That boy dreamed of a happy, united family, in a place where everyone could smile together.
Life is cruel because not only did the boy not get what he wanted, but he was psychologically tortured into making such a depressing decision.
...
However, when Toru looked up, in that crimson ocean of infinite wailing filled with souls, that crying child was no longer there. The shackles and chains were broken, sinking deep into the blood.
He broke the chains...
He freed himself from the torturous past that hurt him and rose through the flames with a determined expression.
"Nothing matters now..."
Saber didn't understand what Toru meant by that. She was confused. Until a few seconds ago Toru was crying on her knees because she was about to die, but now....
'So that's the difference between us...'
She sighed thoughtfully. While she decided to fight alone for others, regardless of her own suffering, Asahi Toru was fighting only for himself.
That was the difference between the King of Knights and a mere Assassin. That was something Artoria, no matter how much Iskandar explained it to her, would be unable to understand because she herself was blinded by her own ideals.
In the end, she was worse than the tyrant kings.
She abandoned them all when they needed her most. And just as she abandoned them all, Toru was abandoned...
"I was wrong about you, Assassin..."
Said the man with a calm expression.
Assassin wasn't someone who just used cheap tricks to fight. He wasn't using all of himself. He saved his best for last, or so Iskandar saw that. He is a warrior who fights for himself. And that was something he approved of.
Again the Assassin said:
"Nothing matters as long as I win..."
The temperature in a twenty metre radius began to rise rapidly.
"It doesn't matter what I have to do."
That's right. Nothing else should matter.
"It doesn't matter if I have to kill all of you to fulfill my wish..."
His eyes were blood red. His hair was disheveled and, for some reason, his fangs were growing slightly larger inside his mouth.
...
'I want to live...'
Artoria repeated Toru's wish in her mind. After that she looked at her hands and remembered...
The life she had to live...
Iskandar said it...
'That wasn't living...'
She never lived. Though she knew what she was up against the moment she set out to pull the sword from the rock, what came after was just a bunch of bad decisions in succession that led England to its own destruction.
Iskandar also said so...
That was stupid...
...
Holding both daggers tightly, he sighed a cloud of steam.
He didn't feel it at the moment, but the flames in his arms and legs were burning him and that was something that shouldn't happen in this incomplete senjutsu. However...
Boom! The ground beneath his feet exploded and, leaping with all his might, he approached Iskandar at top speed, but the soldiers stood in the way.
They put up a wall of shields as Toru approached, but it exploded the moment Toru punched him.
Iskandar took this with a proud smile, while, Gilgamesh, who was standing idly by, said:
"What a wild way to fight. It suits you, you buffoon..."
And he smiled in amusement at this show.
On his side, Toru was not going to stop until he killed Iskandar. But, like an avalanche, the soldiers opposed him. They did not want Assassin to go near their king. Their spirits echoed with space and their voices rose even higher in the sky, singing praises to their king.
They used their spears, swords and bows with arrows. Even someone among the army cast a rather weak magic, someone who somehow looked like a more adult version of Waver Velvet.
"Don't let him through!"
One of the soldiers shouted, but it was useless. Toru was throwing punches, kicks and slashes from his daggers, tearing them all apart like they were nothing.
Iskandar readied his sword. He knew Assassin would soon be in front of him. So, instead of making Assassin wait, why not go and face him? After all, just because Iskandar is a king with a powerful army doesn't make him weak. In fact, with his comrades beside him, he is stronger than anyone else.
He rode his horse, holding his sword.
The wall of soldiers finally collapsed. Most of them died, while those who survived ran after Assassin to stop him.
...
"Assassin shouldn't be able to use power-up magic like this..."
Waver looked at this fight analytically. If Rider-class Servants are bound to mobility, Assassin should be bound to stealth, but what his eyes were seeing was the opposite.
"What do you mean?"
Irisviel asked him.
"I mean, unless Assassin can change his class as a Servant, it doesn't make the slightest sense that he can empower himself in that way."
"What are you getting at with all that?"
"When a Heroic Spirit is summoned under a class, all his abilities will be adjusted to his class. What I mean is that Assassin is using skills outside of his class and that doesn't make any sense."
"Unless he's forcing his own power."
"Exactly..."
Artoria listened to this conversation. It made sense. Now she understood why Assassin was so powerful. But there was one thing that was still unclear to her....
What was stopping him from using his full power?
It was then that, realising that, her eyes widened as if she had seen the devil himself come out of hell.
Assassin wanted to get closer to Iskandar, but something was holding him back, something was holding him by the arms and legs, something that slowed the assassin down greatly.
It was a mysterious translucent entity, which seemed to be holding the boy by the neck with its thin, crimson hands. At the same time, mysterious strange black shackles on Assassin's arms and legs seemed to disappear into thin air.
There was something there...
"What is that thing...?"
Artoria looked at the others, but they didn't seem to see those strange hands that stretched out like chains next to the shackles.
'Someone... something...'
Someone is preventing Toru from releasing his full power.
...
...
In a complete void, someone looked at Toru.
Seeing him fight with such enthusiasm, forcing himself to use something he had not been allowed to use, a deep smile formed on his disembodied face.
This only showed how strong Toru was and how fate will not control him.
It was the perfect body to be reincarnated...
The body of a Chaos Beast...
...
...
'I won't allow myself to die in this place'.
Before throwing his first blow at Iskandar, Toru repeated his wish to himself over and over again. He leapt up and aimed the blades of his daggers at the enemy's throat. His eyes throbbed as a drop of blood fell and evaporated like a tear. I activate the Shigan even though it is not compatible with the Senjutsu and then....
Clang! On the horse, Iskandar blocked Assassin's attack. A strong wave of wind was generated by the clash of weapons, pushing the sand outwards.
"It hasn't even been five seconds since you got up and your great speed is gone!"
Toru's speed was slowing with each passing second. Iskandar had this under control. This was his victory.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Desperately, Toru swung his daggers, trying to cut through his enemy's kill lines, but Iskandar blocked it, albeit with difficulty, perfectly.
Toru then began to use the air platforms. He propelled himself from side to side, attacking with accurate blows, but even this king's horse was agile enough to flip in rhythm with its rider.
Clashing weapons, as witnesses watched the battle, Toru slowed further. The flames were beginning to die down, revealing his burnt arms and legs.
"I'm not going to die! I'm not going to die!"
His desperation showed in his voice. You could even see how tired he was in the expression on his face.
"You've given it all you've got, boy!
"No! I can't! I can't lose! I want to get my wish! I want to go back to them!"
...
"This is a war. Not everyone goes back to the people they love."
"But... but... I..."
When all his strength was gone, when his speed slowed down so much, he fell to the ground....
Toru finally stopped attacking...
...
On his knees, his breathing heavy and his body hurting. Blood flowed again from the wounds the soldiers inflicted on him. Sweat trickled down his forehead, where below his eyes were empty.
Iskandar got off his horse and looked down at the boy.
"I want to live... I need to win..."
He repeated to himself. Iskandar respected this Assassin's wish.
"Your wish... is a good thing, but I regret to tell you that, the moment you attacked, you declared war on me. I suppose you must know what wars are about."
"I... I don't want to die..."
Iskandar raised his sword after that. He aimed the blade of the weapon at Toru's neck.
'Unlike Saber, this boy...'
Alexander showed his respect to this boy as, at the end of his short life, he proved to be someone who fights for his own desires and that is something this king acknowledged.
"What is your name..."
He asked him.
Toru looked up and, with the memories of the people in this world....
He smiled kindly...
-Zenjō Family Mansion-
That ring, golden and with the small precious stone, glowed when she brought it close to the lamp.
Rin smiled at the memory of that boy and sighed. She still felt the fear of that moment when she had to face that monster alone, but someone saved her in the end.
Her memory was blurry, but she knew well who saved her.
"Toru... Are you listening to me?"
He was obviously not at her side to hear her. The answer she got was the silence that filled this room, where the dim moonlight streamed in through the curtain openings and gently touched the ring Rin held in her hand.
"I will be stronger than anyone, I will be smarter than anyone. I will be perfect. So when you come back here, you won't recognise me anymore. I'll be better... so... come back... and bring Sakura with you..."
She closed her eyes to fall asleep.
***
Meanwhile, Aoi was lying on her bed. She was still feeling worried. Rin was in danger being alone in Fuyuki, but.
"Kariya..."
He was the one who brought Rin, but he mentioned something strange before he left.
'Assassin was the one who found her. He wanted to bring her to your side. So he entrusted me with that.'
The thought that Toru would be silently protecting both of them made her feel even more guilty and worried.
He's surely spying on the other Masters right now, risking his life for Tokiomi to win.
'You should go back, Toru-chan. Haha... I didn't realize it at the time, but I bought more clothes for you...'
As she closed her eyes, that memory of Sakura smiling together with Toru was projected in her mind. A feeling arose in the bottom of her heart.
With all this worry, she also thought about Sakura.
How is she doing? Is she eating well? Is she... Is she happy?
A couple of tears touched her face, tears that slid delicately down her skin until they landed on the pillow.
"Sakura...if I see you again...will you forgive me?"
She felt fear at the thought of Sakura right now hating her. But she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't do anything anymore...
-Matō family's mansion-
Her gaze was completely empty. She looked at the books as she studied magic and smiled slightly. On the side of the books, there was a drawing of Toru and Sakura holding hands.
Sakura stood up from her seat and took the drawing. She looked at it with an adorable smile.
After that, she walked over to the bed and took out a box that was hidden under the bed. With that, she put the drawing on the floor and opened the box. In that box was a very sharp dagger....
Sakura looked at the dagger with a kind smile and then slowly tore the drawing with the edge of the metal.
"We'll live happily ever after..."
That's what she wished for.
"As corpses for eternity..."
A very disturbing wish...
To be continued...