The Last Pair of Participants in the Holy Grail War

As Kirei Kotomine made the sign of the cross on his chest to pray for his father's peace, he suddenly heard a mocking, malicious taunt:

"Just as a wild beast follows the scent of blood—the soul seeks pleasure—"

Gilgamesh, gazed at Kirei with a meaningful look:

"Kirei, why do you deny your own nature?"

"That's not how it works!"

Kirei's angry rebuttal rang out as if by conditioned reflex:

"King of Heroes, only someone like you would find pleasure in the suffering of others. But to do so is the act of a sinner, a crime deserving of punishment. In any case, the path I, Kirei Kotomine, believe in will never be compromised by your ways!"

However, this resolute rebuttal only elicited a helpless sigh from Gilgamesh:

"Your constant self-criticism is really infuriating to the King."

Just as Kirei was about to retort, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his body, causing him to bend over.

"--!?"

A burning pain shot through his left forearm near his elbow. He didn't know the cause, but Kirei had indeed experienced this sensation before. Kirei had felt the same painful and strange feeling three years ago, in his left arm. That was when it all began.

The pain was gradually replaced by waves of burning heat. Kirei stopped thinking out of surprise and subconsciously rolled up his sleeves to check his wrists.

On his left arm, the stigmata of fate were clearly visible. The remaining Command Spell, which had been partially destroyed when used on Assassin, reappeared, retaining their original size and shape.

"How is that possible..."

The new Command Spell. The numbing sensation from the intense pain confirmed that it was indeed a Stigmata, but even so, Kirei was still unable to recover for a moment and could only mutter blankly.

"Heh, just as I thought, but this is way too slow, you bastard!"

Gilgamesh looked at the Command Spell that had been replenished on Kirei Kotomine's hand and wore an expression of utter entitlement.

However, all of this seemed utterly incomprehensible to Kirei Kotomine. To re-grant Command Spell to Servant who had already left the stage was unprecedented in all previous Holy Grail War.

Furthermore, Kirei wasn't even one of the "Founding Three Founding Families," so why would the Holy Grail bestow the same Stigmata upon someone who had already left? What kind of expectations did they have for him? This was an utterly baffling and abnormal situation.

"It seems the Holy Grail still has high expectations for you."

Archer spoke to the disheveled Kirei with a slightly wicked smile.

"Kirei Kotomine, you should also respond to the expectations placed upon you by the Holy Grail. In any case, you must have reasons to hope for obtaining the Holy Grail."

"My... reason for obtaining the Holy Grail?"

"If it truly is a miracle that can grant any wish— the Holy Grail —it must be able to fulfill even the deepest desires within your heart that you yourself are not even aware of."

Looking at Archer's expression, Kirei suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. Yes—it was the expression of the serpent in the Garden of Eden depicted in the illustrations of the Bible.

"Kirei, thinking won't bring you answers. It's this kind of thinking, bound by ethics, that distorts your perception. Pray that you will obtain the Holy Grail. At that time, you will find the answer to the true happiness you seek in what the Holy Grail brings you."

"..."

This was something Kirei had never imagined.

This is putting the cart before the horse, prioritizing the means over the ends. It is precisely because they do not know what their own desires are that they seek the Holy Grail, which can grant all desires, to find out.

If the goal is simply to find an answer—this certainly has an immediate effect.

"... But if that's the case, I'll have to personally destroy the wishes of the other six people before I can find the answer. And if I were to obtain the Holy Grail for my own personal purposes... I'd also have to contend with my teacher..."

"Give up your pointless thinking, Kirei. Is that really what you think?"

Before Kirei Kotomine could finish speaking, Gilgamesh interrupted him, his blood-red eyes, seemingly capable of piercing through the stars, fixed on Kirei Kotomine...

After a while --

"If so, then why are you laughing?"

"Am I... laughing?"

With an incredulous tone, Kirei Kotomine rose and slowly walked to the baptismal altar. In the constantly shattering and overlapping reflections, he saw a barely suppressed smile on his lips.

First update of the day

There will be another update this afternoon.

First day of perfect attendance...

I'm offering a reward of 10,000 for every chapter...

What do you guys think?

Chapter 84. The Last Group of Participants in the Holy Grail War

"Am I... laughing?"

His desperate attempts to conceal it were futile; the uncontrollable curve of his lips reflected in the mirror made Kirei Kotomine appear exceptionally comical.

"How strange, why am I laughing?"

Reaching out, Kirei Kotomine covered his cheek with his hand, his trembling voice muffled and eerie, yet devoid of any sadness.

The death of his father did not bring him sorrow; instead, his heart leaped with joy, and the soft murmurs in his ears sounded like gentle singing.

"How strange... how strange..."

The muttering grew fainter and fainter until—

"King of Heroes..."

Just as Gilgamesh was admiring the man before him, he suddenly heard Kirei Kotomine's weak voice. "What is it?"

His red eyes seemed to be looking down on the lost little white mouse. Without guidance or rescue, perhaps enjoying the troubles of others was something that would bring Gilgamesh pleasure.

"What should I do?"

He blurted out the words that he would never normally have asked.

"There's a limit to playing dumb, Kirei. Don't you know this yourself?"

Looking at Kirei's disheveled state, Gilgamesh sneered with a tone of mockery and pity. The golden-haired Heroic Spirit's gaze seemed to see through everything. Kirei, the person directly involved, remained silent and met his gaze.

"I really can't do anything with you, Kirei..."

In this battle of wits, Archer was the one who lost, as if facing a student with poor comprehension. Archer sighed deeply.

No, this cannot be blamed on Kirei Kotomine.

Executor are servants of God; in the parlance of Magecraft, they are executioners of the church, whose goal is to kill all who "may disobey God." To become Executor, besides exceptional abilities, the most important thing is absolute loyalty to God—in layman's terms, fanaticism.

Kirei Kotomine was no exception.

This man's heart had always been divided into three parts—

One is the "truth" that originates from the bottom of one's heart, yearning for destruction and annihilation; another is the constraint of morality, the "restraint" that constantly denies the truth; and the last is absolute loyalty to God. What God loves is truth, goodness, and beauty, the seven virtues. As a fanatical believer in God, he consciously resists all darkness, whether within himself or in the outside world.

Now, standing before his father's corpse and under the "temptation" of the "Serpent of Eden," even the Lord's radiance is temporarily obscured, causing a crack to appear in Kirei Kotomine's piety in resisting darkness.

It seemed as if all that was waiting was for a sledgehammer to smash his shield to pieces, exposing the "truth" that had been hidden beneath.

"Having regained your Command Spell, you are undoubtedly 'favored by the Holy Grail.' Since you don't understand why the Holy Grail chose you, then there's no need to understand. Live to the end in this Holy Grail War with your questions in mind, and then go to the Holy Grail to verify your wish."

The golden Servant's tone was as if he were commanding his subject, leaving no room for argument.

"To survive to the end with questions in mind?"

A figure in a black trench coat suddenly appeared in Kirei Kotomine's mind.

--Emiya Kiritsugu

If only the conversation with Archer at this moment could turn into a question-and-answer session with Emiya Kiritsugu.

Of course, their positions are completely different. Communication between two such people would surely be limited to weapons or fists, not words. But even so, Kirei only wants to fight this man known as Kiritsugu. This is a conversation between men.

"Then let's join... though I don't know why we'll be joining this war..."

As Kirei spoke, he rolled up his sleeves to check the Command Spell on his arm.

Three intact Command Spell were engraved on his left hand; these were the "tools" that allowed him to re-form a contract with Servant.

It is also an opportunity for the Holy Grail to grant oneself a second chance.

Although the reason for joining the war, which is not really a reason, seems somewhat frivolous.

But to confirm his doubts and to fill the void in his heart, he would ask Emiya Kiritsugu, and --

Ask the Holy Grail, which is the machine of wishes.

The road ahead holds no grand principles, no empty fame; it is solely for Kirei Kotomine's battle, which is about to begin.

"However, Kirei..."

Instead of being overjoyed at Kirei's participation in the war, the ill-tempered golden-haired Heroic Spirit poured cold water on Kirei Kotomine:

"Like you said, if you really decide to participate in the Holy Grail War, then you will become Tohsaka Tokiomi's enemy. That means you are now completely unguarded in the same room as the enemy's Servant. Isn't that terrible?"

"It's not that bad, I still have ways to survive."

Having decided to participate in the war, Kirei Kotomine's emotions returned to their original calm.

"Oh?"

Archer narrowed his eyes with interest at Kirei's answer.

"Now that I am an enemy of Tokiomi, there is no need for me to conceal his lies any longer— Gilgamesh, let me tell you the truth about the Holy Grail War that you do not know."

"... What did you say?"

Archer frowned in confusion upon hearing this. Kirei then recounted the truth about the Holy Grail War that he had learned from Tokiomi.

"Miracles that occur 'within' this world cannot be used 'outside' the world. The struggle for the Wish Machine is just a pretext; the 'Founding Three Founding Families' have other purposes."

The ritual originally held in Fuyuki was an attempt to open the path to the 'Root' by sacrificing the souls of seven Heroic Spirit. The promise of 'the achievement of a miracle' was merely bait to lure the Heroic Spirit. However, as a result of this unilateral dissemination of 'bait,' the Holy Grail War has now lost its original meaning and is nothing but an empty shell."

This is a secret known only to Matou, Tohsaka, the Einzbern, and those connected to them. No outside Master or Servant knows this truth.

"This time, the only Magecraft who wants to fulfill the long-cherished wish of the 'Founding Three Founding Families' is Tohsaka Tokiomi. He wants to kill all seven Servants to activate the 'Greater Grail.' Yes, kill all seven. Understand? That's why Tokiomi is so stingy with the Command Spell. In the battles against the other Masters, he can only use two Command Spell. The last one, after everything is over, he will use to command his Servant to commit suicide."

Archer listened without saying a word, then lowered his voice and asked with an unusually cold expression.

"... Are you saying that Tohsaka Tokiomi's loyalty to me was all a lie?"

Kirei understood his teacher's character. Therefore, he slowly shook his head.

"He certainly held the highest reverence for 'Gilgamesh the King of Heroes.' But for Archer, who was a Servant, it was entirely different. In other words, you were merely a symbol, much like a statue or portrait. If placed in the most prominent position in a gallery, everyone who passed by would give you a respectful look—but if this symbol was removed when changing the collection, it would be scorned."

In other words, Tokiomi- sensei is ultimately a complete 'Magecraft,' and Servants are merely props to him. He calmly told me that even if he admires Heroic Spirit, he would never harbor any illusions about idols."

Upon hearing Kirei's explanation, Archer nodded emphatically as if suddenly understanding, then revealed that same wicked smile again. A smile that was both tolerant and cruel, bold and absolute; everything could be judged with a single word from him—the smile of a king of absolute existence. 1020037992

"Tokiomi —now I finally realize your value. I never thought that boring man could bring me such joy."

If we look at the unspoken meaning behind his words, this is a truly chilling declaration that can freeze one's blood.

"King of Heroes, what do you intend to do? Even so, will you still show loyalty to Master Tokiomi and execute me for my betrayal?"

"Yes, what should I do? Although he's disloyal to me, Tokiomi is still my magic supplier. And where can I find a perfect Master?"

Archer had barely finished speaking when he suddenly stared at Kirei with a cold expression.

Ah, so it seems there's another Master here who, despite obtaining Command Spell, has lost their Servant.

You're right.

Responding to Archer's blatant seduction with a smile, Kirei nodded and said:

"But I wonder if that man is qualified to be the King of Heroes' favorite as a Master."

"No problem. Although it has a minor flaw, it still has potential. Maybe it will give me a lot of fun."

That's all--

The final Master and Servant, chosen by fate, exchanged smiles for the first time at this moment.

I got a bit too engrossed in games today, sorry.