Suddenly, Lancer raised her head and shouted.
"And you, hidden observers in the shadows! Drawn by our battle, yet still lurking in the dark—are you not better than cowards?"
Ryou was momentarily stunned by Lancer's taunt, but in the next second, he quickly realized—Lancer was helping him!
A snake hidden in the shadows is the most deadly.
Once these participants in the siege are exposed on the battlefield, their ability to restrain one another will increase. The more that are exposed, the safer he would be.
But why is she helping me when we have no connection?
Before he could resolve his doubts, Lancer delivered an even sharper taunt.
"Your actions not only violate the code of chivalry, but even your names as heroic spirits are crying out in shame! I am ashamed to be associated with the likes of you!"
Lancer's voice echoed across the entire harbor like a tsunami.
Such words—any heroic spirit with a shred of pride could no longer bear it.
"Ah! What is that woman saying? It's so infuriating!"
Medb puffed her cheeks in anger, but in her pupils, one could see there wasn't much real fury. Instead, there was a hint of cunning.
Waver noticed this as well and simply pretended not to hear.
Waver's reaction was so indifferent that Medb's small face was filled with curiosity. She prodded Waver with her riding crop.
"Hey! She's insulting you, aren't you mad?"
Seeing that he couldn't dodge her, Waver let out a long sigh. He was beginning to miss the time he spent with a certain king.
After all, that king was so much better. Women are just too troublesome.
Despite his feelings, Waver still answered Medb's question.
"First of all, I'm not a heroic spirit. I simply possess the power of one, so the glory of a heroic spirit has nothing to do with me.
Second, I am a strategist. Going into battle is the general's duty. Her words mean nothing to me.
And the most important thing is, her taunting skills are subpar."
Yet clearly, some people couldn't resist such provocations.
For example, Saber, known as the King of Knights, clenched her fists in anger the moment she heard Lancer's taunts.
At this moment, Irisviel, who had been standing by her side, suddenly released her.
"Go ahead, Saber."
Saber looked at Irisviel in surprise.
"I think, just this once, Kiritsugu will forgive me for being a little willful."
Irisviel closed one eye and gave a playful smile.
"Thank you, Irisviel."
Saber expressed her gratitude solemnly.
However, before she could take action, Lancer's taunts provoked someone else entirely.
"One is a mongrel who dares to mock a king, and the other is a mongrel who dares to call themselves a king. What a perfect match."
A voice, arrogant to the point of disgust, accompanied the appearance of an exaggerated figure on the street.
The golden armor gleamed even under the night sky, and the short golden hair stood up like spikes, piercing the heavens. His crimson eyes were filled with arrogance.
The brilliant figure stood atop a streetlight, looking down at Ryou and Lancer with a condescending gaze as if they were nothing more than ants on the ground.
At the same time, Kotomine Kirei, who was observing the battlefield through Assassin's eyes, reported the situation to Tohsaka Tokiomi.
"Teacher, Archer has appeared."
"This is really bad news."
Sitting by the phonograph, Tohsaka Tokiomi pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
On the other side of the microphone, Kirei heard the helplessness in Tokiomi's voice and could easily imagine the troubled expression on his face.
A strange sense of joy surged from Kirei's heart to his head, and despite his expressionless face, the corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted into a smile.
'If I cannot experience joy myself, I shall find it through others. That woman was right…'
Just then, Tokiomi's voice came from the phonograph, interrupting Kirei's internal struggle.
"Kirei, continue monitoring the battlefield. If the situation worsens, I will use a Command Seal if necessary."
Kirei was startled and quickly calmed his mind.
"Yes, Teacher."
After hearing his disciple's response, Tokiomi sighed again.
If it weren't for the fact that the arrogant king wouldn't allow Tokiomi to link to his vision, Tokiomi wouldn't have needed to go through the trouble of having Kirei act as his eyes on the battlefield.
This time was the same. According to Tokiomi's original plan, the King of Heroes should have made a grand entrance, swiftly annihilating the Caster faction with overwhelming force, while also intimidating the other Masters. Then he would retreat, mission accomplished.
The plan was perfect.
But who could have predicted that the arrogant King of Heroes would completely ignore his advice, recklessly charge out at the slightest provocation, and now he was directly confronting Lancer.
If it weren't for his overwhelming strength, this King would be the epitome of a liability.
...
Back at the harbor, on the battlefield:
Faced with such vile remarks, Lancer scoffed.
"I am the sovereign of the four seas, the supreme Emperor of the Holy British Empire, Artoria Pendragon. There is no need for me to merely claim the title of king."
Once again, a voice, filled with arrogance, sounded from the golden figure atop the streetlight.
"There is only one in this world who can truly be called king, and that is me. All others are nothing but mongrels…"
"Whose dog got loose? Calling everyone a mongrel, over and over. If you can't speak like a human, just shut up. You're annoying, don't you know that?"
Ryou suddenly lashed out.
The entire battlefield fell silent for a moment.
Not only did he speak without holding back, but he also used amplification magic, as if afraid no one would hear him.
Now, every Master and Servant present had heard his words.
Many people's lips twitched, and the same thought popped into their heads: Who is this guy? His mouth is vicious.
Some even went further, like a certain pink-haired queen who was laughing uncontrollably, clutching her stomach and slapping her Master on the back.
Meanwhile, hearing Kirei's report, Tohsaka Tokiomi could only think of two words—it's over!
The only ones who didn't react with shock were Irisviel and Saber—especially Saber. When she heard Lancer reveal her name, disbelief filled her face.
At that moment, the atmosphere between the three main figures on the battlefield became incredibly tense.
Lancer looked at Ryou with a strange expression.
Ryou, on the surface, seemed calm, but in reality, he was as tense as a bowstring pulled to its limit.
Archer lowered his head, hiding his expression in the shadows, but his trembling body foreshadowed the terrifying storm about to come.
In the next instant, the sky behind him was covered in countless golden ripples. Over a hundred divine weapons emerged from the void—swords, spears, halberds, and various exotic weapons.
Each weapon gleamed brilliantly, many of them well-known legendary treasures.
The golden king raised his head and glared at Ryou, his crimson eyes blazing like molten lava.
"I will tear you to pieces, you mongrel!!!"
Seeing Gilgamesh, furious and brimming with rage, a faint smile appeared in Ryou's eyes.
The strongest fish he had chosen had taken the bait.
That's right—he had deliberately provoked Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was the target he selected to make an example to threaten the other Servants, though this particular fish was stronger than some of the Servants.
Next, all he needed to do was defeat Gilgamesh with overwhelming force, and his goal would be accomplished.
The other participants, who had been swayed by Jalter, would be intimidated for the time being, giving him the perfect opportunity to move on to the next phase of his plan.
He had considered using this chance to kill Gilgamesh, his biggest threat, in one decisive strike. However, due to the existence of Command Seals, he didn't hold out much hope for that.
Under Gilgamesh's furious control, more than a hundred divine weapons rained down upon Ryou, even enveloping Lancer in the storm of swords.
As they witnessed the might of the King of Heroes, both Masters and Servants were shocked, instinctively wondering how they would fare if they faced him themselves.
Almost no one believed Ryou stood a chance. In their eyes, this foolhardy man was already a dead man walking.
It was understandable. The enraged King of Heroes was attacking with his full power. Not only had he unleashed over a hundred weapons, but each one was of A-rank or higher.
Without an EX-level defensive Noble Phantasm, there was no way to escape unscathed.
As for EX-level defensive Noble Phantasms, they are rarer than any other treasure, and even the King of Heroes himself didn't possess one.
This level of defense was on par with Gilgamesh's beloved sword, Ea: Enuma Elish, a weapon capable of splitting the world itself.
How could a nobody possess such a divine artifact?
However, this night would mark the beginning of an epic tale for this supposed nobody.
Faced with the oncoming barrage of divine weapons, Ryou didn't dodge. Instead, he charged directly toward them.
By some twist of fate, the first weapon that flew toward him was none other than Laevateinn, the legendary sword from Norse mythology, known by many names such as Sword of Victory, Branch of Destruction, Flame Demon Sword, and Staff of Calamity.
And by sheer coincidence, this sword was aimed straight at his heart.
From the moment Ryou had provoked Gilgamesh, he had silently activated the third level of his ability, Berserker's Revenge.
The cursed sword, Laevateinn, its blade seemingly engulfed in unquenchable flames, whistled through the air as it stabbed straight at his heart.
Seeing this, Gilgamesh's eyes flashed with satisfaction, as if he could already picture the insolent fool who dared mock him being torn to pieces by his noble treasures.
Watching Ryou recklessly charge forward, seemingly about to be impaled by Laevateinn, Gilgamesh couldn't help but mock him.
"To dare challenge the King who reigns supreme over heaven and earth, this is your…"
Before he could finish saying "fate," the threat posed by the cursed sword triggered Ryou's ability.
A thin golden membrane instantly enveloped his entire body.
This membrane seemed no thicker than a bubble, yet it acted as an impenetrable barrier, protecting him as if it were an unbreachable chasm.
The infamous cursed sword was immediately deflected upon contact with the membrane, and the same fate befell the hundreds of divine weapons that followed.
Taking advantage of this moment, Ryou crossed several dozen meters in the blink of an eye and appeared directly in front of Gilgamesh.
"Damn you! You cursed mongrel!"
Gilgamesh shouted in fury.
With a thought, golden ripples surrounded Ryou and silver chains shot out from within, extending toward him like the tentacles of an octopus.
This was one of the King of Heroes' most famous Noble Phantasms, the divine creation that once bound the Bull of Heaven—Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven!
However, this time, Gilgamesh's most trusted Noble Phantasm failed to live up to his expectations. The chains were deflected one by one by the golden membrane, rendering them completely ineffective.
Witnessing this, Ryou's face showed a hint of a cold smile.
The Chains of Heaven were a rare Noble Phantasm designed to subjugate divine beings. Although Berserker's Revenge Reversal War God bore the name of a god, it symbolized humanity's will to resist the gods.
To the barrier formed by Berserker's Revenge, the Chains of Heaven were nothing more than slightly sturdier chains. In terms of power, they weren't even as strong as some A-rank weapons.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Gilgamesh cursed repeatedly, though a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.
Ryou immediately taunted him.
"What's the matter, King of Heroes? Running low on weapons?"
"Mongrel, don't you dare get cocky!"
Gilgamesh roared in fury, pulling out a strangely shaped sword without hesitation.
This sword had no blade. It was composed of three cylindrical segments, covered with red patterns resembling circuit boards, and its hilt was mostly encased in an ornate golden handguard.
This was Gilgamesh's ultimate trump card, the sword said to sever the very fabric of the world—Ea: Enuma Elish!
"Awaken, Ea!"
With Gilgamesh's command, the three cylindrical segments of the sword began to slowly rotate.
A wind pressure capable of tearing apart space itself began to howl wildly in the void.
Faced with such a terrifying display of power, Ryou remained calm, even feeling a bit of glee in his heart.
This extreme narcissist had taken the bait, just as expected.
Ea's power was devastating, and even Ryou wasn't confident that his revenge barrier could withstand its attack.
But Ea had a glaring weakness—its charge time was far too long.
In gaming terms, its attack animation had too much motion, making it easy to interrupt or evade.
Once someone got close, the wielder became nothing more than a sitting duck!
Mana Burst! World Ruler! Berserker's Revenge!
Without hesitation, Ryou activated his strongest abilities, then pulled his right fist back to his waist and unleashed a powerful punch.
Machine Gun Blow!
As his punch struck out, it transformed into a flurry of blows that enveloped Gilgamesh completely.
At that moment, Gilgamesh was still holding onto Ea, continuing to charge its power.
In his haste, all Gilgamesh could do was summon a large number of shields from his Gate of Babylon to defend himself.
...
Meanwhile, in the underground chamber of the Tohsaka estate, Tohsaka Tokiomi was experiencing what felt like an eternity.
Listening to Kirei's live battle report and feeling the constant drain on his magical energy, his expression grew darker by the second.
"To think it's come to the point where he has to use Ea, his ultimate trump card. How disgraceful!"
"Teacher, please make a decision quickly!" came his disciple's urging voice from the phonograph.
Tohsaka Tokiomi slowly raised his hand, which bore the Command Seals.
"With this Command Seal, I—"
Just as he was about to speak the next words, Tokiomi hesitated.
With Gilgamesh's pride bordering on arrogance, if he used a Command Seal now, their relationship would never recover.
Since so many of their trump cards had already been revealed, perhaps it would be better to seize this opportunity to demonstrate their strength…
This moment of hesitation would lead to consequences beyond imagination.