"Advance!!!"
The King's voice echoes. No matter how loud he shouts, his voice can never reach the far corners of this immense army. But the Ionioi Hetairoi, moving as a single, unified organism, becomes a wave that swallows and plunders, surging toward the golden hero.
"AAAALaLaLaLaLaie!!"
In response, Archer remains with his arms crossed. But that doesn't mean he's not attacking. A golden light shines behind Archer, and countless Noble Phantasms peek out their tips.
A rain of light pours down on the army. Each of these lights is a treasure beyond measure. It's the most extravagant rain of death in this world. And the army pushes forward through it.
The Ionioi Hetairoi is an army of numerous peerless warriors. But among them, one moves with a speed that is far beyond the rest.
With leg strength that surpasses Rider's chariot and a Holy Sword that rivals the treasures raining down,
"Archer!!"
"Hah! Saber! You are beautiful, even in this barren wasteland."
Saber's sword pressure leaves a large scar on the desert ground, but Archer easily dodges. The countless gates of the Gate of Babylon are positioned to surround Saber, making it difficult for her to move recklessly.
Saber holds her Holy Sword, Excalibur, in a standard stance, glaring at Archer without a hint of carelessness.
"I was surprised you had a connection with that mutt in your previous life, but thanks to that, I got to see something interesting. Perhaps I should give that Berserker's Master a reward. It's been a long time since I've seen such a heart-stirring spectacle."
"..."
Archer laughs, recalling Saber's face, twisted with regret as she was tormented by Berserker.
"You know, Saber, I think a face like that is the most beautiful thing about you."
"Shut your disgusting mouth, Archer. If you let your guard down, I'll slice your head off in the next instant."
"Don't play tough, Saber. I'm telling you I like that about you. But that's good, I've grown even fonder of you. There is truly no woman more suitable to be my wife than you, Saber."
"I heard about this from Rider, but I still don't understand. Have you lost your mind?"
She can't help but ask, surprised by the out-of-place statement.
"You don't need to question or understand. This is a King's decision. All you need to do is nod your head in agreement."
"I refuse—"
Saber's voice is drowned out by the roar of an impact. A Noble Phantasm aimed at her feet is deflected with precision by her Holy Sword.
"Are you so delighted that you can't speak properly? Good. You can say it again as many times as you like."
The golden gates, which were merely a threat before, now point toward Saber with a clear intent. The distance between them is not great. For Saber, it's virtually nonexistent. But no matter what she does, she knows instinctively that she won't be able to reach Archer.
And yet, Saber smiles.
"You, too, have forgotten something, haven't you? That I am not your only opponent!"
"Hmmph."
A large number of weapons rain down on them. The soldiers of the Ionioi Hetairoi are throwing back the pile of treasures that had rained down on them at Archer.
Even Archer raises an eyebrow. The more treasures he fires, the more attacks come back at him, and they get stronger.
The quantity is so immense that he can't possibly dodge by simply moving to the side. The same goes for Saber, but she dodges with the minimum possible movements, as if she can see everything.
Archer deploys multiple shields. The shields move as if they have a will of their own, automatically defending against the incoming weapons.
"So the King of Plunder's vassals are all birds of a feather. They're touching my treasures so casually."
Archer raises his right arm slightly. A distortion, much larger than before, forms.
"W-What is that...?"
Someone in the army mutters.
"Burn it to the ground. Shurshagana, The Dawn Horizon That Burns the Seas."
A gigantic sword, forged from a volcanic rock-like peak and a fiery blade, appears. Its intense heat makes everyone realize that this is a different kind of attack from anything they've seen before. The next action is easy to imagine.
A heatwave, as if the sun itself has fallen, rushes at them.
A Divine Construct with the concept of a 'horizon.' It's a manifestation of the 'realm where the blue of the sky and the blue of the sea merge,' appearing in the direction of the dawn, melting and burning everything.
It is also known as the 'Sea-Slicing Sword.'
The sandy ground is bisected. The sand melts from the incredible heat, drawing a line of heat far into the distance. Even veteran heroes are helpless against a Divine Construct. Those who are directly hit vanish without a trace. Others have lost arms, legs, or half of their bodies.
"----!! ----!!"
The second attack is coming.
Having witnessed the power of the first strike, the soldiers become rattled. Even for a seasoned warrior, it's understandable to lose courage when facing a god's work.
There is nothing they can do against this attack. They cannot fight against a blow from a god.
Unless it is another Divine Construct.
Rivaling the horizon, a light intensifies... a star on the ground.
The King of Knights releases the seal on his Holy Sword of the Star and draws it from its Scabbard of Wind, catching the incoming Shurshagana head-on.
Saber unleashes her trump card. She reveals the full power of her strongest weapon without hesitation.
"Ex—"
The light reaches its peak.
"—CALIBUR, Sword of Promised Victory!!"
The two clash.
A shock more powerful than the direct pressure of a jet engine shakes the world. The Ionioi Hetairoi, which forcibly created a separate world, seems on the verge of collapsing from the magical energy ripple alone.
The Holy Sword of Saber is the one that comes out on top.
The stalemate, which seemed like it would last forever, suddenly ends. The golden strike halves the Shurshagana, and it vanishes into the sky.
The severed Shurshagana dissolves into golden motes and is stored back into the Gate of Babylon.
The soldiers' morale rises again. They cheer, knowing that the time for a counterattack has come.
Archer glances at the rabble with a bored expression—and raises his right hand.
---------
A second gigantic sword appears.
Just because they deflected one attack, it doesn't mean they can defeat the King of Heroes' treasures. It's not so easy to win a simple power struggle even by wielding a Holy Sword of the Star.
His hand is infinite. His weapons are infinite. He can counter any opponent. He is truly the strongest Servant. Overcoming or defeating him is impossible.
"Well, Saber, what will you do? Will you use your Holy Sword again?"
"...!"
She can't possibly do that. Using a Noble Phantasm of that level repeatedly requires the help of a Command Spell. It would be a different story if she used all her magical energy to stay manifested, but doing so would make it impossible to continue the battle. But if she doesn't do something, she'll suffer irreparable damage.
Archer cruelly tells the downcast Saber,
"Igalima, The Green Horizon that Slices a Thousand Mountains. Show these mongrels what despair is."
He calls the true name of the gigantic sword as it's swung down.
If Shurshagana is a Divine Construct with the concept of a 'horizon,' then Igalima is a Divine Construct with the concept of a 'ground horizon.'
A blade meant to slice through majestic mountains becomes a super-mass weapon that crushes, not slices, when aimed at a person.
Even Rider grimaces. He knew Archer was an incredible opponent, but he hadn't imagined an attack of this magnitude. To be able to casually blow away his army like dust. But that's not the only reason he's grimacing. It's also because he sees what Saber is holding.
"Rider! I'm using it!"
(Is she going to use it already? But if we miss this timing, it'll be difficult to maintain the Bounded Field...)
Rider calculates in his head. And then he shouts.
"Saber, let 'er rip!!"
"Yes!!"
Now it's Archer's turn to be confused.
Excalibur was supposed to be Saber and Rider's trump card. Is there something that surpasses even that?
Archer is the strongest Servant. He's impossible to defeat. But that changes when an irregular, Shou Yogetsu, is added to the mix.
Saber holds up the object in her hand. It's a little larger than her palm, with a single button on the grip. It's not something meant to be used on its own. It's an item that should be combined with another.
Saber presses the button.
"Mighty Brothers XX!"
---------
Mighty Brothers XX Gashat
A transformation item from the TV series Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. It allows the user to transform into Double Action Gamer Level X, and then Level XX upon leveling up again.
---------
The item was entrusted to her by Shou. It shouldn't be usable without a belt. But Rider is just watching the situation with a grin. Perhaps he's imagining the look on Archer's face.
Saber points the Gashat at herself.
At that moment, Saber is enveloped in light.
---------
"I'm really grateful that I got magic. I've gotten a lot stronger because of it."
At the last meeting, Shou said with a look of relief. After vaguely explaining the mechanism of his power-up, Shou was confirming their strength for the final battle.
Archer's power is still unknown. Even Shou, who should know a little about it, says predicting what will be thrown at them is more difficult than Princess Kaguya's impossible tasks.
"Can you even beat Archer?"
"That's a different story."
"No good!"
"Don't get so worked up. It's that kind of opponent. I can't promise a certain victory. I can only say that I don't intend to lose."
Shou says he'll do his best. Everyone there feels the same way.
"But you got another one, didn't you? Can't you use that? Was it not very strong?"
"It's not that..."
When Waver mentions it, Shou takes out the other power he obtained—the Mighty Brothers XX Gashat.
"It's not that I can't use it, but it doesn't make me explosively stronger."
"Mighty Brothers XX!!"
Saying that, Shou activates the Gashat.
"When I use this, I can split into two. It's great if we need more people, but in terms of strength, the other one is way stronger."
He tries to take out the Dual Gashat and line it up next to it—but he can't. The XX Gashat that had suddenly floated in the air is sucked into Saber's body...
"H... huh?"
Everyone but Saber makes a ridiculous noise.
"I am you and you are me! We are! Mighty! Mighty! Brothers! XX DOUBLE EX!!"
"...W-what...?"
"N-no... what do you mean, 'what'?"
"Saber, next to you..."
Shou and Waver answer Saber's question while averting their gaze. They point to the spot next to Saber.
Something unbelievable is happening there.
A spotless, white, too-white skin. Not just that. Her hair, like the finest silk, seems to have lost all its pigment. However, this doesn't give an impression of weakness. A cold aura and cold eyes are moving restlessly as they try to understand the current situation.
In other words.
---------
"I am you and you are me! We are! Mighty! Mighty! Brothers! XX DOUBLE EX!!"
The light clears. The Igalima, which was being swung down, is caught in the light. The gigantic sword, carved from a single piece of jade, is being held just above the ground.
"W-what? Saber, what is the meaning of this...?"
Archer looks at the two Sabers who have caught the Igalima with their Holy Swords with a look of disbelief.
One is the Saber he has always known and seen. The other is a Saber he has never seen before. But she's not a complete stranger. Her appearance is exactly like her other half's. They could be twins. But what truly sets them apart is the aura they emit, more than their pale color.
"I am Saber Alter. The other Saber."
With the power of a tank, the two Sabers push the Igalima back. It then gets stuck in the sandy ground like a gigantic gravestone.
The Saber with the black Holy Sword points it at Archer.
(A splitting Noble Phantasm? Did she have something like that? No, it's that mongrel.)
Archer is not to be outdone. He quickly figures out the correct answer.
(The word 'split' is not right. This new Saber is clearly a single Servant.)
The Mighty Brothers Gashat, which has become a Noble Phantasm, applied its original function of 'splitting into two' directly to Saber's Spiritual Core. It used Saber's Spiritual Core as a base to manifest a version of her with a different potential.
In other words, they succeeded in summoning another aspect of an Heroic Spirit by using the Heroic Spirit themselves as a catalyst. The magical energy for this is, of course, provided by the Holy Grail.
"Good. This was a bit unexpected, but I like both of you. Even if there are more of you, my love won't change. I'll take both of you as my wives."
"Don't make me laugh, Archer."
"Our partner has already been decided."
The blue Saber also points her Holy Sword. She tries to say something after Alter but gets caught on a certain word.
"That's right. My partner is... Partner?!"
"What are you surprised about? Is there a more suitable partner for me than the man to whom I have given my purity and body?"
"Well, that's true, but... there's no need to declare it! No, you haven't even done the act itself!"
"Oh... I can take that as a challenge, can't I? Remember that, Blue one, after we're done with everything."
"The 'Blue one'?! "
The Sabers start a low-level fight that they wouldn't show to others, perhaps because they're essentially the same person.
"W-What did you say?"
A furious aura, completely different from their previous playful one, fills the battlefield.
"Some lowly mongrel... defiled my Saber... my woman?!"
He knew who Saber's partner was without even asking. It had to be that irregular Servant who spouted that pointless wish during the Holy Grail Dialogue. It could only be him.
Something entered the world, transcending the space of the Reality Marble.
It's Shou Yogetsu.
He descends between Saber and Archer, accompanied by wind and lightning.
"This is the end, King of Heroes."
"Good timing...! I was just thinking of killing you!!"
Now, the true final battle begins.
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