"I thought I'd get to see the two Artorias meet."
Looking at the Artoria standing beside Irisviel, although her appearance hadn't changed in the slightest, Daniel Davis instantly recognized that she was the Black Artoria, not the original one. The difference in their auras was obvious.
"Looks like Kiritsugu Emiya got lucky this time."
Summoning the Black Artoria was far more difficult than summoning the original or any other variant. Normally, summoning a corrupted Servant required special conditions.
"So he's hiding somewhere after all, Shadow Clone Technique."
For Kiritsugu to let Artoria face opponents head-on didn't align with his personality—he wasn't someone who fought directly. In reality, having Artoria engage in a frontal battle was just a diversion, so he could carry out assassinations from the sidelines. Thanks to Observation Haki, Daniel could clearly sense him and another person hiding at different spots, aiming sniper rifles at the port.
To prevent interference in what was to come, Daniel summoned two shadow clones to restrain Kiritsugu and his companion. His Origin Bullets didn't have much effect on Heroic Spirits, but against magi, they were deadly weapons. Even someone like Tohsaka Tokiomi, if unaware of the bullets' nature, could very likely fall prey to them.
"Didn't expect only one person to respond to the challenge in the end."
Diarmuid looked at the Black Artoria emerging from Irisviel's Holy Grail. Seeing the black armor-clad figure, he sighed lightly. He had issued the challenge hoping to face other Heroic Spirits. Although many had arrived, only Artoria had the courage to step forward.
"They didn't recognize Saber's identity... Makes sense. Artoria is in her corrupted state now, and she's not wielding the golden sword."
Artoria's most famous legend, of course, was the Sword in the Stone. That's why she used the Invisible Air to conceal her golden sword. But the Black Artoria had no need for such concealment—her sword was no longer golden, but a black and red one. Unless someone already knew the truth, it was hard to believe this was the legendary King Arthur.
Boom.
Just as Diarmuid was about to speak again, a powerful magical energy erupted from Black Artoria. She lunged forward in a flash, crossing the distance between them and slashing her black-red sword toward his vital points.
Although sudden, Diarmuid wasn't weak. At the last moment, he used his twin spears to block the strike and leveraged the force to retreat nearly ten meters. Just as he was about to speak again, Black Artoria followed up with another attack.
If it had been the original Artoria, even if she intended to fight, she would have let her opponent finish speaking. But this was Black Artoria—the cold and merciless side of the King of Knights. If she could fight, she wouldn't waste time talking.
"Ah."
Diarmuid realized then that she had no intention of exchanging words. He immediately focused, raising his twin spears into a battle stance and engaged Black Artoria in fierce combat.
In an instant, violent winds surged through the port. Many of the containers stored on the docks were displaced by the shockwaves of their clash; some were even destroyed. It was clear that tomorrow's news would likely report a gas explosion at the port.
Despite Diarmuid's strength, unfortunately for him, he was facing Artoria in her corrupted state. She fought without mercy. At first, their match was even, but over time, he began to fall behind.
"What are you doing? Use your Noble Phantasm already and finish her off!"
Watching Diarmuid getting pushed back, Kayneth's expression darkened. This battle had been intended as a show of force, which was why Diarmuid had openly released his Servant's aura to provoke others. If they lost now, it would be a classic case of trying to act impressive only to get humiliated.
As a prodigy of the Clock Tower, Kayneth couldn't tolerate such disgrace. He had joined the Holy Grail War merely to add another accomplishment to his resume—what he wanted was a victory, not a failure.
"Yes, Master." Upon receiving the command, Diarmuid dropped his yellow spear and gripped the red one with both hands, appearing ready to unleash his Noble Phantasm.
During their earlier battle, Black Artoria had already deduced the abilities of Diarmuid's spears. The red one had anti-magic properties. The original Artoria might have paused to praise such a worthy opponent, but Black Artoria had no such intentions.
She wasn't about to let her opponent activate his Noble Phantasm. Heroic Spirits' Noble Phantasms often had the potential to turn the tide of battle—even seemingly weak Servants couldn't be underestimated.
Since she couldn't use her own Noble Phantasm for secrecy, she had to ensure her opponent couldn't use his either.
Seeing her charging at him, Diarmuid smiled. As she neared, he quickly picked up the yellow spear from the ground.
It was a clever plan—one that had worked against the original Artoria in the source material. Unfortunately for him, this time he faced Black Artoria, who hadn't shed her magical armor.
Kiritsugu's magical capacity was decent. Even without a Noble Phantasm, it was enough to sustain Black Artoria through a battle.
"So this is your trump card? Let me guess—red is anti-magic, and yellow is cursed, right? You must be Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, the radiant first knight of the Fianna."
Blocking the yellow spear with her sword, Black Artoria took a step back and spoke his true name aloud.
"You saw through it, huh. Your martial skill is extraordinary. Forgive me, but I truly can't guess your identity. May I ask you to introduce yourself?"
Diarmuid wasn't fazed by having his true name revealed. The anti-magic red rose and the cursed yellow rose were quite famous in later generations, and their signature abilities made guessing his identity easy. Even in the source material, Artoria had guessed it after being struck by the yellow spear.
In fact, had it not been for his Master's orders, Diarmuid might have revealed his identity voluntarily like a certain emperor.
"I'd like to tell you, but unfortunately, my Master forbids me from disclosing that information."
Even in her corrupted state, Artoria was still a king and carried herself with the dignity of royalty.
"Be careful now." With his Noble Phantasm's ability exposed, Diarmuid had no reason to hide anymore. In their earlier fight, he hadn't activated the yellow spear's ability at all.
"Please." Black Artoria looked at Diarmuid solemnly. As she spoke, her magical aura grew even stronger. His two Noble Phantasms made her realize that she had to end this quickly. If the battle dragged on without using her own Noble Phantasm, she would be at a disadvantage. She had to fight at full power using magical bursts.
Just as both sides were about to clash in a decisive battle, a thunderclap echoed through the sky. A black silhouette rapidly flew toward them. As it drew closer, it was revealed to be a chariot pulled by two bulls, emitting lightning as it sped through the air.
"Stop, both of you! In the presence of the throne, there shall be no rash actions! I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors, summoned into this Holy Grail War as a Rider-class Servant!"
The chariot arrived between Black Artoria and Diarmuid. The red-haired man atop it spread his arms and shouted loudly.
"You idiot! Who goes around announcing their class like that right off the bat?"
A flustered voice came from beside him. It was a delicate, short-statured boy with a gentle face.
"So this is the young brother? He really makes you want to tease him." Hidden nearby, Lainis saw the scene and showed a meaningful smile.
"Don't say such scary things," Waver shook his head helplessly, gazing longingly at the King of Conquerors before him. He had finally seen his King again.
Lainis seemed about to say something, but seeing Waver's gaze fixed on the King of Conquerors, she closed her mouth.
"Would the two of you consider joining me? If you give me the Holy Grail, I will treat you as friends and share the joy of conquering the world with you."
The King of Conquerors completely ignored Waver's outburst, looking at Black Artoria and Diarmuid with hope. He was truly trying to recruit them.
"Apologies." Diarmuid responded first. But before he could finish his sentence, Black Artoria slashed toward the King's chariot. The magical burst she had prepared was about to be retracted due to his interruption, but his attempt to recruit her enraged her. The blow meant for Diarmuid was now aimed at the King of Conquerors.
Boom.
Black light clashed with dazzling lightning in a fierce explosion. When the light faded, the King of Conquerors looked a bit disheveled, and his chariot had shifted nearly ten meters to the side.
He had not expected Saber to attack so suddenly. Though his reaction was fast—drawing his sword and activating his chariot's powers—it was still a step too late.
Fortunately, the chariot was a Noble Phantasm; otherwise, it would've been destroyed.
"Did I say something wrong just now?" Even after being attacked, the King of Conquerors wasn't angry. He looked puzzled at Waver.
"How would I know?" Waver trembled, hiding behind him. He had genuinely felt the fear of death from Black Artoria's strike, unlike the King, who had barely flinched.
"King of Conquerors, are you mocking me?" Black Artoria raised her sword.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to." The King quickly apologized.
"Hahaha, I'm sure everyone else is here too. Don't hide in the dark and peek around. All Heroic Spirits summoned by the Holy Grail, reveal yourselves now! Cowards afraid to show their faces will be scorned by Iskandar, King of Conquerors!"
After apologizing to Black Artoria, the King of Conquerors raised his arms and shouted to the surroundings.
"Damn it," someone muttered from a hidden underground chamber.
"Two more rats calling themselves kings in one night... how annoying." A golden light flashed, and a man radiating golden brilliance appeared atop a streetlamp at the port. It was the infamous streetlamp king—Gilgamesh.
"That's absurd. I am the well-known King of Conquerors," Iskandar said, pointing at himself, puzzled by the sudden appearance.
"What a joke. Among all heroes known to heaven and earth, I alone am king. The rest are mere mongrels." Gilgamesh was as arrogant as ever.
"I wonder if he'd say that in front of the First Emperor. Or maybe he only means Western kings."
In the Moon Cell universe, the East and West were two distinct factions. Even the famed three major organizations of the Mage's Association only operated in the West and never interfered with the East.
This applied not only to the world of magecraft, but to Heroic Spirits as well. While Chaldea could summon Eastern spirits, and characters like Waver and Lainis would later be linked with Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi, Eastern Heroic Spirits remained rare.
This was all due to the actions of a certain First Emperor.
"Since you put it that way, would you tell us your name? A king shouldn't be afraid to give his name, should he?"
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
• Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.• Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.