Fate: Question And Answer System of Traversing Heroic Spirits

"I, S, K, A, A, A, A, N, D, A, A, A, A, R…"

Darius III roared, his form once again shifting into something resembling an alcohol lamp. The undead war elephants erupted from beneath him, their decayed forms shaking the earth as the undead army surged forward, rising from the ground like an unrelenting tide.

"Charge!!!"

The armies of both sides took their positions without hesitation. Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, led his cavalry with a thunderous roar, his chariot cutting a path through the battlefield. Tens of thousands of mounted warriors surged forward, a torrential force aimed straight at the heart of the Undead Legion.

The momentum was with Iskandar. As the cavalry charged, he activated his Noble Phantasm, The surge of magical energy bolstered his troops, and the Undead Legion was swiftly scattered, unable to withstand the ferocity of the charge.

But Iskandar's forces weren't here to entangle themselves with the undead. Their objective was clear: decapitation. Their primary target was the War Elephants of Death, the massive creatures serving as the cornerstone of Darius III's army.

Having learned from yesterday's losses, the strategy today was focused and precise.

"Kill!!!"

Darius III was no fool. Recognizing their strategy, he mounted one of the enormous war elephants, his golden axes gleaming in the moonlight. The colossal beast under him trumpeted as he charged forward to meet Iskandar's forces head-on.

The Conqueror's army shifted tactics instantly. Employing a roaming assault, they swarmed the war elephants, weaving in and out of the beasts' range while hurling spears and shooting arrows with calculated precision.

"Moo!!!"

From the flank, the Divine Bull, Iskandar's steadfast companion, let out a ferocious bellow and barreled into one of the war elephants. Its sheer strength sent the undead monstrosity reeling, its enormous frame staggering sideways before it collapsed to the ground.

Darius III was visibly startled. His mind raced: How has the Bull grown this powerful?

The answer lay in an item Iskandar had acquired earlier. At Kayneth's suggestion, he had equipped himself with the Fantasy Seed, a magical artifact Kayneth had previously obtained but found no use for. This enhancement granted a Rider-class Servant a 15% boost to their Noble Phantasm's power, and an additional 25% if the Servant possessed a mount.

A quarter increase in strength was a game-changer, allowing Iskandar's forces to dominate the battlefield.

But Darius III wasn't without his own trump cards.

"Oooouuuuugh!!!"

With a guttural roar, Darius III commanded his Undead Legion to unleash its hidden potential. The scattered undead soldiers suddenly grew frenzied, breaking past Iskandar's cavalry to merge with the war elephants.

Before the eyes of the battlefield's onlookers, the War Elephants of Death transformed. The amalgamation of undead soldiers and war elephants created an enormous monstrosity, a hundred times larger than before.

This was the true form of Darius III's Noble Phantasm, "Athanaton Ten Thousand".

Unlike the fragmented appearance of the undead army, the Noble Phantasm unified them into one. The now-massive War Elephant of Death loomed over the battlefield, its grotesque form towering above Iskandar's army.

From a safe vantage point, Chihiro watching the battle closely couldn't help but compare the scene to Ivan the Terrible, the Lostbelt King of Russia, who famously rode a mammoth fused with his own body.

The key difference, Chihiro noted, was that Darius III was controlling his War Elephant of Death, rather than merging with it. This distinction presented a critical weakness.

"Kill!!!"

Darius III, standing atop the massive beast, gave his orders. Each step of the colossal war elephant crushed dozens of Iskandar's soldiers underfoot, the sheer scale of the monster making it seem invincible.

Iskandar's forces, valiant as they were, found their attacks ineffective against the gargantuan foe.

"It seems that the only one who can deal with this is you," Waver commented nervously from the sidelines.

Beside him, El-Melloi II looked grim. "My Unreturning Formation has been completely destroyed, and I can no longer support the battlefield in this state."

"Ah, no need to worry," Iskandar replied with his usual confidence. "Victory will be ours soon enough!"

"Moo!!!"

With a thundering charge, the Divine Bull made its move, rushing towards the War Elephant of Death and causing a significant distraction. Its nimbleness gave it an edge against the enormous but slow-moving beast, which struggled to match the bull's speed.

In mere moments, Iskandar leapt from his chariot onto the back of the War Elephant of Death.

"I, S, K, A, A, A, A, N, D, A, A, A, A, A, R…"

Darius III bellowed his battle cry as he rushed forward, brandishing his twin golden axes.

"Come, King of Persia!" Iskandar shouted in response, drawing his blade to meet his opponent head-on.

The two clashed in a ferocious duel atop the enormous creature. Below them, the Divine Bull continued its assault, keeping the War Elephant of Death distracted and off balance.

The battle was an awe-inspiring sight, a reminder of the brutal yet heroic warfare of ancient times. Despite knowing the seemingly insurmountable odds, Iskandar's soldiers continued their charge, inspired by their king's fearless example.

Even as the chariot was destroyed, the Bull fearlessly collided with the War Elephant, sacrificing itself to buy precious moments for its master.

The tension in the air was palpable. Observers from both sides watched in silence, their breaths held as the duel raged on.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the outcome was decided.

"Phew… King of Persia, I win again this time."

Standing atop the now-fallen War Elephant of Death, Iskandar grinned through blood-streaked lips. His body was covered in wounds, and his left arm dangled, severed at the elbow.

Darius III, equally battered, had lost one of his horns and was on the brink of collapse.

Despite his overwhelming strength as a Berserker, Darius III had fallen victim to Iskandar's superior tactics. By feinting and then striking the weak points of his foe, Iskandar had managed to land a critical blow that severed Darius III's spiritual foundation.

Though it cost him his arm, Iskandar's decisive strike secured his victory.

"I, S, K, D, A, R…"

As the last remnants of his power faded, Darius III stretched out a hand towards Iskandar. But his time had run out. The massive War Elephant of Death disintegrated into golden light, along with its master.

The moment Darius III vanished, Iskandar fell from the air. The Divine Bull, though battered and weakened, caught him and safely returned him to the ground.

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

The soldiers of Iskandar's army erupted into cheers, surrounding their king in celebration.

"Yes, we've won!" Iskandar shouted, his booming voice filled with joy, utterly unconcerned about his injuries.

"I didn't expect the King of Conquerors to triumph in the end…" Tokiomi remarked, his voice tinged with awe as he observed the scene from afar.

Darius III could have worn down Iskandar's forces with his undead army. Yet he chose instead to engage the King of Conquerors in single combat. Perhaps, to Darius III, victory meant nothing if it didn't come by his own hands. Tokiomi reflected

"Rider, you…"

The battle over, Waver hurried over to Iskandar's side. Seeing his Servant's bloodied and broken form, Waver struggled to find the words.

"Hahaha! What's with that face?" Iskandar said, laughing as he clapped Waver on the shoulder with his bloody hand.

"You bastard…" Waver muttered, exasperated as he noticed the bloody handprint now staining his clothes.

"King of Conquerors," The First Emperor, who had been silently observing the battle as usual, stepped forward and interjected.

"Since the battle is over, why don't you lower your Reality Marble?"

"Hahaha! As expected of you," Iskandar said, raising his sword triumphantly. "You've seen through my intentions already."

With the battlefield calm, Iskandar turned toward a new challenger: The First Emperor.

"Now it's our turn to decide the victor," Iskandar declared boldly, raising his sword high. His voice echoed across the battlefield.

"You, Ying Zheng—are you willing to accept this king's challenge?"

The First Emperor, Ying Zheng, regarded Iskandar with a calm expression. There was no surprise in his eyes; it was evident he had anticipated this moment.

Waver, on the other hand, was far less composed. "What are you saying?!" he exclaimed, panic lacing his voice. "You're already in this state, and yet you still want to continue?!"

"My journey of conquest will not stop just because of this," Iskandar replied resolutely, his words carrying a weight of unshakable determination.

Ying Zheng's lips curved into a faint smile. "Very well, King Iskandar. Your fearlessness impresses me. I accept your challenge."

With a simple gesture, Ying Zheng produced a small vial, a healing potion he had obtained from one of the treasure chests. "Take this. You'll need it to be a proper opponent."

Iskandar caught the vial mid-air, studying it for a moment before laughing. "You'd so readily heal your enemy?"

Without hesitation, he uncorked the potion and drank it in one gulp. Instantly, the wounds on his body began to heal, flesh and skin knitting together rapidly. The bloodstains on his body remained as evidence of the ferocity of his earlier battle, but the injuries themselves were gone.

Seeing this, El-Melloi II hurried to locate Iskandar's severed arm and brought it over. With quick thinking, they reattached it before the potion's effects faded entirely. In mere moments, Iskandar stood as if he had never been wounded, though his blood-streaked armor bore testament to the trials he had endured.

"Come, Ying Zheng!" Iskandar called out as he mounted Bucephalus. With his chariot destroyed, his trusted steed would carry him to this next battle.

As Iskandar finished speaking, a rumbling sound filled the air. From beneath the battlefield, majestic walls began to rise, their sheer scale and grandeur leaving onlookers in awe.

These were no ordinary fortifications, they were the Great Wall, stretching endlessly in all directions, its towering presence a testament to the First Emperor's ambition and legacy.

"The Great Wall!" Tokiomi exclaimed from a distance, instantly recognizing the iconic structure.

"So this is your Noble Phantasm," Iskandar muttered, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"The Great Wall will never fall," Ying Zheng declared as the treasure fully materialized. Along its length, rows of soldiers appeared, their armor glinting under the moonlight. These were the warriors who once defended the Great Wall during their lives, now summoned as part of the Emperor's Noble Phantasm.

"King of Conquerors," Ying Zheng called out from atop a massive beacon tower, his voice firm. "Come If you think you can break through the first line of defense of this Great Qin!"

Iskandar laughed heartily at the challenge. "A wall, no matter how grand, cannot halt my conquest!"

***

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