Chapter 32: Karna's Dream
"How can this be... Although I consciously disregarded my respected sensei's well-being, why is such an unfilial expression appearing on my face!"
Kotomine Kirei looked at his face in disbelief, but the more he spoke righteous words, the broader the smile on his face became.
At this moment, Gilgamesh started laughing for some reason.
"King of Heroes, why do you laugh?" Kotomine Kirei asked Gilgamesh with a firm voice.
However, when he asked the question, Gilgamesh laughed even harder.
Then, the handsome man in golden armor with golden hair laughed so much that the wine cup in his hand trembled, and the fine wine spilled out.
"Although I don't know what the Holy Grail looks like right now, and whether it truly possesses wish-granting power, it no longer matters... Compared to the Holy Grail, I find you far more interesting, Kotomine Kirei!"
"..."
Hearing Gilgamesh's words, Kotomine Kirei was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.
At this moment, Gilgamesh swirled the wine cup in his hand and spoke with great interest.
"I like arrogant opponents. Even if their strength is low, if they possess a spirit that I appreciate, such an opponent can still bring me pleasure."
Saying this, Gilgamesh downed the wine in the cup.
"The fact that I am still alive, does this suggest that there is something about me that gives you pleasure?" Kotomine Kirei immediately grasped the meaning in Gilgamesh's words.
"But I don't believe someone as ordinary as me possesses any quality worthy of the noble 'King of Heroes' regard?"
"Haha... you greatly underestimate yourself. Every word you speak now brings me immense pleasure, Kotomine Kirei." Gilgamesh told Kotomine Kirei happily.
"Compared to that boring fellow, Tohsaka Tokiomi, I truly find you more interesting."
"What do you mean? Are you trying to sow discord between my sensei and me?" Kotomine Kirei asked with confusion.
Logically, as a disciple, he should feel angry when someone tries to sow discord between him and his sensei, yet Kotomine Kirei found that he felt no anger whatsoever, and was even a little excited.
What was happening to him? Why did he suddenly feel as if his inner self had been changed after just a few words from Gilgamesh, becoming so strange?
Kotomine Kirei felt estranged from his current self, yet at the same time, he was secretly delighted by this emotion that was gradually revealing his desires.
Such a complex human being—perhaps Kotomine Kirei was the only one in the world.
This was also why Gilgamesh was so interested in him.
Suddenly, the question looped back to the beginning.
What kind of person was he, truly?
Was he naturally this kind of immoral and rebellious person?
"Everyone is pure and flawless when they are babies, but as they slowly grow and begin to think for themselves, just a slightly unconventional thought might lead them down a completely different path." Gilgamesh said, his eyes intently fixed on Kotomine Kirei.
"When a person begins to pursue meaningless things, although what he does may seem meaningless to others, to him, that action can bring him 'Pleasure.' This is the thing you have been searching for, yet have failed to find for so long."
Gilgamesh looked at Kotomine Kirei, whose pupils were contracting sharply, and continued.
"Kotomine Kirei, your heart yearns for 'Pleasure,' but the rules of this world and the constant absorption of common human values have incessantly shackled you, forcing you to suppress the impulse to achieve 'Pleasure' in your heart without even realizing it. Until this Holy Grail War... in this chaotic, supernatural event, your inner impulse broke its shackles for the first time. Congratulations, Kotomine Kirei!"
Hearing Gilgamesh's words, Kotomine Kirei felt as if the flow of time in the whole world had stopped, and his mouth unconsciously uttered the word.
"Pleasure..."
.
.
.
Shirou would never have expected that his unintentional actions would bring the two 'pleasure-seeking monsters' together so quickly.
"I didn't think Gilgamesh would show up suddenly... What a pity." Shirou murmured regretfully.
He had just missed the chance to directly eliminate Kotomine Kirei.
'But it can't be helped, who told me to talk so much nonsense.'
Shirou shrugged, opening the door to his house with a sense of helplessness.
'I will consider it a lesson.'
Tiptoeing back to his room, Karna's voice came through from his spirit form.
"Master, what is the situation?"
"I eliminated one enemy. I could have gotten two, but the second one was rescued when I was about to strike." Shirou replied as he sat down on the sofa.
Sakura was soundly asleep at this time, curled up on Shirou's bed, looking as if she had resisted sleep until she couldn't fight the drowsiness anymore.
"I see. In any case, it is good that you are safe, Master." Karna was more concerned about Shirou's well-being.
Shirou couldn't help but smile at this. Then, feeling drowsiness setting in, he yawned, closed his eyes slightly, and fell asleep right there on the sofa.
Gradually, as his consciousness became hazy, Shirou traveled through a distant dream and witnessed Karna's memories of his former life.
A long time ago, there was a princess named Kunti.
She was the daughter of King Sura of the Yadu dynasty and the sister of Krishna's father.
As a child, this princess served the sage Durvasa and gained the great sage's affection. The sage foresaw that Kunti would marry the sterile Prince Pandu in the future. Out of pity, he granted Kunti a mantra. When this mantra was recited, a God would send her a son.
Kunti, young and ignorant, used the spell on the Sun God, Surya, before marrying Pandu, just to verify the mantra's authenticity. Sure enough, just as the sage Durvasa had said, the Sun God truly descended and granted her a strong, healthy boy, along with a suit of armor and earrings made of solidified sunlight. He happily promised, "As long as the sun remains, this child will be protected from all harm and suffering. He will be upright and become a great hero whose name will shine throughout history!"
That child was Karna.
Kunti was delighted to have given birth to a child, yet she was also terrified of the sin of having a child before marriage. Finally, fear overwhelmed the mother as her wedding date with Pandu approached. She could only shed tears as she abandoned the infant Karna, who was only a few months old, placing him in a basket and setting him adrift on the Ganges River.
After her marriage, Kunti subsequently used the mantra to give birth to Yudhisthira, the 'Son of the God of Death,' Bhima, the 'Son of the God of Wind,' and her third son, the miraculous child Arjuna, bestowed upon her directly by the King of the Gods, Indra.
The grand curtain of the story, the Mahabharata, thus unfolded.
From the feud over the throne between the five Pandava brothers and the hundred Kaurava brothers, Karna's public humiliation of Princess Draupadi, Duryodhana's kindness toward Karna and his coronation as the King of Anga, to the dice game in the royal court, and Karna's calling Arjuna's wife a 'harlot'—everything pushed these divine half-brothers into an endless, hostile opposition.
Finally, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the ultimate fight for the throne, Karna and Arjuna confronted each other.
Having had his protective armor stolen by Indra, who loved his son, and then ambushed by Arjuna, who was instigated by Krishna, Karna, despite his extraordinary martial skill, was forced to die in regret under the divine bow Gandiva. He took his last breath with relief, witnessed by the wailing Kunti and a shocked Arjuna, who had just learned the truth of their blood relationship.
This was the unfortunate life of Karna, the Son of the Sun God.
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