FATE: Target of Grand Master

The radiant vessel of gold and emeralds, Vimana, carried its master Gilgamesh to the mountain range above the Great Void.

"How can my arrival be celebrated without a salute?"

Vimana fired several missiles, which, if they hit the mountain, would turn the large cavity inside into an open-air spot for moon viewing.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

The missile did not hit the mountain as intended, but was struck in mid-air by an arrow fired from the ground and detonated prematurely.

Gilgamesh looked down in the direction from which the intercepting arrow had been fired, and saw a tall, masked servant standing atop the tallest tree nearby, holding a bow.

Alcides raised his bow again, aimed at Vimana high in the sky, and fired three arrows at once.

Each arrow, once released from the bow, roared out like a rocket, its targets aimed at Vimana's two wings and the throne in the center.

"A mere trick. You dare to think you can take down Vimana with just three arrows? I'll teach you what real firepower is."

More than fifty golden ripples instantly appeared in mid-air, all shooting towards the direction where Alcides was located.

Apart from a dozen or so that were used to shoot down the enemy's arrows, the rest of the Noble Phantasms carpet-bombed the forest where Alcides was located.

Alcides made no attempt to dodge, as these magical artifacts could not harm him at all.

"Oh?"

Gilgamesh immediately noticed Alcides' unusual behavior.

To verify his guess, Gilgamesh unleashed nearly a hundred more Noble Phantasms, completely blasting the area where Alcides was located into flat ground.

However, Alcides remained unharmed, as if the damage from those Noble Phantasms had been completely neutralized.

Not only that, Alcides also held the Noble Phantasm that Gilgamesh had shot earlier, nocked it on his bowstring, drew his bow, and shot it back at Gilgamesh.

"I see. That old bug really likes to modify things."

Gilgamesh effortlessly deflected the opponent's counterattack, then said to Alcides below, "Great hero, how does it feel to regain your sanity?"

Seeing that Gilgamesh had recognized his true name, Alcides replied, "King of Heroes, do you remember when you were at Einzbern Castle saying you wanted to have a good fight with me, who possesses reason? Perfect timing, I also want revenge, killing you, a demigod, would be killing two birds with one stone."

"Hahaha, great hero, even though you've regained your senses, you still seem a bit out of it. Kill me? Let me get off Vimalakirti first before you spout such nonsense."

"Excalibur!"

Artoria Altera appeared on the battlefield at some point and, without saying a word, unleashed her Noble Phantasm.

Faced with the sudden surge of black magic, Gilgamesh quickly manipulated Vimana to dodge.

"Saber! Damaging my throne is a grave crime."

Although Gilgamesh spoke words of rebuke, his expression revealed great excitement.

"That's about right. Come at me all at once. It'll be a good opportunity for me to stretch my muscles."

Alcides has become an avenger with infinite hostility towards the gods. He no longer considers himself a hero, nor does he adhere to the so-called "fairness" of one-on-one combat. As long as he can achieve his goal, even if the other party is just a helpless child, Alcides will still strike without mercy.

As for Artoria Altera, there's even less to say. Soulless, she simply carries out the orders given to her by Matou Ryouken like a machine. Her mission was to join forces with Alcides to destroy Gilgamesh.

The two men, positioned on the left and right, subtly appeared to be flanking Gilgamesh.

The one who made the first move was still Artoria Altera, who had almost unlimited magic power. Although the sword light released by her magic power was not as powerful as a Noble Phantasm, it had the advantage of no wind-up, and could continuously interfere with Gilgamesh.

Immediately afterwards, Alcides also unleashed the "Hound of Hades" from the Noble Phantasm "Twelve Glories," a giant three-headed hound of hell that appeared at Alcides' feet.

Archides, charging forward on Cerberus, wrapped the "War God's Belt" around his giant bow, using the divine power of the belt to enhance the power of his arrows. In just three seconds, he fired more than a dozen arrows at Gilgamesh.

Faced with attacks from both sides, Gilgamesh used his defensive Noble Phantasm to block Artoria Alter's attacks while simultaneously unleashing his own Noble Phantasm to exchange fire with Alcides.

Just as Cerberus leaped high into the air, preparing to pounce on Vimalakirti, golden chains appeared out of thin air, suspending the divine beast firmly in mid-air.

The Chains of Heaven are like natural enemies to beings with divine nature.

"I deliberately let you go first, and this is all you've achieved? You've truly disappointed me," Gilgamesh sneered, having easily deflected all the attacks.

"As expected of the King of Heroes, he is indeed worth hunting down."

Alcides was not affected by Gilgamesh's mockery. Instead, he stepped on the head of the suffocating Cerberus and leaped high into the air again. He used the "War God's Belt" to wield the crimson demon sword Dasethin that Gilgamesh had shot at him earlier and slashed away the other Noble Phantasms that were trying to block him in mid-air.

Finally, Alcides grabbed the edge of Vimana with one hand, then pushed off and landed on the deck of Vimana.

"My proud king, although I did not shoot down your chariot, I am now at your level."

"Fool. Can't you see that I deliberately let you board my carriage?"

Gilgamesh rose from his throne and drew his sword, the sword of annihilation.

"Although you seem to be closer to a beast in essence than you were in your Berserker form, you are still a possibility for that great hero and have the qualifications to ride on my chariot."

Alcides, however, scoffed at Gilgamesh's approval.

"Proud king, you will pay the price for your arrogance."

Alcides charged forward and appeared in front of Gilgamesh in the blink of an eye, while Gilgamesh released Vimana at the same time.

"I cannot allow you to damage my precious carriage."

"You should think about your own safety first."

The two engaged in close combat while in freefall.

Swords clashed, the metallic clang mingling with the clash of magic, creating countless ripples in mid-air.

Seeing that Alcides could use his Noble Phantasm so smoothly, Gilgamesh said, "You bastard, you even have the ability to steal Noble Phantasms."

Unlike Lancelot's Berserker Noble Phantasm "Knights Never Die Bare-Handed," which requires the user to hold the Noble Phantasm in their hand, Alcides' Noble Phantasm "Usurper of the Heavenly Wind" has the ability to directly steal the opponent's Noble Phantasm. However, Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm "Gate of Babylon" allows the user to use the Noble Phantasm stored within it according to the king's preferences. Therefore, Alcides' stealing effect is simply that he can completely control the Noble Phantasm in his hand.

However, this is enough for Alcádez now.

Hercules' Noble Phantasm "Shoot Down a Hundred Heads" allows her to use various martial arts techniques, whether with a weapon at hand or bare hands. It is a Noble Phantasm possessed by all Hercules except those of the Berserker class.

Gilgamesh realized at that moment that he had made a mistake; he shouldn't have given Alcides the chance to get close.

Even though he wasn't a Saber, Alcides' swordsmanship was slightly better than Gilgamesh's. With the added advantage of the great hero's own martial arts, Gilgamesh felt as if a fierce hurricane was sweeping up in front of him.

Of course, Gilgamesh did not forget to use "Gate of Babylon" to interfere with Alcides. Since he was in mid-air, Gilgamesh could attack his opponent from all angles.

Although the "Divine Beast's Robe" of the Noble Phantasm "Twelve Glories" can resist the tools of human civilization, its coverage is not without blind spots, and it will reveal its weakness every time it actively launches an attack.

Therefore, Alcides cannot completely ignore the Noble Phantasm launched from "Gate of Babylon" and must devote some of his energy to being on guard.

The two then engaged in a battle of offense and defense during their freefall, where the slightest misstep could lead to instant death.