Kariya ordered Berserker to kill Tohsaka Tokiomi.
"Waaaaaaaagh!!!"
Berserker didn't need a weapon. Against a powerful and frenzied Servant like this, Tohsaka Tokiomi, a mere magus, didn't stand a chance of surviving even one blow!
And that was exactly what Kariya wanted: to tear the man before him to pieces, bit by bit!
As Berserker charged straight at him, Tokiomi showed no sign of panic. He raised his right hand, marked with Command Spells, and sighed inwardly.
In the end, he still had to use one. That would also signal the complete breakdown of his relationship with the King of Heroes. But there was no other choice in this situation. If necessary, he could ask his old friend Risei Kotomine for another Command Spell.
Though his thoughts were elsewhere, Tokiomi didn't hesitate. He quickly and precisely recited the incantation:
"By the power of the Command Spell, I command my puppet (Servant)!"
At the same time, the two remaining Command Spells on the back of his hand glowed faintly red.
"Archer, come to my side at once!"
The disappearance of the Command Spell and the faint burn of his Magic Circuit meant that the command had reached Archer, but—
"???"
Tokiomi's expression turned uncertain. A Master's command to a Servant through a Command Spell was absolute. With Archer's Magic Resistance of only C, there was no way he could resist its power. So why wasn't that golden figure in sight?!
But events were unfolding too quickly for him to dwell on it. With Berserker only a few steps away, Tokiomi felt his life in danger for the first time.
Seeing Tokiomi wear an expression other than that damned elegance for the first time filled Kariya with a faint sense of satisfaction—and gratitude toward Wang Xiaoming, who had prepared everything so thoroughly for him.
"Die, Tohsaka Tokiomi!"
Tokiomi stared at the blazing, terrifying light in Berserker's eyes as they burned like flames within his black helmet.
He was momentarily dazed.
There's no chance of victory.
That was the result of his rapid calculations.
If that was the case...
He might as well close his eyes. Watching the gruesome sight of his own death wasn't exactly an elegant thing to do.
The last thing Tokiomi saw before darkness swallowed his vision was Berserker swinging a massive fist at him. The metal claws on the black gauntlet covering it sent a chill through him.
The next second—
Bang—
Splurt!
Blood sprayed everywhere!
It all happened in the blink of an eye. Kariya then saw a figure tumble away like a rag doll.
Was it over?
A sudden emptiness welled up inside Kariya. Was this what it felt like to defeat the person he hated? But this wasn't the time to feel empty. Kariya forced himself to focus.
Even if Tokiomi was dead, his Servant hadn't returned to the Throne of Heroes. That meant another hard fight was waiting for him.
At the very least, he had to repay the favor by eliminating that threat for Wang Xiaoming and the others. Kariya was confident he could handle an Archer without a Master. After all, the two remaining Command Spells on the back of his hand gave him some confidence.
Once he'd dealt with Archer... he could see Sakura one last time before he died. At least then, she wouldn't have to worry about him.
A tender smile touched Kariya's lips.
As for the reason... he could just tell her he was going away.
But things clearly never went as planned, and the unexpected always came so suddenly.
"Cough, cough!"
A muffled cough rang out, making Kariya freeze. He stared in disbelief at the person who should have been Tokiomi's corpse.
The supposed "corpse of Tohsaka Tokiomi" suddenly lurched, then was shoved aside, revealing Tokiomi beneath it, coughing uncontrollably.
"!!!"
If Berserker hadn't attacked Tokiomi just now, then who had he hit?!
But Kariya had no time to think about that. If Tokiomi wasn't dead, then it meant—
"Berserker!"
Kariya hurriedly directed the black Servant to finish Tokiomi off, but it was already too late.
Golden ripples were spreading everywhere.
"Wretch, how dare you disturb the King! What punishment do you deserve?!"
Sorry for the late update!
Work kept me tied up all day. So frustrating QAQ
I'll probably stick to one update a day on weekdays, but I should be able to post extra on weekends, right?
Thanks for all your support!
Prelude to the Final Battle
"Wretch, how dare you disturb the King! What punishment do you deserve?!"
The golden King stood on the soft earth, surveying everyone present.
The overwhelming pressure even made Kariya's breath catch in his throat, but it had no effect at all on the black, frenzied Servant beside him.
"Waaaaaaaagh!!!"
A crimson gleam flashed from what was probably Berserker's helmet. With a furious roar, the black magical energy swirling around him seemed to boil over.
His defiant roar caught Archer's attention. Scarlet eyes burned with the fury of a lotus in bloom, and golden ripples surged behind him.
"Vile mongrel, who gave you permission to affront a King?!"
Dozens, even hundreds, of weapons representing the Primordial Noble Phantasms glimmered as they emerged from the King's treasury, their cold, keen edges sending a chill through everyone who saw them.
"Please, stay your hand, my King."
The voice beside him made Archer turn toward his Master. Tokiomi had just risen to his feet. Though some dirt still clung to him, the elegance engraved in his very bones remained unchanged.
"Tokiomi, you've repeatedly interfered with the King's decisions. Has Tohsaka Tokiomi grown so bold, or do you think my mercy means you won't be punished?"
Archer narrowed his eyes. Though the pressure had eased slightly, Tokiomi knew this was only the prelude to the storm. If he didn't answer well, Archer wouldn't hesitate to send one of his Noble Phantasms his way.
Tokiomi drew a deep breath and bowed.
"Matou Kariya ignored the honor of magi, openly broke the rules governing magi, and attacked me. My apprentice, Kirei, tried to save me and took Berserker's blow in my place..."
Kirei Kotomine?
The person who had saved Tokiomi and was now lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance, was Kirei Kotomine?
Earlier, while Caster had been taunting Archer, Kirei had watched from nearby and sensed that something was wrong. Why would the Caster team, who could have simply stood by and benefited from the dispute, suddenly intervene?
Sensing that something was amiss, Kirei had ignored his teacher Tokiomi's instructions to use a Command Spell to hasten Assassin's arrival. Instead, he'd hurried back to Tohsaka Mansion.
The moment Kirei entered the mansion, he saw Kariya ordering Berserker to attack Tokiomi. He had no time to think. The muscles in his legs suddenly surged into action, and he rushed in front of Tokiomi to take the fatal blow for him.
As an Executor for the Church, Kirei was among the best of ordinary humans, but before a Servant, he was utterly powerless. He took Berserker's blow head-on, then used its force to move himself and Tokiomi out of Berserker's range.
The impact had nearly knocked the breath from Tokiomi, too.
"Thus, as Kirei's teacher, I must avenge my apprentice; as a magus, Tohsaka Tokiomi must wash away this humiliation; and as the current head of the Tohsaka Family, I must uphold the honor of the Three Founding Families and have the Matou name..."
Tokiomi's voice suddenly turned cold.
"Struck from the Three Founding Families!"
"..."
Unexpectedly, Archer, the King, silently listened to Tokiomi's request. Then he gave a derisive laugh, filled with scorn and disgust.
"What a tiresome wish, Tokiomi."
Archer's first words made Tokiomi's back stiffen. But the golden Heroic Spirit continued:
"Very well. I'll let you have your fun. Just don't lose too badly, Tokiomi."
"As you wish, my King."
Tokiomi bowed once more in gratitude.
"However..."
Archer's voice paused.
"This does not mean the King has forgiven you. Tohsaka Tokiomi, after this matter is settled, you will take your own life in atonement."
Archer's tone left no room for doubt. Tokiomi clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm, but he had no choice.
"Understood, my King."
"Then..."
After hearing Tokiomi's answer, Archer nodded and turned his gaze toward Berserker. His eyes once again blazed with murderous intent.
"Now it's time to deal with you, mad dog."
The expanded Gate of Babylon unleashed a six-hit volley of Noble Phantasms. Gleaming spears and blades streaked toward Berserker like meteors, trailing dazzling light.
"Waaaaaaaagh!!!"
The black Servant's resentful roar echoed through the night sky as his dark frenzy surged once more.
Though Archer had long despised Tokiomi, he still kept his word and gave him an open space to fight Kariya.
"Kariya, your failure to kill me will be the decision you regret most."
Facing Kariya, Tokiomi tried to heed his reason and the family creed urging him to preserve his elegance. But his voice still carried anger he hadn't realized was there.
"Regret?"
Kariya sneered. "No. I'm so excited I'm trembling!"
Just as Kariya had said, his body was trembling uncontrollably.
The person he hated most in the world stood right in front of him. Every second he had to look at Tokiomi's nauseating face made his hatred grow stronger.
He hated that Tohsaka Tokiomi had been at Aoi's side.
He hated even more that Tohsaka Tokiomi had sent Sakura into the Matou House, that den of misery.
But perhaps the person Kariya hated most was himself.
He hated his cowardice, his inability to make Aoi happy with his own hands.
He hated his helplessness. Even after doing everything he could, he still couldn't change Sakura's fate as she languished in that den of misery.
He hated fate. Why had he been born into the Matou House?
But more than that, he hated this man, who had everything and didn't know how to cherish it!
The emptiness he'd felt when he saw "Tohsaka Tokiomi's corpse" fly away had already vanished. In its place was the thrill of finally getting the chance to make up for his earlier failure to kill Tohsaka Tokiomi with his own hands!
"No, you still don't understand, Kariya."
Tokiomi shook his head and looked at Kariya coolly.
"Though I should be grateful to you for refusing to inherit the family headship and leaving Matou Magecraft in Sakura's hands... I still can't forgive you."
Tokiomi raised the Cane in his hand. A searing wave of power began to emanate from the large Ruby set in its head.
"The weakness of abandoning your duty to your bloodline, and the baseness of feeling no remorse for it—Matou Kariya, you are a disgrace to the magecraft world. Now that things have come to this, you can only be destroyed."
"Intensive Einäscherung—" (A searing funeral pyre for my enemy)
Don't say I'm padding the word count. I'm going to keep writing and try to finish the next chapter tonight.
Command Spell
Before you continue