That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Chapter Thirty-Three: Conquest

Fuyuki City Bridge

A tall, muscular man stood on the bridge with his arms crossed. He had red hair and red eyes, and his muscles were bulging. He wore red armor and a fiery red trench coat that fluttered in the wind, making him look very imposing.

Beside him, a short, dark-haired boy lay trembling on the bridge. Every passing car below seemed to trigger his sensitive nerves. He cried out, on the verge of tears, "I say... Rider, why did we come up here?"

"What are you afraid of? Gaining the upper hand and taking the initiative is common sense in war."

Even if you say that...

Rider stared at the battlefield on the beach and asked in a deep voice, "Kid, what do you think?"

"Wh...what?!" The black-haired boy trembled as he clung to the bridge beneath him.

Rider glanced at his Master and lectured, "What a spineless fellow. Of course, it's those two Servants. Who do you think will win?"

The black-haired boy answered matter-of-factly, "Of course it's Lancer. Judging from his stats, he's undoubtedly a top-tier Servant, and the three knights' magic resistance is also very effective against Caster's performance."

"Fool! A Master who only focuses on the surface of things cannot be called a first-class Master. That Caster, who can fight Lancer to a standstill with abilities several times weaker, is the one who needs the most attention."

The black-haired boy, who had been scolded, glanced cautiously at the bridge below, then quickly looked away, indignantly asking, "So who do you think will win?"

"Probably Lancer."

"Rider!" the black-haired boy shouted in dissatisfaction.

"Boy, don't think you can compare to me in terms of magnanimity."

"Then tell me what the difference is."

Rider stepped forward: "There's no time for that. Look, the battle is already over."

"Isn't the outcome still undecided?"

Rider nodded firmly: "Lancer has no intention of continuing the fight. After all, the Holy Grail War has only just begun, and no one wants to be the first to reveal their trump card. If Caster is too difficult to deal with, it is understandable that he would give up the fight."

"So what should we do next?"

"Of course I'll go down and say hello to them."

"..."

"?"

The black-haired boy was covered in cold sweat: "Rider, what are you talking about? Isn't your plan to wait for them to fight and then reap the benefits?"

"It's more efficient to clean them up all at once than to look for them one by one."

"what?"

Rider laughed heartily: "It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight against heroes from different eras. The Holy Grail has made this possible, and it has summoned six heroes from different eras at once. Take Cater and Lancer for example, they are both highly skilled heroes. It would be a pity if they died here."

The black-haired boy shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, no! The Holy Grail War is all about mutual slaughter! What's wrong with your head?!"

"Kid." Rider crouched down, placed his hand in front of the black-haired boy's head, and just as the boy was wondering what was going on, Rider flicked his finger and gave him a hard flick on the head.

"It hurts!" The black-haired boy clutched his head and groaned in pain. He turned around and felt his body lighten. His pain quickly turned into astonishment. He hurriedly grabbed the bridge, half of his body hanging in the air.

He turned his head and saw the bridge below with cars coming and going, and shouted in terror, "Rider! Rider! Rider! Rider!"

"What a noisy Master! Kid, listen up!" Rider drew his longsword and swung it sharply into the sky. His magical energy transformed into lightning, tearing through the void. Thunder roared, like lightning snakes coiling around the Fuyuki City Bridge, startling the black-haired boy into screaming.

Rider sheathed his longsword and shouted boldly, "To conquer without killing, to dominate without humiliating—that is true conquest!"

"Moo moo moo~!"

Thunder surged, and the bellowing of bulls rang out. Two heavily armored bulls pulled a chariot and charged out from the ripped void, landing on the side of the bridge, their feet treading on lightning.

"Let's go over there, kid."

The black-haired boy was on the verge of tears: "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! You're just messing around!"

"If you don't like it, you can stay here and watch."

The black-haired boy, who was afraid of heights, replied helplessly, "I'll go! I'll go, okay?"

······

The battle paused temporarily, and Lancer noticed the displeasure on Shinji Matou's face: "It seems my actions have displeased you, Caster. This battle itself was very disadvantageous to you, not the kind of exhilarating fight I seek. That's why I sealed myself away. If you intend to challenge the Queen of the Land of Shadows as a warrior, I will gladly accept, and then I will defeat you without hesitation!"

Shinji Matou pondered for a moment, then asked, "Does your Master allow you to make such a unilateral decision?"

“An unexpected problem. Since I am already the loser, I certainly do not intend to remain silent about the questions raised by the victor. My Master has not focused his energy on the Holy Grail War, and I will make my own decisions regarding matters related to the battle.”

Shinji Matou was slightly taken aback. Lancer's Master should be Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald, a noble magician from the Clock Tower and one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower. He basically treats Servants as tools and wouldn't be so easy to talk to.

No, if the Servant were of the rank of the Queen of the Land of Shadows, Kenneth, who adheres to aristocratic principles, might also perform the rites of a subject to a ruler, just like Tokiomi Tohsaka. Moreover, Lancer possesses the primordial runes, which are miracles close to magic and are truly priceless treasures in the eyes of magicians.

After much deliberation, Shinji Matou made his decision and said slowly, "Lancer, the Holy Grail War has not yet reached the point where it must be a fight to the death. Continuing to fight will only benefit the other Servants. Let's end it here tonight. If we both struggle to the last moment, I will challenge you as a warrior."

Lancer chuckled merrily: "I grant permission. I look forward to your performance, Caster."

Just as both sides were preparing to leave, a thunderclap boomed in the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck straight into the open space in the middle, accompanied by a heroic battle roar: "Ora ora ora ora ora ora~!"

Countless bolts of lightning danced wildly, even surprising Lancer.

Shinji Matou remained expressionless, speechless inside, unsure whether to say Rider arrived late or at the perfect time.

The chariot, hurtling through the sky like lightning, landed between Shinji Matou and Lancer. The imposing red-haired giant spread his arms and proclaimed, "Heroes who have come from afar, my name is Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, and I have been summoned in this Holy Grail War as a Rider!"

Beside him, the black-haired boy stared in disbelief at his servant introducing himself.

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Transaction

"What are you thinking! How dare you reveal your real name in front of other Servants, you big idiot!" The black-haired boy tugged at Rider's cloak, questioning him angrily and anxiously, only to be met with a loud flick of Rider's finger.

Rider glanced at Shinji Matou and Lancer to the left and right, then spread his arms proudly and said, "First, I want to ask you two a question: are you willing to join my ranks, hand over the Holy Grail to me, and in return gain the friendship of Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, so that we can share the joy of conquering the world?"

"..."

An awkward silence fell over the scene.

If anyone else said this, it would only sound arrogant and conceited, but the Rider who drove the chariot had the right to say it. Iskandar the Conqueror, one of the world's most famous military strategists, once conquered Europe and spread ancient Greek culture widely.

His deeds are even recorded in the textbooks of this small Far Eastern country, and being invited by him in his time must have been the highest honor.

Shinji Matou had anticipated Rider's question and answer, and said calmly, "Not interested."

After careful consideration, Lancer chuckled and said, "This is the first time I've encountered such an interesting invitation. However, I have little attachment to this world, and besides, I am the Lord of the Demon Realm and the Queen of the Shadow Kingdom. If you challenge me as a warrior and win... no, such a person simply does not exist in this world."

"Wow, it seems you're quite confident in your martial arts skills, which is quite rare for a woman." Rider thought for a moment, then turned to Matou Shinji and made a money gesture with her hand: "The treatment is negotiable."

Shinji Matou shrugged: "Then give me the Holy Grail."

Rider laughed heartily: "Interesting fellow. Unfortunately, the Holy Grail has already been reserved by me and this kid."

"Rider!" the black-haired boy shouted.

"Since none of you are interested," Rider looked around and shouted, "Those who lurk in the shadows and spy on this battle! Servants summoned by the Holy Grail, gather here! Cowards who are afraid to show themselves, prepare to receive the contempt of me, Iskandar, the Conqueror King!"

The lines are exactly the same as in the original work.

Shinji Matou was speechless, but his intentions could be discerned from Rider's character design.

Logically, this battle, which should have taken place at the river mouth warehouse, should have involved two other participants: Saber and Archer.

However, a report just came from the water elemental spirit that Saber and Irisviel, who were strolling around Fuyuki City, seem to have encountered trouble.

As for Archer.

Shinji Matou looked around, but unfortunately couldn't find a single streetlamp. Given that "King of Streetlights" personality, he certainly wouldn't be able to stand Rider's mockery.

There's a grove of trees planted along the beach. Is Archer going to stand on the canopy of the trees?

Just imagining the scene in his mind, Shinji Matou couldn't help but let a strange smile creep onto his lips.

In fact, Shinji Matou was overthinking it.

After all, it was his first appearance, and even the chuunibyou king had his pride; he would never stand on the ground with Shinji Matou and the others.

A shimmering emerald hue appeared in the distant sky as it flew at incredible speed to the coast and slowly descended.

"What...is that?!" The black-haired boy rubbed his eyes, dumbfounded.

A colossal ark crafted from gold, with wings of jade and fueled by mercury, floats on the sea, shimmering with golden light.

On the chariot, Rider stroked his beard and exclaimed, "This is truly beyond my expectations. There is an even more amazing vehicle than the Divine Wheel. If I weren't Rider, I probably would have thought he was Rider."

Lancer was overjoyed and chuckled, "It seems that choosing to participate in this Holy Grail War was the right decision."

The golden servant arrived in front of the ark. He was clad in heavy golden armor, and his crimson eyes were filled with arrogance. He looked down at the crowd with disdain and said, "Two rats who call themselves kings have come out in one night."

Shinji Matou remained silent, glancing at Lancer beside him and chuckling to himself. Now that Archer had made his appearance, their objective for tonight could be considered achieved. In any case, given Archer's arrogant and conceited nature, he was bound to offend all the Servants present, making him the target of everyone's ire.

Replacing the dual-wielding brush with a dual-wielding old woman wasn't a bad thing in Matou Shinji's eyes. After all, Lancer was a complete counter to Archer in terms of compatibility. In a head-on battle, Lancer would have a slight advantage if both went all out.

Rider sensed something was amiss and hesitated, saying, "Even if you're targeting me, my name, Iskandar the Conqueror, is still world-renowned."

"Ridiculous! The only true hero worthy of being called king is me, in heaven and on earth. The rest are nothing but bastards."

Rider countered, "Since you call yourself a king, you wouldn't refuse to introduce yourself, would you?"

"To bask in the glory of receiving my audience, yet claim not to recognize my identity, such a foolish person does not deserve to live." Behind the golden servant, golden ripples spread out, and from the center of each ripple, a Noble Phantasm slowly emerged.

Faced with the killing intent of the golden servant, the black-haired boy couldn't help but shrink back in fear.

Rider stroked his chin and said solemnly, "I see. So that's how you killed Assassin. He wasn't the easy-going type either."

Before the Holy Grail War began, Assassin was shot and killed by Archer. Apart from Shinji Matou, the other Servants probably didn't realize that Assassin was still alive.

"Stop talking about that, Rider! What are we going to do now?" the black-haired boy cried out in distress.

Rider drew his longsword and grinned, "Isn't this interesting? Since they're going to make a move, what can we do but conquer them!"

"Humph!"

Archer sneered, and several Noble Phantasms were launched from behind him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With his Noble Phantasm debuffs knocked away, Rider, pulling on the cow rope, shouted at his Master: "Boy, hold on tight! Witness the way of conquest of Iskandar, the King of Conquerors. Two heroes from different eras will surely change their perspectives."

No, unless you kill Gilgamesh.