"It shouldn't be like this."
"A king, a king should lead by example, be a model for all..."
"Then, Saber, do you really think anyone would want to be that kind of king?"
In Damien's view, Artoria's so-called King of Knights was not a king at all but a slave to the title of king.
In contrast, Iskandar's domineering ways inspired countless followers.
His followers were not mindless husks but dream-driven heroes, each aspiring to be a king.
Perhaps this would lead to greater chaos.
But for the human race, Iskandar had indeed planted the seed of ambition to expand and conquer in their very genes.
"The King of Knights does not understand the human heart!"
"!!!"
Damien's final words were like a sharp blade piercing Artoria's heart, causing her such pain that she could hardly breathe.
Simply wishing to save her nation was wrong.
Wishing for a greater king to replace her was her own presumption.
So, what should she do?
Besides fighting for the Holy Grail, besides using the omnipotent wish-granting device, she had no other options.
"And you were wrong from the very beginning."
"As a king, the last thing you should do is deny your own life."
"Even if the nation fell, that was the choice you and your Knights of the Round Table made together!"
"But if the cost is the nation's destruction, shouldn't such a mistake be corrected?"
"A mistake only needs to be remembered!"
"And in this world, where is there a perfect, flawless dynasty that lasts forever?"
"Are you obsessed with Britain's destruction, or with the fact that Britain fell under your rule?"
"If it's the former, let me tell you, even without your nation, these British Isles will still exist in this world."
For a nation to be eternal, two conditions are essential.
First, an immortal king.
Second, a king who remains wise and true to their original ideals forever.
Damien was determined to build his Monster Kingdom.
He, too, hoped for his Monster Kingdom to be eternal.
And Damien had the potential to achieve this, as he truly could be immortal.
As for staying true to his ideals...
If one day Damien grew weary, he would not care about the fall of his Monster Kingdom.
"You cannot live forever, Saber."
"Even if your nation doesn't fall under your rule, it will eventually decline under your descendants."
"So, what you call 'changing' is not salvation but merely prolonging life!"
"..."
This left Saber utterly speechless.
She felt that no matter what she said, Damien could reduce her to silence.
Perhaps, as Damien said, the King of Knights did not understand the human heart.
"Very sharp, young man."
Iskandar had intended to speak, but he felt Damien's words cut even deeper to Artoria's core.
"So, what about you, young man?"
Savoring his wine, Iskandar noticed the tension between the two easing slightly and said, "Won't you introduce yourself, unknown king?"
Hearing Iskandar's words, Artoria, who had been silently retreating into herself, immediately looked up.
She admitted her wish was neither holy nor noble.
On the contrary, it was shameful and selfish.
But even so, Artoria would still fight for the Holy Grail, if only to extend her nation's life by a single second.
She wanted her remembered comrades and people to live happily and joyfully.
"I won't pass my troubles onto others."
"At least, give me a chance to make amends..."
To go back to the past and start anew.
This time, no matter the outcome, Artoria would accept it.
Even if the nation still fell, she would be at peace.
At least she would have tried her best, wouldn't she?
"So that's how it is..."
At that moment, Artoria finally understood the meaning behind Damien's words that struck at her core.
He wasn't truly mocking her wish.
Instead, he was using this method to tell her that if even the direction she was heading in was wrong, was there any point in continuing?
"It's time I told you about my origins."
Damien noticed the change in Artoria's eyes.
"My name is Damien, neither the King Solomon you might think of nor any king you know!"
Damien's opening statement was a bombshell to the group. "I come from another world, a Demon King who rules over all Monsters!"
"Demon... King..."
Damien's identity and origins were beyond anyone's imagination.
Though the summoning of Hero heroic Spirits by the Holy Grail was already miraculous enough.
Even Irisviel and Waver had heard that the Holy Grail could summon Heroic Spirits from the future.
But another world?
That was just too bizarre, wasn't it?
"A king from another world?"
Iskandar rubbed his chin. "No matter what, as long as you're a king, that's fine by me."
"Another world, how interesting!"
Gilgamesh, too, acknowledged Damien's identity as a king.
"I don't need your acknowledgment."
"Unlike you, with your one or two treasuries or ruling over a mere region..."
"What I possess is a gift box called a 'world'!"
Damien's words stunned the group, even Gilgamesh and Iskandar, who he had mocked, showed expressions of disbelief.
"This world!"
"The very planet you stand on, the entire space-time and universe it resides in!"
"To me, they are all treasure chests waiting to be opened."
"Traveling through countless worlds, conquering, plundering, dominating, ruling!"
Damien clenched his fist tightly, revealing his ambitions and desires to everyone. "An unyielding Creator? High and mighty gods? Even the will of the world that created the universe."
"Everything that stands in my way, no matter what it is, will ultimately bow before me!"
"You!!!"
Artoria was completely shaken.
After all this talk, wasn't this guy even more extreme than Gilgamesh and Iskandar?
No, this guy was practically a combination of the two!
World conquest was no longer just a figure of speech.
If he truly treated worlds as territories, claiming them as his own...
And who knew how many worlds Damien had conquered before arriving in this one?
This was far more substantial than Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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