"With this fire—I cut through all that cannot be cut!"
Nameless, embodying the concept of countless Heroic Spirits' Noble Phantasms, ignited the flame of civilization's hope, forging the Holy Sword of the Stars — a blade that represents infinite futures.
This sword symbolizes humanity's conquest of nature, of the planet, of all disasters.
Even in the face of ultimate despair and annihilation, it brings hope to all.
Such a will deserves praise; such a conviction must be carried out.
The unwavering faith of every Heroic Spirit granted him the conceptual power of "that which cannot be severed."
Even the Vanguard, enemy of civilization's existence, could not withstand it head-on.
With one swing of the blade, the Vanguard unleashed its Noble Phantasm's greatest might—yet all defenses were effortlessly shattered.
The brilliant swordlight sliced across its body—from abdomen to head—as though it would cleave it entirely in two.
However—its body was not truly cut apart.
What Nameless severed was the shackle bestowed by the [Crest of the Wandering Star] itself.
The Vanguard had been created solely to devour civilizations and destroy planets—a mere weapon of harvest forged by the [Crest of the Wandering Star].
Its existence was filled with endless battle and destruction, never meant to possess independent will.
But earlier—when it had taken the form of Attila—it had been given humanity. It had been granted the ability to think, to feel.
From a cold and unfeeling weapon, it had evolved into a being with wisdom.
The Vanguard froze in disbelief.
"You… actually cut away the chains that bound me?"
At that moment—it gained absolute freedom.
No one could command it again, no one could control it.
The contract link to the Wandering Star of Predation,the absolute orders it had imposed—all severed by that single strike!
——
Miyu looked at the awe-inspiring hero, tears welling in her eyes.
In the Oath Beneath the Snow timeline she had once lived through—the man who wished to be a hero of justice hadn't even qualified to enter the Holy Grail War.
He couldn't summon a single Heroic Spirit to fight alongside him.
The hero, sung by thousands, had fought alone—helpless, desperate, and endlessly struggling.
All he could do was use a blank summoning card, calling forth a version of himself from the future.
But now—every Heroic Spirit answered his call without hesitation, willingly pouring their very essence to support him.
At this moment, the nameless guardian of humanity's history had become the vessel of countless people's faith.
He was no longer fighting alone.
Illya softly embraced her shoulders.
"Indeed… more and more people are gathering around him."
To gather stronger allies—normally, that's a good thing.
But… while he kept getting stronger, surrounded by ever more powerful companions—she herself could barely keep up.
Illya sighed in frustration.
At her current level, she could only rely on the summoned Heracles—whose real strength couldn't even rival that of an average Heroic Spirit.
Should she make a wish to Kyubey and become a stronger Magical Girl instead?
But miracles and magic always come with a price.
If she truly wished to become a god-tier Magical Girl, the price would no doubt be catastrophic.
Besides Ruby the Kyubey who made her a Magical Girl, there was another self within her slowly awakening—one she could perhaps learn power from.
The problem was, that other self—Chloe—was also competing with her for Nameless!
It was bad enough fighting off Heroic Spirits for him… but now even she herself wanted to steal him away?
Impossible!
Illya glared at the screen where the Vanguard stood frozen in shock.
She suddenly had a strange sense of déjà vu.
Could it be— that this so-called Enemy of Civilization's was about to be completely "conquered" by Nameless too?
Under the gaze of countless spectators—Nameless faced the stunned Vanguard and spoke softly:
"The long night may never end—but there will always be those who become the flame itself. You cannot extinguish the fire of human civilization."
He had severed its contract with the Wandering Star of Predation and granted it freedom.
Now, it was no longer a mere instrument of destruction—but a being with autonomy, a true—Human.
The Vanguard stared at him intently.
"So… this is humanity?"
When it had gone berserk, he had made it feel it—the beauty of what is called humanity, civilization, and hope.
Destruction is always infinitely easier than creation.
To annihilate a civilization takes only days. But for this planet to give birth to humanity—it took 4.6 billion years.
"Yes," Nameless replied. "This is humanity."
A massive circle bloomed beneath his feet.
His Reality Marble—Unlimited Blade Works—expanded, trapping it within.
He pointed his Holy Sword of the Star toward her.
"I will fight until my final breath—my fate bound to that of human history itself!"
"I only know how to kill and destroy," The Vanguard declared, raising its sword. "I can do nothing else. So—defeat me head-on!"
Even with freedom regained, millennia of existence had carved battle into its very nature.
To make it truly stop—it had to be defeated in fair combat.
The universe itself is a dark forest.
Every civilization within it is a silent hunter, moving through the void, striving to make no sound.
Because the forest is full of terrifying hunters.
Once discovered, a civilization must devour the other—or be devoured in turn.
This is the Law of the Dark Forest.
The universe abides by two immutable laws:
The first need of any civilization is survival.
Every civilization expands endlessly, but the universe's total resources are finite.
Thus, to expand without end—one must devour other civilizations.
The Wandering Star of Predation sought to strengthen itself by hunting Earth's civilization.
Even the far-off Machine Gods was no different.
In this cold, merciless forest of the cosmos, only the strong may survive.
Humans, gods, civilizations—all alike!
If he could not defeat even the Vanguard, then humanity had no right to continue existing.
"Then—" Nameless said quietly, "as you wish."
The world before his eyes turned to pure black and white.
Endless points and lines appeared across her body, like a web of black threads wrapping her—as though she now wore black fishnet stockings.
The mysterious and eerie sight carried a strangely alluring beauty.
It was his most powerful mystic eye—
The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
It can see the life and death of all things—see through everything there is to see.
As long as he can see death, it matters not whether the target is human, Heroic Spirit, or god—even the Vanguard can be slain!
"You truly have reached the very pinnacle of combat… but I am not beneath you!" The Vanguard said in astonishment.
As the Enemy of Civilization's, it was, in the truest sense, a weapon born for slaughter—existing only to destroy.
Yet even it had never mastered such eyes of annihilation.
But that was fine.
The primal instincts of the vanguard had already granted it the highest caliber of combat ability.
It shouted,
"In my name—let the Tactics of the War God rise!"
As the Scourge of God, the foe of civilizations, it could vastly amplify the power of its Noble Phantasms.
Its already-liberated Photon Ray grew even stronger, surging with overwhelming power.
Its body radiated a dreamlike, prismatic glow—Countless visions of past battles flared around it, flashing madly—
"I am the Enemy of Civilization's—enhance the Natural Body of the War God!"
This power-up reflected the countless battles it had fought through the ages, each victory strengthening it further.
Through battle, it could endlessly evolve and grow stronger!
Strange markings surfaced across its body, and its aura climbed to a new peak.
The Vanguard swung its Noble Phantasm, igniting and consuming everything in its path—
[Teardrop Photon Ray: Star of Tears, Sword of the War God!]
The multicolored pillar of light was as beautiful as it was apocalyptic.
This time, no one stood to shield Nameless.
But he didn't need anyone to.
He poured all of his magical energy into the Holy Sword of the Star.
Flames roared to life upon the blade—
The flames of the Heroic Spirits united as one.
The flames of homes longing for peace and happiness.
The flames of humanity's hope for a radiant, infinite future!
Boom—
A solemn bell tolled in the void.
Nameless murmured,
"Listen—the evening bell tolls your name."
It was the ultimate assassination technique of the Grand Assassin, fused with the Holy Sword of the Stars—unleashing power capable of slaying all things.
"With the body of a mortal, I step into the realm of gods—I offer this life as sacrifice!"
Nameless's entire body ignited like a living torch—
"Platinum… The World!"
He became pure flame, burning away everything he was.
His Reality Marble froze solid.
Time itself seemed to halt.
Even the Vanguard's light of destruction now fell with glacial slowness.
Nameless swung the Holy Sword of the Star down upon it:
"Light the sky, light the hope—forge the path toward the future!"
"Sever causality! Sever destiny! Sever karma!"
Boom!!!
The Holy Sword of the Star blazed with the fire of civilization, slashing forth in an inferno of creation.
Under that strike—
The Vanguard's beam of annihilation was torn apart midair.
This time, he was not cutting away its contract or restoring its humanity—he was cleaving apart its colossal, thousand-meter-tall body outright!
Endless fragments scattered across the void.
The Vanguard had been defeated head-on by Nameless!
The world erupted in cheers.
====
Egypt.
Ramses II stared in disbelief.
"He actually beat the Star Vanguard head-on?! Ridiculous!!"
It was strength beyond comprehension.
Even he—hailed as the King of Kings, the human incarnation of Ra, the Sun God—couldn't claim that level of certainty.
After all, even his peer, the mighty King of Heroes, was relegated to a supporting role in this battle.
He had never managed to defeat it himself!
Nitocris spoke with awe.
"Nameless truly is powerful… only by merging the Holy Sword of the Star with the Grand Assassin's technique could he fell it in a single strike!"
"Indeed."
The flames in King Hassan's hollow eye sockets flickered fiercely.
Though his expression could not be seen, both of them could feel his joy.
Nitocris understood perfectly.
Among all the Assassins throughout history, only those who had truly inherited the Grand title could bear it.
For the old man to remain the sole irreplaceable Grand among the Seven Classes—it was both supreme honor and profound sorrow.
He couldn't even retire!
But now, Nameless—the one who had learned the Grand Assassin's technique—had become humanity's strongest protector.
He was fully qualified to guard human history.
At last, the old man had a disciple he could proudly boast of.
Ramses II scoffed.
"Hmph, nothing impressive."
But the jealousy dripping from his tone was obvious.
We're all Heroic Spirits here—so why are you so damn exceptional?
At that moment—
A sudden change occurred.
From the shattered, thousand-meter remains of the Vanguard, a black hole appeared at the center.
All the fragments were drawn inward.
A shimmering, iridescent light flared—
And as it slowly faded, the figure that emerged…
…was human.
None other than the Hunnic King who had once ravaged the steppes and made all of Europe tremble—
Attila the Hun, the Scourge of God.
Her beautiful eyes stared at him, filled with complex emotion.
"I… actually lost?"
Even the mighty Enemy of Civilization's had been defeated in fair combat.
The human consciousness within her had now completely replaced the cold, mechanical one.
"Welcome back, Attila."
Nameless smiled and reached out his hand.
"Even when black clouds shroud the sun, I will burn the starry sky themselves—to guide you home."
This—this was the girl he truly remembered.
He had once taught her by hand—culture, swordsmanship, and more.
He had watched her grow from innocence to maturity—then from the glory of empire to the frailty of age.
He had witnessed her entire life, from start to end.
She was as much his cherished disciple as Shikotei himself.
Attila wanted to open her arms to embrace him—but hesitated, lowering them with quiet sorrow.
As the Enemy of Civilization's, she had no right to do so.
"I only know how to fight, how to destroy… I don't know how to do anything else."
The Hunnic King's expression grew increasingly desolate.
"Teacher… tell me—do I truly have the right to live alongside humanity?"
She was not like the Evils of Humanity.
Those were born from love twisted to extremes—love that became the will to destroy mankind.
But she… she had been created to destroy humanity from the start.
As a weapon of annihilation, defeat had robbed her of any reason to exist.
Faced with her trembling question—
Nameless smiled gently.
"You were just a weapon before—a tool that served the Wandering Star of Predation. No matter how strong a weapon is, no matter how many it kills, the fault always lies with its wielder."
Yes—she had merely been a weapon, devoid of will.
Everything she had done was nothing more than the Wandering Star of Predation's programming—a machine fighting endlessly without rest.
No matter how terrible the weapon, it all depends on who wields it.
And now—he wished to take up that weapon himself, to make it protect humanity.
That was why Nameless had never sought to kill her, why he had always tried to awaken her heart instead.
Under his warm, steady gaze—
"I only know how to kill," she whispered. "Like a machine, silent and unfeeling. I was made to be this way."
Her hands trembled.
"Even so… I've begun to wish… that with these hands—the same hands that can only destroy—I could learn to love… to embrace…"
Since her bond with the Wandering Star of Predation had been severed, she had slowly regained her human awareness.
Now, she wanted to transcend her nature as a weapon—and become truly human.
Countless memories of their time together flooded her mind—
The warmth of his arms when she was cold.
His protection when wolves and bandits attacked.
His tender care when she fell ill.
She had once been taught swordsmanship by his own hands, guided through the human traditions and its culture.
Countless memories—tiny fragments of warmth and struggle—resurfaced all at once, clearer than ever before.
"You were once the Enemy of Civilization's, the obstacle humanity had to overcome to reach its future—and yet, you were also the very path civilization had to take."
Nameless clasped her slender hand gently.
"Our goal is the sea of stars. To reach it, humanity must endure the cruel law of the cosmic dark forest. You were simply one of its trials. To reach ultimate destruction—is to be reborn anew."
When the Enemy of Civilization's descended upon mankind, humanity united as never before.
The flame of civilization burned ever brighter, illuminating a boundless future for humankind.
To live by embracing death—that is how we are reborn.
"…You mean, I can stay here?"
Atilla's small, delicate face was filled with disbelief.
The more human she became, the closer she drew to mankind—and the more she feared being rejected by it.
If she had never known the light, she would never have felt loneliness.
But now—
After being personally defeated by him, after experiencing firsthand the beauty and happiness of being human, after witnessing with her own eyes the dazzling brilliance of human civilization—
She could no longer bear to exist alone.
Because—
Humans are creatures who live together.
"Of course you can!" Nameless said with a radiant smile.
"Please, join me in protecting humanity. Let's reshape this imperfect world into the one everyone dreams of."
His smile grew even brighter.
"To protect and to pass on—that is the essence of human civilization. The flame of life will burn forever!"
Before him, the girl had completely shed her identity as the Vanguard of the Umbral Star.
She had transformed—into a true Heroic Spirit of humanity.
"Thank you, Teacher…" Atilla said softly, gratitude shining in her eyes.
"Then I will forever live up to your expectations. Even for things beyond destruction—I will do my best to learn."
"Then, Star Vanguard," Nameless said gently, placing his hand atop her head,
"this is the moment to bid farewell to your past. Let go of all that once was. From this moment on—your name shall be Attila. Fight for the protection of humanity, and may all good things in this world bless you."