In the secret circles of the moonlit world, there is a very important rule, "Magus are not allowed to reveal mystery."
Mystery, in this context, refers to things that transcend human scientific knowledge or, in other words, supernatural phenomena. These mystery hold power, and things from the mundane world are ineffective against them.
Moreover, the more people who become aware of a mystery, the weaker its power becomes. Therefore, the moonlit world strictly forbids ordinary people from learning about magecraft.
However, in the Holy Grail War, which should have been conducted in secret to maintain these mystery, the fierce battle between the three Servants was completely disregarding this rule. The intensity of the fight was shaking the entire sky over the outskirts of Fuyuki City.
Kotomine Kirei, who was responsible for handling the aftermath in the church, couldn't help but feel his eyelid twitch uncontrollably.
With such a massive commotion, how was he supposed to explain it? He couldn't just say there had been another gas leak in the suburbs, could he?
That night, the people of Fuyuki City had no idea what was happening. All they heard was a loud boom and rushed outside to see the sky over the suburbs flickering with lights. They were shocked by the sight.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield in the suburbs, the three Servants, already caught up in their fight, naturally weren't concerned with any of this.
It was nighttime, and they could fight however they pleased. As for the aftermath, that was the overseer's problem, not theirs.
All they had to do was focus on fighting with all their strength. Given the current situation, none of them could easily defeat the other.
Gilgamesh was clearly suppressing Saber and Berserker with his overwhelming power, but the two Servants, bolstered by multiple Command Seals, were not easy to overcome.
After all, King Arthur and Lancelot were no pushovers. In any Holy Grail War, they would be incredibly powerful forces. Both of them were still holding back to some extent, as they had only just begun to clash.
To truly decide the victor, the fight would have to continue!
As they clashed fiercely over the ruins of the Tohsaka residence, somewhere in the outskirts of Fuyuki City, a desolate figure had been waiting for a long time. With empty eyes, he stared intently at the person before him, unable to take his gaze off them.
Matou Kariya stood at the crossroads, gazing across at Tohsaka Tokiomi from afar.
...
"Is this really okay, Kiritsugu?"
"What do you mean, Maiya?"
Emiya Kiritsugu, who was hiding on a hill with his Barrett sniper rifle aimed at Tohsaka Tokiomi's head, responded with a question. He wasn't particularly concerned about the grudge between Matou Kariya and Tohsaka Tokiomi, but today, he was determined to take Tokiomi's life to deal with Gilgamesh.
If Matou Kariya won, it would be fine. But if he lost, Kiritsugu would not hesitate to pull the trigger and send Tokiomi to his death.
"No, Kiritsugu, you'd better hurry. Archer's power far exceeds expectations. Saber and Berserker are already struggling in battle, and if you don't deal with Tokiomi soon, it could..."
Hearing Maiya's anxious voice over the radio, Kiritsugu calmly replied, "Don't worry about it. Stick to the plan."
"Understood."
After receiving Kiritsugu's response, Maiya hung up the radio. No matter what, she always followed Kiritsugu's instructions silently.
"Even after using so many Command Seals, they're still struggling...
As expected of the strongest Servant in this Holy Grail War, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh."
Kiritsugu simply had Maiya follow the plan, but he hadn't explained the crucial information to her... that they had multiple Command Seals and that enough Servants had to be eliminated. Even Matou Kariya, his ally, was unaware of the second part.
The Holy Grail
To create a wish-granting machine, accumulating sufficient magical energy alone was not enough. To achieve the salvation of all humanity, the Third Magic, the key to opening the Greater Grail, was necessary.
And to truly open the Greater Grail, at least five Servants were needed as keys. Therefore, someone among them would have to abandon their Servant.
Amakusa Shirou had shared this vital piece of information with Kiritsugu, hoping that in the end, Kiritsugu would sacrifice Saber to achieve their goal.
Upon learning this, Kiritsugu didn't disappoint Amakusa Shirou. He had no hesitation, no complaints, and readily chose to sacrifice Saber and Berserker.
Once all the Servants were eliminated, he planned to use a Command Seal to make Saber take her own life. As for Berserker, just like Archer, despite his immense power, taking out his Master would be much simpler.
If Matou Kariya died in tonight's duel, it would be ideal. It would not only help Kariya get his revenge but also spare Kiritsugu the trouble of killing his ally himself.
If Kariya won or the battle ended in mutual destruction, Kiritsugu would persuade him to give up Berserker and withdraw from the Holy Grail War. If Kariya refused, Kiritsugu would simply cut off the hand that bore the Command Seals to force Berserker's exit.
He had waited too long for this wish and endured too much.
He had already killed his biological father, his adoptive mother, and many magus. Next, he would have to sacrifice Irisviel...
Things had progressed to a point where there was no turning back.
This was the closest he had ever come to realizing his lifelong dream, and no one could stop him now.
...
In the suburbs of Fuyuki, Tohsaka Tokiomi, covered in cold sweat and with a furrowed brow, was stopped in his tracks.
He had just returned from the church when he heard the explosive news that the Hyatt Hotel had been blown up, scaring him senseless. Even an idiot could guess that Amakusa Shirou's side had already started making their move.
Damn it, they acted so quickly, and now he was all alone.
He had wanted to bring Gilgamesh with him to the church. Although disobedient, at least Gilgamesh was the strongest, more than capable of intimidating others. But at some point, that guy had disappeared without a trace, and there was no way to contact him.
It was impossible to use a Command Seal to summon him back. Any Master who used such a strategic resource as a mere teleportation tool would be a fool. The Command Seals should be saved for the most critical moments.
Besides, dealing with a difficult Heroic Spirit like Gilgamesh, using too many Command Seals would only put Tokiomi at a disadvantage, making future interactions even more difficult.
Fortunately, the guy still had some sense. When Saber began launching a full-on assault on his home, Gilgamesh returned just in time.
At that moment, seeing Gilgamesh's return was like seeing his savior. Tokiomi quickly moved forward to flatter him, asking this powerful king for protection.
Gilgamesh merely glanced at him and said nothing.
After all, Tokiomi was still his Master. Although harboring ulterior motives, things hadn't reached the point of outright betrayal yet. Given that Tokiomi hadn't used a Command Seal to force him earlier, Gilgamesh still showed a modicum of respect.
So, Gilgamesh pointed out a path for him, suggesting that he leave the area while he dealt with the incoming Servants.
Tokiomi then hurriedly ran through the woods, only to encounter the person he despised most.
"Kariya... "
Seeing Kariya, Tohsaka Tokiomi felt both shock and rage.
Anger because Kariya had ambushed him along his escape route, clearly indicating that he was allied with Amakusa Shirou's faction.
Shock because without Archer to protect him, running into Kariya now was a complete disaster.
He couldn't escape, nor could he win in a fight. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, he could only stand there and wait for Kariya to bring his Servant and give him a thorough beating.
Damn it...
What had started as such a promising situation, how did it come to this?
If not for Kotomine Risei's sudden disappearance and the appearance of a Ruler to replace the supervisor, with Kotomine Kirei openly betraying him...
How could things have come to this?
It seemed his life had been cursed by that father-and-son duo.
As Tokiomi kept his guard up, anticipating the arrival of Berserker, he cursed Kotomine father and son in his heart. Meanwhile, Matou Kariya was already approaching.
"There's no need to look for him. That old worm, Zouken, has already been killed by a Servant. My Berserker is currently fighting your Archer."
"Hmm?!"
Hearing that Berserker wasn't present was a relief for Tokiomi, but he quickly controlled his emotions. He straightened up, putting on the proud posture of a noble magus.
"Matou Kariya, you heretic who has betrayed magecraft. How dare you appear before me... "
"Heretic, huh..." Kariya smirked in self-mockery, lifting his hood and removing his mask to reveal his disfigured face.
"If I didn't show up, how else could I wake up a self-righteous fool like you?!"
"Your face! What happened?!"
Seeing Kariya's horribly scarred face, Tokiomi was startled. But recalling what had happened to Sakura, he quickly pieced it together, his eyes filling with anger.
"So this is the degradation of the Matou family's worm magecraft... I didn't expect the Matou family to have fallen so low."
Thinking of how Sakura might have ended up looking like Kariya if she hadn't been rescued in time filled Tokiomi with even more guilt and rage.
"That's right. This body of mine is all thanks to the old worm's handiwork. The Matou family is nothing but a nest of worms, and Tokiomi, you willingly sent your own daughter into that pit!"
"You... "
Tokiomi clenched his teeth, unable to refute the accusation.
"Tokiomi, I don't know how a magus like you views Sakura, but answer me this! For the sake of some ridiculous magical lineage, you were willing to abandon your daughter. How much of you still has human blood, and how much is just the blood of a magus?"
"You damn heretic, what could you possibly understand?! You're nothing but a fool who betrayed magecraft! What right do you have to lecture me?!"
Lies don't wound, but the truth cuts deep.
Provoked repeatedly, Tokiomi finally lost his usual composure. He was shaking with rage, his signature goatee twitching.
"Do you even understand the importance of preserving the magical lineage for Sakura? You're just a half-baked idiot!"
"So what if I'm half-baked?! Today, I'm going to knock some sense into you, Tokiomi, you damn fool!!"
Matou Kariya roared as he charged at Tokiomi.
Even though it was uncertain whether Berserker was indeed fighting Gilgamesh as Kariya had claimed, Tokiomi had no choice but to defend himself now that Kariya was attacking.
With a quick twist of his staff, Tokiomi gathered magical energy into the ruby at its tip, conjuring a blazing fire in midair and hurling it at Kariya.
But Kariya didn't retreat. Instead, he twisted his body and charged through the flames with his arms crossed.
"What?!"
Tokiomi was utterly shocked. He hadn't expected Kariya to be so reckless as to charge straight through the fireball.
This was Tokiomi's fire magecraft, the high temperature of which could seriously burn an ordinary person in an instant.
Yet the next moment, Kariya, having passed through the flames, swiftly closed the distance to Tokiomi.
Then...
*Bang!*
A punch landed squarely on his face, swelling half of Tohsaka Tokiomi's cheek.
"What is happening? What's going on? Why didn't the flames work on him?"
Tokiomi was stunned by the punch and staggered backward. Before he could regain his senses, Matou Kariya grabbed him by the hair and unleashed a flurry of punches on his body.
It was only at this point that Tokiomi realized what was happening.
That bastard Kariya was wearing several layers of fireproof clothing under his coat!
"You wretch, do you have no shred of dignity as a magus left?!"
"Dignity?"
Kariya sneered, pointing at the fireproof suit he was wearing. "I have nothing left. Do you think I would still care about such things?"
"The only thing I want to do now is knock some sense into you, you fool!"
"Huh? What are you talking about? With that broken-down body of yours?"
"Yes... with my fists."
"Bang... "
Another punch, this time to the other side of Tokiomi's face, drew blood from his mouth and left him dizzy. The sheer force of it was hard to believe coming from someone as half-dead as Kariya.
"All it takes is knocking you down!"
"You... "
Tokiomi glared, dropping his cane, and threw a punch back at Kariya's face, barely managing to create some distance.
Quickly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few small gems, tossing them into the air and chanting to summon several colorful shockwaves.
"So you're not afraid of fire? Fine. Then taste the power of the Tohsaka family's jewel magecraft!"
As the jewel magecraft activated, sending shockwaves at him, Kariya summoned his worms to collide with the incoming attacks.
"Worms? You think you can defeat me with such vile, heretical magecraft? Fine, then die under the power of my jewel magecraft. This is the greatest mercy I can offer to you, heretic."
"Heh... mercy? That's the one thing I don't need from you... "
Just as Tokiomi said, the worms Kariya had summoned were easily shredded by the jewel magecraft, and the beams of light raced toward him at incredible speed.
But just as the magecraft was about to hit Kariya, something even more shocking happened to Tokiomi... he saw Kariya pull out a folding umbrella and easily block the jewel magecraft.
"You blocked my jewel magecraft so easily... what is that thing you're holding? Is it a Noble Phantasm?!"
Emerging from the smoke, Kariya raised the black folding umbrella, which had been transformed into a Noble Phantasm by Berserker. Then, aiming directly at Tokiomi's face, he threw another punch.
"This is just a casual Noble Phantasm that Berserker gave me. For a great magus like you, it shouldn't be much, right?"
Kariya discarded the umbrella and lunged at Tokiomi, continuing his assault with his fists.
"Do you understand now? All of the things you claim to have done for Sakura's sake, all of them are wrong! If you still don't reflect on it, then I will beat you until you do!"
Punches and shouts continued to rain down on Tokiomi's face and body. Kariya, using his position of advantage, pinned Tokiomi beneath him and relentlessly pounded on him.
"What would you understand? Everything I've done was for my daughter! For Sakura! It was all so she could have a better future!"
Tokiomi had long since abandoned his elegance. He grabbed Kariya by the collar and slammed his head into his, causing blood from both their noses to splatter onto the ground.
"Enough already... What can you possibly change by doing this?!"
Kariya stood up, staggering backward, his gaze never leaving Tokiomi.
"It will change... as long as I defeat you here, everything will change..."
"Tokiomi, do you know what your greatest sin is? It's that you never realized your actions were wrong in the first place!"
Kariya wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes red with rage, causing Tokiomi to instinctively take a step back.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"I arranged for Sakura to be adopted so she could have better living conditions, so she could become a magus and pursue the path to the Root. I did it to protect her and her sister. You have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Sakura's unique nature guarantees she'll never live an ordinary life. No matter what, she would attract all kinds of abnormalities. Whether it be the Clock Tower or the Einzberns, I had already considered every option! Only the Matou family was the best choice. Do you want her to be turned into a specimen by the lunatics in the Clock Tower? Or end up in a never-ending battle with her sister, like the Aozaki sisters?!"
"Yes... I don't understand anything. I don't understand the obsessions and desires of you magus. But... "
"All the choices you made, which you thought were right, only brought suffering to everyone!"
"Regardless, today you must leave this meaningless war!! Then, at least, you will survive..."
"If you do that, Sakura won't lose her father, and Aoi won't lose her sun... Do you understand what I'm saying, Tokiomi?!"
"Urgh... "
The intense physical exertion took a toll on Kariya's body, causing him to retch and cough up blood mixed with Crest Worms.
"You're just a rambling fool!"
"Are you worried about me? Are you actually pitying me in this state?! You, of all people?!"
Tokiomi clenched his fists, his eyes filled with fury.
"Do you even know what you're saying? That's the Holy Grail we're talking about! The omnipotent artifact our Three Founding Families worked so hard to create! You think I'd give up on the Holy Grail because of this?!"
At that moment, Tokiomi felt nothing but humiliation and rage.
"Of course, you will... you definitely will."
Kariya crushed a worm underfoot and laughed bitterly. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're just that proud..."
"If a half-baked magus like me beats you, you won't have the face to continue in the Holy Grail War."
His blood-stained smile, tinged with sadness, sent chills down Tokiomi's spine.
"Come on, Tokiomi, let me defeat your greatest magecraft with my weakest punch... Then you'll survive. Then they can all be happy... and when the sun rises, we can all go home."
"Bastard! Don't be so full of yourself! Even without magecraft, I can easily beat a half-baked magus like you!"
Under the cold moonlight, the two men had already abandoned all pretense.
They were fighting for their respective obsessions, willing to risk their lives.
This was their battle, one that no one would interrupt from the very beginning.
There was no distinction between magus and ordinary man... just two humans fighting with primal instincts, exchanging blows...
Until one of them could no longer stand.
Until one of their desires was fulfilled.
I will defeat you... I will save you... Tohsaka Tokiomi.
She is Aoi, the one who longs for the light.
And you are her light, the sun she loves, even with your sins...
But to her, you are still the sun.
[A sinner, yet still like the sun.]
...
"Are you going to shoot?"
"What?"
The voice in his ear startled Emiya Kiritsugu, who had been ready to pull the trigger and finish off the two. His gun quickly swiveled in the direction of the sound, and he fired instinctively.
As he turned, he caught sight of Roy, standing there completely unguarded, and his expression froze in shock.
Why is he here? What about Assassin? And how is he in this state, looking perfectly fine? The last observation clearly showed that he had been severely injured.
As Kiritsugu wrestled with confusion, an even more terrifying scene unfolded before his eyes... Roy hadn't moved an inch. He merely raised his hand slowly, blocking the shot.
*Bang!*
In Kiritsugu's stunned gaze, as if he had seen a ghost, the Barrett bullet passed effortlessly through Roy's body, destroying the tree behind him.
But there was no blood, and no one died.
Because Roy was already standing right in front of him, calmly extending his right hand and gripping the barrel of Kiritsugu's gun.
"Hey, Emiya Kiritsugu, nice to meet you."
Still holding the gun, Roy looked at Kiritsugu's shocked expression and grinned.
"I've returned from hell."
***
Keeping a precious item like the Power Stone is hard, so for your own sake, drop the Power Stone here, otherwise I can't guarantee your safety!