Chapter 255: The End of the King of Conquerors
"Where is this?"
The moment they were drawn into the world of yellow sand by Iskandar, Hikigaya Hachiman keenly sensed the strangeness of this world.
"Hahaha..."
On the other side, Iskandar, who had pulled everyone into his Reality Marble, the 'Ionioi Hetairoi' (Army of the King), laughed proudly at their astonished expressions.
And accompanying his laughter, figures of soldiers began to materialize one after another on the dunes behind him!
"Are they all subordinates who followed him in life?"
Artoria stood opposite the suddenly materialized army, staring blankly at Iskandar, who was greeting his long-unseen subordinates.
A fleeting thought of her 'failed' life crossed her mind, which only served to strengthen her resolve to claim the Holy Grail.
If only I hadn't drawn the sword back then...
Meanwhile, Iskandar had finished gathering his army.
Thousands of people were arranged grandly across the sand dunes, and a glance confirmed that they were all Heroic Spirits!
Not only that, but there were even a few presences within the army that were more powerful than Iskandar himself!
"This ability is completely unfair..."
Feeling the imposing aura of thousands of Heroic Spirits opposite him, Hikigaya Hachiman's mouth twitched.
How were they supposed to fight this?
Even if they were all Heroic Spirits on the level of Assassin, Artoria would exhaust herself trying to kill them one by one, not to mention that this was the army that followed Iskandar in life, so they would surely possess battle formations and tactics...
"Must I use a Command Spell?"
Artoria's Noble Phantasm, Excalibur, had just been released.
In gaming terms, due to the limited prana Hikigaya Hachiman could provide, her Noble Phantasm was currently on cooldown.
But it was clear that even Iskandar on the opposite side couldn't just stand there quietly, waiting for Hikigaya Hachiman's prana to recover so Artoria could use her Noble Phantasm again.
"The enemy opposite us is the King of Knights, worth a thousand common soldiers, enough for us to exert our full strength and demonstrate our supremacy!"
As Hikigaya Hachiman raised his arm, preparing to use a Command Spell, Iskandar had already given a simple yet passionate battle motivation speech to his army.
Accompanied by his charging towards Artoria atop his warhorse, Bucephalus, the thousands of soldiers behind him also raised their weapons and followed him into the fray!
"Saber, by my Command Spell, I order you to release your Noble Phantasm and annihilate all enemies before your eyes!"
Since he was unsure of the maximum coverage of Excalibur, Hikigaya Hachiman directly used a Command Spell to force it to target all the enemies opposite them.
As a searing sensation rose on his hand, the Command Spell vanished partially, and Artoria, facing Iskandar's army, was forcibly commanded to raise the golden sword in her hand.
Massive prana poured into her body from the invisible void, and the surging prana, due to its immense quantity, materialized and wrapped around the blade's surface...
"For Britain, I absolutely will not lose this battle!"
Artoria slowly raised her bowed head, her eyes clear and resolute.
Although she had been influenced by others many times, she finally remembered.
On that twilight battlefield, on the hill littered with corpses, she gave up the chance to enter the Throne of Heroes and waited bitterly for a millennium, all for this one opportunity to seize the Holy Grail!
"As long as I can go back and choose again, all the misfortunes will vanish, and Britain will flourish anew in the hands of a new king, instead of heading toward destruction as before!
For that, begone, Rider!"
With the prana in her hand fully charged, Artoria let out a shout and fiercely brought her golden sword forward, facing Iskandar, who had already rushed in front of her, ready to strike with his sword.
"Boom!"
A violent explosion sounded on the sand dune, and a massive storm swiftly swept across the entire battlefield.
Countless soldiers instantly turned back into motes of light and returned to the void the moment they were touched by the column of light.
The few remaining Heroic Spirits of immense strength somehow moved in front of Iskandar using unknown means, opening their arms to shield their King from this fatal blow.
As the smoke cleared, the original appearance of the battlefield was revealed again.
The previously dense army of Heroic Spirits had vanished, and only the trench stretching to the horizon seemed to prove their former existence.
Artoria knelt on one knee in the sand, her exhausted body barely supported by the golden sword plunged into the sand.
Less than five meters opposite her, Iskandar was also kneeling on one knee.
As the one charging at the forefront, Iskandar should have sustained the most damage.
However, because his subordinates had instantly moved in front of him using an unknown method to shield him from the fatal attack, Iskandar was only severely wounded.
"Is the final outcome a mutual defeat?"
The enemy was right in front of him, yet he could not move.
Iskandar's face was filled with helplessness regarding this.
Although he had fought Artoria to a draw, in reality, he had already lost this battle, as his Master, Waver, was no match for Hikigaya Hachiman...
"If I had known this would happen, I should have asked my question before the battle... But it doesn't matter now, does it? After all, the battle just now was truly satisfying..."
Feeling someone approaching him, Iskandar closed his eyes.
"Rider, by my Command Spell, I order you to stand up immediately!"
Waver's voice suddenly reached his ears.
Immediately afterward, Iskandar felt the injuries on his body quickly begin to heal. A few seconds later, he shakily rose from the sand.
"Boy, did you just waste a Command Spell like that?"
Iskandar looked at Waver beside him with a complicated expression.
It was already a fact that he had lost. He had already accepted his defeat calmly, yet he didn't expect Waver to suddenly intervene...
"You said you were going to win!"
For the first time, Waver raised his head and looked directly into Iskandar's eyes without flinching.
"...Hahaha! You're right. This King always keeps his word!"
After looking into Waver's eyes for a few seconds, Iskandar suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
Then, he abruptly stopped laughing, looking at Waver with a serious expression and asking:
"Although it's sudden to ask now, Waver Velvet, are you willing to become my subject?"
"...Of course! I am willing to serve by your side and pledge my loyalty to you..."
Hearing Iskandar's question, Waver seemed to foresee what was coming. He nodded and replied, choking up with sobs.
"Good! Then fulfilling a subject's wish is also the King's responsibility!"
Waver's answer made Iskandar grin and laugh.
He voluntarily released the Reality Marble, returning the four people to the bridge surface.
"No matter what the outcome is next, I hope you, Waver, can survive, witness everything tonight, and tell the later generations the true splendor of your King!"
After saying this, Iskandar charged toward Artoria without looking back.
"The final Command Spell..."
Watching Iskandar's fading back, Waver raised his right hand, tears streaming down his face.
Iskandar, who was mid-charge, suddenly felt another surge of massive prana empowering his body.
He instantly understood what was happening, but instead of looking back, he simply let out a long laugh directed at the sky, and then approached Artoria at an even faster speed!
A few seconds later, a golden column of light flashed across the bridge surface once more, and then the bridge fell into complete silence...
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