Starting in Type-Moon, but an A Certain Magical Index Mage Chapter 41

"Archer, are you provoking me?"

"I'm not. I'm just curious what you did in the past that made you unwilling to meet this priest." As Mephistopheles spoke, he walked forward and entered the church grounds.

Relying on his Mystic Eyes, Mephistopheles observed everything within the area. Through his eyes, he saw the priest inside the church, as well as Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya walking toward him.

And beneath the church, there were densely packed human figures!

They were all living people, unable to move, unable even to kill themselves!

The light of their lives was incredibly faint. Perhaps death would have been true liberation, yet they could not even die!

Aside from them, there were two more figures of light, their powerful life force surpassing human limits.

Clearly, they were Servants hiding underground!

One was someone who had remained after the Fourth Holy Grail War through the Holy Grail's power. The other was the Servant Kirei Kotomine had stolen from his own sister—the Cú Chulainn who had fought Mephistopheles before!

The False Priest

"I repeatedly told you to come, yet you ignored me. Instead, you brought along a strange guest. Is he the seventh person, Rin?"

The fairly tall priest closed the Bible in his hands, turned, and spoke to Rin Tohsaka. Rin turned her face away, seemingly unwilling to look at him, while Shirou Emiya stepped forward. This made the priest look at him. "My name is Kirei Kotomine. What is your name, seventh Master?"

"My name is Shirou Emiya."

Hearing that name, Kirei Kotomine froze for a moment before saying, "Emiya?"

"Heh! Hehehe!" He let out a low laugh, as if he had discovered something amusing. A distinct smile appeared on Kirei Kotomine's face. "You are Saber's Master, aren't you, Shirou Emiya?"

"That's right, Saber and I formed a contract. But honestly, I still don't know much about the Holy Grail War or Masters. If Masters are supposed to be proper magi, it would be better to choose another mage instead."

There was no visible change in the priest's expression. He still smiled, as though admiring a new toy. "I see. That is quite a serious matter."

His words clearly did not match his expression.

At that moment, Rin Tohsaka spoke as well. "Then teach him everything from the beginning."

Rin did not mention that she had already explained the basics to Shirou Emiya. It was as though she were saying, I can't be bothered to teach him, so you do it.

This surprised Kirei Kotomine somewhat. He glanced at Rin. "Oh? Very well. This is the first time you've asked me for something."

As he spoke, he walked forward and approached the two of them. "Shirou Emiya, being a Master is not something that can be handed over to someone else!

"Once you become a Master, you cannot abandon that identity. A Master is also someone given a trial. You cannot be freed from this pain until you win the Holy Grail."

The priest stared into Shirou Emiya's eyes. At such close range, his eyes were utterly hollow. It was as though he were not looking at Shirou Emiya at all, but someone else—someone who did not exist here.

"Shirou Emiya, the battle you have been drawn into is called the Holy Grail War."

"It's that absurd affair where seven Masters kill each other, right?"

"It is a ritual held to select someone worthy of the Holy Grail."

"The Holy Grail? The legendary Holy Grail? The one from the Bible?" Shirou Emiya asked, making Rin Tohsaka glance at him.

She had clearly explained what the Holy Grail was back at the Emiya Residence, yet this guy was now pretending not to know anything!

Sure enough, he was quite good at acting too!

Kirei Kotomine said, "The Holy Grail that descends upon this town is genuine. One piece of evidence is the miraculous existence of Servants, something beyond common sense. A Holy Grail with such power would grant its owner limitless power.

"In truth, whether the object itself is real or fake has no meaning before such power—before that fact."

Shirou Emiya said, "If that's the case, and the Holy Grail is so incredible, why is there even a Holy Grail War? Why not just share such great power among everyone?"

"That would certainly make sense. However, the Holy Grail can only be obtained by one person. That is not decided by us, but by the Holy Grail itself."

Shirou Emiya's expression changed. He had not heard this at home. "...The Holy Grail decides?"

"It is all initiated by the Holy Grail itself. It chooses a single holder through their competition and slaughter. That is the Holy Grail War."

Shirou Emiya looked at the Command Spell marks on the back of his left hand, marks resembling scars. Disgust appeared on his face. "I can't accept that. To choose one person, the only path is to kill all the other Masters. That's too hard to accept."

"Wait, it's a misunderstanding that killing the other Masters is the only way!" Rin Tohsaka immediately corrected Shirou Emiya's mistaken understanding. Then Kirei Kotomine said, "It is mutual slaughter."

Rin Tohsaka immediately shot Kirei Kotomine a furious glare. "Shut up!"

Rin knew her senior disciple was twisted, but misleading someone even in a situation like this gave her a headache.

Then Rin explained again. "The Holy Grail here is a spiritual entity, and what we need to do is defeat the other people's Servants, thereby reaching the point where only one person can possess it. Or rather, that is a necessary process. Do you understand now?"

Shirou Emiya finally gained a sufficient understanding of the Holy Grail War. Then Kirei Kotomine said, "Shirou Emiya, do you think you can defeat a Servant yourself?"

"Huh?"

"Even Servants find it difficult to defeat Servants. So what should be done? It is a simple question, isn't it? No matter how powerful a Servant may be, if their Master is killed, they will disappear. In other words..."

Shirou Emiya already understood what he meant. "Killing the Master is more efficient..."

His expression turned somewhat ugly. He could not bring himself to do such a thing, but clearly, not everyone was like him. Someone would certainly choose the more efficient method.

"That is how it is."

"Then what if the Servant is defeated first? Only Servants can access the Holy Grail, right? Wouldn't a Master who loses their Servant have no value either?"

"No. As long as the Command Spells remain, the Master's authority remains. For example, if there is a Servant who has lost their Master and has nowhere to go, they can form a new contract with a Master who has lost their Servant but still possesses Command Spells. That is precisely why Masters must kill Masters, to eliminate future trouble!"

At that moment, Shirou Emiya raised his hand. "What if I use up all my Command Spells right here?"

"Indeed, then you would lose the authority of a Master. Besides, I do not believe there is any mage who would casually waste Command Spells capable of wielding powerful magecraft.

"If there truly is, then that person is not merely an amateur—they are simply an idiot!"

Seeing the anger on Shirou Emiya's face because of his words, Kirei Kotomine let out a delighted laugh. His behavior was nothing like that of a priest. He was more like a vile scoundrel.

He even admired Shirou Emiya's furious expression as he smiled and said, "Do you understand now?"

He was forcing Shirou Emiya to choose battle, as though he had some purpose. He would not allow Shirou Emiya to choose the path of refusing to fight.

"Now, back to the main point. Shirou Emiya, you may give up your Command Spells. As long as you sever your connection with Saber, I will guarantee your safety until the Holy Grail War ends.

"After all, I was assigned to watch over the recurring Holy Grail Wars. Protecting the safety of magi who have lost their qualification as Masters is also part of my job."

"Recurring?!" Shirou Emiya frowned. He felt as though he had touched upon some truth. "Didn't the Holy Grail War only just begin?"

Seeing Shirou Emiya's reaction, Kirei Kotomine's expression became even more delighted.

"This is already the fifth one. There is one every sixty years. The previous one was ten years ago, and this one has the shortest interval yet. Oh, right. I recall there was a Master back then named Kiritsugu Emiya."

Hearing his father's name, Shirou Emiya could no longer remain calm. He hurriedly asked, "Kiritsugu Emiya?!"

"He was a very formidable man, a man who could even fight Servants." Kirei Kotomine said this as he looked at Shirou Emiya. He had already confirmed the boy's next choice. Under his temptation, the boy would no longer abandon his identity as a Master.

When Mephistopheles saw Shirou Emiya emerge from the church and saw his expression, he knew the development of events had not differed much from the original script.

Although he knew Shirou Emiya was a good person and would definitely help him if he revealed the truth about the Holy Grail, Mephistopheles had no such intention for the time being.

He needed to wait for an opportunity. Only after securing his first target could he continue advancing his plan and completely destroy the Holy Grail War in this world!

And Mephistopheles estimated that he would encounter that opportunity tonight!

Sure enough, on their way back, they encountered someone who intercepted them!

A black giant, and beside him, a little girl wearing a purple cloak.

Illya!

Though the rampaging giant still retained some trace of his original appearance, the madness in his eyes had concealed everything. This was the Berserked Heracles!

This Heracles was not the Heracles Mephistopheles knew. He was merely this world's Heracles, yet even so, Mephistopheles could not help sighing.

Stepping forward and standing in front of everyone, Mephistopheles said, "Rin, you all go back first. I'll deal with them."

"Mephistopheles..." Rin Tohsaka murmured.

"I'll help too!" Artoria also stepped forward. Clearly, Shirou Emiya had no intention of leaving either. In response, Mephistopheles shouted, "My fighting style is rather crazy. You'll only get in my way if you stay here, so for my safety, I hope you leave first."

As he spoke, he thought for a moment and added, "Go to the Emiya Household together. I'll return there!"

When he said this, he appeared extremely confident, as though victory were certain.

It was like a reassurance, finally making the three of them choose to leave.

Artoria said to Mephistopheles, "Don't forget that we still haven't fought!"

"There will be a chance." Mephistopheles stood before the old man and the young girl, smiling as he waved. "You're Illya, right? Let's discuss this. I'll give you something fun, and you don't fight me. How about it?"

Illya looked at the man before her. She had not seen him last time, but he was clearly Rin Tohsaka's Servant. She gave a cute smile, then issued an order. "Berserker, attack!"

Without the slightest hesitation, as a Master, she would never go easy on an enemy!

Hey, Berserker

The black giant moved in an instant. The moment he pushed off with both feet, the ground shattered outright. Under that enormous power, the black giant became a cannonball charging toward Mephistopheles!

Boom!

A deafening sound rang out as a slender figure raised the short sword in his hand, blocking the stone axe—or perhaps stone blade—that the giant wielded as a weapon.

Under Heracles' attack, cracks spread across the ground beneath Mephistopheles' feet. It was immense strength capable of contending with Gigantes, terrifying force capable of temporarily supporting the Firmament—and now, it placed Mephistopheles under tremendous pressure!

"Sure enough, it was truly a pity that I couldn't fight you back then!" Mephistopheles muttered to himself. A trace of sorrow appeared on his face. Seeing a familiar friend become a mad beast with little self-awareness filled Mephistopheles with regret and grief.

Then, at that moment, his own power erupted.

The magical formulas around Mephistopheles began to operate, allowing him to unleash even greater strength. In that instant, his physical strength, endurance, and everything else received massive enhancements. Then, before Illya's astonished eyes, Mephistopheles pushed back the stone axe in Heracles' hand with his short sword!

Illya blinked, then smiled again. "You're very strong, but you're still not strong enough compared to Berserker!"

Illya shouted, like a child unwilling to admit defeat, loudly urging her guardian to try harder.

"Berserker, kill him!"

"Roooaaargh!!" The Berserker roared. Frenzied battle intent enveloped the surroundings, and this was a residential district. If they continued fighting, the area would inevitably suffer severe damage.

A peculiar wave of magic began spreading through the area. It was a spell called Bystander Evacuation, which allowed uninvolved people nearby to naturally leave, creating an area free of bystanders.

At the same time, Mephistopheles clashed with Heracles at incredible speed. The great hero's strength was indeed unmatched in certain respects, but Mephistopheles now possessed supersonic combat ability and could naturally withstand such attacks.

Silently calculating the time it would take for everyone nearby to evacuate, Mephistopheles waited for around ten minutes before finally making a change.

Mephistopheles leaped into the air, circled around Heracles at incredible speed, and rushed to Illya's side. This sudden development startled Illya and made Heracles roar. Even in his madness, he wanted to protect the little girl.

He charged again like a madman, trying to reach the girl before Mephistopheles did. Illya had also reacted, raising her hand in an attempt to use a Command Spell to teleport her Servant directly over.

But Mephistopheles was faster than her!

A book emitting a faint golden glow appeared in Mephistopheles' hand. As its pages turned, Mephistopheles murmured, "Night falls, and Hypnos draws people into dreams."

Along with Mephistopheles' words, the authority of Hypnos, the god of sleep from Greek mythology, took effect. With it now being night, an irresistible wave of drowsiness swept over Illya.

Her eyelids began to droop, and she struggled to remain awake. No matter how much she tried to keep herself from sleeping, she ultimately could not resist that divine power. Her eyes closed, and she fell asleep.

At the same time, Mephistopheles scooped Illya into his arms and rushed into the distance at top speed!

He was heading for the place he had long prepared—the Emiya Residence!

Shirou Emiya, Rin Tohsaka, and Artoria were currently running toward Shirou Emiya's home. But as they ran, confusion appeared on their faces.

The surrounding streets were far too quiet, quiet in an abnormal way!

Many houses had already turned off their lights. Even in homes where lights remained on, people were opening their doors, switching off the lights, and leaving.

Those people ignored Shirou Emiya and the others as they hurried back. Their eyes only watched the road ahead, and each of them walked faster than the last.

Soon, those people disappeared from their sight as well. Aside from the Emiya Household and the streetlights, the surroundings were completely dark!

Sensing this strange change, Shirou Emiya and Artoria both became wary.

Shirou Emiya quietly asked, "What's going on? Is it some kind of magecraft?"

Artoria also said, "It seems their minds have been interfered with. Could these people have been controlled by a mage and turned into hostages?"

For victory, she could abandon hostages, but clearly, her Master was not that sort of person. If these people became hostages, she would be placed in a very troublesome situation.

The battle would inevitably enter a situation extremely disadvantageous to her!

"Bystander Evacuation..." Rin Tohsaka murmured, then said, "Don't worry. It's Mephistopheles' ma—magecraft. He used magecraft to evacuate the people here, preventing ordinary people from getting hurt if something unexpected happens."

"Mephistopheles... You just called out your Servant's name directly. Aren't you afraid of exposing his true identity?" Artoria said, though she still relaxed slightly. If he was only driving people away, then she would not be placed in such a disadvantageous situation.