He Tore Through The Holy Grail War, And You Still Call Him A Dragon?

"This… this is…!"

Sanetomo had never felt such power before.

When Kazama Ruri's persona controlled his body, Sanetomo had faintly experienced that demonic strength in a dreamlike haze, but even then it had not been like this.

Now, not only had his bloodline power been freed from the suppression of his weaker persona, restoring the might of an Emperor-class hybrid—most of the strength was being poured into the "Silver Arm."

The Silver Arm lived up to its name: pure silver, engraved with intricate designs, like an exquisite knight's gauntlet forged both as art and weapon.

It was reminiscent of Bedivere's silver arm in the Fate series. Depending on the worldline, its true nature changed. Bedivere, knight of the Round Table, was remembered for returning—or in some timelines, failing to return—the holy sword to King Arthur.

In the FGO sixth singularity, the Silver Arm was in fact the sword he had failed to give back.

Shirou hadn't expected it to manifest like this. The silver luster came from the mithril Charlotte had supplied. His role had been embedding a "conceptual holy sword"—not a true one, but an unfinished prototype, a half-made Noble Phantasm.

The benefit was that it merged seamlessly with the arm, serving as its power source. One could even say the arm itself was a Noble Phantasm.

Of course, he had wanted to embed the true sword of the planet. But without ever seeing the real Excalibur, there was no way to forge its likeness.

What a joke. That was a god-forged weapon.

Even if he had seen it, projecting it would destroy his body—just as Shirou in the HF route had collapsed after projecting Excalibur.

So he explained honestly that it was incomplete. But the Genji clan still treated it with reverence.

Because if a master smith like Shirou called something a "half-finished product," who would believe it?

It was like a genius claiming they had "failed" an exam, only for their score to be 99 instead of 100.

"Don't be nervous. Get used to it first. Stay calm. Hit here."

Sanetomo nodded. The gauntlet gleamed, entering combat state. His speed and power spiked. He punched the reinforced alloy target.

Boom!

The Silver Arm smashed through, the floor splitting with cracks, the lab trembling violently.

Raishō inhaled sharply at the sight.

If only he had a missing arm too—then he could claim one for himself.

Even Charlotte's eyes gleamed with greedy thoughts. What if Odin came back, fought Shirou again, and lost more limbs? Could they harvest the rest for her mercury AI maids?

Odin would be cursing them to high heaven if he heard.

"S-sorry. Was that because I couldn't control my strength?" Sanetomo asked nervously. He hadn't even gone full force, only punching with the sense of Ruri's power.

"It's fine. There's always variance. What matters is whether it feels smooth, if there's any lag," Shirou said, watching the glow of the arm. The conceptual sword within it was active, but not yet manifesting outwardly.

Maybe once he'd seen a real holy sword, he could refine it further. This was his first attempt at a non-blade Noble Phantasm—there was room to grow.

"Remember this: your arm is built on an unfinished sword. If you don't want to stagnate, use it often. The sword will grow with experience and memory. One day, it may evolve into a new form."

"Yes! Thank you, Shirou-san!"

Sanetomo bowed gratefully, testing it further. His punches broke the sound barrier, producing shockwaves. The arm felt even smoother than his original.

Though his persona was separate from Ruri, he still carried dreamlike memories of that life, and thus instinctively trusted Shirou's extraordinary skill.

"Hey!" Charlotte piped up, puffing her cheeks. "Why are you only thanking him? Without my precision pseudo-nerves, your arm wouldn't even move! I refined the material too! Without me, you'd be dead from rejection!"

She looked down at the timid boy and loudly declared him a brat, despite being younger herself.

"Sorry, sorry. Thank you too, Charlotte-san."

Sanetomo bent down to adjust the half-broken alloy plate. At that moment, another tremor boomed through the lab.

"Sanetomo, that's enough testing," Raishō said, eyes narrowing. Luckily, the facility had been built to withstand earthquakes.

Sanetomo blinked. "That wasn't me."

"What?"

Boom!

The ground roared again.

Shirou rose at once, grabbing his case of Noble Phantasms. "Avenger?"

"My Master," Ugly Gozen manifested, drawing everyone's eyes. Her deep voice echoed from within her armor. "Something's happening outside!"

"What? The light from the mountains?"

"No. No light. It's vanished. Outside is pitch black… and I sense countless evil presences moving."

Everyone rushed to the window.

The evening skyline was gone. No glow of city lights. Only a suffocating black fog blanketed the world.

The rain had stopped. The houses outside stood soaked and still, like silent tombs in the underworld.

Dark shapes moved in the mist. Shirou strained his eyes, but couldn't make them out.

"This doesn't make sense," Raishō muttered. "It isn't even night yet."

The others stood frozen in shock.

Shirou and Charlotte locked eyes. They both remembered the mirror world. This felt the same.

"Let's check underground!" "Let's return home first!"

They spoke at the same time, but with different intentions.

Charlotte scowled. They'd agreed to use her mercury detection to map the leyline here. Was he backing out?

Shirou sighed. "I never agreed to help with drilling. I only came to test Odin's arm. Better I fight outside and investigate the anomaly than sit here useless."

Those black shadows—they felt like the monsters of the mirror Tokyo.

He had to know: was it only Tokyo trapped, or the whole world? Could he still contact Nono, Melusine?

"…It's not just running. I'll scout, clear enemies, and search for the source."

Charlotte relented with a pout. "Fine. Splitting up may be more efficient."

She summoned her mercury maid and began preparations.

Raishō belted on Dōjigiri Yasutsuna, handing the Spider Cutter to Sanetomo. "We'll support you however we can."

Uesugi Yue also stood. "I'll contact the Church—and an old friend for information."

——

Meanwhile, Fingel dreamed of a nightmare.

In the cold, blue deep sea, he and his companions swam toward the gleaming gates of a divine kingdom.

Flowers bloomed out of season, fruits hung heavy—paradise itself. Avalon, Tir na nÓg, Elysium…

But it was a trap. A water dragon and a mounted phantom cut through them. Blood blossomed in the water.

"Damn gods…!" Fingel cried, kicking in panic.

He jolted awake, drenched in sweat. He wasn't in his hospital room anymore, but a safehouse the Academy had in Japan.

"Another nightmare?" Heracles's voice rumbled beside him. "I hope not because of me."

"No… my own past," Fingel muttered, rubbing his head.

He knew what Heracles meant. The hero's entire life had been a cruel play by the gods. Hera's jealousy had driven him through endless torments, ending in betrayal and his fiery death.

Surely Heracles hated the gods too.

Fingel left the room. "The Headmaster said the White King might be behind this Grail War. Worshiped here as Izanami. Archer, looks like we drew the short straw—it's god-slaying time again. Let's at least get a good meal in first."

"The death god of the Far East, hm?" Heracles smiled faintly. "Then I look forward to it."

The front door opened. Dressed in black, Angers entered, weary from travel. "Fingel. You're awake?"

"Yeah. What's going on outside?"

Fingel tore into a pork shank, peering out the window. A black fog seeped into the estate grounds.

His skin crawled.

"Have you heard of the 'witching hour' in Japan?" Angers asked, glancing at his watch.

"They say it's when ghosts and gods most easily appear. The land also has the legend of the Hyakki Yagyō—when demons and spirits roam, overlapping the human world."

"…Isn't that basically a Nibelungen?"

(End of Chapter)

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