After a long while, he nodded slightly:
"I can. I agree."
Huh...?
Kariya Matou was slightly startled. He had actually agreed? And so quickly, too.
Kariya had assumed he was the stubborn, single-minded type, so he had not held out much hope before speaking.
In truth, he had merely mentioned it casually.
Even the idea itself had only suddenly occurred to him.
As for Nero being able to save Irisviel, he had casually asked about it during a meal a few days ago, trying to ease the tension at the table.
"Then I'll take you to see Your Majesty Nero. You can discuss the details with her."
"Thank you."
Not long afterward, the two met Nero in the backstage area outside the Colosseum.
At this point, the Master Tournament had already ended, while registration for the Citizen Tournament was still ongoing.
As the referee, Nero had nothing to do and was idling around.
Upon hearing why they had come, Nero fell silent for a full five seconds.
Finally, she nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"Certainly. I roughly understand thy wife's condition. Replace her heart, then nurse her body back to health, and that will suffice."
"I am not skilled in such matters. Under normal circumstances, we could only seek the Emperor's Husband's aid."
"But this time is different. Before departing, I specifically brought along the strongest Noble Phantasm the Emperor's Husband bestowed upon me—the Primal Fire."
"If the Primal Fire is used in place of her heart, thy wife can certainly be saved."
Noticing that her hand had brushed the red longsword at her waist a few times while she spoke, Kiritsugu Emiya quickly realized that the Noble Phantasm, Primal Fire, was likely that sword.
Her attitude made it clear that it was not only an extremely precious treasure, but also a gift from the one she loved.
Under such circumstances, Kiritsugu Emiya found it truly difficult to ask her for it.
But as he thought of his wife, Irisviel, his resolve gradually hardened.
"Your Majesty Nero, what price must I pay for you to use that Noble Phantasm to save my wife?"
"It's very simple."
Nero smiled faintly and declared loudly:
"Add some flowers to adorn my journey. Let me depart bearing the glory of victory. In that case, I shall gift thee this precious Noble Phantasm, the Primal Fire."
Kiritsugu Emiya understood instantly and hurriedly lowered his head.
"Leave it to me. I will do everything in my power to help you win this Holy Grail War."
The Holy Grail had already lost its function. It was simply incapable of granting wishes.
There was little chance that Kariya Matou had lied about that.
So if he could exchange it for his wife's salvation, it would be an exceedingly worthwhile deal.
Kiritsugu Emiya's Method
Kiritsugu Emiya's Method
Afterward, Kiritsugu Emiya and Kariya Matou discussed for nearly half an hour how to help Nero secure victory in the Holy Grail War.
During that time, Kiritsugu Emiya not only obtained intelligence on every Master and Servant, but also learned that Berserker was on their side.
There were only seven Servants in total, and three were theirs. Victory could practically be reached out and touched.
However, there was still one greatest variable: Gilgamesh.
After learning of Archer's abilities from Kariya Matou, Kiritsugu Emiya remained silent for a long time, unable to find any way to defeat him head-on.
Of course, as the battle-hardened "Mage Killer," Kiritsugu Emiya eventually came up with a solution.
It was simply such a despicable method of warfare that he did not think someone as naive as Kariya Matou would approve.
"I'll deal with Tokiomi Tohsaka and his Master. Kayneth has already lost his magecraft, so take Berserker and deal with Lancer."
"How are you going to deal with that Hero King who's basically a bug?" Kariya Matou asked, his eyes wide with shock.
"You don't need to worry about that. Lancer is yours. No problem?"
"No problem."
If both sides could resolve their targets smoothly, the only Servants left would be Rider and Assassin.
Kariya Matou unconsciously relaxed a little, while a new drive rose within him—
End the Holy Grail War in one stroke before Shirou and Sakura returned from their outing.
"Then let's begin."
Watching Kiritsugu Emiya's retreating back, Kariya Matou revealed a faint smile and thought:
As expected of Shirou's future father. He's truly reliable.
"Saber, you should be able to lure Tokiomi Tohsaka's Servant away, right?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"Masters fight Masters, and Servants fight Servants. You wouldn't object to that, would you?"
"Very well. I will create an environment where you can fight alone."
Artoria's instincts told her that this man called Kiritsugu Emiya was once again planning to do something underhanded.
However, on the surface, it was a perfectly normal battle strategy, so she did not object.
Within the City of Rome, Tokiomi Tohsaka had just left the Colosseum when he spotted an armored woman approaching him.
People dressed like that were everywhere throughout the City of Rome, so he paid it no mind.
What caught his attention instead was her face, which looked exactly like Emperor Nero's, prompting him to take a few extra glances.
"Archer, you're there, aren't you? I am Saber in this Holy Grail War. If you have the courage, come fight me one-on-one."
"Mongrel, you dare show disrespect to a King..."
Gilgamesh appeared instantly, standing by the roadside as one Noble Phantasm after another emerged behind him.
Seeing this, Artoria immediately began to flee.
This was not an encounter battle, but a decoy operation to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
What she had not expected was for Archer to take the bait so easily.
It was the first time she had encountered someone so easily fooled.
In the blink of an eye, the two Servants vanished without a trace.
Tokiomi Tohsaka stared in the direction the two had gone, slightly stunned.
At that moment, he vaguely sensed that something was wrong, yet he could not say what exactly it was.
In the previous dockyard incident, Saber and Lancer had not fought, but it had still been clear that Saber was an upright and honorable Servant.
Someone like her should disdain scheming and trickery.
Perhaps she merely wished to avoid harming the people on the streets?
Tokiomi Tohsaka hesitated, then lowered his arm and did not use a Command Seal to summon Gilgamesh back.
Something as precious as a Command Seal had to be used on something equally precious.
After walking several meters, a bone-chilling feeling suddenly rose in Tokiomi Tohsaka's heart.
Before he could react, a muffled gunshot rang out. The mana within his body instantly went berserk. He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood and collapsed weakly to the ground.
"Kiritsugu Emiya!"
Back in the arena, Kayneth seemed to have fallen victim to the same method.
He had not expected Kiritsugu Emiya to target him as well.
That meant Saber's sudden appearance earlier really had been part of a scheme to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
Tokiomi Tohsaka lay in a pool of blood as countless memories involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
The one that remained clearest was the scene from a year ago, when the head of the Matou family had proposed adopting his younger daughter.
At the time, he had regarded it as a stroke of fortune, believing the Tohsaka family was about to embark upon a glorious future.
Now, there was only regret in his heart.
He did not even dare imagine what his younger daughter had experienced over the past year.
"Is this retribution?"
Kiritsugu Emiya slowly walked to Tokiomi Tohsaka's side, took out a syringe, and plunged it into his neck.
In mere seconds, Tokiomi Tohsaka lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, more than an hour had passed.
Seeing the muzzle of Kiritsugu Emiya's gun aimed directly at his forehead, Tokiomi Tohsaka fell silent for several seconds before slowly speaking.
"You've won, Kiritsugu Emiya. Do it."
Kiritsugu Emiya took out a sheet of paper covered in writing with his other hand and slowly held it before Tokiomi Tohsaka's eyes.
"Sign it."
Tokiomi Tohsaka glanced over it. Its contents were roughly as follows:
Archer would commit suicide, and Kiritsugu Emiya would spare him.
"A Self-Enforcement Document? Do you think I'll sign it?"
"You have no other choice. My assistant is watching your wife and daughter right now. Sign it. This is your only option."
"Change a few words. After Archer commits suicide, kill me."
"Why?" A trace of confusion appeared on Kiritsugu Emiya's face.
He had not intended to spare him in the first place, but for the man involved to make such a request was truly difficult for him to understand.
Tokiomi Tohsaka gave a scornful laugh and silently gazed at the sky. After a long while, he spoke softly, as though talking to himself.
"That's why I say you people understand nothing."
"I have thought about it for a long time. Though I deeply regret what happened a year ago, if I could do it over again, I would probably still make the same choice."
"As the head of the Tohsaka family, I must maintain elegant words and conduct at all times. Since I have already been defeated in the Holy Grail War, death is my only destination."
Kiritsugu Emiya answered with silence. He could not understand it, but it did save him a great deal of trouble.
"Fine. Once this is over, I'll personally send you on your way."
Not long afterward, Tokiomi Tohsaka used three Command Seals in succession, ordering Archer Gilgamesh to commit suicide.
After nearly half an hour of pursuit and escape, Artoria stopped in an empty plaza within the city.
"Here will do, Archer. Let us settle this here!"
"Mongrel, is this the grave you chose for yourself?"
As he spoke, dozens of Noble Phantasms shot toward Artoria.
"Or perhaps it will be your grave?"
Artoria chuckled, gripping her invisible sword as she knocked every Noble Phantasm aside.
More than an hour later, a bold voice suddenly rang out from afar:
"...Any coward who dares not come forth shall suffer the contempt of me, Iskandar, the King of Conquerors!"
Gilgamesh, who had grown tired of playing and was about to draw Gae Bolg, glanced at Artoria and vanished without hesitation.
Before you continue