Amusing~
"So, you are no longer of any use."
Kirei Kotomine smiled as he raised his hand, covered with Command Seals. In addition to the original three, his entire arm was stained with the blood-red marks of Command Seals.
These Command Seals were remnants from previous Holy Grail Wars, ultimately stored by the Holy Church and currently in the possession of Kirei's father, Risei Kotomine, the overseer of the current Holy Grail War.
Their total number exceeded twenty.
"By the power of the Command Seal, Assassin, commit suicide."
"Kirei Kotomine! You—!"
Ayame's face twisted in an instant, her body stiffened like a marionette. She pulled out an arrow and aimed it at her own throat.
Her hand trembled incessantly as if she were using all her strength and willpower to resist the effect of the Command Seal.
She glared at Kirei Kotomine with eyes full of venomous hatred.
"Yes! Yes! That's the expression! This is the expression I wanted to see! Wonderful!"
Kirei Kotomine raised his hands in wild excitement.
"Since you taught me to take pleasure from others, it's only appropriate to make you the target, right?"
Kirei seemed to thoroughly enjoy Ayame's struggle and resentment, deliberately refraining from using another Command Seal to reinforce the command.
He was like a child eager to show off an accomplishment to his parents or teacher.
"How does it feel, being betrayed and toyed with by someone you once taught? Regret, resentment, unwillingness, despair... It's all so wonderful! This is the pleasure I seek! This is the truth I pursue!"
After a while, seemingly bored, Kirei raised his hand again.
"It's time for you to go. By the Command Seal, Assassin, execute my command once more!"
Ayame's struggle grew more intense, cold sweat pouring down her delicate face.
Kirei watched with a look of appreciation, leisurely using a third Command Seal.
He wasn't in a hurry, holding twenty-eight more Command Seals.
Instead, Ayame's struggle and negative emotions utterly fascinated him.
Since he couldn't feel it himself, he would extract pleasure from others—what a fantastic feeling!
Ayame's face was full of struggle, her eyes filled with venom as she stared at Kirei. Yet her hand, as if not obeying her will, slowly pushed the arrow toward her throat.
"By the Command Seal, Assassin, end your life once more!"
The arrowhead slowly but resolutely pierced the skin of Ayame's neck, and a trickle of crimson blood slid down her swan-like throat.
Kirei's smile grew wider as he admired the expression on Ayame's face.
Just as the arrow was about to pierce through her throat, Ayame suddenly stopped, standing straight, her face full of amusement.
"I was just messing with you. You fell for it, you idiot~"
Kirei was startled. In the next second, countless shadowy spikes shot out from the darkness behind him, instantly piercing his chest.
Pffft!
Kirei spewed out a mouthful of black blood and collapsed to the ground in a slump.
"Ahaha! Oh Kirei, your expression is simply the best!"
Ayame laughed uproariously, her terrifying laughter resembling a scene from a horror movie.
At this moment, Kirei couldn't even muster the strength to move his lips.
'So I was in your calculations from the start? What a terrifying demon... Well, this meaningless life is finally over...'
Kirei's consciousness quickly fragmented and faded away.
After laughing to her heart's content, Ayame stood up straight. She lightly brushed her hand over the wound on her neck, and it vanished as if it had never existed.
"Ah~ I haven't had this much fun in ages! Kirei Kotomine, you're truly the best clown! A perfect appetizer before the main course. Now, for the feast... I can barely contain my hunger, Father~"
Ayame's face wore a twisted smile, and under the moonlight, her shadow behind her resembled a grinning demon.
...
Simultaneously, at the Matou residence.
Anastasia sat by the bedside of the small girl, Sakura.
"...And so, the prince's kiss awakened the sleeping beauty, and the two lived happily ever after."
Anastasia gently closed the fairy tale book.
Her usually cold expression, like the eternal snow atop a mountain, had completely melted away. At this moment, Anastasia's face carried a warm, doting smile, her entire being glowing with maternal tenderness.
At that moment, Anastasia noticed that Sakura was staring at her with bright, wide eyes.
Anastasia couldn't help but smile helplessly.
"Sakura, we agreed you'd go to sleep, remember?"
"A kiss..."
Sakura whispered.
"I can't say no to you."
Anastasia gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with one hand, and with the other, she brushed aside Sakura's bangs and gently kissed her forehead.
"Good girls go to sleep now, okay?"
A blush immediately appeared on Sakura's cheeks, and she obediently nodded.
Just as Anastasia was about to stand up and leave, Sakura's hand suddenly emerged from under the blanket and grabbed hers.
"You're not going to leave me, are you, Ana...?"
Anastasia's body stiffened for a moment. When she looked back at Sakura, her expression was unbelievably gentle.
"No... I'll stay by your side until you grow up, meet someone you love, get married, and have children..."
Anastasia seemed to finally understand how her mother had felt back then.
But Sakura didn't seem to think the same way. Her expression was serious, and she spoke firmly.
"No..."
"Eh?"
Anastasia was momentarily stunned.
Sakura, however, continued earnestly.
"I don't want to marry someone else. I want to stay with Ana, just like the prince and Sleeping Beauty, and live happily together forever."
Anastasia stifled a giggle. In her heart, she dismissed it as the fantasy of a six-year-old, not taking it seriously.
But Sakura pouted her cheeks.
"Ana, stop laughing! I'm serious!"
"Yes, yes, our little princess is seriously proposing to me, and I accept."
Anastasia humored her, amused.
Little did she know, this made Sakura incredibly excited.
"Ana, since you've already agreed to marry me, to make sure you don't back out, we need to get engaged first!"
Anastasia merely saw this as playing along in a child's game and teased her.
"And how do you plan to hold the engagement ceremony?"
Sakura furrowed her brow in thought for a moment, then her eyes sparkled with an idea.
"We'll pinky swear!"
'She is just a child...'
Amused, Anastasia went along with it, holding a simple yet special engagement ceremony with Sakura.
And so, their two pinkies linked, witnessed by the moonlight, sealing a vow of never being apart.
...
The cycles of the sun and moon continued, and in the blink of an eye, another day had passed.
When the moon once again ascended the sky, Nguyen Ryou, who had been meditating and adjusting his condition, slowly opened his eyes and stood up.
"The time has come. Let's go."
"Master, where should we go?"
Medea asked curiously.
"Is there even a need to ask? Of course, we're going to Ryuudou Temple!" Ryou's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam.
He had a hunch that the opponent would be waiting for him at that fateful location.
The two left their base, crossed through Shinto, over the Fuyuki Bridge, and through Miyama Town, arriving at the foot of Mount Enzou.
Tonight, the moon was dark, and the wind howled. The night seemed especially gloomy, with far fewer pedestrians on the streets than usual.
It was as if the entire city of Fuyuki sensed the tension before the impending final battle, and a deathly stillness pervaded the air.
Yet Ryou walked leisurely, as if he were a tourist, step by step climbing the stone stairs leading to the gate of Ryuudou Temple.
Passing through the temple gate, two figures stood silently in the vast, empty courtyard in front of the temple, waiting for his arrival.
Ayame smiled sweetly, while Anastasia stood expressionless.
One appeared as passionate as fire, the other as cold as ice.
"Father, long time no see. I've missed you so much~"
Ayame was the first to speak, her tone filled with joy. To an outsider, it might have seemed like they were reuniting after a long separation.
"You mean you want me dead."
"That's right~ and it would be even better if you died in my arms~"
Ayame replied with a cheerful smile.
Ryou realized that Ayame's thought process was far too abnormal, and as a normal person, he obviously couldn't keep up with her twisted logic. If he continued the verbal exchange, he would only end up tangled in her words.
So, he decisively chose to charge straight ahead!
A scorching beam of sunlight suddenly shot towards Ayame's head.
"Oh my~ Father, you're quite passionate~"
Ayame giggled, waving her delicate hand. The shadow at her feet immediately rose and stood upright, blocking in front of her.
By the time she completed this action, the solar beam was already right in front of her.
As the sunlight struck the shadow wall, the two forces silently canceled each other out.
Not only did the shadow wall contain the power of darkness, but it also carried the force of the abyss. The combination of these two powers created an effect greater than the sum of its parts.
Ryou's weakened version of Brahmstra was unable to break through Ayame's defense.
Soon, the solar beam, which had lost its energy source, was entirely consumed by the shadow wall.
Just as Ayame retracted the shadow wall and was about to deliver her customary taunts, Ryou's figure had already crossed the hundred-meter distance, charging right in front of her.
As he lunged at Ayame, Medea, who had cast over thirty reinforcement spells on herself, raised her staff and attacked Anastasia.
Having never witnessed a Caster's close-combat style before, Anastasia was startled by Medea's wild actions.
Instinctively, she summoned several ice walls in front of her.
The ice walls immediately split the battlefield into several sections.
Ryou, with a quick step, moved as if he had teleported, appearing right in front of Ayame.
His plan was sound: as an Archer, Ayame should lack close-combat experience.
However, to his surprise, Ayame adopted a karate stance.
As soon as they exchanged blows, Ryoug realized that Ayame was no slouch in close combat.
The steam bow in her hand had completely transformed into a bizarre close-combat weapon.
Especially the bowstring, which acted like a sharp dagger, leaving streaks of cold light in the air.
Seizing an opportunity, Ryou slammed his palm against the side of the bow. With his superior strength, Ayame couldn't hold onto the bow and had no choice but to let the steam bow swing to one side, leaving her wide open.
Not wasting a second, he aimed a punch directly at Ayame's heart.
This strike was precise and ruthless. Even if it didn't kill her, it would severely injure her, rendering her unable to continue the fight.
Before the punch even landed, the strong wind pressure had already caused her ample chest to wobble irregularly.
Faced with such a seductive sight, Ryou remained unfazed, his punch not losing any of its deadly force.
But just as his fist was about to connect, he suddenly felt a strong sense of danger from behind, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Without time to think, he performed a clumsy roll to the side, barely dodging the lethal strike from behind.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ryou glanced at the once-empty space behind him.
His shadow had risen and stood upright like a living creature.
Even though his Magic Resistance had reached EX rank, and his durability and recovery were off the charts, he didn't dare to test this bizarre attack with his body.
He had no idea what technique Ayame was using, but after his shadow transformed into a living creature, it detached from his feet, turning into a clawing monster that lunged at him.
"We're not done yet, Father!"
Ayame laughed gleefully, waving her hand. Suddenly, the shadows of the surrounding lamp posts, walls, and buildings all stood up, transforming into various monstrous shapes, leaping at him.
Ryou frowned and immediately raised his hand, tracing several primordial runes in the air.
Flames flowed from his fingertips, instantly spreading into a sea of fire, engulfing the surroundings.
However, the shadow creatures seemed unaffected, crossing the sea of flames as they charged at him.
But Ryou noticed that when the fire appeared, the shadow monsters' forms became noticeably fainter, especially when they approached the flames.
Light is naturally the opposite of shadow!
A flash of insight crossed his mind, and he quickly traced a few more primordial runes.
Suddenly, a bright white orb of light appeared in his palm.
In the next moment, a blinding white light exploded outward, illuminating the entire courtyard as if it were daytime.
A chorus of strange screeches echoed as the shadow creatures were instantly vaporized under the enhanced magical version of a super flashbang.
Clap, clap!
Ayame clapped her hands.
"Impressive! But how about this?"
With another wave of her hand, countless black-gray iron sand particles materialized in the air, coalescing into numerous branch-like shapes, and shot toward him from all directions.
Ryou immediately rose into the sky, but the iron branches, like venomous snakes hunting their prey, ignored gravity and extended upward, closely pursuing him.
After a moment's thought, he traced several runes in the air.
A violent ice storm suddenly descended from the heavens.
The iron branches, which had moved like living creatures, instantly became rigid, and eventually, they stopped moving altogether.
Crack!
A light cracking sound echoed as countless tiny fractures appeared on the iron branches under the strain of gravity. Finally, with a crash, the branches shattered into countless pieces, falling to the ground.
Despite having her moves continuously countered, Ayame wore a smile.
Because her goal had been achieved.
In the process of dodging the shadow creatures and iron branches, Ryou had unknowingly increased the distance between himself and Ayame to over a hundred meters.