Chapter 166

Ding ding!!

"Hey, King of Knights, looking a bit worse for wear, aren't we?"

Inside Ryuudou Temple, Saber lay on the ground, with two Noble Phantasms stuck in her legs. She was taken aback when she heard the voice of Lancer, who had suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking the two projectiles thrown by Gilgamesh.

"Lancer... you... aren't you..."

Without turning around, Lancer stared straight at the furious Archer standing on the rooftop and said, "King of Knights, do you remember our agreement? That knightly duel..."

Although unsure of the situation, Saber understood the chivalrous intent behind Lancer's words. She pulled out the weapons from her legs and stood up.

"Of course! I, Artoria Pendragon, swear on the honor of the King of Knights that I will continue our duel, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, and we will settle this as knights!"

"That's good. Now, let me lend you a hand, King of Knights!"

"Much appreciated!"

Watching the interaction between Lancer and Saber, Gilgamesh was seething with rage.

"How dare you disrupt my feast! Unforgivable! Die, you mongrels!!"

...

While the battle raged above, the fight in the large cavern below Ryuudou Temple was nearing its end.

Due to Shinji's interference, Kirei only had three Command Spells at his disposal—two of his own and one he had taken from his teacher.

Yes, in this timeline, Kirei hadn't killed Tohsaka Tokiomi immediately. Instead, he first cut off his teacher's arm to take the Command Spells, then sent him to his end with a knife.

Because of this, Kirei could only use three Command Spells as a source of magical energy, and he had to save one, as using the last one would disqualify him as a Master.

Breathing heavily while protecting the body of Irisviel, Kiritsugu silently calculated his remaining options.

In the previous battle, he had used one Command Spell to block an Origin Bullet. Now, he only had two left and could only use one more.

His second attack had shattered his opponent's heart, yet the man still stood.

This kind of regeneration can only be stopped by destroying the brain! And his double speed is troublesome...

Simultaneously, Kiritsugu was wary of Kirei. The opponent's martial arts were formidable; a single blow had shattered his heart. If not for Avalon, he would be dead.

He must be cautious and avoid close combat!

Both minds raced, thinking of how to deliver a fatal blow in the next round, leaving no room for the other to counterattack.

Finally, they both moved at the same time!

But...

Thud!

Kirei paused, stunned, looking at the black dagger piercing his chest. Kiritsugu also stopped, startled by the sudden change.

Assassin!

Why... why is Assassin here?

Why did Assassin stab Kirei Kotomine in the back?

Kiritsugu felt like he was losing his mind. The man before him was supposed to be the final enemy! Why? Who did this?!

"Assassin..."

Kirei turned, his usually impassive face now full of shock. He couldn't understand why Assassin, who should have disappeared, was here. Moreover, this was the one he had killed first!

"Kirei-sama, long time no see... but now I'm not an Assassin; I am the eighth class—Shadow!"

Thud!

Kirei collapsed, his breath extinguished within seconds, his face frozen in an expression of surprise even in death. Zayd, the one who stabbed him, finally understood the pleasure his Master spoke of.

Seeing such an expression, how could one not be pleased?

Feeling deeply satisfied, Zayd recalled his Master's words—to smile warmly, making others feel comforted.

Ah, his Master was truly cunning!

As Kiritsugu watched Zayd, who had dealt with Kirei and claimed to be the eighth class, Shadow, he remained vigilant, his mind racing.

One enemy left! There's definitely one more!

Although unsure who, there must be one left!

As Kiritsugu thought, flames suddenly engulfed Irisviel's corpse behind him. Within seconds, it transformed into a shining golden cup!

Seeing the Holy Grail rise, Zayd wanted to embrace and kiss his Master. What a victory! Nothing could compare to his Master's greatness!

We won!

Barely doing anything, the Holy Grail was ours!

Just eliminate this last Master, and the Grail is ours!

Master, give the order quickly!

Even if unseen, Shinji could feel Zayd's admiration and eagerness. However...

Thud!

Zayd looked down at the long sword piercing his heart—Shinji's Noble Phantasm, retrieved from the sea. He was utterly dumbfounded, as was Kiritsugu.

What on earth is happening!?

"My... my Master..."

Zayd turned, trembling, looking at his Master, who smiled warmly as always, unsure of what to say.

"Actually, I forgot to tell you, you were just a pawn for me."

"What..." Zayd murmured.

Thud!

As Shinji withdrew the sword, Zayd fell.

Even in his last moments, Zayd couldn't comprehend why his Master had done this when the Holy Grail was within reach...

"Rest assured, Zayd, I've fulfilled your wishes. One was to have your name recorded in history. I'll always remember you, meaning your name lives on in history, right? The second wish—to merge your personalities—I separated them. Isn't that roughly the same?"

Thanks a lot!!

Zayd mentally screamed in his final moments.

Seeing the young man who appeared, Kiritsugu recognized him as the detective he had ordered Maiya to investigate, the one playing detective with Lancer!

I underestimated him! I really underestimated him!

As the blue-haired youth sheathed his sword and casually placed his hands in his pockets, Kiritsugu, on high alert, tried to control his breathing, revealing no weaknesses.

Uncertain of his enemy's capabilities, background, or true identity!

Testing with a gunshot? No, that's not viable!

Ten meters away, Shinji sat on a rock, crossed his legs, and spoke casually.

"Calm down, Emiya Kiritsugu. I have no intention of competing for the Grail with you~ I'm not going to fight you. The Grail is yours for now~"

"Who exactly are you..."

Before Kiritsugu could finish, he was dragged into the Holy Grail, overflowing with dark red, viscous fluid.

Shinji smiled, ignoring the encroaching fluid, and whispered, "But if you don't want it, don't blame me for picking it up, Emiya Kiritsugu..."

With that, Shinji was also consumed by the black fluid.

...

Inside the Holy Grail, Kiritsugu faced the same trolley problem as in the original story, with the same outcome.

Shinji, watching from the side, nearly yawned. How unoriginal.

He couldn't be bothered to help the twisted ally of justice understand that his justice was merely selfish. So, he remained silent, merely observing.

Three hundred people, two hundred people, saving three hundred only to have two hundred survive.

Kiritsugu wouldn't consider if most of those saved were elderly, or if they were incapable of ensuring humanity's survival. He wouldn't think about their professions or gender ratios.

Emiya Kiritsugu's scales only needed to hold the majority; that was his forged sense of justice.

Ordinary preaching? Explaining the true definition of justice? Discussing philosophy?

No, that would be useless. His thoughts were already rigid, and Shinji didn't want to waste his breath.

Kiritsugu needed a powerful shock to change, if he ever could, but Shinji didn't care.

Seeing Kiritsugu shoot his wife and daughter in the Grail, Shinji couldn't help but admire him. Truly an ally of justice!

But, if you could make the same choice in reality,

Could you abandon your wife and daughter too?

It's... exciting...

...

Kiritsugu, expelled from the Grail, first saw the young man still sitting on the rock, watching him with interest.

However, Kiritsugu no longer wanted to confront him, nor was he interested in his identity!

He needed to use one Command Spell to summon Saber and the remaining two to destroy this evil vessel!

As he raised his arm to use the Command Spell, Shinji finally acted...

...

Seeing the photos of Maiya and the video of Illya on the mysterious device, Kiritsugu's eyes widened.

What kind of monster is this?!

He no longer wondered how the youth had taken Illya but was sure that was his daughter!

Holding the bottle containing the last remnants of Irisviel's personality and spirit, Shinji casually tossed it up and down.

"Choose, Emiya Kiritsugu, between these women or using your remaining Command Spells as I command..."