A few days later
Before dawn
Fuyuki City docks
Uchiha Iori gently embraced Matou Sakura, then tenderly stroked her hair, as if trying to pass all his warmth on to her.
"Though you once fell into darkness, that's over now. From here on, you'll have a bright future."
Iori spoke softly. Servants and Masters could see each other's experiences in their dreams. They had only spent a short time together, but it had been enough for him to come to think of Sakura as his little sister.
"Will we see each other again? Where exactly is the Ninja World?" Matou Sakura asked, looking at Iori. She, too, had dreamed of his past in the Ninja World.
"Then do your best. As long as you can become a Heroic Spirit, we'll meet again in the Hall of Heroes someday."
"When that day comes, don't forget me." Iori's voice was gentle.
"Mm. We'll definitely see each other again." Matou Sakura nodded firmly, her expression full of determination. She reached out and used her Command Spells.
"By the power of my Command Spells, Berserker, you must claim victory!" *3
With all three Command Spells spent, their contract came to an end. They said nothing more. Tears welled in her eyes, but she still boarded the ship with her head held high.
[Even if the night lasts forever, as long as you're by my side, I'll gladly endure it.]
Watching Matou Sakura depart, Iori felt a wave of melancholy well up inside him.
But when he thought of his abundant magical energy and the opponent he was about to face, his spirits gradually lifted.
"Then let's end the Holy Grail War tonight. Let's begin a revel that lasts for this one night alone." The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile edged with cruelty.
Night
Uchiha Iori went to Alexander the Great's residence and released his aura, challenging him. "Interested in a fight with me, King of Conquerors?"
"Oh? You're Berserker, aren't you? And you've kept your sanity." The King of Conquerors stepped outside, sounding surprised.
"You don't seem like the type to hide in the shadows. Why didn't you show yourself during the earlier battles?"
"My Master was the reason. I couldn't act before, but now that I've ended my contract with him, I can finally make my move."
Iori answered calmly. Glancing at the nearby houses, he said, "This isn't a good place to fight. Let's go out of town."
"Fine," the King of Conquerors replied. "Waver, let's go."
"Mm," Waver Velvet answered as he came out. He summoned the Gordius Wheel, and he and his Master climbed aboard.
On the way out of town, the King of Conquerors asked, "Young man, I'm Alexander, emperor of Macedon. Who are you?"
The King of Conquerors spoke plainly, without beating around the bush.
"I suppose you could call me an unrecorded Heroic Spirit. I'm from another world, so there are no legends about me here. Just call me Iori." Iori answered honestly.
"Then how about joining my ranks, young man? We can negotiate the terms." The King of Conquerors spoke boldly, raising a hand as if to clap Iori on the shoulder.
"No need. I descended here to pursue the battles I desire. If you can kill me, I'll be satisfied." Iori shook his head, but didn't dodge the gesture.
They had reached the outskirts. Alexander the Great stopped his chariot opposite Iori, a hearty smile on his face. "Don't reject me so quickly, young man. Let me show you my invincible army."
Before he had even finished speaking, a whirlwind roared to life. The wind was scorching and dry, as if it would set everything ablaze. This was no forest at night; the wind seemed to come from the desert, thundering in their ears.
The strange hot wind swallowed the present world. When it died down, Iori found himself in the middle of a desert.
A sun scorching the earth, a clear sky stretching to the horizon, and an endless desert. Nothing blocked the view as far as the eye could see.
"So this is your Reality Marble? It's truly magnificent," Iori said admiringly.
"Heh." The King of Conquerors laughed. "This is the land my army once rode across—the scenery that I and my warriors, who shared both hardship and glory with me, engraved in our hearts."
As he spoke, a vast cavalry began to materialize behind him.
The neatly arranged phalanxes slowly advanced. Their powerful physiques and vigorous strides showed just how formidable the army was.
"This world, this landscape, can exist in the present because it is the shared vision of all of us! Behold, my unrivaled army!"
"Though their bodies have crumbled to dust and their souls have been taken in by the World as Heroic Spirits, they remain the legendary warriors who serve me!"
"My bond with them is my greatest treasure! My path as a king! The Noble Phantasm I, Alexander, am proudest of—Ionioi Hetairoi!"
"Oh!" The mighty army roared in a thunderous cheer.
"Then let's begin, Berserker!" The King of Conquerors drew the Sword of Alexander, fixed his gaze on Berserker, and charged at his enemy.
A tremendous roar answered him as the vast army followed their king into battle.
"Looks like I can't hold back either. Let me show you my Reality Marble." Iori spoke calmly and began chanting.
"I am the bone of my sword. (I was born to be a sword.)"
"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood. (My blood is iron, and my heart is glass.)"
A massive surge of magical energy encroached upon Ionioi Hetairoi, cutting off the howling wind.
"I have created over a thousand blades. (I have stood undefeated across countless battlefields.)"
"Unknown to Death, (I have never once retreated,) nor known to Life. (nor ever known a kindred soul.)"
The King of Conquerors furrowed his brow slightly and said in surprise, "What? Another Reality Marble? Is he really Berserker?" Even so, he didn't abandon his charge.
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons. (I have always stood atop a hill of swords, drunk on victory.)"
"Yet, those hands will never hold anything. (Therefore, this life has no meaning.)"
Flames spread all around them. Huge gears appeared in the sky, and weapons slowly emerged from the earth.
"So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works. (This body is destined to be born for the sword.)"
As the incantation ended, the world split in two, with the desert and the hill of swords each occupying half.
The King of Conquerors was forced to halt his charge. "It looks like this will be a thrilling expedition, Berserker."
Looking at the hill of swords across from him, the King of Conquerors exclaimed. At last, he had found an opponent worth fighting.
"King of Conquerors, now face the infinite swords." Iori raised a hand, and countless weapons appeared in the air behind him—blades, spears, swords, halberds, and every other kind imaginable. They looked like a storm about to break.
Looking at the weapons in the sky, the King of Conquerors' eyes lit up. "Young man, won't you reconsider my offer? My unmatched army and your unmatched arsenal would make us invincible, wouldn't they?"
"Save your breath. I have only one goal today: to beat you all to death, or be beaten to death by you!" Iori burst out laughing and waved his hand. Swords rained down.
Faced with the rain of swords, Alexander's army advanced in Macedonian Phalanx formation, while the Companion Cavalry circled around both flanks and charged.
Seeing this, Iori used Broken Phantasm on his Noble Phantasms, turning all the weapons he had fired into bombs.
The greatest advantage of being a Servant was being able to waste weapons as freely as he liked. It wouldn't affect his true body anyway.
"They explode, too? Warriors, it seems our enemy isn't someone we can defeat with numbers alone. Forget defense—charge with me!" Alexander shouted.
Ionioi Hetairoi was home to many kings and heroes. Though they couldn't bring their Noble Phantasms into this fight, their basic abilities were still on a Servant's level.
The strongest warriors broke away from the army and charged Iori on their own. Alexander rode his beloved horse, Bucephalus, at the very front.
Faced with their reckless charge, Iori's expression turned solemn.
"You are all heroes of human history. I shouldn't have treated you so lightly." Iori's expression grew grave.
"Now, let me show you the respect you deserve. Susanoo."
A giant rose from the earth, and Iori looked down on everyone from above.
"This is bad. He's an enemy like the Sea Monster." Alexander gave a wry smile. The matchup was far too unfavorable, and his chances of winning plummeted.
Iori's thoughts shifted, and Susanoo's hands seemed to grasp something.
The wind wrapped around the Noble Phantasm dissipated, revealing an enormous holy sword before them all.
"That's the sword in King Arthur's hands. Why is it in your possession?" Alexander asked in shock.
"I am the Weapon Master. Every weapon is mine to forge." Iori figured that since no one knew who he was anyway, he might as well boast.
"Your expedition is over, King of Conquerors," he declared.
"Excalibur!" Iori cried the Noble Phantasm's true name. His magical energy transformed into light. He swung the great sword downward, and a massive beam shot from its tip.
The violent beam destroyed nearly everything in its path. It was as if the whole world crumbled in that instant.
Protected by his subordinates, the King of Conquerors barely clung to life.
"How was this expedition?" Iori asked.
"This expedition... stirred my blood once more..." His eyes narrowed as the blood haze blurred his vision further, and he murmured with satisfaction.
As his words faded, the King of Conquerors vanished in a shower of light.
"Leave here, Waver. As his vassal, go accomplish something that would make him proud of you. Then you can meet again." Iori nodded at Waver.
"Yes. Thank you for sparing my life." Waver lowered his head, tears streaming down his face.
"There's no need to thank me. I merely showed him the respect he deserved. We weren't enemies, only opponents."
With that, Iori turned and left to attend the next banquet.
Excalibur
Rank: A++
Description: The symbol of King Arthur, the most powerful and most noble holy sword. It stands at the summit of all holy swords.
It was not forged by human hands. Born from people's hopes and crystallized within the planet, it was one of the ultimate Divine Constructs, known as the "Last Phantasm."
Originally managed by the Star Elf, it was later entrusted to King Arthur through the mediation of the mage Merlin, after being overseen by the Lady of the Lake.
It transforms its wielder's magical energy into light and releases it like a laser beam from the tip of the sword as it swings downward, destroying all things.