A flash of cold light.
It was fast—far too fast.
So fast that there wasn't even time to react before the head was severed.
It's important to remember that the current Kirei Kotomine is no longer the man he once was. He now carried Roa's essence and was a candidate for Beast II, with a spiritual foundation more powerful than that of an ordinary Servant. In the current world, few could rival him.
And yet, Kirei failed to avoid the attack.
Of course, his current form was conceptual, without any vital points. Losing his head was no different from losing any other part of his body—he could simply reattach it. And if not, he could always grow a new one.
The problem, however, lay in the force behind the slash and the voice that accompanied it.
That voice—it sounded too much like Kirei's own. If not for the difference in tone, he might have thought he was hearing himself speak.
This was strange, but not unprecedented. After all, there had been cases like Fabro Chaos and Souren Araya in the past.
But now, Fabro had been completely killed by the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, with no chance of resurrection. And Souren Araya had already returned to the Root. With his personality, even if he could come back, he would never choose to.
This left only one answer.
The identical voice, the absurdly powerful stealth abilities, and the bizarre habit of beheading as the first move.
"Is it Assassin?"
Kirei asked.
"It is."
The skull mask bobbed up and down as if nodding.
The voice remained emotionless, like stagnant water. Whether Kirei survived the beheading or guessed his identity, nothing seemed to shake Assassin's composure.
"You're still alive?"
Kirei's expression shifted several times, from grim to relieved, and then back to grim again.
The first reaction came from the fact that Assassin still existed.
Servants rely on their Masters for survival. Without a Master, a Servant would soon disappear. In this case, the Master refers to the physical body, not just the soul. When Roa crushed Souren Araya's head, Assassin lost his Master, and his time in the world should have been ticking down.
But Kirei quickly reconsidered. That's only the standard rule—exceptions exist. If Assassin had the Independent Action skill, he could extend his existence. Kirei, not being Assassin's Master, couldn't see his skill panel.
Even without that skill, Assassin could survive by continuously killing and devouring souls. Such a method might disgust noble heroes, but Assassin was no hero. He was a shadowy killer, so it wouldn't be surprising if he chose that path.
However, this raised another question.
Why would an assassin, willing to go to such lengths to survive, suddenly appear before him—and immediately decapitate him?
"Are you… trying to kill me?"
"No, I bear no ill will toward any being. I kill you only because your time has come."
Assassin raised his weapon out of the darkness. This time, Kirei finally saw what had severed his head.
It was a massive two-handed sword, shimmering with ghostly fire, perfectly matching the eerie skull mask. But—
"An assassin wielding a weapon like that?"
Are you sure you're thinking straight?
"If it can kill, it will do," Assassin replied. Who says an assassin can't use such weapons?
"You can't kill me. I'm already immortal," Kirei declared once again.
I can't defeat magicians, I can't defeat the Outsiders, I can't defeat Solomon, I can't defeat the last True Ancestor, but you—a mere assassin?
"In this world, there is no such thing as immortality. There is only fate unfulfilled."
With that statement, Assassin slowly raised his massive sword.
"Listen well. The evening bell has revealed thy name."
"Vonnng~"
In the otherwise desolate mountainside, the sudden sound of a bell resonated, its deep tone echoing through the silence.
There was no need to doubt it—it was the sound of a bell.
"Stop with the theatrics. Let's see how you plan to kill me. With that broken sword of yours?"
Kirei didn't believe in fate or some evening bell nonsense.
At that moment, Assassin stepped out of the shadows for the first time since his appearance in the world.
For the first time, he revealed his true form.
He was far taller than any knight, and beneath the cloak that covered his entire body, one could glimpse the heavy armor he wore. He looked less like an assassin and more like a greatsword-wielding warrior.
The towering figure of Assassin maintained his posture, sword raised, as he took slow, deliberate steps toward Kirei. Each step was heavy, as though carrying the weight of all the lives he had taken.
"Without death, there is no life. Only through death can rebirth become possible. Your so-called eternity is not progress, but stagnation."
Though Assassin's movements were slow, Kirei didn't wait for him and unleashed a flurry of attacks—martial arts, magecraft, and even familiars.
Assassin, unfazed, casually swung his sword a few times and nullified all of Kirei's attacks.
"Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?"
A flash of recognition passed through Kirei's eyes as Assassin continued his steady march forward, the bell tolling in the background.
The aura surrounding the sword felt dangerously ominous—more so than when Kirei had been targeted by Ryougi Shiki or Tohno Shiki.
"Greedy seeker of humanity's evil, false Beast of calamity, your ambition is nothing but an illusion."
Though he didn't know why, Kirei suddenly felt immense danger—the kind of danger that could result in death. Instinctively, he tried to flee, only to realize his legs had been severed without him noticing.
"You… you're not just any Hassan. Who—who are you?"
"Though you are merely a false Beast, I shall give you my name as a matter of formality—I am the Guardian of the Abyssal Valley, here to lay Beast to rest. I am the Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan-i-Sabbah. With my blade, I sever thy delusions! The Angel of Death has come—your head must fall!"
In the dim, murky world around Kirei, countless white feathers drifted through the air, resonating with the tolling of the bell. Accompanied by the swing of the greatsword, Kirei's head was severed for the second time, his eyes wide in shock and terror.
"Azrael!"
As the Old Man of the Mountain made his final declaration, Kirei's headless body twitched for a moment before his eyes regained focus.
"I… I can't die here! I won't die like this!!!"
Fear, anger, and frustration surged within him, deepening his transformation into a Beast. Black mud surged forth, and his severed head was pulled back to his body, forcibly reattached, as he let out a furious roar.
"I am immortal! You—you cannot kill me! Fate is a lie! I don't believe in it!"
"Foolishness."
Assassin sheathed his sword beneath his cloak, no longer attacking.
"I am merely the herald of fate. The one who will truly kill you has already arrived."
The skull mask turned to face the vast crowd that had appeared out of nowhere.
Dressed in flowing robes, Solomon, who shared Assassin's perspective, stepped forward with a faint smile of recognition and understanding.
"So you've come too. I should have expected this."
Not far away, Shinji's jaw hung open in shock, almost hitting the ground.
"Holy crap! Is that the Azrael's evening bell…?! That's… Gramps. King Hassan!!!"
PS: Surprise! Gramps is Back!