"Kirei Kotomine, I'm sorry, but your pleasure ends before it even begins. Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu—Habatodust."
After returning to the world of the Fourth Holy Grail War, while everyone else was busy preparing for the evening gathering, Daniel Davis directly stormed into the church and swiftly took down Kirei and his father.
However, this time, Daniel didn't kill Kirei. Instead, he used both Kyōka Suigetsu and Habatodust for a dual-layered hypnosis to compel him to protect his daughter—Karen.
In the Nasuverse, Karen's fate closely resembled Sakura's. In the Fifth War's world, it was already too late for Daniel to intervene. Plus, Kirei in that timeline had been essentially resurrected by the Grail's black mud, making it necessary to eliminate him. But in this world, there was still time to change Karen's fate.
Daniel believed that with Kirei's full protection, Karen's destiny in this world would be fundamentally altered. He also took Kirei's Servant—Hundred-Faced Hassan—under his command.
"You're early."
As dusk approached, the first to arrive at the Einzbern castle were the King of Conquerors and his group. Perhaps because there were too many of them, they came on foot instead of using the chariot. The King carried a barrel of alcohol—clearly bringing his own.
"All set?" Daniel walked up to Waver and asked softly.
"Thank you."
Waver immediately offered his thanks. Being able to meet the King again, and see Lord Kayneth—while also atoning for the mistakes of his younger self—even in a parallel world, was enough to relieve some regrets. At least in this timeline, this Waver wouldn't live with as much remorse.
Little did he know that his counterpart in this world would suffer even more. With Waver's talents now recognized by Kayneth thanks to his future self, his fate was about to get a lot tougher.
"No need to be so polite. You've taught me a lot as well."
Daniel had learned a great deal of magical theory from Waver, especially his dissection and analysis of complex systems.
"You'd better go check on him—he still looks dazed."
Among the entire group, the most confused was undoubtedly this timeline's Waver. Learning that he would one day become Lord El-Melloi II, Kayneth's successor, left him stunned. He was so shocked he hadn't even realized that his wish to grow taller had technically come true—his future self was noticeably taller than him.
"Seems the others haven't arrived yet. You two Kings of Knights, come—cheers!"
After surveying the area, the King of Conquerors brought his barrel over to the two Artorias, smashed it open, and filled their cups in preparation for a toast.
"Even revelry has its limits. In all the world, only I am worthy of the title of King."
A golden light shimmered in the courtyard as Gilgamesh appeared, clad in gold armor.
"You may indeed be the oldest King, but we are Kings all the same. Come—drink with us."
The King of Conquerors handed Gilgamesh a cup. Though Gilgamesh insisted only he could be called a king, he didn't refuse the drink. After a single sip, however, he poured it out with an expression of disdain.
The wine was clearly not of high quality. The two Artorias had given face by remaining polite, but Gilgamesh would not extend the same courtesy.
"Tokiomi… I knew it."
Realizing that Tokiomi hadn't shown up, Daniel shook his head and opened a magical portal, appearing just outside the Tohsaka residence. Without hesitation, he blasted through the barriers and went straight to Tokiomi, who was hiding in the basement.
"Come along now, Mister 'Breaks-at-Crunch-Time' Tokiomi."
Before Tokiomi could even wave his wand, Daniel had grabbed his shoulder and teleported him back to the castle courtyard.
"Tokiomi… what did I tell you before?"
Seeing the forcibly transported Tokiomi, Gilgamesh's face lit up with an amused grin. He had once been intrigued by Tokiomi when first summoned, but as time passed, his interest waned. The man had a noble demeanor, but he never once left his workshop—a trait even Kayneth outmatched.
"Now that everyone's here, let's end this war."
"Hold on, not everyone has arrived yet."
The King of Conquerors quickly objected. Although many Servants were present, if one looked closely, Berserker and Assassin were still missing.
"Everyone is here. The current Grail can't grant wishes. It was corrupted during the Third Holy Grail War."
At that, Daniel looked over at Tokiomi. As Fuyuki's overseer and the one who had schemed for years, it was ironic how no one had ever thought to verify the Grail's condition.
"Impossible!" Tokiomi exclaimed, his disbelief evident. He was the only one present who still harbored deep faith in the Holy Grail.
"It's true. We went to investigate it ourselves. The Grail is indeed tainted."
Kiritsugu, not one to trust others easily—especially Daniel, even after witnessing the Fifth War's parallel world—hadn't given up on his dream. He'd only temporarily let go of it because the Grail was unusable.
Upon returning to this world, Kiritsugu and Irisviel visited Mount Enzō to verify the Grail's condition, confirming Daniel's words.
"Who knows what kind of Fifth War this world will have? Maybe a certain blond-haired civic-minded young man will show up delivering food."
Each outcome of the Fifth War represented a different parallel world. Who could say this world wouldn't end up like Heaven's Feel?
"The Grail can't grant wishes? Then why did you summon us here?"
"It's not that it can't grant wishes, but that it would twist them with the utmost malice. I summoned you all to put an end to this Holy Grail War—it's pointless to continue."
"I see… Gilgamesh, Ancient King—I challenge you."
The King of Conquerors stood and boldly issued a challenge. Even though he had heard from Waver that he stood little chance of victory, he still wanted to try.
"Master," Diarmuid said as he stepped forward.
"Go ahead if you want."
Kayneth understood Diarmuid's intent. After learning of his grim future, he had immediately sent his fiancée back to the Clock Tower. What was supposed to be a vacation and a chance to enhance his credentials had turned into a horrifying premonition. He could die—but El-Melloi's downfall because of him was unacceptable.
"Thank you, Master. King of Knights, let's finish our battle."
"Very well."
Black Artoria agreed to Diarmuid's challenge.
"Wait—one at a time. Lord Iskandar, to be honest, I've always wanted to witness your Ionian Hetairoi."
Daniel couldn't let him challenge Gilgamesh just yet. Seeing the Royal Army of the King of Conquerors had always been one of his wishes.
"Of course! Hahahaha!"
With Iskandar's booming laugh, the scenery around them suddenly shifted. The flowery courtyard transformed into a vast desert, and waves of invisible heat surged around them.
"Behold, my unparalleled army! Though their bodies may perish, their Heroic Spirits are summoned anew. They are the loyal warriors of legend who respond to my call across time and space. My friends, eternal and undying—this is my greatest treasure, my King's Path, my Noble Phantasm: Ionian Hetairoi!"
As the King spoke, ranks of soldiers appeared behind him, tens of thousands in total. Some present were stunned by the sight.
Waver looked at them with tearful eyes, dreaming that one day he too would be among them.
"Impossible… you're not even a magus! How do you have a Reality Marble?"
Kayneth was shocked. Normally, Reality Marbles were exclusive to magi. As a Rider-class Servant, Iskandar shouldn't have had access to such power.
"This is the bond between us," Iskandar said proudly.
"Common sense exists to be broken. Not only Riders—Archers, even modern magi can use Reality Marbles. Ironically, few Moon World magi have them, but plenty of Servants do."
"Take Nero, for instance—she has one too, though hers was meant for grand ceremonies."
"Shall we begin?" Iskandar raised his hand to Daniel, signaling his readiness.
"I've heard you like grand strategy games, King of Conquerors."
Daniel walked about a hundred meters away before turning to face him. Despite the distance, his voice was crystal clear.
"Indeed! I'm quite fond of modern warfare gear. I'd love to outfit my army with it."
Although he hadn't been in the real world long, Iskandar's obsession had driven him to complete a full campaign of a grand strategy game.
"What an idea!"
Even Daniel was caught off guard by his eccentric plan.
"Then allow me to show you the weapons of modern warfare, King of Conquerors."
With a wave of his left hand, countless shadows manifested behind him. As they solidified, everyone—including Iskandar—gasped.
Before them stood a fully modernized army.
At the front were rows of towering Titan-class mechs. Behind them were more mechs of smaller size, and at the rear were missile launchers. In the sky hovered three airborne battleships: Hyperion-class vessels.
"Hahaha! How marvelous! This alone makes my journey to the modern world worthwhile. Let the battle begin!"
Energized, Iskandar launched the charge from atop his divine chariot. His loyal soldiers followed, shouting in unison.
"The times have changed, King of Conquerors."
At that moment, Daniel snapped his fingers—and a barrage of artillery fire filled the air. The mere 100 meters between the two sides became a deadly no man's land, mowing down most of the charging army.
The few who made it through were met not by Daniel, but by the Titan mechs in the front line. These were followed by the "Yulei" mechs—standard reverse entropy military deployment from the Honkai universe.
"You've lost."
In the end, only Iskandar remained, still fighting. He destroyed more than ten Titan mechs on his own, but he was ultimately overwhelmed.
"So the age truly has changed…"
Iskandar looked at the craters of scorched sand, his face forlorn. His mighty army had failed to even cross a hundred meters of open ground.
Had they all died in glorious combat, it would have been fine—but to fall en masse during the charge was unbearable.
"That was an army of legends. Even modern military force couldn't easily defeat them."
Daniel had won handily, but his firepower came from the Honkai universe—far beyond what even the Marvel world could match.
Stark's Mark series armor had better agility, but in terms of firepower, it paled in comparison.
"You, Emperor of the East—are you a Heroic Spirit from the future?"
Iskandar couldn't help but wonder. Such firepower was unheard of in any known era.
"Who knows? Can you still maintain your Reality Marble?"
Since Iskandar was still alive, Daniel wouldn't finish him off. He had held nothing back, yet Iskandar survived thanks to the power of his divine chariot.
"No problem. Why?"
"Then let's use this opportunity to settle the rest of the matches here."
The next battle was Diarmuid versus Black Artoria. With no interruptions and the Reality Marble containing any destruction, they could fight at full power.
"Excalibur."
Black Artoria ultimately won by unleashing her Noble Phantasm, Excalibur. Diarmuid returned to the Throne of Heroes. Kayneth, far from upset, actually looked relieved.
After all, he'd never had any fondness for the Servant who nearly seduced his fiancée.
"The duel between Artoria and Lancelot will have to wait. For now—it's Gilgamesh's turn."
Given the personal history between Artoria and Lancelot, it wasn't appropriate for them to fight in front of others. She had already seen him, but hadn't made a move—still unable to make that decision.
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