Miyu froze the moment she saw the white-haired man in red standing at the entrance of the workshop.
"…Onii-chan?"
She stared wide-eyed, completely bewildered.
Why was her brother here?
Even if his hair had turned white, and his physique had become broader and more mature—
she still recognized him instantly.
This was absolutely her brother.
Illya and the rest followed her gaze, equally stunned by the sight of Archer.
Izumi nudged Rin with his elbow, whispering with a smirk:
"Look. That's the Servant you summoned."
Rin snapped back to reality.
She furrowed her brows, hesitantly asking the man before her:
"You're my summoned Servant…?
Emiya Shirou?"
Archer spread his hands, looking exasperated.
"Seems so."
"And I suddenly have a flood of memories in my head."
"If I had to guess, this is what you called 'worldline convergence.'"
"Becoming like this so abruptly is… disorienting."
He glanced at Izumi, then at his own body—
clearly uncomfortable in his new form.
Izumi laughed.
So this version of Archer really was Emiya Shirou the Elder.
Interesting.
Miyu couldn't hold back her excitement.
She ran up to him, eyes sparkling.
"Onii-chan! I can't believe I get to meet you again in this world!"
"This is amazing!"
A miracle, really.
Izumi hadn't lied—
her brother truly became a Heroic Spirit in the future.
Shirou looked helpless.
"Yeah, well… I didn't expect this either."
"After you all left, I felt myself being pulled somewhere strange, and the next moment I appeared here."
Even he found it unreal.
He thought it would be years before he ever met Miyu again—
not mere moments.
Izumi observed him closely, confirming that this "Archer" truly was the Emiya Shirou of Miyu's worldline.
Good.
He'd take this over the cynical red-coat version any day.
Beside Illya, Kuro clicked her tongue, amused.
So this was the source of her power.
Seeing him directly stirred a strange sense of recognition.
Izumi scanned the situation, thinking.
This world's timeline was a complete wreck now.
Emiya Shirou had become Archer—
and had zero prior involvement with Rin and the original Grail War participants.
Which meant the worldline was still in flux.
It would continue to warp unpredictably from here.
He couldn't afford to linger.
With that in mind, Izumi spoke decisively:
"In that case, let's just end the Holy Grail War outright."
"Then I'll head back."
Everyone turned toward him.
Illya's eyes gleamed.
"We're going to meet the future me, right!?"
"Then hurry, let's go!"
Nobody objected.
They were ready to move—
Until Izumi abruptly felt a sting on the back of his hand.
A red crest flared to life.
A Command Seal.
Izumi stared, amused.
"Oh? A Command Seal, huh?"
"Well, that's interesting."
"This is basically telling me to summon a Servant and go bully people."
He laughed.
He had a good guess whose crest it was.
Rin, ten-years-later Illya, Bazett, Kuzuki, Kirei…
Those five should have already summoned their Servants.
Counting himself, that made six Masters.
Which meant there was still one remaining slot.
Who would it be?
Before he could speculate further, Sakura winced—
three Command Seals bloomed on her hand.
Izumi immediately noticed.
"Oh? That completes the roster."
"Looks like mine belonged to that guy."
His interest sharpened.
Everyone gasped when they saw Izumi and Sakura's seals.
"You two… have Command Seals too?"
Rin stared blankly.
There were supposed to be seven Masters.
But three were already standing on her side.
How was she supposed to lose now?
Rin practically vibrated with joy.
Izumi chuckled.
"Well, since I was given Command Seals…"
"I might as well summon a Servant too."
"Rin, mind if I use your workshop?"
Rin lit up like a child.
"Of course!"
"Hurry, hurry!"
"I've been dying to see this!"
Everyone made space, excitement high.
They wanted to see what kind of Servant Izumi would call forth.
Among them, Le Fay looked the most eager.
"Izumi-sama… could you summon King Arthur?"
"I want to see what this world's Artoria is like!"
Izumi paused, thinking.
"If it's her, I can definitely manage."
"And I actually have something perfect for it."
A mischievous grin crept onto his face.
He reached into his subspace inventory and pulled out a holy lance.
Le Fay's eyes lit up instantly.
Seeing Artoria Pendragon in this world would already be a blessing—
but summoning her with that—
Everyone stared, stunned.
Especially Shirou.
"That's… a star-forged weapon?"
"I didn't expect you to have something like that."
Izumi nodded casually.
"I obtained it by chance."
"With this as a catalyst, I'm sure I can summon her."
Excitement surged.
With no hesitation, he tossed the holy lance into the summoning circle.
Then he began the chant.
"I hereby declare—"
"Your body shall be under my command."
"And my fate shall be entrusted to your sword."
Magic roared to life.
A tidal wave of mana surged outward—
so violent that every magus in Fuyuki went pale.
Even Gilgamesh, drowning in luxury elsewhere, sat up with a serious look.
"Well now."
"It seems someone interesting has arrived."
"And this mana feels… familiar."
"And profoundly unpleasant."
His brow furrowed.
Something about this presence pissed him off.
He had nothing better to do anyway.
So he rose from his throne and headed toward the source of the surge.
If it was someone irritating—
He'd simply kill them.
He knew the location perfectly.
Meanwhile, Izumi had no idea that his summoning had just attracted the worst possible spectator.
The King of Heroes himself.