By the next day, the number of Heroic Spirits in Fuyuki had increased even further.
Sensing this, Izumi's lips slowly curved upward.
Not only that, but almost all ordinary residents of Fuyuki had already evacuated. Those who remained were either magi or Heroic Spirits.
When he judged that the timing was right, Izumi glanced at Artoria Pendragon (Lancer) and Scáthach, who had already been brought back by Morgan le Fay, and spoke.
"Since most of the Heroic Spirits have gathered… let us begin this grand feast."
"Alaya. Gaia. You're listening, aren't you?"
The moment his words fell—
Two supreme wills descended upon the sky above Fuyuki.
Every Heroic Spirit raised their heads at once.
Some looked displeased. Others showed reverence.
Just as Izumi had discussed beforehand, the instant those presences appeared, a set of rules manifested within the minds of all Heroic Spirits.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Teams are formed freely. Each team consists of seven Heroic Spirits, and no two may share the same Class.
2. Battles will be conducted as 7-versus-7 elimination matches. The winner advances to the next round.
3. The ultimate victor may make one request to Alaya and Gaia.
4. Participants must divide and submit a portion of their Spirit Origin upon registration.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
These were the rules Izumi had created together with Alaya and Gaia.
And naturally—
This was also his method of harvesting Spirit Origins.
The moment the information spread, the Heroic Spirits grew excited.
The ability to freely form teams and choose allies was extremely appealing.
At that moment, Gilgamesh burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha! Interesting!"
"This king shall claim the championship!"
But the moment he finished—
The child version beside him snapped.
"You idiot! Do you really think you're invincible?"
Nearby, the wise king version of Gilgamesh looked at Archer Gil with utter disappointment.
This was truly embarrassing.
Under the gaze of his younger and older selves, Archer Gil's expression turned stiff.
Honestly, he wanted to curse.
It was absurd.
Those two mocked him nonstop.
They were technically the same person—so wasn't this just insulting themselves?
Yet no matter how irritated he was, he had no way to deal with them.
Kid Gil then spoke again.
"Given the rules, we need to recruit."
"We already have three. Add Enkidu and Siduri, that makes five. We still need two more."
Archer Gil snorted but said nothing.
In his mind, no matter who joined, victory was guaranteed.
And they weren't the only group discussing.
Elsewhere, many other Heroic Spirits were forming alliances.
.....
Meanwhile, Izumi began his preparations.
His overwhelming power of creation activated.
In the center of Fuyuki, a massive and empty structure appeared out of thin air.
The sudden sight drew countless gazes.
At the same time, those with the Ruler Class were forcibly summoned by Alaya and Gaia.
Jeanne d'Arc,
Martha,
and Artoria Pendragon (Lancer).
They would serve as referees.
Additionally, several other Heroic Spirits had been dragged in to assist with administrative work.
When Jeanne and Martha saw Izumi, the two saints bowed politely.
Though they didn't know his true identity, they understood that he was the organizer of this competition.
Looking at them, Izumi spoke directly.
"Then, please provide a portion of your Spirit Origins."
The two exchanged glances and nodded without hesitation.
Dividing their Spirit Origin was similar to creating a spiritual duplicate.
Their current forms were closer to their main bodies.
The divided Spirit Origin would be used as battle avatars, much like the usual Holy Grail War.
Even if destroyed, it would not affect their true selves.
Receiving the Spirit Origins, Izumi was extremely satisfied.
Martha's could be used by Koneko.
Jeanne's could be given to Asia.
After storing them, he continued.
"Next, summon all Heroic Spirits."
"Let them form teams and begin our game."
He had no intention of wasting time.
Jeanne and Martha nodded and immediately began organizing the process.
Illya and the others had also arrived.
Seeing Izumi become busy, they started helping as well.
Not only that—
Izumi even summoned several girls from his own world to assist with order and security.
Their strength was no longer inferior to most Heroic Spirits.
Even against average Servants, they could fight.
Thus, they were perfect for maintaining control.
....
As time passed, Heroic Spirits filled the arena.
Soon, the entire venue was packed.
Naturally, it became extremely chaotic.
Some Heroic Spirits were natural enemies.
Seeing each other again almost guaranteed conflict.
Watching from above, Izumi's lips twitched.
His gaze swept across the crowd.
Sure enough—
A large number of "Takeuchi-face" Saber variants were staring at each other.
It was incredibly surreal.
Many Heroic Spirits were also looking at the group with strange expressions.
Among them, Nero Claudius stood proudly, looking down at the others.
"Hmph. A group of impostors."
The moment she spoke, several identical faces glared at her.
"And what gives you the right to say that?"
The first to respond was Artoria Pendragon, clearly displeased.
Meanwhile, Okita Souji quietly shrank back.
She had already realized that most of the others were stronger than her.
Nero puffed out her chest proudly and gestured at herself.
"Look. Mine are bigger."
"My legs are longer."
"My eyelashes too."
"Even if we look alike, all of you are merely inferior copies!"
The statement instantly ignited the situation.
Every Saber-face grew furious.
Jeanne d'Arc (Alter) looked ready to attack.
Then—
A calm and dignified voice sounded from behind Nero.
"Is that so?"
"If that is the case… then would that not make you my imitation as well?"
It was Artoria Pendragon (Lancer).
She had heard everything and stepped forward.
The moment Saber and the white-clad king saw her—
They were utterly stunned.
Because the presence before them…
Was unmistakably the perfect king.