Chapter 45: The Tohsaka Residence is Exceptionally Lively Tonight
In the spacious room, only a small lamp placed on the cabinet emitted light, preventing the area from plunging into darkness.
A slight gap in the partially closed curtains allowed a sliver of bright moonlight to enter the room.
Gilgamesh was sitting leisurely on the sofa, his casual gaze drifting across the television screen in front of him.
Recently, Gilgamesh could be said to have become obsessed with modern video games.
Among these games, those with themes of conquering cities and territories were particularly pleasing to him.
Gilgamesh didn't care about the game's graphics or even the plot; he only wanted to conquer region after region and utterly crush his enemies repeatedly.
As for King of Fighters '94, since he couldn't even beat a child at it, Gilgamesh deemed it garbage and carelessly tossed it aside.
"..."
The only sound in the room was the faint clicking of the controller buttons; otherwise, there was no noise.
In front of the flashing screen, Gilgamesh enjoyed victory time and time again.
The red logs in the winter fireplace crackled and turned to ash, and Gilgamesh, facing the muted game, let out a soft sigh after clearing a stage.
"Which one shall I play next..."
The King of Heroes selected the next game to conquer with interest.
It had been an unknown period since he last experienced this feeling of luxury and tranquility.
Actually, Gilgamesh didn't particularly like this feeling, as every time he found himself in such a state, it reminded him of the fact that he was utterly alone.
In this dim, clicking room, Gilgamesh's hand, reaching for another game package, stopped.
The strategy game that initially excited him was now becoming increasingly boring.
There was only one reason for his current predicament.
Because there was no one left to accompany him and witness his victories.
An irrepressible wave of yearning surged in his heart, instantly making the carefully selected games seem dull.
Putting down the controller, Gilgamesh leaned back, collapsing onto the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.
On that day in the distant past, after his only best friend passed away in his arms, he traveled thousands of miles to find the herb of immortality, only for it to be stolen and eaten by a snake on his way back.
In that moment, the King laughed heartily at his own foolishness.
He lamented that the pride he had attained and held in his hands was merely "nothingness."
But, upon reflection, he realized he hadn't pursued nothing at all.
The King finally understood that "having nothing in the end" was the only reward.
The fulfillment and joy he had experienced for the first time in his life vanished in that instant.
This was the world of humans.
This was the matter he was destined to adjudicate.
How could one with immortality truly understand this feeling?
Immortality and eternal youth were merely shortcomings of mortals.
They were just beautiful dreams of mongrels who didn't want to face death.
"I do not need immortality, for these eyes can see through the future, so I do not fear death."
As a finite life destined to disappear, there is no need to fear the end, no need to pursue eternal life, because existence does not lose meaning just because it ends. It is precisely because of the end that there is a brief moment of brilliance.
Having comprehended this point, the King grasped the spiritual core of humanity and fully understood the meaning of "finite life."
The spiritual childhood ended at that moment. The sky the King looked up at was vast and boundless, extending infinitely.
Even if the body decays, human cognition will continue to expand.
One day, humanity will eventually seek the light from hundreds of millions of years in the future.
And so, the King chose to let go.
Because he had collected everything that ought to be collected.
There was no more pleasure to be found in that era.
Therefore, the only choice was to leave cleanly and decisively.
"As many deaths as I endure, so many resurrections I shall experience.
Every time I open my eyes, I shall adjudicate that era.
Until the end of the world."
Snapping out of his past memories, Gilgamesh realized it was already evening.
"It's about time..."
He had arranged to meet Kotomine Kirei at the Tohsaka residence tonight.
Taking one last look at the still-flashing television screen, Gilgamesh withdrew his gaze, and his body dissolved into golden sparks of light, disappearing from the room.
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.
.
The sky grew darker, and as night fell, the city's neon lights became more glaring.
The bright moon in the sky unleashed its full radiance, covering the streets and the forest in a layer of silvery-white gauze.
"It's this way."
In the dead of night, Shirou, standing on a treetop, utilized his 'Clairvoyance' vision to survey the Tohsaka residence and its surroundings completely.
Shirou's 'Clairvoyance' is also known as the "Hawk's Eye" visual ability.
This ability allows him to survey the entire city and search for enemies simply by looking down from a high vantage point.
Additionally, Clairvoyance enhances his archery accuracy. Incidentally, when Shirou notches an arrow, he can accurately snipe a target moving at high speed, provided it is within 4 kilometers.
With Clairvoyance, Shirou is capable of "ultra-long-distance sniping" with accuracy that surpasses the human domain.
Therefore, Shirou could easily detect the magical traps set up near the Tohsaka residence. If an ordinary Magus rashly intruded here, they would undoubtedly meet a terrible end.
"I don't see Gilgamesh anywhere. Is that guy playing video games again, perhaps..."
Given Gilgamesh's capricious nature, it was hard to say for sure.
The compatibility between Tohsaka Tokiomi and Gilgamesh was already very poor, and Tokiomi's deferential posture, feigned through suppressed humiliation, was quite unsightly.
Furthermore, despite adopting the role of a vassal, Tohsaka Tokiomi constantly did things that overstepped that boundary.
The appearance of Assassin last night had already made Gilgamesh feel utterly disgraced.
Thus, Gilgamesh no longer cared about Tohsaka Tokiomi's life or death; Kotomine Kirei, in contrast, was more to his liking.
Shirou sighed softly, withdrawing his gaze from the Tohsaka residence, which was still some distance away.
Although he was prepared, the thought of potentially fighting Rin's father still made him feel a little helpless.
Thinking of this, Shirou's thoughts grew somewhat agitated.
Just then, Shirou suddenly heard the roar of an engine coming from the highway nearby.
No matter how he thought about it, it couldn't be Gilgamesh, as the King of Heroes would never travel by car if he wanted to go somewhere.
"Is someone else heading toward the Tohsaka residence at this hour?"
Shirou withdrew his gaze from the Tohsaka residence and instead focused on the silver-white sports car speeding up the winding mountain road.
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The road, paved from the summit of Mount Miyama-chō, extended all the way into the city.
Accompanied by the deep engine roar breaking the silence of the night, a silver-white beast sped along the sparsely lit national highway.
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL—its elegantly streamlined body was as poised as a noblewoman, while the roar of its in-line six-cylinder engine was as magnificent as a mighty beast.
The driver of this car was Saber.
"It seems your words, Saber, that you could learn simply by 'gripping the reins tightly,' were true."
The one who spoke these words in a gentle voice was a slender, delicate woman. Her silver hair fell over her shoulders, and her beautiful face now carried a fragility that was pitiable to behold.
It was hard to believe that the woman who was so lively not long ago now seemed like a fragile flower, about to disappear at any moment.
Before long, the moving Mercedes-Benz stopped.
Saber walked around to the passenger seat and opened the door for her.
"Do you want to put on more clothes? Irisviel."
Seeing her condition, Saber asked with concern.
However, Irisviel merely shook her head at the question.
The evening breeze blew, making her waist-length silver hair flutter behind her.
"It's fine, Saber. You go fight without worry. I will take good care of myself."
Although she said so, Saber still looked very worried.
Because the light in the woman's eyes was completely gone.
"Then... let's go."
Saber said this, actively taking Irisviel's hand and leading her toward the forest ahead.
Their destination was the highest point of the mountain, a villa in the residential district—that was the Tohsaka residence.
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