"Charge!!!"

  Following Iskandar's and, the remnants of his legirouped and charged toward the Great Wall.

  Halfway there, the defenders of the Great Wall uheir terattack. Arrows, javelins, and other projectiles rained down from above in a coordinated assault.

  "Hold formation!"

  On the Great Wall, the soldiers were calm and anized. At the and of their leader, they leaned forward, raising their shields to block the ining projectiles. The formation of shields worked fwlessly, defleg the storm of arrows and javelins with precision.

  "Archers, loose!"

  As soon as the and was given, the shield bearers stepped aside, and rows of archers advahese archers operated in a systematiation, divided into three teams. The first team loosed their arrows, immediately stepping back to reload, while the sed and third teams fired in quick succession.

  Within seds, a relentless rain of arrows bhe battlefield, targeting Iskandar's charging army.

  The King of querors' forces suffered signifit losses almost instantly.

  It was a strategic miscalcution on Iskandar's part.

  The Great Wall had been inally structed to repel cavalry invasions, giving it a natural advantage against Rider-css Servants and mounted armies like Iskandar's. On top of that, his army had already been severely depleted after their csh with Darius III's undead forces.

  Victory seemed almost impossible now.

  "Advance!"

  Uerred, Iskandar pyed his st card.

  From his iory, he retrieved the "Gordian Knot", a bonding relic that amplified the bat abilities of his troops by 15%. This item, acquired from a silver treasure chest, was a treasured piece of his arsenal.

  Strengthened by this additional power, his army roared with renewed vigor and pressed forward through the hail of arrows. They brought out dders, sg the Great Wall in an effort to breach its defenses.

  However, the defenders were prepared.

  As the enemy soldiers climbed, the archers retreated, making way for spearmen who stepped forward. From behind the parapets, they thrust their sharp spears downward, driving back or killing the attackers.

  As the battle escated, the defenders began hurling boulders and logs from above, crushing the soldiers who had reached the wall's base.

  The sight was brutal. Not a single soldier mao breach the top of the Great Wall.

  Iskandar, witnessing this grim reality, sought to rally his troops by leading the charge himself. But the defenders unleashed yet another rain of arrows, this time fog their fire on the king and his immediate forces.

  Although the arrow barrage was less dehan before, the tration of firepower was devastating. Iskandar's forces, now tightly packed at the foot of the wall, became easy targets.

  Iskandar himself, marked as the primary threat, bore the brunt of the assault. Arrows pierced his armor, riddling his body with injuries.

  One by one, his troops fell, and his army dissolved into the mists of the battlefield. The King of querors stood alone, his defeat iable.

  His Reality Marble, Ionioi Hetairoi, faded away as the battle came to an end. The remnants of both armies returo Fuyuki Bridge, leaving the battlefield behind.

  Iskandar had lost.

  Despite bolstering his troops with every adva his disposal, the gap in power was insurmountable.

  "King of querors, do you have any st words?"

  The First Emperor, Ying Zheng, addressed the defeated king calmly. His tone carried no malice, only a sense of finality.

  "Ah, this battle… it wasn't as satisfying as I hoped," Iskandar admitted, his tone ced with frustration. His expressiorayed his disappoi, not only in himself but iure of the battle itself.

  Iskandar had sought a glorious csh of armies, a passiotle between equals. Instead, he had been forced into a siege, uo overe the impregnable defense of the Great Wall.

  "What you desired was impossible from the start," Ying Zheng replied, his uanding of Iskandar's dissatisfa evident. "Had I been summoned as a Rider, you might have withe iron legions of Great Qin. But I am a Ruler in this war, and my role is different."

  "Rider, huh? What a pity," Iskandar said, managing a faint smile. "It seems that the duel I dreamed of will have to wait."

  "Besides this, is there anything else you wish to say?" Ying Zheng asked, his toill formal.

  "Hey, kid!" Iskandar suddenly called out, reag into his pocket arieving a card. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it to Waver, who barely mao catch it.

  "This is…?" Waver's brows furrowed as he examihe card. It bore Iskandar's image, but its purpose was unclear.

  "That's a Css Card," Chihiro said from the sidelines, instantly reizing it. After all, he had one of his own.

  "A Css Card?!" Waver's voice trembled as he almost dropped it in shock. He now fully uood the immense power these cards could grant.

  With the Css Card in hand, a Master could temporarily assume the role of a Servant, allowing them to fight alongside their own. Chihiro had demonstrated this capability before, using his own Css Card in battle.

  "Rider, when did you obtain a Css Card?!" Waver asked, stunned.

  "Ah, it was from the st golden treasure chest I opened," Iskandar replied nontly. "I was going to give it to you earlier, but I fot."

  "Fot?!" Waver's voice rose in disbelief. "How could you fet something so important?! If you'd given this to me earlier, I could've fought by your side instead of just standing and watg!"

  Iskandar smiled warmly. "You've always wao stand shoulder to shoulder with me, haven't you? Well, now you . Take this as my strength, entrusted to you. Use it well, and I'll be watg over you from wherever I go."

  Tears welled in Waver's eyes as he clutched the card tightly. "You… you really won't stop until you make me cry, will you?"

  "Haha, tears are nothing to be ashamed of!" Iskandar said with a hearty ugh before turning to Ying Zheng. He spread his arms wide in a gesture of acceptance.

  "e, Ying Zheng! Let's finish this!"

  Ying Zheng nodded solemnly. "King of querors, as a worthy oppo, I will grant you the highest honor ih."

  At his and, a sword materialized in the air before him.

  This was the Tai'a Sword, one of the most revered bdes of ese history, a symbol of power and imperial rule.

  Ying Zheng raised his hand, and the sword flew forward, its bde glowing with an imposing aura.

  The Tai'a Sword pierced Iskandar's chest, its light enveloping him.

  "Ah… to fall to your bde… is no dishonor," Iskandar murmured, a tented smile on his face as his body dissolved into golden particles of light.

  With that, the King of querors vanished.

  Iskandar, exit.

  Waver stood silently, staring at the spot where his Servant had stood moments before. His grip tightened on the Css Card, determination flickering in his eyes despite his grief.

  Meanwhile, El-Melloi II watched the se with a heavy heart. Despite his tactical a and his efforts to assist Iskandar, there had been too many variables. In the end, he was not the real Zhuge Liang.

  ---

  At the same time, far away in the Einzbern Forest…

  Emiya Kiritsugu and his panions finally arrived at the Einzbern Castle.

  "Maiya, stay here," Kiritsugu ordered. "We'll go in to retrieve Illya."

  Maiya nodded. She knew she would be of little use in what y ahead and stayed outside the forest as instructed.

  Kiritsugu, along with Artoria and Irisviel, passed through the magical barriers guarding the forest, entering the castle grounds.

  "Emiya Kiritsugu, why have you returned so suddenly?"

  The voice that greeted them was stern and cold. Its owner was an elderly man whose expressiorayed displeasure at their arrival.

  This was Jubstacheit von Einzbern, also known as "Ahad," the eighth-geion patriarch of the Einzbern family. Unknown to them, he had been the oo summon the Avenger-css Servant, Angra Mainyu, ihird Holy Grail War.

  "We're here to take Illya," Kiritsugu said bluntly, his expression unyielding.

  "You're vioting reement," Ahad replied, his tone sharp.

  "I'm sorry, but even if I obtaihe Grail, I wouldn't hand it over to you," Kiritsugu said firmly, holding up the Small Holy Grail in his hand.

  Ahad's eyes widened in shock as he saw the Small Holy Grail in Kiritsugu's hand. His gaze darted between the Grail and Irisviel, who stood intact behind him.

  "How… how is this possible?!" Ahad excimed. "How did you obtain the Small Holy Grail, and why is Irisviel still alive?!"

  But Kiritsugu didn't allow him time to dwell on his fusion.

  "I'm here to take Illya," Kiritsugu said, his voice cold and resolute. "The Holy Grail is no longer safe, it's been corrupted and is unusable."

  "Corrupted?" Ahad's tone shifted to one of disbelief, his brows furrowing deeply. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting now? You expect me to believe that?"

  "It's the truth," Kiritsugu replied sharply. "The Grail has been tainted by a being sealed within it, a demon known as Angra Mainyu. If used, it will only bring ruin."

  "Ridiculous!" Ahad snapped, his voice ced with fury. "I personally oversaw the st Holy Grail War. There was no sign of any such corruption. And now, you dare cim that a demon has somehow tai?"

  "I don't know what you missed, but it's the reality we faow," Kiritsugu said ftly.

  "Angra Mainyu… what nonsense is this? I've never heard of such a name!" Ahad roared, but his words belied his uhough he had summohe Avenger-css Servant during the previous war, he had never known its true identity.

  "It doesn't matter what you believe," Kiritsugu tinued, his gaze icy. "You o longer t on the Grail for your pns. Illya will not remain here as your pawn for the war."

  "You dare—" Ahad's voice was filled with rage, but Kiritsugu cut him off.

  "I didn't e here to iate, Ahad. I came to inform you."

  As if to underscore his words, Artoria materialized behind him, her presence radiating power as she released her spirit form.

  "Saber!" Ahad gasped, his posure breaking. His eyes darted to Irisviel. "Irisviel, do you mean to betray your family?!"

  It was clear to him that Artoria was tracted to Irisviel, not Kiritsugu. He sought to pressure her.