Chapter 238 – The War Continues
"What a cunning rat, don't you think, Kirei…" Looking at Emiya Kiritsugu staggering away in the distance, Gilgamesh stepped out of the ruins, untouched by a speck of dust, and asked Kotomine Kirei beside him.
"Shouldn't we chase after him?" Kirei didn't answer. He merely frowned slightly, watching the direction in which Kiritsugu disappeared.
Though Kiritsugu had temporarily blocked him with explosives, Kirei had taken little actual damage and could easily catch or kill him. Yet just as he was about to act, Gilgamesh stopped him.
"If we let Saber leave here now, wouldn't the Holy Grail War become too boring? Besides, that would just be giving in to Tokiomi's wishes…" Gilgamesh candidly spoke his thoughts to Kirei, whom he had already trained to a sufficient degree.
"You have a cruel sense of humor…" "No, I am merely following my heart, doing as I please." Glancing at Kirei, Gilgamesh walked ahead.
"And what about the woman Assassin captured earlier?" "Whatever you wish. Kill her or release her—follow your own heart." Gilgamesh waved to Kirei and then vanished from sight.
"Follow my heart, huh…" Kirei pondered for a moment, then turned in another direction.
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"Now, please accept the cursed seals as a reward for the efforts in the caster subjugation…" In the church, the official observer of the Holy Grail War, Kotomine Risei, distributed the rewards to those who contributed to the caster battle.
Weber and Kayneth each received an extra cursed seal, while Hikigaya Hachiman, who ultimately defeated Caster, received two.
After distributing the seals, Kotomine Risei glanced around, pretending to frown in ignorance. "Has Saber and her Master not arrived?" "They must have had some temporary issue." Recalling Artoria's sudden departure, Hachiman explained the situation.
"I see. Then Saber's reward will remain in my custody for now." Kotomine Risei nodded, covering the cursed seal on his arm again.
He then placed his hands behind his back, gave a formal expression of gratitude to the three groups of participants before him, and announced that the previously suspended Holy Grail War would resume.
However, after the fierce battle against Caster, neither Iskandar nor Kayneth had the energy or desire to continue fighting today. So after farewells at the church gates, the three groups dispersed, heading toward their respective bases.
The streets were brightly lit. What happened in the city center could no longer be hidden. After all, a massive, unusually deep pit had suddenly appeared…
Especially since Caster had summoned numerous beasts and transformed the captured humans into monsters to fight Hachiman and the others. As a result, nearly a thousand people vanished from Fuyuki City in an instant!
While the ordinary citizens did not understand what exactly had happened, they weren't foolish enough to remain in the city. Along the way back to the inn, Hachiman and his group saw crowds carrying luggage or leaving the city by car.
In contrast to the panicked masses, the three moving calmly against the flow should have stood out conspicuously. But in the face of escaping for their lives, who would notice such details?
The main roads were already clogged with people. Frustrated, Hachiman had no choice but to return to the inn through the alleys.
Halfway through, a divine fox suddenly appeared before him.
"Hachiman-dono…" The white fox, appearing as a three-head-high shrine maiden, respectfully greeted Hachiman and then explained why she had appeared.
"Were Saber and the others attacked?" The repeated explosions had naturally drawn the fox's attention, which Hachiman had sent to scout information. Although they arrived after everyone had already fled, the foxes could discern that it was Saber's group that had been attacked from the lingering traces left behind.
"Also, we found a man missing an arm…" The foxes didn't immediately locate Artoria retreating with Alice, but Kiritsugu escaping through the explosion impact was easily detected.
"Who is this man?" Seeing the transmitted photo, Hachiman recalled that Kiritsugu had previously attempted a sniper attack at the harbor, almost killed by Diarmuid. For someone who sneaks attacks like this, Hachiman instinctively felt some disgust.
However, since Kiritsugu might be connected to Saber and Alice, he ordered the foxes to bring him back to the inn.
"Yes!" Acknowledging Hachiman's command, the fox nodded, then transformed into a white fox again and disappeared in a few leaps.
"These are divine servants, right, Master?" With only Hachiman, Sakura, and Karna left in the alley, Karna asked his question aloud.
"They should be." Hachiman nodded, recalling that these foxes served the Inari deity.
"Then your status isn't ordinary either…" Hearing Hachiman's confirmation, Karna gave him a meaningful glance. Even if these divine servants didn't belong to Hachiman, the way they treated him revealed clues about his identity.
"Brother, does Karna mean you are a god?" Sakura looked up curiously.
"Of course not." Hachiman laughed wryly and explained his otherworldly human identity to Karna. If any god were disguised as someone like him, they would probably have died from frustration long ago. He had merely made a pact with an extremely weakened deity, gaining one-seventh of its power.
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