To Become a King and a Magician 616-620

Title: Nuclear Rain Beneath the Sky

The sky over the Imperial Capital of Japan.

Once, this very sky had been the favored hunting ground for countless samurai.

Not long ago, it became a battlefield awash in fire. Steel birds from across the ocean flew unchecked through the heavens, dropping devastating bombs upon the land below.

Smoke from gunpowder and the glow of flames filled the heavens—this was the daily sight endured by the citizens of the Imperial Capital. Perhaps due to its overwhelming intensity, or simply because they had witnessed it for too long, the people had come to accept that the sky simply looked like this.

But today, at dusk, the ever-smoky, flame-drenched sky suddenly cleared—impossibly, brilliantly clear!

If asked why…

*SWISH!*

It was because, for reasons unknown, countless golden meteors streaked across the sky of the Imperial Capital today.

Was this an omen that this apocalyptic life would soon end?

Those who gazed upward could not help but think so. After all, since ancient times, meteors had carried legends of granting human wishes. In this era of war, no matter how bizarre the phenomenon, the first thought that crossed the minds of those suffering under conflict was peace.

Of course, reality was far from their hopeful imaginings.

These golden meteors were not signs of peace… nor of hope.

They were merely countless munitions fired from the Gate of Babylon.

*DOR!* *DOR!* *DOR!* *DOR!*

Above the Imperial Capital, amid an unending roar of gunfire, an intense long-range aerial battle raged.

Seated beside Naoki atop the Vimana, Angelica—having activated her Class Card without hesitation—unleashed her Noble Phantasm, transforming it into projectiles hurled at the enemy who had initiated this aerial confrontation.

Normally, no Servant could sustain prolonged long-range combat against Gilgamesh.

The most fundamental reason? His firepower was catastrophically insufficient.

As the Oldest King, possessor of all treasures, Gilgamesh’s Noble Phantasms were virtually limitless. Thus, his ammunition was equally boundless—endurance was never an issue. Moreover, what he fired weren’t ordinary bullets, but Noble Phantasms forged from fantasy crystals. Even the lowest-ranked Noble Phantasm possessed enough destructive power to obliterate entire roads—let alone high-tier ones.

To engage Gilgamesh in long-range combat was thus suicide. It was no different than willingly seeking annihilation. At best, it was only a question of whether defeat came swiftly or slowly.

But now—

“She’s clinging on tightly.”

With his fairy senses tracking Nobunaga’s movements in real time, Naoki chuckled softly. “Truly worthy of being Japan’s most famed hero. Bonus legend, combined with homeland recognition correction… Even Gilgamesh can’t suppress her without unleashing his highest-tier Noble Phantasm.”

Oda Nobunaga was an innovator—a revolutionary.

As a harbinger of change, she shattered old concepts and transformed everything ancient into something new. Based on legends surrounding her lifetime, after becoming a hero, she became, in a literal sense, a God-Slayer.

The higher the divinity and mystery inherent in her opponent—or any guardian of the system—the greater the positive correction she received. Against heroes or Noble Phantasms possessing immense divinity and mystery, Nobunaga held absolute superiority.

And unfortunately, Gilgamesh possessed the highest possible level of divinity among all heroes.

He himself lived at the tail end of the Age of Gods and played a pivotal role in its conclusion. His mystery was likewise extraordinarily profound.

Even if Angelica used only Class Card, the effect would be slightly diminished—but the fact remained: Gilgamesh’s divinity and mystery were undeniable. Furthermore, every Noble Phantasm fired from the Gate of Babylon right now were high-tier artifacts. Their levels of mystery were certainly not low.

All these factors combined granted Nobunaga an enormous ability correction. The power of her matchlock rifles had risen to a level capable of rivaling the Gate of Babylon itself!

“Hahahaha! Excellent! Fantastic! I haven’t felt such an all-out battle in ages! Golden woman—I adore you!”

Standing atop a sea of matchlocks, Nobunaga clung fiercely to the Vimana as she erupted into wild, unrestrained laughter.

“If not for our positions, I’d absolutely make you my subordinate! With firepower like yours, not a single castle wall in Japan would survive my assault!”

“Empty dreams!”

Perhaps provoked by Nobunaga’s sudden arrogance—or perhaps influenced by Gilgamesh’s own spirit—Angelica spun the Vimana around, pivoting directly toward Nobunaga. Then, from beneath both wings of the Vimana, a torrent of missiles cascaded down like rain!

As a flying vessel mentioned in two Indian epics, the Vimana—an aerial weapon from India’s mythical age—was inherently equipped with numerous armaments.

For example—nuclear warheads from mythic eras.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

Almost simultaneously as the Vimana’s barrage collided with Nobunaga’s volleys, massive explosions of fire and shockwaves erupted above the Imperial Capital. Flames and concussive blasts swept across the entire sky!

Below, the Imperial Capital blared its air raid sirens!

(They believe this is an attack by enemy bombers.)

Hearing the alarms below, Naoki’s brow twitched.

(I should’ve told Angelica to drop them lower… Ah, well, it doesn’t matter now. More importantly—Nobunaga’s situation…)

His fairy senses detected no mana response from Nobunaga whatsoever.

Destroyed?

(No… she must have immediately shifted into spiritual form and escaped before the shockwave hit. She’s ruthless, decisive.)

“She’s gone.”

“I apologize, Natsukawa-sama. I failed to defeat the enemy.” Angelica immediately knelt and bowed her head in apology.

Naoki waved his hand dismissively. “No need. For us, this encounter and skirmish are merely a polite greeting. The true life-or-death battle will come afterward. Since we’re already branded as great sinners destined to destroy this place, I’m sure there will be more fights ahead. We just need to win when the moment comes.”

“Understood.”

“Good. Then next—we go there.”

Naoki pointed toward one direction.

It was the location of the Imperial Japanese Army Headquarters.

“They came to our doorstep. It would be impolite not to return the visit. Now it’s our turn to go pay them a call, Angelica.”

“Let’s go and bombard them with hundreds of Noble Phantasms until they’re reduced to dust!”

-

Title: There’s No Point in Playing If There’s a Traitor!

Imperial Army Headquarters.

Inside one of its deepest chambers.

“Ugh!”

As soon as Nobunaga exited her spiritual form, she immediately braced herself against the wall beside her to avoid collapsing.

She staggered over to her desk and sat down. After several deep breaths, she tapped the crystal orb resting upon it—the very object left behind by the Magus who had come and gone so swiftly not long ago.

The orb flickered briefly, then emitted a soft glow—within the dim room, a human figure materialized.

“Oh?”

The woman seated there, mid-bite into her buttered bread, seemed momentarily confused before turning toward Nobunaga. “Hmm… Sudden connection like this? Miss me?”

Or—

“You finally met my man?”

Nobunaga smiled and nodded at the white-haired girl projected before her, casually munching on her snack. “Yes, I met him, Magus.”

“Then how was the fight? Judging by your state… you got utterly crushed, didn’t you?”

Utterly crushed?

Nobunaga sneered and shook her head. “He didn’t fight—his companion did. That woman, sitting atop a golden flying vessel, just threw Noble Phantasms around like garbage! It made me so jealous! If I’d been that rich back in my day, I would’ve conquered the Sengoku period and ruled the entire world! Tokugawa could’ve shown up ten times—I’d have blown him into smithereens! Even the Uesugi clan wouldn’t have scared me!”

Golden flying vessel?

Throwing Noble Phantasms like trash?

“Ahh… that must be Angelica. Naoki is with her.”

“What? You know that woman?”

The White Magus—Merry—nodded. “You could say she’s the person closest to me… though that was ages ago. Still, this really surprises me. Angelica was supposed to be a maid to that noble master… Could it be that the doll-loving fool has finally taken action?”

“What are you talking about? Say something I can understand!” Nobunaga slammed her fist on the desk in frustration. “And since you know who she is, tell me everything about her right now! I need to go back and get revenge!”

“Fight again? Nobu, you lost? Then why don’t you just come here and help me? This place suits you perfectly! Plus, it’ll lighten my workload.”

“I’m still alive! It’s way too early for me to show up at your place!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… Ah, looks like I’ll have to keep working overtime. Honestly, overtime is the worst.”

Finishing her buttered bread in a few bites, Merry licked the crumbs off her fingers and said: “To face Angelica, there are two key things to remember. First—her Displacement Magecraft, which she masters above all else. Simply put, it’s magic that swaps objects. But Angelica doesn’t just swap objects—she can swap entire spaces, involving Second Magic.”

“Oh, oh, space-swapping… I’ll write that down in my notebook first.”

Pulling out a notebook from the drawer beside her, she flipped to the last page and began scribbling down what Merry said. Nobunaga pressed on: “What’s the second?”

“The Class Card—a Mystic Code Angelica possesses. Similar to divine possession, it allows her to absorb a Servant’s power into herself, enabling her to manifest combat strength equal to that of a Servant. By the way, the Servant Angelica can transform into is Gilgamesh.”

“Gilgamesh? Who’s that? A Servant I’ve never heard of.”

“...”

Seeing Nobunaga completely baffled and unfamiliar with the name, Merry suddenly felt compelled to record this projection—and show it later to the Golden Man who always forced her to work. She was certain the reaction he’d give would be priceless.

—And so she did.

After storing the recording in her mental archive, Merry explained: “Gilgamesh… In short, he’s the oldest King of Heroes. The wealthiest new-money aristocrat in history, possessing every treasure ever forged on Earth. The radiant golden man whose entire body gleams.”

“Monkey?”

“Precisely!”

(This line must be saved too~)

“But jokes aside, the King’s power is terrifyingly real. He stands as the pinnacle among all Servants, especially because he has collected every prototype treasure known to the world. No matter the enemy, he always has a counter ready. He’s essentially nature’s antithesis to Servants.”

“But Nobu, I think you could fight him evenly! After all, Gilgamesh’s divinity and mystery are extremely high, and his fighting style resembles yours… Uwaaaaaahhhhhhh!”

Before Merry could finish, a massive boulder plummeted from the sky—crashing onto her entire body—followed by a gleaming golden spear piercing through the pile.

Nobunaga: “Is he dead?”

“Tiiiiiiiiiidaaaaak…”

Merry’s muffled voice echoed from beneath the rubble.

“Hahahaha… Guess I can’t keep gossiping about him behind his back. Otherwise, next time I’ll really become a hedgehog. Anyway, that’s the info on Angelica—enough?”

“Yes, that’s enough! You’ve worked hard! With this, that woman will die!”

“Then Nobu will surely come to my place to report.” Merry chuckled, struggling to crawl out from under the rocks while yanking the spear from her head. “Our conversation ends here. I’ll file a complaint against the irresponsible citizen who’s littering everywhere. Next time you’re clueless, feel free to ask me again.”

Seeing Merry about to vanish, Nobunaga reached out urgently: “Wait! I haven’t asked about the most important man yet!”

“Naoki?”

Merry paused mid-motion, thinking for a moment. “Ah… telling you about him won’t help you, Nobu. Even if I told you everything, you couldn’t possibly defeat Naoki.”

“Hoho… dare to say that?”

“Because it’s fact. If you want to fight Naoki, you’d have to become the true Demon King himself. As additional advice—where you are right now? Better leave quickly. I think it’s about to become rubble.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Because my Master is extremely vengeful…”

With those words, Merry’s projection vanished before Nobunaga’s eyes.

And almost instantly—

*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*

A rain of golden meteors suddenly fell from the heavens!

-

Title: No Problem—As Long as It’s Not a Direct Attack

At this moment, no matter what happened, it was considered normal.

Even if explosions erupted in broad daylight, they still fell within the bounds of normalcy—especially here in the Imperial Capital, where people had grown accustomed to explosions occurring at any time.

Yet, the explosion that had just occurred still stunned everyone who witnessed it.

Because its location was none other than the Imperial Army Headquarters.

Leaping down from the Vimana and landing amid the rubble crushed by Angelica, Naoki waved his hand, summoning a powerful gust of wind that swept away smoke and flames. His eyes swiftly scanned the surroundings: “Completely obliterated. I don’t know whether anyone inside survived—or died. Well, that’s none of my concern.”

“More importantly—”

*BOOM!*

As Naoki turned his gaze toward a certain direction, a deafening roar erupted from beneath the ruins. Stones and debris flew upward as Nobunaga burst forth from below, leaping onto the surface.

She brushed dust off her military uniform and fixed her gaze on Naoki before her. “You nearly killed me. Sneaking up like that? You’re incredibly rude.”

“Why bother with manners during wartime?” Naoki laughed. “Besides, you attacked me first. Isn’t it perfectly natural for me to retaliate now? Besides, I don’t hold grudges.”

“Hoho… I don’t dislike your philosophy. The longer a grudge lingers, the more complicated it becomes. Resolving it as quickly as possible saves a lot of trouble.”

Though she spoke these words, before she’d even finished speaking, dozens of matchlock rifles instantly materialized before her, all pointed squarely at Naoki’s face.

“But there’s a proverb: When does a grudge truly end? Isn’t that right? Just like you, I also hate being intruded upon so closely. If it’s not too much trouble, stand right there and let me shoot you a few times.”

“I’m sorry, but I have to decline. Even if I won’t die, it’ll hurt.” Naoki waved his hand dismissively. “Besides, depending on the situation, I actually don’t mind being approached up close. In fact, it’s rather pleasant.”

“Eh?”

Naoki’s sudden words caused Nobunaga’s brain to stall slightly.

Approached to the point of personal space—and he considers that good? Was this really something one could view positively?

“You… are you a punching bag?”

“No.”

Naoki answered firmly: “But you’re fixating on strange things. Didn’t you say you were going to shoot me? Yet merely by saying those words, I’ve already made you hesitate. Is the famed Oda Nobunaga of the world really just a curious little girl?”

“That’s not a bad compliment.”

Nobunaga chuckled.

“Since childhood, I’ve had low resistance to anything unfamiliar. Whenever I encounter something strange or new, I become intensely excited. And that’s still true now. Unfortunately, this nation is weak and powerless—I can’t experience many new things in the future. That’s unavoidable.”

At present, Japan was gradually heading toward defeat in war.

This reality led Nobunaga—who had manifested here—to conclude: “This era needs me once again.” Thus, she became the so-called Savior Hero, beginning to impose Tenka Fubu across Japan. For this grand purpose, sacrificing personal interests was an acceptable cost.

Similarly, for this great cause, she would remove every obstacle—step by step.

“Sniper team, form up!”

The matchlock rifles scattered before Nobunaga immediately aligned into a 4x4 square formation, all barrels locked onto Naoki.

Just as she prepared to give the firing order—

*🚨🚨🚨🚨*

The air raid siren—only recently silenced—sounded again across the skies of the Imperial Capital.

It was another air raid alert.

“Tsk. You picked a terrible time to show up.”

After a brief pause, Nobunaga narrowed her lips, then retracted the rifles aimed at Naoki. “When does a grudge end? That phrase is correct. Today’s grudge between us ends here. But remember this: next time we meet, I will pierce straight through your skull.”

*WHOOSH!*

With those words spoken, Nobunaga instantly sat atop her matchlock rifles and shot skyward in a flash.

Retreating?

“No—not that. She must have urgent business to attend to. The air raid siren… Hah, are enemy bombers flying this way? She’s gone to intercept them—to protect this country.”

“She’s quite busy, Nobunaga.”

“Natsukawa-sama.”

Angelica maneuvered the Vimana to land beside Naoki and asked: “Should we pursue her?”

Naoki shook his head. “No, no need. Chasing her would be pointless. Since she said today’s grudge is settled, let it rest. Don’t interfere with her mission to save the nation.”

“Cancel the Vimana and Class Card. Let’s leave here first, find a place to rest, then summon a Servant.”

Watching Nobunaga vanish into the sky, Naoki sighed faintly: “Honestly, I can’t stand this era… or this country.”

“Let’s finish this quickly and return.”

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Above the clouds.

Standing atop her matchlocks, Nobunaga turned her head backward.

“He didn’t follow. Good. He knows his place. I won’t let personal feelings interfere with public duty.”

“Then…”

Turning her gaze forward, Nobunaga—using Servant-level vision—clearly saw countless aircraft approaching from afar.

“Are those enemy bombers? Even now, there are iron birds like these… astonishing.”

These were weapons of a type she had never encountered in her lifetime. If such an attack came from above, even with preparation, it would be nearly impossible to counter. Their strategic value was immense.

Modern warfare was vastly superior to the Sengoku period.

As one of the Three Great Unifiers who fought on the battlefields of Sengoku, Nobunaga honestly adored these flying iron birds.

But unfortunately…

“Before you dare invade the lands behind me, remain here forever—in the heavens.”

“Sniper team, form up!”

Hundreds—three thousand in total—matchlock rifles materialized around Nobunaga, each barrel trained on the incoming bomber fleet. The Demon King smirked, raising her hand.

“Fire!”

-

Title: Okita-san’s Great Victory!

Six hours after Naoki and Angelica arrived in the Imperial Capital Singularities.

After enduring a series of events—including being attacked by Nobunaga, demolishing the Imperial Army Headquarters, and finding temporary lodging—the two finally found rest as night fell.

Seated beside a window on the second floor of an inn, Naoki gazed out at the distant edge of the Imperial Capital, its skyline still glowing with scattered lights.

“They’re still fighting. What a pointless, tiresome war… Wouldn’t it be better to just admit defeat? This country is stubborn to the bone—even though objectively, I don’t hate it… Angelica, what do you think would happen if I dropped a moon right onto it now?”

“The war would probably end in an instant.”

From behind Naoki, in the room beside the round table, Angelica replied calmly: “Natsukawa-sama… do you truly hate this era so much?”

“Yes. Honestly, I want to wipe this place off the map. But truthfully—I won’t. Hate is hate, anger is anger. If I truly loathed this land down to my marrow, I would’ve already dropped several moons and leveled this entire city the moment I arrived.”

“Even if it means killing countless civilians.”

Japan of this era was an unforgivable target—but that didn’t mean it should become a dumping ground for his future self’s rage. Nor should he unleash his fury upon innocent civilians who were also suffering under the war.

Destroying the Imperial Army Headquarters earlier today was enough.

Of course, even if called a “headquarters” there may have been few people inside. Even if one or two escaped, he could deal with them later. Right now, the priority was resolving this Singularities.

Before that—

“Let’s summon a Servant first.”

Naoki slid the round table to the corner of the room, then sliced the tip of his finger with a wind blade, letting a single drop of blood fall onto the floor. The moment the blood touched the ground, it instantly spread outward, forming within seconds a perfect Summoning Circle beneath their feet.

Rising to his feet, Naoki raised his hand before him, the Command Spell glowing brightly, and recited the invocation chant—

“Continuation revoked—Answer my call, Guardian of Balance.”

*ZING!*

The magic circle erupted in a blinding flash of light.

The next second, from within the radiance, a figure slowly emerged.

“The newly appointed Captain of the First Division of the Shinsengumi—Okita Souji, at your service!”

A girl with cherry-blossom hair, clad in a pale green haori, stepped forth from the summoning circle—exactly as Naoki had envisioned.

“You are my Master—Eh?! Natsukawa-sama?!”

Okita, poised to introduce herself with dignified pride, froze mid-gesture upon recognizing the man standing before her.

Waving the Command Spell on the back of his hand, Naoki grinned. “Yo, long time no see, Okita. Sorry, but I need your help this time.”

Okita Souji.

Ten years ago, during the previous Holy Grail War, she had been summoned as Assassin by Arcueid. In truth, she was a representative dispatched by the Counter Force, assigned to ensure Naoki became its agent.

After Naoki became a Fairy and the Sword Bearer, Rei forcibly detained her—as petty revenge against the Counter Force—and kept her bound to this world.

Yet unlike Atalanta, who gained flesh from the Holy Grail, or Artoria, who could not fully separate from Naoki and thus remained, Okita remained a Servant. Should the contract be broken or Mana supply cease, she would immediately return to the Throne of Heroes.

Thus, over the past decade, Naoki had continuously supplied her with Mana—not because he needed to, but because as a Fairy, his Mana was inexhaustible. Had any other Magus attempted this, they would have been drained dry.

In return, Okita faithfully upheld her duties as a Servant: occasionally substituting for Naoki to teach martial arts classes at the Clock Tower, or carrying out missions ordered directly by him.

But most of the time, she did absolutely nothing.

Because of this, several years ago, Okita had briefly fallen into depression—haunted by the guilt of consuming Naoki’s boundless Mana without ever being useful to him. She nearly suffered a psychological breakdown.

Fortunately, Merry eventually intervened with counseling. As for what exactly transpired during those sessions… only Merry and Okita knew.

And now—

“So… you summoned me to resolve the incident occurring in this Singularities?”

After hearing the majority of Naoki’s explanation, Okita couldn’t suppress a slight tremble—her eyes sparkling with overwhelming joy. “Ten years… I’ve finally waited for this moment—Natsukawa-sama! I, Okita Souji, will traverse fire and water for you this time!”

“You’re really fired up.”

“Of course I am! After all, this is the first time in ten years you’ve needed me, Master!”

Having an overly capable Master wasn’t purely good news for a Servant. It was a mixed blessing. On the positive side, a Servant never needed to worry about protecting a weak Master—they could focus entirely on combat. But the downside? An overly capable Master could render a Servant completely useless.

That was Naoki’s case. Because he was so powerful, there had been virtually nothing in the last ten years requiring Okita’s intervention. Consequently, for a decade, Okita had languished as a full-time unemployed tenant in Camelot’s apartment complex!

Even when she did something small, to Okita, it paled in comparison to the endless Mana Naoki poured into her.

Which was precisely why she was so ecstatic now.

Naoki, who could read her thoughts fairly well, couldn’t help laughing. “Alright, glad you’re excited—but tonight, no fighting needed. So you’ll have to wait a little longer. And to resolve this Singularities… simply winning the Imperial Capital Holy Grail War won’t be enough.”

“If it could be solved that easily, I wouldn’t have summoned you, Okita. I could’ve just dropped dozens—or even a hundred—moons here. Eh? Okita, why are you suddenly sad? Your energy just vanished!”

“Ugh… I’m fine. So… I’m actually not needed?”

“I didn’t say that!” Seeing Okita’s spirits plummet again, Naoki quickly waved his hands to reassure her. “Besides, I summoned you because I do need your power right now, don’t I? This time, I genuinely hope you’ll lend me your strength. Me and Angelica alone can’t handle this.”

Hearing those words, Okita’s previously gloomy face instantly lit up: “Really?! Master!”

“Yes, truly, truly. More real than diamonds.”

“In any case, eighty-one Holy Grail bombs aren’t something two people can casually handle.”

-

Title: This Is Basically the Plus Version of Detective Conan, Right?

Eighty-one Holy Grail Bombs.

The mention of this made Okita freeze for a moment.

“What… is that, Master?”

“Literally speaking… well, let me explain from the beginning.”

As he spoke, Naoki rose to his feet—and suddenly, a whiteboard appeared behind him, identical to those used by tutoring instructors.

In truth, he had simply manifested it based on that image.

With a black marker, he drew a Holy Grail on the board. He tapped it lightly. “Alright, Okita, Angelica—look here. As I explained earlier, in this Singularities, the Holy Grail War already occurred once, two years ago. But when the War reached its peak, all Servants and the Grail vanished… only to reappear two years later.”

“But the Grail didn’t vanish—it was stolen. Archer—Oda Nobunaga—took control of the Imperial Japanese Army and used its military power to steal the Greater Grail, hide it away for two years, and prepare to realize her ultimate goal.”

Naoki continued, sketching a small figure of Nobunaga and drawing an arrow pointing toward it. “So the question is—what does Nobunaga and the Imperial Army intend to do with the Holy Grail? When we combine this with the context of this era, the answer becomes obvious.”

It is currently 1945—the year known to everyone in the future as the end of World War II, where the world achieved victory in the anti-fascist war. But that applies only to the Allied powers. As one of the Axis nations that started the war, Japan was the defeated side.

It’s easy to imagine: soldiers whose minds were saturated with honor and the Yamato spirit could never accept defeat. For this war, Japan had poured everything into it—and they would never allow it to end in loss.

Therefore, naturally, the Japanese military conceived the idea of using the Holy Grail. With a device capable of granting any wish, surely they could reverse the course of the war.

“These idiots who don’t understand Magecraft probably only think like this.” Naoki scoffed. “But Nobunaga is different. After two years of studying the Grail—with possible assistance from a certain Magus—she realized the Holy Grail isn’t truly an All-Wishing Machine.”

“So she abandoned the idea of saving her nation by petitioning the Grail, and instead chose to modify the Greater Grail itself—transforming it into something far more devastating.”

Adding the word “BOMB” next to the Grail drawing, Naoki continued.

“The Eighty-First Holy Grail Bomb—a magical weapon that shatters the Greater Grail into eighty-one fragments and reassembles them into something entirely new. A strategic weapon capable of altering the outcome of war with a single detonation.”

“Considering the sheer amount of Mana contained within the Greater Grail, its explosive power could potentially obliterate the entire Imperial Capital.”

A strategic weapon capable of annihilating the entire Imperial Capital?

Okita’s expression instantly turned grave. “That would cause catastrophic casualties… and likely alter the very structure of the world, wouldn’t it?”

Naoki nodded. “Exactly. If that thing detonates, I don’t know whether it will ‘save’ the nation—but Japan itself will be erased. I have no idea what the world will become afterward. The Second World War, expected to end this year, might drag on indefinitely. This deviates entirely from human history.”

“Therefore, to correct the Incineration of Humanity, our task is simple: destroy the Eighty-First Holy Grail Bomb. The Grail is the root of this Singularities. If we destroy or reclaim it, this Singularities will collapse naturally. From this perspective… yes, we are indeed the great sinners Nobunaga said would destroy the world.”

Okita smiled at this. “If thinking like this makes us great sinners, then I’ll gladly become one—even if I have to do it a hundred times over, alongside my Master. Nona Angelica agrees too, right?”

“Without question.” Angelica’s gaze was steady and unwavering. “I am Natsukawa-sama’s possession. Natsukawa-sama’s will is my will. I will act only as Natsukawa-sama commands.”

The unwavering loyalty displayed by both of them in succession left Naoki momentarily speechless. “You two… Well, Angelica has been like this for over a decade; I’ve given up trying to change her. Sometimes I wish you’d learn from Rei and Manaka. They’re dolls too—but they don’t see me as their master.”

“As for Okita… don’t worry. Whether you like it or not, I’m keeping you by my side until the very end.”

“—!”

At Naoki’s words, Okita’s body trembled slightly before she bowed her head deeply, voice choked with emotion. “Thank you so much, Master! Okita Souji will never betray your trust! Even if my body and blade are shattered to pieces, I will fight until my final breath!”

“No, I didn’t ask you to go that far…”

Seeing Okita’s reaction—exactly as he anticipated—Naoki felt equally overwhelmed.

Servants respond to the Holy Grail’s call because they harbor a desire they wish fulfilled. Artoria wished to save Britain; Iskandar sought a physical body… Okita was no different. Yet her desire wasn’t one that required the Grail to manifest.

Similar to Diarmuid’s vow to “remain loyal to his lord until death”. Okita’s deepest wish was to “fight until the very end.”

During her life, plagued by a terminal illness, Okita had been unable to die fighting beside her Shinsengumi comrades. Though she understood their desire for her to live, she still longed to face her end on the battlefield alongside them—not in a hospital bed.

This was the only wish she ever carried in her heart.

Hence, her reaction now. Naoki’s words confirmed her soul’s deepest longing. For a samurai, there could be no greater fortune than having a master who understood her heart so completely.

(Though admittedly… my way of understanding her heart is a bit cheap…)

“Then, let me outline our operation. Based on my senses, the Holy Grail Bomb hasn’t been completed yet. Its exact stage of development remains uncertain—perhaps the fragments are still separated and unreassembled, or perhaps they’ve already been assembled and are awaiting final activation.”

“So our next step is clear: locate the Holy Grail Bomb somewhere in the Imperial Capital and destroy it. Afterwards, I’ll mark every Imperial Army base across the city on the map. Starting tomorrow, we’ll infiltrate and investigate each one individually—we don’t know precisely where it is, so we must eliminate possibilities one by one.”

“As for tonight…”

Naoki dismissed the whiteboard behind him with a wave, smiling gently. “It’s late. Let’s get some sleep.”