Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

These words shattered countless viewers' moral compass.

Previously, the King of Heroes slaughtering two combat maids and slaying the demigod Heracles could still be justified as hostility.

After all, showing mercy to enemies is cruelty to oneself.

Fans of the Wise King feverishly argued—"Killing foes isn't cruelty!" "How can Holy Grail War actions be considered cruel?"

Veins bulged on their foreheads as they debated fiercely.

What followed was a series of incomprehensible descriptions.

Phrases like "Iron-blooded King" and "to reach the Root" and such.

But now,

The utterly inhuman words spoken by Gilgamesh in the video were like a slap to the face of all the fans who had defended him.

A resounding slap!

It provoked widespread criticism, filling both the video and the comments with an atmosphere of outrage—

-[What kind of king? I saw with my own eyes that you wanted to destroy all of humanity and were publicly executed!]

-[Damn, I was just defending the King of Heroes too, but now I realize—I was the clown all along?]

-[No way! Absolutely no way! This can't be the King of Heroes I know!]

-[Why do I feel like even the Wise King would want to kill this edgy version of him?]

...

"Is this really the King of Heroes?"

Mordred couldn't help but rub her eyes.

The contrast was so stark that she couldn't even associate the two as the same person.

"This King of Heroes... is indeed a bit strange," Gawain also frowned slightly.

How could the King of Heroes, who cherished his people like his own children and cared for every ordinary person, become so edgy and evil?

The King of Heroes had actually said—

"I shall bring calamity upon the world to see how many remain after the useless trash are culled. Isn't that amusing?"

Listen to that—what kind of nonsense is that?

They continued watching the video patiently.

The twin-tailed girl, Rin Tohsaka, couldn't hold back her anger and questioned him: "You call yourself a king, yet you're seriously talking about massacring ordinary people?"

"Hmph! Countless wastes run rampant in this era—it's truly pitiful."

Gilgamesh snorted coldly, his crimson eyes fixed on her. "In the Uruk I once ruled, there were no useless people. Everyone had their role to fulfill."

"But now, useless trash like you has multiplied far too much. It falls upon me to purge you mongrels!"

A flashback of the King of Heroes appeared.

The bare-chested king sat upon the throne of Uruk, gazing at the countless people toiling below.

A faint smile graced his face, as if he were admiring the most precious treasures.

The memory vanished in an instant.

Gilgamesh stared coldly at the Holy Grail spewing black mud in the distance and sneered: "Why can't wishes be granted? Because miracles and magic come at a price! For every wish fulfilled, despair is sown."

"Humanity is nothing but a pack of insatiable beasts, destined only to bring ruin upon yourselves!"

His demeanor was lofty, as if he were a god looking down upon mortals!

Watching this, Gawain suddenly laughed. "He claims to despise gods, yet now he acts as if he's the one ruling over humanity—just like the Sumerian gods who punished humans in The Oldest King!"

"So what happened back then is happening again now? How can they be so similar?" Mordred was astonished.

"Similar? They're identical!"

Gawain shook his head with a sigh, utterly disappointed in this King of Heroes who had abandoned his original ideals.

This oldest King of Heroes, whose mother was the daughter of Anu, King of the Gods.

The gods had chosen to blend the divine blood meant to rule over humans with the blood of the king meant to govern them—

Creating something entirely new—

[The Wedge of Heaven!]

The gods intended for him to suppress humanity, to make them forever revere and worship the divine.

Yet this king refused to be ruled by the gods, unhesitatingly abandoning his duty as [The Wedge of Heaven].

He chose to defy the gods!

But now.

The King of Heroes in the video, merely deeming some humans unworthy of existence, arbitrarily sentenced countless lives to death.

He scornfully dismissed those who sought to save others as "fakes," "hypocrites," and "mongrels."

This King of Heroes had clearly ceased to be human.

Assuming the stance of a god who looked down upon mortals, he sought to dictate the fate of humanity at will!

The dragon slayer had become the dragon itself!

By this point, few viewers continued to support the King of Heroes—

-[Ahhh, I never thought I could despise a Heroic Spirit this much!]

-[Damn you, Alaya! You've ruined the King of Heroes in my heart!]

-[This is bad. I wonder how the King of Heroes will react when he sees this video. Is he really going to turn against humanity?]

-[Go on, young man, defeat him thoroughly!]

...

In the Tower of the End.

Merlin watched the video with astonishment: "Huh? The King of Heroes has this side to him?"

In his understanding, this king was a wise ruler who treated ordinary people quite well.

But now, he seemed more like a nightmare than even Merlin himself.

No, not even a true nightmare would act this way!

Nightmares feed on human dreams—they would never indiscriminately slaughter the innocent!

With these words, the wise king's persona instantly crumbled.

What could have happened in between?

"Still, this works out. Since the King of Heroes is now an enemy of Nameless, it means the grand showdown is definitely going to happen."

Merlin grinned with delight.

Fight. The fiercer, the better.

Only a life-and-death struggle would make the King of Heroes more willing to help him deal with Nameless.

"Pity, though. This young man named Emiya—this Nameless—is far too weak. He stands no chance of harming him!"

Merlin shook his head.

He held no hope for Nameless in his youth.

In fact, he'd wager that if this boy could defeat the King of Heroes—

No, if he could even survive the King of Heroes' attacks, Merlin would willingly transform into [Magi☆Mari] and visit that top-ranking otaku doctor!

That's how confident he was!

On the screen.

The battle raged on.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Gilgamesh transformed into the most ancient gatling gun, relentlessly bombarding his opponent.

One Noble Phantasm after another erupted with deafening force, tearing the entire castle apart.

The young Emiya saw no hope of victory.

He could only dodge with immense difficulty, his body accumulating wound after wound.

"You lowly mongrel, fit only to grovel in the dirt—how dare you challenge my majesty? You truly are audacious!"

Gilgamesh sneered at him, clearly treating him like a clown performing on stage.

Hum~

Another figure descended—none other than the adult form of Nameless!

Seeing this, Merlin frowned. "Ah, so it's not just the young you fighting the King of Heroes. It's both of you working together!"

A slight disappointment, though.

The timeline of the Unlimited Blade Works video preceded that of The Oldest King.

A completely different timeline.

The Nameless in the video had never traveled to Uruk in the Age of Gods, nor had he met Enkidu.

Otherwise, he could have used Enkidu's chains to bind the divine King of Heroes!

But if Nameless joined forces with King Arthur, they would stand a far greater chance of defeating him!

None of this had anything to do with this boy!

In the video.

Gilgamesh seemed to sense something as well, his voice dripping with impatience: "Hmph. One annoying insect after another. Perish, all of you!"

He reached into the golden vortex and withdrew a weapon resembling a staff.

It shimmered with a dazzling crimson radiance, brimming with the power to rend all things asunder.

This was none other than the King of Heroes' mightiest Noble Phantasm—Ea!

Seated casually atop the rooftop, the King of Heroes spoke with effortless composure, "Annihilate everything in my name, Ea!"

The sword hummed as it began to rotate.

A crimson light surged outward like a tidal wave, devouring everything in its path!

***

Hey readers!

Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.

🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹