Mount Enzou.
All the magi and members of the security team had already evacuated from this place. The only ones remaining here now were Roy and Rin.
At this moment, the dark clouds in the sky had unknowingly dispersed, revealing an eternally unchanging, bright moon.
Strangely enough, tonight's moon looked strikingly similar to the one they had seen that night.
The air was thick with the stench of curses, and the surface of their skin crackled as if electrified, a sharp, stinging pain radiating from it incessantly.
Roy remained unfazed, unbothered by curses of this level.
Rin, too, stubbornly held her ground. As a magus, how could she admit defeat in the face of such curses?
The two of them ascended the dark stone steps, arriving at an empty, barren clearing.
This seemed to be the former site of Ryuudou Temple. After being burned down in the fire ten years ago, it had remained in this desolate state ever since.
"You've finally arrived. This king was growing impatient!"
Gilgamesh stood with his arms crossed, appearing before them with the same arrogance as before.
He seemed to have been waiting on this empty ground for a long time.
"King of Heroes."
Roy stepped forward, shielding Rin behind him.
"Oh? Planning to face this king alone?"
Seeing this, Gilgamesh's smile grew even more delighted.
"I thought you'd gather the other Servants to fight together. But no matter how many you bring, none are a match for this king. It makes no difference to me. After our last encounter, you should have understood that to your very bones."
"Indeed. Against an opponent as beyond the rules as you, expecting any force that isn't equally beyond the rules is pointless."
Roy nodded solemnly and sincerely.
He couldn't agree more with Gilgamesh's words.
If this were the careless King from before, a fully intact Emiya might have stood a chance. But this golden Archer was clearly not the same as the one from the original timeline.
Though his words were as arrogant as ever, he was no longer complacent.
There was an undercurrent of seriousness in him now.
As proof, the act of deploying thousands of Gates of Babylon at once—something unimaginable in a normal Holy Grail War—had already been demonstrated.
"Where is Kirei Kotomine?" Roy asked gravely.
"Is he serving as the detonator for the Greater Grail this time as well?"
"Oh? It seems you know quite a bit."
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, his expression one of amusement.
"Just like you, I know far more than you might expect!"
Roy grinned, flashing a deliberately provocative smile.
"Hahahahahaha! Not bad!"
Instead of growing angry, Gilgamesh laughed heartily.
"Kirei is in the underground cavern. That little girl has ties to him, doesn't she? Go on. This king has no interest in you. I won't stop you."
Rin gritted her teeth.
His arrogance made her want to punch him.
In her mind, she beat Gilgamesh to a pulp before quickly running toward the cave in the back mountain.
"Rin, no matter what happens, don't lose your cool against Kirei Kotomine. Even if it's about what happened ten years ago."
"I know!"
With those words, Rin vanished from sight.
Roy watched the direction she had gone, a hint of worry in his heart. Still, with EMIYA by her side, she should be fine… probably.
Right now, all he could do was wish her luck.
Truth be told, Roy had no more cards left to support her.
To face Gilgamesh, he had to give it everything he had!
"Well, now it's just you and this king."
With no one left to interfere, Gilgamesh finally bared his fangs.
A sinister smile spread across his face as he raised his hand slightly. In an instant, dozens of golden ripples materialized around him.
"Let this king see just how you plan to stall me."
He snapped his fingers.
Dozens of Noble Phantasms shot forth like arrows from the ripples, mercilessly raining down on Roy. There was no holding back in this attack—if Roy didn't defend himself, he'd be turned into a pincushion!
For a moment, Roy indeed made no move.
"As you wish!"
Hum—!
Suddenly, just before the rain of Noble Phantasms reached him, a massive banner appeared before him.
As the flag fluttered, thousands of golden lotuses bloomed in the air, scattering around like a protective formation, transforming the area into an inviolable domain. The dozens of Noble Phantasms were deflected in an instant.
"Oh?"
Gilgamesh's eyes widened in surprise.
He examined the banner closely—it stood about six or seven meters tall, resembling an ancient Chinese military standard, embroidered with a golden divine dragon. It exuded an air of grandeur and profound mystery.
"A divine construct… no, a treasure of the immortals?"
Gilgamesh's expression cleared as he grew even more pleased.
"Excellent! This is how it should be! If you died too easily here, this king would have been furious!"
Roy stepped forward, standing beneath the banner and gripping its pole.
Even Roy had long heard of this banner's legend.
It was said to have been forged from one of the five lotus leaves of the Primordial Green Lotus at the dawn of creation. Its name was the "Flag of the Unfolding Heaven and Earth", and it was one of the Five Supreme Flags of the Cosmos, alongside the "Flag of the Pure White Jade", the "Flag of the Blazing Light", the "Flag of the Azure Lotus", and the "Flag of the Black Tortoise."
Originally belonging to the supreme Taoist deity, the Primordial Heavenly Lord Yuanshi Tianzun, it was bestowed upon Jiang Ziya during the Investiture of the Gods to protect him. Once unfurled, it summoned thousands of golden lotuses to shield its wielder, repelling all evils and rendering all spells powerless!
However, the moment this Noble Phantasm was revealed, the identity of its owner became unmistakable.
"Come forth, Rider!"
Roy raised his right hand, marked with Command Spells, and called out firmly.
At the same time, as if responding to his call, a figure clad in luxurious robes materialized before him.
The man possessed beauty beyond that of mortals, his entire being radiating an ethereal, immortal aura. His eyes, brimming with wisdom, were narrowed like a fox's.
"Hahahahahaha! So this is it! The military strategist of ancient Zhou! No wonder you had the confidence to face this king—to think you had summoned such a figure and kept him hidden until now! Worthy of praise!"
Gilgamesh erupted into unrestrained laughter, his face alight with surprise and delight.
In the sky above Mount Enzou, countless familiars circled and swarmed.
They belonged to the magi of Fuyuki—some sent by the Mage's Association, others by the recently defected Bazett, some by Rin as she advanced deeper into the mountain, and even some by Illya, who was observing everything from the Aozaki residence.
At this moment, the curtain rose on the ultimate showdown, unveiled before the eyes of all the magi of Fuyuki!
***
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