I am a Peerless Hero without equal! (WC/Currently in FGO Part 1)

"Oh, you have done well to summon me! Iskander, King of Conquerors, shall carve out your path!"

The large figure— Iskander— announced with bravados.

"Iskander? Alexander the Great? The same man who conquered most of the known world for his time?" Olga muttered to herself as she took in the scene. She was struggling to believe how a commoner, someone untouched by the Moonlit World previously, could summon such a famous figure from history.

Iskander focused on the teen in front of him. "So, you are my Master?"

The majesty the King of Conquerors possessed overtook Ritsuka's soul, taking away his voice as he stared in awe at Iskander.

As befitting of a legendary figure of his caliber, the King of Conquerors possessed an unspoken aura around him. That aura prompted his men to follow Iskander to the ends of the Earth in conquest. The raw charisma… that easily enraptured Ritsuka.

"Ritsuka."

Kuku's words broke Ritsuka out of his stupor. Turning to face her, the teen saw how she was jerking her head at Iskander. Oh, right, the newly summoned Servant asked him a question. Crap…

"Um, yes, I am your Master, Iskander."

Ritsuka hoped he didn't embarrass himself in front of someone like Alexander the Great. Though he wasn't as familiar with Alexander's story as maybe with Miyamoto Musashi, the teen still has heard of one such as him.

The man who conquered the known world at the time…

The giant approached him. Ritsuka had to gulp as the height difference between him and the Servant fully registered inside his mind.

Iskander had to look down at Ritsuka because of their height difference. His eyes were judging. He was judging Ritsuka.

"Heh," The giant then smiled, "As my Master, you should carry yourself with pride."

Iskander slapped Ritsuka on the back. While to the Conqueror, it might've appeared friendly, that slap was hard enough to cause Ritsuka to moan in pain.

"Hmm, you'll need a better regiment. There's barely any muscles on those bones!" Iskander observed.

Ritsuka felt like an arrow had stabbed into his chest from Iskander's words. Though he might not be as ripped as those bodybuilders, Ritsuka still thought he had an okay amount of muscles for one his age!

"Anyway, you should introduce me to your allies Master!" Iskander said as he looked around at the room, "And I see you've gathered plenty of powerful allies already."

The Servant crossed his arms. His judging eyes swept across the room, making everyone save for the Goddess uneasy.

Despite knowing that all are on the same side, it's natural for an ant to feel unease in the presence of an elephant.

"Right. Of course! As you know, I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru," Ritsuka then placed a hand on the shoulder of the girl that was right beside him, "This is Mash, she's my junior. This is Director Olga, the leader of Chaldea. This is Kukulkan, a goddess who led her hand in this dark time. This is Jerry, one of our technicians…"

One by one, Ritsuka introduced everyone in the room. After about three more names and finishing with all the personnel present, the teen concluded with, "And that's everyone here. We have more people. For example, we summoned an Archer, but he's not here. We also have a mascot called 'Fou'. I can introduce you to them later."

Iskander nodded, humming to himself, "Hmm, not a bad group of soldiers you've collected."

Ritsuka felt hot under the collar as the truth of the matter was far from what Iskander was talking about. He felt anxious as Olga glared at the teen, daring him to affirm what the Conqueror said.

"Um. Director Olga is the leader, not me."

"Eh?" Iskander's face expressed confusion, before returning to its usual jovial expression, "Ah, we'll get you there."

Placing his hands down at his sides, Iskander continued, "So! I do not sense the presence of a Grail War. Why have you summoned me?"

"Right, onto the real business. King of Conquerors, we summoned you because humanity is in grave danger!"

"Ho-oh? What kind of danger requires someone like me to save it?"

In a grave tone, Ritsuka replied, "Human history… has been incinerated."

That caught Iskander's attention. His jovial expressions turned serious.

"I see. That is grave enough of a reason." Iskander reached down and pulled out the sword strapped to his hips.

Kukulkan's eyes instantly snapped to the sword, ready to burst forward at the slightest hint of hostility.

However, instead of actually using the sword for any offensive purposes, Iskander merely raised it high in the air and thrust it upward as though stabbing an unseen foe, "I, Iskander, as promised before, shall carve out your path, Master—"

The sword tip hit the ceiling, sinking into it.

"..."

"..."

"""..."""

Instead of quickly pushing the sword back into its scabbard, Iskander pushed on with this display of power. "Master, have no worry, I am here. I will give you all my strength to restore human history to what it once was."

"Thank you, Iskander!"

______

Iskander chewed on salted crackers as a finger scrolled down the tablet right in front of him. The Conqueror sat in the cafeteria, uncaring of how many Chaldea staff members were staring at him.

"Hmm. This… it seems if I want to conquer the world after I fix it, I'll need to start with America." Iskander reached into a bag at his sides and took out more crackers. His giant hands made the normal-sized crackers appear more like cornflakes.

"Conquer the world?" A voice asked.

Taking his eyes away from the tablet, Iskander turned to face the speaker— "Ah, the self-proclaimed Goddess. Greetings."

The self-proclaimed Goddess who possessed no divinity was hovering a foot above the ground. That explains why Iskander didn't hear her approach; she wasn't walking but hovering. She didn't even breathe.

"I was familiarizing myself with what I missed for the past 2000 years. It is humbling to think that the 'world' I conquered was nothing more than a tiny piece of the true 'world', it is humbling." Iskander said as he brought up the tablet, showing Kukulkan how he was looking at a list of the world's largest empires by size. "My empire wasn't even in the top 10…"

Iskander then grabbed the bag of crackers at his side and pointed the opening at the self-proclaimed Goddess, "You want some? It's made by Archer. I have to say, he would've been an amazing asset to my army in the Persian campaign. Even simple crackers like this are addictive."

The Goddess paused longer than Iskander expected, saying, "…No thank you."

"Well, more for me." Iskander reached in and took out another piece of salted crackers, "Hmm, eating so many crackers has made me thirsty."

That caused Kukulkan to frown.

"You're a Servant. You don't need to eat or drink."

"Yes, but I like it. And if I like it, I'll do it," Iskander said as he got up from the chair. Without saying another word or considering that Kukulkan might have something more to say, the Servant sauntered over to a water cooler and filled multiple paper cups with cold liquid.

Returning to his seat, the Conqueror noticed how put off Kukulkan was.

"Do you only listen to your impulses?" She asked with disappointment clear in her voice. "How did you become the King of Macedonia with such a mindset?"

Iskander gave Kukulkan a bright smile. "I was born into this role. But to keep it, I had to become a vivid example that my people should follow. A King should be envied by his people. He should be personable, a vibrant figure inspiring all under his rule towards greater heights. My greed inspired my subjects and ended up with their happiness."

"Didn't your empire fracture after your rule? Scarcely before your body had even cooled had your generals begun following their impulses and declared themselves kings."

The self-proclaimed Goddess crossed her arms and stared right at Iskander's face, judging his reactions.

Instead of being angry, the King of Conquerors merely looked pleased.

"They are doing exactly what I would've. I could not possibly fault them for that."

"..."

Kukulkan gave Iskander a questioning stare that reminded the Conqueror of his advisors when he told them they were going beyond Persia and into India. It was a stare that practically screamed 'Are you serious' at the intended target.

"You're serious about that, aren't you? Conquering the world after all's said and done?"

"Of course! You're free to join my army, oh self-proclaimed Goddess. Based on what I've heard from the boy, you may be even stronger than all of Ionioi Hetairoi put together. For thousands of years, people would sing songs of our conquest!" Iskander chuckled.

"You do realize that empire building is frowned upon now, right? The current world powers will do whatever they can to stop you, up to and including using nuclear weapons."

A spark lit up in Iskander's eyes. He smiled brightly, "Ah, nuclear weapons. Yes, those lights can exterminate even the most fortified cities. I've read about them and the potential for a 'nuclear winter'. That's why I'm not going to simply conquer their lands, but conquer their hearts and minds."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Kukulkan said knowingly, as if familiar with what the Conqueror was talking about.

Perhaps she, too, was once a conqueror? Iskander wondered. From what his Master said, the self-proclaimed Goddess was a Hero through and through. She went to worlds in the midst of an extinction-level disaster and helped them, bringing the humans back from near collapse.

"Hahaha!" Iskander chuckled, "Conquest is not simply about acquiring lands or material wealth, but the heart of the people, o' self-proclaimed Goddess. It is the toughest conquest anyone can undertake, and thus, most fail at it. However, I am not like most people. I have conquered the hearts of those under me, earning their undying loyalty."

Iskander's mind wandered to his Noble Phantasm. That Reality Marble which contained all who once followed him in his dream of reaching Okeanos. He smiled.

Kukulkan rose from her seat, causing the chair to scrap loudly against the floor.

"Alright, it seems I'll need to show you the powers that modern nations possess. Empires are obsolete, respect for sovereignty is the current order."

Her feet left the ground, her body unbound and unrestrained by gravity. Truly, she would've been a great asset to his army, Iskander mused. He wondered how much further he would've reached had the King of Conqueror possessed one such as Kukulkan in his retinue.

Perhaps— no, he definitely would've reached Okeanos.

"And where would you show me this?"

"Recently, the technicians have finished repairing the simulators. I'm going to have them load up a simulation of what a nuclear strike looks like and afterward, I dare you to try and continue this path of conquest."

There was a sharp edge to Kukulkan's voice. If the King of Conquerors had been affected by the attempt at intimidation, he did not show it.

"Hmm, very well. Perhaps through this, I can conquer your heart and you will join my army."

The brazenness combined with the raw sincerity of Iskander's declaration was enough to send any young virgins alight with embarrassment. In contrast, Kukulkan's seriousness didn't recede in the face of such a declaration, even intensifying. As befitting one of her powers, many people in the past must've sought her hand.

"Right. Come with me. Let's go."

Later, entering into the simulation, Iskander found himself in one of those many cities with tall, gleaming, crystal-like towers. Specifically, he was standing on the sidewalk of a street.

Taking in a deep breath, Iskander familiarized himself with the smell of a modern city. Dozens upon dozens of foreign smells, all mixed with familiar ones such as those of flowers and grass.

So this is a modern city. Its houses were definitely taller than any city he'd ever been in while the Conqueror had been alive.

"To have touched the blue skies themselves…" Iskander mumbled while reaching up with his hands. "They have truly progressed beyond my wildest imaginations."

Iskander's attention focused on the Goddess that was hovering above the city. She was so far away that the naked human eye would have trouble spotting her. Not that it was any issue for the King of Conquerors.

"Iskander, bear witness to the calamity of a nuclear strike. Bear witness to the destructive potential at the press of a single button. This is what it means to try and conquer the world."

As the Goddess finished yelling, the King of Conquerors spotted a large metal container suddenly manifesting behind the floating form of Kukulkan. That metal container was shaped like a teardrop, with fins akin to that of fish on the thinner end.

That metal teardrop fell below the cityscape, disappearing underneath the urban horizon—

"—!"

There was a blinding flash of light.

So bright was the light that suddenly engulfed Iskander that darkness was nowhere to be found even when he closed his eyes.

Then… came the heat.

Iskander could feel his feet sinking into the ground as if solid concrete suddenly became a watery swamp. The heat was so great the ground underneath his very feet became liquid.

In mere milliseconds, a ball of plasma hotter than the sun's core consumed the metal teardrop alongside the Goddess. It rapidly expanded to a radius of multiple kilometers, evaporating everything within it so thoroughly that not even ashes remained. A simple sizzle like water dripped onto a hot pan, and then nothing. Evaporation.

Fortunately, Iskander was outside of that bomb's immediate blast radius, so he could fully enjoy how the trees around him— anything that can burn— were set alight. They burst into flames like torches. The glass that once covered the towers was shattered by the heat. As the shower of shards fell, they lost their jagged edges and instead turned into raindrops of liquid glass.

Metal and powerlines slagged as they melted in the heat, glowing with a fraction of the brightness of that nuclear explosion.

Iskander was surrounded by a sea of fire. A scene that resembled hell.

Afterward came a wall of wind stronger than even the mightiest hurricanes. A tsunami of force washed over everything. The pressure wave of the nuclear explosion caused the city around Iskander to simply… disappear.

Like grinders befitting of a god, all those buildings touching the sky were ground down to dust, transforming the shockwave from mere wind into a deadly blizzard of molten glass and debris easily able to strip flesh from bone.

As the shockwave washed over him, the King of Conqueror couldn't help but smile. Humans have truly touched upon the territory of Gods. Such destructive power! To read about it vastly undersells compared to experiencing a nuclear bomb's detonation.

Such powers that were once restricted to the realm of the divine are now divided among humans themselves.

As the shockwave dissipates, Iskander then notices he is in the shadow of a giant. Something blotting out the light.

Facing it, the King of Conquerors saw a mushroom-like cloud growing to be even bigger. It was blocking the sun, casting a dreadful shadow over the ruins of this unnamed modern city.

Just then, Iskander notices that the air is no longer blowing away from the cloud, but rather towards it. Ah, he realizes, the cloud needs fresh air to grow even bigger.

A sparkle of green light amidst this devastation caught Iskander's eyes. A trail of green landed right in front of him.

"How are you still alive?" Kukulkan asked, baffled at how untouched Iskander was throughout this whole ordeal.

Iskander crossed his arms, "You look virtually untouched, o' self-proclaimed Goddess."

"I'm fine because I'm tough enough to survive crashing into Ganymede at near-light speed. How are you alive? Is the simulator unable to properly simulate a nuclear blast?" Kukulkan's head turned to the side as she tried to come up with an explanation.

"Ah, I'm fine because modern weapons have no way to harm a Servant. They have no Mystery in them."

"..." Kukulkan stared blankly at Iskander. "What?"

"I'm a spirit. Mundane weaponry can't harm Heroic Spirits. Anyway," Iskander's arms dropped to the side, "That was an enlightening trip. The possibility of such deadly failure makes the potential success all the more enticing. All or nothing, as they say."

"..."

Kukulkan's hands came up as she covered her face, "Damn it."

_____

AN: It may be an old piece of lore, but many people forget that Heroic Spirits are Spirits. Modern weaponry can't damage them because they're purely physical, and the instant nukes come into play a Servant can just turn invisible. I see conceptual weapons as something partially metaphysical, that's why they're able to damage Heroic Spirits.

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