"You dare question me, a mere mongrel dares open his mouth before me? You bask in the honor of witnessing my presence, yet you don't even recognize me? Such ignorance is unworthy of life."
All the Conqueror King had done was ask for Gilgamesh's name, but the golden figure atop the streetlamp responded as if failing to recognize him was an unforgivable sin. As he spoke, the air behind him rippled, and over a dozen uniquely shaped weapons slowly emerged from the golden magical array hovering behind him.
"You've got to be kidding… Are all of those Noble Phantasms?"
Waver was startled. Due to Daniel Davis's earlier intervention that eliminated Zōken and the Matō family, the little show Tokiomi had planned was delayed. That "show" had been Gilgamesh dispatching the intruder in the Tohsaka residence.
Tokiomi had intended to stage the act the following day. However, Kayneth had Diarmuid start provoking others that very night.
"This can't be real…"
The overwhelming power Gilgamesh displayed made the King of Conquerors furrow his brows. Black Artoria immediately retreated to Irisviel's side, ready to protect her Master in case of a sudden attack.
"I can't believe how ignorant you all are. Don't you even recognize the legendary 'Streetlamp King'?"
As Gilgamesh's gaze swept over Diarmuid, the King of Conquerors, and Black Artoria, as if deciding who to strike first, a voice echoed through the air. As it fell silent, two figures emerged from behind a shipping container.
It was Daniel Davis and Rin Tohsaka. Daniel wore a magical outfit that masked his identity and gave off the aura of a Servant, while Rin was clearly acting as his Master.
"Streetlamp King, hah! That really does suit him."
Hearing Daniel's words, the King of Conquerors looked down at the streetlamp under Gilgamesh's feet and suddenly burst out laughing. Thanks to the knowledge instilled by the Holy Grail, he understood what a streetlamp was.
"Mongrel! You seek death!"
Daniel's mocking and the King of Conquerors' laughter made Gilgamesh explode with fury. The weapons behind him—his Gate of Babylon—fired immediately. However, he didn't just target Daniel or the King of Conquerors—he aimed at everyone present: Diarmuid, Black Artoria, and even Irisviel were within the strike zone.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Each group used their own methods to deflect the incoming Noble Phantasms. The scattered weapons spread across the port, but they vanished moments later, recalled into the Gate of Babylon.
"Insolence! Tokiomi, do you wish to die?"
Just as Gilgamesh was about to launch another wave of attacks, his expression changed, and he suddenly shouted in rage.
"My King, please calm yourself. Now is not the time to fight them."
Back at the Tohsaka estate, Tokiomi looked helpless. Summoning the legendary King of Heroes should have been a blessing, but this particular king's unrestrained behavior was a constant headache. Launching a simultaneous attack on three Servants was reckless. If they decided to unite against him, Tokiomi would be in serious danger.
While Gilgamesh was undoubtedly powerful and no Servant could defeat him in a one-on-one battle, if his enemies cooperated—one to distract him and another to attack his Master—Tokiomi wouldn't stand a chance. Though he was arrogant, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could fight a Servant.
"Hmph."
Gilgamesh snorted coldly and, after giving Daniel a long, penetrating look, disappeared. Tokiomi had clearly anticipated his nature and used a Command Seal to recall him before things escalated further.
"That was surprisingly decisive. Pity he used that decisiveness in the wrong place. Now he's earned Gilgamesh's wrath."
Daniel was a little surprised by Gilgamesh's sudden departure. He had originally stepped in hoping to end the Holy Grail War that very night, but Tokiomi had denied him the opportunity.
Had Daniel not intervened, Tokiomi likely would have ended up another casualty of Gilgamesh's pride.
"Tokiomi, I know you're watching. Tomorrow night, I'll be waiting for everyone at the Einzbern castle to discuss the Holy Grail War."
With Gilgamesh gone, Daniel gave up on ending the war tonight. As he finished speaking, he fired several magical bullets across the port, destroying the familiars spying on the area and startling the ones hidden in the shadows.
"Would you consider joining my army?"
After Gilgamesh's departure, the King of Conquerors tried to recruit Daniel. If Gilgamesh hadn't been so arrogant, the King might've tried earlier.
"Recruit me? I doubt you're qualified. I may not be a king, but I am an emperor—an emperor of an Eastern empire."
Of course, that empire wasn't from this world—but Daniel didn't mention that.
"An emperor of an Eastern empire… I never expected to meet someone like you. Very well, since you've set the time, we'll see you tomorrow."
With that, the King of Conquerors prepared to leave with Waver in his chariot.
"Wait, Lord Iskandar, someone wishes to see you. I'll leave the rest to you all."
Daniel said this as he turned and walked toward Irisviel and Black Artoria. Irisviel looked nervous. Her earpiece had been silent ever since earlier, and the lack of communication from Kiritsugu unsettled her. Seeing Daniel approach, she instinctively stepped back and quietly called out Kiritsugu's name.
Seeing Irisviel trying to contact Kiritsugu, Black Artoria stepped in front of her, blocking Daniel's path.
"Long time no see, Artoria," Daniel said, waving casually at her.
"Who are you? Have we met before?" Black Artoria looked at him in surprise.
"That really hurts. We just met not long ago, remember?"
"What did you do to Kiritsugu?"
Before Daniel could tease Black Artoria further, Irisviel suddenly interrupted him. The fact that she couldn't reach Kiritsugu made it obvious that Daniel had done something.
"Nothing much. I just want to discuss a few things with you—and borrow your castle for a while." With a wave of his hand, Daniel used the powers of the Ope Ope no Mi to teleport Rin, Black Artoria, Irisviel, Maiya, and the others to Kiritsugu's location.
"Relax, he's fine. Given his talent for causing trouble, I just made him pass out for a bit. Let's go to your castle and talk there."
"Lord Kayneth, you can come out now."
As Daniel left with Black Artoria and the others, Waver, Alexander, Lainis, Gray, and the rest stepped out from hiding.
"You expect me to believe you're from a parallel world—the Fifth Holy Grail War's world?"
Inside the grand hall of the Einzbern castle, Daniel woke Kiritsugu and Maiya upon arriving. Though Maiya was freed, Kiritsugu's restraints remained—his personality made that a necessary precaution. Daniel then gave a rough explanation of their origins.
Naturally, Irisviel and Kiritsugu didn't believe him. That was to be expected—any sane person would be skeptical.
"I do have proof. But first…"
Daniel gestured for Rin to summon Artoria using a Command Seal. The Command Seals used by Chaldea were different from those of the Holy Grail War. Though both had a three-command limit, Chaldea's could regenerate over time with enough mana, while the war's Command Seals were irreplaceable.
"Another Saber?" Irisviel gasped at the sight of the summoned Artoria.
"To be precise, this is the true Artoria."
Black Artoria snorted coldly but said nothing. As a Heroic Spirit, she understood her nature. Though corrupted, she wasn't much different from the original Artoria—aside from being colder in battle. Their only real difference was perhaps their taste in food, despite both being gluttons.
"Did you get your wish?"
"I've given up on it."
"That's rare indeed."
"This still doesn't count as proof."
Indeed, the appearance of another Saber was strange, but it didn't confirm that Daniel's group came from a parallel world—much less the Fifth War's world.
"I understand. I only summoned her so she could meet her counterpart. But if you really want proof, the Greater Grail is right here. You can go see for yourselves—check whether or not it's been corrupted."
Daniel paused before adding, "I can also take you to the parallel world to confirm it yourself. You can meet the Illya of that world—and your adopted son, Shirou Emiya. But I need something."
"What do you want?"
"What was the catalyst you used to summon Artoria?"
"A shard of the broken Sword in the Stone. If you want it, it's yours."
"Not Avalon, huh? I was hoping for another Avalon. Guess I was expecting too much." Though the sword fragment was still a top-tier relic, Daniel didn't need it.
"I need your Magic Crest—Time Manipulation Magic."
Kiritsugu's Magic Crest contained time-based magic, something extremely rare. For Daniel, it was as valuable as, if not more valuable than, Avalon.
Daniel had long been studying time-based abilities. Time, after all, was arguably the most powerful force. But progress was slow—even with the Time Stone.
Kiritsugu's Magic Crest was exactly what he needed.
"No way," Irisviel cut in firmly before Kiritsugu could speak. Though she wanted to know how Illya's future turned out, she wasn't willing to risk Kiritsugu for it.
To a mage, their Magic Crest was everything. They could give up anything else—but not that.
"Don't be so quick to refuse. Let me rephrase it—I want to borrow it for three years. I promise to return it afterward. You should know I'm strong enough that I don't need to lie. In fact, I could just take it by force if I wanted to."
Daniel wasn't interested in stealing the Magic Crest—he was only after the magic itself. Give him three years, and he'd be able to reproduce it even without the crest.
He had studied Time Manipulation Magic back at the Clock Tower. It wasn't a True Magic that defied replication—just a high-level spell classified as a Reality Marble.
The key difference was that it didn't manifest in a separate dimension, but within the user's own body, compressing the Reality Marble to a cellular level and manipulating time in brief intervals. This minimized the world's interference, making it viable for practical use.
It was rare, yes—but not invaluable. The fact that the Clock Tower hadn't designated Kiritsugu for Sealing proved that. If it were truly one-of-a-kind, the Mage's Association would've turned him into a specimen long ago.
"I'll agree to your request, but I have a question. If you can travel between parallel worlds, have you ever encountered a Holy Grail that grants wishes properly?"
Kiritsugu finally spoke after a long silence, clearly having pondered Daniel's words.
"I haven't encountered one myself, but I can tell you with certainty—they exist. However, your wish won't come true."
If there really was a way to bring peace to the world, the Counter Force would've intervened long ago—there'd be no need for Kiritsugu. Still, Daniel respected him. Even though he wouldn't follow the same path, he could admire someone who did.
Kiritsugu had his flaws, sure. But if a man who sincerely wished for peace and sacrificed everything for it wasn't worthy of respect, then who was?
"If you want to use the Grail to achieve world peace, the only method might be to kill all of humanity. That would bring peace."
Whether corrupted or pure, the Grail would likely reach the same conclusion. Just like Ultron, who was created to protect humanity but ended up seeing it as the greatest threat.
"How… how could this be…?"
Hearing that the Grail couldn't fulfill his wish, Kiritsugu's eyes lost their light. This was the ideal he had chased for so long—one for which he had sacrificed countless lives.
"Come. I'll take you to see the world ten years from now."
Daniel didn't delve any deeper—there was no need. Sometimes, knowing more only deepens despair.
"Why hasn't Illya grown at all?" Ten years later, Illya should've been eighteen. But she looked nearly the same as when she was eight.
"It's a side effect of alchemical modification. Her lifespan problem is solved, but her height… well, we'll see if there's a fix for that."
What Daniel didn't mention was that perhaps a Grail wish could fix it. It was like Waver's wish—to grow taller—which had arguably come true in his later years.
"You're not ready to meet them yet. After this Grail War is settled, you'll have all the time you need. Even if you want to stay here, that's fine. But for now, let's focus on resolving that world's Grail War."
Though Daniel brought Kiritsugu and Irisviel into the Fifth War's world, he didn't let them meet their counterparts yet—it wasn't the right time. After the dust settled, then anything would go.
Worst case, they'd just join the Emiya family's dinner table—and maybe even get to see Magical Girl Illya's world too.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.
Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.