At the foot of Mount Enzō...
Gilgamesh's party and Iskandar's group arrived by air almost simultaneously.
Just as they intended to fly straight toward Ryūdō Temple, an overwhelming gravitational force suddenly descended upon them, forcibly dragging them out of the sky.
"Hmph."
Just before touching the ground, Gilgamesh dismissed the Vimana back into the Gate of Babylon, landed gracefully with a nimble flip, and let out a displeased snort.
"What a petty little trick."
"This is..." Kirei Kotomine narrowed his eyes as he immediately saw through the phenomenon. "Someone has tapped directly into Fuyuki's leylines to establish an anti-flight bounded field. Breaking through it would be equivalent to disrupting the Holy Grail system itself."
"But... who could have done such a thing?"
"Sounds like whoever set up this barrier doesn't want us taking shortcuts."
Compared to Gilgamesh, whose flying vessel had been completely neutralized, Iskandar looked far more composed. Even after being forced to the ground, he remained astride Bucephalus, still sitting a head taller than everyone else.
"Looks like we'll have to climb those steps one by one."
He looked toward the long stone staircase leading up to Ryūdō Temple and laughed.
"What is this? Some kind of hero's quest to defeat the Demon King?"
Having spent countless hours playing grand strategy war games in modern society, Iskandar had also sampled plenty of other games and anime. It was only natural that such a distinctly modern comparison would slip from his mouth.
"Hmph."
Gilgamesh's crimson eyes narrowed.
"And who gave you permission..."
"To speak to me from a higher position than the King?"
Whoosh—!
A ripple of golden light spread through the air beside him.
In the next instant, a Noble Phantasm sword shot out of the Gate of Babylon, streaking directly toward Iskandar.
Clang!
Drawing the Sword of Cypriot from his waist, Iskandar casually split the incoming blade in half.
Meanwhile, Waver instinctively ducked against Bucephalus's neck, covering his head in terror.
"That was dangerous."
Iskandar laughed fearlessly.
"Do you really have to be that petty, Archer?"
"Oh?"
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes even further.
The atmosphere around him gradually turned dangerous, causing Waver's heart to pound violently.
Even so...
He forced himself not to look away.
"It seems..."
Gilgamesh smiled calmly.
"Before my final battle with Saber (Leon)..."
"I'll need a proper warm-up."
"My first opponent is Archer—the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh?"
Iskandar tugged on the reins.
Bucephalus reared high, neighing proudly toward the heavens. Just like its master, the legendary steed showed not the slightest fear before such a formidable opponent.
"I couldn't ask for anything better!"
"Then..."
Kirei bowed respectfully toward Gilgamesh.
"As we agreed earlier, King of Heroes, I'll take my leave."
"May fortune favor your arms."
"Granted."
Gilgamesh merely tilted his chin.
Receiving permission, Kirei silently withdrew.
Before disappearing into the darkness of the surrounding forest, he cast one last glance at Waver, who remained seated on Bucephalus.
"Eek..."
The empty darkness in Kirei's eyes sent a chill down Waver's spine, making him shudder involuntarily.
Iskandar immediately noticed.
"Boy."
He patted Waver reassuringly on the waist.
"Are you afraid?"
"Yes."
Sweat beaded across Waver's forehead.
He admitted it without hesitation.
"Or... using your words..."
"I suppose you'd call it exhilaration."
"Compared to any of them... I'm just an inexperienced child."
"But even so..."
"I don't want to look back on today and regret running away."
"So—"
"Let's do this together, Rider!"
"Hahaha!"
Iskandar laughed heartily.
"Now you're beginning to understand."
After his laughter faded, Iskandar dismounted from Bucephalus, leaving Waver on the horse's back.
He walked forward on foot until he stood before the imposing figure clad in brilliant golden armor.
It was his way of showing respect to the King of Heroes.
Seeing Iskandar voluntarily step down from his mount, Gilgamesh also abandoned his lofty stance.
He strode forward to meet him halfway.
In his own manner...
He offered the King of Conquerors a measure of respect.
"Heh..."
The two kings stood face-to-face.
Then...
They smiled.
Golden ripples shimmered through the air beside Gilgamesh.
A golden wine jug and two golden goblets emerged from the Gate of Babylon.
As though this were second nature, Iskandar accepted the wine jug and filled both cups before handing one to Gilgamesh.
...What are those two doing?
Waver blinked in bewilderment.
Don't tell me they're actually planning to hold a banquet right here...
"So," Gilgamesh asked with an amused smile while accepting the cup,
"Why didn't you arrive in that chariot you were always so proud of?"
Iskandar's expression instantly stiffened.
He tugged awkwardly at the corner of his mouth.
"Archer..."
"At a time like this, do you still have to tease me about that?"
"It was blown to pieces by Saber's holy sword the moment the battle started."
"My poor divine bulls didn't even have the chance to get up to full speed before they crashed."
"Tell me honestly... isn't that infuriating?"
The two kings chatted casually, as though they were old friends reminiscing about battles they had fought together long ago.
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