A dimensional journey starting from the Dragon Clan

Chapter 1153 Is the king aloof?

Rider immediately opened his eyes after being scolded.

"A king without desires is worse than a vase."

Rider's angry shouts and his huge body make him feel even more terrifying.

"Saber, you just said 'sacrifice yourself for your ideals'. Indeed, you used to be an incorruptible saint, so holy that no one can match it. But who wants to expect to be martyred for their ideals? And who would think about the so-called saint day and night? , can only comfort the people, but cannot guide them. Only by showing desire and singing the ultimate glory can the country and the people be guided to the right path."

After draining the glass of wine, the Conqueror King continued to correct him.

"As a king, you must have stronger desires than anyone else, be bolder than anyone else, and be more irritable than anyone else. He should be a human being that contains both purity and turbidity, and is more real than anyone else. Only in this way , only then can the ministers be impressed by the king, and only then can the people's hearts have such longing as 'It would be great if I were the king'!"

"With this kind of governance...then where is the justice?"

"No. There is no so-called justice in the way of a king, so there is no regret."

"..."

His assertion was too straightforward, and Saber was extremely angry.

Both take making people happy as their basic criterion, but their ideas are far from each other.

One side is praying for peace.

On one side is hope for prosperity.

The king who suppressed the troubled times and the king who started the war couldn't possibly have the same ideals.

Rider smiled and said cheerfully.

"King who bears the name of a knight, your justice and ideals may have saved the country and the people for a while, so your name is still praised to this day. However, what will happen to those who are saved? You don’t know.”

"What did you say?"

Blood-stained sunset hills.

That scene came to life in Saber's mind again.

"You blindly 'save' your subjects, but never 'guide' them. They don't know what the 'king's desire' is. You leave your lost subjects behind, but you use a sacred attitude to defend your own You are intoxicated by the ideals of a small family, so you are not a qualified king. You just want to be a 'king' who cares about the people, and you are just a little girl who has trapped yourself in order to become that kind of idol."

"I……"

There are many things I want to say to refute, but every time I speak, the scene I once witnessed in Cam Ranh Bay comes to mind.

Corpses littered the fields and rivers of blood flowed. There lay her courtiers, her friends, and her relatives.

She learned of the prophecy moments before she pulled the sword from the rock. She knew this meant disillusionment, and she had already had an awakening.

but why……

When she saw this tragic scene with her own eyes, she would be so surprised that she felt that there was nothing she could do except pray.

Some magicians also predicted that it would be almost impossible to subvert. But she still thought, if a miracle could happen...

A dangerous thought occupied Saber's mind.

If you don't protect Britain as a savior. But if he ravages Britain as an overlord——

Troubled times will only become more chaotic because of war. First of all, this is not the path to kingship she pursues. And no matter what angle she stood on, Arturia would never choose this option.

But if I really did that, which result would be more tragic than the Battle of the Sword Fence...

"?"

Unexpectedly, Saber felt a chill, which brought her back to reality from her thoughts.

That was Archer's sight.

This golden Servant has handed over Saber to Rider to deal with it from the beginning. He sat on the side and drank wine leisurely. His crimson eyes. I don't know when I looked at her carefully.

He didn't speak, and you couldn't tell what his intentions were from his eyes, but there was a lustful flavor in his eyes, as if a snake was crawling up his body, making people feel humiliated and unhappy.

"...Archer, why are you looking at me?"

"Ah, I was just admiring your distressed expression."

Archer's smile was unexpectedly gentle, but also extremely scary.

"I like the expression of a virgin scattering flowers on the couch."

"you……"

This was an unforgivable foolery on Saber's part. She smashed the cup to the ground without hesitation, her face filled with uncontrollable anger.

But what made the two of them change their expressions in the next second was not her anger.

After a while, Irisviel and Webber also noticed something strange in the surrounding air. Although it cannot be seen, the very strong killing intent can be felt on the skin.

A strange white object appeared in the atrium illuminated by the moonlight. One after another, pale faces appeared in the courtyard like flowers blooming. That paleness is the color of cold, dry bones.

Skull mask and black robe. The deserted atrium was gradually surrounded by this strange group.

Assassin…

Rider and Weber weren't the only ones who knew they were still alive. Saber and Irisviel also learned this from their conversation with Kiritsugu in Warehouse Street.

Assassin was not just the one who was killed at the Tohsaka Residence. The fact is that there are many Assassins participating in this Holy Grail War, but this number is too high to be normal. They all wear masks and black robes, and have different physiques. There are giant men, there are thin ones, there are short ones like children, and there are women's figures.

"...You did this, right? Archer."

Archer shrugged innocently.

"Who knows, I don't have to read those bastards' minds."

Since so many Assassins were mobilized, it must not be the order of Kotomine Kirei alone. This must have been the intention of his teacher Tohsaka Tokiomi.

Because Tokiomi treated the King of Heroes as a courtier, Archer recognized him as his Master. But Tokiomi's behavior made Archer even more dissatisfied with him.

Although the banquet was initiated by Rider, it was Archer who provided the wine. What did Tokiomi intend to do by sending a killer during such a banquet? This is tantamount to smearing the King of Heroes’ face, does he know?

"Well...it's a mess."

Seeing the enemy approaching, Weber let out a sigh that was almost a scream. It is incomprehensible, this completely exceeds the rules of the Holy Grail War.

"What's going on?! Why are Assassins coming one after another...Isn't there only one Servant for each class?!"

Seeing the miserable appearance of their prey, the Assassins couldn't help but smile evilly.

"——You are right, we are Servants who regard the whole as an individual, and the individuals within it are just shadows of the whole."

Neither Waver nor Irisviel could understand. The Assassin summoned by Kotomine Kirei turned out to be this kind of special existence.

"The Old Man of the Mountain" - Among the people who have inherited the terrible name of Hassan Sabha through the generations, only one has the ability to change his body.

Unlike other Hassan, he did not undergo any modifications to his body. Perhaps it can be said that there is no need for this, because although his body is mediocre, his spirit can make the body freely transform.

He can have excellent strategies, know foreign languages, identify poisons, or set traps. In short, he is a versatile assassin who can automatically switch abilities according to mission needs. It is said that sometimes he can exert strange strength and agility that his original body could not possess, and use phantom martial arts that have long been forgotten.

He can disguise himself as a man, a woman, a child, or any other person, and stand next to you very naturally. Sometimes he can even change his personality according to the occasion, so that no one can reveal his true identity.

But no one knows the truth. Although Hassan has a single body, he has a different soul.

According to the knowledge at that time, there was no such thing as multiple personality disorder. In modern medicine, this is defined as a phenomenon of mental illness. For assassin Hassan Sabha, it was a mysterious "ability". He is able to use a variety of different knowledge and technologies through the cohabitants living in his body, confuse the enemy through different means, weave a defensive web, and kill the target in a way that no one can predict.

And the Assassin summoned by Kotomine Kirei this time is the assassin known as "Variety".

He is a Servant who has one body but countless souls at the same time. Fundamentally speaking, "they" are originally different souls. Because they have lost their physical restraints, "they" can completely materialize into different forms after they appear in the world.

Of course, their total amount of spiritual power is only "one person", and their ability value after splitting will definitely not be comparable to other heroic spirits. But because of Assassin's unique skills, this group can be said to be invincible in their investigation activities.

"Could it be that... we have been monitored by these guys to this day?"

Irisviel murmured in pain, and Saber couldn't help but shudder. Although the other party is not strong enough. But they were able to sneak up on them, and there were so many of them. Even if she was the most powerful Servant, this was still a considerable threat.

Moreover, they who usually follow the target like shadows have given up their ability to cut off their breath at this moment, watching them move forward without fear, which means...

"They are serious about it."

Saber fell into an unexpected crisis and couldn't help but grit her teeth with hatred.

A ragtag group that relies on strength in numbers. If attacked from the front, Saber will never lose, but this is only when Saber is the only one facing the enemy.

Now Saber has to protect Irisviel. No matter how weak Assassin is, it still poses a considerable threat to humans. Even Einzbern's android Irisviel, who can use first-class magic, cannot stop Assassin with magic alone. It was impossible for her to protect herself on her own.

Therefore, if you want to protect your companions while fighting, the large number of enemies becomes a very urgent problem.

How many Assassins can Saber stop with one strike? No, it's not a matter of how many people can be stopped. Even if one person is missed at this time, that person may cause serious trauma to Irisviel.

Therefore, the question now is not "can it be stopped", but "can it be solved with one blow". The number of Assassins surrounding them was despairing.

From Assassin's perspective, they also have a last resort.

Even if it is a group battle, it is a group composed of a limited number of people. The method of winning with a small number of survivors at the expense of most sacrifices is tantamount to suicide, so this is a trump card that can only be used in the final decisive battle.

Assassin is a Servant summoned for the purpose of the Holy Grail. They should not be able to bear being used as pawns of Tokiomi and Archer - but they cannot disobey the Command Seal.

For tonight's action, Kotomine Kirei used a command spell, ordering them to "win at all costs." The Command Seal is an absolute command for Servants, so they can only choose to follow the command.

Although they were happy to see Saber, who was known as the strongest, change her face, the fact was that she was not their target. The designated target of attack is Rider's Master. Although Rider possesses a powerful Noble Phantasm, its destructive power is directional. If Assassin attacks from all directions, he will definitely be able to attack the cowardly short Master.

Yes, this is a critical moment for the conquering king Iskandar.

But——Why is this giant Servant still drinking alcohol leisurely?

"...Ri——Rider, hey, hey..."

Even though Waver shouted uneasily, Rider still didn't take any action. He looked at Assassin around him, his eyes still calm and composed.

"Hey kid, don't be so embarrassed. There are guests at the banquet, so you still have to drink the wine."

"How do they look like guests!?"

Rider sighed with a wry smile, and then faced Assassin surrounding him, he greeted with a dull expression like a fool:

"Let me tell you, can you please restrain your ghost spirit? My friend is frightened by you."

Saber thought she had heard wrongly, but now even Archer frowned.

"Do you still want to invite them to the table? King of Conquerors."

"Of course, the king's speech should be heard by all the people. Since some people come specifically to listen, it doesn't matter whether they are enemies or friends."

Rider said calmly, scooped out the red wine from the bottle, and stretched it out to the Assassins.

"Come, don't be polite. If you want to drink together, just come and get the cup. This wine is with your blood."

Phew—a sound that penetrated the air answered Rider.

Only the handle of the cup was left in Rider's hand, and part of the cup had fallen to the ground. This was done by one of the Assassins, and the wine in the glass was scattered on the floor of the atrium.

"..."

Rider looked down at the wine scattered on the ground speechlessly. The skull masks seemed to laugh at him.

"——Don't say I didn't remind you."

Rider's tone was still calm, but it was clear that the feeling inside had changed. The only two people who noticed this change were the two people who drank with him before.

"I said, 'this wine' is 'your blood' - right. Since you let it spill on the ground casually, then I will..."

Before he finished speaking, a whirlwind roared up.

The wind is hot and dry, as if it wants to burn everything. This was not like the wind in the forest at night, or in the courtyard of the castle - this wind simply came from the desert, roaring in my ears.

Feeling sand entering his mouth, Weber quickly spat. This is indeed sand. What was brought by the strange wind was really hot sand that could not have appeared in the first place.

"Saber, and Archer, the final question of the banquet - is the king aloof?"

Rider, standing in the center of the hot wind, asked. Judging from the cloak flying on his shoulders, I don't know when he has returned to the attire that a conquering king should have.

Archer burst out laughing. There was no need to ask, so he answered with silence.

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