Here Lies a Friend of Justice (Continued)

Therefore, Kirei Kotomine, realizing that Matou Zouken intended to draw him into close combat and then counterattack, revealed a sinister smile. Immediately, the insect familiars beside him began to gather in greater numbers, quickly forming a dark mass. Then, under his deliberate control, they split into two different streams, one flowing from east to west and the other from west to east, intending to completely trap Kirei Kotomine in the forest and eliminate him completely.

Realizing this, Kirei Kotomine did not sit idly by. Taking advantage of the moment when Matou Zouken stopped to control the swarm of insects, he suddenly turned around and threw a Black Keys he was holding as a flying sword directly at Matou Zouken's head.

--clang!!

However, this action naturally caused no harm to the Old Worm. He simply released his right hand, which was controlling the weapon, and then raised his cane to knock the Black Keys that Kirei Kotomine had shot from mid-air directly to his feet. Taking advantage of Kirei Kotomine's Matou Zouken, Kirei Kotomine leaped into the forest on the right and disappeared completely from sight.

"Hmph, you cunning brat! But do you think you can get away with this?"

As Kirei Kotomine's figure completely disappeared into the forest, Matou Zouken's withered face suddenly bulged with veins. Although Kirei Kotomine had long since vanished, he still wasn't going to let him go.

After all, the ominous aura he had sensed from Gilgamesh still lingered in his heart. Just recalling it made his heart, which had long been replaced by insects, groan with unease.

A strange thought crept into Matou Zouken's mind: even if those three top-tier Servant joined forces, they would still be annihilated by Gilgamesh. Therefore, to be on the safe side, he had to capture Kirei Kotomine, Gilgamesh's new Master, no matter what, before making any further plans.

Thinking this through, Matou Zouken bent down and picked up the Black Keys that had just fallen from Kirei Kotomine's hand, then threw it into the swarm of insects behind him.

"Tracker, detect the scent on this and lead me to him! For the final victory, I must capture that Executor brat no matter what!"

His tone was ferocious as he gave orders to his familiar.

Upon receiving the order, the originally dense swarm of insects began to stir and thousands of them suddenly spread out from behind him to search the forest, reducing their massive size by half.

Matou Zouken gripped his withered wooden cane tightly, mocking it coldly, like a demon in the forest, relentlessly searching for the scent of the living.

Not long after...

Squeak—!

A dark wooden door was pushed open from the outside with a jarring sound. The church was completely dark, and even the faint candle on the altar was extinguished by the cold wind that rushed in from outside when the door was pushed open.

Rotten strings, a broken chair, and Madonna Statue that is half-crushed...

This is undoubtedly a church that has long been abandoned. It was originally located in this forest, but it was moved and abandoned because it was too inconvenient to visit every day.

At this moment, everything inside, from the items to the decor, bears the marks of time.

Da da da—!

Footsteps echoed in the church as Kirei Kotomine, who had just returned, walked past the collapsed pews on either side.

Suddenly...

--Bang!!

A chilling gust of wind suddenly swept past my ears, then slammed the wooden door behind me shut.

Kirei Kotomine frowned slightly, but remained calm. He looked at the broken Madonna Statue in front of him and heard the rustling of insects crawling in his ears. He already had an answer to the current situation in his heart.

"How wretched you are, Kirei Kotomine..."

That voice, hoarse like withered wood and shrill like a demon, slowly echoed through the church.

At that moment, he softly called out the other person's name, "... Matou Zouken".

"Oh, I see. You actually came to me so quickly."

"Heh heh, after all, you made a fatal mistake, Executor."

The old voice continued to echo in his ears, followed by—

Clang!!

With a crisp metallic clang, a jet-black short sword gleaming with a cold light suddenly fell from above, its blade embedded directly in front of Kirei Kotomine, flashing with several wisps of cold light.

"I see..."

Upon seeing this, Kirei Kotomine smiled slightly, already understanding why the other party had been able to find this place so quickly.

"Behave yourself, Kirei Kotomine. The curtain is already falling. Just accept your fate."

The aged voice rang out again, but this time it carried a hint of murderous intent. Accompanied by the sound of a cane striking the roof, a series of rattling sounds began to ring out in my ears.

Countless black insects, hidden in the shadows, began to crawl out of the darkness along the pillars under Matou Zouken's command. They quickly surrounded Kirei Kotomine through the Madonna Statue in the door behind him, forming a four-sided encirclement that made it difficult for him to escape.

"Kill him...no, leave him alive, and it would be best to preserve his Command Seal."

The aged voice hesitated for a moment before issuing the order again.

The next moment, the pitch-black swarm of insects erupted into a frenzy, surging forward like a tidal wave, intent on devouring Kirei Kotomine, who was trapped in the center.

However, even so, even in the face of such a desperate situation, Kirei Kotomine's eyes remained calm. He did not make a sound, but simply stared at the Madonna Statue of the Virgin Mary hidden in the darkness in front of him. His calm and indifferent gaze never looked at the insects around him, as if these things posed no threat to him at all.

Although I didn't only find out about this when I killed Tokiomi- sensei...

But the feeling is becoming increasingly apparent at this moment.

Ah, ah... I know, I've always known.

I was born different from others, I was born incomplete...

For me, happiness is actually bitter; only distortion is truly sweet. In other words...

Only in despair and distortion can I feel true joy, and only then can I realize that I am still alive.

I actually understood a long time ago.

My existence is a mistake for this world, for any living being, because it is the purest form of evil.

Even Merlene Solomon, who is also a monster, and Ciel, one of Roa's hosts, both described themselves in this way.

It's such a serious disability; perhaps I shouldn't have been born into this world.

Even so, over the past two decades, I have still managed to maintain my conscience by suppressing my true nature.

I have tried to correct myself, to become a normal person, and to integrate into the human community, but without exception, I have failed.

That last attempt was when I tried to love a woman.

That wasn't love...

It's just that I think I should do it.

I want to do that.

I hope to rediscover the feeling of being human by falling in love with someone and having children.

As for the result...

Until the moment you die in front of me.

"As for me, I still can't fall in love with you..."

Kirei Kotomine slowly closed his eyes, murmuring silently as the endless sea of insects engulfed his body.

"Hmph... Already dead? Poor little Executor brat."

Sensing the cessation of movement below through the swarm of insects, Matou Zouken, standing atop the church and before the cross, revealed a mocking smile. "Just like your foolish and naive teacher, your betrayal and desires will ultimately amount to nothing."

"With Gilgamesh out of the picture, I'll just say that if we can find a way to kill El-Melloi and Emiya Kiritsugu..."

He mocked Kirei Kotomine recklessly, having already resigned him to death in his heart, having dragged him into the swarm of insects.

However, just before he was about to give his victory speech, suddenly—

Bang!!

A violent explosion suddenly erupted from beneath his feet, accompanied by a huge gash. Before he could react, a dark figure leaped up from below and appeared right in front of him.

"It's... it's you! But... how is this possible?!"

Matou Zouken stared in astonishment at Kirei Kotomine, whose face had been half-eaten off by the insects and whose body was mangled, yet was growing back at an extremely bizarre rate.

Kirei Kotomine didn't answer his question. His hand, which had been bitten down to a skeleton, slammed down on Matou Zouken's head and slammed him to the ground. Then, to Zouken's disbelief, the eye that had been eaten grew back. His gaze remained calm as he stared at Matou Zouken, without joy or sorrow.

"What's wrong with you?!"

Matou Zouken roared and cursed, constantly questioning Kirei Kotomine, who should have died, should have been eaten by the insect swarm, but had reappeared here.

However, the other person did not answer, and their eyes remained expressionless, only pressing their palm firmly against Matou Zouken below, silently muttering—

"Announcement"

Our company kills, our company lives.

What I am wounded, I will heal.

Nothing can surpass it; it is in my palm.

"There is no escape from my gaze."

"This, this is...?"

The sacred incantation slipped out, and a strange feeling followed, making Matou Sōken, who was pressed below, suddenly realize something.

"To destroy it."

I summon back the crippled and the aged.

They entrust themselves to me, learn from me, and follow me.

As holy incantations continued to be uttered from his mouth, a pure white holy domain spread out from Kirei Kotomine's palm, enveloping him and Matou Zouken below in a dazzling light, displaying a unique brilliance under the night sky.

Both of their bodies were illuminated by the holy light. Gradually, Matou Zouken's decaying face became distorted, and black mist began to rise from his withered hands. He stared intently at Kirei Kotomine, who was still chanting incantations in front of him, and with his last strength, he let out a roar that resounded through the night sky.

"Stop! Stop right now!! Stop right now!!"

Despite Matou Zouken's roar, Kirei Kotomine remained unmoved, showing neither joy nor sorrow.

During a break,

The song has not been forgotten, the prayer has not been forgotten, and I have not forgotten myself.

"No, no, you can't do this to Kirei Kotomine! My wish, my long-cherished dream, is not yet fulfilled! You can't kill me!!"

"With my lightness, I can unload all burdens and find peace in my hands."

Because of your sins, you are anointed with oil and branded.

Kirei Kotomine, holding Matou Zouken, whose head had been burned to ashes by the holy light, pointed it at the cross in front of him and said calmly:

"Eternal life is given by death."

Forgiveness is in the present moment; I swear by my Incarnation.

Looking at Kirei Kotomine's calm face, Matou Zouken's heart trembled violently. In his dying moments, he began to curse wildly.

"You bastard! You demon! Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable! You hypocritical prisoners of justice, you only know how to tarnish my ideals with your boring, false morality! I will never forgive you, never! I curse you, I curse you... Aaaaaah!!!"

—KYRIE ELEISON (Looking with compassion upon this soul)

Kirei Kotomine spoke calmly, then slowly released his hand, casting Matou Zouken's last remaining soul along the holy light into the distant galaxy, reaching the celestial realm where the Lord resided.

"..."

After finishing everything, Kirei Kotomine quietly watched the other side of the Milky Way disappear, his expression remaining neither joyful nor sorrowful, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

And the half of his body that had been devoured by the horde was restored to its original state at this moment.

He then reached out his finger and pulled the last remaining Golden Apple core from his throat, tossing it into the soil at his feet.

Before entering, he ate a Golden Apple given to him by Gilgamesh, which could restore vitality and heal fatal wounds. This was an important reason why he remained calm even when facing endless insects.

Rather than saying that Matou Zouken found his way here on his own, it would be more accurate to say that he deliberately left the Black Keys so that Zouken Matou would find him...

Watching his frenzied death and hearing his unwilling roar, Kirei Kotomine, who had won the victory, couldn't help but reveal a pleased smile.

He quietly stepped off the roof, the last words his wife had spoken to him before she died echoing in his ears.

Kirei, you actually love me...

If you don't believe me, look, aren't there tears in the corners of your eyes?

"That was just a misunderstanding..."

He quietly recalled the scene, and a hint of sadness flashed involuntarily in his eyes.

"I was indeed sad at the time, but not because of that woman's death."

"Instead, I think that since death is inevitable, I would rather it be by my own hand, just like Tohsaka- sensei..."