Empire of Shadows

Let's battle.

Let's conquer.

Let's adventure.

Advance, for the ultimate romance, lies in the distance.

That is the romance of men.

The unwavering romance.

The entire world will be shaken by the might of the Macedonian army, and the world will be shaken by Alexander the Great.

'Conquest, King of Conquerors...'

Even as an enemy, any man couldn't help but be moved when seeing this spectacle.

'Damn...'

Watching this scene, Waver's eyes welled up with emotion. He tightly clenched his fists, as tears were mistaken for a symbol of weakness.

'Why? Why is it so gorgeous?!'

'Why?!'

He longed to become a part of that army. To become a man under the command of Alexander the Great.

===

Meanwhile, Gilgamesh looked at Artorius's figure in the distance.

'It's normal to want to defeat this man.'

'Third Magic, Avalon, Excalibur, and Clarent... Dragon Emperor...'

On the surface, Gilgamesh would never admit to the title of 'Emperor'. But looking at the man with an unparalleled and astonishing visage, a powerful soul, and an unmatched will, deep within his heart, like everyone else, he recognized the title of 'Dragon Emperor'.

Iskandar was strong. But the Dragon Emperor was stronger. If it were just a simple battle, even ten Iskandar bound together might not be a match for the Dragon Emperor.

But the key was that the Dragon Emperor didn't just want to defeat Iskandar; he wanted to make the King of Conquerors his own.

'So, what will you do, O Dragon Emperor? It's quite exciting to anticipate.'

Gilgamesh pondered with excitement.

If it were up to him, he would probably swing Ea directly, slaughtering all Iskandar's Servants in one fell swoop. He believed that Artorius had the capability as well.

Excalibur could only unleash its full power when the planet was threatened, but the evolved Clarent was different. It symbolized the greatest human authority, an EX-rank Noble Phantasms.

'However, that wouldn't necessarily make that madman concede.'

Meanwhile, as Gilgamesh thought like that, Artorius unsheathed his sword.

The sword had been his steadfast companion since the beginning of his journey of conquest. Once known as the Royal Sword ascended to the status of the Imperial Sword, the Sword of Frost Emperor—Clarent.

"Oh?!" Iskandar exclaimed with curiosity as he continued advancing toward the Dragon Emperor.

Then, instead of releasing a sword beam or unleashing magical energy, Artorius raised Clarent high.

With the Dragon Emperor's actions, darkness rapidly spread beneath his feet, swiftly taking over half of Iskandar's Reality Marble.

The scenery remained unchanged—the blazing sun in the sky, the golden sands below, everything was the same, only covered in darkness.

"As a Servant, I've also acquired some skills."

Artorius looked calmly ahead, ignoring these changes completely, and spoke to the advancing Macedonian army.

"You want to know my answer."

"Well then, here's my answer, King of Conquerors."

"Empire of Shadows."

Shadows under the sun.

The brighter the empire's light, the deeper the shadows.

To maintain a great and perfect empire, one needed means both in the sunlight and in the darkness.

Artorius Pendragon's 'Empire of Shadows' was the power manifested under his Origin of 'Domination' of the 'Empire'. It merged the 'dark methods of empire rule' with various 'legends' about the empire's secret operations and special forces in the dark.

An EX-rank Personal Skill.

When the Empire of Shadows was fully unfolded, it could cover three-quarters of the Earth. It could be seen as a complete empire.

"Guhahahaha!"

Gazing at this intense darkness, Iskandar burst into triumphant laughter. He seemed impatient to witness his own victory, the collapse of his enemy, and then his successful conquest.

However, in the next second—

Artorius Pendragon's army also appeared.

They emerged from the shadows, a force composed entirely of 'shadows'.

They were Servants just like Iskandar's army.

Clad in heavy plate armor, the empire's knights were mounted on horseback, fully equipped and ready.

Adorned in half-plate armor, donning Corinthian-style helmets, and wielding long spears, the heavily armored infantry stood ready.

Following them were ranged forces, consisting of crossbowmen armed with large shields and bulky crossbows, as well as longbow archers carrying purpleheart wood bows.

Mages were present, along with heavy carriage-mounted ballistae and magical cannons.

Even the skies boasted Chimeras, Griffins, and Hippogriffs, while on the ground, there were Unicorns, Giants, and Hydras.

The forces of Mystery of the empire had gathered, encompassing the final generation of phantasmal species and forming a grand army that included the mightiest legion from its first peak era.

Their numbers totaled twenty legions, surpassing an army of three hundred thousand soldiers. Ten times the strength of Iskandar's Macedonian army!

Among them were the elite knights of the Knights of the Round Table, knights from the newly conquered Germanic territories, as well as knights from Rome, Greece, Scandinavia, and Spain.

In the span of the empire's fifteen-hundred-year history, all legendary warriors and knights had gathered together.

With just a casual glance, countless heroes and legends could be seen.

In the heavy infantry formation, there were figures like Charles Martel with his hammer and large shield, Cnut the Pirate King, Sigurd the King of Warriors, and Wallenstein the commander of the Locust Legion.

In the archer ranks, there were Edward the Black Prince, Reynard the Fox, Robin Hood of Sherwood, and William Tell of Switzerland.

Among the knights, more famous figures abounded.

The Maid of Orleans, Jeanne d'Arc, stood while holding the empire's flag. Behind her were Hunyadi the White Knight, Richard the Lionheart, Redbeard Barbarossa, and Baldwin IV of Jerusalem.

Countless heroes converged into the empire's grand army. In terms of both quantity and quality, it far surpassed Iskandar's army.

"Is this your answer?! Very well, powerful opponents indeed!"

Without releasing Noble Phantasms, the two armies engaged in close combat with just their weapons.

Despite being outnumbered and facing overwhelming odds, Iskandar's army showed no fear.

"However, it's still not enough! Not enough! Not enough!"

Iskandar's repeated exclaim of 'not enough' wasn't about his army's inadequacy.

Be it in terms of quantity or quality, individual strength or tactical applications, in all aspects, the grand army of the Dragon Emperor held the advantage.

The army summoned by the 'Empire of Shadows' was the embodiment of empire might. It was more than enough to crush Iskandar's army.

What he was talking about was conviction and ideology—something that could make Alexander the Great's heart and mind submit willingly.

"Answer me, my warriors."

The voice of Artorius resounded across the battlefield.

"Why have you joined my army?"

"Why do you follow me?"

"Why fight to the death without hesitation?"

"Why stake your lives?"

"What is it that you hold as truth? What drives you to choose to be my warriors even beyond death?"

"Answer!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

A howling wind swept through the battlefield.

Halberds, swords, and spears were raised high.

Warhorses neighed, and griffins roared.

The resounding voices of the three-hundred-thousand-strong heroes converged into a tempest for an instant.

""For humanity!""

""We fight for humanity!""

""To safeguard humanity!""

""To vanquish humanity's enemies!""

""Fight for righteousness! Fight for justice! Fight for the world!""

In an instant, the ideology and resolve consolidated by the empire's army was like a sharp sword, piercing through the morale of Iskandar's army, bringing about their demise.