Rider would never forget the scene before his eyes; all creation became hollow and void under the primal spear formed by the budding flowers and endlessly growing life.
Countless celestial pillars supported the heavens and earth, emitting dazzling lightning. They cheered, roared, spun like tornadoes, twisted like the void, and shot skyward like spears capable of piercing the world.
Light poured down from Enkidu's body, like a galaxy falling from the stars of the void, shining with brilliant radiance.
The earth's crust was shifting; from beneath Enkidu's feet, a life tree, like a mountain range, lifted him high into the clouds.
Purple lightning pierced through the void, and life miraculously spread within his inner world.
It was a terror like the sky collapsing, the earth sinking, and the end of days arriving.
Even in his headlong charge, Rider couldn't help but look up, gazing at it all.
This was the planet's breath.
When the spear of light touched his proud Army of the King, all that remained was an utterly annihilated void.
The vast desert continuously shattered, and the soldiers caught within couldn't even utter a word; only more fierce winds assailed them from the void.
In contrast to Rider's miraculous feat of becoming an army himself, Enkidu also expressed his respect with a power that erased all.
The spear of light, like a tail chasing him, gradually erased Rider's army, but seeing this sight, Iskandar's face remained fearless. He looked towards Lancer in the distance and let out a thunderous roar.
"Warriors, under this scene of destruction and creation, now is the best time for us to display our overbearing!"
Responding to him were the magnificent voices of the Servants behind him. Although a large portion of the opponent's attack was erased before it even finished, this army, which had crossed through time and space, had long had its morale fixed. Therefore, they still charged with an unstoppable momentum, like Don Quixote charging at windmills.
No one would fear because of this, no one would retreat because of this. Once gathered under Rider's banner, no matter what enemy they faced, they would follow Rider without hesitation.
But in the face of absolute power, all this was futile.
Howling light descended from the sky. Although every person behind Rider was, strictly speaking, a Servant, they could not help the battle in any way. With every breath, thousands of Servants were erased.
"This can't go on…"
Rider realized this; the power of the Army of the King could not contend with the planet's breath unleashed by Lancer.
But since he had boasted of embarking on this conquest, Rider had no intention of sitting idly by. He let out a roar that could rival Lancer's thunder.
And coming across the void was a chariot pulled by divine oxen. Iskandar stood on his beloved horse, leaped, and advanced in a flanking maneuver across the sky.
As his magic power continuously surged, the Divine Chariot beneath Rider also began to release vast lightning and hair-raising thunderous sounds.
The two divine oxen were also dyed with purple lightning armor, and even their pupils turned into dark purple whirlpools. They furiously swung their hooves, trampling the void, and charged towards the wedge releasing the light spears. In the afterimage like a flash of lightning, Enkidu could only see a purple meteor, rushing towards him with the force of a collapsing mountain.
"What a shining resolve, like a star. Such a noble soul… Truly enviable."
Lancer sighed but showed no emotion due to Rider's charge.
Because — this was the end.
The breath of the stars had already pierced this world. In the face of this power, the heroic spirit soldiers who had survived the previous impact ultimately could not escape and were erased by this light.
The desert was purified, the atmosphere was separated, and Iskandar's army, dreams, and Reality Marble were all completely shattered.
Although he didn't look back, Rider still knew what was happening behind him. If he hadn't used the power of the Divine Chariot to avoid the main attack of Lancer's Noble Phantasm, he probably would have died.
So strong. Since Enkidu is like this, then Archer will definitely not be inferior, right?
It should have been a scene to fear, but Iskandar's face showed a crude and excited smile.
Precisely because it cannot be contended with, precisely because it cannot be touched, it has value in being challenged!
In this war, to be able to simultaneously encounter two opponents worthy of being considered dreams—is there anything more wonderful than this?
"It seems your journey must stop here, Rider."
Lancer's lips slightly pursed, forming a hint of an apologetic smile, but the movements of his hands did not stop in the slightest.
Centered on his feet, the earth surged like waves, and the planet's tentacles once again began to shape according to his will. In an instant, countless Noble Phantasms, no less magnificent than Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon, burst forth from the ground, like a forest standing on the earth.
These dangerous weapons gradually aimed in Rider's direction, taking on a posture ready to fire.
But Iskandar, without hesitation or wavering, charged again towards the nascent rain of stars, which had already solidified into form.
But the next moment, Enkidu's movements suddenly froze.
"You've saved your life, Rider."
His gaze was quiet and profound. Before his figure completely disappeared, he looked towards the center of Fuyuki City and let out a sorrowful sigh.
"What's going on?"
Looking at the suddenly vanished Lancer, Rider, who had already prepared for death, was bewildered. But remembering Lancer's previous words, he dared not delay and quickly mounted his chariot, rushing towards his Master's direction.
—
"Master? You're injured, but I didn't sense any enemies nearby. Do we need to waste a Command Seal for this?"
Enkidu frowned, looking at the ancient temple before him and Darnic, who was sitting weakly on the ground. After the dream workshop was dismantled, Darnic had acquired this temple to serve as a temporary workshop.
"Of course, it's necessary…" Darnic showed a grim smile, looking at the blurred holy mark on his hand, and let out a satisfied sigh.
"I've finally waited for this moment, Lancer. You must have felt it, right? Now, this body of mine is your only Master."
"Yes, the other bodies have perished. The collective consciousness named Yggdmillennia is already inextricably intertwined with you, Master. Without this charm, you will be rapidly assimilated."
Lancer looked at Darnic in confusion, not understanding what he intended to do.
"That's right, but I have no other choice. To survive, I must make my soul independent, but without a physical body, I can do nothing."
Darnic struggled to stand up. Lancer instinctively wanted to go and help him, but as soon as he took a step, a strange magic circle appeared beneath his feet.
Immediately after, bone-eating black smoke enveloped Lancer's body, causing dangerous cracks to appear on his porcelain-like skin.
"This is… a curse?"
"A curse from the Age of Gods. I went to great lengths to get it from the Clock Tower, and it finally arrived today."
Darnic looked at the perfect body before him, greedily licking his lips.
"As a divine weapon, you are almost perfect, but you have no resistance only when facing a curse that weakens you to death."
Darnic slowly tore open his chest, allowing the charm to merge deeper into his body.
"Since you claim to be a weapon that completely obeys your Master's commands, you must also understand my wish. To let me survive, I must make my soul independent, becoming like a Servant."
"This is Fuyuki's finest spiritual ground, and my soul is also satisfied from having just devoured Kayneth. All conditions are met."
Darnic extended his gradually withered fingers, letting out a laugh like a demon's, filled with desire, prayer, and madness.
"I have been trapped in this cage of blood and bone for too long. This feeling of gradually withering, collapsing, until death is so unbearable it leads to despair, not allowing me freedom. I really shouldn't have lived this long."
"Lancer, can you merge with me and free me?"
The weakened Enkidu did not look at Darnic but instead looked towards Fuyuki City, at that nostalgic aura like gold.
"Gil… take care."
Sitting in Fuyuki City's most luxurious underground casino, Gilgamesh leaned back in his chair, looking at the piles of money before him. He casually chose a number, idly waiting for the next round to begin. The surrounding mortals had already gathered like flies, circle after circle, staring intently at the roulette wheel.
The attendant nearby had already quietly activated a mechanism to stop the wheel at a specific position.
But before the crowd could boo, an unknown tremor caused the ball to roll onto the number Gilgamesh had chosen.
"You've won again…"
The attendant unwillingly looked at Gilgamesh, only to find that this flamboyant guest's face was now devoid of color, bearing a fearful pallor.
"…Enkidu?"
The next moment, he didn't even glance at the wealth left on the table and shot into the sky.
"Guest, your money hasn't been settled yet…"
"Just give it to me," accompanied by an unfamiliar voice, a young man walked to the gambling table, casually tapping the table. A dark ninja emerged from the shadows, taking all the wealth Gilgamesh had won.
The attendant was about to stop him, but as the small figure wrapped in a hood behind the young man raised a magic staff, the surrounding crowd vaguely dispersed.
"Ryuudou Temple, has it been handled?"
Roland leaned back in the soft chair, looking at the hole Gilgamesh had crashed through, and let out a sneer.
"It's all resolved. We just need to wait for the Servants' souls to return to their places."
"That's good. It's time to wrap things up. Inform Zouken Matou."
All the scattered trajectories, after all, converged. Thinking of the scene to come, a joyful expression couldn't help but ignite in his jade-like pupils.
"Next, I also want to properly enjoy the re-enactment of this divine tragedy."