The 9th World Champion Tournament

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is finally time…" Sam's voice echoed through the stadium, capturing the attention of the audience. A sense of anticipation hung in the air as he paused for dramatic effect.

"Welcome to the final match of the 9th World Champion Tournament!"

The audience's cheers and screams roared through the air.

"After a long day of intensive, nail-biting matches, we have finally reached the end. In the beginning, there were one hundred and twenty-eight Players. And now, that number has whittled down until only two remain."

"TWO FRIENDS, BUT ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE, THERE IS ONLY THE ENEMY AND EITHER VICTORY OR DEFEAT. ONLY ONE LUCKY OF A BITCH IS GOING TO TAKE HOME THE GRAND PRIZE AND TITLE. THA' QUESTION IS, WHO'S GOING TO BE?!"

"In one corner, we have a most controversial figure! Love him or hate him, none can deny his strength or his skill. Like his arrows, he has flown straight and true, having flown past all the other contenders. He is set on hitting a bullseye, but will he make this shot? Especially against who he'll be up against?"

"IN THE OTHER CORNER, WE HAVE THE MAN HIMSELF. HE HAS TORN HIS COMPETITION TO SHREDS, A VETERAN AMONG NOOBS AND POSERS THAT DARE CALL HIM A PEER. BUT NOW, HE FACES HIS GREATEST OPPONENT YET. DOES HE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN IT ALL, OR WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF ONCE MORE AS HE FALLS SHORT OF THE FINISH LINE?"

"There's only onE WAY TO FIND OUT!" The voices of Sam and Bob overlapped as the cacophony from the stadium reached new heights.

"The enigmatic weapon savant. A jack of all trades and master of all. Welcome your finalist for the 9th World Champion Tournament, The Player Killer; Emiya!"

"GET READY TO WITNESS THE ARRIVAL OF THE DEMON KING OF ONE-SHOT SKILL, THE SHOGUN OF TERROR. LET'S HEAR IT FOR SAMURAI OF NO SECOND STRIKE; WARRIOR TAKEMIKAZUCHI!"

They entered the arena in perfect sync, greeted by a deafening roar from the frenzied crowd.

For the final match, the organizers were going all out on their special effects.

An array of dazzling spotlights, each one emitting a different hue, illuminated the entire stadium in a mesmerizing display. Amidst the dazzling lights, Shirou and Warrior Takemikazuchi emerged, their every step accentuated by bursts of vibrant fireworks, painting the night sky with a kaleidoscope of colors and sounds.

As the two Players made their way toward the center arena, numerous holographic screens filled the air and accompanied their walk. Each showed different clips and highlights of their various matches throughout the tournament, proudly displaying their strength, skills, and spectacle.

Above the arena, the full tournament bracket began to shrink from the sides as Shirou and Warrior Takemikazuchi's names traveled through the bracket. Starting from the very beginning to the various rounds to the round of sixteen, to the quarter-finals and the semi-finals before stopping at the final bracket as the two stepped foot onto the arena.

Standing on opposite ends, the two guild members faced off against one another as the roar of the crowd surrounded them.

Shirou and Warrior Takemikazuchi, after a rigorous competition, had emerged as the finalists of the highly anticipated 9th World Champion Tournament. All eyes were on them, waiting with bated breath for the highly anticipated showdown that was about to unfold.

Amidst the excitement, all of Ainz Ooal Gown sat comfortably in their seats. Excited chatter spread amongst the guild members as they discussed and placed bets on which of them would emerge victorious.

Momonga slumped in his seat, an audible sigh of relief leaving his skeletal lips.

He'd been a bundle of nerves throughout the tournament. But now, with both members of Ainz Ooal Gown as the tournament's finalists, he could afford to relax.

It didn't matter to him who took home the title of World Champion; in the end, the prize would be theirs.

It would finally be his…

Momonga exhaled softly under his breath. He rested his head on his hand, his index and middle fingers gently massaging his temple.

Even after all their years together, his best friend's fixation regarding the Class Card, the Saber Class Card especially, eluded him. He understood Shirou had a history with them and they undoubtedly held sentimental value beyond their covetous status as a World Item. Yet there was more to it that he wasn't seeing.

Whatever its purpose or significance, he hoped that it would finally relieve his longtime friend of his burden and put it to rest.

But then comes the matter of what comes next…

'After all, where do you go from there once you've finally gotten that which you've been chasing for so long…?'

He felt something lean comfortably against his shoulder. Destana's hand rested on his, interlocking and pulling him back from his musing.

"Everything's alright, sweetie?" Destana asked, gently squeezing his hand.

"I'm fine, dear." Momonga assured. "I'm just thinking."

"Well, don't think too much. We both know how much you like to overthink things." She joked, cracking a small smile. "Everything's fine, so let's stop worrying and enjoy it for what it's worth."

'She's right.' He thought, shaking his head, shaking away the doom and gloom.

Like a switch being flipped, the negative thought disappeared and his mind was abuzz with ideas and planning. Whether it was Shirou or Warrior Takemikazuchi who emerged victorious in the end, he knew that it would be a momentous occasion for Ainz Ooal Gown - a moment that deserved to be celebrated in style. After all, it had been far too long since the guild had been whole again, and he was determined to make the most of it. And nothing, not even his doubts, will ruin it.

Momonga discreetly sent a DM to both Tabula and Punitto Moe to ask for their help in planning the afterparty. He intends to make it worthy of welcoming the new World Champion into their ranks.

At the same time, he made a mental note to gather the inner circle once more once it was all over to chat with Shirou. Less of an intervention and more of a casual check-up between friends. Just to make sure everything was alright.

But until then, he had a greater priority, and that was cheering on the two of them with the others for the exciting match to come.

The Overlord would admit that he wasn't too sure who he'd like to see win and didn't wish to play favorites. In the end, he, like everyone else, would just have to wait and see who would emerge victorious.

[—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—]

"It's a good thing we didn't make an actual bet; otherwise, ol' Touch Me-san would've gone home with the whole pot." Duskindal quipped, earning some amusement from the others.

He stood at the guard rails, leaning and looking down through the glass from above. The other World Champions, minus Luciferno, were up and about, stretching their legs before settling back in for the final match.

"So, who'd you think gonna take home the crown?" LichtKing wondered aloud, looking to the others for their opinion.

As the World Champions eagerly awaited the start of the final match, they were split in their allegiances. LichtKing, Wishful Mercí, and Belladonna were in favor of Shirou winning, while others, such as ShikiHime, Duskindal and Elementum V, had placed their bets on Warrior Takemikazuchi. Luciferno didn't say anything and remained isolated in his little corner; no surprise there. However, the one everyone was most curious to hear from was the Hero of Justice himself, whose silence and neutrality were a source of great curiosity and speculation among the assembled champions.

"Not going to weigh in, Touch Me-san?" Asked Wishful Mercí.

"I don't know." He answered.

"Come on, no need to be shy. Everyone has favorites. Don't worry, we won't kiss and tell." Shikihime playfully elbowed him.

Touch Me chuckled.

"I genuinely do mean it when I say I don't know. When it comes to those two, it's always a coin toss. In the end, it'll be settled with their blades. Like always."

They spared a glance at him. He stood there, exuding an air of confidence mixed with pride. The debate over who would win was rather trivial to him. So long as they had fun and gave it their all, that was all that mattered.

"Still, for a guild to possess two World Champions in their ranks... That's practically unheard of. Quite the fortune for Ainz Ooal Gown." Wishful Mercí commented.

"Indeed. Almost too convenient…" Belladonna muttered.

While she did favor the magus, Belladonna was among those who felt that the match-up was a bit convenient. After all, both the contenders hailed from the same guild. It didn't matter who won; Ainz Ooal Gown would benefit regardless.

Of course, this was merely her personal opinion and feeling, as while many others were disgruntled with the results, the truth spoke for itself.

The two earned their spots, and no amount of gripes and complaints would change that fact.

"That only means that whoever wishes to incur our wrath better be prepared." Touch Me said.

"If any poor sap is stupid enough to go against the 6th most powerful guild in the entire game, then they deserve it." Duskindal remarked.

Touch Me chuckled playfully along.

"While the prospect of becoming a World Champion is no doubt tantalizing, no doubt Takemikazuchi-san's quite happy for the opportunity to settle the score." Said the paladin, catching the attention of the others.

"Score?" Elementum V typed/asked, looking at the paladin with a question mark emoticon.

"Both Emiya-san and Takemikazuchi-san practice and duel each other often. They're always trying to improve, Takemikazuchi-san especially. They developed quite the rivalry, and that translated to matches and duels where they're always trying to one-up one another."

"Really, what's the score then?" LichtKing asked, getting back to his seat.

"Tied, 386 to 386. And that's not counting all the other random matches where it ended in a draw or something else." Touch Me revealed. "However, Takemikazuchi-san won their last two bouts in a row, tying up the score."

"Huh, so this'll be the tiebreaker." ShikiHime commented.

"And what a tiebreaker it'll be." Elementum V typed and added, followed by an emoticon with a wide smile and two hands rubbing together to show that he was excited for the match-up to play out.

[—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—]

Both guild members stood in the arena a far distance apart from one another, silent, even as the world roared around them.

Even amongst the sea of voices, Shirou believed he could hear the voices of his friends clearly amongst them all. They were cheering them on equally, urging them to do their best.

Warrior Takemikazuchi has been oddly silent since he arrived in the arena, standing there almost as still as a statue.

He expected the Bujin to open up with a starter or engage in some playful banter and trash talk. Instead, he kept to himself, and it seemed as if he was keeping it that way.

A worried frown came to Shirou's lips. Not too long ago, he remained boisterous as ever as his semi-final match wrapped up and they moved on to the finals.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak up, the unmoving samurai spoke up.

"You know, I was wondering when I would get the chance to show it off." Warrior Takemikazuchi said suddenly, drawing the attention of all.

"But I cannot think of a more suitable time and place to unveil it at last…"

Many, including Shirou, were curious as to what his words meant and what he intended to do next.

He drew his Takemikazuchi MK 7 and held it aloft, his other hand gently running across the katana's polished surface with tender care and reverence.

"You have served me long and well, but it is time." He spoke clearly for all to hear, his voice filled with solemnity and pride.

Suddenly, and to the surprise of everyone, he threw his prized sword into the air. Shirou tracked it as Takemikazuchi MK 7 rose and then fell.

At the same time, his hand shot out, reaching into a small, black void, and he pulled out a long, sheathed sword.

Grasping the handle, and with a flourish, he unsheathed the sword and held it with both hands as Takemikazuchi MK 7 fell in front of him.

With a single, swift downward swing, his mighty Divine class sword shattered into countless shards and polygons.

He pointed the blade at Shirou, the air crackling and thrumming with arcs of electricity. A brilliant shine ran down the blade's excellent edge.

"Behold, my latest and greatest work, and the instrument of your defeat! I present to you my Takemikazuchi MK 8!" Warrior Takemikazuchi declared, at the same time the name echoed in his mind, Unlimited Blade Works grasping and categorizing the weapon the moment his heterochromatic eyes fell upon it.

Unlike all of his previous iterations for his mainstay series of weapons, the Takemikazuchi, which were all katanas, the Mark 8 was fashioned as an ōdachi with a long handle and an impressively longer blade. The weapon was wreathed in a constant surge of electricity and golden sparks.

Thanks to Unlimited Blade Works, its history was displayed to the magus. Unlike all those that came before it, where Warrior Takemikazuchi created them to contend and beat Touch Me, Takemikazuchi MK 8 was designed entirely around the magus. Every aspect of its creation, from its conception to its strength, was tailored specifically to accomplish a single objective: to defeat him.

For months, with unwavering focus and unbridled passion, he toiled away, devoting himself to crafting the perfect weapon. He sought help from the likes of Amanomahitotsu and Nishikienrai, swearing them to secrecy to prevent even so much as a whisper of it reaching his ear. It was finished only recently, and Warrior Takemikazuchi was waiting for the perfect opportunity to show it off.

And what better opportunity was there than the final match of the World Champion Tournament for all of the world to bear witness to? He had waited patiently and eagerly, using his one substitution to bring out Takemikazuchi MK 8.

Shirou could instantly tell that the weapon was peerless. Its splendor and strength could almost rival those of some of his Noble Phantasms stored within Unlimited Blade Works. An incredible accomplishment considering it was a weapon forged by mortal hands and lacked any extraordinary achievements or valorous history to boast of.

The only other weapon that came to mind that could rival it would be the God Slaying Emperor Blade, which was a joint project between himself, Warrior Takemikazuchi, and Amanomahitotsu.

For a few seconds, Shirou didn't know what to say, unable to take his eyes off the ōdachi.

"I'm honored." He said. "Although, I can't help but feel concerned."

"Oh? And why's that?" The Heteromorph planted Takemikazuchi MK 8 against the ground, both his hands resting on the pommel.

"Don't you know, Takemikazuchi-san, that it's a sign of bad luck to have a newly crafted weapon be destroyed in its first engagement?" He said. "And what a shame it'll be, especially for everyone to see." The magus ruefully shook his head, as if mournful for what he was about to do.

The Bujin chuckled.

"Is that so?"

A hand rose, stroking his chin idly as he nodded his head as if imparted with some great knowledge.

"I'd like to see you try." Warrior Takemikazuchi answered with a sharp smirk.

"It'd be my pleasure." Shirou returned his own grin.

"It seems that both Players are ready."

"THEN LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

Light bloomed from the stage once more, transporting the finalists to the battlefield that awaited them.