A certain crossover anime's nuclear-powered sword immortal

Saber tilted her head.

"Hmm... I did have that, but it seemed like a strange hallucination, and only a little bit, so I didn't pay attention to it."

"Is that so... I knew it."

When Shirou recalled killing Kiritsugu Emiya and later Kirei Kotomine and others, they all acted strangely, as if the memories flashing before his eyes at the last moment were from other timelines.

“Saber, this world seems to be experiencing some unpredictable anomalies for ‘certain reasons,’ meaning that changes are possible in the past and future.”

"I... I don't quite understand what you mean, Shirou..."

Saber looked up at Shirou with some trouble in her eyes.

"Just know that the world is full of possibilities, and even history can be distorted," Shirou said, looking into the girl's eyes.

After being reminded by the Jewel Elder, the world appeared completely different to Shirou.

The world is now too complex in terms of its "composition".

Saber still seemed a little confused, staring at Shirou's face with a slight frown as she pondered.

"Let's go, the tour is over, we should head back," Shirou reminded them.

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Saber nodded and followed closely behind him.

"Ah."

She did the same when she was with Irisviel, mainly to protect Master's safety.

But after witnessing Shirou's battle with Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, in her mental landscape that day, Saber was unsure how to face Shirou, her new Master.

With these conflicted feelings, Saber and Shirou boarded a plane together to return to Fuyuki City.

The feeling was almost the same as when he arrived. Shirou watched the clouds passing by outside the plane window, gradually became sleepy, and drifted off to sleep.

When Shirou opened his eyes again, he saw a scene from a medieval town that was completely different from reality.

In front of him stood the back of a young girl. She was not fully armed at the moment, but dressed in men's clothing with her hair tied back, her stern gaze fixed straight ahead.

Image: "Dream", Location: "Images/1673770651-100352746-109829926.jpg"

She stood quietly in the center of town, the warm sunlight shining on her fair and delicate face.

At this time, Artoria was just a girl who had just come of age.

However, the era she lived in was one of war and chaos.

It begins with the collapse of the empire on the mainland.

Britain's power declined under the patronage of the empire, and the turmoil on the continent brought new external enemies to the island.

The idyllic countryside and mild summers of the past were gradually eroded as foreign tribes from across the sea invaded, eroding the lives of the British people.

If you're unlucky enough to encounter a foreign race, you might not even get food for tomorrow; you could die on the spot.

This island was originally ruled by many ethnic groups and many kings, but they temporarily united to resist foreign tribes.

However, one of these kings, driven by his own desires, shouted the slogan "I want to unify Britain."

And so, the internal strife began.

What followed was a long period of warfare known as "days as dark as night."

On such a day, a girl named Artoria Pendragon was quietly born as the "heir to the king."

In order to elect a king, the king summoned the lords and knights of the country.

Everyone guessed that since the goal was to choose the most outstanding person to be king, it must be an immediate battle.

The event was held in an ordinary town.

The children rushed out noisily, while the adults, their eyes gleaming with excessive anticipation, all hurried toward the meeting point.

"It's Merlin!"

Merlin is here!

"Today, the heir to the king will finally be chosen from among the knights!"

People became agitated, excited, and cheering.

However, at the meeting point, only a sword stuck in a stone was prepared.

The hilt of the sword has a gold inscription.

"This sword in the stone is the holy sword that summons victory; it is a more certain proof of kingship than blood!"

That's what the magician Merlin said.

"The one who pulls this sword from the rock shall be King of Britain!"

Many knights tried to grasp the sword, but none could pull it out.

As the knights were dejected and preparing to leave, the girl approached the deserted rock and reached for the sword hilt without hesitation.

"Oh dear. You'd better think it over carefully before you grab that thing."

Turning around, I saw the most revered magician in the country.

The magician Merlin said, "Once you draw that sword, you will no longer be human until the very end. Not only that, once you pick it up, you will be hated by everyone and meet a miserable death."

The girl simply nodded in response to the magician's words.

To become king, one must cease to be human.

This awareness is something she has had since birth.

The king is someone who, in order to protect the people, must kill the most people.

The sword was drawn as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and it was surrounded by light.

—In that instant, she was no longer human.

No matter how many times she is alienated, feared, or even betrayed, her heart will not change.

Change.

She will live for people.

She will fight for the people.

She will bring hope to people.

This is the king's responsibility.

"Ah, you've chosen a difficult path," the magician Merlin remarked.

The girl, however, raised the golden sword in her hand with a determined look.

"In any case, as long as I can make people smile, then my path to power will not be wrong."

People cheered.

Shirou stood in the crowd, watching the girl dressed as a boy raise the Sword of Royal Selection.

This was an era filled with war and despair for countless people, but where there is despair, there is hope. Those who have hope, like the stars in the sky, are never alone.

The girl who stood in the center of the crowd with unwavering resolve, raising her sword high, was the guiding star, constantly radiating her brilliant light to illuminate the path to freedom for all.

……

The image fades out.

When I opened my eyes again, the sky had already darkened.

As dusk fades, the vast universe and stars emerge, countless stars twinkling in the dark sky.

Shirou and Saber got off the plane together.

"The next step is to face Rider, end the final battle, and then extract Irisviel's soul at the appropriate time."

Shirou did want to extract Irisviel's soul sooner, but if he did, Irisviel's body might collapse without a master, and Saber would not be able to see the Holy Grail.

Shirou didn't want to be caught in the middle.

Without thinking about these things anymore, Shirou took a breath of the not-too-cold air of this seaside city and looked ahead.

Fuyuki City is now in sight.

"The final battle is about to begin."

……

The sky was overcast, and the city of Fuyuki had been in a state of depression for the past few days.

The overcast weather every day gives one the feeling that the sun may never shine again and that light may never return.

Some who sensed something was wrong fled Fuyuki overnight.

Only those who have settled in Fuyuki City are unwilling to leave the city where they were born and raised.

But the series of strange events that have recently occurred have stirred up people’s increasingly fragile nerves.

First came the destruction caused by 'Miyukiwa', followed by a powerful explosion two days later in the night.

Each attack was larger in scale and more horrific in its destruction than the last.

However, the news reports still contained baffling information such as "the gas cylinders located under the cement leaked due to years of disrepair of the city streets."

And today, just like yesterday, the atmosphere remains oppressive, and people are on the verge of being crushed by this gloom.

……

It felt like time wasn't flowing, but when Weber awoke from his dreamless sleep...

When I opened my eyes, all I saw was the same darkness as when I was asleep.

Night fell again.

For those who command Servants, this is an inevitable time for battle.

"You're awake, kid."

Upon hearing Rider's voice, Weber sat up in bed.

At that moment, Rider was sitting by the window. Weber looked over and found that there was nothing outside except for the starry sky.

Aside from the starry sky, there wasn't much else to see.