Chapter 11: Your Heart is Crying!

"It's quite lively, Rider." 

"The battle between Lancer and Caster hasn't ended yet, and now Saber and Assassin are going at it." 

Watching through a familiar, Waver had grown accustomed to this routine. 

The Heroic Spirits—each one was more restless than the last. 

"Rider, should we do something?"

Noticing that Lelouch hadn't responded, Waver asked, puzzled. 

Ever since he came to trust Rider, Waver had followed his lead without much thought.

"Simply observing is enough for now. Your familiar can monitor them." 

"But if we want to engage, we must ensure our own safety first." 

"Acting recklessly will only put us at a disadvantage."

Lelouch, elegantly sipping tea, gave Waver a glance before offering his advice. 

Though initially Waver had seemed a bit clueless, Lelouch had found him to be less rigid than he expected.

"Uh..."

Momentarily stunned by Lelouch's words, Waver scratched his head, realizing that his Servant was giving him the choice. 

While it may have been insignificant to Rider, as a Master, Waver felt glad. 

It meant Rider trusted and respected him.

He began to think things through. 

Rider's mecha, when used in battle, was all about large-scale bombardments. 

Forget sustainability—just the machine guns alone could level an entire street. 

An uncharged magical cannon could flatten sections of the city. 

The area where Lancer and Caster were fighting wasn't exactly downtown Fuyuki City, but it wasn't entirely secluded either. 

If they hadn't evacuated the civilians, there were still likely ordinary people living nearby. 

Waver, as a mage, wasn't so heartless as to let his Servant attack where innocents might be harmed. That area was out of the question.

"Let's go, Rider. Let's head for where Saber and Assassin are fighting."

Having sorted his thoughts, Waver made his decision.

"Heh."

Lelouch smiled slightly at Waver's words. 

Whatever Waver chose, it didn't matter much to him. 

Aside from Archer and Berserker, Lelouch had already devised countermeasures for the other four—Saber, Lancer, Caster, and Assassin.

"We need to stir things up, cause some chaos, and draw out Archer and Berserker." 

The ones who hadn't shown themselves were the biggest unknowns, just like he and Waver had been hiding in the shadows. 

The rest of the participants were already entangled in conflicts, which kept them constantly on the move. 

But Lelouch had no such concerns. After stirring the pot with two factions, he could lay low without leaving any trace, and no one would be able to track them. 

At the moment, Archer and Berserker were the only two Servants he was particularly concerned about.

---

*Clang!* 

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The sound of clashing blades filled the air as Saber and Assassin continued their fierce battle. 

"Ryuutsuisen!" 

With rapid, precise strikes of his broken blade, Kenshin launched a flurry of attacks, but Saber blocked each one with ease. 

Compared to their previous encounter, Saber was clearly gaining the upper hand this time.

"As an Assassin, you are indeed strong!" 

Saber's gaze was unwavering, and she praised her opponent without hesitation. 

Only a few Heroic Spirits could face her, the strongest class, armed with nothing but swordsmanship and agility.

'Each of your strikes is intended to kill.' 

'If I hadn't blocked them, they would have caused significant damage.' 

'But with your sword broken, the threat is greatly diminished.'

Now that Assassin's blade was shattered, Saber no longer felt any immediate danger. 

Even the most skilled swordsman would be at a disadvantage with a broken sword—it was like fighting with an injured hand. 

She wasn't sure why Assassin's blade had broken, but she had no intention of holding back.

"Hah!" 

Saber's sword, cloaked in wind, slashed toward Kenshin. His eyes sharpened as he leapt into the air, twisting his body.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryuurisen!" 

He dodged the strike and used the momentum to thrust his broken blade toward Saber's head.

*Clang!* 

But Saber blocked it with her gauntlet, deflecting the broken blade with ease. 

Kenshin quickly retreated, widening the distance between them.

'Tsk, it's too much to expect that I can beat her with this broken sword.' 

Kenshin frowned, realizing he was in a tight spot. 

Even in past battles where his sword had broken, he had always managed to kill his enemies. 

But this time was different. 

Heroic Spirits were a different breed of warriors, and the smallest mistake could mean defeat. 

Unfortunately, Saber had caught him at a bad time—he hadn't been able to prepare another sword, and both he and his Master were tied up in their respective battles.

---

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* 

*Clang! Clang!* 

Deflecting bullets with his Black Keys, Kirei wasn't about to give Kiritsugu another opening. 

That one close call had been enough to make him sweat. Luckily, Assassin had arrived just in time.

"Tch."

Seeing Kirei close in, Kiritsugu retreated. 

From Kirei's skillset, he knew close combat would be a huge disadvantage for him.

*Shing!* 

Dodging another Black Key, Kiritsugu raised his gun and fired several rapid shots toward Kirei.

*Pop! Pop! Pop!*

The burst of gunfire forced Kirei to halt his movements for a moment. 

Then, Kiritsugu heard Maiya's voice through his earpiece.

"Kiritsugu, I've found your wife." 

"There were only magical seals along the way, no other obstacles."

Kiritsugu's expression shifted slightly.

"She's unharmed, but Kirei has taken the scabbard from her."

"I see. Be careful."

While relieved to hear that Irisviel was safe, an uneasy feeling gnawed at him.

"Your wife has been found, hasn't she?"

Kirei's calm voice brought Kiritsugu's attention back to him. 

"Although you didn't go yourself, it's clear you care deeply for her." 

"Your assistant and your wife—both are important to you, right?"

"!"

The more Kirei spoke, the stronger Kiritsugu's sense of dread became. 

In the next moment, his worst fears were confirmed.

"If you were to lose them... would it bring you pain?" 

*BOOM!*

An explosion roared behind Kirei, illuminating the sky with a fiery glow.

". . ."

Kiritsugu's pupils dilated for a brief second as the source of his unease became clear.

'There were only magical seals along the way, no other obstacles.'

Maiya's words echoed in his mind, now grating on his ears. 

He should have realized it sooner—if he had, maybe he could have saved them.

His hand tightened around the gun.

"A bomb." 

"A method that ignores conventional combat—convenient, isn't it?" 

"In a situation like this, unless it was you, they had no chance of surviving."

Kirei's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he watched Kiritsugu's reaction. 

Finally, he had gotten a glimpse of the man's emotions. 

Kiritsugu, the so-called "Magus Killer," could indeed feel pain.

Understanding this, Kirei found his plan had been well worth the effort. 

The moment Assassin brought Irisviel back, Kirei had devised a test. 

How much would Kiritsugu be willing to sacrifice for this woman and the scabbard within her?

Now that Kiritsugu had pieced together the whole plot, he realized how thoroughly Kirei had outplayed him. 

The trap had been set using Irisviel, luring him in to rescue her. 

But Kirei had already anticipated this outcome, knowing full well how it would play out. 

Saber had been preoccupied with Assassin, leaving Kiritsugu to face Kirei directly. 

The only one he could send to save Irisviel was Maiya.

Everything had been calculated by Kirei Kotomine. 

Drawing both Maiya and Irisviel into the trap and eliminating them—that was Kirei's ultimate goal.

"I simply wanted to know." 

"Would you, the 'Magus Killer,' feel sorrow when you lost someone?" 

"And from what I see, the answer is yes." 

"Your heart is crying, Kiritsugu Emiya."

***

im gonna use that above as end note thingy.

and --- as opening note? idk