Gae Bolg: Soaring Spear of Striking Death!

Time rewound to that evening.

The Fuyuki Church.

The church's ancient doors slowly swung open. The crimson setting sun slanted through the towering stained-glass windows, spilling into the dim interior.

It was as if they had passed through the mists of time and entered a mysterious, solemn world.

The church's shadowed interior held a tranquil atmosphere. The ancient stone pillars cast long shadows in the light, as if guarding the sacred hall.

Complex murals decorated the high vaulted ceiling. Though the years had left them mottled and worn, they still radiated solemnity and mystery.

A long carpet ran down the central aisle over the stone floor. Footsteps upon it sounded especially hushed.

The rows of pews waited in silence for the faithful. Their wooden surfaces were weathered, as if they had borne witness to centuries of prayer and contemplation.

The side aisles held spaces for worshippers to pray. Fine books rested on an ancient table, surrounded by candleholders. Their faint flames flickered in the shadows, giving off an air of holiness.

Ancient icons covered the walls. Their faces were solemn and serene, as if keeping watch over the flame of faith.

Most striking of all were the enormous windows, adorned with exquisite stained glass. Sunlight streamed through them, casting vivid colors across the floor like a series of mysterious paintings.

The view beyond the windows was displayed piece by piece through these works of art, like something from a dream.

Although Saber had warned Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya, they still came here at Rin's suggestion.

However, the church was neutral ground where no one was allowed to trespass, and Servants were forbidden from entering.

So Saber and Archer could only wait outside.

In the dim church, a man with black hair that nearly reached his shoulders sat in the central aisle. His brown eyes were strikingly deep.

He wore clerical robes beneath a long, dark overcoat, with a cross necklace hanging at his chest.

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

Kirei had another identity as well.

He had once been the student of Tokiomi Tohsaka, the previous head of the Tohsaka Family.

After Tokiomi's death, Kirei became Rin's guardian.

That made Kirei both Rin's senior and her teacher.

Over the years, he had been the one teaching Rin, though she rarely accepted what he taught her.

At that moment, Kirei sat on a pew in the middle of the church, wearing a faintly amused smile.

Shirou and Rin stood beside him.

"So, you intend to work together to prevent the Holy Grail from descending."

"Is that right?"

For some reason, Kirei regarded Rin and Shirou with evident delight.

Rin frowned at his attitude.

"As the overseer, you have a duty to stop the Grail now that it's been corrupted, don't you?"

Kirei gave a muffled chuckle. His low laughter echoed through the church.

"What do you mean by that?"

Rin asked again.

Kirei stood, ignoring her question as he turned to Shirou.

"Shirou Emiya."

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

"Your father."

"Kiritsugu Emiya."

Shirou was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Kirei to bring it up himself. Saber had already told him some things, but he wanted to know more.

Seeing Shirou's expression, Kirei's lips curled in apparent delight as he began to explain.

"Kiritsugu Emiya."

"To put it simply, he was a killer."

"A Magecraft practitioner who specialized in assassinating other mages—a Magus Killer."

"Most mages are already people who defy ethics and morality."

"But Kiritsugu was worse than any of them."

"He was cold-blooded and merciless. To win the war, he would use any means necessary."

"Even if another Master fell to his knees and begged for mercy, he would kill them without hesitation."

"And yet, he would sacrifice one person to save ten."

"That was the kind of hopeless saint he was."

Shirou listened closely, though what Kirei said didn't differ much from what Saber had told him.

"So what?"

Shirou looked at Kirei.

"The Kiritsugu I knew would never turn his back on the victims of the Holy Grail War."

"I've always admired him and wanted to become a Hero of Justice like him."

"So I want to fight for that."

"To destroy the corrupted Holy Grail."

Kirei fell silent for a moment, then let out another low laugh.

"You already know the nature of the Holy Grail."

"The key is the Grail's 'hole.'"

Rin was thinking it over, while Shirou had no idea what Kirei meant by "hole."

But Kirei continued his explanation.

"Only the Greater Grail has been corrupted."

"The Greater Grail is a vast Magecraft ritual circle built beneath Enzo Mountain, where Ryuudou Temple stands. It draws the magical energy needed for the Holy Grail War from Fuyuki City's leylines. Once enough energy has gathered, the war begins."

"When the ritual reaches a certain stage, the hole opens."

"To open it, the Grail needs a vessel—the Lesser Grail."

"Once the Servants have been eliminated to a certain point, the Lesser Grail, which contains their souls, connects to the Greater Grail."

"The so-called 'hole' then opens."

"But the moment it opens, disaster will strike."

"Just as it did in the mysterious fire ten years ago."

"That is everything there is to know about the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki."

Kirei looked at the furrowed brows of Rin and Shirou, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Night is almost upon us. It's time for you to act."

Having been dismissed, Rin and Shirou naturally didn't stay in the church any longer.

But the moment they stepped out of the Fuyuki Church, the dusk sky, on the verge of nightfall, suddenly turned a deep crimson!

Rin and Shirou stared up at the sky in alarm. A Lancer, wielding a crimson spear, was hovering in midair.

Lancer held the crimson spear in a throwing stance. Intense scarlet magical energy blazed around its tip, flickering like flames in the air!

Lancer gritted his teeth, his expression twisted with fury. His crimson eyes were fixed on Rin and Shirou, who had just emerged from the church.

As he hurled the spear, he roared the Noble Phantasm's true name:

"Gae Bolg: Soaring Spear of Striking Death!"