Ramesses II.
An exceptional Heroic Spirit who boasts a luxurious set of traits: a Fantasy Species, multiple Noble Phantasms, an area-of-effect weapon, a fortress, a Reality Marble, and an all-powerful Imperial Privilege. He possesses the extraordinary power to face all three Knight classes at once and emerge victorious. Alongside that other golden fellow and the little sun, Karna, he is hailed as one of the Golden Trio.
Without a doubt, this Pharaoh is near the pinnacle of what can be summoned under the normal rules of a Holy Grail War. That said, actually summoning him is an incredibly difficult, if not impossible, task.
After all, the Pharaoh's spiritual rank is so high that he can even reject a summoning on a whim. Even with a specific catalyst, the summoning can only succeed with a select few relics—none of which actually belonged to Ozymandias himself. Not even his mummy will work.
The only thing that can draw his attention is the jewelry of his beloved queen, Nefertari.
However, while Nefertari's jewelry is a guaranteed way to summon him, he will only appear out of rage, descending to punish the scoundrel who dared to desecrate his queen's memory.
One second you're summoning a Servant, the next your Master is dead—this simple fact makes summoning the Pharaoh a challenge of astronomical difficulty.
Of course, while the conditions for a catalyst-based summoning are incredibly strict, summoning him based on compatibility alone is perfectly possible.
It's just…
"No matter how you look at it, that girl doesn't seem very compatible with the Pharaoh," [Illya] mused, studying Ayaka Sajyou, who stood beside Ramesses II.
Ayaka was practically the female lead of the Fragments of Sky Silver arc, but unfortunately, she was overshadowed by her ridiculously talented and overpowered older sister, Manaka Sajyou. This meant that Ayaka, despite being from a magus family, had to endure immense pressure due to her own mediocrity.
In a normal world, she might have been the one supporting her nerdy, shut-in sister who had lost all interest in life. But Manaka's talent was impossible to hide.
The constant pressure from her environment had made Ayaka's personality somewhat gloomy and irritable—the complete opposite of the grandiose Pharaoh. Logically, there should have been absolutely no connection between the two of them.
Of course…
Miss Ayaka herself was quite bewildered by the situation.
She had just been practicing magecraft at home, only slightly concerned that her slacker sister had wandered off again. But because Manaka was such a layabout, Ayaka had to accept that she was the one shouldering the future of the Sajyou family—a heavy burden indeed.
Then, at some point, she found Command Spells on the back of her hand. After her elders explained what they were, Ayaka herself had little interest, but the Sajyou elders were ecstatic.
As a family from the Far East, they had a prime vantage point and knew a thing or two about the legends of the Holy Grail War, such as its ability to reach the Root.
With the Sajyou family in decline due to an uninspired younger generation, Ayaka's unexpected qualification for the Holy Grail War undoubtedly gave them a glimmer of hope for reviving their family's fortunes.
And so, after borrowing a suitable catalyst from a closely-allied family, Ayaka Sajyou was pushed into the fray.
Unfortunately for them...
The target was Ramesses II, and the catalyst was his queen's jewelry.
Unaware of the taboo they were breaking, the Ozymandias they summoned nearly wiped the entire Sajyou family off the map.
However…
"Oh... this feeling. So that's how it is."
"Hmph. In that case, I shall temporarily pardon you sinners."
For some inexplicable reason, after looking at Ayaka, Ozymandias's anger vanished, and his attitude softened considerably.
Ayaka Sajyou was completely clueless.
Perhaps no one besides Ozymandias himself knew the reason why—no one, that is, except for [Illya].
Out of curiosity, Jiang Qiao had taken a peek at the karmic thread connecting this Master and Servant, and he understood instantly.
"...So that's it. She has no affinity with Ozymandias or his queen, but…"
"She's connected to that dove." [Illya]'s face lit up with understanding.
As a magus, drawing blood is an unavoidable step. For this purpose, the Sajyou family had prepared pigeons for Ayaka, hoping she would become a proper magus by killing them and better mastering the family's arts. But Ayaka refused—she was quite fond of the little white creatures.
So, what was meant to be a culling of pigeons turned the Sajyou household into a pigeon coop.
And just like that, the young girl named Ayaka Sajyou became a pigeon farmer.
It might sound a bit abstract, but the white dove is a symbol of a certain holy figure in the mortal world. Because of this… the girl had an excellent affinity with Servants from the Christian faith. This made her more likely to summon Christian Servants like Martha or Saint George… and even the Empress, who is closely associated with doves, was a possibility. But the source of the Pharaoh's interest…
"It's Moses!"
Ozymandias's dearest friend, the prophet who led the Jewish people. Although in his world, the term "Jew" had taken on some dark connotations, Moses was unquestionably a saint in Christianity.
And in this world's lore, he was also the Pharaoh's best friend.
His queen and Moses were the only two people Ozymandias truly cared for.
His beloved wife and his best friend. Was he willing to play along for a while because this girl shared a connection with Moses?
"That big brother seems even more flamboyant than that Gilgamesh guy," Illya couldn't help but comment as she and her mother got closer to the scene, communicating through the magical channel Jiang Qiao had set up.
"Well, they're cut from the same cloth, essentially. Besides, that man calls himself the sun."
"But to be specific, he's probably a bit easier to talk to than Goldie—though in terms of ego, he might just surpass him."
"Well, speak of the devil."
In the dark night sky, Illya, standing with Irisviel, watched a golden shadow streak across the sky, its reflection captured in her ruby-red eyes. A young voice echoed in the latter's mind.
"Hoh… Once is one thing, but to provoke me twice in a row, mongrel."
"Hmph, well, if it's you, then you are indeed worthy of my acknowledgment."
"The moment I sensed Enkidu's presence, I knew this Holy Grail War would not be a dull one. But aside from certain useless goddesses who displease me greatly, your appearance also brings me exceptional joy, O King of the Sun."
The Vimana dissipated, and Gilgamesh, clad in golden armor, materialized in spirit form. For once, he didn't bother perching on a wretched telephone pole or streetlight, instead crossing his arms and floating parallel to Iskandar and Ozymandias. He glanced at Ozymandias with his crimson eyes, a smirk playing on his lips.
Though they were kings from different eras, perhaps because of their shared power and arrogance, Ozymandias and Gilgamesh found each other quite agreeable. Even their true selves in the Throne of Heroes were on remarkably good terms.
"Well now, King of Heroes, seeing you appear does make my own heart pound with excitement," Ozymandias boomed.
"Although I only came here for a look on a whim, for the sake of an old friend, this certainly makes things far more interesting, does it not?"
"Honestly… to be the one who started all this only to be cast aside and ignored… even I start to feel a little troubled, you know."
"Hoh. I seem to have overlooked you, mongrel."
"The King of the Sun is one thing, but the rest of you… any who dare call themselves king before me, the King of Heroes, are nothing more than pretenders."
"Hah, say what you will, but I am the one and only King of Conquerors!"
"Speaking of which, if we include the King of Knights from the first night, we already have four kings gathered in this Holy Grail War."
"If that is the case, then kings must have a ceremony befitting kings!"
"Let us hold a banquet! A banquet of kings!"
"As for the heroes who are drawn here, let them witness the radiance of kings and bow down in awe!" The ever-imaginative Iskandar, struck by a sudden idea, made this grand proposal. But after making it, he scratched his chin, looking somewhat troubled.
"Well, that said… I haven't prepared any wine."
"Hmph. How you could even think of hosting a royal banquet in a desolate wasteland like this is beyond me. You truly make me laugh so hard my abs might split, you fanciful mongrel."
"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing! Besides, where in this world could possibly host several kings and heroes?"
Iskandar scratched his head. "Since there is no such place, then this land itself is the finest venue."
"Oh… Spoken with a certain kingly air, King of Conquerors."
"However—"
"A venue to accommodate kings? Such a thing most certainly exists."
"A Banquet of Kings, you say? Excellent. I shall commend your sudden inspiration, King of Conquerors."
"And now…"
"O, Almighty God, witness my great work! Then, prostrate thyself! My infinite radiance, the sun, shall descend upon this place!"
"—RAMESSEUM TENTYRIS!"
A grandiose, DIO-esque proclamation roared through the night sky. The next moment, a terrifying surge of magical energy erupted—followed by the appearance of an immense, utterly breathtaking structure that materialized out of thin air.
BOOM—
The colossal roar shook the entirety of Fuyuki City, and the tremendous surge of magical energy could be detected across the whole of the Far East.
Without a doubt, it was another scene destined to give the Mages' Association and the Church a collective migraine. In the church, Father Kotomine nearly fainted when he saw the massive pyramid appear out of nowhere.
Illya stared, utterly dumbfounded, at the colossal pyramid in the distance. "Eh… EHHHH?! A super-huge pyramid just appeared! That's a pyramid, right? It really is a pyramid!"
"Yes, it really does seem to be a pyramid. This is the first time I've seen one in person, too. I've only ever seen them in books and documents before… Could it be a mirage?"
"That's a Noble Phantasm."
Ramesseum Tentyris.
Rank: EX
Type: Anti-Personnel, Anti-Fortress, Reality Marble, Anti-Purge, Anti-Noble Phantasm
Range: 1-99
Max Targets: 800 People / -
Just seeing the thing through his magic mirror left Jiang Qiao feeling a little speechless.
After all, it was a composite creation that combined the many pyramids Ozymandias had built during his lifetime—a materialized Reality Marble in the form of a building.
It possessed an EX-rank Purge Defense on the exterior, capable of withstanding world-ending attacks. Internally, it was equipped with a series of armaments, like the Dendera Electric Light and the Phantasmal Beast, the Sphinx of Abu el-Hol, each more formidable than the last.
Even more ridiculously, as long as this "tomb" stood, Ozymandias could not be killed inside it. Even instant-death attacks or all manner of curses would be nullified.
Any Servant who enters is hit with True Name Seal, rendering them unable to release their Noble Phantasms.
World-ending defense on the outside, True Name Seal and immortality on the inside, plus Phantasmal Beast sphinxes at his beck and call… Without a doubt, this pyramid, stretching for several kilometers, was a cheat-level existence. It was the kind of thing that would make even Miss Manaka Sajyou tear her hair out.
"...Honestly, another one who acts without any restraint or regard for the rules."
[Illya] sounded exasperated over the magical channel.
Smashing a giant pyramid down on the city the moment you show up—somebody needs to remind him that the Holy Grail War is supposed to be a secret magical ritual!
"How is it? This is my great work, a miracle that would make even the Almighty God bow in reverence! O, King of Heroes, O, King of Conquerors."
"Hoh… This is truly something."
Even Gilgamesh and Iskandar couldn't help but marvel. Just as Ozymandias said, it was unlikely anyone could witness such a miracle and remain unimpressed. A certain empress needed to prepare materials in advance just to build her imitation Hanging Gardens.
For the Pharaoh, however, all he needed was magical energy to recreate this man-made wonder that would make even gods look twice.
In this respect, neither Gilgamesh's Court of Uruk nor Iskandar's Macedonia could possibly compare to the greatest and most famous pharaoh and architect in Egyptian history.
"Haha! To host a banquet for kings and heroes within my great work—surely there is no more fitting venue than this?"
"O kings, O heroes! If your hearts know no fear, then come and attend the feast within my temple! I shall treat you with the hospitality befitting heroes and kings."
"Be warned, my temple has the effect of sealing Noble Phantasms. If you fear this, it only proves you are lightless ones, unworthy of witnessing my great works and my radiance!"
"Of course, that would be for the best. After all, my great work does not permit gutless rats to come and gaze upon it!"
"But do not despair, for even if you hide in corners like giant rats, it is meaningless! When the time comes, the Pharaoh's brilliance shall sweep you away, along with the very shadows of this island."
"For my great work has no place for filth or cowards!"
His almost demonic laughter echoed through the city, leaving the various Masters and Servants to stare at each other in stunned silence.
Without a doubt, the Pharaoh was even more arrogant than Gilgamesh. He hadn't even been on the scene for five minutes and had already declared war on every single Master and Servant.
Either come to his banquet and be purged, or be purged along with the entire city later.
"That's certainly a direct approach," [Illya] remarked.
"Hey, Master, are we still going? To that pyramid?"
"Do you want to go?"
"Waaah… I kinda want to. It's my first time seeing a real pyramid… But, that pyramid is dangerous, right?!"
"Sealing Noble Phantasms and all that… if we go in there, won't we be like little piglets waiting for the slaughter? Seriously, that big brother isn't subtle at all!" Illya couldn't help but complain.
If you hadn't said anything, people probably would have gone without a second thought. But you just had to announce that your giant tomb seals Noble Phantasms… Who wouldn't be worried it's a death trap?!
Shouldn't you keep a trump card like that hidden, saving it to spring a nasty surprise on some foolish Servant who rushes into your pyramid? Why reveal it completely from the very beginning?!
"Well, that's just his personality… Don't worry too much. Your Noble Phantasm isn't much to speak of in front of something like that anyway."
Feeling her own weakness being pointed out yet again, Illya felt there was no need to emphasize it... She was already hurt enough! She puffed her cheeks. "I'm not happy about that at all!"
"There, there… A pyramid is a rare sight, especially the Pharaoh's. To be honest, even I'm a little tempted. But knowing his personality, he's probably saying all this just to mess with people."
"Of course, it's also possible he's just acting on a whim because he feels like it," [Illya] said casually, then added with certainty:
"If you really run into trouble, well, hmm, try using what's in that game cartridge I put on your leg. With that, even a small fry like you should feel a bit more confident attending that kind of banquet, right?"
"Waaah, can't you find a more encouraging way to say that…?"
Feeling Illya's deep resentment even through the magical channel all the way back in his workshop, [Illya] just chuckled nonchalantly, adding with a meaningful tone, "Compared to your situation, I imagine things are getting quite interesting for the other Masters right now~"
After all—
"Not everyone has that kind of guts~"