Campione: Strongest Godslayer!

~ Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!

<><><><>

All eyes were on the golden goblet, the air thick with anticipation.

"So—that's the Grail…" Rider murmured, his gaze fixed on the gleaming cup.

"I don't sense any power emanating from it," Waver said, his voice laced with suspicion.

"Perhaps it's concealing its true nature," Hassan-i Sabbah suggested, her voice cold.

"Ahem." Haru cleared his throat, silencing them.

The courtyard fell silent, everyone's attention turning towards him.

"Of all the wishes I've heard, Gilgamesh has none. Saber and Kiyohime's are unrealistic. Only Rider and Assassin's have moved me."

"Well, this is a predicament. Only one Grail, but two worthy contenders," Rider said, scratching his head.

Hassan's eyes flickered, a calculating glint in them.

Saber stared at the Grail, a troubled look on her face. Though it was within reach, she was no longer certain of her desire. Was it to save her kingdom, or to save herself?

"I shall announce my decision. I've chosen to bestow the Grail upon Hassan-i Sabbah."

Hassan's eyes widened, her brown skin flushing crimson as she looked at Haru, speechless.

"Well, for someone like him, favoring a pretty woman is to be expected," Rider said with a shrug, his tone surprisingly accepting.

"Blackmail! This is rigged!" Waver, hearing Haru's decision, jumped to his feet, pointing at Haru, his voice filled with indignation.

"Sit down, boy. What's the rush?" Rider chuckled, placing a hand on Waver's shoulder, pushing him back into his chair.

"B-but," Waver sputtered.

"I'm touched, boy. Seeing you defend me like this," Rider said with a grin, giving Waver a thumbs-up.

"You anticipated this, didn't you, Rider?" Haru asked, a knowing smile on his face.

"From the beginning, I knew that heroes with true convictions wouldn't simply hand over the Grail. In the end, strength decides everything. Though I hadn't expected a god to be the judge." Rider grinned, his earlier disappointment gone.

"But if you knew, why bother with the banquet?" Illyasviel asked, tilting her head.

"A chance to meet and clash with heroes from different eras is a rare thing. I wanted to test their mettle, their beliefs, their strength. And if I could convince any of them to join my army—all the better. That was my intention. And though I haven't gained any new recruits—I have learned something. I've seen their ways of ruling."

His expression turned serious, his gaze fixed on Saber. "King of Knights, you're clinging to a dream, a fantasy of saving your kingdom. That's a noble goal, but it's not the way of a king. Right now, you're just a little girl, lost and—broken."

Saber's lips tightened into a thin line.

Haru had already seen through her, exposed her deepest insecurities. She had no words to refute Rider's assessment. She just wanted to know—what Lancelot thought.

Rider, after his brief lecture to Saber, turned his attention to Gilgamesh, the king he was destined to clash with.

"Before we fight, I must say... we are not compatible."

"Oh?" Gilgamesh sneered, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Rider with undisguised contempt.

"Your way is one of absolute dominance. You are a kingdom unto yourself. Even alone, you are your own king."

"My way, however, is conquest. To unite my people, to gather their strength, and conquer all that stands before us!" Rider puffed out his chest, his voice booming.

"You dare to judge my way of ruling? You, a failed king, whose kingdom crumbled after your death? And you speak of uniting your people? Where are these subjects of yours?"

"My loyal subjects are here!" Rider roared, his arms raised towards the sky.

A whirlwind, hot and dry like a desert wind, swept through the courtyard.

"Ptooey! Ptooey!" Waver spat, trying to get the sand out of his mouth. Where had it even come from?

The courtyard vanished. The moonlit sky, the Einzbern Castle, even the nearby forest—all gone, replaced by a vast expanse of desert, the horizon a shimmering wall of heat.

In an instant, they had been transported from a castle in Japan to a desolate desert.

"Wh-what—what just happened…?" Waver and Illyasviel stammered, their eyes wide with shock.

"A Reality Marble?…"

A Reality Marble.... a Bounded Field where one's inner world replaced reality, a miracle of magecraft, a manifestation of one's deepest desires—the closest a Magician could get to true Magic.

"Impossible! You're not even a True Magician! How can you use such a high-level technique?!" Waver's voice was filled with disbelief.

Then, his eyes widened. "Wait—could this be…?"

"You remember the information I gave you about my Noble Phantasm, boy? That's right! This is my greatest treasure! Ionian Hetairoi!" Rider's laughter boomed through the desert.

As he spoke, their positions shifted. Gilgamesh, caught in the spatial distortion, reappeared directly in front of Rider, while the others were moved behind him.

The air shimmered and distorted as figures emerged—one after another, until a vast army, stretching as far as the eye could see, stood before them.

"This world can be recreated because it's etched in our hearts."

Around Rider, warriors materialized—their armor and weapons varied, their ethnicities diverse, but their strength, their discipline, their loyalty—it was the mark of a true army.

"They're all Heroic Spirits, manifested in their true forms. If Gilgamesh isn't careful…" Haru murmured, his eyes narrowed, a calculating glint in them.

"Behold, King of Heroes! This is my army, my people! My loyal subjects!" Rider roared, his arms raised, his voice filled with pride.

"Though their bodies have perished, their spirits live on! These are my warriors, my loyal companions! They have crossed time and space to answer my call! They are my greatest treasure! My Ionian Hetairoi!"

Among them were legendary figures, heroes and kings whose names echoed through history—war Gods, Alexander the Great's generals, founders of ancient dynasties.

A magnificent black stallion, its muscles rippling, its coat gleaming, galloped towards Rider—Bucephalus, his loyal steed, now a Heroic Spirit himself.

"It's been a while, old friend," Rider said with a grin, patting the horse's neck.

Gilgamesh's sneer vanished, replaced by a look of respect. She uncrossed her legs, rising from her chair to face Rider's army.

Rider turned to her, his smile fading as his expression became serious. He stopped before her and spoke.

"King of Babylon, allow me to ask you one final question, before this banquet—concludes."

<><><><>

Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the rest!

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

There is 9 Exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon!