"Gilgamesh, King of Heroes—Ophis. The first king recorded in human history, hailed as the king of all heroes. As one of the kings of the Age of Gods, she possesses terrifying power… I believe everyone here has already witnessed that much."
Waver swept his gaze across the room, his tone grave.
"That level of strength is far beyond what belongs in a Holy Grail War, and her abilities are extremely bizarre: that unnatural phasing ability, the regeneration that lets her recover even when her body is nearly destroyed, that strange book, and that sword of tremendous might. And finally—less obvious than the others, but no less threatening—the Gate of Babylon, a treasury that holds the prototypes of all Noble Phantasms."
At that, silence fell. Even Waver couldn't help clicking his tongue.
Against the original King of Heroes, just the Gate of Babylon and Ea, Sword of Rupture had already left him relying on the opponent's arrogance to keep things stable. This King of Heroes wasn't merely unreadable—her ability to survive had multiplied countless times over. Even if she got reckless now and then, she wouldn't pay for it.
And then there was that mana—so deep it felt bottomless…
"The Gate of Babylon stems from the King of Heroes' legend of collecting all the world's treasures. Ea is proof of her standing as the first king in human history. As for that book—Lancer's strike revealed its original form at the end. It's very likely the Tablet of Creation from Babylonian myth… And in the final chapter of her legend, the king decided humanity no longer needed a king's guidance. She swallowed the elixir of immortality and departed as a serpent, shedding her skin… If my conjecture is correct, then her grotesque regeneration—or even resurrection—likely comes from that."
"Amazing…"
In such a short time, he'd deduced that much. Everyone looked startled, and Mash let out an awed murmur.
But the very next second, Waver poured cold water on them.
"However—even if my theory is correct—I regret to say I still can't find a way to break it."
He sighed, resignation creeping into his voice.
Even if you knew it was 'shedding skin,' who could possibly know how many times she could shed?
"Of course, that kind of recovery must consume an astonishing amount of mana. I doubt even the King of Heroes can do it many times. If we can keep killing her, we can force her to the point where she can no longer revive. And Lancer's spear… Gáe Buidhe, the sure-kill yellow rose with its curse, may also have an effect."
Originally, Waver had planned to use Lancer's yellow rose as their trump card for the main assault. But after returning and thinking it through, he realized Gáe Buidhe's ability wasn't anything especially high-tier—it was, at its core, simply a curse. With sufficiently high anti-magic, it should be resisted. And even if it wasn't, that Gate of Babylon—packed with who-knew-how-many things—might well contain some treasure capable of countering it. In short, they couldn't afford to rely on it completely.
In the end, Waver chose the safest approach: proceed with the most reliable plan, then switch tactics only if they confirmed the yellow rose was effective.
"As for the Gate of Babylon… it's difficult to deal with, but unfortunately for her, it's probably the most manageable of the abilities she possesses—and I've already thought of a method to keep it in check. One point to remember: the King of Heroes may not know a Noble Phantasm's True Name, but she can still produce a Noble Phantasm that counters her opponent."
"And the Tablet of Creation and Ea—there's nothing to discuss. We absolutely cannot give her the chance to use them. Absolutely not!"
"Lastly… there's that most troublesome ability…"
...
On the castle balcony, a blonde girl in a white dress stood in the biting wind, staring into the distance with a lost look in her eyes.
"What's wrong? Thinking about something?"
"Eh?"
That voice—so familiar, yet far more weathered—snapped Lily back to herself, flustered.
"…Miss Artoria…"
It took her a long time, but she finally managed to force out the form of address—one that felt unbearably wrong on her tongue.
At that, Artoria gave a soft smile.
"No need to be so stiff… Our relationship is… yes, it's a bit delicate. In that case, call me 'Sister.' Once I'm freed from the role of king, there's no need for me to keep living as a man."
"U-Understood, Sister…"
Lily's face turned red, but she still said it in a small voice.
Seeing that Lily still hadn't relaxed, Artoria looked away with an amused expression and lifted her eyes to the night sky.
"To think I'd see my past self… Is this the power of the Holy Grail War? What a strange experience—so strange that even the past I'd already forgotten…"
She shook her head and cut the thought short.
For the past, the future was simply too heavy.
"You seem to be troubled. If you don't mind, will you tell me?"
"This…"
Lily parted her lips. And since the other person was, in a sense, herself, she suddenly didn't feel quite so constrained.
"In the battle earlier… I didn't help at all."
She lowered her head, her voice heavy with disappointment, and let out a dejected sigh.
Even among Servants, King Arthur stood at the very top. But as her younger self, Lily's swordsmanship was only "decent," and Caliburn wasn't some especially overwhelming weapon. In that battle, she'd only managed to exchange a few blows with Ophis—who hadn't even been taking her seriously. After that, there hadn't been any room for her to do anything at all.
Lily didn't mind being weak. What she couldn't accept was failing to help her Master.
"I see…"
Artoria nodded, as though she'd expected it.
She had been king for more than ten years. Of the self she'd been before becoming king, Artoria had almost entirely forgotten—and cast aside. Even so, she could still understand how her past self felt.
Because the past wasn't something you could simply sever at will.
"Don't worry. You only need to follow your heart."
With a faint smile, Artoria said it to Lily.
"Eh?"
Hearing those words from her future self, Lily's expression turned oddly complicated.
"Pfft…"
Artoria couldn't help laughing at the sight.
"That isn't a meaningless line, you know."
Caught out, Lily's face flushed red again.
Artoria shook her head. Memories long sealed away continued to rise within her.
Back then… she really had been a mischievous girl with a head full of flighty, wayward thoughts.
"Just believe in yourself. After all—your future is King Arthur."
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter is 5 bonus chapters...? (for all tls ongoing)
idk theyre at like 35 followers both :3c
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl
instagram: hanbaowise
twitter: WiseKingOfUruk_