In the evening, in front of the station, a young man was walking. He walked with a familiar ease, among the many office workers returning from work and students in their school uniforms.
"Haah..."
Ryuunosuke Uryuu, the master of Caster, let out a great sigh. His sullen expression, which to an outsider's eyes was that of a handsome young man, drew the attention of the women passing by.
Normally, he might think about having a stimulating night with a woman he liked, but now, such thoughts didn't even cross his mind. It was very lucky for the women. The god of death had thrown away his scythe.
"Don't be so crestfallen, Ryuunosuke."
"But, Master... I'm still in shock. That was just too much."
Caster, who had dematerialized and was invisible, was not very effective in his attempts to cheer him up.
About an hour ago, these two had returned to their hideout with high spirits after acquiring their next "materials." However, what awaited them was a scene of their countless "works of art" utterly destroyed.
A small argument ensued, and Gilles de Rais received a divine revelation about the nature of God, but that's another story.
After a while, the now-calm Gilles de Rais immediately decided to leave the area. Before he went mad, Gilles de Rais was a soldier. He judged that it was dangerous to stay in a location that had been exposed. This was a good example of the advantage of a special Caster who didn't need to maintain a workshop.
"What should we do now, Master?"
"Yes, indeed..."
Gilles de Rais was also quite cornered. As a Servant, it was impossible for him to be defeated by a common thug. However, having lost his main offensive and defensive Noble Phantasm, the Prelati's Spellbook, he would be finished if he was targeted. He would be killed without being able to resist.
Today's "acquisition" was something Ryuunosuke had planned to cheer up the dejected Gilles de Rais, who had failed to capture Saber, but Gilles de Rais had just watched.
For that reason as well, they could not afford to be found by the enemy.
(That irregular black-haired Servant...!! I'll definitely, definitely strangle him with my own hands!!)
He gnashed his incorporeal teeth. Not only had he failed to capture Saber, but the reason he lost his Noble Phantasm was all because of him. By thinking this, the fire of vengeance burned within him. However, putting it into action was very difficult.
(For now, we have to hide somewhere...)
The police were also on high alert due to the repeated, flashy kidnappings. In this situation, enemies were everywhere. Ryuunosuke had almost no understanding of the position he was in. The only thing he understood was that the police were after him, but he didn't see it as a major problem.
"---Ryuunosuke, stop."
"Master?"
Sensing something amiss, Gilles de Rais gave the order. Ryuunosuke obediently complied, looking at the empty space behind him with a puzzled expression.
"Is that you? The one who directed hostility towards us."
It was as if the mundane space had been cut out and replaced with something else. That was how much the aura of the man in front of him was different.
"Ah, that's similar to the one on my hand..."
A red crest on the back of his right hand—a Command Spell. Gilles de Rais immediately switched to combat mode. He was wary of his surroundings, but there was no sign of a Servant.
Did he come alone then? Gilles de Rais considered various possibilities.
"I am Kirei Kotomine. The Master of Assassin."
"Oh, uh, Kotomine-san? I'm Ryuunosuke Uryuu. Wow, you're amazing! You don't have a presence at all! It's like you were just suddenly right in front of me! Do you do some kind of martial arts or something? Like karate?"
"Ryuunosuke Uryuu... then it's correct that you are the Master of Caster?"
"The Master of Caster... yeah, I guess so. My Master said something like that. I don't really get it, though."
"I see."
Kirei replied shortly, and his hand flashed with a speed that the eye couldn't follow. It was a speed that even Ryuunosuke, who was used to violence, couldn't react to. It was beyond the speed that a street murderer could handle.
"Whoa!!"
"Gah!! Ryuunosuke!!"
Not caring about the surrounding onlookers, Gilles de Rais de-materialized and rushed to his side. A large man with bulging eyes suddenly appeared. The people walking around turned their faces away and walked off, as if they didn't want to get involved.
"..."
In the midst of the crowd, Kirei had also vanished without a trace.
"Are you all right, Ryuunosuke?"
"Ouch... yeah, I'm fine, Master. Just a little cut."
On Ryuunosuke's palm, a single sharp cut was carved across. A little blood was seeping out, but it wasn't life-threatening.
"...Hmm. No poison on it, either..."
He licked the wound and spat out his saliva. He could apparently judge it that way. Judging that there was nothing wrong, Ryuunosuke stood up with a light movement. He hadn't lived such a soft life that he would panic over a wound of this程度.
"What was that all about? He was such an amazing guy, but what he did was so lame..."
"Indeed."
There was a crucial difference in thinking between the Master and the Servant.
(What on earth was that? He was definitely a Master of a Servant. For him to show himself so openly... could it be some kind of trap?)
Gilles de Rais couldn't solve that mystery. At least, not as long as he was thinking within the common sense of the Holy Grail War.
"You're an unexpectedly cautious man, Kirei."
Kirei, who had broken his stand-by orders and ventured out again tonight, was on the rooftop of a building. He snorted at the voice he had become so used to.
The man, Heroic Spirit Gilgamesh, wore an aura that shone even in the twilight. The inhuman entity was right behind him, but Kirei was only looking at Ryuunosuke below. In his right hand, he held the weapon that had cut Ryuunosuke—the Stand Arrow.
"This is a Noble Phantasm sent by someone like you. It's unthinkable to use such a thing carelessly."
"Oh? But you did think about trying it on someone else, didn't you?"
"What did you say...?"
Kirei realized it after being told. Would he, his usual self—even if it was an ancient Heroic Spirit—have been deceived by such a sweet-sounding remark?
He thought for a moment but immediately shook his head.
No, that wasn't it. He had tried various things, mastered them, and discarded them. None of them had ever satisfied him. This was just one of them. It was just that, given the opponent, he was being cautious.
(It's fine if he's satisfied with that misunderstanding.)
What did Gilgamesh expect of him? Kirei himself didn't understand. However, he wasn't being manipulated. He wasn't being led around by this mere shadow of a life, which was limited to this Holy Grail War.
He noticed that his restless heart had calmed down.
Gilgamesh had somehow moved next to him and was looking in the same direction as Kirei.
"I see, you chose Caster's Master."
"I thought there was an order to eliminate Caster. Isn't it fine to just defeat him?"
"Don't be a fool. If you do that, your experiment will be ruined. Besides, I only fight against the last one who is steeped in the desire for the Holy Grail. My treasures are not so cheap that they can be directed at a mere mongrel of that level."
It seemed he had no intention of fighting willingly this time. It might be different if his original Master told him to.
"And... hmm. It seems he has some potential. Be glad, Kirei. You'll see something interesting soon."
Gilgamesh laughed as if he was having fun. It was unlikely that he, a being who saw all those he faced as equal mongrels, would remember what kind of person Ryuunosuke was. Most likely, it was a Noble Phantasm that would turn him into a randomly rampaging monster. Kirei, who had come to that conclusion, opened his mouth.
"Oh, so this is a Noble Phantasm that turns humans into monsters?"
"Turns humans into monsters? Kuk, kuhahaha! What are you saying? I told you, didn't I? This arrow is a Noble Phantasm that grants power to humans. And what's more, it's a power that reflects that person's true nature. My eyes aren't blind. An interesting child will be born from that one."
What if, as Gilgamesh said, a power manifested from Ryuunosuke and something—something he couldn't quite grasp—happened?
It would definitely be something bad. The kind of thing that shouldn't happen in such a crowded place.
However, before Kirei could consider his own responsibility, he thought about what it meant for Gilgamesh to have taken an interest in him.
(If Gilgamesh's eyes aren't blind...)
Just as Kirei was about to fall into a swamp of thought again,
"But, Kirei. To see that, you need to prepare yourself as well."
"What-"
He couldn't continue.
Gilgamesh, who had swiftly snatched the arrow, had pierced his throat with it.
"Gah, gaha!!"
Kirei, feeling an intense heat in the center of his throat, instinctively held the wound. The weapon, the arrow, was no longer there. Gilgamesh wiped the bloodied arrow with a cloth embroidered with gold. The cloth disappeared as if it melted into the air. The arrow did the same.
Kirei didn't have time to worry about such things. There was a premonition of something being born from the depths of his body, a feeling of something crawling out. It was a pain he had never felt, not even during the most arduous training.
When the pain and heat subsided, the wound was inexplicably gone. Gilgamesh, ignoring Kirei's confusion, laughed with amusement.
"Rejoice, Kirei. Your path has been decided."
Kirei would soon learn the meaning of those words. A scream rose from the intersection below. He used his magically enhanced sight to confirm. The first person he looked for was, of course...
"Caster's Master..."
"That's right. The seed you sowed has sprouted."
Lumps of flesh were floating around Caster's Master. When the flesh covered a person nearby, the upper half of that person's body vanished without a trace. The remaining lower half fell lifelessly, and its contents spilled out.
"This is..."
"Something ugly has appeared again. Now, what will happen next?"
"What is that, Archer?"
"It's a Stand. The form of that person's soul. The true form that you, yourself, have awakened, which can never be faked."
The damage was spreading rapidly. The flesh monster seemed to be growing as it devoured the fleeing people. Its size was increasing, and its speed of predation was accelerating.
"Is that all right, Kirei?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? Kukuku, it's obvious. You're a priest, aren't you? Then you must act after seeing that tragedy, mustn't you?"
Kirei was taken aback. Why hadn't he thought of that until now? Why had he been leisurely observing?
"Can I do something about it?"
"Of course. A Stand can only be attacked by another Stand. In fact, only you can resolve this situation. The fastest way is to kill the main body, though."
"...I see."
Even with that information, Kirei couldn't move his feet. He couldn't bring himself to act.
At that moment, another person appeared.
"You're doing something interesting, aren't you, young man?"
"Matou, Zouken..."
A man who could only be described as a phantom appeared from nowhere. Kirei, who had memorized his face during his prior investigation, immediately knew his name.
"What business does the head of the Matou family have with me?"
"Hmm? Well, look."
He showed his hand, and a Command Spell was clearly visible. Suppressing his surprise, Kirei continued calmly.
"I thought Matou Kariya was the Master of the Matou family?"
"That foolish son is no longer in this world. I inherited this Command Spell."
"I'll ask again. What do you want?"
"It's a simple matter. Join me, Kirei Kotomine. I'll give you the Holy Grail."
Kirei snorted.
"Don't be ridiculous. I am no longer a Master. There's no benefit to me in joining you."
"That's the ridiculous thing. Don't worry, the Holy Grail will soon choose you as a Master. Besides—"
Zouken looked at Gilgamesh.
"You'll also find a Servant you get along with, you see..."
Gilgamesh said nothing. Was it because he thought a king shouldn't speak to such a person, or was it a silent affirmation?
"I am—gasp!!"
Kirei was struck by a second pain from the depths of his body today. However, this one was a pain he had experienced before. It was very similar to the pain that had led him to work with the Tohsaka family.
"Could it be..."
Kirei looked at his own hand in disbelief. A Command Spell was clearly emerging there.
"The Holy Grail chooses a good time."
Zouken was smirking like a child who had successfully pulled a prank.
"I... am..."
"Well, you don't have to give me an answer right away. Watch tonight's entertainment and decide again."
Leaving those words behind, Zouken vanished with his bugs.
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