"Live, Waver. Survive and speak of your king's way—the charge of ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛."
His old command burns in my chest.
Glory lies beyond. The star of creation shines at the edge.
A storm of falling rocks, wind, and beams.
"You don't even remember me—"
Traps triggered—terrain warped, weather twisted.
"But I've never forgotten—"
Countless traps sprung.
"The back of the king who challenged you—"
Traps layered upon traps.
"And your radiant form—!"
Fervor and a man's resolve—!!
"Hero King, Gilgamesh—!!"
"—"
I thought I knew his cunning, but this exceeds expectations…!
Every move effective, every trap thwarting, layered tenfold, twentyfold.
Avoid one trap, another waits. Attack, and a trap blocks. Regroup, a trap hinders. Clear it, another lies in wait—
Inhuman foresight, meticulous traps, calculated precision—
This man before me—!!
A true foe! Undeniable—!
"Your grand schemes and caution show you know my majesty and threat," Gilgamesh said.
"I know you. You're my other goal, the pinnacle. I could never forget you!"
Selecting treasures— Earth quaked, stones fell, beams blocked his counter.
Defense was all I could manage—his pace dominated! Against a king who sees all, a mere soul stands no chance—!
"You know my radiance. No matter how many petty traps you set, they'll never reach my life," Gilgamesh taunted.
Treasures blocked again by beams and rocks.
Frustrating—nothing goes my way…!
"I know. I lack the deeds to stand before you. No heroic feats, no legacy," the man admitted.
He snapped, earth collapsed, restricting movement further.
"By fate or karma, I'm summoned as a tactician's vessel, not in my time."
Beams and rocks struck, new traps set as I blocked.
"What became of me? The future? Am I right here? Lost in futile questions—then I sensed you."
Relentless traps denied counterattacks, even movement—a tactician's art, destroying without stirring.
"In that moment, all doubts vanished. My heart raced."
"—"
"A true hero's pinnacle, the world's edge, stood here. This power isn't mine. A Pseudo-Servant can't match a true one. A non-king reaching the mightiest king? Arrogance."
His soul blazed.
"But who cares! A pinnacle before me—I'll face it with my body, overcome it! Odds, reason, criticism—irrelevant. Incompetence? Ignorance? Borrowing power? Fine!"
A man glared straight at the summit—!
"No sophistry can quell this heart's fire! Incompetent, reckless—fine! I'll bear the scorn of a foolish tactician challenging a king!"
"…"
"Cast aside trifles, become a fool—!! Only then can I aim for the peak! Always distant, but that's fine. Glory lies beyond—I challenge because it's unreachable!"
Surging mana, rising resolve—here it comes!
"Like the king who sang of conquest, showed me conquest—!!"
Stone pillars fell from the sky, glowing, forming a radiant array!
"Behold, Hero King! My resolve, the tactician's ultimate stronghold—!!"
The legendary stone formation, built in defeat, leading the lost to death—!
"'Eightfold Stone Formation'—!! Break it if you can—!!"
Gilgamesh was sealed in an eternal maze—!!
Silence. Stillness.
"…"
The man braced, breathless.
He'd poured everything—traps, cunning, all-in.
A stronghold to trap the Hero King, turning the fort into a weapon from the moment he lured him.
Did it reach? Could a mortal's wit touch that Hero King?
The one the Conqueror charged, yet never reached—?
Did I engrave even a fragment of valor?
"—Rider, I…"
"I recall. In a past Grail War, a vassal trailed the Conqueror," Gilgamesh said.
The Eightfold Stone Formation shattered, blasted to dust by a crimson tempest.
"What—"
"Waver Velvet. You've grown frail," Gilgamesh strode, golden sword in hand.
"A mongrel trapping me this far—your diligence remembers my judgment."
"No—impossible. You drew that for me?"
"If you banked on my arrogance, my apologies. I've none now. Too tedious to navigate your maze, so I obliterated it for practice."
I chose the Sword of Rupture without hesitation.
His fervent challenge, his all-in charge, his blazing journey—
It stirred this Nameless soul.
What a fervent life.
What a dazzling path.
His burning soul demanded I meet it with my finest treasure.
"You called me the pinnacle. Indeed. I'm humanity's first Hero King. Witness its radiance."
He snapped his left hand.
"!!!"
Chains bound Waver, immobilizing him.
Vimana appeared, its barrage of weapons and Noble Phantasms wiping out all traps.
"No matter how you rage, a mongrel's a mongrel. Even your king couldn't reach my heights. Know it's hubris to even gaze."
"My days of planning, crushed so easily… My challenge was nothing to you…"
No despair in his voice.
"This is the hero's pinnacle, higher than any mountain, the endless world's edge… Rider, you're incredible. You faced this absurd king head-on…"
Waver's smile radiated confidence, clarity.
"…"
The fight's over. My role here ends.
I let consciousness fade, yielding to the king.
His words now are a king's—let this outsider stay silent, not sullying them with rudeness.
"Brat. You were that Rider's Master?"
"No. I aided him by chance."
"Remember my command?"
"How could I forget? I was told to live."
"You'd die challenging me. You knew, yet defied me—a clear traitor to the king."
"No. I didn't challenge as a vassal. Revenge? Presumptuous."
"Ho?"
"Today, I faced you not as a tactician or vassal."
"—"
"Just a foolish man."
"I see."
He thrust, the Sword of Rupture claiming the man's life.
"You're far from your king's level. All you're permitted is to glare at the peak."
"I know. But—"
"Fine. Fleeing the unreachable is true disrespect, spitting on your king's path, betrayal."
"…"
"Take pride, loyal vassal Waver Velvet. Your way showed me your king's path."
"Hero King—"
"Stand tall, return triumphant, let the Conqueror hear your war cry. Your valor was splendid."
"—!!!"
"Challenge me again, as often as you wish. I'll remain, never refusing."
"I see… Of course. No wonder he wanted to challenge you."
"…"
"With such a grand pinnacle, such radiant glory, how could he not strive to conquer it…?"
His role done, Waver faded.
"Strive, Waver Velvet. Don't tarnish your place as the Overlord's vassal."
His heart's fire lingers in this Nameless soul—
Beyond, the tide roars, endlessly distant.
At the sky's edge, a star shines—
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