The Ultimate Lich King of the Multiverse

As the standoff at the harbor continued—while Rider's Master cried and yelled—suddenly, a chilling voice echoed out:

"Why did you go mad and steal my relic? Think about it—maybe you just wanted to join the Holy Grail War yourself… didn't you, Waver Velvet?"

The boy flinched as someone spat out his name with venom. He immediately realized the voice's owner hated him. In fact, Waver had a good idea who the voice belonged to.

"Th-that's…"

"What a pity. I had hoped this lovely student would live a happy life. Waver… someone like you, a mere mortal, should've had a peaceful life suited for a mortal."

The speaker's gaze was sharp, seeing clearly the fear frozen on Waver's face. With a bone-chilling and mocking tone, he continued playing with the trembling boy:

"But I can't help it, Waver-kun. I'll give you some extracurricular lessons. I'll teach you the true meaning of mages killing each other—the terror and pain of slaughter—without holding back. You should feel honored."

Waver had no mental space left to react to the cruel sarcasm in the words. Real fear had overtaken him. This was no longer a game—he was truly, deeply entangled in the carnage known as the Holy Grail War.

This was real, blood-soaked slaughter—mage against mage!

At that moment, something both strong and gentle wrapped around the young boy's trembling shoulders.

Startled, Waver flinched from the large yet comforting presence.

A massive hand—belonging to his towering Servant. With its rough, callused fingers, it should have terrified someone as small as Waver.

"Hey, Magus. From what I can tell, you seem to want to take my little Master's place as my new one?"

Rider asked the hidden Lancer's Master, his face twisted in a grin full of mocking pity.

"If that's really the case, that's laughable. The one who becomes my Master should be a brave warrior charging the battlefield at my side—not a coward too scared to even show their face."

Silence fell. Only the fury of the unseen Master seemed to hang in the air, thick and heavy.

Suddenly, Rider burst into loud laughter—this time, laughing at the night sky above him.

"Come out! I know there are more of you hiding and watching from the shadows!"

Both Saber and Lancer looked surprised.

"What's gotten into you, Rider?"

Saber asked warily, only to see the King of Conquerors beaming and giving a thumbs-up.

"Saber, Lancer—you two fought bravely and openly. The sound of your blades clashing so clearly must've drawn in more than one Heroic Spirit."

Raising both hands high, Rider shouted again, his voice booming into every corner:

"Pathetic. Truly pathetic! Heroes from all corners gathered here in Fuyuki—don't you feel anything watching Saber and Lancer fight with such valor? You boast about your names, yet hide and peek like cowards? Even Heroic Spirits would be ashamed!"

After another round of raucous laughter, Rider tilted his head slightly and grinned with fearless challenge, scanning the surroundings with provocative eyes:

"All Heroic Spirits summoned by the Holy Grail—assemble here and now! If you're too scared to even show your face, then save yourself the disgrace of being mocked by Iskandar, King of Conquerors!"

"This King of Conquerors… really is quite the character, huh…"

Watching everything unfold before them, Yoru chuckled softly as Irisviel remained in stunned silence.

He had brushed up on this world's history, so he could now vaguely recall the stories of the three Servants present. While the man was definitely brash and lacked refinement, there was something about his personality that made it hard to dislike him.

Still, to think someone like that had once ruled half the known world… Now that was a miracle. That kind of reckless, hot-blooded fool might be suited to be a general—but definitely not a king.

"So, what now? He's extended the invitation," Yoru asked Flandre beside him.

Rationally speaking, stepping out now was not a good idea. But considering how Rider was loudly taunting everyone, he had to factor in Flandre's opinion.

"This kind of idiot… it's really hard to get excited. I thought I'd finally get to move around a bit today."

Flandre bit her finger adorably, clearly unimpressed and unmotivated.

But before she could make a decision, another Servant could no longer resist and stepped forward.

A flash of golden light lit up the area—a kingly presence descending like divine judgment.

"Another one? Looks like they're all coming out now."

Yoru muttered as he watched the light manifest.

It was only the first day of the Holy Grail War—and already four Servants had revealed themselves here.

Ten meters above the ground, atop the globe of a streetlamp, stood a radiant figure clad in golden armor. Waver saw the dazzling face and held his breath.

"That man is…"

He had only seen him for a brief moment before, but that image had left a deep enough impression. There was no mistaking it—the mysterious Servant who obliterated the assassins that had invaded the Tohsaka estate with overwhelming power.

The full-body, gold-plated armor made it impossible for him to be a Master. And the fact that he responded to Rider's provocation showed that he had the presence of mind to feel challenged—meaning he clearly wasn't a mindless Berserker. That only left one possibility: the last of the three knight classes—Archer.

"Two fools who dare call themselves kings appeared overnight without a hint of shame. Truly laughable."

The golden Heroic Spirit curled his lip in distaste, his eyes filled with scorn for the three Servants below.

Although his arrogance echoed Rider's self-importance, Archer's tone was colder, more merciless. Even Rider looked flustered, scratching his chin in confusion.

"Even if you insult me… I am still Iskandar, the famed King of Conquerors!"

"There is only one true king worthy of the title beneath heaven and earth—and that is me. The rest of you are nothing but mongrels."

Archer bluntly delivered a statement that went beyond insult. Even Saber looked pale from shock, but Rider took it in stride, sighing in amazement.

"If you're going to talk that big, how about telling us your name first? If you're truly a king, you wouldn't be afraid to declare your fame, right?"

Rider offered with a teasing grin. Archer's crimson eyes narrowed, burning with pride and fury as he glared at the giant man.

"You dare question me, mongrel? You dare question your king!?"

Rider's question was reasonable by normal standards, but to Archer, it was a grave insult. Though assigned the Archer class, he now looked and sounded as rabid as a Berserker. His murderous aura surged the moment he finished speaking.

"Alright, another lunatic enters the stage."

Yoru shrugged, while Flandre quietly nodded and offered her analysis:

"A naive-looking King of Knights from Britannia, Saber. A guy who talks about chivalry but attacks from the shadows, Lancer. A Conqueror King who seems completely brain-damaged, Rider. And lastly, a mad dog king who bites anyone he sees."

After summarizing the current situation with unnerving accuracy, Flandre gave a helpless shrug.

"These are our opponents in the Holy Grail War? How boring."

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