Capítulo 43: Ignite!
That was when everyone really became gob-smacked. In the war of the Holy Grail no Servant would want to declare his identity as it could be a key component of his battle plans. Meanwhile, the most agitated among the people around was Waver, who sat beside Rider.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, stupid moroooooooon?"
His fear of Rider's looming bulk already forgotten, Waver shrieked at Rider while grasping the mantle of the King of Conquerors.
With the merciless finger flick that echoed in the night, the protesting voice died down. Only the middle finger of Rider's right hand paid any attention to it, and Rider asked with a glance to Lancer and Saber that were on either sides of him.
"You slaughter each other to obtain the Grail... I want to ask you something before you engage.
I don't know what expectations you have of the Grail. But now, consider for moment whether your wishes are even greater than the desire to possess all of earth and heaven."
Although Saber still hadn't understood what he meant, her instincts told her that those words were full of danger. Her pupils widened subconsciously.
"You, what do you want to say?"
"Hum? I was quite clear."
By then Rider had maintained his dignity, but his voice was much more gentle and amicable.
"I have descended upon the battlefield, so do you have any intention to pass the Holy Grail to me? If you forfeit your claims to the Grail, I would regard you as friends, and share with you the joy of conquering the world."
"..."
It was such a random suggestion. Saber was dazed before she had a chance to feel angry. Opposite her, Lancer was also stunned speechless.
Alexander, King of Conquerors. He is indeed an extraordinary Heroic Spirit. There had been no one else like him in human history, so full of eagerness to manifest his ambition of conquering the world.
But even so, what about Rider's suggestion? Suddenly jumping out, proudly declaring his true name, demanding others to respect him before he had shown his worth in battle: all those actions made it look like he has no desire to join the war for the Holy Grail.
It was the first time that anyone had seen something like this. It was hard to tell whether this was a wise decision or a foolish move.
"I admire your boldness in declaring your identity just then, yet... I found it hard to agree to your proposal."
Lancer shook his head with a bitter smile, but there was no laughter in his eyes. A glare as intimidating as a sharp sword collided head-on with the scornful sideway glance of the King of Conquerors. It was as if sparks flew between them.
"I will lift up the Grail, that is the oath I took with the only new king of this era. The one that will hold the Grail in his hands will not be you, Rider."
"...Did you stop my duel with Lancer just to declare all this nonsense?"
Saber asked, immediately following Lancer's words. Her expression was different from that of the beautiful spearman, there wasn't any laughter to be found. Rider's suggestion was extremely irritating for someone as serious as her.
"Your joke was overdone, King of Conquerors. This is an unbearable humiliation to a knight."
Lancer and Saber both cast hostile glares towards Rider. Rider mumbled as if troubled, massaging his temples with his knuckles subconsciously at the same time. Although Rider appeared to be running out of plans, his majestic pose did not change at all. Therefore, Rider is actually someone rather rare.
"... Are you offering terms to me?"
""Enough!""
Feeling that Rider might make some attempts of flattery, Lancer and Saber simultaneously refused him. Saber continued with disappointment written on her face.
"Besides... I am also a king that rules the kingdom of Britain. No matter what kind of a king one is, he can never bow before another king."
"Oh? The king of Britain?"
Rider showed interest in Saber's declarations and raised his eyebrows.
"How surprising. The renowned King of Knights is actually a young girl."
"And would you like to try the blade of that young girl, King of Conquerors?"
Saber lifted her sword as she lowered her voice. Her left hand was still powerless to hold the sword; its four fingers were just resting on the hilt. The fighting spirit that rose wavering from the blade, however, was more solemn and majestic than when she fought Lancer. Rider furrowed his brows and let out a long sigh.
"My my a breakdown of negotiations, is it? What a waste, that's too bad."
When Rider looked down and mumbled to himself, he found the glance that was full of hatred that looked up from beside his feet.
"Ri...de..eeer..."
He had the pain that came with his swollen forehead, but his regrets were more tragic than that pain. Waver's deep cries passed through the air.
"Nooow what? Talking again and again about conquest, and people still dislike you... Do you really think you can beat Saber and Lancer?"
The stocky Servant faced his Master's questions with no sign of remorse, but began to laugh heartily.
"Er, well, wasn't there a saying that says actions speak louder than words?"
"And your action is just to say your true name out loud like that!?"
Waver was so angry that his head was dizzy. Using his two weak fists, he continued to hammer at the breastplate of Rider, who was just standing there, and started to cry tears. Looking at this sad situation, Irisviel felt neither contempt nor sympathy. She just felt that she couldn't take it anymore.
The atmosphere that had subtly relaxed-
<<Oh? It is you, of all people.>>
Suddenly became tense again with the low, resentful voice that crept along the ground.
It was the still-concealed Master of Lancer. Ever since he had urged the Servant to use his Noble Phantasm, the observation had been very quiet. Now he was interjecting to ask Waver's purpose in coming here.
It was a sound that was completely different from the tone used before, something that exposed a heart drunk with hatred.
"And I was wondering what you stole my Holy Relic for in your outrage. I didn't think you would actually have the guts to join the Holy Grail War on your own, Waver Velvet."
Waver heard someone calling his name with malice and knew that he was the subject of that hatred. Not only that, Waver was easily able to guess the owner of that voice.
"Ah... uh..."
How could he not predict it? With his rank as high as lecturer of the Clock Tower, Holy Relics for other Heroic Spirits can still be prepared even if Alexander's cloak was stolen. Therefore, at the land of Fuyuki, it is not a surprising thing to have this man standing before Waver as his enemy...
"What a pity. It's a shame, really. I actually wanted my poor beloved student to be happy. Waver, someone as mediocre as you only deserves to possess the calm and stable life of commoners."
Waver was dazed with delusions, unable to determine where the voice came from. He no longer knew how many times he had experienced the nauseating feeling in his stomach, Lecturer Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. The feeling of having those crystal blue eyes that held a mixture of humiliation and pity, which glared down at Waver from the lecturer's mean and slender face somewhere above the boy's head. He felt it acutely once again.
Waver wanted to return some smart remarks to the lecturer. Waver had, before his lecturer had managed, skilfully made the Heroic Spirit Alexander into a Servant that obeys him. Was that not the best revenge for the humiliation that he suffered at the Clock Tower for such a long time?
'Yes. It is no longer a relationship of teacher and student. He is now my true enemy. I can hate him as much as I want, even going as far as taking his life. Now he is undoubtedly my real opponent.'
During the few years that Waver spent at the Clock Tower, he had always hated that haughty lecturer in every waking and sleeping moment, even considering killing him for a few times. Yet, it was the first time that he was faced with such enmity from his lecturer. The young Waver experienced the gaze of a true magus that was full of the desire to kill for the first time.
However, the reverse is also true.
The owner of the voice saw the petrified fear on Waver's face with his sharp sight. With a tone of icy mockery that sent Waver's hair to stand on its end, he continued to speak as if toying with Waver.
"Well, I can't help it, Waver. Let me give you some extra tutorials. The true meaning of the slaughter between magi. I will pass the terror and the pain of the kill onto you without any reservation. You should be proud."
In fact, Waver was already shivering with fear, not even paying attention to the humiliation brought by those words.
To become a true magus, one must be prepared to be killed... A theory that was usually comprehended through books was keenly felt by Waver. The glare that the man shot from who-knows-where was more lethal still. The moment when a magus wanted to kill is the moment when the death sentence is pronounced. Waver did not know that until now.
Then, something enclosed the slender lone shoulders of the boy, which was shivering from terror, in a gentle and powerful embrace.
Waver was befuddled of the rough yet gentle touch. The hand of the stalwart Servant with coarse fingers that are thick with calluses could only induce dread from the short Master.
"Oi, magus. If I understand correctly, you were supposed to be my Master instead of this kid, apparently."
Rider called out to the unseen Master of Lancer. In fact, his face was covered and twisted by a huge smile of malevolent pity.
"That thought is beyond ridiculous. The man that deserves to be my Master should be a warrior that rides with me into the battlefield, not a coward that doesn't even dare to show his face."
Silence descended, only the anger of the unseen Master could be felt spreading along the night air. Rider suddenly laughed into the empty sky, a roaring laugh that exhausted the airs in his lungs.
"Come on out! There must be others. Friends that are hiding in the darkness and spying on us!"
Saber and Lancer were both shocked.
"What are you doing, Rider?"
Facing an inquiring Saber, the King of Conquerors did a thumbs-up accompanied with a hearty smile.
"Saber and Lancer, your battle was most excellent and superb. The clear sound made from the clashing of sword and spear would perhaps attract more than one Heroic Spirit, don't you agree?"
Irisviel was trembling at the thought that Kiritsugu might have been discovered in his unknown hiding place, but Rider only had other Servants in mind. Rider wanted to deliver the deafening sound to every corner of the surroundings, and bellowed once again.
"What a shame. What a shame, really! The heroes of might gathered at Fuyuki! Seeing the prowess displayed here by Saber and Lancer, does it not invoke any sentiments from you? Having a name that deserves praise, yet concealing yourself and spying in secrecy, what cowardice! Even Heroic Spirits would be troubled upon hearing this, huh?"
After another fit of laughter, Rider tilted his head with a fearless expression at the corner of his mouth, and ended with a challenging glance.
"The Heroic Spirits invited by the Holy Grail, gather here at this moment! For those cowards that fear to show their faces, spare yourself the humiliation that Alexander, King of Conquerors, would deal to you. Prepare yourself!"
Rider's enthusiastic speech even passed to Emiya Kiritsugu, who was hiding in the distant container port conducting his observation. It was also heard by Maiya, opposite Kiritsugu's position.
The minds of ancient heroes were so far removed from Kiritsugu's own that he couldn't even sigh in response.
"...That fool almost managed to conquer the known world?"
"..."
Opposite the intercom, Maiya also appeared like she could not understand the situation.
Like Kiritsugu and Maiya, the secretly-observing Kirei also saw all of Rider's actions and heard his senseless words through Assassin's eyes and ears. At the moment Kirei was at the distant Fuyuki church, and Kirei had told everything he saw and heard to Tohsaka Tokiomi through the jewel communicator beside him.
"... This is bad."
From the distant Tohsaka residence such an irate sentence was heard.
Although Kirei knew the speaker couldn't see him, he furrowed his brows and nodded.
"Indeed it is."
Tokiomi and Kirei did not disregard Rider's nonsense talk like Emiya Kiritsugu did. The reason was that they both thought of one particular Heroic Spirit, who would never ignore something like Rider's challenging words.
And they were right in worrying about it, since it is the beginning of the end of this Holy Grail War.
A golden light immediately arrived following Rider's bellow.
The light was still faltering out, and there already was no surprise left in the heart of the spectators. It wasn't just a wild guess anymore that this was a fourth Servant who had made an appearance responding to Rider's provocation. The dreadful point is that the beginning of the hostilities was a gathering of four Servants already. Nobody could possibly conjecture what the turn of events would be.
As expected, the golden light came from 10 meters above, atop a street pole, where a figure standing in a shining armor could be seen. Waver held his breath at the sight of such dazzling dignity.
"This guy is..."
He had seen him for only one instant the previous time, but there was no mistaking such an intense existence. The one standing calmly atop the street light was none other than the enigmatic Servant who had sent into oblivion with an overwhelming destructive power the Assassin who was invading the Tohsaka mansion the previous night.
This couldn't be Caster, his entire body covered in armor. If he had materialized in response to Rider's call, it meant he had the sense to recognize the provocation as such, thus he couldn't be Berserker.
By elimination, the only one left was the last of the three Knight classes, Archer.
"I didn't expect there would be two fools in one night to have the insolence of calling themselves "kings" and ignore me."
For his very first words, the golden Heroic Spirit looked very displeased, scorning from above at the three Servants with a glare. His arrogance and his tone were comparable to Rider's haughtiness, but it differed from the very root. There was never cruelty and mercilessness in the voice and eyes of the King of Conquerors.
Even Rider didn't expect anyone more domineering than himself to show up, as he was stroking his chin with a bewildered look void of malice.
"You are mistaken... I, Alexander, am the one who is well known throughout the world as the King of Conquerors."
"Fool. The only hero in Heaven and Earth who is a real king is me. The rest are a collection of mongrels."
At that moment-
"Is that so?"
Time suddenly slowed down with the arrival of a young man who made his presence known by himself.
The voice itself was so enigmatic that everyone at the scene had to turn to look at the young looking man and feel an oppressive pressure.
Everyone at that moment had only one thought in mind.
'That being is not human.'
Then they had another thought.
'That is not a Servant.'
The young man looks moderately handsome with part crimson and part black hair. He was wearing a black shirt and a pair of black trousers. He had a golden spear on his shoulder and had a provoking look at the golden Servant.
Archer on the other hand had his pupils dilated with the presence of this intruder. He felt divinity from this being! And not some half baked divinity you find in demigods but a full fledged like a god. He instantly felt a sense of danger incomparable to the old days.
This was not because that the being facing him was a god or anything like that. He has never respected gods as he was supposed to. He even rejected the Babylonian Goddess of Love Ishtar with some extra scorn. It's because the man's presence is like that of the old God Kings who even he has to be wary about.
"I suppose it's upto me to finish off this half-breed king of mongrels." The man says with a mocking voice while facing the golden Servant.
Time is passing very slowly, only the perception of beings watching this scene is accelerated.
In truth only a second has passed since the man's arrival.
"You da-"
Archer prepares opens the Gate of Babylon to use chains of heaven, Enkidu. While with his right hand prepares to take out the Sword of Rupture, Ea.
The man comes face to face in the next instant and says, "Chains of heaven huh?"
Archer's face starts to turn unsightly at this moment seeing the being on the same level as him by floating in midair pointing a weapon that has an Anti-Divine attribute at his chest.
The point of the spear is slanted towards the upper direction.
2 seconds have now passed since his arrival.
"Goodbye, halfbreed." The man says with a mocking smile.
He then continues, "Ignite!"
At that moment, the world turned white.
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Phew I am finally done with the Canon stuff.
BTW if it wasn't apparent in the chapter then I will say it here, I hate Gilgamesh. Of course there are some characters in Fate that I hate more than him but he is quite up there. My reasons for that might seem a bit trivial but yeah I don't care what others think.
Just replayed the FSN VN this past week and man was it worth it.
Anyways, this arc will hit a very fast pace from the next chapter. Do tell if you prefer first person or third person. To me they both have their advantages and disadvantages.
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