To become a king and a magician

In that war that swept the world in the struggle for global hegemony, no one could remain uninvolved, not even magicians who had been hidden in the shadows for thousands of years. Under the operation of the state apparatus, countless magicians abandoned their original desire to explore the origins and devoted themselves to the grand ambition of ruling the world.

With this mindset, the Japanese army, which was suffering repeated defeats in the Pacific theater, turned its attention to the Third Holy Grail War in Fuyuki in 1943, attempting to salvage its strategic disadvantage by making a wish upon the Holy Grail.

The German army, an ally of the Japanese army, was also drawn to the area.

The involvement of two major nations elevated the importance of the Third Holy Grail War from a local magical ritual to a new war that could influence the future of nations.

However, this crucial war ultimately ended in defeat.

No, it would be more accurate to say that it "disappeared".

At the height of the Third Holy Grail War, all the Servants suddenly disappeared, along with the Greater Grail, in Fuyuki City. Neither the Mage's Association nor the Church could find any trace of them. After months of investigation, they could only conclude that the Third Holy Grail War had been forcibly interrupted.

Because of this sudden interruption, all three families suffered enormous losses. The Holy Church and the Mage's Association were also unable to do more due to the current world situation. In conclusion, neither side gained what they wanted from this war.

"—Except for the side that obtains the Greater Grail."

On a speeding train, sitting across from Angelica by the window, Natsukawa Tora explained to her what he knew about the anomaly and the reasons that led to the current situation.

"There are four forces participating in the Third Holy Grail War. Excluding the Holy Church as the observers, there are actually three. Among them, the native families, as the three founding families, did not gain any results after the war. Excluding the German army, which is far away on the European battlefield and cannot interfere much here, there is actually only one force that could obtain the Greater Grail no matter how you look at it—"

Japanese Army.

Only this side has the capability to quietly move the Greater Grail out of Fuyuki City, and there is only one place where the Greater Grail was moved.

Tokyo.

Or rather, the current Imperial Capital of Japan.

That place is the most central location in all of Japan, and also the safest place. There is no other option but to hide the crucial Greater Grail there.

This is why Natsukawa Torato is sitting on this train now—it's a train heading towards the capital.

Since both locations are within Japan, the journey from Kanbuko City to this place didn't take too long. However, Natsukawa Torato and Angelica happened to be on this train when they entered this singularity, so they simply hitched a ride.

Of course, I didn't buy a train ticket.

"After hiding the Greater Grail for two years, or perhaps after they had finished researching it or figured out how to use it in warfare, the Japanese Army reactivated the Greater Grail. However, perhaps because of the Greater Grail's ability to conceal itself, the Third Holy Grail War, which should have been interrupted two years ago, suddenly resumed in the Imperial Capital."

"I think the Army is also somewhat at a loss about the current situation, but since the Holy Grail War has been restarted, it can only continue according to the rules. From the Army's perspective, it's less about fighting for the Holy Grail and more about protecting it."

"Well... none of this originally had anything to do with me, but—"

Raising his hand, looking at the red Command Seal on the back of his hand that resembled a sword blade, Natsukawa Tora sighed helplessly: "They really know how to give me things to do. It's not like I don't plan to participate. Was it really necessary to choose me in such a hurry?"

Command Spells.

Proof of the Master chosen by the Greater Grail.

Almost at the same time that Natsukawa Torama and Angelica appeared in this singularity, this certificate appeared in Natsukawa Torama's hand, as if it had been forcibly stamped on him to prevent him from escaping.

"So, Lady Natsukawa, do you wish to summon a Servant?" Angelica asked. "If needed, I can provide the corresponding artifacts directly. In my treasury, whichever Servant you wish to summon, I can provide you with the corresponding artifacts."

As Angelica said, with the countless Noble Phantasms within the Gate of Babylon, any Servant can be summoned at will; it's essentially a targeted summoning.

However, Natsukawa Torama shook his head: "There's no need for that. We don't lack powerful combat forces, so we can just summon Servants as we please... Besides, I already have someone in mind."

"More important than summoning Servants is the situation of this singularity—the reason I mentioned earlier for the current situation is actually something that happened in the past in a parallel world, which is a certain degree of 'historical fact,' and is part of countless pan-human histories. Normally, it would not cause a singularity to form here."

"Now that there are abnormalities due to the Holy Grail—is that what you mean, Lord Natsukawa?"

Natsukawa Tora nodded, then smiled and said, "Well, it doesn't matter what kind of abnormal situation it is. With me and you here, we can save the world from destruction."

“Thank you for your trust, Lady Natsukawa,” Angelica said respectfully. “Then, Lady Natsukawa, regarding that enemy who is already stirring, should we annihilate him?”

"Ah, that..."

Turning his head slightly, Xia Chuanhu looked at the carriage door directly opposite him.

next moment--

"Boom—!"

With a loud bang and a roar from the outside, the carriage where the two were located was immediately filled with thick smoke and dust. Fortunately, there were no other passengers besides the two of them, so Xia Chuanhu did not need to go out of his way to rescue them—although even if there were, he would not have gone out of his way to rescue them.

Amidst the smoke and dust, a figure appeared before the two with a heavy thud.

It was a silver knight clad in heavy armor and wielding a long spear.

"It's up to you, Angelica."

After glancing at him, Xia Chuanhu simply waved his hand, as if casually dismissing him.

"Don't be too rough, don't damage this train, we still have a long way to go to the capital."

"Yes, sir."

75. A comedic character makes his appearance!

Heroic Spirits.

A weapon formed by injecting the residual magical power of a Servant after their death into a machine.

In terms of combat power, it is not even comparable to Shadow Servants. However, in a normal war, Heroic Spirits are still an invincible enemy for ordinary people. Magicians and armies, if they do not gather a considerable number, are just weeds in front of it.

This technology was developed by magicians in the Japanese Army who surrendered to the nation. The power of these heroic soldiers was essential to save Japan from inevitable defeat.

"But it's just a matter of one strike."

Now, looking at the Heroic Spirit defeated by Angelica without even using a Class Card, Natsukawa Torara sighed slightly. Even Heroic Spirits, regarded as weapons of war on the battlefield, probably only perform this well in actual Servant battles.

This is partly due to Angelica's strength being unmatched by ordinary Servants.

"The battle is over, Lord Natsukawa. You were unexpectedly weak."

"Hmm, I can tell there's another army soldier in the next carriage, who must be the one controlling this heroic spirit—that is to say, he can only control it to execute some simple commands, he doesn't even have Command Seals."

There are probably quite a few soldiers like this in the current Japanese army.

"But it's still a bit strange, why would a heroic spirit appear here?"

Within Natsukawa Tiger's perception range, there weren't many passengers on the train. Apart from himself and Angelica, there were no other magicians present, and most of them were concentrated at the front of the train.

If we disregard the sudden appearance of the two of us, this train is just an ordinary train, and there is no need for the heroic spirits to come. Judging from the actual situation, it definitely did not appear suddenly, but must have been ambushed beforehand.

(Did they know in advance that I might be here?)

"Oh, that was a clean and swift defeat, a one-hit kill? What a beautiful strike."

Just as Natsukawa Tiger was thinking this, a refreshing laugh suddenly came from the next carriage. As the carriage door opened, a black figure abruptly dispelled its spirit form and appeared from the empty space, stepping on the corpses of heroic spirits on the floor and entering the eyes of Natsukawa Tiger and Angelica.

It was a black-haired girl—that's what it looked like.

Wearing a military cap with a shimmering papaya pattern, dressed in what appeared to be a modified military uniform, and holding a blade that reflected the sunlight outside the vehicle.

After scanning the entire carriage, the girl's fiery red eyes landed on the only two passengers.

"Is it you? The great sinners who were prophesied by the witch to destroy this country, the final master-servant pair in this Holy Grail War that has been restarted."

"They really did get a terrible label thrown at them right from the start."

A heinous criminal who destroyed the country?

The prophecy given by the witch?

Xia Chuanhu was a little confused. The Holy Grail War in the Imperial Capital that he knew of did not include this part—was this the reason for the formation of the singularity?

(A witch...?)

"Well, never mind, I won't figure it out here. I can investigate it myself later. More importantly, judging from your tone, I can tell that you knew I would be here all along, so you came here to ambush me?"

“Archer—Lord Oda Nobunaga”

Oda Nobunaga.

This is the real name of the black-haired girl in front of you.

A prominent figure of the Warring States period, the Sixth Demon King who relentlessly challenged established norms while striving for national unification. He is considered one of the Three Great Unifiers of Japan, alongside later rulers Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Among all the Servants in the Japanese system, she is undoubtedly one of the strongest that can be summoned. With the added advantage of her popularity in the local area, the power she can unleash is so great that even a god-level Servant might not be able to contend with her.

Upon hearing her true name revealed, the girl—Oda Nobunaga—couldn't help but laugh: "Hahahaha! You recognized my true name at a glance. Just as that witch said, if I were to fight you, the advantage of information would be absolutely nonexistent... Well, this also shows how famous I will be in the world in the future. It's just that I can't help it if my true name is revealed directly!"

It's that witch again?

"This is the second time you've mentioned that witch. It sounds like she told you a lot about me. Could you tell me her name if you can? If she's someone I know, I'll have to settle the score with her later."

“Ho ho~~~~ After that.” Oda Nobunaga narrowed his eyes. “Facing me, who has already stood on the side of your enemy, you actually believe that there is still a ‘after’? A mere Master really has the nerve to say that—no, that’s not right, if what that witch said is true, you really can say that.”

(Looks like they really said quite a bit. Someone who knows me so well, and is a witch... I can probably guess who it is.)

Next time we meet, let's make sure she can't get out of bed for a week.

“Bang bang bang bang————!”

Just as Natsukawa Tora was thinking this, several shots suddenly rang out in the carriage. At the same time, Angelica, who had been on guard, immediately used a displacement spell to transfer the sudden attack outside the train.

"Oh, that's a pretty good reaction, you blocked it all. But that's to be expected, I would have been utterly disappointed if you had taken it down like that!"

Oda Nobunaga, with several matchlock guns floating around her, wore a smile that was both cute and cruel, and a strong killing intent was constantly emanating from her.

Natsukawa Tora frowned: "Is this your unique way of greeting people? The Japanese really do have a very enthusiastic welcome."

"You're quite adept at handling things, you sinner," Oda Nobunaga chuckled. "I could be even more enthusiastic. By the way, I can answer your question, but only after you've perished in my three thousand worlds—if you'll still have a few ashes left by then."

As soon as he finished speaking, more matchlock guns appeared around Oda Nobunaga, as if Angelica were opening the King's Treasury, their dark muzzles all aimed at Natsukawa Tora and his companion.

"Come, you great sinners who have come from beyond this world, attempting to destroy our nation. Summon your Servants and begin the Holy Grail War between us! I am Oda Nobunaga, appearing in this world in response to the call of future generations, a Servant who exists to save this nation."

"For the future of this nation, I hereby declare—I will utterly destroy you with three thousand worlds!"

76. A rain of nuclear bombs fell from the sky.

The sky over the Imperial Capital of Japan.

The sky that countless samurai had longed for in the past.

Not long ago, it had become a battlefield engulfed in war, with steel birds from across the ocean running rampant in the sky, dropping destructive bombs on this land.

Smoke and fire filled the sky—this is a scene that residents of the capital city see every day. Perhaps the impression left is too deep, or perhaps they have been watching it for too long, but at some point, the residents of the capital city have accepted the fact that the sky is like this.

However, today, at this twilight moment, the sky, which had been occupied by smoke and fire all day, suddenly became crystal clear!

If you ask why...