That night, after we had pushed the refugees as far to the rear as our sight could reach, the thunderous lowing of oxen echoed from the distance, accompanied by a colossal blaze.
The rattling of a chariot and the bellows of two divine bulls made the identity of the approaching force clear, even without analytical magecraft.
A chariot surrounded by lightning, pulled by two divine bulls, and two men riding upon it.
One was a modern-looking man with long hair, deep nasolabial folds, and a face stained with exhaustion. The other was a muscular giant with crimson hair—a being who looked like the very personification of the word 'gallant.'
...Naturally, they were two people I knew well.
"...So that is the King of Conquerors of Macedonia, Iskandar."
[Guh... Oppression! The ultimate oppression that seeks to place the entire world beneath his feet!]
It was true.
If Spartacus, standing beside me, was the pinnacle of rebellion, then that man was the pinnacle of oppression... or rather, conquest.
The man who had been a reliable ally during the 4th Holy Grail War was now racing toward us, standing on the side of the enemy.
[Listen, vanguards of the future and champions of rebellion! My name is Iskandar! I am the King of Conquerors, manifested in the Rider class at the summons of a lawless master!]
"...In that case, am I supposed to jump in and yell, 'What are you doing, you idiot Servant!'?"
"And Zhuge Liang is with him, too."
By the way, if Chaldea is observing this... we should probably offer our condolences to our Great Big Ben London Star.
"...The actual King of Conquerors... This might be a bit difficult."
"You said his Noble Phantasm is an army. Can't you handle it with your summons like before?"
The internal injuries that had turned my guts to mush were barely managed with Preta Path: Seal Absorption, and I had managed to recover some prana by absorbing it directly from the leylines.
"...No, that alone won't be enough."
Ionian Hetairoi—the grand army of Iskandar that conquered the world.
The army he summoned in the 4th Holy Grail War with Waver as his Master was formidable enough, but now he had the backing of Lev Lainur and the United Roman Empire. It was only natural to assume that the King's Army itself had been strengthened...
Perhaps, alongside the historical units Iskandar led, some bizarre things like Magecraft Corps—which are inevitable within the TYPE-MOON world—might even emerge.
"It's better to assume our 3,000 troops are non-existent. To stop that, we must commit to a decapitation strategy... We have no choice but to take the head of Iskandar as he tears across the battlefield in his lightning chariot."
The problem was... Zhuge Liang—Waver Velvet—riding in that chariot.
Even putting aside Zhuge Liang's basic attacks, his defensive Noble Phantasm, Sekiheki Hachijin, would undoubtedly be used to thoroughly protect Iskandar and maintain the King's Army. If they can just endure... everything will be swept away by the overwhelming numbers of the King's Army, so he will protect Iskandar, who sustains that force, at all costs.
[In any case... this is a bit dull. Is that vanguard of the future not the Puppeteer I once knew? When we met in Fuyuki City, he was a man who fought valiantly without trembling even against the Evils of Humanity. I wish to ask why he is hiding like a turtle!]
Look, please don't just charge in like this out of nowhere; I'm scared to death.
Besides, this isn't like Fuyuki or the Holy Grail War in the shadows, is it? Back then, I was operating puppets to act as my proxies, and we had incredibly powerful Servants on our side.
Just looking at the faces present then... we had the King of Knights of the Round Table, the King of Heroes... the King of Conquerors, and even the hero of the Celts. But now, taking on a Great Hero-class like Iskandar and his perfect match, Zhuge Liang, with only two Servants who are second-rate at best? That is essentially a suicide mission.
...Still, I suppose I have to go out there.
"Phew... It would be best if we could solve this through dialogue without a fight... though I doubt things are in a state where that would work."
Reluctantly, I showed myself from a distance, and Iskandar's voice, amplified by Waver's magecraft, boomed loudly.
[Ooh, so you've finally come out! Hey, Waver! Is that not a face you haven't seen in a long time!]
"...Rider, have you forgotten that this body I've manifested in was conversing with that man only recently?"
[Ah, I suppose that was the case. Then I am the only one who needs to give greetings? It has been a long time, Puppeteer! You seem to have grown quite a bit... No, have you truly matured!]
"...It seems you've sided with the United Roman Empire. Did they beat us to the punch and summon you first?"
[Is it not inevitable! I heard that you possess 'sight' as well; why did you not have Waver here call me first!]
"As if it were that simple, you conquest-obsessed idiot..."
Waver lamented.
"Indeed, indeed. Just as our 'Great Big Ben London Star' says, I think you need to fix your reckless personality."
"FUCK! Karma, you bastard, you called me that on purpose!"
"Hmm? Perish the thought. Though, even if Chaldea's communications are cut off right now, our situation is likely being transmitted back to them..."
"This is madness! No, no, that's not... Shut your mouth this instant, Karma!"
"Aren't you being a bit harsh over a simple slip of the tongue... A person can live life making mistakes, stealing their mentor's catalyst, or launching meteors on the Rail Zeppelin, can't they?"
[Hmm, the Puppeteer is right! You showed the ambition of a great man during the Grail War, but it seems you're still lacking! And is that nickname not quite grand? I have a few good titles myself... the King of Two Horns, Dhul-Qarnayn, and the Great Big Ben London...]
"Aaaagh, stop it! Shut up! Stop broadcasting my dark history!!!"
Zhuge Liang El-Melloi was so enraged he grabbed Iskandar by the collar and started shaking him violently.
...Good, shall I take it one step further?
"Quite impressive, to grab the King of Conquerors of Macedonia by the collar and shake him... You were like that during the 4th Holy Grail War, too. As expected of the man ranked number one in the Clock Tower for 'The Man Most Desired for a Hug.' Even I, a Third Magician, am impressed by your audacity..."
"I'm going to kill you!!! You son of a bitch, I'm absolutely killing you!!!!!"
"Willing to kill a Third Magician, your audacity truly has grown!"
As Waver went into a hysterical frenzy, Iskandar suppressed him with a hand the size of a pot lid, cleared his throat, and shouted.
[Ahem! Let us end the reunion here.]
With a thunderous crash, a massive bolt of lightning struck down beside Iskandar.
"...Mm, so you still intend to attack us?"
"Regrettably, we have no choice, Karma. Within the deepest part of this Saint Graph, an order has been etched to kill you and Chaldea."
"Hmph... Then you're not in a position to give us information like Caesar?"
Iskandar and Waver remained silent at that question.
I thought as much... They must be under a mental geas similar to Caesar's.
"Listen carefully, Boudica. They are under the same geas as Caesar. Information is pointless; we simply have to kill them."
"...They seem close to you. Are you alright with this?"
"The strategist side is just a vessel being borrowed, so I can meet him again as many times as I want. And as for the King of Conquerors, he's the type who would be offended if we didn't give it our all."
"Fine... Then, do you have a plan?"
"...No?"
While Servants aren't generally bound by human 'plans,' there are those among them who could be considered singular anomalies.
The King of Heroes, who counters the legends of other Servants with an infinite supply of Noble Phantasms.
Artoria Pendragon—who, with her scabbard, can ignore all damage with super-regeneration and even kill the King of Heroes.
...And the King of Conquerors, who possesses an absurdly broken Noble Phantasm capable of summoning a vast army—each soldier being a low-rank Servant—with a single Reality Marble.
To have a minimal 'plan' work in an open-field battle against that crazy duo, one would need a Noble Phantasm that summons an equivalent army... for example, Darius III or Ivan the Terrible. If not that, a Noble Phantasm that can force a geographical advantage.
Servants like Edward Teach, who has a ship that can fly as long as multiple Servants are on board; or Elizabeth Bathory, who summons a 'castle' that fires terrifying acoustic bombs; along with Osakabehime or Ozymandias.
Unless there is a geographical advantage that can drag an open-field battle, where we are at a severe numerical disadvantage, into a siege, it is meaningless to devise a plan against them.
"That duo is the type against which plans don't work."
With Zhuge Liang there as well... it was more likely that any plan would simply be dismantled anyway.
"...In the end, you're saying we have to have a contest of pure strength against that 'army.'"