Medusa, standing behind Rei Ao, also gave a slight shake of her head.
There was no ripple in her violet eyes; she simply gazed calmly ahead and said in a soft voice, "I don't need the Holy Grail either."
Her simple words carried an unquestionable certainty.
In the end, everyone's gaze gathered on Rei Ao.
He was seated at the stone table, idly toying with a wine cup in his hand.
Amber-colored wine shimmered inside it, giving off a tempting glow under the moonlight.
Under the weight of everyone's stare, Rei Ao's expression didn't shift in the slightest.
He slowly brought the cup to his lips and drained the remaining wine in one go.
The liquid slid down his throat with a rich fragrance and a faint burn.
Then he casually set the empty cup back on the table.
The clear clink rang out sharply in the quiet courtyard.
He slowly lifted his eyes.
His gaze swept over everyone like a drawn blade before finally settling on Gilgamesh.
The corner of his mouth curved into a hint of mockery. His tone was light, almost offhand, yet it cracked across the courtyard like thunder.
"The Holy Grail? It's just trash that's been tainted by 'All the World's Evil.'"
"Whoever wants it can have it. The people on my side aren't interested."
"T… trash?!"
Waver was completely dumbfounded.
His mouth fell open, his eyes full of shock and confusion.
He had never imagined someone would actually call that omnipotent Holy Grail "trash."
A whole group of Servants, plus this mysterious man, all treating the Grail with such indifference—some even with outright contempt?
This was completely different from the life-or-death struggle, the all-out battle for the Grail he had pictured in his mind.
The boy felt his entire worldview wobble.
Iskandar fell silent as well.
His huge frame leaned back against the chair, red eyes full of thought and bewilderment.
These reactions were completely outside his understanding of what it meant to "fight over" something.
Could the Grail really be as worthless as they claimed?
But the moment Gilgamesh heard Rei Ao call the Holy Grail "trash," the lofty, imperious expression he had been maintaining finally cracked.
"Mongreeeel—!!!"
A furious roar, like the bellow of a raging beast, exploded from Gilgamesh's mouth.
An uncontrollable wave of wrath rolled off him like something tangible.
The golden Gate of Babylon behind him thrashed violently.
Dozens of golden ripples erupted at once, the blades of countless Noble Phantasms thrusting fully out, their cold glint all leveled at Rei Ao!
The weapons came in all shapes and forms—swords, spears, bows, shields.
Every single one radiated a suffocating pressure.
They were clearly legendary Noble Phantasms.
"You dare call this king's treasure 'trash'?!"
"This king may speak of it that way, because it belongs to this king."
"But you, mongrel—how dare you?!"
Bloodshot veins crawled through Gilgamesh's crimson eyes.
The magic around him howled to a frenzied peak, as if it could erupt at any moment.
The King of Heroes' rage was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, freezing the air in the courtyard in an instant.
An invisible gale swept outward.
The phoenix tree leaves rustled madly, as if trembling in anticipation of the coming clash.
The tension had reached a breaking point; it felt as if one stray spark would ignite the gunpowder hanging in the air.
Artoria instinctively tightened her grip on the hilt of the Sword of the King.
A flicker of wariness flashed in her eyes.
Iskandar slowly rose to his feet as well.
Battle lust surged in his red eyes, ready to jump into the fray at any moment.
Ishtar's lips curled into an excited smile, the bow in her hand already drawn and ready.
The chill of the underworld swirling around Ereshkigal grew even stronger.
Medusa stepped in front of Rei Ao, a hint of killing intent flashing in her violet gaze.
The Council of Kings looked as if it was about to turn into a sudden all-out brawl.
The moonlight stayed cold as ever.
Facing Gilgamesh's fury and the aim of dozens of Noble Phantasms, Rei Ao's face remained completely unreadable.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
The mockery at the corner of his lips only deepened.
"A corrupted Holy Grail—other than unleashing All the World's Evil and bringing destruction and disaster, what else can it do?"
"Trash like that is worthy of being called a king's treasure?"
"Courting death!"
Gilgamesh roared.
Several lines of golden light shot out from the treasures behind him in an instant, all aimed straight at Rei Ao's vitals!
His rage was like a powder keg lit all at once, blasting to its peak in a heartbeat.
In those crimson eyes burned a fury born of desecration.
As the most ancient of kings, the original owner of all treasures in the world, he would never allow anyone—especially this seemingly unremarkable "mongrel"—to call the Holy Grail, something he regarded as already in his pocket, "trash" in such a dismissive tone.
His roar shook the air in the courtyard.
The overwhelming magical pressure made it almost impossible for Waver to breathe.
He clung to Iskandar's fur cloak with all his strength, his teeth chattering.
Even Iskandar's smile faded.
His massive frame leaned forward slightly, gaze solemn as he watched this storm of Noble Phantasms, powerful enough to wipe out an army, come pouring down.
Even he couldn't say for sure that he could take that blow without injury.
Yet faced with this terrifying barrage that would make any Servant, even a mighty mage, turn pale, Rei Ao didn't even lift an eyelid.
He simply gave the wine cup in his hand a gentle swirl.
Letting the amber liquid roll lazily along the glass.
As if the torrent of Noble Phantasms that could tear space apart were nothing more than a breeze blowing through the courtyard.
Just as Gilgamesh twisted his lips into a cruel grin and began to lower his arm to unleash that devastating storm of treasures—
Four figures moved at once!
"Ex—calibur!!! (Sword of Promised Victory!)"
Artoria reacted first.
The Wind King's barrier vanished in an instant.
The resplendent golden holy sword erupted with a radiance as bright as the rising sun!
With its true name released, a tightly condensed golden beam of light blasted forth, ramming straight into the golden rain of Noble Phantasms!
At the same time—
Up in the branches, Ishtar let out a sharp snort.
The heavenly boat Maanna appeared in her hands in an instant.
Her bow was drawn to a perfect full moon.
A golden beam of light, far thicker and fiercer than the one she had used in her earlier sneak attack and loaded with far greater divine power, streaked out a beat later, overlapping with Artoria's Radiant Sword of Victory as they both surged toward Gilgamesh.
"The underworld's protection is not meant for you—but today, I'll make an exception."
Ereshkigal's icy voice rang out.
Her slender fingers traced a pattern in the air.
Countless sharp stakes, formed from underworld ore and exuding a chilling deathly aura, burst forth from the ground and even from thin air, as if they were alive. In front of Rei Ao, they rapidly wove together into a dense barrier that radiated the breath of death and freezing cold, a wall of defense standing firmly between him and the oncoming storm.