I, Wang Ha, the Three Red Unparalleled Assassin

Iskandar, with his exceptional military skills, barely managed to withstand the Scourge's overwhelming offensive, but the battle lines had been pushed back from the snowfields to the desert.

A steady stream of undead of all kinds surged out from the Ice Valley Pass, continuously replenishing the rear of the vanguard army, so that no matter how many undead the Macedonian warriors killed, the number of enemies did not decrease.

This is one of the Scourge's most famous tactics: to plunge the enemy into a vast ocean of undead warfare, thereby using the tireless power of the undead to grind them down to their deaths.

Although the strategy of adding fuel to the fire is a major taboo in military strategy, one must first consider how much fuel one actually has on hand.

In any case, neither the Lich King Arthas nor Kel'Thuzad, as the commander, knew how many forgotten souls slumbered beneath this permafrost glacier.

The fighting continued, and as time passed, the army of King Iskandar had been reduced to nearly half its original size.

Since the magic of Iskandar's Realm Marble is shared by all the soldiers, its materialized mental world has been largely eroded and swallowed up by the 'Undead Scourge,' which is also a Realm Marble.

The desert plains, which were originally scorched by the blazing sun, were now covered with frost and permafrost. Thick dark clouds obscured the sky and the sun, and a cold blizzard swept in.

Light is being gradually swallowed up by darkness, inch by inch, foreshadowing the inevitable defeat of heroes heading towards their end.

Faced with the ever-growing Scourge army, even the Macedonian warriors, all of whom were servants, felt a certain amount of fear.

If they were to descend as Servants wielding their respective Noble Phantasms, the outcome of this war might be somewhat uncertain.

Of course, it's also fortunate that they were all followers.

Otherwise, if former comrades who fought alongside you were to die and turn on you as ghosts, it would be a terrifying prospect that could cause the morale of the army to collapse.

"Warriors! Stand tall!!"

Iskandar loudly encouraged the remaining ten thousand or so soldiers around him. Even in the face of such a perilous situation, the Conqueror King remained undaunted and unwavering.

"We have faced a massive army under Darius III of the Persian Empire, many times larger than our own, and we have personally witnessed countless miracles of defeating the strong with the weak and turning defeat into victory!"

At the King's command, the soldiers, who had been somewhat demoralized, were once again filled with renewed fighting spirit and looked up at the king to whom they had pledged their loyalty.

"My army is the best in the world! The warriors who serve me are the best in the world! And now is the time for us to show our warrior spirit."

Iskandar, seated atop his warhorse, stood at the forefront of the army, raising his clenched fist and sporting his usual hearty smile.

"Ruin us!! This will be our final charge on this journey! Even if we die on the battlefield, we will have no regrets!!!"

Kel'Thuzad gazed at Iskandar and finally began to understand what the Lich King had said earlier; he was indeed a worthy opponent and a worthy adversary.

Whether as a legion commander or as a king.

Such a hero is so extraordinary that even in Kel'Thuzad's long history, there are few figures who can rival him, though there are quite a few who are slightly inferior.

After adjusting his mindset, Kel'Thuzad used tactics that showed sufficient respect for Iskandar's final assault.

He dispatched the Frost Dragon.

Land units are inherently at a disadvantage when facing air units, and even with sophisticated anti-air and anti-air measures, they cannot afford to be careless.

Therefore, when rows of icy blue dragon breaths rained down from the sky and struck the King's Army, only Iskandar, who decisively abandoned his warhorse and switched to his own chariot, escaped unscathed.

Iskandar's Reality Barrier was completely shattered, and the last inch of desert was covered in white snow. The biting wind felt like a knife cutting into people's faces.

Iskandar returned to Webber and Kenneth's side, touched his hair with his large hand, and then shrugged, revealing a hint of helplessness.

"Ah, it seems my strategy was wrong. I never expected the old man of the mountain to have such a trick up his sleeve."

Waver's head creased with annoyance upon hearing this, because even he, as the Master, was unaware that Iskandar was also hiding a super-powerful Noble Phantasm of the EX rank.

The old man of the mountain strode toward Iskandar, and all the spirits along the way spontaneously made way for him, daring not to disobey the king in the slightest.

"Kel'Thuzad, withdraw your troops. I will handle the rest myself."

Kel'Thuzad, positioned before the Frozen Throne, received the Old Man of the Mountain's command and telepathically announced the King's decree to all the liches.

The undead creatures retreated orderly back into the Ice Valley Pass, returning to their previous positions and falling asleep once more, quietly awaiting the king's next summons.

With the lifting of the 'Undead Catastrophe', the landscape changed, and the group returned to the remote highway in Fuyuki City.

Iskandar watched the old man of the mountain approach and accepted his impending fate without any psychological burden.

"Boom—!"

The evening bells tolled as scheduled, clearly revealing that the mandate of heaven had arrived.

“Rider…”

Weber looked up at the Conqueror with trembling body, his voice already trembling with a sob.

"Speaking of which, there's something I absolutely must ask."

Iskandar turned his head to look at Weber standing beside him, his calm expression carrying an air of stern authority.

"Weber Velvet, are you willing to become my subject?"

Upon hearing this, Weber's pupils dilated involuntarily, and tears that were already difficult to hold back finally welled up in his eyes. Recalling the many moments he had spent with Iskandar in just a few days, his emotions were extremely complex.

"Of course. You, you are the king who has always guided me forward!"

Iskandar nodded, looked ahead with his head held high, drew his sword, and climbed back onto the chariot.

"Wave, as your subject, witness the King's final moments! Then go and tell the world about the King's dreams, and show the world the glory of Iskandar!"

Iskandar roared with fervor and spurred his chariot into a final charge against the Mountain Elder. Standing still and waiting to die was not in keeping with his character as a conqueror king.

"Glory resides there, precisely because it is so unattainable that it needs to be challenged! To sing praises of dominance, to display dominance! This is the glorious and legendary life of Iskandar!!"

Weber wiped away his tears and watched the king rush headlong toward his doom. His steady back showed no hesitation or retreat, and he was not afraid even though he knew that there was an invincible enemy ahead.

"Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!"

As Iskandar charged forward, the evening bells rang out more urgently and loudly, lightning crackled and flashed, and two divine bulls charged toward the Mountain Elder with their horns raised.

"Listen carefully, the evening bell has revealed your name."

The eerie blue flames surged and rolled, and in the next moment, the figure of the Mountain Elder appeared silently on the speeding chariot.

"The feather of death, sever the head—"

Iskandar's pupils contracted sharply. Just as he was about to raise his sword to slash, the jet-black greatsword flashed through the air at incredible speed, leaving him no time to react.

"The Angel of Death!"

Chapter 50: The Eve of the Final Act

On an unnamed road in Fuyuki City, accompanied by the lingering sound of evening bells, beautiful snow-white feathers drifted and scattered in the deep night sky.

The old man of the mountain, his figure almost blending into the night, stood leaning on his sword in the middle of the road, with rolling blue-black ghostly flames burning at his feet, like a ghostly death god descending upon the boundary.

Iskandar, the Conqueror King, who had just been charging against the Mountain Elder, was nowhere to be seen.

"Indeed, I am very satisfied with the heads I have obtained tonight."

The old man of the mountain seemed to be in a very good mood. He glanced at Webber, Kenneth, and the other two standing not far away, but did not hear the evening bell.

Then, he unfurled his black cloak and vanished without warning.

Weber, who had been holding his breath the whole time, finally relaxed completely after the Old Man of the Mountain left, and almost stumbled and fell to the ground.

When the old man of the mountain looked over, Weber was really frightened. His heart was still pounding.

Kenneth, who appeared quite calm, was already soaked in cold sweat. Even as one of the clock tower's rulers, he was unable to confront the servants head-on.

Perhaps, if it were another eighteen-year-old version of him from a parallel world, there might be some chance.

However, since it was in front of his students, Kenneth, as a teacher, had to maintain his proper persona no matter what.

"Weber, remember you're a student of the Clock Tower now. Get your clothes on."

Kenneth gave the somewhat out-of-control Weber a mock reprimand, then pulled out three pre-purchased plane tickets from his pocket and waved them in his hand.

"Let's go, we have another hour's flight. Now that we've withdrawn from the Holy Grail War, let's get out of this godforsaken place in the Far East as soon as possible."

Fuyuki Forest, Einzbern Castle.

Irisviel, who was standing by the window gazing at the moon, suddenly went limp and fell to the side. Artoria, quick-witted and agile, rushed forward and caught her.

The knight girl looked at Irisviel, who was growing weaker day by day, and a trace of worry appeared on her cool and pretty face.

"Irisviel, what's wrong with you? You seem much weaker than you were a few days ago. Is it because you've been burdened with magic?"

Panting heavily, Irisviel waved her hand and, with Artoria's help, sat down on the double bed in the room.

The silver-haired, red-eyed woman took a few deep breaths, gradually recovering from the sudden feeling of powerlessness.

“Saber, just now, two more Servants have been eliminated from the Holy Grail War.”

As the Lesser Grail, Irisviel felt the pressure on her body increase dramatically in a short period of time, and immediately guessed that the situation in the Holy Grail War had finally broken through and changed.

"Two people? Who could it be? Irisviel, you should lie down and rest for a while."

Artoria pushed Irisviel down onto the bed and covered her with a blanket, while pondering her words.

"It's not clear yet, but we must be prepared to fight back. This signal at least indicates that one side is starting to lose its composure."

Irisviel took Artoria's hand in her own, forcing a gentle smile onto her face.

"You must stay with me until the very end, my knight."

Artoria, who never smiled, nodded solemnly, her azure eyes reflecting Irisviel's bloodless face.

"Of course, this was agreed upon long ago."

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, then Artoria put Irisviel's arm back under the covers, sat up, and said:

"Alice, wait a moment, I'll go get you a cup of hot water."

After watching Artoria's figure disappear through the doorway, Irisviel finally dropped her pretense and sighed somewhat helplessly.

"This is the third one already. Even with Avalon's help, my body can only hold out for one more at most before it collapses and I eventually lose consciousness completely."

Irisviel gazed at the bedroom ceiling, reminiscing about the moments she had shared with Kiritsugu Emiya.

Having never been involved in much scheming and backstabbing, she was truly unable to adapt to the intrigue and deceit of the Holy Grail War, and had no idea what her next move should be.

In the empty room, the woman's murmured words echoed: "Time is really running out."

At the Tohsaka residence, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had not yet received the latest information, was still pondering plans that might come in handy in his basement.

Hidden in the shadows, the Hundred-Faced Hassans were stationed throughout the mansion, tasked with guarding the area. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh, having nothing better to do, once again found himself in Kirei Kotomine's unusually simple bedroom.

After hearing from Tokiomi Tohsaka that Kirei Kotomine had died, he became confused, feeling that he had lost the best chance to get the answers he wanted.

Kirei Kotomine, who was born with a personality defect, cannot feel beauty in what ordinary people call beautiful, but finds it hard to forget what many people call ugly.