Apparently, someone finally guessed right
"Kirei Kotomine, could it be that you intend to betray your master?" (The novel website does not skip words.)
Faced with Srvant's questioning, the young Father did not answer immediately. He stared silently at the girl opposite him for a long while before speaking:
"Assassin, what is your wish?"
Using a question to answer another question is a rhetorical technique, but it requires a great deal of skill to use. A skilled verbal sparring player can use this to reverse the tide of battle and corner their opponent, while a less skilled player will only achieve the opposite effect.
Kirei, who has studied religious doctrines day in and day out for decades and been indoctrinated with preconceived moral values, really a high level of empty talk?
The answer is obvious.
"I asked the question first!"
Although she was pressing him, Jizi's tone wasn't harsh—in fact, as Kirei Kotomine's Servant, she had no right to question him. Did an Astr need a Srvant's approval to do something? Not everyone is Gilgamesh.
$$$Novel().()U.()
Her reason for appearing here and asking this question was actually to test Kirei. In the original work, Tofu Priest Mapo, in a daze, revived Kariya Matou, who had been defeated and was on the verge of death by Tokiomi. He knew it was a betrayal, but he didn't know why he wanted to betray him. In other words, his rebellious nature hadn't fully emerged yet. It wasn't until later, when he was constantly provoked by Arhr, that he finally embarked on the path of pleasure in killing his master.
In this timeline, Kariya Matou did not appear in the battle to besiege ASTR. Kirei, having lost this opportunity, betrayed Tokiomi in another way, though there were still differences in the details.
Unlike the blatant act of betrayal by secretly aiding Yanye, who was an enemy, the act of falsely conveying Tokiomi's orders to have Jizi search for ANR and BRSKR was, from a tactical perspective, a decision that was utterly flawed. However, it could essentially be explained as a consideration of "standing on Tokiomi's side"—those two unseen figures were indeed a threat, but there was no need to pay attention to them. After all, there were two powerful warriors, SABR and RIR, on the main battlefield. Leaving ASTR, who wasn't Magecraft to begin with, wouldn't have any impact. A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders, and it's normal to modify tactics based on judgment, right?
Jizi wanted to ascertain just how far Kirei's rebellious nature had gone. Based on Kirei's different responses, she would formulate corresponding plans for her future actions.
Theoretically speaking, the crucial event that marked Kirei's change of heart—being chosen by the Holy Grail despite losing his Srvant—didn't occur, so he shouldn't have much self-doubt. However, everything has two sides. Jizi's intrusion triggered another problem, namely, ARHR—because Jizi focused on increasing Tokiomi's favorability, the delighted king visited the Church more frequently, resulting in the two spending more time alone together than in the original story.
Under the deliberate influence of the King of Heroes, who possesses exceptional leadership skills, what kind of changes will Kirei Kotomine undergo? Now is the time to reveal the answer.
"Since that's the case, I might as well tell you. After all, you're my soldier..."
With a strange light shining in his eyes, the young Father slowly began to speak...
Under the dim streetlights, a gaunt man leaned heavily against a lamppost, panting heavily.
"Ha, hoho... Why, why are you trying to get in my way?"
Kariya Matou only wanted revenge on the man who had everything but didn't cherish it, only wanted to save the innocent little girl, only wanted to wipe away the sadness in the eyes of the woman he loved, and only wanted to play together in that familiar park.
Why would such a simple wish encounter so many obstacles?
Who is that blond man with the slicked-back hair standing in front of me? He looks familiar; I think I've seen him in the information Old Worm gave me. What's his name?
Forget it, if he wasn't noted down, he's not an important person. Anyway, only Tokiomi needs to be killed; the others don't matter.
Brsrkr! Brsrkr! Go kill Tokiomi! Aren't you the strongest warrior? How could you lose to that skinny-looking guy?
Kariya Matou's consciousness was already fading, and he was only managing to stay awake by a sliver of willpower. His body was severely depleted of magical energy, and the worms inside him were rapidly eroding his already broken body. He could barely sustain his own life, let alone supply magical energy to brsrkr.
In the previous battle, Camelot's First Knight was ultimately no match for Fiona's First Knight. However, his defeat was not due to a lack of martial skill, but rather to Yanye's extremely poor physical condition. While his Magic Circuits, modified by insects, were indeed superior to those of ordinary Magecraft, they were still far inferior to Kayneth, a genius even within the prestigious Archibald family of Magecraft. Meanwhile, ANR, having previously fought BRSrkR, had already utilized his abilities, choosing not to use Twin Guns but instead wielding the Gae Dearg, targeting his opponent's most prized ability.
In his last hazy vision, Yanye saw a blond, slicked-back Magecraft summon a pool of silver Mercury and then wave at him.
Then his consciousness was immersed in a peaceful, pure white.
Even as the morning star was about to rise, a single light remained on inside the Tohsaka Residence. This mansion, located in the southwest of Miyama Town, had been shrouded in an eerie atmosphere for the past few days. Rumors circulated that every nightfall, figures of unknown origin, whether human or ghost, would appear in the vicinity, adding to the mystery of the place.
Fortunately, the owner of this residence was a famous and prominent family, so ordinary people had no intention of disturbing it, and there was only a bit of gossip.
As astute readers are, you have probably already figured out that the "figure that is neither human nor ghost" is Jizi. As for the eerie atmosphere, it is the Defensive Barrier that Tokiomi set up inside the courtyard. Because of its high strength, the magical aura it emits is also more intense, and even ordinary people without knowledge of Magecraft can feel it.
At this moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka was sitting at his workbench in his Magecraft Workshop, using magic to process brightly colored Gems. Gems that would normally only be used as decorations were transformed into powerful weapons after being sculpted by Jewel Magecraft. Depending on the amount of magic power infused into them, some could even pose a threat to Srvant.
In terms of pure magical talent, Tokiomi Tohsaka's aptitude was merely average, but he possessed an unwavering dedication to Magecraft. It was through this dedication that he achieved his current success, and even the genius Kayneth wouldn't dare claim that his Magecraft skills surpassed Tokiomi Tohsaka's.
With years of hard work and experience, creating Magecraft Gems was second nature to him, but--
"Snap!"
Looking at the Gems shattered in her hand, Tokiomi Tohsaka sighed. This was already the tenth failed attempt tonight; even Rin would have had a higher success rate.
The key to controlling magic is the caster's concentration. If the caster is tired or distracted, even True Magic will find it difficult to control magic.
Unfortunately, at this Tokiomi was not only mentally exhausted, but also distracted by a series of setbacks; he was suffering from both.
"Sigh, I think I should rest for a bit first."
Everyone understands the importance of balancing work and rest, yet sometimes it's difficult to put into practice. Tormented by anxiety Tokiomi had hoped to calm himself through this mechanical work, but it backfired. He decided that continuing to waste his savings like this was worse than taking a break.
Tokiomi got up to tidy his workbench, a figure gradually approached him from behind.
Who are the people who can enter the Tohsaka Residence without triggering the complex security barriers in the courtyard? Because these are extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. Even daughters and wives cannot enter this residence without Tokiomi's permission. Kirei does have special privileges, but even he will not be stopped when he enters, although the defensive spells will still notify Tokiomi.
The answer then narrows down to a very small range: who else could be intimately familiar with the barrier setup in the courtyard, and also possess the skill to dodge every scan?
Jizi Zisheng walked up behind Tokiomi, raised the weapon in his hand, and then plunged it in hard...
In the main hall of the Fuyuki Church, Risei Kotomine was explaining to the leader how much the Church had paid due to Assassin's reckless actions, and also reminding him to make good use of Assassin's abilities to ensure that such a situation would not happen again.
Kirei Kotomine listened attentively on the surface, but inwardly he was pondering: Was the unpredictable Assassin's statement sincere? Was there a hidden conspiracy? Having always acted like Tokiomi's savior, could he truly be so determined to betray him?
But even if there's a conspiracy, so what? For us anyway—
"Boom!"
The sudden explosion interrupted Kirei's thoughts. Turning around, he saw that the large, silver-gray fist had smashed open the door made of high-grade wood. After the dust settled, a man with a slicked-back, lemon-colored head of gold was revealed.
Kayneth? Would he... dare to turn his sword against the Overseer Holy Church?
Before the two Father could even consider the question, the fist that had just blasted open the door was brought back into a charging stance and slammed hard towards the pulpit in the center of the Church. Needless to say, Kirei was highly skilled in martial arts, and Risei Kotomine was also a master of Baji Quan in his youth. Even in his old age, he could easily dodge such a direct attack.
However, after getting up from the ground, the old Father found a young man in medieval armor holding Twin Guns standing beside him— the Heroic Spirit of the Gun! Not to mention his youth, even a hundred more of Risei in his prime wouldn't be a match for him, so he stopped his counterattack and raised his hands in surrender.
"Archibald, what are you planning!?"
The Clock Tower's genius lecturer smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with a fiery red light. He tilted his head and said in a light tone:
"You guess!"
-----------------------ps------------------
P. S. 1. Pangolin... oh wait, I mean, did Kirei actually say it, and then Jizi answered it?
P. S. 2. I knew it was easy to guess! We agreed that if someone guessed correctly, there would be a double update the next day, but something unexpected happened, so I'll only be updating once today.
P. S. 3. The book review section is finally not a haunted house anymore! I never thought that Director Luo would one day distribute all the monthly reward experience points. I'm so excited!
P. S. 4. I feel like I haven't been able to update weekly since I said I would, but every time I say I'm going to get back to my integrity, I inexplicably start updating weekly... I'm not Huang Xudong, this is ridiculous.
PSP. The answer is in the pinned post in the book review section... I'm so nervous and embarrassed to have my work copied!
32. It is said that someone finally guessed correctly.
32. It is said that someone finally guessed correctly that it was done by a member of [*][--].
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