Finally. I finally got it...
Everything, absolutely everything, was in my hands now.
Holding the scabbard, Roland was so moved he nearly cried. This should have been a moment of joy and celebration, yet all he felt was an unexpected calm.
As though nothing in this world could ever stand in the way of his peaceful life again.
And that was indeed the case.
[Key of All Spirits] --Contract Spirits held: Yoshikage Kira (contracted), soul of the Holy Lord (not contracted) --Contract Spirit draws: One --Status: Travel available
Everything had happened without a sound, but Roland knew that his most urgent need since arriving in this world had been met.
Now he could leave this world whenever he wanted. He no longer had to face the dangers of the Holy Grail War and gamble with his life. His only remaining reason to stay in Fuyuki City was to finish assimilating Yoshikage Kira.
The unease lurking in his heart finally subsided, like a beast whose desires had been satisfied.
Though he seemed decisive, Roland knew his own mind. He could not pass up a Contract Spirit, and that meant confronting Kiritsugu Emiya.
But precisely because of that, he had to face a practical problem.
How was he supposed to deal with a Servant?
After all, before tonight, he had not even known who possessed the Contract Spirit. He had been quietly playing with a hand alone in the shop when he was taken hostage. Everything that followed had been both carefully calculated and improvised on the spot.
Luring Kiritsugu Emiya into a trap before his own abilities were exposed was an opportunity he would never have again if he missed it tonight.
To keep Kiritsugu Emiya pressed against his bottom line, Roland had been forced to feign complete confidence while matching wits with this seasoned killer.
Roland had remained calm because he had already steeled himself. Even if he had to sacrifice the hand carrying Sheer Heart Attack, he would obtain the Contract Spirit that would let him escape.
Fortunately, perhaps Great Fortune really was watching over him. Kiritsugu Emiya had agreed to his proposed trade without overthinking it.
He had been incredibly lucky. After a few more battles, once people started dying, Avalon might have been implanted in Irisviel, and Saber might have revealed the Noble Phantasm's true power.
Getting his hands on it then would have been all but impossible.
For now, Avalon was not something Kiritsugu Emiya could not bear to lose. The Einzberns had paid for it, anyway; he had done nothing.
"May I leave now?"
Though he had brushed against death countless times, Kiritsugu Emiya had never felt this tense before.
As the strongest Class, Saber had excellent Magic Resistance. Forcing a Saber to commit suicide would require at least two Command Spells.
Losing one here would put his future strategy at a serious disadvantage. He had already lost Maiya, his capable assistant. If he lost a Command Spell as well, things would become painfully difficult from here on.
As though interrupted at his happiest moment, Roland glanced at Kiritsugu Emiya with a faintly irritated smile.
His gaze carried a chilling, spine-tingling pressure. Just as Kiritsugu Emiya thought Roland was about to break his promise and turn on him, Roland put away the scabbard and calmly walked past him.
The little explosive vehicle also turned into a badge and settled onto the back of that strange Guardian Spirit's hand.
Roland simply left, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him. Maiya Hisau's collision had left it barely hanging together, and a gap remained even when it was shut.
Through that gap, Kiritsugu Emiya stood motionless, watching Roland's figure recede.
The man had actually left, just like that.
As he tried to understand the situation, Kiritsugu Emiya's body acted first.
"Phew..."
He let out a long breath, and his heartbeat gradually slowed. As the adrenaline faded, the pain in his organs and muscles crept back through his body.
"Who the hell is this guy?"
Adjusting his breathing where he stood to recover as much strength as possible, Kiritsugu Emiya briskly assessed tonight's gains and losses. This was how he always operated.
The greatest loss was, of course, Maiya Hisau's death. But looking at the whole picture, unwilling as Kiritsugu Emiya was to admit it, her death was precisely what had allowed him to escape this crisis.
Previously, the enemy had been hidden while he was exposed. That man named Roland knew all about his circumstances and plans. Had Maiya not inadvertently dragged him into this, he might later have been eliminated without ever knowing what was happening.
He had already expended so much effort escaping on the street. If he had been cornered at a sniper position in a high-rise, even summoning his Servant would probably have left him dead or injured when the building collapsed.
At that thought, Kiritsugu Emiya could not help feeling defeated. Then his eyes filled with unrelenting darkness and malice.
Roland's greatest mistake today had been failing to kill him, choosing not to fight to their mutual destruction.
That man was not a mage. Naturally, he would know nothing about the channels connecting Masters and the Church, nor the rules governing the concealment of the supernatural.
More importantly, he had exposed his own abilities.
Despite having no Magic Circuits, he possessed such an extraordinary Guardian Spirit. If Kiritsugu exposed him, the other mages would surely turn their attention toward him.
Kiritsugu Emiya smiled mockingly, then slowly clenched his hand.
He could make use of tonight's fire, too. He had started it himself, but no one knew that. The little vehicle diving into the flames and causing several explosions was an undeniable, bloody fact.
The Holy Church, responsible for cleaning up afterward, could not possibly overlook the traces left by such supernatural power. Then, with some clever framing, he would teach this lucky fool, who knew nothing of the darkness of the adult world, the terror of being hunted by both the Church and the Mage's Association.
It was a despicable method, and Kiritsugu Emiya knew it. But to achieve victory, it was all worthwhile.
As long as he obtained the Holy Grail, this would be humanity's last bloodshed. Choosing the majority and eliminating the minority-Kiritsugu Emiya had always taken that role upon himself, as though he had been born for it. He firmly believed it was absolutely right.
Besides, if Roland were allowed to keep participating in Fuyuki City, who knew how many more bloody incidents his contracted Heroic Spirit would cause without a supply of magical energy?
I am just.
If everything goes smoothly, Maiya, I'll have avenged you.
With heavy steps, Kiritsugu Emiya gripped the handle and pushed open the door.
Maiya Hisau's dying words replayed in his mind.
"The secret of his ability lies in explosions. He can turn anything he touches..."
He had already witnessed the explosive ability, both from the little vehicle and the Guardian Spirit. When countering his grenades, the spirit had thrown something like pebbles and detonated them prematurely.
Had Maiya been trying to warn him that the Guardian Spirit could create explosive objects? No, the key had to be that supposed touch. Just as Maiya had exploded into pieces before his eyes, could the man's Guardian Spirit detonate a human body through touch?
As he calmed down and his thoughts branched outward, Kiritsugu Emiya's lips began to tremble. It was fear. However dire his situation, even if he lost a Command Spell, he still had a chance to turn defeat into victory.
Death was another matter entirely.
Could it be? Could he turn anything he touched into a bomb? Kiritsugu Emiya stared at the door handle in his grip with such a horrified expression that his eyes seemed ready to bulge out of their sockets.
Impossible. How could such a terrifying ability exist in this world?
Like the mages he had once ambushed, Kiritsugu Emiya now experienced firsthand the immense grief and despair they had felt.
The thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Unease and agitation tangled in his chest, and his breathing abruptly stopped. Ignoring his injuries, Kiritsugu Emiya let explosive agony boil through his consciousness as he activated Time Alter again, solely to release the door handle immediately.
Around a street corner he could not see, Roland leaned against a wall, his lips moving soundlessly.
-Killer Queen had already touched that door handle.
With Killer Queen's keen eyesight, the instant Kiritsugu Emiya touched it, his fate was sealed, no matter how he struggled afterward.
Before you could even begin to fight back, Killer Queen had already finished you.
In a real battle, a single mistake would be your last.
That was a philosophy Kiritsugu Emiya had once taken to heart. Now he experienced its truth firsthand. Had provoking him with words and deliberately killing Maiya before she could finish speaking all been meant to lure him into this building? Had every step he calculated, including his trump card, the Origin Bullet, been nothing more than the other man's game from beginning to end?
Kiritsugu Emiya's final Time Alter amounted to nothing but a furious roar.
"Roland, you set me up!"
With elegant steps, Roland returned to the building that had become the grave of a two-person team. Looking at the undamaged door handle and the figure that had vanished, he smiled in victory.
There were some aspects of Yoshikage Kira's philosophy that Roland wholeheartedly agreed with.
For instance, never making an enemy who would keep him awake at night. Having become mortal enemies with someone like Kiritsugu Emiya, Roland did not want his head suddenly blown off by a sniper one day. Living in hiding, miserable as a rat in a sewer, was even more out of the question.
Putting some distance between them was only the first step in lowering his opponent's guard. If the trap failed, Roland would use that distance to contract his new Contract Spirit on the spot. In short, for the sake of his future peaceful life, Kiritsugu Emiya had to die.
"It's a shame to waste three Command Spells, but it doesn't really matter." As he sorted through the supplies remaining in the hideout, Roland's eyes lit up at the dozen or so special bullets inside a well-preserved little box. "Besides, isn't this an unexpected bonus?"
Looking at the Origin Bullets, Roland almost felt grateful to Kiritsugu Emiya. A Contract Spirit, a gun, and ammunition-he had perfectly solved Roland's most pressing problems.
"I can get a good night's sleep tonight, too."
Humming a cheerful tune, Roland walked back into the deep darkness.
On the eve of the Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu Emiya was out of commission.
Here's the bonus update! Please vote and bookmark! Seeing everyone's support every day is the biggest motivation for this plump little bird to keep updating!
Thanks to Xiaoxiao, Bandalu, Ren Xuan, Book Friend 202103011093119922, and How Do I Write My Name for the tips!
Thanks to Brother Hun, Book Friend 2022101314184755116506047, and Savage Wolf 0 Doesn't Eat Sheep for the tips!