The golden flash atop the lamppost and the booming laughter seized everyone's attention simultaneously.
"Huh? What's this guy's deal?"
The Servant in golden armor was plainly visible. Jonouchi stared at the man who was "roaring with laughter" and couldn't make heads or tails of it.
You show up, fine, but standing there cackling. What's the point?
"Not bad, mongrels! You've provided this King with quite an entertaining sideshow."
His opening remark made Jonouchi's eyelid twitch. That imperious attitude reminded him of a certain "old acquaintance."
"Great, another weirdo."
Sakura Kyoko spared a glance at the figure atop the lamppost and offered a clipped assessment.
Boom!
But then, a clash of arms dragged everyone's focus elsewhere.
Berserker had swung his golden axe and sent the holy sword flying from Kenshin's grip. It spiraled through the air before clattering to the ground at Saber's feet.
"?"
Having accomplished that, Berserker dismissed the golden axe entirely, leaving every other Servant bewildered.
"!"
Kenshin, however, grasped the meaning immediately and retreated to the base of Gilgamesh's lamppost.
Berserker must have recognized that he and Archer belonged to the same camp, and deliberately disarmed him of the borrowed holy sword.
"Hmph. It's been quite some time since I encountered a Servant of this caliber."
"This King is mildly curious about your true name, mongrel."
Unbothered by the newcomer's lack of greeting, Gilgamesh gazed down and addressed Berserker with full authority.
To earn such an appraisal meant Berserker already carried genuine weight in this King's eyes.
Every weapon Berserker had wielded was absent from his Gate of Babylon.
Neither the resentment-laden evil dragon greatsword, nor the endlessly transforming golden spear, grimoire, or axe existed anywhere in his treasury. These were "brands" he had never seen.
And for one known as the "Most Ancient King," Gilgamesh, whose Noble Phantasm, Gate of Babylon, contained the prototypes of all human treasures, that was extraordinary. If a treasure existed in history, his vault held it. The sheer volume of its contents was something even he couldn't fully recall.
One glance at Saber's exposed holy sword had been enough for him to identify her true name. Yet Berserker's weapons and armor remained utterly foreign.
That was genuinely novel.
"And also... the one hiding in the shadows."
"Is this generation's Rider a mouse?"
Berserker offered no reply. Gilgamesh wasn't bothered; he had patience for those who caught his eye.
His gaze drifted toward a certain spot, and behind him, the air rippled.
"What?"
"Those are all Noble Phantasms?!"
"Even more than Berserker?!"
In everyone's field of vision, seven or eight golden ripples churned, disgorging an arsenal of swords, spears, halberds, and blades.
WhishWhishWhish!!
BOOMBOOM!!
The weapons launched, streaking toward a nearby thicket and triggering explosions.
"What's going on?"
Jonouchi and Kyoko hadn't yet figured out why the golden Servant had fired into the trees.
But when the smoke cleared, revealing a towering mechanical construct standing amid the blast zone, everyone froze.
"Quite the barbaric way to say hello."
"Such a violent, short-tempered disposition..."
"Very fitting for kings of ancient times."
A shield had absorbed the incoming barrage. Lelouch, dressed in his resplendent white imperial coat, stood upon the Knightmare's extended palm.
"Wait wait wait... does this mean..."
"All seven Servants are gathered?"
The realization hit Jonouchi as he counted the figures present. He hadn't bargained for this level of excitement. He'd stepped out looking to "duel" someone, and all seven had converged.
"So that's Rider? And the golden flashy one is Archer?"
"He's not even using a bow. He's just shooting weapons randomly."
Kyoko assessed the identities with a furrowed brow.
This was the first time she'd heard of an Archer using weapons as "arrows."
Compared to these weirdos, Magical Girls were practically normal.
"Hmph, mongrel. Who permitted you to stand at the same elevation as this King?"
Ignoring Kyoko's skepticism, more "gates" materialized behind him as Gilgamesh's voice dropped low.
"Oh please, I'm an Emperor in my own right. There's no reason I should bow to you."
The Knightmare's cannon ports aligned on the target. Lelouch had no intention of backing down.
'A Heroic Spirit who fires multiple Noble Phantasms as "arrows."'
'An arrogant disposition and self-proclaimed King...'
'Hard to narrow down.'
But what truly puzzled Lelouch was the man's identity.
A Heroic Spirit was, at its core, a hero from history, past, present, or future. Their deeds elevated into legend, transmuted into Noble Phantasms and abilities.
Yet even after watching Archer's behavior, Lelouch couldn't determine which era's "King" he was. Much like the unknowable Berserker.
By contrast, Assassin and Saber were relatively straightforward. One was clearly a native Japanese hero; the other, the Knight King who wielded the holy sword.
"That magical energy... it was you!"
"The one who ambushed us on the beach!"
"Why did you interfere with my duel against Assassin?!"
Saber, having identified Lelouch's signature, called him out immediately.
"?"
Lelouch's instinctive reaction was a mental question mark.
This wasn't some one-on-one tournament. It was a war over wishes. Who cared about individual "duels"?
The accusation baffled him to the point where he questioned whether Waver's earlier guess at her identity could possibly be correct.
"Are you truly a King of Britannia?"
Harboring that doubt, Lelouch posed the question.
"What?"
"What does that matter?"
Caught off guard by the recognition, Saber paused, then realized the answer was inevitable. With the holy sword exposed for all to see, her identity had been an open secret. She shot back a retort, not understanding what Lelouch was getting at.
"Nothing. It's just that if that was your idea of kingship..."
"It makes me think Britannia of that era must have been rather pitiable."
"You...!"
The cutting assessment ignited Saber's fury.
"Ahahahaha!! I see now."
"So those are your true names?"
"What a farcical spectacle!"
Before Saber could retort, Gilgamesh erupted into laughter atop his lamppost.
The crowd barely registered why this man was laughing before he spoke a truth that stunned them all.
"Two rulers of Britannia?"
"How endlessly entertaining."
"Archer! What do you mean?"
Hearing Gilgamesh's declaration, Saber froze. In Lelouch's mind, an unpleasant premonition took shape.
With a mocking lilt, the King of Heroes obliged.
"Artoria Pendragon!"
"Lelouch Vi Britannia..."
"Now then... how is it that two Kings of Britannia exist simultaneously?"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]