Chapter 156 152: Impostor
"So you are King Arthur? I apologize for my lack of respect."
Arthur's introduction clearly surprised him, prompting him to bow properly, like a true knight.
"In that case, King Arthur, according to the etiquette of duels between knights, I should also introduce myself properly."
He paused briefly, as if organizing his thoughts.
"I am Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, a member of the Fianna Knights of Ireland and a Saber-class Servant." he said in a serious tone.
No wonder…
Irisviel brought a hand to her mouth, surprised. From the very first moment, there had been something about that man—more specifically, the small beauty mark beneath his eye—that exerted a strange attraction on her.
But as soon as she heard his name, everything made sense.
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne… the man known as the bearer of the "Love Spot."
An almost unfair charm against women.
"How about we move our fight to a more appropriate location? This isn't a good place for a fair duel." Arthur commented, casually gesturing toward the surrounding buildings as if he were suggesting changing restaurants.
"You are right." Diarmuid agreed without hesitation.
Their battle would not only draw too much attention, but the location was also unsuitable for an honorable duel.
"I hope we meet again soon and that we can have our duel to the death." he said.
With that, he turned and disappeared into the darkness, likely responding to his Master's call.
The silence lasted only a moment.
"Someone else is coming." Arthur murmured.
"He is here." Artoria confirmed, her expression turning serious again.
Arthur smiled.
"I know exactly who just arrived…" he murmured.
Tilting his head slightly, he looked toward the top of a nearby streetlamp.
With his arms crossed, clad in radiant golden armor, stood Gilgamesh.
"Do you have the courage to repeat what you just said in front of me… mongrel?"
His voice carried pure disdain.
His scarlet eyes locked onto Arthur like blades.
Arthur let out a faint scoff.
"If I'm a mongrel… then what does that make you?"
He tilted his head as if genuinely curious.
"Have you forgotten that you are also just a demigod?"
For a second, the air seemed to freeze.
"You wretched bastard…!"
The reaction was immediate—veins bulged on Gilgamesh's forehead. Behind him, countless golden ripples began to form in space.
Arthur… simply sighed inwardly.
I've changed my mind… this mask is already starting to annoy me.
"Well… it doesn't really make sense to hide my face." he said.
He raised a hand to his face and removed the mask.
Immediately, he changed his armor to his Caster outfit, after all, he was much better than that flashy golden armor.
His eyes met Gilgamesh's directly.
"I assume you recognize this appearance."
For a brief instant, Gilgamesh froze.
"That—"
Surprise flashed across his expression before being quickly replaced by even greater irritation.
"I am you… no, more precisely—"
Arthur smiled, his tone lightly mocking.
"You are me."
The words fell like a deliberate provocation.
"And you expect me to believe that nonsense?"
Gilgamesh sneered, though his irritation was now mixed with something deeper—a direct affront to his pride.
The golden ripples behind him intensified.
"I suppose it wouldn't be that simple."
Arthur shrugged, and then a golden ripple appeared beside him as well.
"But what if I use this?"
From within it, golden chains slowly emerged, gleaming under the night light.
For a moment, the world seemed to stop—and Gilgamesh's gaze changed.
"…How do you have that?"
His voice lost its explosive edge.
But before they could say anything else—
"Hold it right there!"
A voice echoed from above, and with a loud crash, something landed carelessly between Arthur and Gilgamesh, kicking up dust and shattering the tense atmosphere that had dominated the scene until then.
"Hahahaha! My name is Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, and I have descended into this world as a Rider in this Holy Grail War!"
The tension simply dissipated the moment he spoke.
All eyes turned to Iskandar, who laughed openly and carefree, as if that battlefield were nothing more than another banquet.
"I never imagined that, aside from Berserker, there would be a Servant who would reveal his name right from the start."
Kiritsugu, watching from afar, murmured something to Maiya Hisau beside him, clearly at a loss for words. Maiya merely nodded, equally incredulous.
The only one who truly suffered there was Iskandar's Master.
The completely impulsive act of his own Servant made Waver pale.
"Rider! What are you thinking, revealing your name?!"
Bang!
"Ouch! That hurts!!"
Without even looking properly, Iskandar extended a finger and flicked Waver on the forehead.
It wasn't strong, but it was enough to make Waver immediately clutch his head, writhing in pain.
In response, Iskandar simply nodded, satisfied.
"Although fate has brought me to compete for the Holy Grail with all of you… I would like to ask for one thing first."
He paused briefly, then spread his arms wide.
With a booming laugh, he declared:
"You are exceptional men who will be remembered for eternity! Why not become my vassals and hand over the Holy Grail to me?!"
"If you do so, I will treat you all as friends and share with you the joy of conquering the world!"
No one responded.
They simply looked at him as if trying to decide whether it was a joke or not.
"I told you not to be so extravagant… everyone's going to laugh at us…" Waver muttered, defeated.
"Hahahaha! And what's the problem with that?"
Iskandar replied without the slightest embarrassment.
"Only the weak hide their ambitions! The strong proclaim their desires to the world without hesitation!"
He gave Waver a firm slap on the shoulder.
"Waver, you'd better become a real man soon! Hahaha!"
"I'm already man enough!!" he shot back, nearly in tears.
Iskandar's laughter echoed throughout the entire area.
Even Kiritsugu, half a kilometer away, could hear it.
He sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"The world was nearly conquered by someone like that… what a joke."
Beside him, Maiya simply smiled faintly.
---xXx---
"You truly dare to say that…"
Before the scene could continue—
"…What insolence."
Gilgamesh's voice cut through the air, filled with contempt.
But before he could continue—
"So it really is you. Of course it had to be."
Another voice echoed.
It came from the top of a nearby warehouse, amplified by magic.
A sound that made Waver freeze in place.
"I was wondering what had happened for you to steal my relic… but I never imagined you would actually participate in the Holy Grail War."
"Waver Velvet."
"Eh…?"
Waver's body stiffened completely.
But while that was happening—
Arthur sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead as if tired of the entire spectacle.
"One louder than the other…"
he muttered, then looked directly at Iskandar with a faint, provocative smile.
"King of Conquerors, hm?"
Arthur tilted his head, evaluating him without the slightest reverence.
"You interrupt my conversation… and still think you can simply recruit us as if you were gathering soldiers in a tavern?"
Then, without even looking, he pointed his thumb at Gilgamesh.
"That one over there is particularly sensitive when someone talks about 'submission.' Especially when he's not the one giving the orders."
The golden ripples behind Gilgamesh intensified dangerously.
"…Shut your mouth, impostor."
His voice was low, but filled with pure killing intent.
"If that helps you sleep better at night, Goldie… then feel free to keep believing that. After all, denying reality is a kind of comfort too, isn't it?" Arthur mocked.
---
(End of Chapter)
A/N: Thanks to what "BeardedBullfrog" said in a comment on chapter 148, I realized that even though it had started recently, this arc already needed a revision because of some errors. Besides that, while I was rereading the arc from the beginning, I realized that I hadn't written some things I should have, so I will do a revision of this arc while it is still at the beginning and fix these problems.
Don't worry, this will not affect the update schedule in any way.