Nico and a man who looked slightly older than him stood beside him, holding a wooden staff.
"You look like a mess…" said Nico.
Adam stood up. He turned his gaze to the man standing next to Nico.
Nico glanced at him, then tried to properly introduce the man beside him.
"Oh! This is Yuki Teppei. He's the one who asked me to come here and rescue you."
"Him?"
"Yup! I was about to wait for you at the gym we talked about, but then he suddenly showed up and told me you were in danger."
"I see… thank you. But how did you know I was in danger?" Adam asked Yuki.
"It's a simple matter. I'll explain later—for now, let's deal with them first."
"Ah, right! I almost forgot about them," Nico replied as he transformed into Lü Bu.
As Yuki Teppei started to draw the wooden staff he held, a sudden gust of cherry blossoms surrounded his body.
A fearless man appeared before them, holding two swords—one of which was still sheathed at his waist.
His hair hung down slightly long, and he wore a sea-blue cloak.
He looked just like a samurai from Japan's Edo period.
"Who are you?" Adam asked, confused.
"Ah! My apologies for not introducing myself. I'm Sasaki Kojiro—Japan's greatest swordsman."
– –
In the early 17th century, in the conflict-ridden lands of Japan, lived a lazy young man named Sasaki Kojiro.
He lived in a remote village far from any city. His days were spent sleeping, fishing, and chopping wood.
If it weren't for his uncle—who sold firewood—he probably wouldn't bother cutting any wood at all.
"Oii!!! Sasaki!! Stop lazing around and help me carry this firewood to the city!"
Sasaki Kojiro turned and sat up from his nap.
"Eh? No way! I'd rather listen to the sound of the river flowing than walk all the way to town. That trip takes over two hours—and it's exhausting," he replied.
"Fine! Do what you want. I'll be back late today, so you'll have to find your own food and cook dinner yourself."
"What!? That's so cruel! How could you leave your poor, weak nephew all alone here? You're joking, right?"
His uncle gave him a sly smile.
He knew Sasaki was afraid of being alone in the dark.
It was just a trick to get him to come along and help sell the firewood.
"In that case, you're coming with me!"
Sasaki just glared at his uncle with an annoyed look.
They spent over two hours traveling to the city to sell the firewood.
Once there, Sasaki just stood quietly while his uncle handled the transaction with a local factory owner.
The city was more crowded than usual today.
A large banner advertised a sword-fighting tournament.
He walked closer to take a look at it.
He only glanced at it at first, but then a man approached him from behind and spoke.
"Oh! Are you interested in this tournament, kid?"
Sasaki Kojiro turned around.
"Ah? No, I'm just looking, that's all."
"Come on… no need to be shy. Are you from this city district? Do you live or work here?"
"Ehh… I live in a remote village, far from here. I'm only in town to sell firewood with my uncle."
"I see… well then, how about you take a look inside first?"
"Inside? Where?"
The man grabbed Sasaki's hand and led him somewhere.
They arrived at a building—it looked like a dojo.
It was a training place for samurai.
Above the building stood a crest with twin blades.
"Where are we…?" Sasaki asked as they stepped inside.
The man opened a door in front of them.
Sasaki's eyes widened in surprise as he saw people inside training hard.
"This place…"
"That's right, welcome to one of the best dojos in the city!"
Sasaki's eyes lit up—he was surprised by how he felt.
He didn't know what to do.
He just stood there, watching everyone swinging their swords.
The man who brought him had suddenly disappeared, but left behind a wooden practice sword.
"Wanna try it?" the man said.
Sasaki hesitantly picked up the wooden sword and began to swing it slowly, following the man's instructions.
"This… is amazing…" he muttered.
He swung the sword a few more times—and then challenged the man who brought him there to a duel.
The man accepted, and beat Sasaki in a single strike.
Sasaki hit the ground hard, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Hey! At least hold back a little against a beginner, HAHAHA!!!" shouted some of the other students watching.
Sasaki sat up, eyes empty, and looked down.
"Ah! Sorry," the man said, reaching out a hand.
"Are you okay?"
"That was… AWESOME!!! HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?"
Sasaki's eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked at the man in front of him.
The man was surprised.
Sasaki sat down formally and begged to be taught how to use a sword.
All the other students stared in disbelief—except for the man standing in front of him.
He placed a hand on Sasaki's shoulder and accepted him wholeheartedly.
Sasaki's eyes lit up once more, and he jumped with joy.
He had fallen in love—with swordsmanship.
"Ah! By the way, what's your name?" the man asked.
"Me? I'm Sasaki Kojiro! Nice to meet you… and you are?"
"Ah! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself too. I'm Miyamoto Musashi. Nice to meet you."
The two of them shook hands firmly.
And that was the beginning—
The moment Sasaki Kojiro first discovered his passion to become the greatest swordsman of all.
– –
Leonidas leapt forward and charged at the three of them.
BAMMM!!
The three dodged quickly. Empedocles moved closer to Leonidas and stood beside him.
"This is getting a bit troublesome," he said.
"No, this is… incredibly exciting!!!" Leonidas replied, his eyes gleaming.
"This guy is seriously weird," Empedocles muttered.
The five of them stared each other down.
Adam was ready to attack. Lü Bu was mounted on Terwelu, gripping his spear tightly.
Sasaki Kojiro had taken his stance and was ready to draw both of his swords.
With a twisted smile, Leonidas charged in and threw a powerful punch toward the three.
Lü Bu blocked it with his spear.
Leonidas pulled his hand back, and a beam of light appeared—firing a laser from the other hand that nearly hit Lü Bu and Terwelu.
The two dodged just in time and countered by swinging the spear toward Leonidas with full force.
Just as Lü Bu was about to strike, he was suddenly pulled back—dragged toward Empedocles.
"Damn it! What are you doing!?" he yelled.
"Idiot! Don't just rush in! They've got the numbers, and we're cornered. If you act recklessly, I'll get caught in it too!"
"Tchh—Then what's your plan—"
Before he could finish, Sasaki Kojiro suddenly appeared in front of them and drew one of his swords.
"Shiryū!"
With a single slash, Sasaki landed a blow on Empedocles.
His body was torn open.
Shocked, Leonidas lunged forward and swung at Sasaki with full force.
Sasaki dodged and in a blink, countered with a strike of his own.
"Shiryū!"
Another clean slash connected with Leonidas.
Empedocles raised his right hand and pushed Sasaki back using wind magic.
He stomped the ground, causing large chunks of earth to rise and launch repeatedly at Sasaki.
The barrage also headed toward Adam and Lü Bu.
They dodged the flying rocks, while Sasaki cut them down mid-air into small pieces with precision.
Leonidas got back on his feet and charged at Sasaki with a punch.
Lü Bu reacted swiftly, breaking the strike.
From behind, Sasaki jumped and dove toward Empedocles.
"Damn you—"
"Shiryū!"
Empedocles' body was sliced in two!
"Empedocles!?" Leonidas shouted.
"Damn it!!"
Leonidas leapt back, retreating from Lü Bu.
Adam jumped in and landed a hard kick on Leonidas, catching him off guard.
Leonidas was thrown across the street, crashing into nearby buildings.
"Phew… finally over," Lü Bu said, wiping his forehead.
"Thanks for showing up, Lü Bu. And you too… Sasaki Kojiro. Thank you."
Adam bowed.
"Ah! No need to be so formal. I knew their plan from the start—if anything, I should be the one apologizing."
"Apologizing? For what?"
"I think it's time I explain."
As Sasaki began to step back, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.
His instincts screamed—something bad was about to happen.
He turned around—just in time to be hit by a powerful gust of wind, blowing him backwards.
"What was that?" Lü Bu said, confused.
"He's… still alive!?"
The two halves of Empedocles' body suddenly flew toward each other—and fused.
Empedocles now stood upright before them.
Something was wrong.
The fire that once covered his body was gone.
"What's he doing?" Lü Bu asked.
"I'm not sure… but I have a bad feeling about this."
The three of them braced themselves as Empedocles began to awaken.
"You…" Empedocles spoke.
His voice was deeper than before.
"Behold… the true form of the ruler of the elements!!!"
His roar sent shockwaves all around him.
Wind, fire, rock, and water circled his body—forming an impenetrable shield.
"This power…" Sasaki muttered to himself.
"We have to stop him now!" he shouted.
The moment Sasaki yelled, Adam, Lü Bu, and Sasaki all leapt into the air and charged at Empedocles together.
But before they could land a hit, Leonidas, moving at incredible speed, blocked them—forcing the three apart.
"Damn! He can still move!" said Lü Bu.
"Guess my kick earlier wasn't strong enough."
"Yeah… maybe you should train harder," Sasaki teased.
"Ah! Sorry…"
"They both act weird sometimes," Sasaki shouted from ahead.
"What is it?"
"I don't know. But I think something really bad is about to happen…"
Suddenly, the black-and-white world around them began to fade—colors returned slowly.
But something was off.
There wasn't a single person in sight.
The sky began to darken.
Lightning crackled everywhere.
A chilling wind swept through them.
The ground trembled and cracked beneath their feet.
"What the hell is this…" Lü Bu muttered, gritting his teeth.
"They… are evolving!"
"Evolving? What's that supposed to mean?" Adam asked, confused.
"It's the highest state of a Servant's Stark.
When a Servant reaches their peak, they enter Evolution Mode."
"I didn't know that was even possible," Lü Bu said, scratching his head.
"So… we can evolve too?" Adam asked.
"Yes. But Evolution is usually triggered by something.
And often, when it happens, the Servant loses control.
That overflowing power… it can be a danger to everyone on Earth."
"Wait—you mean it could affect everyone?"
"Exactly. Even the Earth itself could be destroyed."
Flames erupted from Empedocles' body.
He was completely transformed.
His head glowed bright red, his eyes shining intensely.
His bones were now reinforced and wrapped in rock.
Huge wings had sprouted from his back.
But it didn't stop there.
Leonidas, standing beside him, evolved too.
His metal gauntlets merged into new wrists.
His entire body was covered in golden-brown armor.
A shield-like shell appeared on his back.
His head was now protected by a classic Spartan helmet.
"Hahhh… What an incredible feeling!!!" Leonidas shouted.
"Didn't expect things to get this complicated," Empedocles said coldly.
"I'll handle Adam and the swordsman. You take care of the rest."
"Let's just get this fight started already—Hahhh!!!"
Empedocles stomped the ground.
The terrain began to ripple like waves.
As the trio tried to jump away, their bodies were suddenly pulled down—sucked into water.
Sasaki Kojiro, Adam, and Lü Bu were submerged in a deep pool.
Adam tried to swim away, but as he reached upward, he was flipped and dragged back down.
"Ugh! What the hell is this…"
"You okay, Adam?"
Sasaki stood right behind him.
"Yeah… Where's Lü Bu?"
"I don't know. We got separated just as I tried to help him."
"It's alright—don't worry about him."
A deep voice startled them both.
"Your big friend… is currently having fun with my partner."
Empedocles sat atop a high pile of rocks, legs crossed.
Adam and Sasaki looked up at him from below.
"Where are we?" Adam asked.
"Good question!" Empedocles raised both hands.
"Welcome… to the true universe."
– –
Lü Bu slowly opened his eyes.
Terwelu stood nearby, looking at him with a sad expression in his eyes.
"Terwelu…??" Lü Bu tried to get up. "Where are we?"
Terwelu responded with a soft, squeaky chirp.
"I see… looks like they separated us on purpose. Clever bastards."
"Damn it! I don't even know where this place is…"
"This… is the atomic realm."
A terrifying aura suddenly appeared behind him.
As he turned around, he saw Leonidas glaring at him with eyes full of vengeance.
"You… Where are Adam and Sasaki!?"
"Don't worry. My loudmouthed partner is handling them just fine—
shouldn't you be worrying about yourself right now?"
"Haha! Worry? About what? If anything, you're the one who should be worried!"
Leonidas responded with a slight smirk.
He reached for the shield strapped to his back and hurled it at Lü Bu with full force.
Lü Bu caught the shield with both hands—and immediately threw it back at Leonidas.
Leonidas caught it easily with just one hand and looked at Lü Bu again, this time with a proud grin.
"Looks like… this is gonna be fun."
"Yeah… I was thinking the same thing. Hehe!"
Adam and Sasaki Kojiro were now fighting the evolved Empedocles in an illusion world crafted by Mona Lisa.
Meanwhile, Lü Bu and Leonidas faced off in the atomic realm left behind by Democritus.
And Jeanne d'Arc—still struggling to take down the countless statues controlled by Mona Lisa in her surreal domain.
Democritus sat upon his throne, lifting a cup of hot oolong tea to his lips.
He gazed up at the aurora-filled sky above.
"Let's hope they don't end up destroying this world.
It'd be a real hassle if I had to rebuild everything all over again."