"I see."
Gilgamesh nodded in understanding. Leveling Ea, the Sword of Rupture toward Waver's head, he scrutinized the young man.
"But, boy... if you truly are a loyal subject, shouldn't you have the duty to avenge your fallen king?"
His tone was light and almost teasing, as though he were deliberately trying to provoke Waver's hatred.
Silence.
After a deathly silence—
Wiping away his tears, Waver stubbornly met Gilgamesh's gaze.
"If I challenge you..."
"I'll die."
"Naturally."
Gilgamesh acknowledged the fact without hesitation.
"So..."
"I can't do it."
"Because..."
"My king ordered me to live!"
Summoning every ounce of courage he possessed, Waver shouted those words while refusing to avert his eyes.
"Oh?"
Gilgamesh narrowed his crimson eyes.
There was contempt in his gaze.
Mockery.
Amusement.
And buried so deeply that it was almost impossible to notice...
A trace of approval.
He studied Waver for a long moment before letting out a faint chuckle and turning away.
"At times, admitting one's own weakness and inadequacy also requires courage."
"Your loyalty is worthy of praise."
"Do not waver from the resolve you possess at this moment."
As the final words fell—
Gilgamesh vanished from before Waver in an instant.
Within the Gate of Babylon, there were not only flying Noble Phantasms such as the Vimana, but also countless treasures capable of instantaneous movement.
Such divine authorities were reserved for the rare occasions when the King of Heroes intended to become truly serious.
And that moment...
Had finally arrived.
Because the final battle was at hand.
"Waaah..."
Watching the enemy who had slain his king simply disappear without taking his own life, Waver's forced composure finally collapsed.
His knees gave out.
He fell to the ground.
And wept in anguish.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
Tears blurred his vision as they splashed onto the earth at the foot of Mount Enzō, mixing with the soil until they became mud—the very shape of the emotions within his heart.
Humiliation.
Unwillingness.
Grief.
Pain.
Fear.
Despair.
Everything he had gained this day would become the driving force that carried him into the future.
Never again...
Never again did he want to be so powerless that all he could do was cry.
He would become stronger.
Stronger than anyone.
Strong enough to overturn any desperate situation.
...
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
—Psalm 23, The Old Testament
Having parted ways with Gilgamesh, Kirei Kotomine strolled along the mountainside of Mount Enzō.
His left hand held an open Bible bound in black leather.
His right rested calmly behind his back.
He neither ascended nor descended the mountain, lingering midway like a wandering spirit drifting through the mortal world.
"My cup overflows."
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."
Closing the Bible, Kirei allowed a faint smile to curl across his lips.
His dark, hollow eyes settled upon the man emerging from the shadowy forest.
A man whose eyes resembled his own.
"It wasn't easy getting a man as perfectly rational as you to honor our appointment and come here of your own accord..."
"Kiritsugu Emiya."
Kirei lifted the silver cross hanging around his neck and gently pressed a kiss against it.
"Kirei Kotomine."
Kiritsugu's expression remained grave.
He held a firearm in each hand.
One was a Thompson submachine gun.
The other was his customized Thompson Contender, functioning as a Mystic Code, already loaded with a single Origin Bullet.
"Come."
"Answer my question with your very body."
Kirei tossed the Bible high into the air.
Six Black Keys instantly appeared in his hands.
The Command Seals on his right arm glowed crimson.
Silver blades extended from each Black Key.
Without another word, he charged straight at Kiritsugu.
The moonlight reflected coldly from the silver blades.
Not blinding...
Yet enough to make Kiritsugu narrow his eyes.
He remained perfectly still.
Raising the Thompson Contender, he waited until Kirei had fully reinforced the Black Keys with magical energy.
Then—
He fired.
Bang!
A silver Origin Bullet, engraved with intricate golden patterns, erupted from the dark muzzle.
Its target—
Kirei Kotomine's chest.
An Origin Bullet did not need to strike a vital point.
As long as it hit while its target's Magic Circuits were active, it would trigger uncontrollable magical backlash, causing catastrophic collapse of the victim's Magic Circuits and irreversible destruction of the body.
Its greatest strength was not instant death.
It was turning a magus into someone less capable than an ordinary human.
Once deprived of their magecraft, they were utterly helpless.
Every magus Kiritsugu had ever defeated with an Origin Bullet had been executed without mercy afterward.
Moreover...
Aside from the late Natalia Kaminski and Kiritsugu himself—
No one else knew of the Origin Bullet's existence.
That was why he used it immediately.
He intended to exploit the information gap and catch Kirei completely off guard.
If Kirei used a Black Key—directly connected to his Magic Circuits—to block the shot...
His Magic Circuits would collapse instantly.
The battle would be over before it had truly begun.
This was Kiritsugu Emiya's way.
Using the most efficient strategy possible...
No matter the means.
Exactly as Kiritsugu had anticipated—
Kirei's pupils contracted.
Empowered by magical reinforcement, his body and vision reacted instantly to the supersonic bullet.
Crossing his Black Keys before him—
Clang!
He intercepted the Origin Bullet.
"It's over!"
Kiritsugu declared victory, unable to suppress a hint of excitement.
However—
Something entirely beyond his expectations happened.
The instant the Origin Bullet struck the blade projected from the Black Key—
Its magical energy imploded.
The conceptual powers of Severing and Binding contained within the Origin Bullet activated simultaneously.
Boom!
The Black Key shattered.
Yet—
Kirei remained completely unaffected.
Without slowing in the slightest, his charge became even faster.
Like a flash of light, he closed the distance and appeared beside Kiritsugu.
What?!
Kiritsugu's heart skipped a beat.
Without hesitation, he activated—
Time Alter — Double Accel!
His body's internal time accelerated to twice its normal rate as he leaned backward, narrowly evading Kirei's devastating roundhouse kick.
The moment Time Alter activated—
The flow of time around Kiritsugu seemed to slow by half.
Even Kirei's lightning-fast kick appeared to decelerate.
Within that slowed world, only Kiritsugu could move freely.
He narrowly evaded two consecutive kicks.
Then, swinging his Thompson submachine gun into position—
He unleashed a full burst at point-blank range.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789