Chapter 39: War of Kings!

A great fire had buried everything.

In Fuyuki City, everyone was on edge. Beyond the initial reports of gas explosions, a string of arsons and bizarre deaths had made the area feel perilously unstable. News reports indicated that the residence of the Matou family had been reduced to ashes; the sole surviving descendant, Shinji Matou, had been taken into protective custody. The fire appeared to be the work of a man named Kariya Matou, who had vanished immediately after the act.

This succession of disasters seemed to signal that an unknown war was drawing to its conclusion. Undercurrents surged through Fuyuki City, yet the mastermind behind it all simply waited for the clock to run down.

"Night is the most suitable time for battle."

"It is secluded and desolate, and the moon is quite beautiful. At the very least, it lends a faint, undetectable sense of pathos to the death-struggle of heroes. Don't you agree?" Zoran remarked indifferently, his gaze fixed on the distant night sky.

A crack of thunder resounded as the Noble Phantasm, Gordius Wheel, descended from the heavens. The towering and powerful Servant, Rider, had finally arrived to fulfill his appointment. The ox-cart circled once in the air before slowly touching down on the ground.

"Caster! I am the King of Conquerors! With the Holy Grail as the wager, I challenge you to a duel between kings!"

He shouted with abandon, pointing his sword toward the night sky. On the chariot, Waver shrank back, shielding his face with his hand. Rider's kingly aura was indeed formidable, but it also struck him as somewhat... over-the-top.

In the mid-air, Zoran clapped lightly. At the sound of his applause, Shendu manifested from his spirit form. He currently wore his human guise, but in the next heartbeat, a searing flame swirled around him like a baptism. The true form of the Demon descended.

Facing off under the tranquil night sky, Zoran glanced at Shendu, and a sudden, absurd thought flashed through his mind. He curled his lips slightly; with his current level of control, he could probably be considered a Master Pokémon Trainer, provided Shendu counted as a "Pokémon."

"Rider, go fulfill your wish," Waver whispered. He used all three Command Seals at once. Though he didn't truly believe his Servant could win, as a Master, he respected every choice Iskandar made.

"Hahaha! I feel your resolve!" Iskandar patted Waver lightly on the shoulder. This time, he didn't use his full strength.

Zoran: "Shendu."

Shendu hesitated for a moment before opening his maw: "Roar—"

He didn't quite understand why Zoran wanted him to do that, but he surmised it was likely his brother's wicked sense of humor. Since he was the boss, it didn't hurt to indulge his eccentricities. He stepped forward, his draconic claws leaving cracks in the pavement.

Iskandar raised his sword high. Almost simultaneously, they both let out a low roar.

The sky changed color in an instant. A blood-red firmament swept across the horizon as yellow sands blanketed the earth. Glory of the Ancient Demon and Ionioi Hetairoi descended at the same time. As Noble Phantasms of the Reality Marble type, they stood in direct opposition.

The world transformed abruptly. A magnificent palace paved with ornate tiles rose up instantly, while in the distance, a wall of rolling dust and yellow sand surged forward. Iskandar had unleashed his Noble Phantasm.

Ionioi Hetairoi (Army of the King)

Rank: EX (Anti-Army)

Type: Reality Marble

Effect: Creates a Reality Marble known as the "Infinite Seething Desert," summoning the king's loyal soldiers from his past life.

Zoran gazed calmly at the battlefield. With the Reality Marbles deployed simultaneously, Shendu and Iskandar were evenly matched in terms of Noble Phantasm prowess. The blood-red sky and the vast yellow sands met like the Punk Hazard in One Piece, forming a glaring line of demarcation in the center of the world.

Shendu sat enthroned upon his dragon palanquin. He raised his arm high, and the dragon legions shrieked as they surged forth.

On the other side, within the scorching desert, tens of thousands of Heroic Spirit warriors formed an unbreakable phalanx. Led by the Heroic Spirit King of Conquerors, Iskandar, the king's army of old was reborn. Their morale was soaring, and their killing intent pierced the clouds.

It was a rare spectacle, like something out of an epic poem. This was not just a confrontation between two kings, but a clash between the legions they once commanded.

The tens of thousands of warriors summoned by Iskandar undoubtedly held the advantage in numbers. In life, they had followed the King of Conquerors closely, campaigning across the Eurasian continent. These warriors were all independent Heroic Spirits with their own consciousness and combat prowess, even including generals who possessed their own Noble Phantasms.

Two completely different auras clashed at the world's dividing line. Iskandar drove his chariot, raising his sword high as he issued his command as a king.

He roared, "CONQUER!!!"

His voice was like thunder, echoing through the heavens. Shendu's raspy voice cut through the air as he commanded, "My soldiers—"

The dragon legion dove from above, rushing toward the dividing line. The phalanx of Heroic Spirit warriors met them amidst a whirlwind of dust. The Fire Demon's subjects dominated the sky, beating their wings and opening their draconic jaws to pour oceans of fire from the heavens.

On the ground, the army of Heroic Spirits marched into the flames. Though the fire scorched their bodies, they remained fearless.

The moment they made contact, the battle became exceptionally tragic. A rain of arrows fired by the warriors blotted out the sky, and dragon after dragon fell screaming. As they neared the ground, warriors on horseback moved in for the kill. They coordinated with one another perfectly, just as they had in life.

Hooves kicked up flames, turning the sand of the scorching desert white-hot. One figure after another collapsed in the inferno. In a very short time, the dividing line of the world was filled with corpses.

Reflecting the flames, the blood-red firmament turned a golden-crimson hue, carrying the pressure of an ancient beast as it collided with the rolling yellow sands.

This was a war of nations!

What was being contested was far more than just soldiers; it was a clash of soaring spirits. The sound of war horns mingled with the roars of dragons, as if a kingdom's army from another world was battling the Great Dragon.

Brilliant lightning rose from the ground as the chariot, pulled by several thunder-hooved oxen, tore through the billowing sands. Iskandar held his sword, fighting amidst the swarm of dragons. His entire body was wreathed in lightning, the divine authority of Zeus from legend, possessing immense destructive power against armies and structures alike. He led the charge just as he had in life, his rolling thunder causing dragons to plummet.

This was a King, a true King!

In the distance, Shendu snorted a puff of air, his form flickering instantly. He carved a perfect line through space, standing in the center of the battlefield in the blink of an eye, blocking the path of Iskandar's chariot.

The thunder oxen reared up high before stomping down heavily, intending to crush everything in their path. Dazzling lightning lunged at Shendu, relentlessly damaging his body.

However, the Noble Phantasm-grade Horse Talisman swept those injuries away in an instant. His stature ballooned, standing tall on the ground as he met Iskandar's gaze.

"Hahahaha! Exhilarating! Let this King conquer you!"

Iskandar shouted with wild joy, swinging his sword down as he unleashed a strike carrying ten thousand tons of thunder.