My Fate Compendium of Type-Moon Chapter 7

"So this is Winter's Castle..." A sigh tinged with unfamiliarity caught Illya's attention, finally making her seven-year-old mind grasp the situation.

"Does that mean Shirou big brother isn't a member of the Einzbern family?"

The snow in the forest seemed to intensify. After a moment, the young man's cheerful laughter rang out:

"You figured it out that quickly? Illya, you're so smart."

"Of course, Illya is very smart!" The little loli perched on Sakutsuki's shoulder proudly put her hands on her hips, then quickly asked with curiosity, "I heard from Kiritsugu that the mages outside the castle can use magic. Big brother, can you? Can you throw fireballs? Or, like Kiritsugu said, can you put a bunch of stuff into a big pot and brew a potion that turns into a rabbit?"

As if not expecting this, Illya didn't realize the problem. Sakutsuki paused for a moment before letting out a relieved laugh:

"Heh... Hahaha... Illyasviel von Einzbern, honestly, perhaps the entire Einzbern family should thank you for being the first person to interact with me."

"???" The little loli tilted her head, her small mind filled with great confusion.

However, Sakutsuki's gaze wasn't on her. Instead, he looked up at the snow-filled sky, as if murmuring to himself:

"Illya, don't you think the weather is terrible today?"

"Shirou big brother really doesn't live here. It always snows here, but Kiritsugu said the weather would get better tomorrow, right?"

"We won't have to wait until tomorrow."

"...Huh?"

Illya froze. In the next moment, a cold, biting aura surged from beneath her.

It was an aura she was all too familiar with, an aura Kiritsugu called "magic." But even she had never witnessed such a colossal surge of magical power.

"Watch closely, Illya." The gentle young man, so kind to her, narrowed his golden eyes. A vast torrent of magic gushed out, transforming into a brilliant magic circle that enveloped the entire forest.

"This is one of the magics I possess."

The wind stopped.

The snow ceased its descent.

The sky turned milky white.

Sunlight streamed down from the clear sky.

"Wow..." Illya looked up at the refreshed, clear sky, letting out an incredulous gasp.

In her innocent mind, only one thought echoed.

This way, she could search for walnut buds in the forest with Kiritsugu every single day!

According to a later report from the German Meteorological Office, the heavy snowfall, which was expected to continue until the next day within a ten-mile radius centered on a certain point in the Alps, suddenly gave way to clear skies. Conversely, the town of Lauterbrunnen, several kilometers away, was suddenly hit by a blizzard.

It was as if a divine hand had invisibly intervened, swapping the weather between the two locations.

Later, this report was incorporated by the Sealing Designation Enforcers, affiliated with the Mage's Association Clock Tower, with the assistance of the Holy Church. This prevented the abnormal weather from causing significant turmoil in the present world.

Of course, that's a story for another time.

Received a short notice from the signing station. Feel free to add it to your collection~

A man treats saving lives equally. Similarly, he kills without regard for good or evil.

But by the time he realized it, it was too late.

Valuing all lives equally also meant not loving anyone.

If only he had kept this iron rule in his heart sooner, perhaps there would have been a way to find salvation.

If he had frozen his young heart earlier, let it die, and turned himself into a cold, unfeeling measuring machine, perhaps he could have spent his life coldly selecting between the living and the dead, without having to agonize over it.

But that man was not that kind of person.

The weather anomaly that occurred above Einzbern was like a powerful invitation, ushering Sakutsuki, the "unwelcome guest," into the thousand-year-old Winter's Castle.

Surrounded by countless homunculi wielding weapons, all bearing similar appearances, Sakutsuki was led to the chapel of Einzbern Castle—the most magnificent yet darkest place in this ancient city frozen by snow and ice.

It was certainly not a place for praising God's grace and comforting the soul. In a mage's castle, the so-called place of prayer was where magical rituals were performed.

Therefore, the stained-glass windows Sakutsuki saw along the way depicted not the images of saints, but the long history of the Einzbern family's pursuit of the Holy Grail.

Even among the original three families, the Einzberns had spent the longest time on the Holy Grail.

Yet, by now, some of the mages who had gathered to pursue the Third Magic had left the castle, while others had taken their own lives. All that remained abandoned in this icy, snowy landscape were the homunculi created by the mages.

Due to the purity of their mechanical nature, these homunculi inherited the ideals of their creators—the mages—"to recreate the Third Magic," and continued to operate the Einzbern workshop. From then on, all homunculi produced by Einzbern were based on Justitia's template—that is, the silver-haired, red-eyed appearance.

Two hundred years ago, the homunculi finally abandoned their solitary exploration and began to cooperate with external families such as Tohsaka and Matou (Makiri).

However, in the subsequent Holy Grail Wars, the Einzbern family consistently failed to achieve victory due to the Master's slightly inferior combat power. Consequently, nine years ago, they were forced to decide to recruit formidable mages from outside.

Speaking of which, Papa Kiritsugu was the trump card prepared by the Einzbern family, who prided themselves on their pure bloodline, by changing their beliefs for the second time.

As Sakutsuki walked through the corridor, his gaze unintentionally lingered on a relatively new stained-glass window.

It depicted "Winter Saint" Lisleize Leistach von Einzbern of the Einzbern family, with two mages attending her, reaching out their hands towards a chalice in the sky. A careful observation of the painting's composition and balance clearly showed how much the Einzbern family had looked down upon the Tohsaka and Makiri families two hundred years ago, and how ashamed they felt now that they had to rely on their assistance.

The white-haired, golden-eyed young man walked through the passageway, his presence starkly out of place with the solemn atmosphere of the location, as if one of them was destined to declare an end brought about by their mutual existence.

The old mage in charge of this winter city was already waiting for his arrival at the altar.

The old man's name was Jubstacheit von Einzbern. He had used the title "Acht" since inheriting the position of the eighth head of the family. He had extended his lifespan several times, living for nearly two centuries. He continued to rule the Einzbern family even after the "exploration" of the Holy Grail turned into a "war."

Sakutsuki glanced at the castle's master indifferently, his gaze then fixed on the man and woman beside him, never leaving them.

The man wore an overcoat and had neat black hair. His build was still tall and thin, just as Kiritsugu remembered, his eyes vacant, but if one looked closely, they could see the flames of burning conviction.

The woman wore a white and gold coat, her silver hair falling softly, her ruby-like eyes gentle, as if she were a snow princess from a fairy tale, as beautiful as Sakutsuki had seen her on screen.

Kiritsugu Emiya, Irisviel, the Master and his companion from the Einzbern family participating in this Holy Grail War.

At the same time, they were also...

"Then, magician who invaded the Einzbern territory and performed great magic in our Winter's Castle, seeing as you did not harm Illyasviel von Einzbern, I permit you to state your intentions."

The old magician's arrogant words made Sakutsuki shift his gaze back to him.

Elder Acht, stroking his long white beard that resembled a frozen waterfall, his gaze, devoid of any sign of aging, shot directly at Sakutsuki from his deep-set eye sockets. He exuded an almost obsessive, invisible pressure that was repulsive.

And Sakutsuki's revulsion was clearly transmitted into Acht's mind.

"Illya." In that very instant, Kiritsugu's eyes changed slightly. He subtly pulled his wife closer, shielding her behind him.

Only those who had experienced mountains of corpses and seas of blood, or the ravages of time, could sense the subtle shift in the atmosphere. The young man with white hair and golden eyes, simply by standing there, made both Kiritsugu and Elder Acht feel as if they were about to be crushed. The old magician's entire body was already trembling uncontrollably.

This was not because Sakutsuki had displayed any particular savagery or brutality, but rather, once exposed to his cold, golden eyes, one could not help but realize how fragile and powerless they were.

In front of Sakutsuki, who was not a Heroic Spirit but resembled one, any human would feel their life was as powerless as a moth's.

"Then allow me to state my request, Einzbern." The young man stood at the doorway, a stream of blue light gathering in his palm. "I am here because I want your Einzbern's puppet technology, the Lesser Grail's data, the catalyst for this Holy Grail War, and a cute little loli..."

He paused, and under Elder Acht's disbelieving gaze, Sakutsuki stated his final request:

"And, the Third Magic."

"Kill him!" As if his pride had been wounded, the white-haired elder gave the order without hesitation. He struck the ground heavily with his staff, and endless magic circles rose from the ground, surrounding the entire chapel.

As the great doors opened, countless homunculi armed with axes and spears surged in, charging towards the lone Sakutsuki.

"Hurry, this man is dangerous!" Kiritsugu Emiya, the "Magus Killer" whom the Einzberns had deigned to welcome into their castle, chose to retreat first when faced with his specialty. Grabbing his wife's hand, he moved towards the exit.

"But, Kiritsugu, I can fight too..." Irisviel, unwilling to let her husband face danger alone, hesitated for a moment.

And with that hesitation, she lost her last chance.

"Trace on!"

Swords, spears, sabers, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks.

The moment the blades flew towards her, Irisviel only had time to push her husband away forcefully before being swallowed by the merciless blades.

"Illya!" Kiritsugu's pupils constricted.

There was no blood, no screams. Countless blades, glinting with cold iron light, were embedded in the ground like a small grave.

A piece of white fabric was lifted by the blast of air, disappearing into the dark chapel like melting snowflakes.

His heart clenched, and the familiar taste of rust filled his mouth. Kiritsugu's eyes were hollow as he drew two submachine guns from inside his clothes.

"Time Alter, Triple Accel!"

His "good husband" facade was torn away.

Seven years later, the former Magus Killer had found his undying target once more and began his hunt!

Received a contract notice from the platform, feel free to keep following!

The happy smiles of others brought satisfaction to his heart; the weeping voices of others deeply moved his spirit.

The desperate hatred of others ignited his rage, and the lonely tears of others always made him unable to resist reaching out to wipe them away. While pursuing an ideal that surpassed human norms, he was too much like an ordinary person.

This contradiction tormented the man countless times.

Sometimes it was friendship, sometimes it was love.

Even when his own life, which he deeply cherished, was placed on the scales against countless other strangers' lives, he had never shown favoritism.

Even if he fell in love with someone, he still treated that person's life the same as others', cherishing them equally, and discarding them equally.

He always encountered people he cherished, only to lose them again and again.

"Trace on!"

Black and white twin blades appeared in his hands, Sakutsuki's golden eyes shining. He drew yin-yang taijitu symbols, deflecting the attacks coming from all directions.

With a shift of his foot, a great halberd materialized beside him, sweeping away several homunculi to his left, only to be shattered by more weapons.

"Displacement Magic... Ugh!" The rhombic magic circle had just formed when it was destroyed by a vast surge of magical power. Elder Acht, perched high in the hall, had a terrifyingly grim expression.

At the same time, a fragmentation grenade rolled down, stopping at Sakutsuki's feet.

"Damn it..." Sakutsuki only had time to deflect the surrounding homunculi before he was engulfed by the explosion's flames.

"Get out of the way!" A sharp cry rang out. The man wrapped in the black coat dived down like a falcon, approaching the center of the explosion, his Calico M950 pistols spitting fiery tongues.

9x19mm bullets shrieked as they tore through the air, carrying an unparalleled destructive force, determined to rip apart the target's flesh and heart!

Pink flowers bloomed in the dust and smoke. The bullets struck the seven petals, creating ripples.

His offensive stalled, Kiritsugu did not get discouraged. Instead, he raised his right hand and made a gesture.

From somewhere on the second floor, a fierce red light suddenly erupted.

Sakutsuki instinctively raised his eyes, so startled he almost yelped.

"Whoa, an RPG!"

The armor-piercing rocket broke the sound barrier, only to be blocked by a hastily raised petal shield. The explosion cleared a radius as if by nuclear fire.

The magic barrier manipulated by Acht erupted with a surge of magical energy. It pierced through the fiery expanse created by the RPG, carrying dazzling light and heat, finally depleting the last of Rho Aias's magical power.

Pink petals drifted down. Amidst the falling blossoms, the black-clad assassin calmly drew his weapon from his chest. The warm feel of the walnut grip steadied his aim even further.

Finally, he pulled the trigger. The hunting pistol named Contender fired a bullet—a 7.62mm Springfield sniper rifle round, virtually impossible to defend against unless one was inside an armored vehicle.

The only way to defend against such an attack was through magic.

But this time, Kiritsugu Emiya heard the sound of the bullet tearing through flesh and blood.

Oh well, the result's the same. He thought indifferently, putting away his beloved gun.

"Clang—!"

Condensed magical energy formed a thin blade, instantly shredding Kiritsugu Emiya's weapon and even slicing off half of the man's fingernail.