Shirou Returned from the Fae Kingdom

"W-Well, I suppose you could say we know each other. Since she's Merlin's enemy, we're not particularly close..."

"That's why I said you're just a stray dog by the roadside!"

"Guh...!"

Lady Avalon's brow twitched. Suppressing her anger, she asked with a cold smile,

"Master~ What exactly are you trying to say?"

Shirou grabbed Lady Avalon by the shoulders and looked toward the scene in the crystal ball. "Don't you think she resembles someone you know?"

"I don't."

The Flower Magus shook her head blankly.

"Morgan!"

Shirou reminded her loudly, "Could the true identity of Einzbern's Servant—the Saber—be Morgan? The evil witch from the Legend of King Arthur, the 'Fae Consort' Morgan!"

"Ah...?"

Lady Avalon's thoughts ground to a halt.

Master... No, what kind of nonsense is this brat spouting? Did he drink fake liquor?

The red-haired boy shook his head. "No, what I said just now was indeed inappropriate. She might not be the Morgan you know..."

Shirou hurriedly cut himself off.

Not good, not good. I got so excited that I almost revealed everything about the Fae Kingdom.

Shirou had once decided that he would never mention another Britain in this life, treating it as the most beautiful memory—or treasure—in the depths of his heart—

But now Morgan seemed to have come to Pan-Human History as well.

Did he still need to hold to his previous decision?

...Wait, Shirou.

Calm down and think carefully. Is this adorable beautiful girl really Morgan?

Perhaps she's just someone else who happens to look similar?

No, this isn't merely a case of looking similar! She's exactly the same!

That delicate, pitiful beauty, that lovable figure, and that reckless, headlong fighting style—

Everything, absolutely everything, was identical to Morgan!

Makiri had once said that Heroic Spirits manifested in the Holy Grail War would display different "aspects" depending on the circumstances.

Saber Morgan...?

If this was Morgan from the era of the Witch of Rain, she would have been more inclined to launch direct magical attacks than engage in close combat.

So she must be Morgan from the era when she called herself "Savior Ash," right?

The Savior who wielded a greatsword imbued with Fairy Tale Magic and rudely swept away every enemy before her.

Wasn't the girl in the crystal ball also using a Holy Sword imbued with wind magic?

That was precisely Ash's fighting style!

And the most decisive evidence of all was the Holy Sword in the girl's hands...

There was absolutely no mistaking that.

But—

A trace of oddness still lingered in Shirou's heart, preventing him from completely believing that Saber was Morgan. He simply felt that something was wrong.

"...Ah."

After being stunned for a long while, Lady Avalon's eyes suddenly lit up.

So that's what this is about...

Arthur and Morgan from this side of the world. Now that I think about it, it really is...

"Pfft."

Lady Avalon covered her mouth and bent over, her curled-up body trembling constantly—she was holding back laughter.

On the other side, Shirou rose from the tatami.

The image in the crystal ball was too blurry. He really had to go and confirm it in person.

Thinking this, he stood up, put on his coat, and strode out through the entrance.

"Big Sister Avalon, let's go."

"Yes, Master!"

Meli followed after him excitedly.

Volume One 046 The New Situation (2/5)

"Shhk—"

It was the sound of blood spilling onto the ground like a waterfall.

When Lancer used his spear to help himself stand again, all the former elegance and composure of this handsome man had vanished.

The Knight of the Spear had a huge wound across the front of his body, extending diagonally from his shoulder to his waist. It was so deep that even his bones could be seen—the masterpiece left behind by a single flash of the Golden Holy Sword.

"You actually avoided a fatal injury in that instant."

Saber's expression remained unchanged, but her astonished voice was filled with sincere praise.

"Mind's Eye (True)."

This was a skill Lancer had gained through years of painstaking training.

Even in a certain-death situation like the one just now, he could find the one and only path to survival from an absolutely hopeless predicament.

As a result, Lancer had barely avoided the Golden Sword Flash's greatest damage at point-blank range.

But he had already lost the strength to continue fighting. He merely had not yet returned to the Throne.

"...Saber."

"I know, Irisviel."

The blond King of Knights expressionlessly raised the exquisite scabbard in her hand and wrapped it in another layer of wind.

"Sorry, Lancer, but I have no intention of holding back. Let us bring this duel to a complete end."

Diarmuid kicked up the short spear he had thrown onto the ground earlier, shakily assumed a stance, and then forced a tragic smile.

"Even if you hadn't said so, that was my intention as well, King of Knights of Britain."

Through their exchange just now, Lancer had paid a terrible price and seen through Saber's true identity.

—The "scabbard" that could block every attack and possessed the strongest protection in this world.

—The "sword" that had pierced the Demon-Slaying Spear with a single flash, without even releasing its True Name.

Combining these two points, there could only be one possible identity.

The undefeated king from the legends of the Knights of the Round Table, the Holy Sword Wielder, Arthur Pendragon.

Likewise, Saber had recognized Lancer's identity.

"Diarmuid of the Knights of the Fianna, the 'Radiant Visage,' first among its warriors. It is my honor to cross swords with you."

Hearing such lavish praise from the powerful enemy who had overwhelmed him completely, Lancer felt no shame. Instead, he accepted the other party's sincere praise with complete peace of mind.

"Very well. Now that we both know each other's true names, we can finally have a proper duel as knights...

"Or is there something you find unsatisfactory about the current situation, Saber?"

Anyone could see that Diarmuid was already at the end of his strength, like a flickering candle in the wind. This could hardly be called a duel. It was an execution.

Yet Saber answered seriously, "I have no complaints whatsoever. You are the opponent I have dreamed of."

Granting a worthy opponent a defeat filled with dignity—this was Artoria's chivalry.

"Prepare yourself, Lancer."

"Preparation is something I abandoned the moment I set foot on the battlefield."

Both sides assumed their stances, prepared to end this glorious duel between knights in the next instant. However, just then—

"Both of you, that's enough!!!!"

The roar of the heavens and a man's bellow rang out above the battlefield.

Saber and Lancer simultaneously turned their heads and stared intently into the distant sky.

Amidst the interweaving purple lightning in the night sky, a chariot came rushing toward them from above.

It was a classical war chariot pulled by two muscular, powerfully built, magnificently handsome bulls.

After circling through the night sky for a while, it descended to the earth wrapped in thunder and Divine Aura, stopping directly between Saber and Lancer.

When the dazzling lightning faded, a red-haired giant appeared majestically in the driver's seat.

"Put down your weapons! You stand before the King!"

His voice was louder than any thunderclap, and his spirit surpassed even the Divine Aura emanating from the bulls.

The giant who had burst onto the battlefield suppressed the two knights' momentum in an instant. With a solemn expression, he declared,

"I am King of Conquerors Iskandar, manifested in this Holy Grail War as the Rider."

"Wh—"

Everyone was utterly stunned. Concealing one's true name was one of the most important strategies in the Holy Grail War. It was impossible for a Servant to simply announce his true name.

Sure enough, the boy who appeared to be Rider's Master in the passenger seat began shouting hysterically.

Yet of everyone present, no one was more shocked than Waver, who was crouching beside Rider in the driver's seat.

"W-What the hell are you thinking? You idiot~~~~~~~~~~!"

But the Master's vehement protest was easily silenced when the Servant flicked him on the forehead.

Rider acted as if nothing had happened and turned to look at Saber and Lancer on either side of him.

"Stop, Saber. It would be a terrible waste to kill this man Lancer just like that.

"Before you strike, listen to what I have to say."

"...What!?"

Saber was dumbfounded, while Lancer's face filled with fury at the humiliation.

Rider opened his arms unconcernedly.

"Heroes and champions from every era and every nation.

"I do not know what wishes you intend to make upon the Holy Grail, but think carefully for now. Is that wish truly more important than the great wish to devour the whole world?

"Consider this: will you submit yourselves to me and yield the Holy Grail to me?

"If you do, I shall treat you as close friends, and share with you the exhilaration of conquering the world."

"..."

Everyone was rendered speechless and at a loss.

With Rider's intrusion and Archer's arrival soon afterward, the battlefield in the warehouse district was developing exactly as it was destined to—into utter chaos.

At the same time, there were also people who had arrived late and were hurrying in this direction.

"Hey! A little faster, Big Sister Avalon! We're not going to make it!"

At that moment, Shirou was being carried in Lady Avalon's arms as the two of them traversed and leaped across the rooftops of Shinto's high-rises.

"W-We're already going as fast as we can! I'm a magus who likes traveling, not a magus who's good at running away."