How About You Guys Find a Different Savior

However, Kiritsugu miscalculated one thing: the extent of Kirei's physical conditioning.

Even though the flashbang's intense light and noise disrupted Kirei's vision and hearing, he still caught the sound of Kiritsugu's retreating footsteps amidst the din.

Then, Kirei, moving faster than Kiritsugu, caught up to him. In the obscured and deafening conditions, he smashed a fist, as hard as rock, into Kiritsugu Emiya's chest.

Thanks to the magic still being active, Kiritsugu managed to avoid his vital heart, but he still heard the sound of his ribs breaking. Thrown forward by the momentum, he crashed into a tree.

The severe injuries left Kiritsugu unable to raise his weapon to counterattack. He watched as Kirei walked step by step towards him, and he vaguely saw Maiya raising her gun to shoot from the darkness. Kiritsugu couldn't stop Maiya from taking such a risk.

But Kirei, gradually recovering his sight and hearing, suddenly retreated.

From among the flock of crows he had grown accustomed to, Xi Jianxi appeared.

Chapter 31: Interception

Lancer's Master had retreated.

This was confirmed after Xi Jianxi unleashed his great magic, sweeping away Caster's summoned Sea Monster and indirectly heavily damaging the summoner, forcing Caster to retreat.

After relaying this information to Lancer, Xi Jianxi returned to the Einzbern castle with the only surviving boy and Artoria.

The hall was a mess, and even Xi Jianxi couldn't help but click his tongue.

Morgan had shown no mercy when she attacked Kayneth. Although Kayneth managed to break through the hall in a sorry state amidst Morgan's continuous magical attacks, which were not at full power, thanks to the 'Moon Cell Essence', he completely disregarded the honor he had when declaring his victory upon entering.

Seeing the severe damage on-site, Xi Jianxi regretted choosing the hall as their landing point when they transferred back.

Fortunately, Artoria said nothing, merely showing slight distress at the extent of the damage.

But Xi Jianxi really didn't want to pay for this. He had indeed earned money and could provide the two children with a comfortable life, but that didn't mean he was willing to compensate for the losses incurred by other factions in the Holy Grail War.

It would be quite troublesome if the Einzberns decided to extort him.

His subsequent task was to quickly rush to the next battlefield and provide support for Irisviel's husband, Kiritsugu Emiya.

He needed to cash in this favor to shut the Einzberns' mouths, should they decide to demand compensation.

"Xi Jianxi..." Kirei's recovered vision clearly saw the familiar face that had appeared.

Xi Jianxi didn't rush to attack. "Sorry, Saber's Master asked me to save this person, so shall we stop here?"

"I see. I thought you had merely agreed to a truce, but it seems you've formed an alliance." Kirei understood.

This judgment was outside his scope of concern. Tokiomi believed Xi Jianxi only needed a truce to focus on dealing with the Lancer faction, and Kirei had adopted this outcome.

"War is like that; sometimes you ally, sometimes you oppose," Xi Jianxi said with a faint smile. "We last met four years ago, after your wife passed away, you entrusted your child to me."

Kirei's expression remained unchanged. "Are you planning to use that child to threaten me now?"

"Even if you wanted me to, I wouldn't take Karen hostage," Xi Jianxi scoffed. It was out of old friendship that he had adopted Karen.

But the child was wonderful, and he had no regrets about having such a daughter.

"As for you, after being in Fuyuki for so long, it's rare that we finally meet. Don't you plan to visit your child?" Xi Jianxi continued the pleasantries.

Kirei lowered his eyes. "No need."

Since Karen had been entrusted to Xi Jianxi's care, Kirei believed he should no longer interfere, even as blood relatives.

As for Xi Jianxi's insistence on participating in the Holy Grail War, he couldn't blame anyone else.

"You, as always, are heartless," Xi Jianxi narrowed his eyes. "Can't you back down?"

Kirei, assuming a ready stance, silently watched Xi Jianxi. "I have business with that man. Do not interfere. Even as an old friend, there is no room for negotiation."

"Oh, really?" Xi Jianxi shifted slightly, slowly raising his right palm, placing it between himself and Kirei.

"Make your move," Kirei's voice was devoid of emotion.

"Then let's try!"

As Xi Jianxi finished speaking, Kirei suddenly charged towards him.

The distance between them was more than five paces, but the tall and imposing proxy could cover this distance in just one step.

This footwork, which appeared to glide across the ground without any discernible movement, was called 'Living Step', a secret ultimate technique of Baji Quan.

Kirei, clad in his ceremonial robes, glided like the Grim Reaper into Xi Jianxi's personal space. His fists, imbued with the might of all directions, aimed straight for Xi Jianxi's shoulders, intending to disable his arms.

"...Im...impossible..." Kiritsugu, still conscious, murmured in a voice only he could hear.

He could discern the power of Kirei's strike, enough to kill any Magus.

But Xi Jianxi simply blocked it.

With only his right hand.

Not only did he block it, but the moment they made contact, he sidestepped, grabbed Kirei's arm, nullified the attacking force, and used his sidestep to send the opponent sliding away.

"Clench your teeth!"

Like swinging a chain hammer, Xi Jianxi grabbed Kirei's arm, spun him around once on the spot, and then threw him.

Kirei flipped in mid-air and landed on the ground, sliding back slightly on the dirt before finally coming to a halt against a tree trunk.

The next second, Xi Jianxi had already charged towards Kirei with the same speed, closing in on him.

A punch, carrying the speed and force of breaking through the air, was thrown directly, colliding with Kirei's fist. The resulting sonic boom shook the surrounding branches incessantly.

Kiritsugu had gained an extra arm, so Kirei seized the opportunity to throw a punch with his left.

The Executor, having honed his body to its absolute limit, had a very clear understanding of his own strength.

Yet, even so, he felt that Xi Jianxi's body was beyond mere tempered steel in terms of durability.

Even though he struck Xi Jianxi's relatively weaker arm, Kirei felt as if he had hit the hardest rock. Xi Jianxi didn't budge an inch.

Had he reinforced his body with Rune magic?

Kirei wondered in his mind.

His fists flew like cannonballs, but Xi Jianxi blocked them all with even greater speed.

Then, finding an opening, Xi Jianxi grabbed Kirei's fist and, using his momentum, blocked the other fist with his knee.

This was exactly what Kirei intended.

But just as he was about to break free from Xi Jianxi's right hand with his inch-force technique, his grabbed fist was met with searing pain and the sound of cracking bone. The hardest point had been shattered, and the unexpected pain caused Kirei to grit his teeth, though a low growl still escaped his throat.

Xi Jianxi had forcefully snapped the bones in Kirei's clenched fist.

He repeated his maneuver, pulling Kirei toward him by his hand and yanking him into the air. As Kirei fell, Xi Jianxi landed a side kick to his abdomen.

Spitting blood, Kirei doubled over and flew into the depths of the forest, only for the sound of a violent impact to be heard some time later.

"...I think I might have overdone it. Was it jealousy?" Xi Jianxi thought to himself, feeling a pang of guilt.

He knew Kirei wouldn't die, but he had unintentionally been too brutal just now... Was it because of Karen?

Was he angry because Kirei didn't want to see his child, or was it because, as Karen's current father, he needed to prove he was stronger than Kirei to feel secure raising the child?

Wondering if he had been unfair to Karen, Xi Jianxi dismissed the thought and turned to check on Kiritsugu Emiya.

Seeing the unconscious Kiritsugu being helped up by Maiya, Xi Jianxi muttered to himself.

"You could have told me you had help... Oh well."

Chapter 32: Striking While the Iron is Hot

"How's Kiritsugu's condition..."

Irisviel asked Xi Jianxi, who was examining her husband lying in bed in a state of shock.

"He managed to avoid a fatal blow from Kirei, but his ribs and internal organs sustained varying degrees of damage." Xi Jianxi's hand rested on Kiritsugu's chest.

When he removed his hand, the glowing, healing Rune magic remained.

"With this Rune, he should be able to recover enough to get out of bed and walk within a day and a night," Xi Jianxi said. "As expected of a Magus with a family lineage, the inherited Magic Crest began its self-healing process the moment he sustained severe injuries."

However, even with that, the healing effect was extremely demanding.

It depended first on the Magus's magical energy, and second on the quality and level of the Crest itself.

If he had sustained a fatal injury, Kiritsugu Emiya would have had almost no chance of survival.

Xi Jianxi's Rune magic could at most provide continuous healing, assuming the man didn't die.

"Thank you very much." Irisviel was at a loss for words.

She knew her husband was wary of Xi Jianxi, and it was a different kind of wariness than what he felt towards Kirei Kotomine.

The opponent's strength was too unpredictable, so it was best to avoid direct confrontation from the start.

"Don't mention it, I just wanted to do you a favor," Xi Jianxi shrugged. "This way, I won't be responsible for the damage to the castle, right?"

Irisviel blinked, then nodded with a wry smile. "Of course..."

The extent of the damage was not something that Einzbern's financial resources needed to worry about.

But it was clear that this Master had a way of thinking that was completely unlike that of a Magus, leaving her with no choice but to offer a helpless, wry smile and accept his unspoken request.

Afterward, Irisviel left Maiya to care for Kiritsugu and went with Xi Jianxi to the adjacent living room.

Artoria and Morgan were both there, having tea.

"I heard Caster has escaped. My husband is quite relaxed, having the leisure to help heal someone from another faction," Morgan said with a smile, holding her teacup. "Aren't you worried about Caster being defeated by someone else?"

"It doesn't matter who defeats him, I'm not lacking in Command Spells," Xi Jianxi said, hands on his hips. "Besides, you have the nerve to call me leisurely. Are all legendary kings and nobles this leisurely?"

Morgan calmly glanced at Xi Jianxi. "According to you, do you want me to just wait outside doing nothing?"

"That's not what I meant." Xi Jianxi, unable to argue with her, turned to look at Irisviel and Artoria. "As you just heard, Caster has fled. He probably realized the situation was dire when I launched my large-scale magical attack and retreated preemptively."

Artoria nodded. "There's nothing that can be done. Caster himself said he had made thorough preparations, and that probably included a way to retreat safely."

"He talked a big game, but that's all the courage he had," Xi Jianxi sighed.

At this point, Irisviel asked, "So, what do we do now? Caster's subjugation failed, and he still has the potential to cause more harm. Our alliance..."

Kiritsugu's severe injuries were a result of his hasty engagement due to insufficient information. Even after recovering, his combat effectiveness would be slightly diminished if he returned to the battlefield.

If possible, Irisviel wanted to maintain this alliance for a while longer, until the other factions were defeated.

"I don't mind on my end. After all, I let Kayneth go for now, considering Lancer's assistance earlier," Xi Jianxi said, looking at Morgan. "It would have been better if you had killed him on the spot."

"Isn't it more satisfying to resolve such matters personally?" Morgan accepted the criticism calmly. "It seems I misunderstood. My husband prefers having others do the work for him."

"...Forget it." Xi Jianxi couldn't handle it anymore.

Morgan called him "my husband" repeatedly, but when they were at home, Kiritsugu just let it slide.

Now, with Irisviel and Artoria present, every time Morgan called him that, Kiritsugu felt goosebumps erupt all over his back.

Kiritsugu wasn't thick-skinned enough to ignore it completely.

Especially with Artoria, who had a direct connection to Morgan.

Direct connection?

Kiritsugu suddenly froze. The dream from last night resurfaced in his mind now that he had relaxed after the battle.

The End of All Things, the Land of Rain... what kind of place is that?

The legends of King Arthur didn't mention such a place.

But legends were just legends, and their records were full of contradictions and ambiguities, so Morgan...

"What are you thinking about?" Morgan asked, sipping her tea.

Kiritsugu snapped back to attention, realizing he had been standing there lost in thought while everyone else watched him.

He glanced at the untouched cup of black tea by Artoria's hand and thought, They were fighting fiercely yesterday, and today they're sitting here drinking tea. You guys aren't that bad with each other, are you?

"Nothing, just thinking that long nights bring many dreams," Kiritsugu turned and said decisively, "Why don't we take advantage of the fact that it's not yet dawn and take care of Lancer's Master?"

"My husband is quite warlike."

Despite her slightly teasing words, Morgan stood up without any hesitation, making others feel that the pace of this Master and Servant was too synchronized.

"However, continuous combat inevitably leads to fatigue. After repelling Caster and that proxy, do you still have the strength?" Morgan asked another crucial question.

Kiritsugu responded casually, "That applies to Kayneth as well. If you hadn't held back, he would have died in the hall long ago. Everyone is depleted; it's fair."

Even if he had miraculously escaped with his life, the myriad of diverse magecraft Morgan had unleashed in just one minute would have been enough to severely deplete Kayneth, who was already exhausted from defending.