Piercing the Spear of Death's Flight!

Time returns to the evening of that day.

Fuyuki Church.

The ancient doors of the church slowly creaked open, and the fiery red sunset slanted through the tall glass windows, casting light into the dim interior.

It felt as if one had crossed through a mist of time, stepping into a mysterious and solemn world.

The dim interior of the church exuded a tranquil atmosphere; the ancient stone pillars cast long shadows under the light, as if guarding this sacred hall.

The high vaulted ceiling was decorated with intricate murals, which, despite the erosion of time, still radiated solemnity and mystery.

Along the long central aisle, the stone floor was covered with a thick carpet; walking upon it, one's footsteps sounded exceptionally quiet.

The pews in the church were lined up in rows, waiting silently for the arrival of believers, their wooden surfaces weathered as if recording hundreds of years of prayers and meditations.

The side aisles of the church were filled with prayer spaces prepared for the faithful. On an ancient table sat leather-bound books, surrounded by candle holders; the faint candlelight flickered in the gloom, emitting a holy aura.

The walls were hung with ancient icons, their faces solemn and serene, as if guarding the spark of faith.

Most striking were the massive glass windows, decorated with exquisite stained glass. Sunlight passed through them, casting rich colors onto the floor like mysterious paintings.

The scenery outside the windows was displayed one by one through these works of art, appearing dreamlike.

Although Saber had warned Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya, at Rin Tohsaka's suggestion, the group had come here regardless.

However, because the church was an inviolable neutral zone where no Servant could enter.

Therefore, Saber and Archer could only wait outside the church.

In the middle aisle of the dim church sat a man with black hair reaching nearly to his shoulders, his brown eyes looking exceptionally deep.

The man was dressed in clerical vestments, draped with a long, deep-black trench coat, and wore a cross necklace on his chest.

This man was the supervisor of this Holy Grail War, Kirei Kotomine.

At the same time, Kirei Kotomine held another identity.

Kirei Kotomine was originally a disciple of the previous head of the Tohsaka family, Tokiomi Tohsaka.

After Tokiomi Tohsaka passed away, Kirei Kotomine became the guardian of Rin Tohsaka.

Thus, Kirei Kotomine was both Rin Tohsaka's senior apprentice brother and her mentor.

Over the years, Kirei Kotomine had been the one teaching Rin Tohsaka, though most of it was not well-received by her.

At this moment, Kirei Kotomine sat on a bench in the middle of the church with a faint, inscrutable smile.

Standing beside Kirei Kotomine were Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka.

"So, you intend to work together to stop the descent of the Holy Grail."

"Is that right?"

Kirei Kotomine looked at Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya with an inexplicable sense of pleasure.

Regarding this attitude from Kirei Kotomine, Rin Tohsaka frowned:

"As the supervisor, since the Holy Grail has been corrupted, don't you also have a duty to stop it?"

Hearing this, a muffled chuckle escaped Kirei Kotomine's throat, the low sound echoing through the church.

"What do you mean by that?"

Rin Tohsaka asked again.

Kirei Kotomine stood up at this moment, ignoring Rin Tohsaka's question, and looked instead at Shirou Emiya:

"Shirou Emiya."

"During the war ten years ago, I met a man just like you."

"That is to say, your father."

"Kiritsugu Emiya."

Shirou Emiya was slightly stunned upon hearing this; he had not expected Kirei Kotomine to bring this up voluntarily. Although he had learned some things from Saber, he wanted to know more.

Seeing Shirou Emiya's expression, Kirei Kotomine's face showed a hint of pleasure, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he recounted:

"Kiritsugu Emiya, that man."

"To put it in one sentence, he was a killer."

"A magus killer who specialized in assassinating magi."

"Although most magi are people who go against ethics and morality."

"Among those magi, Kiritsugu Emiya was even more vicious."

"Kiritsugu Emiya was a cold-blooded and ruthless man; to win the war, he would stop at nothing to use any means necessary."

"Even if other Masters begged him for mercy on their knees, he would kill them without a shred of hesitation."

"However, he would sacrifice one person to save ten."

"He was just such a hopeless saint."

Shirou Emiya listened carefully, but in truth, this did not deviate much from what Saber had told him.

Shirou Emiya looked at Kirei Kotomine and said:

"Even so."

"The Kiritsugu I knew would never turn a blind eye to the victims of the Holy Grail War."

"I have always aspired to become a hero of justice just like him."

"Therefore, I want to fight for that."

"To destroy the corrupted Holy Grail."

Hearing this, Kirei Kotomine pondered for a moment before letting out a low, deep laugh once again:

"In truth, you already know the nature of the Holy Grail."

"And the most critical part is the 'hole' of the Holy Grail."

Rin Tohsaka was lost in thought, while Shirou Emiya did not understand the meaning of the 'hole' Kirei Kotomine spoke of at all.

However, Kirei Kotomine did not stop his explanation:

"It is only the Greater Grail that has been corrupted."

"The Greater Grail is a massive magic circle constructed beneath Enzo Mountain, where Ryudou Temple is located. It draws the mana required for the Holy Grail War from the ley lines of Fuyuki City, and when the mana is sufficient, the Holy Grail War begins."

"When the ritual reaches a certain stage, the hole will open."

"And to open this hole, one requires the vessel of the Holy Grail, which is the Lesser Grail."

"Once the Servants have been eliminated one by one to a certain stage, the Lesser Grail, which houses the souls of the Servants, will connect to the Greater Grail."

"The so-called 'hole' will then open accordingly."

"However, the moment that hole opens, disaster will also descend."

"Just like that fire ten years ago, the truth of which remains unknown."

"Thus, this is everything that has occurred in the Holy Grail War of Fuyuki."

Kirei Kotomine looked at the furrowed brows of Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly:

"Night is falling, and it is time for you to act."

Since they had been given their marching orders, Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya naturally did not continue to linger in Fuyuki Church.

However, the moment they stepped out of the gates of Fuyuki Church.

The twilight sky, which had been on the verge of night, suddenly turned incomparably crimson!

Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya looked up at the sky in panic, only to see that, at some unknown point, Lancer, wielding a crimson spear, was hovering in mid-air!

Lancer held his crimson spear in a throwing stance, the tip of the spear radiating an intensely powerful crimson mana that flickered like flames in the air!

Lancer gritted his teeth with a ferocious expression, his scarlet eyes locked onto Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya as they had just stepped out of the church.

As the spear was thrown, the true name of his Noble Phantasm was roared from his throat:

"Gáe Bolg!"