Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

The necromancer, Lion's Revenge, nodded and extended his hand to the knight.

"I am your Master, Shishikage Kairi. Please take care of me from now on."

"...This is a graveyard? You really picked a disgusting place to summon."

Shi Zijie Jieli's friendly handshake was ignored, leaving him only able to awkwardly scratch the back of his head.

"No, I'm being unfairly accused... After all, this place feels like my home turf."

After explaining his identity as a necromancer to the knight, he asked a question.

"You're Saber... right? Can you tell me your real name?"

"Seriously, I'm clearly your Master, so why can't I see some of your stats?"

"It must be caused by Mother's helmet."

The red knight snorted and removed his menacing helmet.

Upon seeing Saber's revealed face, Shishigake's mouth gaped open, unable to close.

"A woman...?"

The next second, the knight's sword drew an arc in the air and grazed the magician's nose.

"Don't say it a second time."

Saber said in a cold, murderous voice, "If you call me a woman again, I'll kill you."

Lion's instincts told her that she was serious.

"...I'm sorry, I apologize, I won't say it a second time."

The magician raised his hands and honestly apologized.

Saber's pretty face was scrunched up with anger, but it seemed to have calmed down a little.

She took a deep breath and muttered something under her breath with a slightly displeased expression.

"I forgive you. Now listen up—"

My name is Mordred, and I am the sole and rightful heir to King Arthur Pendragon.

Lion Jie Li gaped in astonishment.

The catalyst he prepared was a fragment of the Round Table, which should normally summon the Knights of the Round Table who are most compatible with him.

Unexpectedly, it was Mordred, King Arthur's most beloved daughter.

She just said she was King Arthur's only rightful heir, but...

"Didn't you rebel?"

The magician's criticism made Saber blush and mutter to herself.

"Yes, that's right, I did rebel."

That king never acknowledged my abilities until the very end, whether in military or political matters; I was his most outstanding son.

But—he was unwilling to entrust Britain to me, and instead chose my sister…Artoria to inherit the throne.”

That cold voice was not because she was no longer passionate; on the contrary, anger and hatred that could make a girl tremble were lurking within her.

Mordred's mother was the fairy queen Morgan, and even in terms of lineage, she was of higher birth than her sister.

Even so, the king was unwilling to acknowledge her abilities.

It was a lie from the very beginning; the king had always favored Artoria more.

"So I ended it all in a rebellious way—"

After that king and his mother went to Avalon, I destroyed everything they had painstakingly built.

I want to make that net understand that his life has no meaning.

That's right, according to legend—

Shortly after Arthur and Morgan disappeared and were believed to have gone to the land of fairies, Mordred launched a rebellion.

The once mighty kingdom also declined rapidly during the civil war.

Years later, Mordred and Artoria engaged in their final duel at Camlann.

Finally, the rebellious knight was pierced by the holy lance, while the queen also suffered a blow from the demonic sword; the two sisters perished together.

The legacy left by the Knight King and the Fairy Queen led to the destruction of Britain, the last divine kingdom on earth.

"Hmm, so Saber, your wish is to become queen?"

For Mordred, whose right to the throne has been denied, becoming king must be a wish he hopes to fulfill by using the power of the Holy Grail.

But Mordred responded to Lion's Robbery's question with arrogance.

"No, that's not right. I have no intention of becoming king through the power of the Holy Grail."

Even if I became king like that, that king would never accept me.

My wish is to challenge the chosen sword; only then will I succeed.

Lion Jieli was speechless.

After a long pause, his throat was dry as he asked, "What if the Holy Grail grants your wish, but you can't pull the sword out of the stone?"

That's right. Since it's a challenge to the chosen sword, there's a possibility that it might not be able to be drawn, after all, it's the sword that defeated all the men of Britain.

Even Mordred, who inherited the blood of the king, might not be able to successfully pull it out.

"Master, that's a really stupid question."

Mordred proudly puffed out her chest and said, "Because—there's no way I can't pull it out!"

The imposing presence in her voice certainly carried the aura of a king.

If it were her, she might be able to easily draw that sword.

Lion Robbery couldn't help but think that the Knight King might be a great king, but he lacked the ability to judge people.

……

……

Three days after meeting the young priest who was in charge of the "Red" faction.

It is now midnight.

Shirou and Aika Sajou left Sigishvara in the evening and headed to Tulipas, the location of the Greater Grail.

This is the stronghold of the "Black" faction.

As soon as he entered the city, Shirou saw the town's landmark building - Millenia Castle.

That fortress, which has stood for a thousand years and survived the bombardment of two world wars, is the main stronghold of the Thousand World Trees clan.

"Aigo, from here on out, this is Yggdrasilia's territory."

Enemies could appear at any moment, and enemy Servants might launch an attack... Don't leave my side.

"Okay, Saber."

Sajou Aika nodded obediently and happily moved closer to Shirou.

The moment her small shoulder touched Shirou's arm, her face flushed red again, and she hurriedly pulled away a little distance.

It was late at night, and the streets of the small town, which had only 20,000 to 30,000 people and a very slow pace of life, were deserted.

In other words, from the moment Shirou and Sajō Aika stepped into Tulipas, they were already being targeted by the enemy.

This is a blatant act of provocation.

Shirou and Ayaka Sajou's purpose for this trip was very clear: to issue a challenge to the Yggdrasil clan.

Aika Sajou killed Hyoma Sagara in Japan and stole the Command Seals that belonged to Yggdrasil.

From the very beginning, there was no option for both sides to coexist.

Furthermore, the Holy Grail, which Yggdrasil now possesses, is also Shirou's target.

Let's retrieve the Holy Grail as soon as possible, then go home and find Alice and Illya!

"Love song."

"……Um."

Sajou Aika dropped the relaxed, picnic-like atmosphere from before, nodded, and also sensed the enemy's approach.

However, the approaching footsteps exceeded their expectations.

It was the sound of multiple footsteps moving swiftly in an encircling manner, and the heavy footsteps of more than a dozen machines, like heavy machinery.

"Ah."

Just as Shirou had guessed—the Yggdrasil had an army under its command.

It's easy to understand if you think about it for a moment.

The patriarch of the Yggdrasil clan is someone who has witnessed the power of an army firsthand during the Third Holy Grail War; he would never obediently engage in a seven-on-seven Heroic Spirit battle.

"..."

With a calm and unchanging expression, Shirou drew the wind-swept holy sword from the void, while warily surveying his surroundings.

There stood a group of expressionless young men and women.

They were dressed in uniform white uniforms and carried bows and arrows or giant halberds; roughly estimated, there were at least twenty or thirty of them.

In addition, there are several giant humanoid golems that are over three meters tall.

"The World Tree... doesn't look very friendly."

……

……

At this moment, inside the city of Mirenia.

It is both magnificent and splendid, both solemn and awe-inspiring.

Even a hundred adjectives wouldn't be enough to describe this scene.

All six Servants of the "Black" faction... except for "that one" who was summoned in Shinjuku, are now gathered in this audience hall.

“My king, they are the enemies who have invaded your territory.”

A man dressed in a magician's robe walked up to the throne.

Despite his youthful appearance, he is actually the patriarch of the Thousand World Tree clan, who is over a hundred years old.

Danic Preston Yggdomirenia knelt before the white-haired nobleman seated on the throne.

His posture was exactly like the respect a subject would show to a king, and he did indeed address the other party as "King".

This king is none other than Vlad III, the "Black" Lancer, the strongest ace in the Holy Grail War prepared by Danic.

To Romania, he was the greatest hero of Transylvania, and Turkish soldiers called him the Piercing Lord out of fear.

Throughout the world, his terrifying reputation as Count Dracula is known to all.

As long as this is Romania, his fame is undoubtedly the highest, perhaps even comparable to that of Hercules in Greece.

"I never expected that someone would dare to set foot in my territory alone."

The "Black" spearman stared at the boy and girl who had trespassed into his territory, and his majestic voice echoed in the audience hall.

"Either they are extremely confident in their own strength, or they are fools who cannot understand the difference in combat power between themselves and the enemy—either way, they suit my purposes perfectly."

This is an excellent opportunity to test our combat capabilities.

First, send out the alchemy legion and golems as planned; if possible, consider annihilating them as well. Understand, Danic?

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Speaking of which... who is the Servant and who is the Master between them?"

Because Shirou was wearing modern clothes he had bought before leaving Japan, and because he and Aika were both young men under 20, Vlad III was perplexed.

"Darnick, as your Master, you should be able to distinguish which Servant is who?"