A sudden burst of lightning and thunder drew everyone's attention. With a bolt of lightning descending from the sky, Artoria and Diarmuid were forcibly interrupted, their gazes fixed warily on the red-haired giant riding a thunderous ox-drawn chariot. His arrival gave the disadvantaged Artoria a moment to catch her breath. "My name is Iskandar, the King of Conqueror!" He declared, arms spread wide, announcing his presence to the two Heroic Spirits. "In this Holy Grail War, I descend as Rider!" "Another one's shown up." The Ice Empress noted, recognizing the burly man as one of the two main targets Damien sought in this Holy Grail War. "Saber's hand is injured; she can't wield her holy sword anymore." The Ice Empress observed, having watched Artoria and Diarmuid's duel. She now had a clear grasp of her own strength. Latest content publıshed on ɴovelfire.net Without using special magic, her body... rated A++... surpassed even Diarmuid when he used his Noble Phantasms. But Saber's light cannon? Even if the Ice Empress could withstand it, her magical energy would likely be drained completely. "If we act now, we could take all three of them down." She suggested. "Not yet." Damien replied, deeming the timing poor. "There are other Heroic Spirits lurking in the shadows. If Gilgamesh launches a sneak attack while we're engaged, it'll be trouble." "Fine." The Ice Empress conceded, tempted to ask why he didn't send the Snow Empress to intercept Gilgamesh. But since Damien wasn't ready to end the Holy Grail War tonight, she held her tongue. Vassals had the right to offer counsel, but the final decision rested with Damien. Meanwhile, Kiritsugu Emiya had been observing the Ice Empress. The girl, radiating terrifying magical energy and an icy aura, didn't seem human at all. The only possibility was that she was a Heroic Spirit. The one holding Maiya hostage was a Heroic Spirit, and Damien, despite bearing Command Seals, seemed to be one too. And now, this third one appeared. In just moments, three Heroic Spirits had emerged. What baffled Kiritsugu even more was that these two clearly deferred to Damien. No, no alliance works . A historical figure flashed through Kiritsugu's mind: A Caster with the ability to summon powerful pseudo-Heroic Spirits… Kiritsugu was startled by his own theory. If it really is that figure, just how chaotic will this Holy Grail War become? "Hm?" Damien sensed Kiritsugu's mental storm but ignored it. No matter what Kiritsugu guessed, he'd never imagine that Damien and his group came from another world. It wasn't about plausibility... no one would consider that the Holy Grail War could summon Servants from other worlds. "Though fate pits us against each other for the Holy Grail, I have one question first!" Iskandar proclaimed. "Will you join me and yield the Grail to me? If so, I shall treat you as friends, and we'll share the joy of conquering the world together!" "What kind of joke is this?" Unsurprisingly, Iskandar's bold declaration left everyone speechless. Those present, whether Masters or Servants, had their own desires. How could they simply hand over the Grail? Submitting to a fellow Heroic Spirit like Iskandar was an outright challenge to their spiritual dignity. "This guy…" Kiritsugu muttered. "The world was nearly conquered by such a fool?" "Pretty interesting, isn't it?" Damien said, resting his chin on his hand. "Honestly, if I could, I'd like to be like him." "I'm not interested in the Grail." Damien admitted. "Rather than the Grail, I'd prefer the loyalty of the summoned Heroic Spirits." At that moment, Kayneth finally noticed Waver beside Iskandar. Realizing the truth behind his stolen Saint Relic, Kayneth unleashed a barrage of merciless mockery and threats, leaving Waver trembling. Fortunately, Iskandar, true to his reputation as a great ruler, easily reassured his young Master and countered without hesitation. "Hey, magus!" Iskandar called out. "From what you're saying, you intended to replace this boy as my Master, didn't you? That's utterly laughable." "A man worthy of being my Master must be a warrior who can ride into battle with me." Iskandar declared. "A coward too spineless to show himself doesn't qualify to be my Master!" When it came to mockery, Iskandar was a professional. Kayneth gritted his teeth, furious at being told he was inferior to Waver. Kiritsugu remained unfazed. As an assassin, he cared little for reputation. Kiritsugu glanced over and immediately noticed the Ice Empress's darkened expression. Clearly, such mockery wasn't without effect. For someone as proud as the Ice Empress, being called a rat skulking in the shadows was intolerable. "Fran!" Damien called, stopping the Ice Empress from acting. "Go make an appearance." Wielding her massive thunder hammer, Fran emerged from the void. With a few leaps, she bounded across the containers, crashing onto the battlefield of the three Heroic Spirits like a meteor. Damien sent Fran out for no other reason than to introduce his official Berserker to the other Heroic Spirits. "A new Heroic Spirit?!" While Iskandar and the others were surprised by the arrival of another Heroic Spirit, Kiritsugu was genuinely stunned by Damien's tactics. That's the third one! Is that the Heroic Spirit's True Name? Kiritsugu couldn't recall any Heroic Spirit named Fran, but his earlier suspicion grew stronger: The legendary King of Magecraft from the Tanakh, said to command seventy-two Demon God Pillars... Solomon! "Hm?" Damien paused at Kiritsugu's sudden outburst. "Oh, you're talking about my identity?" He said, neither confirming nor denying it. But come to think of it… Damien realized his situation did bear a striking resemblance to King Solomon's legend. Especially the ability to summon seventy-two Demon God Pillars. His [Monster Kingdom of Another World] was indeed quite similar in effect. Even the legions controlled by those Demon God Pillars shared some parallels with his Goblin army. Hi guys, Elenea here! I just want to announce that starting now I'll be trying to focus on my own original fanfic, which I've been thinking about for the past few days (lol I really mulled this over briefly for a few days and decided I'm going to make it a full novel). [Worse Than the Devil (DxD)] An evil and chaotic creature, born from hell, which are often a scapegoat for humans. Blamed for the atrocities they themselves commit. "The devil made me do it." A phrase always uttered by humans after committing crimes, casting blame and responsibility for their wrongdoings onto the devil. But not all humans are like that, for there is one man who would gleefully commit atrocities that would be condemned by all of human history and accept the blame and responsibility for those wrongs with open arms. His name is Michael, but in stark contrast to the meaning of his name 'Who is like God' he is not a devout man who draws near to God's embrace. Instead… he is the one who sends lost sheep to meet God's embrace much faster. Btw, a quick note before you decide to read, if you have a heart as pure as glass, I suggest you don't read this because it REALLY gets dark to early. The first chapter will give you a little idea of what I might explore later on in this fanservice harem-themed world like DxD.