The once-gentle Emperor now radiated an overwhelming, godlike authority.
With a single word, he could decide the fate of countless lives. In his eyes, things like so-called freedom or culture were utterly meaningless.
What mattered was eternal peace, everlasting stability, and the perpetuity of his empire.
The Emperor, who once joined forces with Nameless to resist the gods, had, without realizing it, become a god who ruled over all beings.
The dragon slayer had become the evil dragon.
His grand and arrogant voice resounded across the land—
"The Empire's ultimate war weapon, Kuaiji Zero-Type Kou! Receive My new decree—slaughter Chaldea to the very last soul! And furthermore—slay every last one of the infected! In My Great Empire, such sources of disaster shall never be allowed to exist!"
Like a god pronouncing divine edicts, his words brimmed with supreme authority.
This command…
Not only condemned the Chaldeans to death—
Even the villagers who had been rescued by Chaldea were branded as pollutants to be annihilated.
A crushing wave of pressure swept across everyone present.
Up to this point, Kou had never fought with his full strength. He had only been testing the abilities of Chaldea's warriors.
The First Emperor also wished to see whether they could be persuaded—summoned to serve under him.
But after his exchange with Nameless, he abandoned this notion entirely.
The two sides had chosen paths that would never converge.
"Our ways are different—there can be no cooperation!"
"Wait for me. I will cut my way and stand before you." Nameless drew his sword skyward—Just like before, when he had raised his blade against the gods for the sake of mankind.
But this time—
His target was no longer the distant evil deities—
It was Shikotei himself—the very disciple he had once raised with his own hands, the one he had nurtured, guided, and taught as though his own child.
The battle erupted once again.
The ultimate war weapon Shikotei had built over two thousand two hundred years now revealed its true power.
A terrifying torrent of magical energy surged through Kou's body as he unleashed his attack.
[Mountainous Power and Matchless Valor: My Strength Plucked Up the Hills, My Might Shadowed the World!]
Boom!
With a single slash, his blade turned into a devastating force that tore through the earth.
Heracles roared,
"Don't even think about it!"
He swung his massive axe-sword to block—
But strangely—
Kou's blade slipped right through the opening in his defense, nearly cutting him in half. It was as though Heracles himself had stepped willingly into the enemy's strike!
Foresight—Future Prediction!
Da Vinci's eyes widened in shock:
"His core contains magical energy equal to that of a Holy Grail! How could that be possible?"
A seemingly infinite wellspring of mana granted Kou the destructive might to move mountains. He alone was equivalent to an entire army, able to tear through any resistance head-on.
Now, fully unshackled, his power had reached the level of the gods themselves.
No—greater than ordinary gods.
His endless mana granted him the might of interstellar warfare—strength enough to battle in the void of space itself.
His blade was now worthy of one name—
A Ship-Cleaving Sword.
"He can calculate our attacks in advance—it's almost like he has clairvoyance to see the future!" Keika exclaimed in disbelief.
Mordred scoffed.
"Bullshit! Even Father's Instinct skill isn't this broken!"
"Hahaha! This is His Majesty's gift—my power of Future Prediction, the ability to directly deduce the future!"
Kou laughed wildly.
Holding back in the earlier fights had been suffocating.
For he was the ultimate war weapon—his sole mission was to sweep away all enemies.
To end all wars.
To make the empire peace, eternal, and everlasting.
And any who dared disrupt it—would be devoured without mercy.
====
At the Fuyuki Hotel.
Artoria's ahoge swayed gently as she said calmly: "My Instinct is also akin to clairvoyance. It's not weaker than his."
This brat actually dared to say out loud that she was weaker than Kou—utterly intolerable.
"Uh-huh, sure. If your Instinct's really clairvoyance, then how come you still haven't found Nameless?" Mordred retorted without hesitation.
They'd been in Fuyuki almost a month already, yet Nameless remained unfound.
What, were they planning to live here permanently?
Luckily the Round Table knights remained in Britain, with Bedivere working himself to the bone—otherwise the kingdom would've fallen into chaos by now.
But still—wasn't this negligence a little too much?
"You're not me. How would you know I haven't found him?" Artoria shot back coolly.
Not only had she found him—she often dropped by for meals.
If not for that other brat complaining she ate too much, she'd gladly have gone over three times a day.
Leaving Mordred behind like a lonely child.
"Tch. Admit it—you just want to ditch me and enjoy your little two-person world with him! Too bad—I won't let you!"
The throne of Britain was utterly ignored by the two of them.
Watching this, Gawain sighed deeply.
Britain is doomed.
Oh? Why wasn't he stepping up to manage Britain, then?
Ha! As the radiant Knight of the Sun, why bother?
Slacking off, eating watermelon, and watching the show was far sweeter.
Drawing a salary while doing nothing—who wouldn't enjoy that?
What, you thought he was Komei or Gilgamesh—those workaholic maniacs?
Gawain happily gnawed on his watermelon as he continued to watch.
On the screen—
Kou glared murderously at the warriors before him.
"Give up. In my simulations, your defeat is inevitable!"
"Oh? If you can simulate the future, then did you also see your own?" Nameless stepped forward, motioning for the others to fall back.
"Of course. I saw that hardship and suffering await me—but I will endure them all with ease."
Kou spoke with utter confidence.
As the First Emperor's supreme weapon, he was second only to the Emperor himself—truly invincible.
"Then—allow me to show you what it means to taste defeat."
Runes blazed to life upon Nameless's sword.
The ground beneath their feet erupted in roaring flames, engulfing them both.
That familiar incantation echoed once more—
"I am the bone of my sword."
"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."
"I have created over a thousand blades."
"Unknown to death, nor known to life."
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons."
"Yet, those hands will never hold anything."
"So as I pray—"
[Unlimited Blade Works.]
Before the two, space shifted—suddenly, they stood upon a desolate wasteland. Across every stretch of earth, countless blades were thrust into the ground.
This was—
The World of Swords.
Nameless drew a blade.
"Welcome… to Unlimited Blade Works!"
"It's useless! All your efforts are useless!" Kou's reply thundered with dominance.
Before absolute power, your so-called skills are worthless.
"Then let me show you… what true battle really is!"
Nameless leveled his blade. "I am the Master of Countless Swords! Through my body, all blades are forged as one! Sword, come!"
Hum—
Behind him, infinite swords manifested, an ocean of blades stretching without end.
That endless storm of projections fused together, condensing into a single, ancient and solemn sword.
"Since you embody the ultimate of war-weapons—then I shall embody the ultimate of the sword!"
Nameless's eyes transformed.
"The sword I pursue is the path of severing—severing karma, severing fate, severing destiny itself!"
[Mystic Eyes of Death Perception!]
In an instant, he saw countless lines and points of death carved across Kou's body.
The Grand Assassin's teachings from King Hassan—fused with endless slaughter from battle after battle—
All of it merged together, descending upon Kou in one decisive strike.
"You… you've reached this level?" Kou frowned, staring at him.
In that instant—his predictive calculations failed.
It was as though from endless time and endless futures, a sword cleaved forth that no deduction could withstand.
Unpredictable.
At that moment, Kou felt as though he were facing the First Emperor himself—
No path of resistance in sight.
"I… I am the strongest war-weapon!" Kou roared in fury.
Not a hint of fear—he poured everything into his attack.
But it was useless. Even with four arms striking at once—he could not resist. That sword slashed across his body—severing both arms.
Two severed limbs fell heavily to the ground.
Sword-light erupted, splitting apart the centaur-like lower body as well.
Nameless exhaled softly.
"You are the Conqueror of the Wilderness—not merely a weapon of war. Now, I return to you your human freedom. Rest in peace."
That strike did not simply defeat him.
It severed the form of war-weapon forged by Shikotei, restoring him to a true human shape.
Like a god falling back into the form of man.
"So… I still had such a future—a future where I could be human again…"
Kou looked up at the vast sky, then turned once toward Nameless.
"Thank you."
In his final moment, he finally understood—he had once been human.
This version of him was nothing more than a weapon endlessly remade by the Emperor—not a living man at all.
Boom—
His body burst into countless motes of light, scattering into nothingness.
The strongest war-weapon of the Emperor—was defeated.
…
At the marketplace, fish stall.
Heracles grinned toward the man beside him.
"Another elbow cut!"
Nameless never failed to surprise him.
"… …"
Gilgamesh was at a loss for words.
It was exactly like when he had fought Nameless.
Deploy Unlimited Blade Works—cut the elbows.
This bastard was clearly mocking this King again!
He had so many techniques, yet chose this one—just to remind the whole world of the King's public humiliation?
No doubt—this was his "good friend."
Ahem.
Cú Chulainn coughed lightly.
"I'll admit it—Kou really was divine-tier in strength. Nameless had to go all-out to bring him down."
"He was indeed a formidable opponent," Heracles replied seriously.
As the greek demigod hero, sung as a god of strength, even he only stood equal in raw might.
And with Kou's future-simulation ability, he truly had godlike power—comparable to the Lion King of the Sacred Round Table Domain.
Unfortunately for him, he faced Nameless—the one who could cut directly at the root.
Against anyone else, Kou would have triumphed with ease.
"Hmph. The Empire… a land of curiosities, I'll grant it that." Gilgamesh's golden eyes narrowed, his tone laced with disdain more than praise.
"To cling to life through endless generations, patching over rot with one tyrant's will—hardly a true civilization. Uruk burned brilliantly, once, and its light needs no endless crutch to prove itself."
As a derisive chuckle escaped him, the video continued.
Kou's towering body dissolved completely.
Everyone stood stunned, staring at Nameless.
Shin Ryougyoku exclaimed in shock:
"You actually defeated him!"
This was his Majesty's strongest war-weapon, far stronger than she herself—yet he had been utterly defeated!
"Now… can we talk properly? We are not Confucians. Please, spare these innocent villagers." Nameless pleaded.
Shikotei's decree was clear: kill them all.
Nameless sought to erase this Lostbelt—but the villagers had no sin.
Yet—
"They may stay silent, but every word you speak I deem as sedition!" Shin Ryougyoku's eyes were ice.
"You fill their heads with knowledge to tempt them into madness—driving them to ruin! For so-called ideals, for ambition—you would incite rebellion. Such a thing, I will never forgive!"
She existed only to protect the empire's stability—never could she allow it to fall into chaos.
Da Vinci quickly interjected:
"We only wish to share knowledge—to give people better lives!"
Even at this last moment, she did not give up hope of persuading her.
"But your era is filled with war. Your world, with famine and disaster! Even your technology cannot compare to us!"
Shin Ryougyoku's eyes shone with pride and scorn.
"Our science is unmatched!"
Her words overflowed with pride, confidence—
And utter disdain for these "country bumpkins."
Chaldea—an organization that claimed to save human history, traversing time and space—To them, they were nothing but upstart bumpkins.
Unworthy of notice.
"… …"
Silence fell.
No one knew how to answer.
Refute her? But every word she said was true.
Through all the Singularities they had traversed, and even in their own era—the sum of all those worlds had never known such stability as this.
And as for technological might—
Just look at the orbital Great Wall encircling the earth above.
And the Emperor's true body—the floating Palace, sanctified and enthroned in the skies above.
Those two alone eclipsed everything else.
Mash furrowed her brow.
"Then… how exactly do you intend to handle this village?"
Hum—
From the sky, that vast voice resounded once more—
[Since you have already polluted this village, the contamination cannot be allowed to spread. It shall be ended here—utterly! Run, if you wish! Watch as all the villagers perish, watch as the seeds you planted bring their inevitable end!]
Shikotei's grand voice resounded—
With the authority of a god above, deciding the fate of a thousand souls with a single word.
Mordred roared in fury:
"Bastard—worse than a beast! You would destroy your own people first!?"
"He clearly wants to cut the grass and pull out the roots—leave no trace behind!"
Mash raised her shield, already seeing that dazzling light blazing across the sky.
It came from the Great Wall in orbit above.
A section of the colossal wall detached itself, plummeting down—like a falling star!
A true orbital kinetic strike weapon!
Da Vinci's eyes widened:
"That thing falling from space is no different from a meteor impact—its destructive force will wipe out everything within dozens of kilometers!"
As it accelerated in descent, the air seemed to ignite, a blazing meteor trailing fire across the firmament.
Unlike the Lion King's Judgment in the Sacred Round Table Domain—
This was a real, physical meteor impact!
The villagers panicked instantly, collapsing into terror.
One cried out in fear:
"Ah! It's a cursed star—it's the wrath of the Son of Heaven!"
"We're finished—we're all finished!"
"What did we do wrong!?"
They despaired.
To them, the Son of Heaven was unquestionable, a god high above, who decided all things.
Whenever anyone dared betray him, the cursed star would descend, erasing all in its path.
Shin Ryougyoku's face twisted with pity.
"Your only mistake… was listening to these outsiders' words!"
Under the Emperor's command, she swiftly withdrew from the strike zone.
The incoming disaster—there was no hope of resisting it.
Not even for her.
"No—you've done nothing wrong! The one who is wrong… is the First Emperor!"
Nameless raised his head toward the falling star.
In a past Singularity, when the Lion King's judgment had fallen, a great hero gave his life to destroy it and protect the people.
Now—it was his turn.
Before everyone's eyes—
The meteor fell, carrying annihilation itself.
If it struck the ground, everything within dozens of kilometers would be obliterated. This peaceful little village would be reduced to a massive crater, wiped off the map.
No way to resist.
No way to flee.
Chaldea's group might escape—
But the villagers? Not one of them would survive.
Mash, without hesitation, raised her shield and stood in front of Nameless.
"Senpai, this time—let me protect everyone!"
If she released her Noble Phantasm with everything she had, she might resist the falling star.
Even if it cost her life.
"No. I'll do it."
Nameless gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You'll be the last line of defense. I will shatter the meteor."
As her senior, how could he let his kouhai stand in his place against certain death?
"Senpai…"
Mash's face went pale.
To try to shatter such a meteor head-on was beyond madness.
The closer it fell, the greater its energy became—by the time it hit, its destructive force would rival a nuclear strike, enough to sink the very earth.
Do not forget—sixty-five million years ago, it was a falling asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
"Please—believe in me."
Nameless reached out, brushing her pink hair.
"…Alright."
Mash nodded.
If Senpai said he could, then he must have some chance.
Her role was only to defend the villagers with everything she had.
She activated her Noble Phantasm:
"By true name revealed, I stand at the seat of calamity!"
"It is our homeland—where all wounds, all hatred, may be healed!"
"Manifest—"
[Lord Camelot!]
Hum—
The shining walls of Camelot rose, encasing the village and shielding all within.
Mash alone stood at the gates, facing the coming catastrophe.
The villagers stared in stunned silence.
The Emperor, who should have protected them, had sought to kill them. The outsiders they once feared—were now ready to die for them.
Nameless turned to the little girl.
"Illya—I need your help. Use your Command Seals to unleash Heracles's full might!"
"Mm!"
Illya didn't know what he planned—but she could not allow thousands of innocents to be slaughtered by the Emperor.
How was that any different from that chuuni tyrant, Gilgamesh?
Her Command Seals blazed with light.
"Berserker—by my Command Seal, unleash your full power!"
As a Lesser Grail, she bore countless Command Seals, more magical energy than most could imagine.
Summoning Hercules to this world had consumed ten.
Now—she burned the rest all at once.
Hum—
Terrifying energy erupted around Hercules, like the Holy Grail itself was fueling him.
For the first time—he could unleash the full might of the God of Strength.
"You want me to face the meteor?" Heracles asked.
Even with this strength, to take it head-on might mean his end.
But he was a hero—he could not retreat.
For Illya, for the villagers—he would gladly give his life.
But Nameless only smirked.
"No. You'll throw me at it."
His voice carried no hesitation, no plea. Only iron.
"I'll carve it apart myself."
For him, there was never a question of who else. A disaster came? Then he would be the first to meet it, no matter if it meant tearing his own body to dust.
"You're insane!" Hercules's eyes widened.
This man was more reckless than even him.
Mordred shouted too:
"Oi oi! That's a meteor! With your flesh and blood, you can't stop that—it's suicide!"
"Then believe in this madness!" Nameless answered with only those words.
Everyone stared at him.
Heracles finally nodded hard.
"Fine—have it your way! Don't blame me for what comes next!"
His body swelled, growing into a giant tens of meters tall.
With Illya's Command Seals flooding him with power, he unleashed the God of Strength in full—
And hurled Nameless.
Like an arrow loosed from the greatest bow, Nameless shot into the sky—straight toward the meteor.
He blazed like a falling star himself, a comet racing to meet another.
"If you are the darkness that chains mankind's wisdom—Then I am the rebellious morning star that lights the earth!"
Flames roared around him as he raised his sword.
BOOM!
A radiant golden blade flashed, cleaving into the meteor.
The clash shook the world.
Against the vast, unstoppable mass of the falling star, his body was nothing—dust, ash, less than a breath.
But still he burned.
Still he raged.
Still he cut.
The unstoppable meteor—halted.
In the crimson blaze of re-entry, a golden slash shone like a newborn sun, illuminating the night sky.
And then—
The meteor shattered.
Countless fragments burst apart, scattered as stardust across the heavens.
And the golden light did not stop—it kept going, lancing upward, striking at the Great Wall in orbit!
The spectacle was beyond words, overwhelming in brilliance.
Villagers and viewers alike froze, breath held.
Nameless had done it—
With mortal hands, he had split apart a star!
As his body fell back toward the earth, he still glared above.
"Tyrant in the sky—remember this! Even stars can be shattered!"