The mighty and majestic soldiers marched forward with powerful strides. At the front was a skirmish line composed of Thracian javelineers and Cretan archers, while the left flank was protected by the heavy cavalry of the Greek alliance. The assault force on the right flank consisted of the elite Companion Cavalry, flanked by the Royal Guards infantry, seamlessly connecting with the Macedonian phalanx.
This was the Macedonian phalanx, the formation that had swept across Europe and remained undefeated in battle!
At the very centre of the infantry phalanx and the cavalry support was the chariot of the Conqueror King. Alongside the king, the divine horse Bucephalus, who had ascended to the status of a heroic spirit, leapt forward.
Following them, the legendary warriors, founding monarchs, and soldiers who were both heroic spirits and followers of heroic spirits began to manifest one after another.
The overall commander of the Companion Cavalry, Perdiccas.
The Macedonian general, Cleitus.
One of the greatest commanders of the Hellenistic era, the "God of War," Antigonus.
The greatest philosopher and scientist in Greek history, Aristotle.
Alexander the Great's second-in-command and the founding pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty, Ptolemy I.
Among these warriors, some had been enemies, even fighting against each other after Alexander's death, engaging in endless wars. But when the king's call rang out, they all opened their eyes from the Throne of Heroes and stood together on this scorching desert land, gathering around the one and only king in their hearts.
Proudly gazing at the familiar faces, Iskandar slowly spoke.
"Perdiccas, bring me victory!"
"My king, let me go with Perdiccas!"
A handsome general stepped forward, bowing and requesting orders.
He had also once led the Companion Cavalry and was a highly talented reserve officer—his abilities had played a crucial role when Alexander's army crossed the Gedrosian Desert.
Whenever it was time to charge into battle, Alexander always had him and other generals command the troops together to avoid any mistakes.
His name was Hephaestion!
After a brief silence, Iskandar looked into Hephaestion's determined eyes and finally sighed softly, nodding.
"Then, you must return safely, my dear friend."
The two generals who had successively led the Companion Cavalry stepped forward, exchanged a glance, and then Hephaestion took the lead, with Perdiccas following closely behind, covering each other.
Behind them, the elite Macedonian Royal Guards, also known as the Companion Cavalry, surged out of the main formation, following the two generals in an orderly charge. Despite the charge, their formation remained flawless, with no one falling behind or making a mistake.
As the targets of the cavalry assault, Sakatsuki and the others naturally noticed this small force that had been dispatched.
"The two leading them are Hephaestion and Perdiccas."
Sakatsuki said, recalling the information from the history books as he checked the details provided by the Fate Compendium.
"After Hephaestion's death, Perdiccas took over his position—meaning they are both masters at commanding these elite cavalries."
"So, a decapitation strike would require killing both of them simultaneously... That's too difficult."
"After all, our compatibility with the King's Army isn't great either."
"No matter how powerful Miyu's magic cannon is, it can't sweep away an entire cavalry unit. Berserker is even less useful. The only one who can truly make a difference is your holy sword, Saber..."
"No, that won't work."
Artoria shook her head, her emerald eyes sharply focusing on the tall, long-haired man beside Rider. This man was stern-faced, constantly issuing orders, dispersing the army while ensuring they remained interconnected.
Sakatsuki noticed Saber's confusion.
"His leadership skills are unquestionable, but other generals looked down on him because he wasn't Macedonian and had only been a private secretary. He was eventually killed by mutinous soldiers—but with Rider here, I'm afraid his terrifying abilities will be fully unleashed."
"Yes, I can feel the changes in the army's formation. This man named Eumenes has expanded the power of the priestly group to every corner of the army... It's likely that 'Excalibur' won't be very effective."
Excalibur is an A++ rank anti-fortress Noble Phantasm, capable of obliterating even the sturdiest of structures. However, it is not an anti-army Noble Phantasm, and its range is insufficient to cover the entire 'King's Army,' not to mention the fact that the king's priests can use divine magic to weaken her Noble Phantasm.
"Hey, have you finished discussing? They're almost here!"
Kariya shouted urgently.
The sound of hooves thundered, and the glint of the cavalry's long swords was blinding.
But Saber and Sakatsuki acted as if they didn't see the threat ahead, continuing their conversation.
"We can't completely destroy the King's Army."
"Yes, there are too many of them."
"So what we need to do is—"
"A decapitation strike."
"Right, the target isn't small fry like Hephaestion or Eumenes, but the true leader of the 'King's Army'—"
"Then it's decided. We'll split into two groups. One will do their best to distract the army and draw their attention, while the other will charge into the heart of the army as quickly as possible and take down Rider... Heh, no matter which path, the difficulty is incredibly high."
"But you're smiling... Never mind. I'll take care of Rider's side. As for Berserker..."
"Berserker can't fight alongside you, at least not now. Let Miyu assist you."
"Then, take care, Sakatsuki."
"You too, don't die, my king."
Saber blinked, suppressing the ripples in her heart, and turned her face away, her golden hair fluttering.
"Let's go, Miss Miyu!"
Miyu, who had transformed into a magical girl, flew into the air, firing countless magic bullets to cover Saber's charge toward the flank.
Facing the Companion Cavalry head-on were only Sakatsuki, Berserker, and the two fragile Masters.
"Kariya, what do you say? Want to join me in some chaos?"
"Little brat, what are you talking about? I'm a Master, a Master! What kind of Master would be as crazy as you!"
At this point, Kariya didn't care about hiding anything, jumping and shouting.
Seeing Kariya's frantic expression, Sakatsuki couldn't help but laugh, then waved his hand.
Layers of iron clusters spread out beneath the feet of Irisviel and Kariya, lifting them into the air and forming a towering fortress bristling with weapons.
If any careless cavalry charged up, they would surely be turned into pincushions by the weapon-covered tower.
"I've also set up spatial displacement in mid-air, so you can safely watch the show from the VIP seats."
After ensuring the safety of the two, Sakatsuki patted Berserker's shoulder, only to have his hand swatted away impatiently. Unfazed, Sakatsuki stared at the black knight for a moment, then suddenly said.
Kariya poked his head out from the tower.
"Be prepared. Your three Command Spells might be used up here."
After taking care of the miscellaneous matters, Sakatsuki turned to face the approaching cavalry, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
"Alright, let the carnival begin!"
Before the last word left his mouth, the young man's white robe fluttered, his red clothes billowing, and the black longbow in his hand gleamed with light.
A spiral arrow was nocked, aimed, and released.
"First, a greeting—Caladbolg II!"
The two cavalry commanders shouted, but it was too late.
A crimson inferno erupted among the three thousand cavalry!
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