Chapter 188: The King's Amusement
Back at the Tohsaka residence, the tense atmosphere of the Holy Grail War had momentarily receded, replaced by an awkward domesticity. Rin, in a rare display of character, uncharacteristically offered to handle the morning's affairs.
"Have some tea," she said, placing a teacup in front of you with slightly more force than necessary. She then sat opposite you, her arms crossed, deliberately avoiding eye contact.
"Thank you," you replied, noting the faint blush on her cheeks.
"I-It's not like I'm thanking you for saving me!" she retorted, her voice a pitch higher than usual. "It's just... you lost a lot of blood yesterday. It's inefficient to have a anemic teammate. This is purely logical!"
Firefly, who was observing from the doorway, let out an exaggerated, theatrical sigh. "Wow, you were crying your eyes out just last night, and now you're back to being a tsundere. Impressive."
"Who was crying?!" Rin shot to her feet, her face instantly turning a deep crimson. "I... I just got some dust in my eyes! From the rubble! Dust!"
Saber, ever the calm center of the storm, merely looked at the scene with a gentle, almost amused expression. She then turned her serious, blue-green gaze to you. "Orion. Please, do not do such a reckless thing again. Using your own body as a shield..."
"Isn't it only natural to protect one's comrades?" you asked simply.
"But..." she hesitated, looking down, a complex emotion crossing her features. She finally sighed, her knightly duty warring with a more personal concern. "But... at least cherish yourself. You are... important to this team."
In the days that followed, Rin's attitude underwent a subtle, yet obvious, change. Her usual loud, commanding demeanor was punctuated by moments of flustered concern.
"Hey, are you really okay? Your wound really healed? Do you want another check-up?"
"I already said I'm fine."
"Hmph! Who knows if you're just putting on a brave front!"
She even started trying to take care of you, a development that seemed to baffle everyone, including herself.
One morning, as you walked into the living room, Rin emerged from the kitchen holding a tray. "Here," she said, practically thrusting it at you.
You looked down at the sandwiches on the tray, visibly surprised. "This is...?"
"It's breakfast! What are you looking at!" She turned her head away, her pigtails whipping around. "And don't misunderstand! I didn't make these just for you! It's... it's just that I made too much, and it would be a waste not to eat them! It's an issue of resource management!"
Saber, whose senses for food were as sharp as her blade, had already appeared. She took a sandwich with perfect, royal etiquette and took a delicate bite. Her eyes widened slightly in genuine appreciation.
"Rin," she said, her voice impressed. "This is surprisingly excellent."
Rin practically lit up, her cheeks flushing with pure, unadulterated pride. "W-Well, of course! It's just a simple sandwich, nothing difficult for a Tohsaka magus."
You picked one up, examining the uniform cut of the ham and the familiar, crisp lettuce. "Rin," you said, holding it up, "this is the premium ham and cheese sandwich from the bakery on the corner, isn't it? I recognize the wrapper."
"S-S-SHUT UP!" she shrieked, her face exploding in color. "The ingredients are from the store, but the preparation and presentation were all me! I... I'll go get more tea!"
She fled the room in total embarrassment.
Just as she vanished, Firefly walked in, yawning. "What are you eating? Smells good."
"Sandwiches Rin 'prepared'," you said, handing her one. "They're delicious. She bought them from the corner bakery."
"I'm not hungry..." Firefly began, but before she could finish, her stomach let out an uncooperative, loud growl. She blushed, snatched the sandwich from your hand, and began to eat, her expression a mix of embarrassment and appreciation.
Rin returned with a large, steaming pot of tea and a plate piled high with more... "homemade" sandwiches.
The four of you sat in the living room, a strange, temporary family. Saber was on your left, happily and methodically working through her share. Firefly was on your right, taking small, quiet bites. Rin sat opposite, sipping her tea, pretending not to watch you.
"So delicious!" Saber praised again, finishing her second one.
"A-although I didn't make them especially for you!" Rin said, pointedly looking at you. "You lost the most blood, so you should eat more!"
Firefly, meanwhile, nibbled on her sandwich, her gaze occasionally flicking towards you.
[Firefly's Inner Monologue]: Seriously... why are all these Servants and Masters so interested in him... I'm clearly his partner... He's just...
She glanced at you again, watching you laugh at something Rin said.
[Firefly's Inner Monologue]: ...he's just handsome and strong and... nice... Wait, what am I thinking?!
"What's wrong?" you asked, noticing her expression. "Is it not to your taste?"
"N-no!" Firefly took a large, huffy bite. "It's fine! I just think... it's too sweet!"
"This is a ham and cheese sandwich," Rin said, returning from the kitchen with more sandwiches, completely puzzled. "It's savory. How is it sweet?"
"I... maybe I'm just not used to the flavoring!" Firefly stuffed the last bite into her mouth, stood up abruptly, "I'm full!" With that, she marched out of the room in a huff.
Rin watched her go, bewildered. "What's wrong with her?"
Saber, ever practical, simply reached for the sandwich Firefly had left behind. "…Does this mean I can have her share?"
A few days later, on a dark, rainy night, an urgent communication came from Shirou. Caster's main stronghold, the Ryuudou Temple, had been located.
Subsequently, your team rushed to provide support. The temple grounds were an ominous maze of ancient trees and stone steps, the air thick with a heavy, magical pressure.
"Orion, stay back!" Rin shouted, her hand already glowing as she prepared a Gandr shot. "Her magical defenses are on a completely different level here!"
From the temple's main hall, Caster (Medea) emerged, her hooded robe billowing. "Fools. To walk into my temple... you seek death."
She raised her staff, and the air itself solidified. Dozens of high-density magical beams, purple and crackling, shot towards you.
"It's useless," you said, your voice calm.
To your eyes, this 'almighty magic' was not an invulnerable wall of energy. It was a fragile, flawed construct, riddled with the black 'death lines' of its existence.
"Your 'magic' is just a joke."
You didn't run. You didn't dodge. You simply walked forward.
"Fool!" Caster unleashed the barrage.
You lifted your sword. You didn't block. You cut.
Your blade traced the conceptual lines on the beams themselves. The magic didn't explode; it simply... ended. The purple light dissipated into nothingness, like smoke in the wind, meters before it even reached you.
"What?!" Caster's confident sneer vanished, replaced by pure, abject terror. "Impossible! My magic... He... he killed my magic!"
You continued to walk, stepping onto the 'impenetrable' magical barrier she had erected around the temple entrance. You didn't strike it. You just tapped your blade against a single, prominent line at its center.
A sound like a pane of glass shattering echoed through the night. The entire barrier cracked, fractured, and dissolved into harmless particles.
"You... what are you..." Caster stammered, scrambling backward in terror.
You were already in front of her. "Just... an end."
Your blade was a blur, tracing the thickest line on her neck. Her eyes widened in comprehension, and then... she dissipated, her reign of terror over, her spiritual body returning to the ether.
The oppressive magical energy vanished, leaving only the sound of the falling rain.
Rin, Saber, and Firefly stared, their mouths agape.
"Orion," Saber finally spoke, her voice awed as she walked up to you. "Your power... what is it? You didn't just break her magic. You... killed it."
"I'm not sure," you answered honestly, wiping the non-existent 'blood' from your blade. "I just see... lines. Lines on everything. Lines of death." You looked at your sword. "If I cut them, the thing... ends. It doesn't matter if it's magic, a barrier, or a person."
Saber was silent for a long, heavy moment, the rain pattering on her invisible armor. "That must be a heavy burden," she said softly. "To be able to see the end of all things... what does this world look like to you?"
You paused, stunned by the depth of her question. You looked out at the rain-soaked city. "Fragmented," you admitted. "Like... everything is already broken, just waiting for a final push."
Your gaze instinctively fell on her. And you saw them. The lines on Saber were faint, almost transparent, completely different from the thick, prominent lines on Caster.
[Inorin's Note: The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception see the 'end' of an existence. Servants, as spiritual beings, have a clear 'end'. The faintness of Saber's lines implies her existence is not that of a normal Servant; she is still technically alive, a key plot point in this Holy Grail War.]
Why are her lines so faint? you thought, confused. It's as if... she's not a true spiritual body. Is she... still alive?
You averted your gaze, deciding not to delve into your comrade's secrets.
Finally, after dealing with all the other Servants, you uncovered the true mastermind, the one pulling the strings from the shadows—Kirei Kotomine, the overseer of the war.
You cornered him in the cavernous, hollowed-out depths of the Fuyuki Church.
"So, the 'overseer' was the true villain," Rin said, her voice dripping with contempt. "How utterly predictable."
Kirei Kotomine merely smiled, his black robes unmoving in the dim light. "Predictable? Perhaps. But the entertainment is not yet over, Tohsaka."
"Do not be so hasty," a new voice echoed through the church, arrogant, ancient, and filled with a chilling amusement. "The final act has only just begun."
A figure materialized on the church's altar, bathed in a blinding golden light. He wore brilliant, golden armor that hummed with an otherworldly power. His crimson, snake-like eyes regarded them all with utter, profound disdain.
"Archer...!" Saber stepped forward, her expression a mask of shock and pure hatred. "Gilgamesh!"
"Mongrels!" Gilgamesh sneered. "How dare you disturb this King's amusement!"
His gaze then shifted, passing over Rin and Saber, and finally landing on you. The disdain in his crimson eyes lessened slightly, replaced by a flicker of... curiosity. "You," he said, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face. "You are the other abnormality. The one who stinks of death. How... amusing."
He raised his hand. Behind him, dozens, then hundreds of golden, rippling portals tore open in the air. From within them, the gleaming points of countless legendary weapons emerged—spears, swords, axes, all originals, all aimed directly at you.
"You have entertained me by clearing the board of those other, lesser Servants," Gilgamesh smiled, a cruel, terrifying expression. "As your reward, I shall show you the full might of the King of Heroes."
"Now, die! Let me show you the Gate of Babylon!"