BAMN: Chapter 111/112

Chapter 111: Giving You a Fair Chance to Fight

"Hmph!"

Gilgamesh didn't need to think much, he simply raised his head proudly, "Only the strongest is worthy of challenging this King."

What's more, with such a good opportunity to obtain information on Rin and Iskandar.

He wouldn't mind the two fighting to the death, and then he would reap the benefits.

Of course, he certainly couldn't say that.

He was the noble King of Heroes.

Even if he were to accept a challenger, it would have to be the one who stood until the very end.

"Then, it's your turn, Saber?"

"I..."

Artoria understood the meaning of Rin's previous words.

Indeed, after hearing his declaration of war, Artoria, for whatever reason, should not interfere.

If they were fighting fairly, and she were to sneak attack one side while they were weak, the King of Knights' chivalry would surely weep.

Artoria now only hoped that Emiya Kiritsugu wouldn't be so shameless.

Otherwise, even she would look down on herself.

"I swear on the honor of the King of Knights, I will never do such a despicable thing!"

Artoria was a supporter of knightly duels, so of course she supported Rin and Iskandar' decision to fight.

If Kiritsugu caused trouble again, Artoria would definitely swing her sword and cut him down!

She was already mentally prepared to use her own will to resist Emiya Kiritsugu's Command Spells.

"You decide the time and place, how about it?"

Rin raised his hand, signaling Iskandar to make the decision, truly giving him enough face.

"Anywhere is fine, as long as it's not on your territory."

Iskandar would not give up his advantage for the sake of face.

Even though Rin was not a magus, Iskandar had witnessed his ability to set up formations, which was like an impenetrable iron barrel.

So, only a fool would go to Ryuudou Temple to fight Rin.

"But..."

"It's best to find a place with few people."

"How about that big bridge?"

Iskandar thought for a moment and said, "Let's set the time for tomorrow night. Then, let me witness the power of the Demon Lord from another world."

"You won't be disappointed, King of Conquerors!"

However, Rin's declaration of war was not yet over.

"Then next..."

"Gilgamesh."

Rin aimed his spear at Gilgamesh: "If I defeat Iskandar, you will be next."

"Oh?"

"How arrogant, Demon King from another world."

Gilgamesh revealed a ferocious smile: "As an entertainment, if you can't satisfy this King, do you understand what kind of end you will face?"

"I suggest you watch my fight with Iskandar tomorrow carefully."

"Tch!"

Rin invited everyone to watch the battle.

What did this mean?

One must know that information was extremely important for Heroic Spirits.

Allowing Gilgamesh and Artoria to watch Rin's battle with Iskandar up close was, in a roundabout way, giving them an opportunity to understand Rin.

"Because, isn't that fair?"

"I know your history and legends, but you know nothing about me."

Rin naturally would not reveal his trump cards to Gilgamesh for no reason.

Dealing with Iskandar did not require using Rin's true trump cards.

Those powerful dependents were reserved for Gilgamesh.

Therefore, this viewing of the battle was itself a strategy, used to mislead Gilgamesh's assessment of their strength.

As for Artoria...

To be honest, Rin had never taken Artoria seriously from the beginning.

To deal with her, he didn't even need to resort to force.

Simply revealing the truth of the Holy Grail, or waiting until more than half of the Heroic Spirits had died, the erosion of Irisviel by the Greater Holy Grail alone would be enough to make the girl collapse.

The Banquet of Kings concluded.

On the way back, Waver, riding on the Chariot, looked at Iskandar, who had been silent since earlier, feeling a subtle unease in his heart.

"Rider?"

"Are you really going to accept the challenge tomorrow night?"

"What are you trying to say, boy?"

"What I mean is, this is the Holy Grail War."

Waver: "Since it's the Holy Grail War, there's no need to follow any rules."

Because Iskandar had not displayed his Bounded Field, Waver was unsure of his Servant's true strength.

In his opinion, Rin was simply too strong.

The four Servants who appeared at the banquet.

Waver even felt that Iskandar couldn't defeat any one of them.

"Smack!"

"Ah, that hurts~"

Waver, clutching his forehead, angrily lunged at Iskandar, but was held back by the latter's single hand on his head, unable to advance: "What are you doing, Rider! I was so worried about you, you bastard!!"

Gradually, the atmosphere fell silent again.

Iskandar did not immediately offer an explanation.

The red-haired strongman drove the thunder chariot, galloping through the deserted night.

"That guy is very strong, completely different from any opponent I've encountered before."

Iskandar was silent for a moment, then laughed: "It's wonderful to be able to participate in the Holy Grail War."

"What?"

Waver was utterly confused by Iskandar' inexplicable turn: "What in the world are you talking about?"

During his lifetime, Iskandar led his army from Macedon, conquering every country he passed through, yet showing no attachment to their territories.

He constantly marched east, aiming to reach the 'end of the world' and personally witness the legendary 'Sea at the End'.

Alas, Iskandar ultimately did not get his wish.

He was exhausted before seeing the Sea at the End.

Soon after, the historical Conqueror, Alexander the Great, passed away.

"I didn't get to see the Sea at the End, nor did I reach the end of the world."

Iskandar, abandoning his usual boisterous demeanor, now appeared like a true king.

In his mind, Rin's figure emerged.

To roam endless oceans, land on islands called worlds, to witness, to conquer, to lead, and then to continue forward without attachment, until the true end.

"If you can obtain the Holy Grail, you can certainly fulfill your wish."

Anyway, Waver had no particular wish, so he would give the wish-granting opportunity to Iskandar then, allowing him to gain a physical body: "You said it, didn't you, that you want to continue your journey of conquest?"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 112: Would You Lose?

"You boy..."

Iskandar shook his head. He knew that Waver did not understand his thoughts.

He was not regretting.

A true king never regrets.

Or rather, if he had truly reached the end of the world before dying, Iskandar would have been filled with endless regret.

Because that would mean his journey had reached its destination.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go forward, but that he couldn't go forward.

For a conqueror, an explorer, a life where one could no longer adventure was boring.

Reaching the end of the world, returning to his homeland, and then watching himself slowly grow old.

That kind of ending was the sorrow Iskandar could not accept.

A true man should die on the battlefield, wrapped in a horse's hide, not in a bed!

The moment Rin declared war on him.

Iskandar knew that he had met a kindred spirit.

A conqueror had met another conqueror.

Regardless of victory or defeat, it would put a perfect end to their adventure.

The loser would become the victor's achievement.

And the victor would carry the loser's ambition to witness a broader world.

"Rider?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you lose?"

Waver vaguely understood Iskandar, understanding his true desire for descending as a Heroic Spirit.

"Ah."

Iskandar flicked the reins, driving the rolling thunder forward: "I will win!"

Leaving aside the supremely confident King of Conquerors.

Rin had already returned to Ryuudou Temple.

He first inquired about Sakura's condition, and upon learning from Shuna that the girl was recovering well, he felt relieved.

"Rin-sama."

In the Cardinal World, within the village, Rin withdrew his consciousness from the Heroic Spirit.

He gathered the Goblins, Starfang Wolves, and Ogres who were participating in the war, and from them, selected the captains who were already in place to discuss tomorrow's battle.

"This war will be overseen by Violet as the general commander."

"Snow Empress, Ogerpon."

Rin instructed: "You two can participate in the battle, but do not display overly strong abilities."

"Poniii!"

"I know the limits."

The two women were Rin's two strongest trump cards, it would be too wasteful to use them on Iskandar.

If it came down to comparing combat power.

Snow Empress alone could, like Gilgamesh in the anime, shatter Iskandar' Bounded Field with a single world-breaking Noble Phantasm.

But such a thing was meaningless to Rin.

What he wanted was not victory, but to analyze Iskandar' King's Army as much as possible.

Therefore, he had assembled a massive army of monsters.

This battle was for that purpose.

"This battle is crucial."

Rin said: "I also expect you to display a sufficiently brilliant performance."

As soon as these words were spoken, the monsters instantly became filled with passion.

They were not there to make up the numbers.

But important combat power!

"I will do my best to find an opportunity for Violet to analyze!"

Seeing the serious expressions on everyone's faces, Rin was very satisfied: "Then I'll leave it to you. Let the other Heroic Spirits feel the power of us monsters."

Time passed quickly. With the sunrise and sunset, it was already the night of the second day.

A vermilion steel bridge spanned the two banks.

Under the lights, Artoria, who had arrived early, and Irisviel, disguised as her Master, were nervously watching Rin, who was resting with his eyes closed.

"Lancer!"

"Please don't worry, Master."

It wasn't just Saber and Gilgamesh who knew about this battle, Diarmuid did as well.

"You've come too, Lancer."

"Ah, to come uninvited is truly rude."

Diarmuid: "But for such a grand event, I cannot bear not to come and witness it with my own eyes."

"I wonder if I might have the honor of witnessing it?"

"You may."

Rin opened his eyes and casually accepted Diarmuid's request.

"Thank you."

Diarmuid nodded slightly, then came to Artoria's side and stood shoulder to shoulder with her.

This scene inexplicably made Diarmuid's new Master, Kayneth's fiancée Sola, a little jealous.

Enchanted by Diarmuid's charm magic, she felt a sense of crisis whenever any woman appeared near her Servant.

The reason Sola was not left at the hotel was naturally because no place was safer than being by Diarmuid's side.

Instead of finding a place to hide her, it was better to keep her close.

Diarmuid would not make the same mistake twice!

"Lancer..."

"My apologies."

Diarmuid was also very helpless, this was the curse that entangled him.

He truly did not want to covet his lord's woman.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Suddenly, footsteps approaching from afar interrupted their conversation.

They turned their heads and saw Gilgamesh, clad in golden armor, slowly approaching.

"What?"

"Has that guy not come yet?"

"Tsk!"

Gilgamesh said discontentedly: "To make this King wait, he deserves ten thousand deaths!"

"He's here."

Soon, Iskandar, riding his Divine Chariot, descended from the sky like a bolt of lightning, striking the bridge.

"Have you arrived already?"

Iskandar: "I was delayed slightly to handle some matters."

"No matter."

Rin looked up, directly at Iskandar and Waver, whose mental state had clearly changed.

Evidently, they had experienced an untold journey of the heart.

"So, have you made all your final arrangements?"

Rin: "If not, I don't mind giving you some more time to clarify things."

"How sharp you are."

"You're actually angry, aren't you?"

"Well, don't be so petty. Even kings occasionally have inconvenient moments."

Iskandar appeared foolish, but in reality, he was trying to provoke Rin's emotions in this way.

Unfortunately, he miscalculated.

Not to mention that Rin had Violet assisting him.

Even he himself wouldn't lose his temper over such a small matter like Gilgamesh.

"That's enough, Conqueror."

Rin said calmly: "Let's begin, our war."

Seeing that Rin had discovered his little trick, Iskandar stopped playing around.

"Whoosh~"

Mysteriously, everyone standing on the bridge vaguely felt a whirlwind blowing towards them.

It was a hot, dry, scorching whirlwind.

Gradually, whether it was an illusion or not, everyone seemed to hear the roaring wind sweeping across a scorching desert.

"Hmm?"

Waver felt tiny, stinging grains of sand on his tongue and quickly spat out a few mouthfuls of saliva.

"Sand?"

"Why?"

Diarmuid was very puzzled. Like Artoria, he instinctively shielded his Master behind him.

This strange wind carried hot sand that could not possibly exist here.

They all turned their gaze towards Iskandar.

The magical energy on his body was boiling.

Clearly, the changes before them were his doing.

(To be continued.)