[67] : Mika vs Gilgamesh!

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...

In the desolate desert, Iskandar's voice boomed, echoing across the barren landscape.

"These are the legendary warriors who, even after their bodies perished and their souls were summoned as 'Heroic Spirits,' still pledge their loyalty to this king!"

"They have answered my call, transcending time and space, my eternal comrades! The bonds forged between us are my greatest treasure, the foundation of my kingship!"

"Behold! This is the Noble Phantasm that Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, takes the greatest pride in - Ionioi Hetairoi! (Army of the King)"

This EX-ranked Anti-Army Noble Phantasm was a Reality Marble, capable of summoning forth his loyal followers.

It was the source of Iskandar's confidence, the reason he believed he could stand against the six other Servants alone.

Among the summoned warriors were renowned military figures, powerful rulers, and even the founding monarchs of later Empires.

This vast army was a testament to Iskandar's legend, a collection of countless heroes and tales of valor.

Several figures among them even surpassed Iskandar in fame.

But beyond their individual renown, they shared a common pride in their origins.

They were the brave warriors who had once charged alongside Iskandar on countless battlefields!

Behind them, a vast army of cavalry, infantry, and shield-bearers marched in perfect formation, their presence filling the Reality Marble with an awe-inspiring spectacle.

Among them, a single riderless horse galloped towards Iskandar.

It was a magnificent steed, both powerful and graceful.

Had it been human, its majesty would have rivaled that of the other Heroic Spirits.

"It's been a while, partner."

Iskandar embraced the horse's neck with a childlike grin.

This was none other than Bucephalus, the legendary steed.

Having followed the King of Conquerors throughout his life, even his horse had ascended to the rank of a Heroic Spirit.

"But I apologize, partner! We cannot fight side-by-side this time."

Iskandar stroked Bucephalus's head gently and chuckled. "In this war that I have instigated, I must give it my all."

Bucephalus nodded slightly in understanding and retreated.

It would not hinder Iskandar's battle here.

Watching his beloved steed disappear, Iskandar turned back to the others and roared with laughter. "Hahaha! Now, my friends, let the battle commence!"

"Rider, why have you brought our Masters into this?!"

Diarmuid shielded Kayneth protectively, his voice filled with accusation as he faced the overwhelming army before them. "Do you intend to eliminate our Masters as well?"

"Of course not, Lancer!" Iskandar responded, his voice booming across the battlefield. "I brought them here to prevent their interference in our duel. It would be a shame if any of us were eliminated due to our Masters' deaths."

"I understand your concerns!"

Iskandar's gaze swept across the assembled Masters: Kayneth behind Diarmuid, Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel von Einzbern behind Artoria, Maiya Hisau behind Kiritsugu, Kariya Matou beside Lancelot, and Mika alongside Merlin.

"I, Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, swear upon my name that no harm shall befall your Masters within this realm!"

"Now, let us fight to our hearts' content!"

"CHARGE!"

"CHARGE!"

"CHARGE!"

Following Iskandar's roar, his vast army echoed his battle cry.

The air crackled with anticipation and the chilling sound of approaching war.

The summoned Assassins, witnessing this overwhelming display of military might, couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.

Having lived their lives as assassins, accustomed to covert operations, they were ill-prepared for such a grand-scale confrontation.

However, Artoria, Diarmuid, and the others were filled with exhilaration.

This was a battlefield they knew well.

"Then come, King of Conquerors! Let us see who falls first!"

"This is the battle I have longed for!"

Assured by Iskandar's promise and trusting his character, Artoria and Diarmuid readily accepted the challenge.

"Attack!"

With Iskandar's command, his vast army surged forward.

The battle, momentarily paused, resumed with renewed ferocity.

Lancelot, acting on Kariya Matou's orders, charged towards Gilgamesh, reigniting the clash between darkness and gold.

"Merlin, quickly!" Mika urged, his voice filled with urgency.

"Understood, understood!"

Merlin waved his staff, casting enhancement magic on Mika.

Feeling the surge of power coursing through his body, Mika grinned. "Then I'll go play with Gilgamesh. You handle Iskandar here!"

"Huh? Me and Iskandar? Aren't we allies?" Merlin asked, hoping to avoid the confrontation.

"Well, about that... I told him to act freely. He wants to fight all the Servants, and that includes you! So good luck!"

With that, Mika dashed towards the distant battlefield where Gilgamesh and Lancelot clashed.

"Huh?!"

Merlin stared dumbfoundedly at Mika's retreating figure as enemy soldiers charged towards him. His composure crumbled.

"Have I been betrayed?"

"I hate fighting on the battlefield!"

"What am I going to do?!"

Panic gripped Merlin's heart. But as he caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance, a devious plan formed in his mind.

"I just need to follow my usual strategy."

Looking towards Artoria and Diarmuid, who were now engaged with Iskandar's army, Merlin chuckled sinisterly. "Such useful pawns!"

He raised his staff once more, casting enhancement magic on Artoria and Diarmuid.

"What's this?!"

Diarmuid looked towards Merlin in astonishment, feeling his strength multiply.

Realization dawned on him, and he expressed his gratitude. "Thank you for your assistance, Merlin, the wise mage of Britain!"

"Hahaha! We're all allies now, so we must help each other, right?"

"Isn't that right, Artoria?"

Merlin's teasing voice caused Artoria to frown.

However, the familiar feeling of his magical support filled her with a sense of comfort and camaraderie.

Under Merlin's enhancements, even her severed and unhealable arm felt as though it had been restored.

Of course, this was merely an illusion.

As an opponent in this Holy Grail War, Merlin had no intention of truly healing Artoria.

He believed she hadn't suffered enough yet.

Therefore, his "healing" was only temporary. Once the battle ended, Artoria's injuries would return.

Empowered by Merlin's magic, Artoria and Diarmuid, already formidable warriors, transformed into veritable gods of war.

They tore through Iskandar's ranks, cutting down ordinary soldiers like wheat before a scythe.

Drawn by their ferocity, the majority of the enemy soldiers and commanders converged on them, eager to claim their glory.

This significantly reduced the pressure on Merlin, allowing him to comfortably conserve his energy and observe the battle from a safe distance.

"As expected of me!" Merlin chuckled smugly.

...

Meanwhile, as Gilgamesh and Lancelot rapidly approached, Mika turned to Gabriel, who had been hovering above him, and asked, "Are you ready?"

"Don't worry! I won't make any mistakes!"

"Then let's begin!"

As Mika finished speaking, a torrent of magical energy surged from Gabriel, flowing into his body.

Empowered by this immense magical power, Mika's aura flared, growing exponentially stronger.

----

In the Holy Grail War, there's almost always someone who finds a way to bend the rules and gain an unfair advantage.

In the Fourth Holy Grail War, Tokiomi Tohsaka's collusion with the Holy Church was but a minor transgression.

In the Fifth Holy Grail War, Medea, a Caster-class Servant, managed to summon an Assassin to assist her as a Master.

And in the Great Holy Grail War, the Ruler-class Servant directly participated as a Master, even going so far as to control her own teammates.

In short, every Holy Grail War has its share of rule-breakers.

And Mika was no exception.

For him, the biggest obstacle to unleashing his full potential was his limited energy reserves.

Therefore, after deciding to participate in the Holy Grail War, he had already hatched a plan to cheat.

His plan was to utilize the Greater Grail as a source of magical energy.

While this might seem difficult, with Gabriel and Merlin working together, they quickly achieved their goal.

However, there was still a critical issue that Mika needed to address: the contamination of the Greater Grail.

In the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family, desperate for victory, had secretly summoned the eighth Servant class: Avenger.

The Servant summoned under this class was Angra Mainyu.

However, this "Angra Mainyu" was not the evil god of Zoroastrian mythology, but an ordinary human who had been given the title.

He was incredibly weak and quickly perished in the Holy Grail War.

But it was his death that caused the contamination of the Holy Grail.

Bearing the weight of humanity's collective malice, he tainted the colorless Grail, transforming its pure magical energy into a vessel of all the world's evil.

Therefore, even if a victor emerged from this Holy Grail War, their wish would not be granted in the way they intended.

Instead, their wishes would be twisted and corrupted.

For example, if the victor wished to become the strongest person in the world, the Grail would simply kill everyone stronger than them, fulfilling their wish in the most malicious way possible.

The contaminated Grail could no longer grant pure and wholesome wishes.

Under normal circumstances, the Grail's magical energy was unusable, having transformed into a black mud, a manifestation of all evil.

But Gabriel had a different approach.

She acted as a purifier, channeling the black mud through herself and transforming it into pure magical energy. This purified energy was then transferred to Mika, granting him access to the Grail's power.

Without this external source of magical energy, Mika wouldn't have been able to sustain Lancelot's energy consumption.

"It feels great to be overflowing with magical energy!"

Mika's lips curled into a smile as he looked towards Gilgamesh and Lancelot, who were rapidly approaching.

His gaze then shifted to the back of his left hand.

There, a Magic Crest was etched onto his skin.

This was a creation inspired by the Matou family's magical knowledge, crafted by Gabriel after studying their grimoires.

Its purpose was something Mika had long desired: energy conversion.

Using his body and Magic Circuits as a conduit, he could now convert different forms of energy.

Currently, he was converting his magical energy into Nen.

This provided a steady supply of aura to fuel his energy-intensive Nen abilities.

"Wings of Calamity, activate!"

As Mika channeled his Nen, two gauntlets, each wielding a weapon, expanded rapidly in size.

One held a sword, the other a shield.

The sword was the First-Class Greatsword inherited from his father, while the shield was a custom-made First-Class Shield crafted by the Goibniu Familia.

Originally, the shield was a rectangular shield over a meter tall.

But under the influence of Mika's Nen, it transformed into a colossal shield, nearly twenty meters tall, firmly grasped by the equally massive gauntlet.

"Let's fight, Gilgamesh!"

Mika's voice reached Gilgamesh before he even arrived.

Hearing Mika's challenge, Gilgamesh's already enraged expression contorted into a furious snarl.

"A mere magus dares to raise his sword against this king?!"

"You mongrel, who do you think you're underestimating?!"

(BG : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S87sMt-5Qr0 )

In an instant, Gilgamesh redirected sixteen of the thirty-two Gate of Babylon portals that had been bombarding Lancelot towards Mika.

Whoosh!

The air crackled as Noble Phantasms sliced through the air.

It was the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, unleashing the full might of his Gate of Babylon.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The sounds of metal clashing against metal echoed across the battlefield.

A massive shield materialized in front of Mika, deflecting every single projectile.

This was a shield imbued with an unbreakable enchantment. Further reinforced by Mika's "Ko" (Toughness) ability, its durability was unparalleled.

Gilgamesh's weapons couldn't even scratch its surface.

Although his vision was obscured by the shield, Mika's "En" (Circle) ability allowed him to perceive his surroundings with unparalleled clarity.

With Gilgamesh in close range, Mika's other gauntlet swung the massive greatsword towards the King of Heroes.

The nearly twenty-meter-long greatsword cleaved through the air with terrifying force, carrying with it a whirlwind of power.

"Damn you! How dare you swing your sword at a king!"

Facing the imminent threat, Gilgamesh rapidly fired Noble Phantasms, aiming to shatter Mika's greatsword.

But the attack was too fast, too powerful.

Despite Gilgamesh's relentless barrage, he couldn't alter the trajectory of the devastating blow.

At the last moment, Gilgamesh's most prized Noble Phantasm, the Chains of Heaven (Enkidu), materialized from the void, ensnaring Mika's greatsword.

A manifestation of Gilgamesh's bond with his dearest friend, Enkidu.

The Chains of Heaven were a rare Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm, capable of binding those with divine heritage.

The stronger the target's divinity, the tighter the chains would bind.

In the Fifth Holy Grail War, Heracles, the demigod, had been completely immobilized by the Chains of Heaven, leaving him vulnerable to Gilgamesh's onslaught.

Although he eventually broke free, the Chains of Heaven were undeniably powerful.

However, against Mika, they were ineffective.

After all, Mika possessed no divinity.

Against him, the Chains of Heaven were nothing more than sturdy chains.

Albeit incredibly sturdy chains.

Bound by the Chains of Heaven, Mika's greatsword trembled violently, but he couldn't break free.

"You mongrel! Did you think you could break through this king's defenses with such a paltry attack?!" Gilgamesh taunted, his voice dripping with arrogance.

But at that moment, the shield that had been protecting Mika suddenly swung outward.

Gilgamesh, caught completely off guard, was sent flying.

"Besides blocking attacks, shields can also be used to strike, King of Heroes!" Mika chuckled, watching Gilgamesh's unceremonious flight.

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