Unlimited Ambition

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Rider Team Decommissioned

Once upon a time, there was a clueless young man named Enkidu… uh, I think I've already mentioned that. So let's skip it. That's why it's best not to padded out the story too much. So, it seems I'm already padding it out, so I won't go into that.

At this moment, Alexander Iskandar was utterly despondent, watching as his elite troops were reduced to rubble, his greatest asset gone. Continuing the fight would be futile; victory was impossible.

However, the Conqueror King possessed a proud spirit; he wouldn't admit defeat even in defeat, and now he laughed heartily, readily acknowledging, "I've lost. Alright, now give me a quick death."

"Sorry, old friend. Is there anything else you'd like to say?" I asked.

“Um… my Master…” Alexander hesitated for a moment, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.

"Don't worry. Now that you're dead, his role as Master is over. I won't kill him," I assured him.

“No, no, no, that’s not it.” Iskandar blushed slightly as he said this: “I still trust your credibility, that’s not what I’m talking about.”

"Oh?"

“Well, that…” Iskandar hesitated for a long time, a faint blush appearing on his face for some reason, before saying, “I want you to ask him for me if he is willing to be my subject.”

"Huh?"

Seeing Alexander's disgusting, boyish appearance, I suddenly felt nauseous. It was then that I remembered he was bisexual.

"...Could we change our request?" I asked.

"My old friend, you don't want me to die with my eyes open, do you?"

"...I guess I'm just unlucky." I rolled my eyes, which was my way of agreeing to this gay guy's request.

"Hahahaha... In that case, I can set off on my journey with peace of mind." Iskandar laughed triumphantly, seemingly very pleased that he could outwit me even on his deathbed.

"Goodbye then, see you for a drink sometime!"

"--Um."

Immediately afterwards, Iskandar's mountain-like body collapsed. Blood flowed slowly beneath him, spreading out like a small stream.

Then, because the Heroic Spirit who ultimately used the Noble Phantasm also perished in battle, the King's army, along with Iskandar himself, all vanished as specks of light. His Reality Marble shattered as a result. Thus, we returned to the mortal realm.

"...Huh?!"

After a while, the weak Waver Velvet also recovered. Seeing the Reality Marble shatter before him, the three Heroic Spirits were still there, but his own Rider was nowhere to be seen, and some bad thoughts immediately arose in his mind.

"Hey kid." At that moment, I stood in front of Waver and asked, "Are you Waver, the Master from Iskandar?"

"Yes, yes." Although I had intentionally suppressed my killing intent at this moment—the stench of blood from the recent battle with the Macedonian army was impossible to conceal. Waver's mind was filled with the scene of my battle at the docks a few days ago, single-handedly taking on several Heroic Spirits. Back then, Waver had simply thought: "Wow, wiping away my tears was so cool, wasn't it?"—but now, Waver was so terrified his heart was pounding in his throat, and he felt like he was about to vomit…

"Oh, before Iskandar died, he asked me to ask you a question: whether you were willing to be his subject."

I asked that question directly.

Immediately afterwards, Webber seemed to have been struck by lightning, and he was completely stunned.

"Is he... dead?"

That incredibly ambitious and audacious conqueror, that loud, boisterous, and unreasonable guy… he's really dead?!

How could that be—he, he's going to win the entire Holy Grail War and then conquer the whole world!!!

For a moment, Waver felt the world spinning and almost fainted—however, what he was thinking about was not the death of his Heroic Spirit or his defeat in the Holy Grail War.

I simply felt that Iskandar shouldn't have died like that.

Two clear tears unknowingly slid down Weber's cheeks.

“Answer my question, these are Iskandar’s last words.” I asked again.

"I do." Weber was no longer afraid. He stood straight, looking at me with unwavering eyes, and said this.

“Very good.” I nodded, and then, like a prophet, said, “Kid, you seem to be in good spirits. Who knows, you might become some big shot in the future… Hmph.”

"Thank you for your kind words." Waver sighed softly, his only thought now being to leave this place of sorrow as soon as possible. However, being on the Conqueror King's spaceship, and not being a formal magician like Tokiomi Tohsaka, Waver was powerless to disembark.

"So, your hometown is in England, right?" I asked. "Would you like me to help you go back?"

“…No, thank you.” Waver shook his head. He said, “Even if I’m just a useless, lousy magician, I still have my pride. I’d rather not accept help from the enemy who killed my king.”

"Hmm...I see..."

I rubbed my chin, feeling a little conflicted. Although Iskandar hadn't asked me to take care of this kid before he died, the boy still had some connection to him. Leaving him unattended wouldn't be a good idea.

"Hmph...that's enough." At this moment, Gilgamesh, who had been watching the show from above, made his move—he maneuvered the spaceship directly over the river, and then the spaceship tilted sharply, throwing Waver down.

"Aaaaaaaaahh ...

Just moments ago, Webber was acting cool and stylish, but then he screamed and fell into the water with a "plop."

"Hey, isn't this a little too much?" I looked up and asked.

"Hmph, to let such trash stay on my treasure for even a moment is an insult to me. I'm only sparing his life because of that thief."

A thief? Does that refer to Iskandar? Hmm... this guy shouldn't be considered a thief, but rather a robber.

However, I didn't intend to complain. Anyway, this British kid looks like he can swim. Hmm, he shouldn't drown, right?

"I'm getting a cramp—gurgle..."

……

Okay, back to what I said earlier. This guy seems to prefer being cute. He's more suited to being a mascot.

But he should be a guy... right? Is it really okay for him to act cute like this?

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Chains of Heaven

Legend has it that long, long ago, there was a man named Enkidu… well, actually, he should have been part of the Chains of Heaven back in the previous chapter. But the Conqueror's story needs to reach a certain word count. After all, he was an important supporting character. So, that's basically it.

The war has begun.

Compared to the previous battle against Iskandar and his army, this battle was ten to a hundred times more dangerous and destructive.

Because the opponent is the oldest king, Gilgamesh.

After successfully outwitting the Black Knight, Gilgamesh seemed to have had her fill of her wicked pleasure. She was now in peak condition and appeared eager to try her luck.

Well.

Let's teach him a lesson.

This is precisely the time to demonstrate the legendary masculine majesty.

I shrugged, then stepped forward, a longsword crackling with purple lightning already aimed at her.

"So, shall we fight?"

At this moment, the source of the Black Knight's magic, Matou Kariya, had been caught off guard by Tohsaka Tokiomi, who had finally had enough. Tokiomi struck him on the head with his cane, and Kariya fainted instantly. Although the Black Knight was somewhat lacking in rationality, his instinct to protect his master remained. Seeing his lord lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance, he rushed over and grabbed Matou Kariya's body—Tohsaka Tokiomi, however, dared not stop a Heroic Spirit. He immediately took two or three steps back, remaining on guard.

However, Lancelot seemed uninterested in him, simply turning his head to look up at me in mid-air. He let out a low, beast-like growl, then, carrying Matou Kariya, he vanished in a few leaps.

Well, they've left.

Oh well. I've already taken down one Heroic Spirit today. The mission objective is considered complete.

And then, next up is the radiant and lovely Queen.

"Your helpers are all gone. Are you still going to fight?" I asked.

"Hmph... I never expected those scoundrels to do anything useful." Her Majesty remained defiant.

"Oh?" I tilted my head back with interest, looking at the haughty queen...and her small, white feet. It seemed to be due to the limitations of the era, but Jill looked stunning in her golden armor. She just hadn't thought to get herself a pair of shoes. Her bare feet possessed a strange allure, evoking a strange feeling in one's heart.

Gilgamesh seemed to sense my slightly burning gaze. Her face flushed, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she looked both pleased and annoyed. It made me want to just go over and forcefully push her down.

"Chains of Heaven!!"

Huh?

Then, I was bound by those golden chains...

Meanwhile, nearly a kilometer from the main battlefield, a fierce dance of spears and swords was unfolding. Emiya Kiritsugu and Kotomine Kirei, two seemingly similar yet fundamentally different individuals, were locked in a brutal battle.

In close-quarters combat, the legendary magician assassin was slightly outmatched by Kirei Kotomine. While his modern firearms were indeed powerful for long-range assassinations, they proved somewhat ineffective in close combat.

During his years as an agent of the Holy Church, Kirei Kotomine had developed considerable skill in close combat. Combined with his family's Bajiquan martial arts, his standard Holy Church equipment—a sharp black sword effective at both close and long range, and a priest's uniform made of special fabric capable of withstanding ordinary automatic rifle bullets—he held a slight advantage in such close-quarters combat.

At this very moment, the battle between me and Iskandar began almost simultaneously. By this point in the battle, Kirei Kotomine had already seized several of Kiritsugu Emiya's weaknesses, adding numerous wounds to the guy's body.

However, Kiritsugu Emiya was a veteran of countless battles. These few minor wounds were nothing to him. The hail of bullets and life-or-death struggles he had experienced far surpassed those of Kirei Kotomine, a man whose actions were often unpredictable. Therefore, while the situation was slightly tense, he had also faced far more dangerous battles—and he was still alive!

Therefore, Kiritsugu Emiya had already secretly eyed the ceremonial armor he had hidden to the side, and the matchlock gun loaded with bone powder bullets with amazing penetrating power.

Just take a few steps, then grab the gun, hold it level, and pull the trigger—and that damn guy will be dead.

However, this process must not be rushed, and no flaws must be revealed; otherwise, once the other party discovers your intentions, they will definitely do everything in their power to stop you...

Therefore, Kiritsugu Emiya spent a long time pretending to be unconscious, slowly moving his feet, gradually bringing the battlefield closer to the location where he had hidden his weapons.

It'll be soon!

I calculated the distance; there were less than five steps between myself and my Mystic Code. I'll get it in just a little while longer!!

Meanwhile, on the main battlefield, Iskandar was dead, and Lancelot had escaped. Only a gleaming golden Gilgamesh remained standing opposite me.

The Lock of Heaven...?

I looked down at the golden chain binding me. I secretly calculated its workings and found it to be similar to the Immortal Binding Rope. It was only slightly rougher, but its quality was far superior.

But... I don't seem to remember ever giving this guy something like that.

"That's pretty good, where did you get it?" I asked.

“...Enkidu.”

“I see… Indeed, hmm, this suits him quite well.” I nodded, then gripped both ends of the chain and pulled it apart with all my might—at the same time, Queen Gilgamesh drew her sword, the powerful Noble Phantasm called Ea—and behind her, countless Noble Phantasms dyed half the night sky golden…

"This...this is the state of the Hero King at full power?!"

At that moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka was stunned into silence—then his heart pounded wildly as he thought, "I've won this time"—and then his second thought was, "Won't she blow up the whole Earth with this?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka's imagination was a bit exaggerated. But I do know that if this guy really did strike with his sword, Japan would be doomed.

"Really."

I rolled my eyes, then snapped my fingers. The surrounding scenery instantly turned into a chaotic blur. In the distance, a red mansion gleamed with an ominous light. Around it, numerous crystal coffins floated silently in mid-air…