Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

After a long moment, he nodded slightly:

"Alright, I agree."

Huh...?

Kariya Matou was a bit startled—he actually agreed? And so quickly, at that.

He'd assumed the man was the stubborn type, so Kariya hadn't held much hope before speaking.

In truth, it was just a casual remark.

Even the idea itself had popped up out of nowhere.

As for Nero being able to save Irisviel, that came from a random question he'd asked a couple days ago over dinner, just to lighten the mood at the table.

"Since that's the case, I'll take you to see His Majesty Nero. You can discuss the details with her."

"I appreciate the trouble."

Soon after, the two met Nero backstage outside the arena.

By now, the Master Tournament had ended, while Citizen Tournament registration was still ongoing.

Nero, acting as referee, had nothing to do and was loafing around.

Hearing their request, Nero fell into a five-second silence.

Finally, she nodded slightly and said with a smile:

"It's fine. I roughly understand your wife's condition—swap out her heart and regulate her body, and that should do it."

"I'm not particularly skilled at this sort of thing. Normally, I'd have to seek help from the Emperor's Husband."

"But this time's a bit different. Before heading into battle, I specifically brought the strongest Noble Phantasm gifted by him—Primal Fire."

"If I use Primal Fire to replace her heart, your wife can surely be saved."

Noticing her hand pat the red longsword at her waist as she spoke, Kiritsugu Emiya quickly realized that the Noble Phantasm Primal Fire was likely that very blade.

From her attitude, it was clear this wasn't just a precious treasure—it was a gift from her beloved.

In that situation, Kiritsugu found it hard to ask her for it.

But thinking of his wife Irisviel, his resolve gradually hardened:

"Your Majesty Nero, may I ask what price I must pay for you to use your Noble Phantasm to save my wife?"

"It's simple."

Nero smiled faintly and declared loudly:

"Add some flowers to adorn my journey this time, let me leave with the glory of victory. Then, I'll gift you this precious Noble Phantasm, Primal Fire."

Kiritsugu caught on instantly and bowed his head:

"Leave it to me. I'll do everything in my power to help you win this Holy Grail War."

The Holy Grail had lost its function—it couldn't grant wishes anymore.

Kariya was unlikely to be lying about that.

So, trading this for his wife's salvation would be a very worthwhile deal.

Chapter 19: Kiritsugu Emiya's Approach

Section 19: Chapter 19: Kiritsugu Emiya's Approach

Afterward, to help Nero secure victory in the Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu Emiya and Kariya Matou discussed things for nearly half an hour.

During that time, Kiritsugu not only obtained intel on all Masters and Servants but also learned that Berserker was on their side.

With seven Servants total and three on their team, victory seemed within reach.

Still, there was one major wild card: Gilgamesh.

After hearing about Archer's abilities from Kariya, Kiritsugu fell silent for a long time, but could never find a way to win head-on.

Of course, as the battle-hardened "Magus Killer," Kiritsugu eventually came up with a solution.

But it was such a underhanded tactic that he doubted someone as naive as Kariya would agree to it.

"I'll handle Tokiomi Tohsaka and his Master. Kayneth has already lost his magecraft abilities, so you take Berserker and deal with Lancer."

"How are you going to handle that broken Hero King?" Kariya asked, stunned.

"You don't need to worry about that. Lancer's yours—any problem?"

"No problem."

If both sides went smoothly, the only remaining Servants would be Rider and Assassin.

Kariya's mood unconsciously lightened a bit, and a new drive stirred within him—

To end the Holy Grail War in one go, before Shirou and Sakura got back from shopping.

"Then let's move out."

Watching Kiritsugu's retreating figure, Kariya Matou let a faint smile creep onto his face, thinking to himself:

As expected of Shirou's future father—truly reliable.

"Saber, lure away Tokiomi Tohsaka's Servant. You can manage that, can't you?"

"What are you planning?"

"A Master fights a Master, a Servant fights a Servant. You can't object to that, can you?"

"Fine. I'll create an environment for you to fight alone."

Intuition told Artoria that this man, Kiritsugu Emiya, was about to do something despicable again.

On the surface, however, it was a perfectly normal battle tactic, so she didn't object.

Inside the City of Rome, Tokiomi Tohsaka had just stepped out of the Colosseum when he noticed a woman in armor approaching.

Such attire was common throughout the city, so he paid it little mind.

What did catch his eye, though, was her face—identical to Emperor Nero's.

"Archer, you're there, aren't you? I am Saber in this Holy Grail War. If you have the guts, face me in a one-on-one duel."

"Mongrel, how dare you disrespect a King..."

Gilgamesh appeared instantly, standing by the roadside as Noble Phantasm after Noble Phantasm manifested behind him.

Seeing this, Saber immediately turned and fled.

This wasn't a skirmish—it was a diversionary tactic to lure the tiger from the mountain.

What she hadn't expected was for Archer to take the bait so easily.

She'd never met anyone so gullible.

In the blink of an eye, both Servants vanished without a trace.

Tokiomi Tohsaka stared at the direction they'd gone, momentarily stunned.

At that moment, he sensed something was off, but couldn't put his finger on it.

Back at the docks, though Saber and Lancer hadn't fought, it was clear Saber was a noble and upright Servant.

Someone like that wouldn't stoop to schemes or tricks.

Perhaps she was just trying to avoid harming bystanders on the street?

Tokiomi hesitated, then lowered his arm, deciding not to use a Command Seal to call Gilgamesh back.

Command Seals were too precious to waste on trivial matters.

After walking a few meters, a sudden chill ran down Tokiomi's spine.

Before he could react, a gunshot rang out—muffled by a silencer. His magical energy went haywire, he coughed up blood several times, and collapsed weakly to the ground.

"Kiritsugu Emiya!"

Back at the arena, Kayneth had fallen to the same trick.

He never expected to be targeted himself.

So Saber's sudden appearance was indeed a diversion to lure the tiger from the mountain.

Lying in a pool of blood, Tokiomi's mind flooded with countless memories.

The most vivid was from a year ago, when the head of the Matou family had offered to adopt his youngest daughter.

At the time, he'd considered it a stroke of luck, believing the Tohsaka family was on the path to glory.

Now, he felt only regret.

He couldn't even bear to imagine what his youngest daughter had endured this past year.

"Is this my retribution?"

Kiritsugu Emiya slowly approached Tokiomi, pulling out a syringe and plunging it into his neck.

Within seconds, Tokiomi lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes again, over an hour had passed.

Finding Kiritsugu's gun aimed at his forehead, Tokiomi was silent for a few seconds before speaking slowly:

"You win, Kiritsugu Emiya. Do it."

Kiritsugu's other hand produced a sheet of paper covered in writing, holding it before Tokiomi's eyes.

"Sign it."

Tokiomi glanced over it. The gist was:

Archer would commit suicide, and he would be spared.

"A Self-Enforcement Document? You think I'll sign this?"

"You have no choice. My assistant is watching your wife and daughter right now. Sign it—it's your only option."

"Change a few words. After Archer kills himself, kill me."

"Why?" Kiritsugu Emiya's face showed a hint of confusion.

Though he hadn't planned to let him off, the fact that the man himself would make such a request was truly baffling.

Tokiomi Tohsaka let out a scoff, silently gazing at the sky. After a long pause, he murmured as if to himself:

"That's why I said you people don't understand anything."

"I've thought about it for a long time. I deeply regret what happened a year ago, but if I could do it all over again, I'd probably make the same choice."

"As the head of the Tohsaka family, I must always maintain grace in my words and actions. Since I've already lost in the Holy Grail War, death is my only归宿."

Kiritsugu Emiya remained silent, unable to comprehend, but it was a help nonetheless.

"Fine. When it's over, I'll see you off myself."

Soon after, Tokiomi Tohsaka used three Command Seals in succession, ordering Archer Gilgamesh to kill himself.

After nearly half an hour of continuous chase, Artoria stopped in an empty plaza in the city.

"Right here, Archer. Settle this with me here!"

"Mongrel, is this the grave you've chosen for yourself?"

As he spoke, dozens of Noble Phantasms shot toward Artoria.

"Perhaps it's yours instead?"

Artoria let out a soft laugh, wielding her invisible sword, knocking down every single Noble Phantasm.

Over an hour later, a bold voice rang out from afar:

"...The coward who dares not advance shall earn the contempt of me, the King of Conquerors, Iskandar!"

Gilgamesh, already bored and about to draw Gae Bolg, glanced at Artoria and vanished without hesitation.