"My thanks!"
A bold grin spread across Iskandar's face. Raising his sword toward the heavens, the King of Conquerors' overwhelming presence dominated the battlefield as he roared:
"Master of Assassin! I know you're watching!"
"If you're so eager to witness this battle, then I'll show you what a true king looks like!"
"So that cowards like you, who only know how to strike from the shadows, will learn—"
"What real warfare is!"
Boom!
A blinding flash of white swallowed everyone's vision.
It engulfed not only those inside the room, but also the dozens of Hundred-Faced Hassan clones lying in ambush around Tohsaka Tokiomi 's study.
When everyone's sight returned—
The Tohsaka Mansion had vanished.
In its place stretched an endless expanse of golden desert.
Vast.
Desolate.
Ancient.
Boundless.
Anyone standing within it would instinctively feel insignificant before its immensity.
Leon stood protectively beside Rin and Aoi Tohsaka. Iskandar and Waver—who was crouching on the ground with his head buried between his arms in terror—were only a few steps away, making the two groups appear to belong to the same side.
As for the Hassan clones, they had all been forcibly dragged into this world, their concealment stripped away.
They stared blankly at their surroundings.
There was nothing here but open desert.
Not a single place to hide.
Despite vastly outnumbering their enemies, they looked completely at a loss—like cockroaches flushed out of the darkness by a floodlight, with nowhere left to flee.
"A Reality Marble."
"The materialization of one's inner world."
Leon calmly explained.
"Oh? You could at least look a little more surprised, Saber."
Iskandar laughed heartily.
"I was hoping to see the ever-serious Knight King completely dumbfounded!"
"I see."
Leon nodded solemnly before reciting in a perfectly flat tone,
"S-So... this is... a Reality Marble? Impossible. The materialization of one's inner world... a supreme form of magecraft approaching True Magic. Incredible... truly incredible. I am so astonished that I..."
"That's enough!"
Rolling his eyes, Iskandar hurriedly cut him off.
"Saber, your acting is absolutely terrible."
After the brief joke, Iskandar's expression turned serious.
His crimson cloak billowed in the desert wind as his domineering gaze swept across the mass of Assassins ahead.
"Behold!"
"Look upon it with all your eyes!"
"This is the land where my army once rode!"
"The landscape forever engraved upon the hearts of the warriors who shared both triumph and hardship with me!"
"This world exists because it is the collective vision within all our hearts!"
"Look!"
"Take it all in!"
"My peerless army!"
Step! Step! Step! Step!
As Iskandar proclaimed these words, disciplined marching echoed from beyond the horizon.
Leon turned.
Countless Heroic Spirits appeared.
Their numbers stretched into the tens of thousands, filling nearly his entire field of vision.
Sweeping over them with Observation Haki, Leon immediately sensed that quite a few of these Heroic Spirits were actually stronger than Iskandar himself.
However, constrained by their Spirit Origins, they could not freely unleash their Noble Phantasms.
Ordinarily, they existed only as members of the army—cornerstones supporting the King of Conquerors' overwhelming might.
Ordinarily.
But now...
With the additional Mana Supply provided by Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi and Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, combined with the previous-generation supreme Mystic Code of the Archibald / El-Melloi Lineage—
The Threefold Mana Reactor—
Even certain Heroic Spirits would now be capable of deploying their own Noble Phantasms.
At this moment...
Without question...
This was the absolute peak of Iskandar's existence as a Servant.
"Though your bodies have long since perished..."
"And though your souls were summoned by the World to become Heroic Spirits..."
"You still answer my call!"
"My bond with all of you is my greatest treasure!"
"It is my kingship!"
"It is my strongest Noble Phantasm!"
"Ionioi Hetairoi!"
"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!"
The instant Iskandar finished speaking, the entire Ionioi Hetairoi erupted into a thunderous battle cry.
The overwhelming pressure was so absolute that the Hassan clones couldn't even summon the thought of running away.
Despair.
Utter, overwhelming despair.
"Every... every one of them is a Servant...?"
Even though they were allies, Waver was left utterly speechless by the magnificent spectacle before him.
With the Gordius Wheel and the Divine Bulls destroyed, the magnificent black warhorse that had once pulled the chariot calmly broke free of its harness and strode proudly to Iskandar's side.
"My old friend... sorry about what happened earlier."
Iskandar gently stroked the horse's neck.
The intelligent steed shook its head before affectionately rubbing against his chest.
"So... even this horse counts as a Heroic Spirit?"
Waver asked in disbelief.
The horse shot him an annoyed glare.
It snorted.
The blast of air alone knocked Waver flat onto the ground.
Seeing that, Iskandar burst into hearty laughter.
"Waver, you're still too young."
"Look around you."
"Everything standing beside me—regardless of race—is my comrade!"
"And a king..."
He turned toward Leon before vaulting effortlessly onto his horse.
"...is one who lives the most magnificent life, inspiring all who behold him!"
"Indeed!"
"Indeed!"
"Indeed!"
The deafening response of the army shook the heavens.
"The one who bears the admiration of every warrior..."
"The one who leads them ever forward..."
"That alone is worthy of being called King!"
"For his great ambition is nothing less than the sum of every subject's aspiration!"
"Indeed!"
"Indeed!"
"Indeed!"
Iskandar raised his sword toward the Hassan clones.
"Now then, Assassin."
"Are you prepared to face the wrath of the King of Conquerors..."
"...and Ionioi Hetairoi?"
"..."
The Hassan clones remained silent.
They merely continued backing away.
But there was no one standing before them.
Because every one of them...
Was the same person.
"As you can see, the battlefield we've manifested is an open plain."
"Unfortunately for you, not only do we possess overwhelming numbers..."
"We also hold every tactical advantage."
"So..."
"Prepare yourselves for death."
Then—
The King of Conquerors drew his sword high and roared toward the heavens.
"Charge!"
"Trample them, my army!"
"ROOOOOOOAAARRRRR!!"
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