saber team completely devastated, Waver turned his gaze to Bai Mo, but Bai Mo suddenly flew up from a distance, as he sensed something was wrong.

Sensing that Illya was in danger, Bai Mo instantly transformed into a streak Illya light and vanished.

"Um... this thing, do you still want it?" Waver raised his hand, holding the Holy Grail, and asked timidly, but no one answered him.