My Fates Codex of Type-Moon

Kirei Kotomine felt no reassurance from the enemy's prolonged chanting; instead, a chill ran down his spine.

He didn't know why Sakutsuki harbored killing intent towards him from the very beginning, but regardless, escaping this place was his top priority.

However, would Sakutsuki, who had come prepared, really let him run?

The final imaginary particles converged into a giant's arm, spanning the space between Kirei Kotomine and the staircase, leaving only a sliver of an opening at the doorway. It became the final obstacle determining Kirei's fate.

[My whole body was still]

The flow of magic grew increasingly stable and majestic. Even Kirei Kotomine, who was only half-hearted in his understanding, knew that Sakutsuki's ultimate attack was nearing its conclusion.

Gritting his teeth, Kirei Kotomine unhesitatingly grabbed one of the Hassan beside him, put force into his wrist, and threw her towards the Imaginary Shadow!

[Unlimited Blade Works!]

The staircase shattered. A figure stepped on the melting body of the Hassan, bowed, and broke through the concrete wall. A chunk of his waist was gouged out by imaginary particles, bleeding profusely as he tumbled down the stairs in a sorry state.

The World Egg expanded in an instant, completely engulfing the floor.

Snowflakes fluttered down, and the round moon in the sky was cold and lonely.

Reality Marble: Unlimited Blade Works

A youth in white robes and red clothing stood atop a hill, his god-like eyes looking down upon the fragile black shadows.

"Ten, fifty... hmm, fifty-two people. Counting those I killed before, so I've killed twenty-five?"

Twenty-five? Only?

Did he think they were cabbages? He had killed nearly a third of them!

Although the split Hassan had varying personalities, the stubborn ones were all killed by this god of slaughter. The remaining fifty-two were merely prisoners at the mercy of the Reality Marble.

However, the youth judging them did not act. Instead, he began to mutter to himself:

"Although it was a beautiful blitzkrieg, it was a failure in terms of results... Tsk, I'll be more careful next time."

Blitzkrieg?

The Hassan exchanged glances, understanding Sakutsuki's meaning through their shared memories.

When Kirei Kotomine went to confront Maiya Hisau alone, he would naturally have the Assassins guard the surroundings, preventing any Servants from ambushing him.

And the Saber and Sakutsuki, who were engaged in combat, had not escaped the notice of Hassan of the Hundred Personas.

Because he was attacked by the magus killer Kiritsugu Emiya, he chose to oppose Saber and engage in combat... This chain of logic was simple, clear, and unimpeachable. Therefore, it was only natural for Hassan of the Hundred Personas to lower its guard during this battle.

Who could have imagined that Sakutsuki would decisively clash with Saber when she unleashed her Noble Phantasm, using the magical interference to disrupt the Assassins' reconnaissance, and then instantly appear beside Kirei Kotomine to attack him?

The so-called blitzkrieg was truly fitting. Sakutsuki, with his "Spatial Displacement" ability, was even superior to Rider in terms of mobility.

"I just didn't expect Kirei Kotomine to use an Assassin... one of them as a meat shield, using her as a springboard to escape. Alas, it's also because I used too much Imaginary Numbers Magic during my spar with Kayneth, and the remaining power wasn't enough to completely block the exit."

After explaining the method of Kirei Kotomine's escape, Sakutsuki seemed to lose interest in the matter. He looked down at the remaining Assassins, a strange smile appearing on his lips.

What are your thoughts, Hassan of the Hundred Personas, on Master Kirei Kotomine using you as cannon fodder...

After a brief silence, one of the shadow Servants stepped forward and said indifferently, "We, the shadow legion, will dedicate our remaining lives to our Master, even if it means losing our lives."

"Oh?" Sakutsuki whistled playfully, his golden eyes sweeping over the other Hassan of the Hundred Personas, "You all think so too?"

A thousand faces, a thousand people. As individuals differentiated from Hassan of the Hundred Personas, they inherited different aspects of her personality. Therefore, while some remained calm in the face of the enemy, there were also those who willingly bowed their heads before death...

But no matter what, they maintained an eerie silence.

Because the killing intent emanating from Sakutsuki was so strong, it was as if it had become a harbinger of funerals, the evening bell that rang when death visited.

Listen, that is the ancient bell.

The ringing was crisp, and countless swords surged from behind the youth, sweeping across everything in sight like a tsunami.

"Dong... Dong... Dong..."

The symphony of swords and spears, the roar of axes and halberds, all turned into that sacred rite of announcing death.

The evening bell has revealed your time of death.

Surrender your heads!

Kirei Kotomine fled all the way back to the Holy Church.

His left abdomen had been bleeding due to erosion by imaginary particles.

But he dared not heal it. To be precise, he dared not use magic to heal it.

If his magical aura were exposed... that young man might find him.

The fierce image of the golden-eyed youth flashed through his mind, filling Kirei with regret.

He hadn't expected Sakutsuki's killing intent to be so strong, even abandoning Kiritsugu Emiya, who had nearly shot him, to attack him. It was a huge miscalculation.

But why?

Even after sacrificing an Assassin to cover his retreat, Kirei Kotomine still dared not relax. He returned to the protected church at the fastest speed possible, leaving a trail of blood along the way, until his vision even began to blur.

"Kirei? What happened!"

The voice, though indistinct, carried a sense of familiarity as it reached his ears. The acting priest, having lost too much blood, could no longer support himself and collapsed to the ground, falling into unconsciousness.

In the moment before losing consciousness, he felt something within him shatter.

It was his contract.

After a brief period of turmoil, the Holy Church fell silent once more.

Kirei Kotomine walked down the quiet corridor, his expression placid, lost in thought.

The wound on his waist had completely healed. His mentor, Tokiomi, had spared no expense, even using his prized jewels. Not only did the wound heal, but the damage caused by the imaginary particles to his body was also erased. Kirei Kotomine was undoubtedly in peak condition.

However, from the perspective of the Holy Grail, the Master named "Kirei Kotomine" was in a perilous situation.

Just moments ago, through the joint confirmation of the Holy Church supervisor, Risei Kotomine, and the participant of the Holy Grail War and heir of the Einzbern family, Tokiomi Tohsaka, they were forced to confront a painful truth: the core of their early plan, their intelligence network that operated as a one-man army, Assassin, had just been confirmed eliminated.

The killer: Master Sakutsuki.

The so-called Holy Grail War was, before the decisive battle, an intelligence war. The absence of Assassin was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for Tokiomi Tohsaka. It meant he had lost his greatest advantage and could only rely on basic familiars for information gathering, greatly reducing efficiency.

Even so, the elegant man in the red suit did not take his anger out on others, nor did he even pursue Kirei Kotomine's unauthorized actions. After a brief moment of losing his composure, he suppressed the dire news in his heart and turned to comfort the "dejected" Kirei Kotomine, kindly suggesting he return to his room to rest.

Such demeanor was befitting of the head of the Tohsaka Estate, who inherited the family motto of "always maintain elegance."

Anyone else would surely have prostrated themselves in shame and gratitude, overcome by the man's charm, and would have readily faced any danger for him.

But Kirei Kotomine was not that kind of person. Tokiomi Tohsaka's concern was not false, yet his heart remained as still as stagnant water.

The priest in the cassock stopped.

No, there was indeed something.

At a certain moment, his heart had rippled.

But... it was when his mentor, upon learning of Assassin's death, lost his elegant composure.

At that moment, Kirei Kotomine sensed a desire that was almost instinctual.

He wanted to savor more of that troubled expression, to savor that... pain that belonged to others.

!!!

Reason finally caught up, albeit belatedly. Upon realizing his thoughts, Kirei Kotomine's first reaction was not to admit them, but to lock them away securely in his heart, in a place even his memories could not reach.

"My Lord..." he recited the Bible subconsciously, but such a prayer was as hollow as the wind passing through the corridor.

But no matter what, with the Lord's help, Kirei had once again evaded his true nature.

As the emptiness in his heart slightly faded, the man who suppressed his thoughts sighed and pushed open the door to his room.

Suddenly, Kirei found himself enveloped in an unnatural feeling, as if he had stumbled into someone else's room.

It wasn't that the scent or temperature was different, but the ambiance, the overall atmosphere, had clearly changed. Kirei's usually very simple room was filled with a luxurious and elegant atmosphere, as if it had transformed into a chamber within a royal palace.

The furnishings and lighting in the room had, of course, not changed at all. It was simply because a man was leisurely leaning back on a long bench.

"...Archer?"

The golden Heroic Spirit, dressed in a modern style with a patent leather jacket trimmed with fur and leather pants, held a wine glass and offered Kirei a subtle smile.

Like a forbidden serpent in the Garden of Eden, flicking its forked tongue.

With fiery golden hair and ruby-red eyes, that person was none other than Tokiomi Tohsaka's Servant—Hero King Gilgamesh.

Ever since his summoning, this Heroic Spirit had been roaming freely, relying on his Independent Action skill. Recently, he had become even more brazen, manifesting his physical form and even changing into "casual wear" to stroll brazenly through the streets. Kirei had once heard Tokiomi mention this with a hint of complaint in his voice, but he never expected Gilgamesh to come to his own room.

Archer paid no mind to intruding into someone else's room. He poured red wine, taken from the cabinet without permission, into a glass and savored it elegantly.

"Though not in great quantity, the treasures here are more complete than Tokiomi's wine cellar. What a terrible disciple."

"..." Kirei could not ascertain the purpose of the visitor's arrival. The table was covered with various wine bottles, indicating that he had taken out all the wine in the room and seemed to be tasting it.

To outsiders, it might seem surprising. Kirei had a peculiar habit: as soon as he heard of a top-quality wine somewhere, he would buy it without hesitation.

Wine was a profound world where the more one pursued quality, the more endless it seemed. If that were the case, perhaps some taste could fill the void in Kirei's heart. If such an encounter were to happen, it wouldn't be so bad to drown himself in alcohol—the desperate priest had once thought this half-seriously.

However, his pursuit of wine had yielded no rewards so far, only an increasing number of bottles from luxury brands. Of course, he had never intended to entertain guests with these wines, let alone an uninvited and unwelcome one. Even if the other party praised his wine, he would not want to entertain such a person.

"What do you want?" Kirei asked, suppressing his impatience.

"Nothing, I'm just interested in you." Archer's eyes, peering through the wine glass, appraised Kirei with a profound gaze.

"How is it? Does obeying Tokiomi all the time not satisfy your soul?"

"...Are you starting to be dissatisfied with the contract at this point? Gilgamesh?" Kirei did not answer Archer's question, merely replying with a cold face.

Even if the other party was the legendary Hero King, Kirei felt no fear. Regardless of what Tokiomi personally thought, a Servant was, after all, a Master's subordinate. No matter who this Heroic Spirit was, as long as he was Archer, he was merely an existence subordinate to Tokiomi. Compared to himself, Tokiomi's direct disciple, he was at most of the same standing, and there was no need to be overly humble towards him.

Kirei's attitude did not displease Archer. He merely let out a cold snort and savored the fine wine in his glass.

"It was Tokiomi who summoned me, and it is because of Tokiomi's sustenance that I can remain in this world. More importantly, he treats me with the deference of a subject, so it is not impossible for me to respond to him."

After saying these unexpectedly proper words, Gilgamesh's unusually colored crimson eyes showed a look of annoyance.

"But to be honest, I never expected him to be such a dull person. There's no interest at all."

"...It's surprising for a Servant to say something like that."

Kirei was so astonished that the anger he felt towards Archer's attitude and his suspicion about the true purpose of his visit had gradually faded. In this strangely relaxed atmosphere, Kirei almost allowed Archer to occupy a space in his room.

And so, they began to converse.

Starting with Kirei Kotomine's esteemed teacher, Tokiomi Tohsaka, they swirled their wine glasses and discussed the Holy Grail, mages, the Holy Church... and finally even touched upon the "Root" and the inner world.

It wasn't just that. Watching Archer, who had declared, "This King is perfectly content just enjoying this great universe that belongs to me as my garden," Kirei Kotomine sensed, in the depths of his being, the approach of some destiny.

In the past, Archer had had countless opportunities to intrude here and converse with him, but this King had not done so.

Then, why at this particular moment, tonight, when his actions were controlled by a Command Spell from Tokiomi Tohsaka, did this oldest Hero King seek him out?

"I'm simply interested in you." As if sensing Kirei Kotomine's question, Gilgamesh repeated his initial statement, drained the wine in his glass, and asked as if by chance:

"Kirei, and what about you? What is your wish for the Holy Grail?"

Hearing Archer ask this, Kirei felt, for the first time, unsure how to answer.

"I—" Yes, this was the biggest question. Why did the Command Seal appear on Kirei Kotomine's right hand?

"I... don't have any particular wish I want to achieve..." Kirei's answer was tinged with a bit of confusion. Upon hearing this, Archer's red eyes flashed with a strange light.

"That's impossible. Doesn't the Holy Grail only summon those qualified to obtain it?"

"That should be correct. But... I don't understand either. I have no ideals to fulfill, nor any destined wish to achieve, so why was I chosen to participate in this war?"

"Are these questions so difficult?" Archer chuckled lightly, as if mocking Kirei's stern expression. "With neither ideals nor destined wishes, why not simply pursue pleasure?"

"How can that be!" Kirei's tone became unconsciously agitated.