An overwhelming army, the mere sight of which seemed enough to break one's spirit.
Against a force so reckless that even a seasoned Servant would lose heart, the legion began its thunderous charge across the earth.
The vibration of chariot wheels rolling shook the ground, and the roar of horses and men threatened to tear the very sky asunder.
However, even so, I do not retreat.
Six Paths of Reincarnation: Animal Path — Evil Spirits of River and Mountain
"Beasts of the Age of Gods… quite the trump card!"
Waver, finishing his analysis in an instant, fired a Magic Bullet. A giant mole erupted from beneath the earth, swallowing the projectile whole.
Moles, hounds, snakes, goats, tigers… the only difference from ordinary animals was their size, towering several times larger like monstrous nightmares, and their grotesque forms that defied the natural order.
A horde of monsters without formation or reason, existing only to slaughter and tear, began their charge toward the chariot corps with a ferocity that suggested killing an average human would be as simple as breathing.
[Shield-bearers, to the front!]
However, the King of Conquerors' army was no less resilient.
Each beast, roughly on the level of a Phantasmal Species—comparable to the creatures summoned by Nrvnqsr Chaos—crashed into the perfectly coordinated shields and saw their momentum shattered.
As the next wave of monsters scrambled over those who had slammed into the formation, the soldiers in the rear drew long spears, stabbing and pushing back the monsters with razor-sharp tips. Sand and dust billowed into the air. Finally, at the moment the beasts identified a gap in the Phalanx shield wall and prepared to pierce through, the Athanatoi moved at the signal of Zhuge Liang.
Soldiers armed with bows and slings began relentlessly firing arrows at the beasts' eyes and bellies—their vital points. Simultaneously, Indian soldiers mounted on elephants, presumably also Phantasmal Species, let out war cries as they trampled the monsters, pinning them down with spears and arrows.
"The Indian soldiers and elephants are a nuisance. I'll deal with them first."
Every magus has their specialty. Rather than being consumed solely by True Magic and the Rinnegan's innate abilities, I had decided to thoroughly research other fields as well.
Touko Aozaki, who reached the pinnacle of Puppetry, was a practitioner one could argue was a level above the Rinnegan in certain aspects, and Kayneth was a genius magus acknowledged even by the likes of her.
And when it comes to Waver, a master of instruction and interpretation, or the students of his classroom… there is no need for further explanation.
"Kayneth El-Melloi's primary major was Mineralogy, but he occasionally handled matters for the Department of Spiritual Invocation — Eurypis."
In other words, even if my relationship with the Eurypis faction was the worst, I could obtain their secrets through my connection with Kayneth El-Melloi.
Interpretation of Secret Magecraft? What cause for concern is there when Waver, who can even analyze the secrets of the Barthomeloi, is present?
"Corpse Synchronization — Link."
"Oh no, everyone fall back! Shield-bearers, prepare for impact! Cavalry, retreat as far as possible!"
"Too late. Fervor, mei sanguis—Boil, my blood!"
Magical Energy paths connected to the sprawling corpses, which began to swell as if overheating.
In Necromancy, exploding dead bodies is considered madness—a waste of precious materials. But what does it matter? I have an infinite supply of catalysts available here!
[Corpse Explosion!]
[The Unreturning Army — Stone Sentinel Maze!]
Normally a Noble Phantasm used against an army to bind and wither the enemy, it was now manifested to suppress a single massive offensive.
Dozens of stone pillars plummeted as a thick mist arose, isolating all actions within from the outside world. Fierce explosions repeatedly battered the interior of the formation, attempting to shatter the pillars, but the Noble Phantasm of the Servant Zhuge Liang withstood those countless blasts.
Finally, as the thick mist cleared and the stone pillars vanished, the remains of the monsters caught in the blast and the shield-bearers who had been pulled into the Stone Sentinel Maze were revealed.
Watching the troops vanish into motes of golden light, I clicked my tongue.
"I used that technique intending to at least dismantle the Athanatoi unit. The losses are quite steep."
"…That's my line, you lunatic! To self-destruct such Special A-grade materials? If the Clock Tower found out, they'd be foaming at the mouth, you psychopath!"
Those who had been swept away by the Stone Sentinel Maze and the explosion were the ones fighting at the very front.
Even so, seeing the damage inflicted upon the King's army from the start, Iskandar's lips curled into a smirk. His expression suggested it was more than sufficient as a response to his greeting.
"…King, I have roughly deduced their strategy. They intend to exhaust our army and Noble Phantasms in this manner, aiming for our magical depletion."
[Oho, is that so… Since that lad can continuously supply Magical Energy, that is indeed a practical plan!]
"Even the Stone Sentinel Maze won't be as effective next time. He's the type who would rather absorb Prana within the Maze and wait for the Reality Marble to dissolve… It's a strategy for a war of attrition against the King's army. Therefore, in this case…"
[We sweep them away in a single breath! That's it, isn't it!]
With a hearty laugh, Iskandar drew his spatha. Pointing it at me across the sea of beasts, the King of Conquerors roared.
[The greetings end here! Are you ready, Puppetmaster! From this moment forth, our Ionian Hetairoi shall do nothing but trample you! Forward, forward, advance, my friends!!! Show them the spirit of the men who have traversed the world, the majesty of the Great King of Conquerors and his army!!!!]
—A A LA LA LA LA LA Laie——————!!!!!!
"…That's an incredible force. It was the right choice to keep our troops back from the beginning."
"Commence Phase 2, Boudica. If you manifest your chariot, how long can you maintain it?"
"Thirty minutes!"
"Very well. From now on, we flee as fast as possible!"
The plan to exhaust the idiot Conqueror's army through sheer numbers had failed.
Corpse Explosion was supposed to be a trump card, but it ended up merely consuming a use of the Stone Sentinel Maze. All that remained was the trampling of the King of Conquerors.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Fortunately, Boudica's chariot was spacious enough for several people. After seating Spartacus and Boudica at the driver's seat, I summoned and crammed six puppets into the back with me.
The puppets, which had automatically transformed to fix themselves tightly inside the carriage, soon began to have their forms warped by the Asura Path.
Giant bores were opened in their arms to fire large-caliber shells, and some combined both hands to reveal the shape of a massive gatling gun.
"Phalanx? Charioteers? Indian Elephant units…? They are merely an obsolete army of the past."
As the puppets atop the chariot were remodeled into war machines worth a hundred men each, we began to flee the pursuing King's army alongside the crack of Boudica's whip.
[Chariot corps, to the front! Watch out for enemy interception!!!]
"Asura Path active. Prevent a single soul from approaching!"
The world itself was closing in.
Like a single massive wave, or a storm that consumes everything, the reverberation of that advance began to close the distance.
The largest man bellowed with all his might to boost the army's courage, and the legions sprinting behind him maintained a solid defense, their feet never faltering as if they would parry any situation.
Even if a barrage like a heavy downpour covered them, even if unidentified bombardments rained down, or if explosions consisting of technology rather than magecraft erupted in their midst, they followed one man's back and pressed forward.
While the charioteers took the lead, the speed of the Phalanx advancing in sync was just as fast as a sprint.
Orderly, their movements resembled a precise card section—it looked as though a small square building were writhing forward. The cavalry guarding the flanks struck down or absorbed incoming shells to maintain the formation, and the Athanatoi, armed with slings and bows, wove between the separated Phalanx units like chains, shooting down bombardments aimed at breaking their link. The Egyptian chariot forces kept the lead, running at a pace that threatened to overtake the King himself, while the elephant and Indian brigades began to run from the very rear to stay out of range of the shelling.
[Caster unit! Mage brigade! The time has come to show your strength!]
At that exact moment, Iskandar's roar rang out.
The Indian and elephant brigades in the far rear. The shamans and magi in heavy attire just in front of them. While running, they all raised their staves toward the sky simultaneously.
"…The sky has changed. It looks like lightning is about to strike!"
"Boudica, never forget that fact. The reason Magecraft declined… was decisively due to the innovation known as the 'Industrial Revolution.'"
Rain of fire descended to obstruct the chariot's path, and thunderclouds formed, accurately striking down upon them.
A poisonous fog that seemed capable of stopping one's breath obscured their vision, and the earth shook, trying to tear the wheels off the carriage.
"You should know that won't work, King Iskandar! Have you forgotten who is riding this chariot!"
[Indeed, that ability and that Gladiator of Rebellion seem as robust as ever! However, if the earth shakes, your escape won't be so steady! Mage units, do not stop! Pour your bombardment upon them! Shamans, shake the earth and prevent the chariot led by the Queen of Victory from moving! Sink them into the ground so they cannot flee! If we reach them, victory is ours!!!]
"Ha! Fine… You seem to think you can stop the Chariot of the Queen of Victory with such measly tricks!"
Boudica declared as much, cracking her whip to urge the horses onward.
Iskandar, with a chariot pulled by divine bulls, might have a higher rank as a Rider… but he had a whole army with him.
"I may be weaker than you, and my Noble Phantasm may be lower in rank… but at the very least, I have people to protect right now! When a Master who isn't even a Servant is going this far, do you think I'll lose to a conqueror like you a second time?! HYAAAAAA!!!!"
[That's the spirit, Queen of Vengeance! Leave the rear to this rebel!! No attack shall reach this chariot so long as I am here!!!]
While I neutralized the poisonous fog and the direct interference applied to the chariot, Spartacus began intercepting every attack aimed at the puppets.
Various fireballs and lightning bolts were rendered useless by him as he swung his sword and mace with a battle cry. Instead, they were absorbed by his muscles, vanishing without a trace.
[Ghooooooh!!! It is hot, Oppressor!!! But did you truly believe you could defeat this Sword of Rebellion with such trivial attacks?! Naive! Absolutely, utterly naive!!! This Rebel Gladiator shall now become the sword that guards the flames of rebellion and protect them!!!]
A pattern emerged: one side fleeing, the other pursuing.
Tens of thousands of troops moved as one, thoroughly intercepting the fleeing party's shelling, while the mage units sprinting from the rear poured out interference—shaking the earth or damaging the wheels.
"Boudica, how much time is left?"
"I could keep this up all day!"
"Don't give me that 'spirit and guts' talk! This is war, you need to tell me the exact limit!"
"…At most, 16 minutes is the limit. Beyond that, I need time to recharge the Noble Phantasm!"
Then, it meant we had to exhaust that army as much as possible before then.
"Boudica, can you push the output even higher here?"
"What? But if I do that, the chariot will vanish sooner. It'd be better to maintain our current speed and hold this position…"
"Trust me, Queen of Victory. In this situation, increasing speed is the correct move."
Our first strategy was to unilaterally force them to bleed.
Initially, I tried to inflict heavy losses through a war of attrition using magical beasts, but failed due to the Stone Sentinel Maze. I tried to blunt their edge while fleeing, but their coordination was more solid than imagined.
"Entering Phase 3. If we increase our speed, they will surely react!"
"…Fine, let's do it!"
Boudica whipped the horses, and with a violent snort, the chariot began to blaze across the desert like a mad thing.
The forces behind seemed to pause for a moment before beginning to drift further away; the incoming magical attacks and the roars of soldiers felt slightly fainter.
And at that moment, something flashed overhead, and several giant heaps of stone began to fall.
[The Unreturning Army — Stone Sentinel Maze]
Zhuge Liang — Waver Velvet — had activated his Noble Phantasm for the second time in succession.
"…It's true. How did you predict it?"
"Using my Asura Path, I can run at speeds faster than most Riders, even if not as fast as your chariot. And I have the summons of the Animal Path, don't I?"
"Red Hare… I see. So you had a means of escape prepared in advance?"
"Yeah… even if I don't exhaust them unilaterally, this is ultimately a Reality Marble. If they have no way to win in an infinite race, they have to find a certain way to overtake us…"
"Or trap and surround us. Right?"
If they succeeded in surrounding the Stone Sentinel Maze with the King's army, escaping by ordinary means would become impossible. It was a method to crush us completely after surrounding us with the Ionian Hetairoi. As the saying goes, 'an army requires no complex tactics,' it was a method to ensure victory.
However, the Stone Sentinel Maze had its own significant flaws.
It had the advantage of complete containment and applying various debuffs to those inside… but firstly, it could be destroyed by a Noble Phantasm of Gordius Wheel's level. Secondly, those on the outside could not observe the inside.
Since he activated the Noble Phantasm twice in a row, Zhuge Liang must be exhausted to some extent… By now, his means of blocking my attack should be gone.
I've also confirmed the capabilities of the mage brigade through the chase just now… Now, all that's left is to blow this damn Reality Marble away!
"Damn it, I'll be bedridden for a day… Still, it's a small price to pay for facing the King of Conquerors."
It starts with an incantation.
It is the same incantation as before, but this time, it carries a singular intent.
May this strike strike them down, and may it surely retire those battle-hardened heroes.
[The Six Paths. Hell, Asura, Preta, Animal, Human, Deva. Each shall circulate and complement the other.
As each circulates to complement the logic of the world, I shall now bring completion to the immature one who has not attained enlightenment.
The opening of Samsara, liberation from endless repetition, the epiphany of the fool.
However, I shall regress here and now to repeat the cycle of reincarnation once more. That which I summon is the Seat of Asura, unceasing destruction. Eternal Samsara, the wrath of the violent one.]
Emperor's Wrath — Tsar Bomba