"Saber and Rider began their assault on the Knight Alaric—"
At the top of an abandoned skyscraper, Maiya Hisau observed the battlefield through a sniper rifle, relaying real-time battle intelligence to Kiritsugu Emiya via radio.
After reaching an agreement with Rider's Master, Maiya quickly shifted her focus to this battlefield, where Alaric had attacked Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald and others at the Hyatt Hotel. She kept a close eye on the battle's progress.
Meanwhile, Kiritsugu Emiya, stationed beneath Ryuudou Temple, looked up at the distant temple upon receiving the report that Alaric had engaged in combat.
From what he could tell, Alaric had not brought Caster Merlin with him, which strongly suggested that Merlin was guarding their base.
However, according to the intelligence Saber had provided, Merlin, despite being a magus specializing in illusions, possessed exceptionally high-level swordsmanship.
Even Artoria's swordsmanship had been taught by Merlin.
Thus, Kiritsugu could not afford to underestimate Merlin's combat prowess; forcefully infiltrating Ryuudou Temple to retrieve Irisviel was not an option.
A one-on-one battle against a Servant? That was absurd.
It wasn't just Merlin's strength—more importantly, there was the issue of defending their base.
Both Alaric and Merlin were magi; it was impossible that they had left their stronghold undefended.
These two factors combined made it difficult for Kiritsugu to act, even with such a golden opportunity before him.
Furthermore, Saber, his only combat asset, was currently working alongside Rider to restrain and eliminate Alaric, making it impossible for Kiritsugu to proceed with his plan.
"Wait—wait for Merlin to enter the battlefield."
With a cigarette in his mouth, Kiritsugu's gaze was deep and calculating. Even Alaric, facing so many Riders, would eventually find himself overwhelmed, right?
As long as Merlin appeared on the battlefield, that would be his chance.
...
Meanwhile—
Near the Hyatt Hotel.
A violent gale swept through the battlefield, but this time, it was not caused by the release of the Invisible Air—it was the result of an overwhelming barrage of Holy Judgement.
The sky darkened as a result, and the twilight of Fuyuki City seemed to have prematurely transformed into a night filled with dazzling stars.
Even when faced with four Servants—two of whom were skilled warriors of divine rank—Alaric showed no trace of panic. Watching those four opponents, he noticed an uncanny synchronization between them. Whether compelled or voluntary, they all shared a single goal.
To defeat him!
But to think that four Servants alone could bring him down? That was wishful thinking!
BOOM—!!!
As the Holy Judgements surged forth, Artoria and the others were forced into defensive positions. Not a single one of them could completely ignore the power of the Holy Judgements, nor prevent Alaric from advancing.
The Gate of Holy Judgements that Alaric had opened was not limited to his rear but instead surrounded Artoria and the others from all angles—encompassing the entire battlefield.
Even if Artoria and the others could endure multiple Holy Judgements head-on, the attacks coming from behind forced them to focus entirely on defense.
Even the swift Diarmuid Ua Duibhne could not escape the Holy Judgements' overwhelming coverage in time.
As for Iskandar, who was carrying Waver Velvet, he had no choice. The moment the Holy Judgements were launched, he decisively activated Gordias Wheel, unleashing a dazzling divine lightning.
Blinding lightning enveloped his chariot, and with the bellowing of his divine bulls, he managed to block the incoming Holy Judgements!
Lancelot, as Berserker, displayed his overwhelming martial prowess—even against an omnidirectional assault, he managed to deflect most of the attacks, suffering only minimal damage.
However, due to these defensive maneuvers, Artoria and the others lost their final opportunity to stop Alaric. Already an exceptionally fast opponent, Alaric once again closed the gap, stepping into the one-meter radius around Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
As a Lord, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald could do nothing but watch as Alaric once again reached for his Mystic Code.
At that moment, Volumen Hydrargyrum did not even activate.
Or rather, whether Kayneth had even registered Alaric's approach was uncertain.
This entire sequence of events had unfolded in mere fractions of a second—faster than the reaction time of an ordinary human, faster than even an instinctive reflex.
But—one pair of eyes remained locked onto Alaric's approaching hand.
The ethereal gaze of Red Riding Hood flickered with emotion. Born just half a day ago, she should not have possessed such high intelligence, acting only under Kayneth's guidance.
But as Alaric drew closer, his unhidden desire for possession seemed to trigger Red Riding Hood's automatic defense mechanism—or perhaps, a countermeasure.
Despite possessing infinite magical energy, Red Riding Hood could not utilize it. As far as both she and Kayneth were concerned, she was merely a humanoid Mystic Code.
Yet, having been created by Kayneth, she retained traces of his will, even if she had not been given a direct wish.
And that trace of will was a deep-seated impression of Alaric—an existence of extreme danger.
In a near-instinctive act of resistance, a surge of magical energy flared before Alaric, attempting to halt his advancing hand.
Ding!
A crisp sound rang out in that instant. The magical energy was instantly snuffed out, leaving Red Riding Hood's defenseless form exposed before Alaric.
"I've got her!"
Just as Alaric was about to seize Red Riding Hood, something unexpected happened—her previously adult-sized body transformed into pure light at a speed surpassing even Alaric himself.
[Unable to ensure self-preservation—initiating secondary division.]
At that moment, Kayneth's command took effect. Even as Artoria had stalled Alaric, Kayneth had urgently issued new orders.
If necessary, Red Riding Hood was to divide herself to preserve her magical energy supply.
With Irisviel's case as a precedent, Kayneth understood how difficult it was to stop Alaric in battle and prevent him from taking Red Riding Hood.
Even though multiple Servants were fighting Alaric, Kayneth had to prepare a contingency plan.
This self-division was the result of Kayneth's half-day of testing Red Riding Hood.
Although she could not revert to her original Mystic Code state after transforming into a living being from a magical energy furnace, Kayneth discovered that she could divide herself within a certain limit.
While her power would decrease post-division, her magical energy supply remained relatively unchanged.
However, the potential desire amplification effect she carried disappeared completely, as though a crucial function had been disabled.
Without enough time to investigate further, Kayneth had no choice but to confront Alaric.
And Red Riding Hood obeyed his command precisely.
The dazzling light body—her true form, composed of six slabs—split into two mini Red Riding Hoods before Alaric's eyes!
Shrinking and dividing—two transformations occurring simultaneously, signifying the Holy Grail's division. Along with it, the ability to amplify Alaric's desires vanished.
Before him now stood two identical super-young girls, no older than ten.
They looked just a little older than the Tohsaka sisters.
"She split of her own will?"
Unable to seize Red Riding Hood before her division, Alaric managed to grab one of the two.
At that moment, a mighty declaration echoed across the battlefield—a king's proclamation, the glory of a ruler who sought to conquer the world!
"Gather once more, O warriors who yearn for the journey's end! The tracks engraved upon this land are our honor!"
"Ionioi Hetairoi!"
To minimize the destruction caused by battle, the King of Conquerors finally activated his strongest trump card—his symbol of glory.
A grand magecraft that required no incantation to unleash!
A dazzling explosion of light engulfed all the Servants on the battlefield, along with Alaric.
...
As the radiance before them faded, what appeared before Alaric and the others was a world of endless yellow sand, devoid of any other scenery—a pure, desolate wasteland of life's extinction.
"A Reality Marble—?"
Holding Little Red Riding Hood's hand, Alaric surveyed the barren desert around them, as if they had once again stepped into the domain of Ozymandias.
But Alaric was well aware of what this truly was.
The pinnacle of magecraft, a forbidden grand magecraft listed by the Mage's Association—the Reality Marble, a type of magecraft closest to True Magic.
A Reality Marble is the physical manifestation of one's inner world.
Once activated, it alters the surrounding space into an entirely different landscape.
By manifesting an inner world, the Reality Marble essentially replaces the user's existence with the world itself while keeping the boundary unchanged.
At this moment, the size of "the self" and "the world" are swapped, enclosing the actual world within a small container. This small world is referred to as the Egg of the World, which also serves as the theoretical foundation of this phenomenon.
Similarly, a Reality Marble is a subtype of Conceptual Materialization, shaping the caster's mental world and eroding reality.
However, unlike Conceptual Materialization, the form of a Reality Marble cannot be freely chosen.
Because it is formed from the caster's singular inner self, the caster cannot alter its composition at will. However, a Reality Marble can influence unnatural phenomena, making it superior to Conceptual Materialization in this regard.
For example, Solomon/Getia's second Noble Phantasm, "Ars Paulina (The Time of Crowning Has Come, Thus the Ten Rings Are Manifest)," is also a Reality Marble. However, it was created using Solomon's remains and exists within an imaginary space, isolated from the normal flow of time.
The Reality Marble in which Alaric now stood was the symbol of the King of Conquerors, Iskandar's lifelong glory.
Everywhere in sight was a vast desert, devoid of any cover, with only the relentless, scorching sun mercilessly burning all life forms. The rolling sands swirled in turbulent waves.
A plain of absolute desolation.
For this was the land trampled upon by Alexander's army, an eternal imprint upon their collective memories, allowing the Reality Marble to manifest.
Iskandar's Noble Phantasm itself was a Reality Marble, and within this Reality Marble—his elite guard, who had sworn loyalty to him even after death, were summoned as Servants into the present world.
Although the summoned soldiers lacked Masters, each of them possessed an E-rank "Independent Action" skill, allowing them to function autonomously.
Once summoned, they formed an army of tens of thousands. Each soldier was a genuine Heroic Spirit, though due to being summoned through Rider's abilities, they lacked specific classes and class-related skills.
Among them, some were even stronger than Iskandar himself, including individuals who later founded their dynasties, such as Ptolemy, Seleucus, and Chandragupta.
At this moment, Alaric was facing the absolute monarch who once conquered Eurasia—Alexander the Great—and his army, which carried the weight of countless glories!
Just as Alaric understood, Iskandar, riding the Gordias Wheel, let out a hearty laugh under the shocked gaze of his Master, Waver Velvet.
"This is the land my army once galloped across! The scenery is forever engraved in the hearts of the warriors who shared my joys and hardships!"
With his arms wide open, Iskandar's expression was filled with unparalleled pride. This was everything he had ever been proud of in his life.
"Behold, my peerless army!
Even if their bodies have perished, their souls summoned as Heroic Spirits by the "World," they still pledge allegiance to me—these legendary warriors!"
Step. Step. Step. Step.
The overlapping footsteps resounded like the loudest roar in this world, embodying the king's absolute path, the ultimate tyranny, and the overwhelming charisma that captivated countless heroes.
Even in death, their loyalty remained unshaken.
From beyond the horizon, from the ends of the sky, what appeared before Artoria and the others was the unparalleled army of Alexander that once conquered an entire continent.
"The bond between me and them is my greatest treasure, my kingly path! It is my strongest Noble Phantasm—Ionioi Hetairoi!!"
In response to their king's pride, the tens of thousands of soldiers comprising the strongest army let out a roar that shook the very world.
"Ura! Ura! Ura!!!"
The thunderous battle cry of tens of thousands of Heroic Spirits echoed endlessly within this world created by their very existence.
Faced with such a sight, even Artoria and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne were left utterly shaken.
Iskandar's kingly path was truly astonishing, entirely worthy of a ruler who had conquered the world.
In contrast, Alaric, who also stood before this peerless army, remained calm and composed.
Though he marveled at the grandeur of this army, that was all there was to it.
Even as an enemy, Alaric showed no concern over the army's assault, remaining completely at ease.
The reason?
Neither Waver Velvet nor Iskandar himself possessed the magical energy necessary to fully unleash Ionioi Hetairoi to its full potential.
Iskandar had been relying on his own for magical energy up until now. Waver's ability as a magus was far too weak.
Without enough magical energy, not only could Iskandar's full strength as a powerful Heroic Spirit not be realized, but the true power of Ionioi Hetairoi, which had an incredibly high upper limit, could never be fully unleashed.
Buzz!
Holding Little Red Riding Hood's hand, Alaric raised his other hand, summoning the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad.
Fixing his gaze on the King of Conquerors in the distance, he smiled and said:
"King of Conquerors, do you know what happens when I gain access to a magical energy source?"
PS: Iskandar is getting cook.