"Leon, we've located Lancer's Servant and Master. They seem to be preparing to retreat. Maiya and I are being held in place by Assassin."
Just as Gilgamesh, Leon, and Iskandar stood in a tense three-way standoff, Kiritsugu Emiya's voice sounded in Leon's ear.
So that's it… I thought Director Kayneth was actually going to charge in and throw his life away. Turns out it was just empty threats.
Leon curled his lips slightly.
Go on. Their hero… show me your resolve.
The moment that thought formed—
With Leon's deliberate cooperation, the darkness of the night deepened as if swallowed by pitch-black shadows.
All the Servants present could feel something approaching.
"It's coming from underground!"
High in the air, Iskandar saw it clearly.
Even places that had no shadows before were quickly swallowed by darkness.
The visible ground transformed into something resembling black liquid.
Drip.
Ripples spread across the darkened surface.
From the shadowy ground—
A humanoid figure slowly rose upward against gravity.
His entire body was encased in black-and-gold knightly plate armor, sealed so tightly not a single gap could be seen.
In his hand was a dark blade resembling polished obsidian.
He stood there in complete silence, radiating a terrifying aura of madness.
"Berserker!"
The visible aura of frenzy surrounding Matou Kariya made Iskandar immediately assume he was the Berserker-class Servant.
"Kid, that guy looks dangerous. How strong is he?" Iskandar tapped Waver's head and asked quickly.
"I—I don't know… I can't tell at all!"
Waver shook his head nervously.
Among everyone present, his mental resilience was by far the weakest. After everything he had experienced tonight, simply remaining conscious was already impressive.
"What do you mean you can't tell? You're a Master, aren't you?" Iskandar frowned.
"Can't you analyze where he's strong or weak?"
"Sorry…"
Magecraft light flickered in Waver's eyes as he shook his head like a rattle drum.
"I really can't see anything! His parameters, his True Identity beneath the armor—none of it!"
"Something is completely blocking the flow of information between him and us!"
"That strange, huh…"
Iskandar clicked his tongue.
Suddenly his pupils shrank.
Below them, Gilgamesh, standing atop a streetlamp, had already drawn a blood-red spiral sword from his treasury.
"Who allowed you to stand above me?"
"Get down here!"
Ignoring the newly arrived Matou Kariya, Gilgamesh focused on Leon and Iskandar.
Leon wielded the Holy Sword of the Planet, possessed immense magical power, and had proven himself worthy in battle.
Iskandar, meanwhile, dared to stand above him in the sky.
Gilgamesh's pride simply would not tolerate it.
Without hesitation—
He drew forth his greatest treasure.
A crimson shockwave burst forth, targeting the airborne King of Conquerors and his little Master.
"Damn it!"
Caught completely off guard, Iskandar only had time to grab Waver and leap off the chariot.
He could only watch helplessly as his beloved Gordius Wheel was blasted into fragments.
The divine bulls hadn't even had time to show their power before perishing gloriously.
Still, dying under the strike of the Sword of Rupture - Ea wasn't such a bad end.
Worth it.
BOOM!
Iskandar landed heavily on the ground with Waver in his arms.
Moments later, he somehow summoned another heroic chariot.
Though it lacked the overwhelming presence of the Gordius Wheel, it was still a vehicle of Heroic Spirit grade.
For Iskandar, protecting Waver meant maintaining the highest mobility at all times.
A mistake like earlier—losing focus and getting shot down—must never happen again.
Holding Waver tightly, Iskandar silently swore this to himself.
"R-Rider… you can let go now…"
Waver whispered with a flushed face.
It wasn't clear whether he was embarrassed—or simply terrified.
"Oh, sorry."
Iskandar released him casually and scratched his head.
Meanwhile—
Seeing Gilgamesh draw Ea, Leon's expression grew slightly more serious.
After all—
Even he had to admit that this sword capable of splitting heaven and earth was no ordinary weapon.
Sword of Rupture — Ea
Rank: EXType: Anti-World Noble Phantasm
A primordial weapon from the moment when the world itself was first created.
It possessed the power to tear apart the very laws of reality.
It was the natural enemy of Reality Marbles.
Whether it was Iskandar's Ionioi Hetairoi — Army of the King, or Leon's Shadow Domain, which he was quietly half-deploying through Presence Concealment EX, both would be completely countered by Ea.
Perhaps Gilgamesh had already noticed the true nature of the black liquid shadows spreading across the ground.
Combined with his irritation toward Leon's Holy Sword and Iskandar's elevated position—
These factors finally pushed the prideful King of Heroes to draw his ultimate weapon once more.
"This is getting troublesome…"
Both Iskandar and Tohsaka Tokiomi, who was remotely observing through Gilgamesh, reached the same conclusion.
Revealing such a trump card so casually—
Even the usually composed Tokiomi felt like he was about to lose it.
"AR—CHER!!!!"
Unexpectedly—
The newly arrived "Berserker," Matou Kariya, suddenly charged straight toward Gilgamesh.
Everything had already been sacrificed.
At last, Kariya had obtained the power necessary to enter this battlefield—to change their fate.
And here—
He would bare his rebellious fangs against destiny itself.
"Fool."
Gilgamesh sneered.
The Sword of Rupture rose slightly in his hand… before lowering again.
For him, Ea existed only as the ultimate symbol of power and authority.
A mere stray dog crawling from the roadside—
Even being allowed to witness Ea's existence was already the greatest honor it could receive.
"A mad dog like you deserves only to crawl beneath the king's feet and await execution."
Gilgamesh grinned viciously.
Behind him—
Dozens, then hundreds of golden ripples erupted.
Countless Noble Phantasms fired forth in a storm of golden projectiles.
The barrage wasn't aimed only at Kariya.
It also covered Leon, Iskandar, and everyone else present.
Why fight just one opponent?
If there were three—
Then fight all three at once.
Such was the arrogance of the King of Heroes.
Yet something unexpected happened.
Leon and Iskandar resisting the Gate of Babylon was understandable.
They were strong—though still weaker than him.
But that stray dog below?
What was happening?
Kariya roared like a feral beast, swinging the ebony blade in his hand like a man possessed.
He deflected.
He knocked weapons aside.
Sometimes he simply blocked them with his armor.
For a moment—
The Gate of Babylon could not bring him down.
Was that even possible?
Gilgamesh's grip on Ea tightened.
The blood-red spiral began rotating once again.
A massive surge of magical power gathered at its core.
Again and again—
These mongrels had dared to offend him.
Gilgamesh's patience had reached its limit.
Here and now—
He would erase them all in a single strike.
The earlier blast that shot down Iskandar had been nothing more than a casual attack.
Now—
He would become serious.
"This farce ends here."
"Swordsman of the Holy Sword… King of Conquerors… and the nameless mongrel whose strength is barely acceptable."
Meanwhile—
The Gate of Babylon continued its relentless barrage, suppressing the battlefield.
It opened a perfect space for Gilgamesh to act with his usual elegance and composure.
Raising Ea high above his head—
The golden king slowly ascended into the sky, lifted by an immense crimson vortex of magical energy.
He shouted loudly:
"O Ea—this land has now become a stage worthy of you!"
"Awaken!"
"Speak of the beginning—of the moment when heaven and earth were first divided!"
"Even the void itself offers its congratulations!"
"With my Sword of Rupture—"
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