In the cosmos above the nine heavens, rivers of silver slowly flowed down from beyond the sky. Every glittering droplet represented the birth of a new world.
Each world formed from a droplet would, in turn, take root as a seed of a Life Tree.
A world contained countless "points."
Such points could be understood as points in space, or points in time.
The Source World spawned countless parallel worlds, and those parallel worlds could likewise become Source Worlds, spawning countless more parallel worlds.
Millennia of cycles, endless proliferation. The world we lived in was formed by this vast and mysterious "Source."
And our protagonist, Drak D. Xia, was now living in one such parallel world...
After Xia parted from Artoria, the existence bestowed upon him by the "Sea of Goodwill" disappeared. The Source World therefore judged Xia to be a "soul that had died." According to the law of souls, which had come into being at the very moment the Source World was born, it cast him out and sent him to a parallel world that traveled alongside it.
"Parallel worlds have no future, and parallel worlds have no past."
These words were the judgment of Alaya, humanity's highest consciousness.
Since arriving here, Xia no longer knew how many times he had died and been revived across these countless parallel worlds. Each rebirth brought new memories and new knowledge. One cycle could erase a thousand years of memories; a hundred cycles could erase the very essence of the soul; a thousand cycles could make one forget what it meant to return home.
Death, then resurrection; resurrection, then death. With each rebirth, Xia repeated the things he had done before. The places and people changed, but the essence remained the same.
General, duke, emperor, soldier, grand duke, marshal, ruler of the world.
Xia had experienced every occupation that involved commanding troops and fighting the enemy. He had known battlefields where war drums shook the heavens, campaigns where blood ran like rivers, sieges fought against overwhelming odds, and brutal battles in which half his forces perished to annihilate the enemy.
Blood... nothing but blood.
Corpses... nothing but corpses.
When the thunder of the war drums faded into the horizon, when the rivers of blood had dried up, when the bodies of both friend and foe had piled into a cliff-like mound—
Atop that mountain of corpses, formed from countless broken banners, bodies, and weapons, there was always a man seated upon a throne built of corpses. Clad in golden armor and wearing a purple-gold imperial crown, his eyes were sharp as an eagle's as he gazed down upon the world like an emperor surveying his domain. In his left hand he held a golden spear etched with dragon patterns, and at his right hip hung a tiger-patterned sword.
The emperor sat motionless atop the mountain of corpses. His eyes were closed, and the weariness and indifference on his face clearly revealed his mood.
His eyes, which had been closed, suddenly snapped open. His thick, powerful arm shot forward, and he clenched his hand toward the setting sun, as though he had seized the blazing red orb in his fist.
"I have traversed countless worlds and held command over all the armies beneath the heavens."
"I declare that the lands beyond the sea are mine."
"I declare that no one beneath the heavens can match this body."
"A million warriors, all obeying my command."
"At a single order, the sky shall run red with blood."
"And yet... the throne is unbearably lonely."
"Therefore, my body shall become the Eternal Throne!"
Seven grand declarations rang through the heavens.
The battlefield, which had fallen silent, suddenly rumbled!
In an instant, a beam of silver light erupted from the emperor and shot into the sky! At some point, the blue heavens had been replaced by a starry night, appearing after a flash of silver light. At some point, the hundreds of generals who had fallen had risen again, standing proud and strong. At some point, the mythical monsters of an ancient age, long dead, had revived: the Three-Horned Demon Dragon, the Giant Demon Caesar, and the Magic Dragon Spirit.
The 999,999 soldiers who had spilled their blood and died upon this battlefield also returned to life. Their buried bodies burst out of the earth! The broken weapons flew of their own accord to their masters. A flash of white light—and they were restored, sharper and colder than before.
A million warriors returned once more from the world of the dead! The mythical monsters roaring across the heavens swept fire through the sky, venting their fury!
Whoosh! A sharp, unified sound rang out. All the soldiers who had returned from the dead immediately formed ranks once more.
A million soldiers drilled, arrayed in perfect formation!
"Glory to our king!"
"Glory to our king!"
"Glory to our king!"
A million voices roared as one! Their cry was powerful enough to tear through the sky and reach Alaya's palace in the highest heavens!
At some point, the mountain of corpses where the king had sat had become a colossal palace forged from gold. A majestic tower, nearly five hundred meters tall, stood at its very center. It was called the General's Platform. Xia had spent ten thousand lifetimes reincarnating, a thousand lifetimes as a general, a hundred as a king, and ten as an emperor. It had been forged from the victories of every battle he had fought, great and small, and from the faith of the soldiers he had led step by step to the summit.
As long as this tower stood, the emperor was eternal—and invincible!
The king standing atop the General's Platform slowly rose from his golden throne and walked to the edge of the dais, folding his arms. His handsome face and sharp eyes swept over the million troops below. After scanning his army several times with a stern expression, he seemed unable to find something.
The emperor's indescribable disappointment showed on his face. He raised his head to gaze at the sky, no longer looking at the soldiers below.
The sharpness had vanished from his eyes as he looked upward. His gaze seemed confused, perhaps even doubtful. More than anything... it held a trace of urgency.
"Artoria..."
It was a longing from the deepest reaches of his soul, a cry of hope from the very depths of his heart.
Crack!!!
A sudden boom rang out in the sky!
He looked up to see a bolt of lightning, white beyond all whiteness, slash across the starry night. The blinding bolt violently pierced Xia's Reality Marble, "Eternal Throne," which he had comprehended through countless battlefields and parallel worlds. It plunged in without the slightest resistance, as easily as a knife slicing through tofu!
It hurtled forward at tremendous speed, carrying an aura that inspired awe in all who sensed it, and charged straight toward the invincible king atop the General's Platform.
Under the astonished gaze of a million troops, the white lightning struck their emperor squarely.
Then... a dazzling blue light burst forth, as if it illuminated the entire world.
"I've been waiting a long time for you... Alaya."
The Holy Grail War was a brutal conflict held in Fuyuki City, Japan.
It was a battle between seven Masters and the seven Heroic Spirits summoned to serve them.
The Holy Grail was said to be an object capable of granting any wish.
Every Master and Heroic Spirit fought to obtain this sacred relic. For the sake of their own wishes and beliefs, they confidently wielded their blades, scattering blood across the battlefield.
In this brutal struggle, any method and any motive was fair. In the end, only one Master—and the Heroic Spirit who might survive alongside them—would remain.
The sacred relic's arrival required blood as an offering.
Snow drifted slowly down from the sky as people in thick winter coats moved along the streets.
Fuyuki City was still in the grip of winter. The chilly wind made the cold bite to the bone.
On a private estate not far from Fuyuki City, past a thick forest at its outer edge, stood a massive castle atop a rise.
This was a private estate belonging to the Einzbern family. Inside the castle, the servants were bustling about, preparing something, though it was unclear what. Judging by their anxious expressions and worried eyes, it had to be something very important.
Past the hall, down into a dim basement...
In the middle of the room stood a man wearing a black cloak, upon a magic circle glowing red and covered in intricate patterns.
At the center of the magic circle lay an object resembling a sword sheath.
The man standing within the circle suddenly reached out one hand. With a grave expression, he opened his mouth and began to chant.
As his lips moved rapidly, the magic circle's red glow grew brighter and brighter. Just as the man was drenched in sweat and seemed about to give out, a small, delicate white hand suddenly pressed against his back. His body stiffened slightly, then the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile so subtle it was hard to notice. He continued the summoning.
"Abide by our contract! Come forth from the wheel of reincarnation! Guardian of the balance!"
At the man's shout, dazzling red light instantly flooded Einzbern Castle.
After nearly ten seconds, the red light slowly faded. A graceful figure emerged from the intricate magic circle.
She had brilliant golden hair, large emerald-green eyes, a petite nose, and delicate features. Her expression was stern as she looked at the man, who was being half-supported after exhausting his magical energy, and asked, "I ask you: are you my Master?"
The man had been utterly exhausted, but at the sight of the girl, his eyes widened in astonishment, as though he could hardly believe what he was seeing. A woman in a white dress standing nearby also stared at the girl in surprise.
"The legendary King of Britannia is actually... a girl?"
The girl frowned slightly at those words and asked again, "I ask you: are you my Master? Please answer me directly." Her voice held a trace of impatience and agitation, likely because she resented what the woman had just said.
The man composed himself, raised his right hand, and showed the girl the Command Seals on it.
"Now you should be able to tell clearly, shouldn't you?"
The golden-haired girl nodded slightly.
"Servant Saber. I have come here in accordance with the contract, and the contract is now complete. Please give your orders, Master." Her large green eyes fixed unblinkingly on the man as she spoke.
"My name is Kiritsugu Emiya," the man introduced himself. Then he pointed to the woman in white beside him. "This is my wife, Irisviel von Einzbern. If I'm not here, she'll act as your proxy Master."
After hearing Kiritsugu's words, the woman smiled and gave Saber a proper aristocratic curtsy to show her respect.
"If that is my Master's order, understood." Saber felt a certain fondness for this gracious and well-mannered female Master. It was not only because of her bearing, but also because that aristocratic curtsy showed that she had received a good noble education. Saber had little objection to her becoming the proxy Master.
"That's all for today. Irisviel, take Saber to her room. I'm tired..." The man left without waiting for Irisviel to reply. He had not even looked Saber in the eye, and the gesture made her furrow her delicate brows again.
Meanwhile...
Masters across the land had begun summoning their Servants. The battle between seven Masters and seven Servants was about to begin. But while they were all preparing for their own victories, they had no idea that an eighth Servant, one who should not have appeared, had also materialized inside a wooden cabin.
"I ask you: are you my temporary commander?" The voice was proud, yet somehow not off-putting. With a handsome face and imposing physique, he wore brilliant red steel armor and held a long spear etched with dragon patterns. Three crescent-shaped blades hung behind his waist. Standing there with his spear planted in the ground and his arms folded, he questioned the thin boy before him.
The small boy trembled slightly, staring in bewilderment at the handsome young man before him. Though he wore armor and had a burly build—one meter eighty-five tall—his face looked no older than sixteen or seventeen.
The boy tremblingly wiped away the drool unconsciously spilling from his mouth and stammered to the man before him, who looked like a general. "Y-yes... If you mean the person who summoned you... I think that was me?" His uncertain tone and incredulous expression made it clear that he was a first-rate "expert."
The general in red armor seemed to understand his situation. He lowered his head, looked at his blood-red armor, and nodded as if something had occurred to him.
"No matter how useless and pathetic you are, as long as you don't stand in the way of my fulfilling this body's wish of ten thousand years, I don't mind claiming that worthless black mud cup for you. Tell me your name, kid."
"B-Beiju," the boy replied.
"Tragedy?... What a distinctive name..." The general looked visibly taken aback, then spoke with barely restrained laughter.
"And what's your name?" The boy seemed a little unhappy at the man's laughter.
"Mine?"
"Yes."
"My name is Drak D. Xia! I am the man who descended here to return to the side of that Goddess!"
Drak D. Xia (Dela was Graham D. Xia)
Class: Returner
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 62 kg
Blood type: O Date of birth: 10-2-12
Personality: Loyal and reliable; he never complains. But that only applies to Artoria. He can be quite terrifying to everyone else, especially Artoria's enemies. He particularly likes lions, especially when Artoria wears her lion outfit...
Master: Beiju. Kedebel (Super amateur Master)
Sex: Male Sex: Male
Alignment: Chaotic · Berserker Alignment: Balanced · Good
Strength: B (Sealed) Strength: A+
Mana: C (Sealed) Mana: B+
Endurance: C (Sealed) Endurance: A+
Luck: D (Sealed) Luck: A+
Agility: C (Sealed) Agility: B+
Noble Phantasm: B+ (Sealed) Noble Phantasm: MAX
Class Skills:
Keen Instinct for Danger: MAX+
He has an almost terrifying intuition for anything that could harm or threaten him. Before any danger can occur, he can nip the possible "cause" in the bud. This perception is so keen that it has reached the point where he can control "cause and effect." But when faced with Artoria's anger, it drops to a pitifully low level...
Riding: A
His talent for riding gives him above-average control over most mounts. He can handle anything below the level of a magical beast or sacred beast with ease. He can also operate some modern vehicles.
Personal Skill: Demon King's Wrath. Like a Berserker, he can wildly increase his combat power, tripling it in an instant, though the chance of it activating is low. But when Artoria is hurt or in danger, the chance of activation becomes frighteningly high.
Noble Phantasm — Dragon Crest Golden Spear: A strange spear that appeared when Xia first reincarnated. It is 1.66 cm long and weighs a thousand jin. It has accompanied Xia as he traversed thousands of worlds and fought millions of battles. The number of people it has slain has reached the limit of Alaya's tolerance.
Noble Phantasm Traits: Shatter. Destroy.
Even when clashing head-on with an A+ Noble Phantasm, at most eight strikes will inevitably shatter it.
Currently sealed.
Noble Phantasm — Golden Crest Imperial Armor (Set): Armor formed from the faith of Xia's million warriors. It represents the glory of his victories and the splendor of his undefeated record.
Noble Phantasm Traits: Sturdy; powerful magic resistance.
Even when crossing the battlefield alone, not a speck of dust will cling to it. Its defensive power rivals King Arthur's Avalon.
Currently sealed and red in color.
Noble Phantasm — Reality Marble: Eternal Throne: Xia has traveled through countless worlds and been an emperor every time. He has never suffered defeat or failure, nor has he ever experienced the emotions of an ordinary person (familial love, brotherhood, romantic love).
Noble Phantasm Traits: Powerful; a million battlefields.
Anyone dragged into this place must face a million warriors and attacks from tens of thousands of mythical monsters. And as long as the General's Platform in the King's Treasure City stands, the tide of attacks will never stop.
Currently forcefully sealed; maximum capacity is a battlefield of ten thousand. ```
Before you continue