Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

There was already a lot of luck involved in shooting that arrow.

You might think Shirou was just showing off by holding up the bow, but actually he was so tired that he couldn't even lower his arm.

Shirou will not let his enemies know about his current dire state, and of course, he will not show cowardice in front of Saber.

"Because... there's no need for that."

The red-haired boy calmly said, "Even if I killed you now, I wouldn't feel happy."

"........."

Those who witnessed the battle held their breath, their eyes fixed on the face of the Golden King.

This moment is like the calm before the storm, the darkness before the sun rises.

Something big is coming—

"----ha."

Gilgamesh suddenly covered his face and leaned back.

"Hahaha! Haha ...

The King of Gold erupted in laughter.

"?"

Everyone couldn't help but wonder: Did the proud Gilgamesh finally go mad after his cheek was scarred by the enemy?

After laughing wildly for about thirty seconds, Gilgamesh composed himself.

"Ah... I see, that's how it is."

Regardless of whether you're a child or an adult, you've been in a serious, all-out mode from the very beginning. Am I the only one who's oblivious to romance?

The King of Heroes... he understood.

The red-haired boy has been provoking and mocking us repeatedly since just now, even going so far as to team up with Saber...

Those actions were actually meant to force myself to give it my all.

Many people feel "fear", "shock", "trembling" and "admiration" in the face of the King of Heroes' power, but few people realize that the King's power is not limited to this.

As for those who feel "dissatisfied", Shirou Amamiya is probably the first.

……interesting.

The next instant, an unprecedentedly powerful aura emanated from Gilgamesh's body.

It was as if Archer, who had just wielded thousands of Noble Phantasms, was merely a projection of the King's own avatar—

At this moment, Gilgamesh displays his majesty as the strongest Heroic Spirit.

"You really went to great lengths to get me to use my full strength..."

As a reward for letting me witness a clown's performance, let's get "serious" here too.

The golden archer, with an arrogant smile that seemed to look down on everyone, said:

"Don't disappoint me after making such boastful claims."

Let me see how many seconds you, this fragile false king, can stand before the true majesty of a king.

—From this moment forward, it is time for the "decision."

Having said that, Gilgamesh once again unfurled the Gate of Babylon.

This time, it wasn't just golden ripples from behind, but a dense, impenetrable encirclement of Shirou from all sides.

Unlike the ones released during the previous clash with the "Lake of Holy Swords," each of the Noble Phantasms revealed this time possesses greater strength, hardness, and mystery.

Unlike before, when weapons were simply thrown down haphazardly, this time, in order to unleash a greater power, the Noble Phantasm was imbued with some kind of aura that Shirou was unaware of—

This was the first time the boy from the Fairy Kingdom had faced such a vast and powerful "divinity".

Gilgamesh raised his right hand triumphantly, then suddenly his expression froze—

……

……

minutes ago.

Tokiomi Tohsaka, now confined to the underground workshop of the mansion, could no longer maintain his elegance.

In Archer's speech tonight, he captured a key word—

Gilgamesh refers to the red-haired boy as a fake (Faker).

Tokiomi Tohsaka was stunned... Shirou Amamiya was actually the seventh Servant?

Isn't he the Master who is fighting in place of the Matou family?

But if Amamiya Shirou isn't a Servant, then who is the seventh Servant?

But if Shirou Amamiya isn't a Master, then who is the seventh Master?

Whoever he may be, he far exceeded Tokiomi Tohsaka's imagination.

Not only does it possess the firepower to annihilate the sea monster in one blow, but it can even rival the King of Heroes' "Gate of Babylon".

He might actually be the biggest enemy in this Holy Grail War, or even... he's allied with that Einzbern.

How did things get to this point?!

Even though Tokiomi Tohsaka had been responding cautiously and swiftly ever since the Spirit Foundation Disc malfunctioned.

All familiars and Assassins were mobilized to search extensively for information on the seventh Servant.

They lure unknown Masters to appear through the church, even using Command Seals as rewards (bait).

In terms of both intelligence and initiative, we should have an absolute advantage, however...

In hindsight, every move Shirou Amamiya made perfectly avoided his scheme.

Why on earth?

What exactly went wrong?

How could this kid have been allowed to hide and develop to this point?

Tokiomi Tohsaka turned around in surprise and looked behind him—

There is nothing there.

Even though there was nothing there, he felt as if there were a pair of eyes watching his every move from beginning to end.

He felt as if he were living in the shadow of Shirou Amamiya.

Just then, Tokiomi Tohsaka noticed that Archer's magical energy was surging.

Realizing the Servant's intention, the magician's heart skipped a beat:

No... Archer can't fight any longer tonight.

To launch a decisive battle when all intelligence about the opponent is still unclear is far too reckless.

Most importantly, if Archer loses here, it means that Tokiomi Tohsaka will have no chance to recover.

This is something he absolutely cannot tolerate.

still have a chance.

To put it bluntly, I'm still completely in the dark about Faker's abilities.

On the bright side, I've finally figured out who Faker is!

That's right. Now that we know the enemy's identity, it's not too late to use our advantages to turn the tide. There's no need to go all in on a decisive battle.

Always maintain elegance, no matter when or where—this is a family motto passed down through generations of the Tohsaka family.

Tokiomi Tohsaka has always kept this family motto in mind, and now is the time for him to put this belief into practice.

Thinking of this, the magician turned his gaze to the deep red pattern on the back of his right hand.

"........."

Gilgamesh's raised right arm froze in mid-air.

He shifted his gaze from the red-haired boy below to the upscale residential area of ​​Fukayama Town—the location of the Tohsaka family mansion.

"Tokiomi, you bastard...!"

The King of Heroes gritted his teeth, his face contorted with hatred: "How dare you interrupt my enjoyment! You're getting bolder and bolder."

As he said this, the thousands of Noble Phantasms that had surrounded Shirou and his companions from all sides simultaneously lost their light and disappeared into the void of the night.

"That's it for today."

Although Gilgamesh's tone was extremely dissatisfied, the passion that had been in his crimson eyes was gone.

At this moment, his dissatisfaction outweighed his ignited fighting spirit.

Tokiomi Tohsaka has always treated the King of Heroes with the humility of a subject, and Archer also acknowledges him as his Master.

However, he finally reached his breaking point with Tokiomi Tohsaka's conservative and dull strategy.

The King of Heroes suppressed his anger and uttered arrogant and unruly words:

"Go back now. Your judgment will be left for the day after tomorrow, boy. Just look forward to the king's visit."

"Next time we meet, you'd better let me see your true heroism, otherwise..."

Only when the Golden King began reciting his exit lines did Irisviel dare to exhale the breath that had been stuck in her throat.

The back of her dress was already soaked with cold sweat, and the night wind sent shivers down her spine.

The overwhelming rain of Noble Phantasms from earlier still lingered on her retina, and several times tonight, she had the illusion that she had been shot to death by a hail of Noble Phantasm swords.

Whew... I'm saved! I thought this was really going to be the end of my day!

Before she could even relax—

"Are you trying to escape, King of Heroes?"

The boy's clear voice pierced the frozen night.

Irisviel was on the verge of tears: Shirou, my dear son, can you please say less?

"Hmph... You should thank the bastard's stupid strategy for saving you, Faker."

After saying this, the golden figure of the Hero King transformed into a spirit and vanished completely.

Saber lowered his invisible sword, exchanged a glance with Shirou not far away, and nodded in tacit agreement.

"So you're still here, Conqueror King."

The red-haired giant stroked his chin and muttered, "No, after seeing how hard you two fought tonight, I'm increasingly inclined to make you my partners."

Saber furrowed her delicate brows, her silver-white armor clanging crisply as she turned: "Shirou and I will never submit to anyone."

Rider said, "Saber, are you so dissatisfied with me?"

But that's understandable. We're both kings, so it's normal that we can't accept each other... In that case, let's use our swords to persuade each other.

Artoria gave a confident smile: "That suits me perfectly, or else we could start now..."

Iskandar raised his hand: "Let's skip tonight. Your companion seems a bit off."

"……what?"

Saber turned her head and saw a red-haired boy whose face was deathly pale and who could barely stand.

"Shirou!"

She instantly dodged to the young man's side.

When her trembling fingers touched the other person's burning skin, the dryness unique to depleted magic stung her fingertips.

The boy collapsed into the arms of the knight king, his forehead drenched in cold sweat and stuck to his pale cheeks.

This is a poisoning reaction caused by excessive magic consumption...

Saber bit her lip: Shirou has actually been holding on all this time? I didn't even notice.

"Then we'll meet again, King Knight. Please say hello to that brat for me as well."

After saying this, Rider mounted his chariot, rode on lightning, and sped into the night sky.