Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 129: [] The King’s Banquet Ends

The abrupt arrival of two new figures, along with a Servant, and Archer's sudden entry into the fray, threw the banquet of kings into disarray.

"Rider!"

Waver instinctively stepped back, standing back-to-back with Rider. The red-haired giant downed the last of his drink, then stood up protectively in front of his Master.

"Come to me, Irisviel."

Saber set her cup down, drawing her Holy Sword as she stood beside her lady.

As for Archer, though he remained seated, golden ripples shimmered behind him, unleashing Noble Phantasms that forced Berserker into a frenzied state, yet kept him at bay.

On Sakatsuki's side, however, a different scene unfolded.

"Don't wander off, Miyu."

The golden-eyed young man watched the battle unfold with interest while instinctively shielding his sister.

"I'll protect you."

"...Onii-chan, I'm the Servant here."

Miyu replied helplessly.

Rider, meanwhile, sighed as he observed the chaos.

"Magnanimity in hosting guests is a test of a king's virtue... but these folks don't seem like guests at all."

"You're utterly foolish, King of Conquerors."

Archer sneered, unfazed by Berserker's enraged howls behind him.

"Did you think to offer them a drink?"

Though Archer had intervened, he had not disrupted the banquet. Instead, with minimal effort, he restrained Berserker's rampage. Whether this was to protect his Master or to maintain the integrity of the banquet remained unknown.

Rider sighed in resignation and turned to the battling magi.

"You two, could you calm down? Would you mind not throwing around such troublesome magecraft? As you can see, the rest of us are rather inconvenienced."

But his words went ignored. The two long-standing enemies, lost in their blood feud, seemed unaware of their surroundings.

"I must end you, Tokiomi!"

"A mere third-rate magus—don't make me laugh!"

Fire and water clashed. Mystic hands met a jewelled staff. Kariya and Tokiomi's battle grew fiercer, and even the illusory banquet of kings trembled, its magic unravelling to reveal the real starry sky.

—Then, the wind changed.

A searing, dry gust swept through the courtyard.

In the dead of night, within the enclosed walls of the Einzbern Castle, such a wind had no right to exist—an oppressive heat akin to the desert, howling through their ears.

Waver coughed, tasting fine grains of sand on his tongue.

This was no illusion—this was hot desert sand, carried by the wind.

"Archer, Saber, and Caster's Master—this will be the final question of this banquet."

Standing at the heart of the swirling wind, Rider spoke.

"Is a king truly alone?"

His crimson cloak billowed wildly. At some point, his attire had shifted into full battle regalia.

Archer curled his lips into a cold smirk, his silence speaking volumes.

Saber, unwavering, answered without hesitation. The years she had spent as a king had already defined her truth.

"A king... is naturally alone."

Sakatsuki, too, smiled.

"In terms of kingship, I shall stand above all others—of course, the heights are lonely."

Rider burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the storm. The hot winds roared as if responding to his challenge.

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"You truly understand nothing! Then tonight, I shall show you—what a true king is!"

The anomalous wind tore at reality itself.

In an instant, distance and position lost meaning. The impossible phenomenon reshaped the world, transforming it into a land where only hot desert winds should blow.

The illusory gathering of kings shattered, giving way to a new illusion—a new reality.

"This... this can't be..."

Waver and Irisviel's astonished voices rang out.

"This is a—Reality Marble?!"

A blazing sun scorched the land. An endless vista stretched toward the dust-covered horizon beneath an impossibly vast blue sky.

The night-shrouded Einzbern Castle had vanished, replaced in an instant by an oppressive, sunlit desert—an intrusion upon reality, the pinnacle of magecraft.

"How... how is this possible? Manifesting a world of the mind... but you're not even a magus!"

"Of course not."

Rider answered proudly, standing tall amid the boundless desert.

"This is not something I created alone."

"This is the land my army once rode across, the world my warriors and I burned into our very souls."

With the shift in reality, even the positions of those caught within had changed.

Rider and Waver stood together at the centre, while the others—Kariya and Berserker, Saber and Sakatsuki, and all who had moments ago shared the banquet—were now scattered across the vast wasteland.

One group, however, had vanished.

"Gilgamesh...?"

Waver's sharp eyes scanned the desert.

"He and his Master aren't here."

"At the last moment, I saw him retrieve something from his treasury."

Rider mused.

"He must have used some mysterious Noble Phantasm to avoid my Reality Marble."

With a carefree chuckle, he added.

"Well, no matter. Our duel can wait for another time."

And as he spoke, mirage-like shadows began to take form, one after another...

***

In the Castle Courtyard.

Thud!

A heavy impact struck the ground—not an enemy, but a jewel-studded staff.

Panting heavily, Tokiomi finally lifted his gaze and realized—he was alone.

With Rider's Reality Marble shattering the illusions, the kings had vanished. The true sky and moonlight returned, shining down upon the scene.

Standing before him was the golden Heroic Spirit—Archer.

And on the ground, bruised and breathless, was himself—a far cry from the elegant magus he had prided himself on being.

Slowly, Archer looked down at him. A flicker of amusement shone in his reptilian crimson eyes.

"...King."

Archer's gaze held a trace of satisfaction—an unpleasant, mocking approval.

"Throwing away that useless elegance—now this is at least somewhat entertaining, Tokiomi."

"I dare not presume."

Tokiomi murmured, bowing his head, swallowing his humiliation.

Even after sacrificing his precious puppet, he failed to kill Kariya. Now, to be mocked by his own Servant—such disgrace.

Yet, what surprised even him was his own ability to endure it.

Archer, watching him, lost interest and clicked his tongue.

"Enough, I grow bored. Crawl back to your den and lick your wounds."

"...As you command."

Leaving the now-empty castle grounds, the King of Heroes paused.

As if sensing something, he turned back—his eyes locking onto a lone figure standing atop the castle roof.

The corner of his mouth curled into a scornful smile.

"Now then... what will you choose?"

"What kind of pleasure will you bring me next, sinner?"

***

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