Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 132: Provocation

In the northwestern sky, a magical light was flickering, its colors even more vibrant than the previous time.

Kiritsugu and Saber in the Mercedes-Benz; Tokiomi, and Gilgamesh in the Tohsaka residence; and Waver and Rider in the Mackenzie household, all witnessed this signal.

The two colors of light represented "Four" and "Seven" respectively. In the Tarot Major Arcana, the fourth card is the "Emperor," and the seventh card is the "Chariot." The combination of the two signifies achieving victory.

At this moment, such a blatant display of a signal carried a self-evident meaning.

The three Kings in different locations reacted simultaneously.

Archer crushed the highball glass in his hand, releasing a chilling aura that caused the temperature in the room to drop abruptly.

"Damn bastard, daring to disregard this King and declare victory alone! Tokiomi, what is the location?"

"Mount Enzou, Ryuudou Temple. That is the most suitable place for the Holy Grail ritual... I believe this signal must have been sent by the people of Einzbern. They are the custodians of the Holy Grail's vessel."

The surprise on his face quickly faded, and Tokiomi regained his usual elegance and composure.

"My King, what do you plan to do?"

"Do you even need to ask? Whoever dares to make such a disrespectful move should be punished!"

As he spoke, a large ripple appeared in the sky directly above the Tohsaka residence, and a golden flying ship, the Vimana, floated in the air.

Archer pushed open the window and said, "Tokiomi, you will accompany me to punish those scum, won't you?"

"Of course, King of Heroes. Please allow your humble servant to accompany you." Tokiomi bowed, sensing that the Holy Grail War would come to an end tonight.

...

Compared to the Archer group, the Saber group appeared much calmer.

"Kiritsugu, what is that?" Saber abruptly stopped the car by the roadside.

"That must be an invitation from the kidnappers. And that direction... is it Ryuudou Temple? Irisviel and Maiya are there. It will be the final stage of the Holy Grail War."

Kiritsugu pushed open the car door, his voice devoid of any emotion. He had entered a state of absolute calmness.

"Saber, you will proceed to Ryuudou Temple. How to act will be up to your judgment. Do you remember the terrain and precautions I mentioned a few days ago?"

"I remember, Kiritsugu. And what about you?"

"I will also head there as quickly as possible, but not together with you."

Saber knew that Kiritsugu was still following his usual tactic of attracting the enemy's attention head-on while he acted covertly. After hesitating for a few seconds, she whispered, "Please be careful."

A slight fluctuation finally appeared on Kiritsugu's poker face, only to disappear quickly.

"You too, Saber."

...

At the same time, Waver bid farewell to the elderly Mackenzie and left the cozy home.

"Rider."

The burly giant responded to his Master's call, materializing in solid form.

"That is a provocation. Some impatient person is saying to us, 'I am the victor. If you have any objections, come at me.' In other words, the enemy has already decided where to determine the outcome and is searching for opponents."

Rider seemed quite satisfied, wearing a fierce smile. His gaze seemed to pierce through the endless sky, heading directly towards the battlefield.

"Very good, very good. This saves us the trouble of searching for people everywhere. Not a single Servant can remain silent in the face of such provocation. All those who are still alive will gather there—hmph, just as I anticipated, tonight truly is the climax of the decisive battle."

The towering figure of the Conqueror King trembled with a spirit resembling joy.

Waver watched the mighty figure of the Heroic Spirit with a cold, indifferent gaze as if observing something distant and unattainable.

"Is that so? Tonight... it will be the end."

"That's right. Good, since I know where the battlefield is, I, as the 'Rider' class, must also make my way to the battlefield in a manner befitting my title."

Rider drew his sword, Kupriotes, and raised the tip towards the sky.

"Come forth, my chariot!"

With a call, the void was split open, and lightning flashed as the majestic chariot that he had ridden countless times descended from above.

"Come on, lad, let's embark on this 'expedition' together."

Rider leaped onto the chariot, patting the seat beside him with a smile. However, Waver could only show a cold, bitter smile and shake his head.

Only a hero was worthy of riding alongside Alexander the Great on his shining chariot. It was not a place for lowly and insignificant individuals to step foot in.

It was like an inept magus who couldn't even get the basics of hypnosis right.

Or like a clown who overstepped his bounds, only hindering the footsteps of the king's dominance.

The glorious path that the Conqueror King Iskandar was about to embark on must not be tainted.

Waver Velvet had once believed that he could be the victor and had taken pride in it.

But now, things were different. After these two weeks, of witnessing firsthand what a true hero was, he now understood how inadequate and insignificant he truly was.

Even losers had their dignity. If he could watch that distant noble figure without sullying his glory, at the very least...

"My Servant, I command you with a Command Seal."

The young boy raised his right fist, revealing the Command Seal that he had yet to use. It was the shackles that would bind the Heroic Spirit before him, the greatest obstacle on the path of the conqueror.

"Rider, you must win the final victory!"

It wasn't coercion; it was simply a matter of course, which was why Waver gave this command. He watched calmly as the first Command Seal disappeared after bestowing the power of the contract.

"Following that, I command you with my second Command Seal—Rider, you must obtain the Holy Grail!"

The second Command Seal disappeared as well.

The radiance of the Command Seals made Waver feel a twinge of pain. There was still time to change his mind, but such useless hesitation floated in his mind—it was foolish and not worth mocking.

"Rider, you must conquer the whole world. Failure is not allowed."

Three consecutive Command Seals were released, and after generating a few whirlwinds, they vanished without a trace.

As a magus, Waver probably wouldn't have another chance in his lifetime to use such immense magical power. But he felt a sense of exhilaration from his actions for the first time in his life. Of course, he wouldn't regret it; as the price for losing everything, this grand gift was more than enough.

Waver lowered his head and looked at his hand, where the contract seal engraved on it had completely disappeared.

"...Alright, now I am no longer your Master... or anything at all."

Waver spoke with his head lowered, addressing the ground. He didn't want to know what expression Rider had on his face at that moment.

Rider might be sighing at the coward who gave up the fight, or perhaps he was relieved to be free from his incompetent Master. Waver didn't want to see either of those expressions. If possible, he wanted to forget everything about their encounter.

"You should go now, wherever you want to go... You..."

Waver heard Rider respond calmly.

Then he would hear the sound of hooves on the ground, gradually fading away. Just as Waver was thinking this, his neck was suddenly grabbed and lifted by someone's hand. The next second, he was placed in the familiar seat on the side of the chariot.

"Of course, I will go to battle immediately. But since you've given so many commands, you must have mentally prepared yourself to see it through until every command is fulfilled."

"You, you, you fool! You... hey, hey...!"

His will was easily overturned, and Waver's voice changed in his distress.

"I no longer have any Command Seals! I'm no longer a Master! Why are you taking me with you!? I—"

"Even if you're not the Master, you're still my friend."

Rider's face had the same warm smile as usual.

When Waver realized that Rider's words were meant for him, the strongest part of his heart crumbled—although he had guarded it carefully, it only took a moment for it to collapse.

Tears overflowed uncontrollably, and when the tears mixed with the runny nose below his nose, his face became blurry. He couldn't even breathe properly, let alone speak normally. Even so, he couldn't help but ask while swallowing hard.

"Can someone like me... really do it?... Can I... stand by your side..."

"After going through life and death together so many times, you're still saying such silly things."

The King of Conquerors didn't mind that the young boy was crying and gasping for breath. He spoke as if he were listening to drunken ramblings at a banquet, patting the thin shoulders of the youth.

"Have you not always faced enemies together with this King? That makes you this King's friend. Lift your head high, stand tall, and walk alongside this King with dignity."

"...!"

Waver forgot to mock himself. He had cast away all the humiliation before today, the fear of the future, and the fear of facing death at this very moment.

Only the understanding of "conquering victory" deeply rooted itself in his empty heart.

There is no defeat, no shame. As long as he is with the King, as long as he believes and gallops on the path of a conqueror, no matter how weak and feeble his feet may be, one day he will surely reach the end of the world—Waver now firmly believed in this.

"So let's fulfill the command of the first Command Seal. Kid, you better open your eyes wide and watch carefully."

"Ah, I will watch with these eyes!"

The neigh of the divine bull, which exists only in myths, resounded like a victorious roar. With the unity of the conqueror and the magus, they rushed towards the final battlefield.

The Vimana, the golden flying ship from the age of gods over four thousand years ago, the divine bull chariot "Gordius Wheel" from ancient times over two thousand years ago, and the top-tier white sports car "Mercedes-Benz" of the modern era—these three kings were carried towards the ultimate battlefield.

That place was the summit of Mt. Enzou, the primary spiritual vein node of Fuyuki City, where the physical body of Justeaze rested in eternal slumber.

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