Shirou's clones number 30 million

"This year's Nero Festival consists of three events: the Citizens' Tournament, the Master's Tournament, and the Heroic Spirit Tournament."

"As the organizer of the event, I have prepared three prizes, which can only be won by the champion."

"The prizes for the citizens' contest are the Fountain of Life and a ton of gold. Gold has always been something that people have been striving for since ancient times, while the Fountain of Life can make the elderly young again and make young children strong, healthy and intelligent."

"The prizes for the Master Tournament are a golden apple and my singing voice. I am the only artist in the world who can rival Apollo, so my singing voice goes without saying. As for the golden apple, it can enhance magical aptitude and increase the magical circuits in one's body."

"The prizes for the Heroic Spirit Tournament are the fine wine I have carefully prepared, and the ownership of the Holy Grail."

"Hmph... Although I don't understand things like atmosphere, I can still feel the joy that fills the air."

"If you're already interested and want to win the prize, then sign up for the competition!"

"I hereby declare the festival—begin!"

Within the city, cheers erupted continuously.

Dicarludo looked back and forth between the projection in the sky and Artoria, then asked hesitantly:

"You...are relatives?"

No, it has nothing to do with it.

Artoria stared blankly at the sky, still not coming to her senses even after the projection disappeared.

She could tell that the people in the city genuinely loved and respected the girl who looked almost exactly like her.

And this is something she has been trying to do but has never been able to achieve.

They looked remarkably alike, but the other's magnanimity far surpassed his own, and under the other's rule, the happy smiles on the people's faces were no less genuine.

Even after death, they are still willing to follow forever. Why would such a person be called a tyrant?

……

Somewhere in the city, two members of the Rider group.

"Hahaha... Such spirit, such generosity, I'm getting excited."

"What are you thinking? We're right in the midst of the enemy's Noble Phantasm, instead of trying to escape, you're just leisurely drinking here."

"Don't rush. Thanks to her, all the Servants are gathered here, so we can take them all down at once. It's faster to deal with them all at once than to search for them one by one."

"Take care of them together?" Weber stared at him blankly, unable to help but repeat it.

"Of course, the opportunity to fight against heroes from different eras is extremely rare, and there are six of them at once, so of course we can't let any of them slip by, right?"

The Conqueror King paused for a moment, then patted Waver on the shoulder and laughed:

"However, before we start the war, let's enjoy the festival to the fullest."

"Huh...? Huh...!?"

"Kid, let's go."

"Where are we going?" Weber asked, unable to help but be dragged along by the arm.

"Of course I've registered you."

"Huh...? I don't want to participate, I definitely can't win."

"Kid, don't you want it? The golden apple."

"Of course I want to, but I have no chance of winning. Participating in the competition would just be a waste of time."

"If you want to participate, then go and compete! No competition result is determined before the competition begins."

……

Another location within the city, Archer Group.

"Your Majesty, could you please wait until after the festival before taking action against Caster?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka stood respectfully before Gilgamesh, his posture and manners impeccable, but secretly he was mentally preparing to use a Command Spell.

Although it happened suddenly, Nero's projection appeared quickly, so he already understood what had happened.

Servants are merely clones of Heroic Spirits; only the Servant can use their treasures, so even if you steal them, they're useless.

Therefore, no matter how many treasures a Servant possesses, they have nothing to do with their Master.

Logically speaking, that's how it should be.

But since Nero was able to offer such a prize and create such a grand spectacle, it must be a genuine, usable item.

The prizes for the Citizens' Tournament were good, the prizes for the Heroic Spirit Tournament were unimportant, but what excited him the most were the prizes for the Master Tournament.

The legendary golden apple has great potential, whether used personally or given to Rin.

Although Rin has excellent aptitude, if she could eat the Golden Apple, her aptitude would definitely become even more outstanding.

At that time, the Tohsaka family's long-cherished wish might be fulfilled in Rin's generation.

Even if we don't win the Holy Grail War, obtaining the Golden Apple will be enough.

As for the other six Masters, Kirei is one of our own, so we don't need to worry about him.

Waver was just a half-baked player, and so was Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magician Killer; both were easily defeated.

In Tokiomi Tohsaka's view, the only person who could rival him was Kenneth, the ruler of the Clock Tower.

If you defeat him, you can get the golden apple.

It's not a sure thing, but if we use all the gems the Tohsaka family has accumulated, we have at least a 70% chance of winning.

This is simply a gift from heaven, absolutely not to be missed.

"Heh... Tokiomi's performance? I'm looking forward to it. I hope it won't turn into a farcical farce."

Gilgamesh looked at Tokiomi Tohsaka with great interest, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Chapter Eleven: Kariya Matou's Wish

Chapter 11, Section 11: Kariya Matou's Wish

Rome, inside the royal palace.

"Shirou, are you alright?" Matou Kariya asked with a worried expression.

"I'm fine, what's wrong?"

"I wasn't just putting on a brave face, was I? Although I'm only a half-baked magician, I know that summoning a city of Rome of this scale as a Noble Phantasm must consume a tremendous amount of magic power."

"That's what I initially thought too, but in reality, the magic power within me has hardly decreased."

As he spoke, Shirou subconsciously glanced at Nero, who was walking over from a distance, waiting for her to explain.

"This is the effect of my skills Tyrant and Favored Concubine, which can reduce the magical power required for Noble Phantasms and activate them in a way that is close to zero consumption."

For some reason, Nero looked very smug when he said this.

Of course, she's always been this kind of person, so Shirou didn't really care.

"I see."

Shirou felt somewhat relieved; thankfully, the Servant he summoned was Nero, and an enhanced version at that.

If it were Archer (Red Archer), with the magical power within him, his Unlimited Blade Works might not even last three seconds.

Knowing that the Noble Phantasm consumed almost nothing, Matou Kariya breathed a sigh of relief and then said:

"Shirou, Sakura has rarely gone out this year. Could you please take her around the city?"

"I have to go participate in the Master Tournament. You take Sakura to play instead," Shirou said without hesitation.

"Shirou, I've always wanted to beat up Tokiomi. This is my last wish at the end of my life."

As he spoke, Matou Kariya looked down at his legs and sighed:

"Compared to me, it's more suitable for you peers to go out and have fun together."

“We’re not the same age. I’m already seventeen. There’s a ten-year generation gap between me and Sakura.”

"Hehe... He clearly looks like a child."

"In the end, you can't beat Tokiomi Tohsaka at all. If you go to participate in the Master Tournament, you'll definitely get beaten up by him instead."

Matou Kariya's expression froze, and he sighed in disappointment.

Indeed, he was no match for Tokiomi.

Although I really wanted to teach him a lesson, the difference in strength was undeniable.

Suddenly, Nero drew his red sword from his waist, gripped it in reverse, pointed the hilt at Matou Kariya, and laughed:

"In that case, I will temporarily lend you the Primal Flame of the Ritual. Take it and offer me a song of victory."

“This…” Matou Kariya hesitated. “I don’t know how to use a sword, especially not this kind of oddly shaped one.”

"This is not a sword, but a magical costume that can change its shape at will."

As he spoke, the red sword in Nero's hand gradually transformed, turning into a ball of flame in an instant, and then back into a spear and a water cup.

"Just like this, the longsword I just saw is my favorite shape."

It wasn't a sword after all.

Shirou instantly realized why she carried a sword despite being a Caster-class character.

So that wasn't a sword after all, but a magical artifact. No wonder it's so strange.

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty Nero.” Matou Kariya solemnly accepted the Primal Flame, which had returned to its sword form. “I, Matou Kariya, will surely present you with a song of victory.”

Seeing this, Shirou no longer objected.

"In that case, I'll take Sakura out for a walk."

"Well, Sakura... I'll leave it to Shirou."

"Go ahead," Nero said with a smile, waving his hand. "All food and drinks in Rome are free today, so enjoy yourself!"

Shirou had seen Rome two thousand years ago countless times, according to the groom's own memory.

Although I only lived there for a few days, I gradually became familiar with it.

The city of Rome summoned by Nero's Noble Phantasm, though more than ten years in the future, still vaguely resembles the city of memory.