The Heroic Spirit Soldier.
This was a weapon forged by channeling the residual mana from deceased Servants into a mechanical framework.
In terms of combat power, it couldn't even be compared to a Shadow Servant. Yet, in conventional warfare, the Heroic Spirit Soldier remained an invincible foe to ordinary humans—whether Magus or soldier alike. Unless they assembled a significant force, they were nothing more than weeds before its might.
This technology was developed by Magi within the Imperial Japanese Army who had pledged unwavering loyalty to their nation. Desperate to save Japan from inevitable defeat, they deemed the power of the Heroic Spirit Soldier indispensable.
"But that only took one hit."
Watching the Heroic Spirit Soldier fall to Angelica without her even needing to activate a Class Card, Naoki sighed. Even this weapon, regarded as a battlefield terror, performed no better than a paper tiger when faced with true Servant combat.
Though, admittedly, this also reflected how far beyond ordinary Servants Angelica's strength truly was.
"The battle is over, Natsukawa-sama. Unexpectedly, he was quite weak."
"Yes, I can see that." Naoki replied. "There's a member of the Imperial Army in the next carriage. I suspect he's the one controlling this Heroic Spirit Soldier—though even he can only issue it simple commands. No Command Spell at all."
There must be countless soldiers like him in the current Imperial Army.
"But still… it's odd. Why did a Heroic Spirit Soldier appear here?"
Within Naoki's sensory range, there were few passengers on this train. Aside from himself and Angelica, no other Magi were present—and most of the travelers were clustered toward the front of the car.
If not for their sudden arrival, this would have been an utterly ordinary train. There was no logical reason for a Heroic Spirit Soldier to show up. Logically, this wasn't a random occurrence—it had been deliberately set as a trap.
(Could they have known I'd appear here?)
"Ohhh, wow! He was taken out so cleanly! One-hit kill, right? That was absolutely beautiful!"
As Naoki pondered this, a bright, cheerful laugh suddenly echoed from the adjacent carriage. The door slid open—and a dark figure abruptly dematerialized from thin air, stepping gracefully over the corpse of the fallen Heroic Spirit Soldier before entering Naoki and Angelica's line of sight.
It was a girl with jet-black hair—at least, that's what appeared to be the case.
She wore a military cap adorned with gleaming papaya-flower patterns, a modified military uniform, and held a sword that reflected the sunlight streaming through the train windows.
After sweeping her gaze across the entire carriage, her blazing crimson eyes locked onto the two occupants.
"You two… yes, you're the great sinners the Magus foretold would destroy our nation. The final Master and Servant pair of the renewed Holy Grail War."
"Wow… what an amazing hat you've just casually placed on my head."
Great sinner destined to destroy the nation?
A prophecy delivered by a Magus?
Naoki blinked, momentarily confused. His knowledge of the Imperial Capital Holy Grail War contained no such element—was this why this Singularities had formed?
(Magus… Huh?)
"Well, forget it. I can't puzzle over this here. I'll investigate later. But judging by your tone, you clearly knew I'd show up—you came specifically to ambush me?"
"Archer—Oda Nobunaga."
Oda Nobunaga.
That was the girl's real name.
A legendary figure from the Sengoku period—the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven—who relentlessly shattered existing conventions while marching toward national unification. Later revered alongside Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Ieyasu Tokugawa as one of Japan's Three Great Unifiers.
Among all Japanese-origin Servants, she was undoubtedly one of the strongest ever summonable. Combined with the amplification granted by recognition within her homeland, the power she could manifest might even rival that of divine-tier Servants.
Hearing her true name spoken aloud, the girl—Nobunaga—could not suppress her laughter. "Hahahaha! You knew my real name immediately. Just as the Magus said! If I fight you, information advantage will be nonexistent… Well, this also proves just how famous I am in the future! What can I do if my true name is revealed outright?!"
The Magus again?
"This is the second time you've mentioned that Magus. It seems she told you a lot about me? If you don't mind, could you tell me het name? If she's someone I know, I'll make sure to pay her a visit later—to settle a debt."
"Hoo…" Nobunaga narrowed her eyes. "Facing me, standing as your enemy, are you truly confident you'll have a 'later'? You're incredibly bold—for just a Master. No, wait—if what the Magus said is true, then yes, you really can say that."
(She really does know a lot. Someone who knows me this well… and a Magus… I think I can guess who it is.)
(Next time I meet her, I'll make sure she won't leave her bed for a week—)
*DOR!* *DOR!* *DOR!* *DOR!*
As Naoki thought this, several gunshots suddenly rang out inside the carriage. Instantly, ever-vigilant Angelica activated Displacement Magecraft, redirecting every incoming bullet outside the train.
"Oh? Decent reaction. You managed to deflect them. But then again, that's expected. If you were taken down so easily, I'd be deeply disappointed!"
Beside her, surrounded by an array of matchlock rifles materializing around her like petals blooming from a garden, Nobunaga now wore a sweet yet merciless smile. An unmistakable aura of lethal intent radiated from her.
Naoki frowned. "Is this your unique way of greeting people? Japanese hospitality is truly warm."
"You're awfully calm for a sinner." Nobunaga laughed. "I could get even more enthusiastic, you know. By the way—I'll answer your question… after you die in my Three Thousand Worlds—assuming any ash of you remains afterward."
As she spoke, more matchlocks materialized around Nobunaga, as though Angelica herself had opened the Gate of Babylon. Dark, menacing barrels pointed directly at Naoki and Angelica.
"Come now, great sinner from beyond this world, daring enough to destroy our nation! Summon your Servant—and let us begin our own Holy Grail War! My name is Oda Nobunaga! I have manifested in this world in response to the cries of the people of the future—a Servant of salvation, summoned to protect this very nation!"
"For the sake of this nation's future, I declare here and now—I shall obliterate you all completely with my Three Thousand Worlds!"