"You ask for my name? A mere mongrel dares to ask for my name! You enjoy the honor of meeting me, yet you dare not recognize me. Such ignorance is unforgivable!"
Gilgamesh was enraged. He immediately activated the Gate of Babylon, revealing the treasures within his treasury, all of which were Noble Phantasms.
"Hoh? Who dares to speak such arrogant words before me? Such audacious individuals deserve to be exterminated along with their entire clans."
An arrogant voice echoed from atop a rooftop. As the newcomer walked into the light, the onlookers finally saw his face. He appeared young, but the flat-topped crown he wore undeniably proclaimed his status.
Gilgamesh's brow furrowed as he looked at the newcomer, his heart burning with fury. He unleashed dozens of weapons.
"Almighty Push!"
Li Xing repelled Gilgamesh's weapons and, ignoring him, stared intently at the newcomer's face. "The First Emperor... the eternal emperor of Huaxia, Ying Zheng!"
His declaration shocked everyone once again. Another Servant had appeared. The Holy Grail War was becoming increasingly bizarre with four kings now gathered. However, according to Huaxia civilization, Ying Zheng was the Emperor, and kings were merely relatives of the Emperor or meritorious officials granted royal titles by the Emperor.
"How dare you address me by name! I should have had you beheaded. But considering your timely assistance, I shall overlook it. You, are you the deity I shall be observing this time? You look like one of my subjects!" Ying Zheng said with a light smile, making it impossible to tell if he was genuinely angry or not.
"Yes, I am a descendant of the Emperor, but not entirely. I come from another world." Li Xing bowed slightly to Ying Zheng as a sign of respect. He didn't fully kneel because Li Xing was not from this human history, and more importantly, Li Xing was a Star God.
Gilgamesh, who had been ignored, was beyond furious. This was no longer mere rudeness; it was an attempt by a mongrel to rebel against a king.
Gilgamesh fired several more weapons, this time targeting Li Xing. However, a dark figure suddenly appeared on the ground, coincidentally deflecting Gilgamesh's weapons.
"Enough! You mongrels crawl out one by one. I am losing my patience. Die all at once!"
Gilgamesh unleashed the Gate of Babylon again, all of them his targets. But the newly arrived Berserker, Lancelot, grabbed a flying sword and hurled it at Gilgamesh.
Li Xing unleashed another Almighty Push, deflecting the weapon and simultaneously protecting the others, though they didn't need his protection.
Seeing a mad dog dare to touch his treasures, Gilgamesh grew even angrier. He continuously fired weapons, intending to eliminate Lancelot first.
Lancelot only wished to kill everyone. Gilgamesh's weapons were caught by Lancelot and thrown back at Gilgamesh, severing the streetlight he stood upon.
"How dare you stand on the same earth as me, who should be looked up to! Such disrespect is worthy of death! You there, mongrel, I shall make you vanish into dust!"
Gilgamesh spread his arms, revealing countless weapons behind him. The golden light instantly illuminated the entire port. Without streetlights, he illuminated the land with the Gate of Babylon. Truly, the King of Streetlights.
Just as Gilgamesh was about to continue his attack, Tokiomi Tohsaka used a Command Seal, ordering Gilgamesh to quell his anger and retreat. Tokiomi believed that constantly revealing his ultimate skills was too rash.
Controlled by the Command Seal, Gilgamesh was extremely displeased but had no choice. He could only retreat temporarily, dispelling the Gate of Babylon and vanishing before them in a spiritual form.
"That fellow possesses the aura of an emperor. I find him quite to my liking. However, excessively tyrannical rule cannot last." Ying Zheng commented on Gilgamesh.
It seemed that at this point, Ying Zheng had come to understand the reasons for his dynasty's downfall. Yet, he didn't appear to regret it. Unifying written language, currency, and building the Great Wall had brought immense contributions to the future. Surpassing the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors was certainly no empty boast.
"Indeed, excessive cruelty invites rebellion, unless one possesses the power to suppress the entire realm." Li Xing agreed with Ying Zheng's assessment. Gilgamesh had indeed provoked rebels, but that rebel had become Gilgamesh's only friend and had changed Gilgamesh's cruelty.
Iskandar glanced at Ying Zheng, finding him very interesting. The fact that Li Xing, who had just refused to surrender to him, showed a modicum of respect to Ying Zheng was enough to demonstrate Ying Zheng's dominance.
Li Xing's respect stemmed from a descendant of Yan Huang showing deference to an eternal emperor. The times had changed, and his identity was different now. It was impossible for Li Xing to serve as a subordinate.
Without waiting for others to say more, Lancelot charged forward with a streetlight, his target naturally being the King of Knights, Artoria, an act of instinct.
Li Xing quickly moved forward and repelled Lancelot with a punch. Lancelot rose again, showing no hint of fear. Li Xing had other matters to clarify and didn't want to waste time with Lancelot. He unleashed another punch, directly knocking Lancelot out of the fight temporarily.
Iskandar recognized Lancelot's ability: anything he grabbed would become his Noble Phantasm. He wondered how powerful an object Lancelot could control. If he could even control divine constructs, it would be quite troublesome.
"You... why did you help me?" Artoria asked, full of questions. In her eyes, Li Xing was also a participant in the Holy Grail War. There was no reason for him to help her; instead, he should have taken advantage of her injured state to eliminate her.
"It's nothing, I just felt like it." Li Xing turned his head towards Ken's direction and unleashed a punch. Diarmuid, sensing danger, immediately rushed towards Ken's location.
"Quite capable! My loyal subject, your martial prowess is no less than that of my generals." Ying Zheng was very pleased with Li Xing, this descendant of his. He already wanted to make such talent his subordinate.
"Your Majesty overpraises me. I merely wished for Lancer to retreat temporarily. Mere pressure from a punch is nothing noteworthy. However, I do not wish to be anyone's subordinate. But if Your Majesty is willing, you are welcome to stay at my humble abode for a while."
"Hahahaha, forget it. How can a god easily submit? I shall visit your residence then!"
"I am Iskandar, the King of Conquerors. King over there, would you like to conquer the world with me?" Iskandar was not asking Ying Zheng to submit this time, but inviting him to conquer the world together.
"Unifying the world is indeed a noble aspiration. But after unifying the world, there can only be one Son of Heaven. It would be better to determine the throne before unifying the world. Internal strife is always the first step towards national division."
Ying Zheng's meaning was clear: only one person could unify the world. If they fought among themselves after unification, the realm would split. Therefore, conquering the world together was impossible.
Iskandar expressed his regret. Since he had been refused, there was nothing he could do. They would have to fight another day. He then steered his war chariot and ascended into the air with Waver.
Seeing that everyone had departed, Li Xing invited Artoria to his home. "Artoria, would you like to come to my place for a visit? I'll make you something delicious. My sister's cooking is also very good."
"This... no need. I am grateful for what you did just now, but we are enemies. There is no need for that."
Artoria hesitated noticeably as she said this, clearly wanting to visit Li Xing's home.
Li Xing then approached Artoria and touched her left hand. The hand injured by the "Immovable Yellow Rose" instantly healed.
"This... how is this possible!" Artoria couldn't believe that Li Xing could heal the curse she had been afflicted with. More importantly, they were enemies!
"Don't worry, I am not your enemy. I was not summoned by the Holy Grail, and Ruler is just a pretense. That Emperor is the true Ruler." To dispel Artoria's hostility, Li Xing decided to lie, though not entirely.
"How much longer do you expect me to wait? You two can discuss whatever you need to discuss after returning to the palace! If necessary, I can bestow a marriage upon you."
"I believe you have misunderstood something. Please do not insult a knight." Artoria disliked being treated like an ordinary young girl, as it was an insult to both a knight and a king.
Ying Zheng merely smiled at this. In his eyes, men and women were equal. All subjects of the realm were beings he should care for. As long as they stepped upon Qin soil, they were his subjects, the First Emperor's subjects. This land, where the Qin people had migrated across the sea to multiply, should therefore be Qin territory.
"Alright, let's go! Irisviel, you come along too. You'll be safe at my place; no one can harm you here."
Irisviel also wanted to understand what was going on between Li Xing and Ying Zheng, so she nodded in agreement. Artoria had no choice but to follow them to Li Xing's home.