How could Shinji not be shocked?
This was the Hassan among Hassans, the origin of the Hassan lineage, and one of the Grand Servants, standing at the pinnacle of Heroic Spirits just like the King of Magecraft, Solomon.
A master of killing in stealth, eliminating targets without a trace, yet also capable of cutting down high-ranking generals in broad daylight amidst an army—he was the ultimate assassin in every way, the First Hassan, the Old Man of the Mountain.
Despite his true name being unknown, his appearance unknown, his history unknown, his background unknown, and even his life or death being uncertain, his power was beyond question.
No one could doubt his status as one of the strongest beings in human history, on par with Solomon.
Of course, there were other reasons for Shinji's shock too.
The first time he had encountered the trio of Roa, Souren Araya, and Fabro, Shinji had jokingly remarked, "If you're having a meeting, why don't you bring along King Hassan too?"
Now, it seemed like that joke had become reality. A meeting with Kirei Kotomine had indeed happened, and Souren Araya had somehow summoned King Hassan.
At the time, Shinji had thought that summoning one of the Grand Servants required special conditions and that no normal Holy Grail War could achieve this—certainly not even with a regular Servant, let alone a Grand Servant.
But this Holy Grail War was anything but ordinary. Even the Human Order Incineration hadn't gathered such an explosive lineup.
So, after a moment of shock, Shinji quickly calmed down.
After all, his current identity as a Magician wasn't any less prestigious than that of a Grand Servant. He couldn't afford to lose composure and act undignified.
With that thought, his confidence was restored.
At that moment, the assassin referred to as King Hassan spoke.
"There is no king of Hassan, and I am no king."
"I know," Shinji replied.
"'Old Man of the Mountain' will do."
With that, King Hassan's figure flickered and appeared in Kirei Kotomine's escape route—this guy seemed determined to keep running away.
"You again—die already!"
Having been thwarted twice, Kirei was now consumed by rage, and he mercilessly unleashed a punch filled with all his strength.
King Hassan didn't react at all, calmly watching as Kirei's fist pierced his chest.
"Why do you bother? You've been summoned only once," Solomon said, shaking his head with a sigh.
"You have your path, and I have my beliefs. My duty is complete; it's time to leave."
King Hassan grabbed Kirei's fist, holding him in place.
"Duty? Could it be—"
Shinji immediately thought of a possibility. "—Shiki, Tohno, use your eyes once more."
Ryougi Shiki focused her pupils, and Shiki Tohno removed his glasses, activating their Mystic Eyes.
"Huh? I can see it!"
"What's going on?"
"The young who walk the path of death… Peering into death is not the end of this journey. Beyond that lies the ability to bestow death, even upon those who lack the concept of death. If you have time, visit the Abyssal Valley—you may gain new insights."
As King Hassan spoke, his body dissipated into mist, just like when he had been defeated by Katou. But this time, everyone knew it wasn't a deceptive retreat—this was his true departure.
The loli Gaia, who witnessed this scene, glanced indifferently at the loli Alaya standing beside her.
"So, it wasn't just the Magician—you had an assassin hidden up your sleeve too."
"You can call for reinforcements; so can I. A Grand Servant to counter a Beast larva," Loli Alaya replied.
"This time, you win."
"I don't think so. After all, this isn't the real Beast II yet. And then there's the Third Magician and the Outsiders return…"
Alaya and Gaia both looked at Shinji, who had taken King Hassan's place in intercepting Kirei and then at the loli Altera standing behind them.
"Sigh…"
"We've both lost, haven't we?"
Altera, not understanding the conversation, seriously addressed the two lolis, "You two sisters should get along well."
Gaia: "…"
Alaya: "…"
Perhaps because they had become human, the two lolis—who represented the Counter Force—seemed to have developed a hint of sentimentality.
What would the future hold?
The future of the planet.
The future of humanity.
It was hard to predict.
But one thing was certain: Kirei Kotomine had no future left.
After successive blows, this last surviving mastermind had lost all confidence, while his opponent, Shinji, had won two consecutive battles and was brimming with momentum.
"Your last trump card, your so-called immortality, has already been broken by the Old Man of the Mountain. Your incomplete Beast foundation is nothing to fear. Do you have any other tricks? If you don't use them now, you'll never have another chance."
"No, it's not over yet! It's not over!"
With every ounce of strength he had left, Kirei leaped into the air for one final desperate move.
"Even if I can't escape, I'll take enough people with me to the grave! 'Beast's Nest,' fully open!"
At the peak of his jump, Kirei lost his human form. An endless stream of black mud gushed from his body, accompanied by the man's final euphoric, maniacal laughter.
"Can you stop it? This uncontrollable chaos—if you can't, my chaos will consume the entire city. Hahaha! Hahahaha~~~~"
"Such cliché villain lines," Shinji smacked his lips and shot a glance at Rin, Sakura, and the others, signaling them not to worry.
"Need help? This thing isn't so easy to deal with," Aoko kindly offered.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I can handle it. If you want to help, just protect the others—what's coming next will be a bit noisy."
As Shinji spoke, he raised his head, observing the sea of life pouring down and the rapidly evolving lifeforms.
"Survival is the instinct of living beings. The will to live is humanity's strongest desire. So, when life faces a fatal crisis, it often unleashes unimaginable power. Do you wish to destroy Fuyuki with chaos? Then the life of all of Fuyuki will rise to resist. I can hear it—the call of life, the call of souls."
Shinji spread his arms wide, opening himself to the consciousness of the earth, the consciousness of the city, the consciousness of life.
Thoughts, calls, prayers, even the unconscious desires of those asleep—an overwhelming surge of spiritual power flowed from all directions, and through Shinji's magic, it was converted into a pure torrent of mana.
"How could the power of one Kirei Kotomine possibly compete with the collective will of all the living beings on this land?"
The Third Magic is the magic of the heart, the magic of the soul. As long as the power of the heart is strong enough, miracles can happen.
Shinji clenched his fist tightly and, just as the Seeds of Life were about to complete their evolution and the Sea of Life was about to touch the ground, he swung his fist upward.
"Behold, your death omen star shines in the sky! Magic Perseus Fist: Third Wave!"
PS: Death Omen Star reference to Fist of the North Star. Then one with Omae wa mou shindeiru Meme.