"Heh… this is getting more interesting."
"The Knight King, hm…"
Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, lowered the telescope in his hand. With a casual gesture, his divine chariot—Gordius Wheel—arrived beside him amidst roaring thunder and lightning.
On the rooftop of the Tohsaka residence—
Clad in dazzling golden armor, Archer – Gilgamesh stood with his arms crossed.
His posture was lofty as he gazed toward the distant golden radiance.
Without even blinking.
That arrogant declaration of oath and victory still echoed in his ears.
"Hmph!"
"A mere mongrel dares to boast so brazenly!"
Without waiting for permission from his Master, Tohsaka Tokiomi, the golden king vanished in a flash of speed.
Moments later, he was already seated upon a golden flying vessel, rushing toward the source of the brilliant light.
Inside the mansion—
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Tokiomi watched Gilgamesh's arrogant figure disappear into the night sky.
Holding a glass of red wine, his expression remained perfectly composed.
No joy.
No anger.
Only calm calculation.
"…The King of Heroes."
"Your identity as the legendary King Arthur truly surprises me. My apologies for the lack of respect earlier."
Leon's open declaration startled Diarmuid.
He planted his twin spears into the ground, freeing his hands before giving a respectful bow befitting a knight toward the Knight King.
Then he smiled bitterly.
"Of course…"
"If a knight cannot even exchange names with the opponent he is about to face in mortal combat…"
"Then how could he call himself a knight?"
"In that case, King Arthur—according to the etiquette of knightly duels, I must also declare my name!"
With that—
Diarmuid pulled his spears free.
His gaze sharpened like a sword about to leave its sheath.
"I am Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, warrior of the Fianna Knights of Ireland!"
"No wonder…"
Irisviel covered her mouth in surprise.
She had always felt something strangely attractive about the tear-shaped mole beneath his eye.
The moment Diarmuid revealed his name, everything became clear.
But while some were impressed—
Others were furious.
Hidden in the shadows, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald was nearly foaming with rage.
"That idiot!"
"He actually revealed his true name just like that!"
During the Holy Grail War, a Servant's true name was the greatest secret.
Since Servants were famous Heroic Spirits, revealing their identities allowed enemies to research their legends—
And exploit their weaknesses.
Kayneth roared in fury.
"What loyal knight?!"
"They're all just muscle-brained idiots!"
If he didn't still need Lancer to win the war, Kayneth might have already used a Command Seal to force him to commit suicide.
Beside him—
A red-haired woman looked worried.
"Kayneth… Lancer must have his reasons…"
"Silence!"
Kayneth snapped harshly.
The woman, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, fell quiet immediately.
She had never seen Kayneth so enraged.
"Leon… please be careful."
"I can provide healing magecraft support, but that's all…"
Irisviel looked at Leon's back with concern.
Artoria quietly stepped forward, shielding Irisviel in case the battle spread.
Leon didn't even turn around.
"There's no need."
He raised the holy sword high.
Golden particles of light began gathering from the surrounding environment, as if responding to an invisible summoning.
"Wait…!"
Artoria instantly realized what Leon was about to do.
She hurriedly pulled Irisviel back more than ten meters.
"Al?"
Irisviel looked confused.
But before Artoria could explain—
Leon had already answered.
"This radiance is the hope of the stars, the proof of life that illuminates the earth!"
"Witness it—"
"Excalibur!!!!"
(Sword of Promised Victory!)
As the incantation concluded—
Leon stepped forward and swung the sword.
The compressed magical energy erupted into pure light.
A golden tidal wave surged forward as though it would drown the world itself.
"What—?!"
A huge mental "DANGER" warning flashed in Diarmuid's mind.
He had intended to fight the legendary King Arthur in honorable close combat.
But now—
A colossal beam of golden light was rushing toward him.
Wait—seriously?!
Shock and unwilling frustration had barely formed before his lone figure was swallowed by the golden flood.
The gap in close combat might not have been enormous.
But in terms of raw magical energy—
The difference was overwhelming.
When the golden radiance finally faded—
Leon stood alone.
The solitary figure of the knight looked almost divine.
Only a single drop of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He exhaled comfortably and turned back toward Irisviel with a cheerful smile.
"No worries."
"It's daijoubu."
"Because I'm the strongest!"
"..." ×2
Irisviel and Artoria stared at him blankly.
More precisely—
They were staring at the destruction behind him.
A massive trench.
It looked as if a 25-meter tunnel boring machine had ripped through the land.
The scar stretched beyond the horizon.
The entire crescent-shaped harbor coastline had been split in half by a single strike.
The trench continued all the way into the sea—
Only disappearing where the ocean rushed in to fill the abyss.
Even Kiritsugu Emiya had not anticipated this level of destruction.
Leon alone could already rival—
Or even effortlessly defeat Servants that relied on close combat.
And if the hidden Berserker were added to the equation…
Kiritsugu's eyes darkened.
Working with Leon felt like making a deal with a tiger.
Yet his expression quickly relaxed.
Because—
No matter how powerful the holy sword might be—
The strongest trump card still belonged to him.
Kiritsugu glanced at the three Command Seals on the back of his right hand.
Then he shifted his scope toward Irisviel and Artoria, who stood close to Leon.
"Leon, you went way overboard!"
Irisviel ran forward, complaining.
"Good thing there were no civilians nearby. It seems the enemy evacuated the area beforehand with magecraft."
"Sorry, sorry~"
Leon scratched his head casually.
"Sure, the terrain took a bit of damage…"
"But the result was great, right?"
"With a single strike—Lancer ran away!"
"Huh? He just ran away?"
Irisviel tilted her head.
"Yes."
Artoria nodded.
"Lancer's Master used a Command Seal at the last moment to recall him."
"I see… so his Master must be quite impressive."
Irisviel looked thoughtfully at the Command Seals on the back of her own hand.
But in truth—
As the Lesser Grail Vessel, she had an even more direct way to know if a Servant had died.
When a Servant is destroyed, their magical energy flows back into the Grail.
As the vessel, Irisviel would feel an intense pain—
As though her body were being forcefully torn apart from within.
The process would repeat until all seven Servants were eliminated.
Only then—
When all magical energy returned—
Would the Holy Grail manifest through the opening of the path to the Root.
That was the true mechanism of the Holy Grail War.
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