He walked the streets of Midgar in the soft morning light, and beside him Aurora half walked and half floated along. Caught between the casual mundanity of normal life, and the dream of kings and warriors echoing on from the clash the night before.

A silence

Violet broke it first. "I may have taken my words a tad too far yesterday while playing with them"

"There is no such thing as going too far. Only how to adlib it into the next scene and surge ever onwards." For as long as the curtain didn't drop the play would continue on.

She nodded sagely back. "But what if I declared something you cannot back up no matter what. Like the fact that you had an army just waiting as your fifth noble phantasm."

He swung an arm to his left. A second arm to the right. "Look upon this world in all directions and tell me what you see."

She humoured him. "Buildings and perhaps the occasional person, it is a city like any other and thus nothing special."

He nodded and calmly looked back between them both. "Exactly this is a city and so it was always filled with people wherever you go. The endless citizens of Midgar stand waiting and if their king were to ask it then from merchant to miser all would answer the call to arms and serve the king."

Violet paused her steps looking past him for a moment. "But you are not really Alexander and so even if you call who would answer?"

He continued walking. "We're going to meet them right now." For even if he was in his normal clothes, beneath them just waiting to be unleashed was his Shadow suit to give him the leading role in an instant.

The leader of Shadow Garden, the only one who could command them in this time of need.

After a moment she pushed to catch up. "

"Perhaps everyone in this world has an army waiting just out of sight to step onto the battlefield." For surely anyone who had the drive, ambition and skills he possessed could do the same.

"If there were really so many easy armies one could pick up anywhere then Midgar itself must be on the brink of a collapse." Violet had such confidence in her voice as she said it.

He turned and walked through the back door into Mitsugoshi headquarters with his head held high. Leading the way into the backrooms of the store itself even as every employee stopped their work and bowed their head to him.

"Darkness falls as war marches on the horizon, and perhaps the fate of the nation will rest in our hands." Between one step and the next he became Shadow fully, stride lengthening as power radiated from every movement. "It is time for all the forces of Shadow Garden to assemble."

They took his cue, every employee in sight letting their own slime suits appear as swords appeared in their hands and magic flowed through their form. "We shall stand in the shadows to hunt the shadows by your command."

He nodded along soundly because their improv was always the best. "The Seven Shades."

A head was bowed to him as the closest girl spoke. "The seven of them have already arrived and are awaiting you this way."

Ah so they'd already been having a board meeting for Mitsugoshi together then.

The walk through the halls was short for he had been in the throne room before and knew the way. Only halted briefly as he stopped to marvel at the opulence of the store around him. Even now they seemed to be stashing an ever growing collection of artwork and wealth into more backrooms.

All the wealth of the world gathered from the ideas he'd granted to them. Pouring into their coffers even as not a single piece of gold had been paid as thanks. Cid persevered for at least they played his games alongside him.

All seven of the girls were waiting for him, seated at the table as they watched his entrance.

Alpha stood and reported. "Shadow Garden stands ready awaiting your command my lord in this Holy Grail war. All members are on high alert and after the Cult of Diabolos released the dragon to attack the city we have carried out your will and taken the opportunity to strike out at their members within the city."

He nodded in understanding. "It is all proceeding as I have foreseen. For they seek to use the ritual itself to usher in an age of darkness upon the world. The seven of you have done well in these opening stages." He waved a hand to his right. "But we must be ready to do more for the world is in turmoil and the greatest legends the world has ever known have been unleashed in their desire to commit injustice upon this world and it is only natural that I personally would go out to match them as a hero in my own right."

Alpha bowed her head. "I take it she is the servant you were able to summon."

He nodded. "She is Caster Violet my collaborator in this war, but even if I have her service as you all know, I am the strongest competitor and so I need to take to the field myself."

He spread his arms wide.

"Midgar stands in crisis, its nobility had long forgotten their vows as justice grows cold amidst the streets, its kings stand idle and helpless before the storm. With so many legends called forth the kingdom itself stands on the verge of ruin." He let the words flow through the room even as he stood at the centre.

"But even if the nobles were corrupt, even if those who swore to safeguard them have stained their honour and broken their oaths. That is no reason for the people to suffer."

"As the one who made an oath to the dragon, as the one who stands against the corruption seeping into this world I have only one choice. To take up the sword to stand as a bulwark against the darkness, I have no other choice but to take up the crown."

That was the kind of setting he was envisaging to take his roleplay to the next level. For a living legend who had looked out on an era of warring states and used force to bring them all back into line and forge a country.

From the smiles and heartwarming glances around the table the girls clearly understood what he meant. "But a king with no subjects is a king of nothing at all. For a king is not someone who stands alone separated from the masses, and so I will raise my banner to all who would join me and let us march out and carve a new kingdom into the world."

Unanimous agreement greeted him back, the girls were as enthusiastic about roleplay as he was in the end. He would give them roles, Captain of the Guard, Herald, Chancellor, Hunting Dog, Court Musician, Spymaster and Alchemist and they would stand as his most trusted retainers alongside him at the head of his army.

He turned back to Violet with a knowing smile and a twinkle in his eye.

For Alexander truly did have an army on hand after all.

The four of them and their masters had come to this place in the aftermath. More than half of the servants in the war in one place. Tables of evidence of possible Noble Phantasms had been pushed in front of him as the other three had watched him with keen intent.

Finally at the end Archer had turned to him. "As you can see Alexander the first king of Midgar is truly a monster and once summoned in Midgar only Diabolos could hope to match him in single combat. That is why we are here before you now to ask that we stand together against annihilation. That every servant in the war must unite under one banner to stop him."

"After we kill the vampire." The beastkin girl interjected.

Rider, who was Alexander the first king of Midgar stared back at them. "Is that so."

Archer nodded to him sagely. "We cannot exactly conduct a war between ourselves when such a monster stands waiting in the wings to take advantage of our every weakness. Will you not join our coalition to take down Alexander before he summons the dragon and becomes invincible?"

It was true. No one could hope to stand against him and that was the exact kind of deference he deserved as the real Alexander. "And so you would invite me, Rider, to join this anti Alexander coalition in the hope that you might together be able to drive back the darkness."

"We are all in this war to win are we not?" Archer nodded calmly.

It was true that the enemy was a monster. When they had both let their magic surge he had felt it, a fragment of the Mist Dragons power marking the man as one of his descendants. But it was for that reason that he felt no fear, for in the end all of them had failed in his oath.

Even after all the generations had passed he was the only one to truly contest the dragon at the height of its power and so no matter what tricks this pretender had he was sure to overcome them. "Your offer as intriguing as it might sound is not for me. I would like to fight this knight myself if given the chance without interference."

Lancer paused looking at him calmly. "A knight when faced with an undefeatable foe should stand together. It is through unity that we were able to stand against the demons in the days of old and you should not abandon it for pride."

He grinned. "An unstoppable foe against which only a fool would raise his sword. Perhaps it is true and yet long ago I was that fool and so I fear no man."

Could there be anyone in this world more terrifying than the Mist Dragon had been all those years ago? The two of them across from him shuffled in their seats awkwardly. "I do not fear defeat no matter who he might be, so we shall just have to see if Alexander is truly the strongest."

He rose from his seat and turned to leave.

The door opened before he reached it, the last master Iris, followed by her servant returned to the room. "I think I have his next move now, for while we fought the dragon almost half of the nobility of Midgar have been executed behind the scenes. It hasn't been fully released yet, but the country stands in turmoil."

Rose paused to consider that, thousands of fully trained knights gone in a single day. "How high up does it go?" The girl covered her mouth and realised her mistake a moment later. "If it isn't… well even if we are allies there are things I shouldn't ask."

Iris stopped her apology with a hand. "It won't remain secret for long anyway, for current plans are for my coronation to be in two days time."

Even the King and the Royal guard had not been enough to stand against the interloper. "You think it is Alexander rather than Assassin?"

The young lady turned to him. "It will have been Alexander who killed them, an army of knights stepping out of the shadows and slaughtering them wholesale. It seems Alexander's master did not lie when she said he brought them with him."

He raised an eyebrow himself at the words. "Then you think he intends to raise himself to the throne openly. That if he becomes the true king, openly worshipped by the populace it will reaffirm his legend to the point where he will basically be invincible."

The girl bowed her head in acknowledgement even as he watched the servants around the room. Saber who was gripping her sword tighter but still had conviction. Archer whose head had dropped and was looking away. Lancer who was firmly resolute even as she rested a hand on her masters shoulder.

They were right to fear it, because truly an Alexander empowered by such faith would be invincible. "It is truly a devastating plan that he would see come to fruition."

Whichever one of his descendants was trying it was truly worthy. There only mistake was in not knowing that the original had been summoned as well.

But it was a mistake he would never let them recover from.

"Come Annerose, let us prepare for when he tries to rise I shall meet him there."

For he, Alexander would sit upon the throne first, would take up his mantle as the once and future king of Midgar and let the will of the people empower him. There was no room in this world for a pretender to his throne.

The two of them leaving with their heads held high as she turned to him. "You are sure you can win?"

He grinned, letting his power surround him. "I am the true king, how could I fear when a faker dares try and stand before me. I will just have to show him the difference, between one who inherited the mantle and one who dared to fight the dragon directly."

"Rider is going to die isn't he?" Sherry was trying to bury her face in a book even as she said it.

Olivier answered. "All the servants bar one will die, so that too was something you should already expect. Even without his help that does not mean we won't fight to the end. Alexander may look powerful but if he truly was invincible wouldn't he have won the war rather than retreating?"

It was not the words Sherry needed to hear. But that was fine because even if she was his master it was only a temporary alliance. "Alexander will grow ever stronger once he finishes his plan and so we need to find a way to fight back."

"Perhaps you will just need to use a faith bonus of your own." The man resting on the couch who said it had not been there before. Had bypassed every mechanical device watching over the room and merely appeared. Which in itself was enough to name him in this time.

"Assassin I presume?"

The figure in the centre of the room tilted his head calmly. "Berserker, but still even if my rage is unbreakable and even if my violence is without equal there are ways to calm it still. Millet dumpling anyone?" Three small sticks of dumplings were held out.

One to Sherry, one to Rose and one to Lilli.

But even as she took the food Rose stared back at him. "Wouldn't it be better to stop him from sitting on the throne. Now that we know where he will be even without Rider we could still have four servants at once."

She seemed to include 'Berserker' even as he felt it was unlikely.

The shadow across from them hummed lightly. "The one here or the one in Alexandria, for while to you it is lost you will find he knows exactly where it is."

The six of them shared glances at that. "Wouldn't he need the crown and the throne…" He may well have come with both, if he came with his whole army then all the riches of the treasury wasn't that far out of reach.

Berserker put his hands behind his head. "Exactly reacting to someone else's plan is impossible when they happen to be so much smarter than you are. So instead you should ignore the enemies actions entirely and merely marshal your own forces as best as you are able, for the hero party at full power should be able to even match Diabolos so what would an Alexander be worth at that point?"

"Even if Laugos is at half power the two of them are nowhere near it. Because even if the Divine Teachings are popular everywhere, compared to Orum the faith in Midgar is much weaker. If we were to resummon you both together, in the Cathedral of Orum itself after being bequeathed the title of Saint would your power not skyrocket?"

The two members of the three heroes shared a glance and nodded. "That does sound like it would work, but our legends have been changed many times. It is possible we would not even be able to convince the pope that we were who we said."

Berserker paused and drummed his fingers against the table in front of him. "Why would that matter, the Pope is only a minor figurehead so who cares whether or not he would do so?"

"Surely in a pinch one of the twelve angels sent by Beatrice, those who bestowed divine power upon the church itself could take his place." There was a hint of amusement in the words even as the figure kept their eyes fixed on him throughout the entire exchange.

Still Archer knew when the game was up. "It does happen that long ago, I was Mimir the angel of enlightenment and could fulfil that role. But I have not been called it in a long time."

The figure grinned. "How wonderful for I never knew that one of the twelve angels just happened to be standing right in front of me. What a coincidence."

He gave a fake smile of his own in return. "I am so glad to be of service." The only people who should have been able to connect him to that name were other Rounds. Was his master Loki, if Fenrir had checked in with the other Rounds perhaps it would be true.

Sherry and Rose seemed happy with the answer. Iris seemed resigned to it, Olivier and Lilli at least would go along with it. "Do you intend to have me saint you as well in the Cathedral, I can do so and otherwise I don't really see how this plan helps you."

"How true, for me it seems I am just swapping one enemy I cannot beat for another." Berserker let the shadows around his face shift ever so slightly so they could see the smile beneath. "And yet have we not eaten dumplings together as part of an alliance, perhaps that is enough for me to wish you well."

He watched as the man faded from existence, the smile carved onto the world a moment longer. The lie hanging in the air a moment longer as he considered it.

AN: Ah Cid you may have forgotten to tell everyone else in the rebellion that it is meant to be a joke. But don't worry because even if you have no plans for actually conquering Midgar, Alpha does have them.