A brilliant golden radiance erupted from atop the street lamp, drawing all eyes toward its source as an arrogant laugh echoed through the night. "Eh? What's the deal with that guy?"
Jonouchi stared in disbelief at the Servant clad in ornate golden armor. The sheer audacity of the man—appearing out of nowhere just to laugh like a maniac—was baffling. "You arrived... just to laugh? Really?"
"Not bad, mongrels! You have provided this King with a rather entertaining sideshow." The very first words from the golden Archer made Jonouchi's eye twitch. That insufferable, high-and-mighty attitude—it reminded him all too much of a certain "old friend."
"Another eccentric joins the fray," Kyoko Sakura muttered, glancing up at Gilgamesh with a skeptical frown.
Bang!
A sudden shockwave diverted their attention. Berserker had swung his massive golden axe with such force that even Saber's Holy Sword was sent spinning from Kenshin's hands. The blade arched through the air before embedding itself in the ground at Saber's feet.
"?" To the confusion of the gathered Servants, Berserker did not press his advantage. Instead, he simply dispersed his weapon. Kenshin seized the moment, retreating to a position beneath the street lamp where Gilgamesh stood. Berserker seemed to recognize their alliance, deliberately disarming Kenshin rather than finishing him.
"Hmph. It has been a long time since I have encountered such a Servant." Gilgamesh looked down at Berserker with a flicker of genuine interest. "This King is curious. Tell me, mongrel... what is your True Name?"
Gilgamesh's pride was immense, but Berserker's performance had earned him a shred of recognition. The weapons Berserker wielded were anomalies; even within the Gate of Babylon, which held the prototypes of every treasure in human history, there were no records of the Evil Dragon Greatsword or that versatile, morphing golden spear. To the "Oldest King," this was a tantalizing novelty.
"And you... hiding in the shadows like a common thief..." Gilgamesh's gaze shifted to a dark corner of the battlefield. "Is this session's Rider nothing more than a rat?"
Berserker remained silent, but Gilgamesh didn't seem to mind. He possessed a rare patience for those who amused him. With a flick of his wrist, the space behind him began to ripple with golden energy.
"What is that?!"
"Are those... Noble Phantasms? All of them?!"
The ripples multiplied—seven, eight, then more. Swords, spears, and halberds of exquisite craftsmanship began to emerge. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!! Bang! Bang! Bang!!
In a blur of motion, the weapons were launched, not at the gathered Servants, but into the dense forest nearby. Explosions tore through the trees, lighting up the night. As the smoke cleared, a massive, mechanical silhouette stood revealed.
"A rather rude way of saying hello," a voice echoed. "So barbaric... but I suppose it fits the temper of an ancient King."
A shimmering barrier had deflected the projectiles. Standing on the outstretched palm of the giant mecha was a figure in magnificent white imperial robes: Lelouch.
"Wait... does this mean..." Jonouchi looked around, his jaw dropping as he counted the presences. "All seven Servants are here?"
He had only gone out looking for a duel, and now he was caught in the middle of a full-blown reunion of the Holy Grail War. "So that big robot is Rider... and the shiny guy is Archer? But he's not even using a bow!" Kyoko Sakura remarked, her brow furrowed. Compared to these guys, a Magical Girl felt almost normal.
"Hmph. Mongrel... who gave you permission to stand at the same height as this King?" Gilgamesh's voice dropped an octave, and more ripples appeared in the air behind him.
"I am an Emperor myself," Lelouch replied, his mecha's cannons already tracking the golden King. "I see no reason to bow to you."
Lelouch studied his opponent. A Heroic Spirit who launched Noble Phantasms like arrows... an arrogant, kingly persona... but his identity remained elusive. Most Heroic Spirits were legends from history, but Archer's specific "Gate" was unlike anything he could immediately place. He was as much a mystery as Berserker.
In contrast, Saber and Assassin were easy to read: the King of Knights and a legendary Japanese swordsman.
"That magical signature... it was YOU!" Saber's voice rang out, filled with sudden realization. "The one who attacked us at the docks! Why did you interfere in my duel with Assassin?"
"?" Lelouch looked at her with genuine confusion. "Interfere? This is a war, not a martial arts tournament. Did you expect me to wait for a formal invitation?"
Her accusation made Lelouch wonder if Waver's guess about her identity was correct. "Tell me... are you truly the King of Britannia?"
Saber stiffened. With Excalibur in her hand, there was no point in denying it. "Yes. What of it?"
"Nothing," Lelouch sighed. "Only that if this is your 'Kingly Way,' then the Britannia of your era was a truly pitiable place."
"How dare you—!" Saber's retort was cut off by a sudden, booming laugh from the street lamp.
"A-hahahaha!! How delicious!" Gilgamesh's eyes gleamed with malicious mirth. "So that's how it is? What a Truly comical scene we have here!"
The golden King looked from Saber to Lelouch, his smirk widening. "Two Rulers of Britannia? Both existing in the same era? This war is becoming more interesting by the second!"
Saber froze in shock. Lelouch felt a cold knot of dread form in his stomach. Gilgamesh continued, his tone dripping with mockery.
"Artoria Pendragon and Lelouch Vi Britannia... Tell me, how does it feel for two Kings of the same nation to stand face to face?"