Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1053: Idiot

The chariot overturned.

The Conqueror King's chariot flipped.

It wasn't that Iskandar lacked driving skills.

After all, he had been driving chariots (in battle) his whole life (or at least, it seemed that way; the great emperor only lived to 33). His Riding skill was A+, and he could even compete with some delivery drivers from a certain tofu shop on the legendary mountain road. Under normal circumstances, the likelihood of him flipping the chariot was zero.

But this time, the problem was with the chariot itself. While speeding along at maximum acceleration, the connecting rod between the two components of his Noble Phantasm the Divine Bull Thunder and the Gordius Wheel—suddenly snapped.

The Gordius Wheel was a two-wheeled chariot. Without the support of the Thunder Bulls, it was impossible to maintain balance, and the outcome was obvious. The chariot lost its balance and tipped forward, sending its two passengers tumbling due to inertia.

Fortunately, Iskandar, being the veteran driver he was, reacted quickly and grabbed Waver, leaping off the chariot just in time. Otherwise, they both would have been caught in a brutal chain of flips, ending up a bloody mess.

The Conqueror King, who had barely managed to stabilize himself, didn't rush to check on the state of the divine bulls or the chariot. Instead, he gripped his sword in one hand and gazed solemnly into the distance.

"Who goes there?"

In that direction stood a woman who possessed both the intellectual elegance of the East and the refined grace of a Western lady. She slightly bent her knees and performed a perfect curtsy.

"Matou family, Asakami Fujino."

Though the woman appeared delicate and without any murderous intent, the intertwining red and green hues in her eyes made Iskandar feel a deadly threat. That strange rotating sensation even reminded him of his strongest enemy, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, and his treasures.

In that instant, Iskandar understood why the connecting rod had snapped—it had been twisted off by those strange Mystic Eyes. He realized that if he made any sudden moves, the same force that snapped the rod would descend upon him.

Iskandar was well aware of the danger posed by Mystic Eyes, as one of his shadow warriors had possessed the Golden and Silver Demon Eyes, using them to slay many powerful enemies. For this reason, he also knew the limitations of such eyes.

Without betraying any emotion, he quietly pulled Waver behind him, using his body as a shield. Then, he subtly made a hand gesture. Soon after, the two Thunder Bulls, now freed from their restraints, charged toward Fujino from two different directions.

Iskandar's strategy was simple: eyes can only look in one direction. If I attack from two sides, no matter where you focus, the other side will crush you.

Though usually used for pulling his chariot, these divine bulls were no ordinary beasts. They had a close connection to the god Zeus and were true Phantasmal Species. Even against the highest-level Mystic Eyes, killing them wouldn't be easy—one of the bulls had already charged right in front of Fujino.

Fujino's choice was to continue focusing on Iskandar, unwavering.

As for the two Thunder Bulls—

Suddenly, exhilarating music filled the air, and faintly, someone could be heard singing along with it.

"In the cold moonlight, I wait for you to turn your head."

"Gently, I rub my freezing fingertips."

"Our hearts, long cracked, are about to end on this burning-out night."

"But in the moment the meteor approaches, I see the shining thought."

At first, the song was quiet, barely audible, but soon it became clear. As the lyrics mentioned a meteor, a bright red streak, trailing a glowing tail, descended from the sky, crashing directly onto one of the Thunder Bulls, causing it to bleed profusely, its bones shattering, and the ground caving in beneath it.

Immediately after, that same glowing figure shot out from the crater and rushed toward the other Thunder Bull, intercepting it just before it could reach Fujino.

Only then did Iskandar and Waver get a clear look at the meteor.

The angular metallic structure, the classic blue, white, and black color scheme, the powerful eight-winged tail fins, and the futuristic mechanical design—it was unmistakable.

Iskandar's eyes widened: "This is—"

Waver shouted in disbelief: "FREEDOM!!!"

Yes, it was none other than the leading mobile suit from the hottest mecha anime of 2004, Gundam Seed—the Gundam Freedom. The music and singing that accompanied its grand entrance was the iconic BGM, Meteor, from the same series.

Under the stunned gazes of the two men, and with the BGM boosting its presence, the Gundam Freedom unleashed a burst of power, pushing the Thunder Bull back a few steps. Then, it drew a single-handed beam rifle, while four cannons extended from its shoulders and waist.

"ZGMF-X10A, GUNDAM FREEDOM's ultimate attack—Five-Color Cannon, no, Full Burst Mode!!!"

Accompanied by mechanical sound effects full of metallic tension, the rifle and four cannons fired beams of red, yellow, and green, all aimed at the same target—the Thunder Bull.

Seeing such a spectacular barrage, the two men in the distance clenched their fists, their eyes sparkling.

"So cool!"

Both Iskandar and Waver were otakus, especially fans of war, sci-fi, and military-themed works. This mecha was right up their alley.

After the barrage, the Gundam Freedom's faceplate split open, revealing a delicate yet fanatical female face.

"Well? Scared now? My Gundam Freedom is invincible! Hahahaha!"

"Careful, Kirie! It's not down yet."

Fujino's timely reminder doused her companion's excitement. In this Holy Grail War, the two were paired together and were inseparable. Fujino had confidently kept her focus on Iskandar because she knew Kirie's battle mecha would protect her.

Though the Freedom's Full Burst Mode was indeed impressive, its principle was simply a concentrated blast of magical energy, not much different from the magic bullets often used by Rin and Luvia. It was powerful enough against humans, but against a higher-level Phantasmal Species, it still fell short.

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The injured Thunder Bull stood up, shaking its head and scraping the ground with its hooves, ready for another charge. Kirie pouted in disappointment.

"Hmm, it seems like my Freedom isn't strong enough yet. But no worries, I'll ask Miss Touko to help me design the next version! Oh, and I'll need the Meteor System as an upgrade—there's no way an upgraded Full Burst won't take you down! But for now, I'll just finish off this dumb bull! BEAM SWORD!"

Kirie switched the rifle to a beam (magical) sword and, with a strength that contrasted sharply with her delicate appearance, charged at the Thunder Bull.

In an instant, the bull's horns clashed with the beam sword, magic and lightning crackling as they collided, accompanied by the shouts of both combatants.

"Oh la oh la oh la~~~"

"Moo da moo da moo da~~~"—when an enraged Thunder Bull yells, it does sound a bit like that.

"...Ah, it's happening again," Fujino muttered as her temples throbbed.

On the other side, Iskandar clapped his hands in excitement, turning to Waver.

"This is fascinating! We should build one too. No, one isn't enough—we'll build a whole squad to serve as my new elite force!"

"..Idiot!"

Waver clutched his side, groaning. Ah, his stomach was starting to hurt again.