Fate: How About a New Savior?

Gilgamesh had claimed he only had ten percent of his treasury left.

But that was just a theoretical estimate.

His Gate of Babylon was nearly limitless in storage. Even if he'd lost ninety percent of its contents, what remained was still far beyond the reach of most Heroic Spirits.

And tonight, Gilgamesh was unusually serious.

"Take this!"

Saber gripped her longsword with both hands and dropped down from the bridge's beam, striking down at Gilgamesh with full force. He blocked it effortlessly with one hand—using Ea.

Among the treasures in the King of Heroes' vault were plenty of Noble Phantasms that could be quickly activated to boost physical power.

With their aid, he could even overpower Saber in sheer strength for short bursts.

"Tch…" Saber's face twisted in frustration. She wanted to take off that golden head right then and there—but her blade couldn't get anywhere near him.

So this was the fabled top-tier Servant. His reputation wasn't exaggerated.

"Not bad. You're just barely worthy of calling yourself the heir to the King of Knights."

Gilgamesh smiled with unwavering confidence, his killing intent radiating unchecked, as he casually assessed his opponent's strength.

Or perhaps—he was deliberately provoking her.

"You have no right to speak of my father!"

Red-tinged Mana surged like lightning. Mordred poured everything into suppressing Gilgamesh's power.

But Ea's triple-bladed segments began to rotate, and in the blink of an eye, a crushing wave of wind pressure erupted.

She was going to be torn apart.

Mordred's instincts screamed a warning. Before the pressure fully exploded outward, she pulled back and dodged.

Above them, Archer's and Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms clashed relentlessly, canceling each other out in violent bursts of flame and force.

"I am the bone of my sword…"

Archer silently recited the incantation in his mind. Rushing forward, he passed Saber as she retreated, then raised his left hand and opened his palm toward Gilgamesh.

"Rho Aias!"

He called its true name, shaking the very air.

Seven translucent petals appeared out of nowhere and formed a defensive barrier that could block anything.

Each petal-shaped layer of this shield was strong enough to rival the ancient walls of fortresses. Though it was still a step below "Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia" in sheer protection, it was more than enough to withstand the storm from Ea—especially since its true name hadn't been fully released.

This was Archer's strongest defensive technique.

Though Sakura and Rin were shielded from the direct impact of the Noble Phantasm, the violent wind nearly knocked them off their feet.

The moment the storm died down, Rin pulled a gem the size of a pigeon egg from her pocket and tossed it into the air.

It shattered into powder, automatically weaving a spell midair.

Then, Rin drew a mercury sword from behind her back.

It was a Mystic Code her father had left her before taking her mother into hiding.

Originally, Tokiomi had planned to give it to Kirei Kotomine as a graduation gift—but after Kirei's betrayal, the gesture lost all meaning.

Even so, as a Mystic Code, it was flawless.

While it couldn't compare to Sakura's wand, it was the most suitable weapon Rin had right now.

All Rin had to do was pour her Mana into the sword, and the engraved spell would automatically activate, using the powdered gemstone spellwork as a foundation to form a one-time "cannon."

"Archer, move aside!" Rin shouted. "Sakura, are you ready?"

"Anytime."

A massive amount of Mana had already gathered at the tip of Sakura's wand.

Converting the Mana within Imaginary Space into a destructive force—this was Sakura's true trump card.

At Rin's signal, Archer and Saber leapt to either side.

Hand in hand, the two sisters—born with perfectly compatible Magic Circuits—quickly synchronized their Mana flow.

The Mana of the five elements merged with the Imaginary Attribute, forming a magical blast meant to obliterate the enemy before them.

"Give him a big one! Thor's Hammer!"

They shouted in unison.

The moment the wind pressure finally ceased, Rho Aias disappeared. The compressed Mana fired off instantly, boosted sevenfold by the mercury sword's spell formula, and shot straight toward Gilgamesh.

Even Archer and Saber were stunned by the precision and power behind the sisters' combined strike.

It was a tactic improvised in mere moments, yet executed with such flawless coordination it felt like the result of countless rehearsals.

If that blast landed, even a fully armored Saber wouldn't be able to claim she'd come through it unharmed, despite her Magic Resistance.

But—only if it hit.

The explosion shook the bridge like it was going to collapse, and smoke billowed across the entire four-lane span.

In the biting winter wind, the smoke slowly cleared. What Rin saw chilled her to the core.

A massive shield stood planted in the middle of the road, completely shielding Gilgamesh.

Its broad surface was more than enough to block even Heracles at his most berserk.

Bathed in golden light, the shield was withdrawn as Gilgamesh raised his chin and spoke with arrogant composure.

"This is no shield of mere mortals. It is a shield of the gods. Give up your surprise tactics while you still can, little girls. If you insist on interfering further, I can't guarantee your lives."

Behind him, dozens of golden portals materialized once more, each one bearing a Noble Phantasm. Archer didn't hesitate—he immediately projected an equal number of matching weapons.

"All the Noble Phantasms I've kept are top-tier. I'd advise against reckless imitation—your projections will shatter."

Gilgamesh's weapons launched and collided with Archer's midair, triggering a barrage of violent explosions.

Amid the blasts, Gilgamesh finally moved. With his chain-wrapped left hand, he drew a golden long-handled axe from a gate and charged at Archer, swinging downward.

Archer, needing to maintain the integrity of his projections to counter Gilgamesh's barrage, drew his black and white swords to intercept the strike.

"What are you after, King of Heroes!" Archer demanded.

"Nothing special," Gilgamesh replied without hesitation. "It's just that man—born and died as nothing more than a tool called 'king.' As someone with vision, I simply couldn't stand to watch."

"Using people, creating laws, ruling a nation—yes, he was a wise, kind, benevolent king."

"What?" Archer frowned, confused.

"But none of that was his own will. He was denied the right to feel human joy or sorrow—just a tool of rule, made to be called 'king.'"

A wry smile curled Gilgamesh's lips.

"And yet that man actually bowed his head to me. Said he wanted to face those two without interference. How could I turn him down?"

As he spoke, he pressed forward. The number of portals behind him doubled, stopping Saber as she tried to rejoin the fight, and forcing both Servants back.

Chains whipped through the air like they had minds of their own before coiling back into Gilgamesh's grasp.

"My Master is watching this, too. So give it everything you've got, mongrels."