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When Kiritsugu Emiya finished listening to Alex, he fell silent.
He didn't really know how strong Alex and his companions were, so to him, it all just sounded like empty boasting.
Too young, he sighed inwardly, already giving up on the boy.
During dinner, his face stayed clouded with worry.
Irisviel, however, was much calmer—she already knew how powerful Roxy, Esdeath, and the others were, so she wasn't particularly anxious.
The women chatted happily over the meal, though Maiya Hisau, still new to the group, sat quietly apart, a little withdrawn.
After dinner, Kiritsugu and Maiya went out to rig traps and surveillance devices around the castle.
Everyone knew a battle was coming tonight, but Alex and the girls didn't seem tense at all. Instead, they gathered in the hall and played cards, laughing and talking as if nothing were about to happen.
Then, around 10:30 that night—
A rumble of thunder rolled through the sky outside the castle.
Moments later, everyone saw Iskandar charging in from above, riding his Noble Phantasms—the Gordius Wheel drawn by Divine Bulls of Lightning.
Right behind him came Gilgamesh in his Vimana.
The two of them descended straight from the sky, which meant all of Kiritsugu's carefully laid traps were instantly useless.
Iskandar jumped down from his chariot, a wooden wine barrel slung over his shoulder. He grinned at Morgan and Artoria.
"Yo, Saber, Berserker. Heard you had yourselves a castle, so I figured I'd drop by. Gotta say—kind of a gloomy place you've got here."
Artoria didn't reply. She simply drew her holy sword.
"Relax," Iskandar said, chuckling. "Before we fight, how about a drink first?"
He patted the wine barrel for emphasis.
Artoria glanced at Irisviel. When Irisviel nodded, she sheathed her sword.
Alex didn't stop Morgan either, letting her join Artoria.
Ah, here we go again—the legendary scene.
He immediately started a livestream.
This time, it wasn't just three kings—it was four. Who knew how the scene would play out now? He was genuinely excited.
Soon, Morgan, Artoria, Iskandar, and Gilgamesh were seated on the ground in the castle's courtyard, forming a circle.
Everyone else watched from a distance.
Alex stood with Roxy, Hestia, Esdeath, Merlin, and Irisviel.
Kiritsugu and Maiya were hidden nearby, sniper rifles trained on the courtyard. Kiritsugu had even loaded Origin Bullets.
Farther away, Tokiomi Tohsaka, Kirei Kotomine, Waver, and Assassin stood together—though secretly, Risei Kotomine was also observing from the shadows.
Once Alex started the livestream, the chat group exploded with messages.
Misaka Mikoto: "Whoa, that's a lot of people. Is this the final battle?"
Yotsuya Miko: "What are those four in the middle even doing?"
Alex: "The Four Kings Summit!"
Busujima Saeko: "Hey, isn't the Church Leader a demon king who's slain gods too? Why isn't he at the table?"
Roxy: "Probably because he's not strong enough. Sister Luo doesn't waste her time on small fry."
Shinobu Kocho: "Who even are those four?"
Yotsuya Miko: "King Arthur, the Conqueror King, the Hero King—and the Fairy Queen."
Erza: "???"
Shinobu Kocho: "Wait, seriously?! King Arthur? As in, the King Arthur from legend? And the Hero King and Conqueror King—weren't they, like, dead centuries ago? And who's this Fairy Queen? Why does she have the same title as Erza?"
Misaka Mikoto: "Alex's world is wild. They've got magi who summon ancient heroes through the Holy Grail War to fight as Servants."
Yotsuya Miko: "The Fairy Queen is Morgan from Arthurian legend—but this one's from a different timeline. In her world, she actually took the throne."
Shinobu Kocho: "This is insane…"
For Shinobu, it was her first real taste of just how unbelievable this multiverse chat group was.
And even that was only scratching the surface.
Tokisaki Kurumi was just as stunned—but the more mysterious the group seemed, the more thrilled she felt. It meant there were still ways she could grow stronger… strong enough to defeat the Original Spirit.
Misaka Mikoto: "Yeah, it's surreal. I still can't get over the fact that both Arthur and Merlin are women."
Shinobu Kocho: "..."
As the chat kept blowing up, the Four Kings' conversation finally began.
Just like in the original timeline, both Gilgamesh and Iskandar openly dismissed Artoria's "ideal of kingship."
Alex had expected Morgan to side with Artoria—after all, they were sisters. But to his surprise, Morgan also criticized her.
Even Merlin, watching the scene, couldn't help but frown. He blamed the Merlin from Artoria's world for raising such a conflicted king.
At least his version of Arthur wasn't like that.
Watching it unfold live, Alex couldn't help feeling a little exasperated.
Back in his previous life, this exact debate had blown up online—everyone had their own take.
Was King Arthur truly "out of touch with humanity"?
Was being too perfect really a flaw?
From a commoner's point of view, wouldn't anyone want a ruler who's kind, just, and selfless?
And Iskandar's philosophy of conquest—was it wrong? Not necessarily, but not entirely right either.
A king who wages war has to think about his nation's economy and the people's lives first.
Historically, Iskandar—Alexander the Great—died at thirty-three, allegedly from poisoning. Clearly, not everyone was happy under his reign.
To Alex, a true king should embody both inner virtue and outer strength—saintly within, kingly without.
Artoria represented the inner saint; Iskandar, the outer conqueror.
Only when those two paths merged could one be called a perfect king.
As for Gilgamesh… Alex couldn't even bring himself to comment.
A tyrant had no right to talk about "kingship."
If the Nasuverse hadn't declared Uruk the cradle of humanity, that man would've been a nobody.
From what Alex remembered of Earth's history, countless archaeological sites in China alone disproved Uruk's claim as humanity's origin.
When the discussion finally ended, Artoria looked visibly shaken—lost in doubt and self-blame.
Alex walked over to her. "Now's not the time to question your ideals," he said quietly. "Pull yourself together. Get ready for battle."
Artoria blinked, then nodded, her resolve returning.
Across from her, Iskandar stood tall, grinning. "Saber! Let me show you what my path of kingship looks like!"
The moment he spoke, magic surged around him.
His Noble Phantasm—Ionioi Hetairoi, the Army of the King—burst to life.
In an instant, the entire area was swallowed by the great Reality Marble.
When everyone regained their senses, they were standing in an endless desert of golden sand.
Hestia folded her arms, intrigued. "Now this is interesting. A Reality Marble, huh?"
She knew the concept well—just days ago, she'd helped Alex forge his own Unlimited Blade Works. The mechanics were the same.
But unlike Alex's world of infinite swords, Iskandar's inner realm was filled with the soldiers who had once followed him across the world.
Even Kiritsugu and Maiya, hiding in the shadows, were dragged inside.
Looks like Iskandar intended to wipe them all out in one go.
"..."
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