章 21: Woman, This King Has Brought the Vimana
From the night sky above, a radiant vessel made of gold and emerald gemstones descended slowly.
Dazzling and brilliant.
Archer's crimson, inhuman eyes gazed down at the Servants below with an air of inherent arrogance and grandeur.
As the oldest king, Gilgamesh's treasury contained the prototypes of every treasure from all myths and legends that were passed down through the ages.
And this golden vessel, Vimana, was one of them.
It originated in Babylon, later passed down to India, and was recorded in the epic Mahabharata as a flying machine.
...
"Oh dear, still such a child at heart, aren't you?" Kurumi thought to herself. She had teased Archer last time, and now he really came riding on Vimana.
Golden Boy sure is an interesting fellow.
——
"Is that... the Servant who killed Assassin?" Waver muttered, looking at the golden-armored Servant, glowing magnificently.
Was that Archer? But... Archer didn't have the Riding skill, so how was he controlling such a miraculous vessel?
...
"Ah, such painful words." Rider scratched his chin. "Even if your words are dismissive... I, Iskandar, am still the world-renowned King."
"Hmph. King?" Archer sat on the throne of Vimana, gently swirling the golden goblet in his hand. "There is only one person on this earth who can be called king, and that is me."
"The rest are nothing but mongrels." Archer's words left both Rider and Saber speechless.
Saber held her sword at the ready, recalling Kurumi's words that Archer—Gilgamesh—was the greatest enemy in this Holy Grail War, the Hero King of ancient Mesopotamian mythology.
Even though a formal truce existed between the Servants, all of them knew it was nothing more than a facade.
"Oh? Such bold words. Why don't you announce your name first? A king should declare their greatness." Rider laughed as he spoke to Archer, showing no fear.
"You dare question me?" Archer's crimson eyes burned with fury. "To be fortunate enough to bask in my glory yet not know my name. Such foolish creatures don't deserve to live."
He wasn't hiding his true name; this was pure arrogance. To question his name was, in his eyes, an act of grave disrespect.
"But before that..." Archer turned his gaze to Kurumi. "Avenger, how do you find the brilliance of my Vimana?"
"And how should you atone for your previous insolence?"
Golden flames flared, and behind Archer, ripples appeared as eight Gates of Babylon opened, revealing weapons—swords, spears, and all sorts of treasures, gleaming with golden light.
Waver held his breath—how could this be? How could there be so many treasures? But now, it was confirmed: Archer was the golden Servant who stood atop the Tohsaka mansion on the first night.
And he was also the one who destroyed the Matou mansion on the second night.
Saber raised her sword protectively in front of Kurumi, the overwhelming pressure of the radiant Noble Phantasms bearing down on them.
But Kurumi simply smiled, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly as she calculated something else.
"How many can I take down if I start a bloodbath here?"
"Well, I better not spoil the fun just yet."
——
"Your brilliance is indeed dazzling, so dazzling that~~ it seems to have attracted... something else." Kurumi chuckled, giving a cryptic hint as she slowly stepped into the black-red shadows. "Saber, let's go."
This woman...
"Do not mistake my appreciation for your impunity." The Hero King grew enraged, and the radiant Noble Phantasms behind him shimmered brighter, his entire form glowing. "Mongrel."
But Kurumi wasn't bluffing. Something really had been drawn by Archer's presence.
A dark surge of magical energy swirled in the air, coalescing into the form of a black, unyielding knight.
He was tall and slender, his entire being like a shadow, radiating hatred and darkness.
Berserker, a figure everyone knew well.
——
"Hahahahaha~~~"
At the edge of the forest, Kariya Matou's twisted figure, shrouded in shadows, let out a manic laugh.
His eyes, half-dead and half-alive, were brimming with hatred.
In the hellish year he had spent in the worm pit, he had awaited this moment every second, the only thing keeping him going.
That golden Servant must be Tohsaka Tokiomi's, and his arrogant posture was identical to that man.
He had trampled on Aoi...
He had trampled on Sakura...
The hatred surging within him was as sweet as joy.
"Kill him..." Kariya commanded Berserker.
——
The black Servant's gaze locked onto the golden king seated on Vimana, his hellish silhouette glowing with crimson hatred through the slit in his helmet.
"You mad dog! Who gave you permission to gaze upon me?!" Archer snarled, disgusted by Berserker's unnerving stare.
That vile gaze was filthier than Kurumi's impudence.
The radiant Gates of Babylon shifted their aim, and golden streaks of weapons hurtled from the King's Treasury, launching toward Berserker.
"Tear him to pieces and vent my fury, mongrel." Swords and spears flew together, each one a genuine Noble Phantasm, imbued with the legend they represented.
For Archer, Berserker's filthy gaze was even more intolerable than Kurumi's previous disrespect.
The mere act of throwing them generated massive explosions, tearing up the ground and uprooting trees.
Amid the dusty chaos, a black silhouette slowly emerged, holding a black-and-red sword.
···
"Such superb skill," Rider remarked in admiration.
In the instant the flood of Noble Phantasms had descended, Berserker had effortlessly caught the first sword that came his way. Then, black-red magical energy instantly corroded the treasure, and he claimed it.
Using that sword, Berserker fended off all the remaining Noble Phantasms.
"How dare you touch my treasures with your filthy hands! Do you have a death wish, mongrel?" Archer's fury grew as he sat atop Vimana.
——
Saber hadn't followed Kurumi when she left. She watched Berserker with a complicated and hesitant gaze.
She knew better than anyone what was happening.
"Eternal Arms Mastery"
A knight does not die weaponless.
...
Kurumi's words echoed in her mind, and Saber could no longer hold back.
"Sir Lancelot..." she called out to the black knight.
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