Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

"Looks like his Master's having issues."

After a moment, he shouted again:

"Aside from that golden Servant who spoke disrespectfully earlier, are there any other Servants bold enough to come forth?"

One second, two seconds...

After about ten seconds, finding no Servant appearing, Iskandar shook his head in disappointment:

"No good—just a bunch of cowards too scared to show their faces."

"With such a grand stage already set, yet no one dares to perform—how disappointing."

With that, he turned to Nero and laughed heartily:

"Emperor of Rome, Nero—I've heard your name recently. Before this, I thought you were nothing but a decadent, incompetent tyrant."

"But now, I acknowledge your existence."

"In this Holy Grail War, you are my greatest enemy."

Nero let out a light laugh and asked:

"You're quite interesting. Do you wish to challenge I here?"

"Of course!" Iskandar said without hesitation. "I like this city of yours. I'll take it for myself and make it my base."

"If you've got the skill, then try it." Nero met his gaze head-on.

Iskandar drew his short sword, raised it high, and roared with bold ambition:

"This campaign has been disappointing so far, but meeting the Emperor of Rome makes it not a wasted journey."

The moment the words left his mouth, a burst of light exploded from him.

In an instant, the surroundings shifted from the arena to an endless desert.

At the same time, the sound of synchronized footsteps rang out behind him.

From the dust-shrouded shadows, a massive army emerged behind Iskandar.

And before Iskandar stood a sprawling city.

Nero stood alone, leaning on her sword, surveying Iskandar's vast host. A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips, a trace of beauty gracing her face.

"My peerless army! Our enemy today is Nero, Emperor of Rome—let's have a grand battle!"

Iskandar swung himself onto his horse, his blade pointing straight at Nero.

Behind him, the soldiers roared in unison:

"Victory! Victory!!"

Watching this scene, Nero's smile faded, and she shouted back:

"I do not enjoy war, but when an invading army comes, I will always stand on the front lines."

"I am not a qualified general—many of my glorious victories are the work of my Emperor's Husband—but no matter how powerful the enemy, I will never take a single step back."

"I love art, I love flowers, I love fine food, I love the hunt—but what I love most is Rome."

"I am the Fifth Emperor of the Roman Empire, Nero Claudius. I... am Rome."

As her words fell, troops emerged from the city behind her, forming rank after rank of phalanxes.

"An enemy invades. Behind us lies Rome. There is only one thing to do—victory."

"Rome! Rome!!"

The army behind Nero erupted in a roar that shook the heavens.

This standoff made Iskandar burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... worthy of being the only enemy I acknowledge on this expedition."

"The enemy are Champions defending their home, while we are invaders from afar. This campaign lacks moral ground, but that doesn't matter."

"Defeat the Roman army, seize that glorious city—charge!"

Short sword in hand, Iskandar rode his black warhorse, charging ahead first.

Behind him, dust flew as the Macedonian army followed close.

Watching the oncoming tide, Nero's face showed a flicker of surprise.

What's this? A brawl?

No tactics, no troop deployment—just a chaotic mass charge? Is this war?

Even if I'm not a qualified general, I can't lose to an army like this.

The next moment, it hit her—unlike herself, he had no skill to reduce Noble Phantasm mana consumption.

Normally, a Reality Marble of this scale would drain a huge amount of mana.

So, no tactics, just a headlong rush—purely because the mana couldn't support more.

"Go. Let them see Rome's way of war."

"Yes, Your Majesty Nero."

The archer unit advanced first. After three volleys of arrows, they withdrew behind the shield wall.

The Macedonian army's vanguard had already thinned by a large margin.

Waver, left behind by the charging army, stared dumbfounded at the distant scene.

Though he couldn't see clearly, it was obvious his side was at a disadvantage.

Both sides' Noble Phantasms were equally matched, but the enemy seemed prepared for a prolonged battle, while Rider was growing impatient.

The reason was simple: his own lack of mana.

Realizing this, Waver gritted his teeth and activated a Command Seal, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"King of Conquerors, you must win!"

"King of Conquerors, you must..."

"Conquer..."

After three consecutive Command Seals, Waver let out a quiet breath.

His mana had been holding Rider back. He hoped the Command Seals would make a difference.

Sensing the sudden surge in mana, Iskandar burst into laughter. He halted in place and began directing his troops in battle, abandoning the mindless swarm tactics.

Chapter 18: Adorning the Journey with a Few Flowers

Section 18: Chapter 18: Adorning the Journey with a Few Flowers

On the other side, time rewind to over two hours earlier, just after the Nero Festival Master Tournament had ended.

Kariya Matou handed the Golden Apple prize to Shirou, exchanged greetings with Sakura, and hurriedly left.

Though he claimed to have business, in truth, he had nothing to do.

He left simply because he felt out of place there.

'Sakura has Shirou with her. I don't need to worry anymore.'

'After what just happened, Tokiomi has probably started reflecting...'

At this moment, Kariya Matou felt a mix of self-satisfaction and relief, but mostly emptiness.

Before, his goals had been to save Sakura and punch Tokiomi.

Now that both were accomplished, he had no idea what to do next.

"Sigh..."

As he sighed, Kiritsugu Emiya, smoking by the roadside, suddenly caught his eye.

Having heard Shirou's account of the future, he wasn't unfamiliar with Kiritsugu Emiya.

A Hero of Justice—though a bit extreme, still a decent person, probably?

In the earlier match, Kiritsugu Emiya had lost to Kirei Kotomine, but it was clear he hadn't gone all out.

Moreover, from Shirou's future account, if Kiritsugu Emiya fought desperately, he should be able to kill Kirei Kotomine.

Kariya Matou unconsciously walked over and tried to strike up a conversation:

"A man like you, interested in something like the Golden Apple?"

"Sounds like you know me pretty well?" Kiritsugu Emiya asked without looking up.

"Sort of. I know your dream is to become a Hero of Justice, and that you've always been about killing one to save three."

Kiritsugu Emiya snapped his head up, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

He hadn't expected an enemy in this Holy Grail War to know him so well—and one he'd barely paid attention to: Kariya Matou.

"You... don't match the intel I gathered."

"Is that so? Well, I've changed a lot these past two days."

Kariya Matou couldn't help but smile, his demeanor gradually relaxing.

"Do you believe someone can see the future?"

"Prophecy?"

"Something like that. There's nothing in this Holy Grail War that can fulfill your dream. The Holy Grail was corrupted long ago. It can't grant wishes at all."

"What do you mean?"

"In the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family summoned... so the Holy Grail is completely unusable. In the end, it's all for nothing."

Kariya Matou shook his head with a wry smile, thinking to himself:

I must be crazy too. Why am I telling him all this?

Though he'll be Shirou's father in the future, right now he hasn't given up that dangerous idea of saving the world. He's no different from a terrorist.

Kiritsugu Emiya furrowed his brow, constantly analyzing the possibility of what he'd heard.

The Holy Grail corrupted, unusable.

This point is easy to prove—just ask Illya, and you'll quickly learn who the Einzbern family's Previous Master was. There's no need for him to tell such a clumsy lie.

"Then... why are you taking part in this Holy Grail War?"

"I'm here to save Sakura, and even more to punch that bastard Tokiomi."

At the mention of Tokiomi's name, Kariya Matou couldn't help grinding his teeth, a fresh surge of anger rising in his heart.

"That guy Tokiomi didn't bother investigating the Matou family's secrets at all. He just threw Sakura into a wolf's den."

"He said it was for Sakura's good, but there were plenty of better options—he just chose the worst one."

"Still, after what just happened, he should be reflecting on himself by now."

Kiritsugu Emiya carefully analyzed his words and quickly formed a few simple judgments.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Just a whim." Kariya Matou paused. "Maybe, also a bit of advice for you to give up."

"Your wife is the Lesser Grail. Once more than five Servants have fallen, she'll die."

"If you want to save her, you need to prepare early."

Kiritsugu Emiya's expression froze. After a long silence, he asked hesitantly:

"Can you save her?"

"I can't, but Your Majesty Nero should be able to. I asked her, and she said yes."

"What's your price?"

"What if I asked you to give up the Holy Grail War?"

This time, Kiritsugu Emiya was silent for a long while, his mind seemingly locked in fierce conflict.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, took a few drags, then stubbed it out again.