"Of course I want you to withdraw from the Holy Grail War. Isn't that obvious?"
With a villainous grin, Kain spoke lightly to the heroic spirit, Emiya Shirou:
"It would be a pity if a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl died in the Holy Grail War. Quit now, and go back to school. Live your life properly, alright?"
As he spoke, the four thunder blades around him crackled and expanded, arcs of lightning dancing wildly in the air, ready to explode at any moment.
War is something to be won by any means necessary—and Kain believed he was already being merciful. After all, this was the Holy Grail: the shortcut to the Root, the ultimate goal of all magi.
And yet, those competing for such a priceless treasure seemed utterly unprepared. They were playing games, completely lacking awareness. Perhaps only Emiya Kiritsugu and Kotomine Kirei during the Fourth Holy Grail War had truly understood what this war demanded.
Heroic Spirit Emiya Shirou answered coldly,
"Where is your Master? Are you teaming up to eliminate other Masters but too afraid to show yourselves?"
"What?! Archer, he's not the Master?"
Rin Tohsaka, who was bound nearby, asked in shock. She had assumed Kain was the Master—only to realize now that he, too, was a Servant.
That meant… two Masters had joined forces against her?
Damn it. She'd only summoned her Servant yesterday, and already she was being targeted by two enemy Masters. Was it because of the Tohsaka family's reputation? Or was this some leftover grudge from the last Holy Grail War?
"Both are Servants," Shirou muttered, "but whether their Masters are watching from a distance or just not coming… who knows?"
As he spoke, he glanced at the second-floor window. Rider—who had clashed with him moments ago—had returned.
This was bad.
Shirou grew restless. If Rin hadn't been captured, he could have escaped with her. But now…
He clenched his fists. He'd only been summoned a day ago, and yet his Master was already in mortal danger.
"Haven't decided yet?" Kain's voice grew colder. "If you can't choose, I'll help you. Even if a Servant can stay for a while after the Master dies, it'll just be a little more troublesome for us."
Rin felt it too—death was slowly creeping closer.
Shirou's mind raced with possibilities, but none guaranteed Rin's safety.
"Enough! I accept your condition!"
He shouted, raising the projected weapon in his hand. If Rin continued resisting, she'd die—and he wouldn't allow that to happen.
"Archer…"
"Use your Command Spell, Master. I didn't expect I'd disappear after just one day."
After speaking, Shirou turned and met Kain's gaze with cold eyes.
"I hope you'll keep your promise."
Kain simply waved his hand, silent. The enemy had no choice now but to trust him.
Tohsaka Rin's face twisted with emotion—regret, frustration, fury. She hesitated, closed her eyes, and finally shouted,
"Archer! I command you: commit suicide and withdraw from the Holy Grail War!"
The third Command Spell on the back of her hand vanished instantly.
The heroic spirit Emiya Shirou, now bound by an absolute order, projected a dagger—and drove it into his own vitals.
"Archer!!"
Rin Tohsaka shouted, reluctance in her eyes. Even though they had only been together for less than a day, she could feel that this Heroic Spirit was remarkably compatible with her. But now, due to her carelessness, she was forced to withdraw from the Holy Grail War—and had lost her qualification to compete.
Heroic Spirit Emiya Shirou said nothing. He vanished quickly, withdrawing from the Holy Grail War.
As promised, Kain released Rin Tohsaka. Once freed, she collapsed to the ground, completely drained, her body lacking the strength to even sit upright.
Rider approached Kain and said softly, "I'm surprised we managed to get rid of a Servant so easily... but your methods were a bit despicable."
"Rider," Kain replied, "let me remind you again—this is war. Our goal is the Root, the most magical and precious thing in the world. For the Root, even betrayals between Master and apprentice or father and son are nothing. Compared to that, my methods are gentle."
Once again, Kain corrected Medusa. His methods closely resembled those of Emiya Kiritsugu—pragmatic, results-driven. But Kain believed he was better than Kiritsugu: after all, Rin Tohsaka was still alive.
"Forget it," he said with a smirk. "No point arguing with a noble goddess like you. Just wait for me."
With that, Kain walked into the basement of the Tohsaka household. A short while later, he returned, carrying two large boxes.
"Student Tohsaka Rin," he said sincerely, "I'm borrowing these magic books. In return, I'll either pay you rent or leave collateral of equivalent value. Forget about the Holy Grail War. Go enjoy your high school life."
Kain spoke honestly. He no longer cared about knowledge monopolies or secrecy. Even if he gave away all the Matou family's magic books, he didn't mind. Once he had read through them, he would make copies and send a set back to the Tohsaka family—his way of compensating for taking one of her prized magic gems.
Rin Tohsaka suddenly raised her head, startled. She instantly recognized the two boxes in Kain's hands—they held the treasured magic books of the Tohsaka family.
"Hey! You even raided me!"
But before she could finish, Kain placed a hand on Rider's shoulder. The next second, they disappeared from the Tohsaka estate with Apparition.
Before leaving, however, he politely restored the Tohsaka residence. The broken gate, the damaged floor—everything was returned to its original state. There was no trace of the battle left behind.
"That damn bastard... Who the hell would go enjoy high school life peacefully now?! Damn it! And he even took my family's magic books!"
Too furious to contain herself, Rin stormed into the basement—only to be met with an even more infuriating scene.
Not only had the most important magic books of the Tohsaka family been packed up and taken, but even the precious magic gems she had spent years collecting were gone.
Only some gem dust remained on the ground, the final proof that they had ever been there.
"Bandit! Thief! I, Tohsaka Rin, will never forgive you!!"
She screamed uncontrollably, stomping the floor in rage with her stocking-clad feet.
Outside the Tohsaka estate, Kain turned to Rider and instructed,
"Go check on Sakura Matou at school. If she's feeling unwell, bring her back."
He remembered that fragments of the Lesser Holy Grail resided within Sakura Matou. When a Servant died, its essence would be absorbed by the Grail within her. But this process had its dangers.
As the Lesser Grail absorbed Servants, the evil in the world—Angra Mainyu—would gradually grow stronger, further corrupting Sakura.
Still, Kain wasn't particularly worried. He had multiple ways to deal with extreme negative energy. Even if the Holy Grail became fully tainted, the path to the Root would still be valid.
And as for the dark malice building within Sakura, Kain was prepared to deal with it the moment it surfaced.
In fact, that kind of pure malice was something he welcomed. Whether it was for mastering the magic of the Book of the Dark God, or for creating Zero-Tail like in the ninja world, such untainted malice was an incredibly useful resource.
Human malice was too chaotic, too fragmented, and too impure. But if the evil of the world could be used to forge a Zero-Tail, it might rival the gods of this universe themselves.
But Rider wasn't aware of Matou Sakura's condition, so upon hearing Kain's words, she asked,
"What's wrong with Master?"
Kain didn't elaborate and simply replied,
"It's hard to explain for now. Just go and check on her."
Kill the Riddler!
Although Rider didn't voice her thoughts, she couldn't help but take a step back in frustration. She clearly showed dissatisfaction with Kain's cryptic attitude. He was a fellow Servant, yet he acted like he knew far more than she did—and worse, he kept ordering her around.
Still, despite her irritation, when it came to Matou Sakura, Rider turned invisible and rushed toward Homurahara Middle School.
As for Kain, once Rider had left, he began studying the Tohsaka family's magic gems. These might be the key to restoring some of his power during this Holy Grail War. The Matou family's wealth, too, was more than sufficient to produce many new gems.
With the former heads of the Matou family all dead, the legal heir was now Matou Sakura. Kain could transform into Matou Heye at any time to manage the Matou estate's assets.
Magic remained a mysterious and wondrous force. Though Servants were summoned with their information already recorded and replicated by the Holy Grail, Kain's situation was unique. There were still puzzles surrounding his arrival, and he suspected that only by gaining full control over the Grail's source could he fully understand it.
Fuyuki Church
"This is the church... where the adjudicator resides?"
Jeanne d'Arc, who had just arrived in Fuyuki City after a few teleportations, looked up at the solemn building before her.
She had come here immediately. After all, she was about to announce changes to the rules of the Holy Grail War—and from that point onward, the war would truly begin.
…
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