"What did you sacrifice, Yoru? The Holy Grail War is a battle between Servants. You didn't have to go this far."
Rider's instincts screamed danger. He frowned as he addressed Yoru, whose only response was a slow shake of the head.
"I didn't give anything up. I merely took something back."
"…So be it. Whatever changes you've undergone—whatever decisions you've made—that's your business.
As your opponent, all I need to concern myself with now… is how to defeat you!"
A hearty grin returned to Rider's face as he raised his voice and roared atop his chariot:
"Crush the enemy that stands before me—Gordius Wheel of Domination!"
A deafening thunderclap split the night.
The divine bulls' hooves struck the ground, sending bolts of violet lightning crashing across the courtyard.
The wheels spun violently, illuminating the entire Einzbern Castle in a flickering electric glow.
The chariot lunged forward, tearing through the frost-covered courtyard toward Yoru.
There was no hesitation in Rider's charge—he meant to obliterate anything that stood in his way.
Yet even as they exchanged words, the surrounding air had grown colder and colder.
Now, at the moment Rider unleashed his Noble Phantasm, countless plumes of pure white mist suddenly began to move.
Frost began to spread visibly in all directions, racing through the air like a living force.
And in the blink of an eye, that frost swallowed up every bolt of lightning Rider's Noble Phantasm had unleashed.
Water might conduct electricity, but in this near-absolute-zero cold, even lightning could not hold its form.
Nothing could survive that terrifying, unnatural freeze.
Already blanketed in snow, the Einzbern Castle now became a true fortress of ice.
From a distance, Waver huddled and shivered, barely keeping the cold at bay with what little magical power he could muster.
He was lucky that most of Yoru's magic was directed at Rider—
Even so, the aftershock alone was unbearable.
The purple lightning and divine fury of the Gordius Wheel were gone, completely engulfed by a deathly pale frost.
The white cold crept across Rider's chariot, over his bulls, and now over his body itself.
Rider's forward momentum slowed.
The divine bulls dragging the chariot began to pant raggedly.
Even their breath, the moment it touched air, crystallized into shards of ice and fell like shattered glass.
Finally, only the crunch of cracking ice echoed as the chariot struggled forward—until it ground to a halt, directly before Yoru.
The Gordius Wheel had frozen in place.
Rider raised his sword high, but did not strike.
The mighty man now stood frozen in place atop his chariot.
His eyebrows, beard—his entire figure was covered in thin icicles, stiff and immobile.
"Rider?!"
Waver cried out in alarm, thinking his Servant had fallen.
But Rider would not lose so easily—not without using his true trump card:
His ultimate Noble Phantasm—Ionian Hetairoi, the Army of the King—still lay in wait.
This was just a test.
A trial to see if Yoru had the right to face that army.
"…I may have underestimated you."
Rider's frozen lips curled into a twisted smile.
Cracks split the ice encasing him as he moved, breaking free from the frost that bound him.
"In honor of your strength, I shall let you die like a true hero."
With one swing, Rider's blade slashed through the icy mist.
In that moment, a surge of magical power erupted from his body—distorting the laws of the world itself.
He activated his trump card.
A grand ritual capable of reshaping reality—his Reality Marble.
Temperature rose sharply in the courtyard, dispelling the deadly cold.
And suddenly, Yoru stood no longer in a wintry castle courtyard, but on a blazing desert battlefield.
It was a scene Yoru had witnessed once before—an illusion made real.
Surrounding Rider were countless warriors, summoned by the will of their king.
Different races, different weapons—yet all were powerful and fearless, their very presence a testament to their might.
"This man is one I acknowledge!" Rider declared from atop his steed.
"He is worthy of respect—worthy to face my undefeated army!"
A chorus of shields beat in unison in response.
"He stands alone—yet show him no mercy!
Pity would be the greatest insult to his valor."
"A hero must die on the battlefield—wrapped in the banner of war!
So fight with all your might—give this man a glorious, dazzling death!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The heroic spirits answered in thunderous unison.
To them, it did not matter if their opponent was a fortress or a lone soldier—
The outcome would be the same.
Under their king's banner, they would crush all before them.
"Let us begin…"
A bloodthirsty grin spread across Rider's face.
Even as a Heroic Spirit, he still retained that wild, conquering spirit of a world-walking king.
"I don't know what ideals you hold…
Nor what you gave up to gain such power.
But I do know this—my army will trample it all beneath their feet!"
"…Is that so?"
Yoru let out a cold laugh.
Even his smile carried a suffocating chill.
His ice-blue eyes shimmered with an otherworldly, unreal beauty.
"…A battlefield…
So familiar.
Why does it hurt so much…?"
Why did his heart ache with sadness?
He wanted to cry—
But no tears would come.
Ah, yes…
Because I do not cry.
The Forgotten do not shed tears.
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