C58

'What was happening? Was Kirei involved in this situation too? I should have considered that possibility and seen it coming. If Tokiomi and Kiritsugu were both here, it was likely that Kirei was involved as well. Was this lack of foresight due to my mortal limitations or a flaw of mine to become so focused on my goals that I failed to see the bigger picture?'

Shirou didn't know, but even with the ability to fuse with a Saint Graph, the odds of defeating an attack from over 30 Assassins were slim. Without fusing, his chances of escape were even less.

So without hesitation, he merged with the Saint Graph and soared towards an old man while brandishing his two swords.

Assassin, Hassan of the Hundred Faces, possessed the Noble Phantasm "Delusional Illusion." This skill allowed him to split his personality, creating independent individuals for different tasks. Each personality manifested in various forms, with differences in gender, age, height, and other physical attributes, while remaining the same race.

Since this skillrelies on "splitting" oneself, the overall power of the skill remains constant, no matter how many splits are created. Consequently, the more splits that are made, the weaker the individual abilities become.

However, there is an exception to this rule, which pertains to Assassin's Class Skill, "Presence Concealment." This skill is not affected by the number of splits made. As a result, each individual Hundred-Faced Hassan persona is relatively weak, with the Hundred-Faced Hassan in the form of an old man being the weakest among them all.

Picking the softest persimmon to squeeze is something even a child understands, so there is no reason Shirou wouldn't understand this.

Shirou saw the other Assassins closing in, with the old man Assassin brandishing two knives in an attempt to slow him down. Without hesitation, Shirou hurled a long sword and activated "Broken Phantasm," temporarily blinding the old man.

He readied himself to employ a flash battle strategy to escape, but despite their individual weakness, the Assassin was a legendary killer with vast combat experience.

Suddenly, in a swift movement, the old man closed his eyes and lunged toward Shirou with astonishing accuracy. Caught off guard, Shirou had no choice but to quickly flip his wrist and use the blade of the sword in his other hand to defend himself.

The sound of metal clashing echoed as their swords met. The force of the impact sent vibrations through his arm, and he knew that this would be no easy battle.

...

"Boom!!!"

Kiritsugu scrambled to take cover behind a pile of rubble, his forehead gushing blood. He lay there, panting heavily.

"This aura... it's a Servant, but..."

Upon sensing the aura, Kiritsugu immediately recognized it as belonging to a Servant. Furthermore, he deduced that the Servant in question was of the Caster class. Taking a deep breath, Kiritsugu understood that the young man named Ryunosuke was not the true Master of Caster, but rather a mere tool used to conceal the Servant's true identity.

With this confirmation, Kiritsugu knew it was time to retreat. As a hitman, he knew that the first assassination attempt had failed, and it was time to fall back and reassess his strategy.

But--

"Clink Clink Clink--"

As a red gem rolled towards Kiritsugu's hiding spot from behind, his eyes narrowed in alarm and he quickly rolled again to avoid it.

The gem emitted a dazzling red light, then--

"Boom! !! "

The explosion set off a raging inferno as the combustible materials around it burst into flames.

"Son-in-law of the Einzbern family, why don't you reveal yourself and allow me, the Supervisor of Fuyuki City, to demonstrate the true meaning of being a host? To think that you would attempt to steal the vessel capable of fusing with a Servant from my grasp, your abilities are clearly not sufficient."

Kiritsugu heard a calm and elegant voice, accompanied by footsteps, coming from behind him. He immediately recognized it as belonging to the head of the Tohsaka family, Tokiomi.

"A vessel that can be fused with a servant?" Kiritsugu leaned against the wall, furrowing his brows in deep thought. Suddenly, a realization struck him. "So that's it!"

However, despite this newfound understanding, Kiritsugu was still entangled with Tokiomi and was unsure of what to do next. He continued to ponder his next move.

Unlike the magus he had hunted in the past, Tokiomi had a thorough understanding of his abilities and was fully prepared for their encounter, leaving no room for any opportunities in a direct confrontation. If things continued as they were, he feared Tokiomi would ultimately be the one to take his life.

As an assassin, Kiritsugu knew that being discovered meant a death sentence. He had already begun to mentally prepare for the retreat. However, just as he had used a monitor to track Shirou, Tokiomi had also set up numerous familiars to monitor his movements.

The flash and smoke bombs that Kiritsugu had set behind him were ineffective against Tokiomi. The head of the Tohsaka family had made extensive preparations before their confrontation, leaving no weaknesses to exploit. In fact, if Kiritsugu had not previously used an RPG to disrupt Tokiomi's Bounded Field, he would have already been defeated.

Kiritsugu was at a loss. He raised his arm and gazed at the Command Seals etched on the back of his hand.

With the situation at hand, Kiritsugu realized that the only way to escape was to summon Artoria using the Command Seals. However, as Irisviel had previously reported, Artoria was currently in the castle, engaged in a debate with the King of Conquerors and Archer. Kiritsugu knew that if he were to use the Command Seals, Tokiomi would likely do the same to summon that enigmatic Archer.

Can Artoria defeat Archer in a direct confrontation?

Kiritsugu felt a deep sense of anxiety in his heart. Archer had revealed multiple Noble Phantasms on the first night, and Kiritsugu couldn't help but wonder if he possessed some deadly Noble Phantasm as well. He guessed that in a direct confrontation, Artoria would not be a match for Archer.

"So, if I were to summon the Knight King at this moment, the chances of defeat would be higher than they are now?"

Kiritsugu weighed his options, considering the choice between two unfavorable outcomes: a high probability of defeat or an even higher probability of defeat. Despite the difficulty of the decision, he had already made up his mind deep in his heart.

...

Shirou managed to break through the encirclement of Assassin and released his Saint Graph to prevent himself from standing out like a beacon in the night. He then made his way toward the location where the fire was the most intense and the smoke was the thickest.

He found himself in the morgue of the hospital, which had miraculously remained intact. Inside the gloomy morgue, the air was chilled and heavy with the stench of death. As soon as Shirou stepped inside, a strong smell of formaldehyde assaulted his senses, causing him to wrinkle his brow in disgust and hesitate for a moment before finally proceeding.

The deep gray walls loomed around him and the sight of a corpse lying in an ice coffin added to the eerie atmosphere. The pungent smell of formaldehyde and the sense of otherworldliness made Shirou's breathing quicken.

'Shoo, shoo---'

The sound of movement outside reached Shirou's ears, causing his heart to tighten. He quickly located an empty cabinet and opened it, ready to hide inside.

Shirou thought to himself, by releasing his Saint Graph and then using the smell of death and formaldehyde to mask his own scent, he should be able to evade Assassin's pursuit, right?

Faced with the choice between feigning death or actually dying, Shirou chose the former. With a 'kab' sound, he opened a cabinet, but before he could even look inside, he saw a figure sitting up. Startled, he instinctively projected a sword and swung it.

"Clang--!"

Shirou's sword struck a gun, producing a clashing sound of metal. He peered closely and finally saw the figure in the cabinet. It wasn't a corpse, but rather a man with blood on his face, dressed in a black coat, and a pale complexion.

It was Kiritsugu!

F*ck!

He too had been hiding in the morgue and was using the same strategy as Shirou, hiding in the cabinet to evade capture!

Both men were locked in a tense stand-off, each one's weapon trained on the other's head, ready to pull the trigger or strike at any moment. The situation was strange and surreal as if time had frozen in that instant. One small movement from either of them could mean the end for the other.

They both held each other's fate in their grasp, yet neither made a move.

"Are you the Master of Caster?" Kiritsugu asked, his voice steady. "Or, rather, are you Caster? Did some sort of summoning mistake cause you to become one with your Master?"

Despite the surge of adrenaline and racing heart, Shirou managed to keep his composure. "It seems that you have already deduced the truth, Mr. Magus Killer."

Kiritsugu stated with a cold voice, "If I couldn't deduce something as obvious as this, it would mean I have failed as an Assassin."

Shirou responded with a measured voice, "I cannot judge whether you have failed or not, but based on your current state, it appears that Tokiomi has dealt you a significant blow."

"Indeed," Kiritsugu replied, his expression serious. "Shall we work together?"

"Why should I work with you?" Shirou asked curiously.

"Are you not also being pursued by Assassins?"

"Of course," Shirou replied. "Neither you, nor your King of Knights, nor even the King of Conquerors would stand a chance against Tohsaka's Servant. If we allow Tokiomi to live, we will certainly lose. Moreover, neither of us stands a chance of escaping alone."

He then fixed Kiritsugu with a steady gaze. "So, why not work together? But can you trust me?"

Kiritsugu's expression remained unreadable as he responded, "I don't trust you, just as you don't trust me. If you were a normal Servant, my gun would not be a threat to you. However, now that you have taken on a mortal form, my gun is a threat to you. As we both have something to hold over each other, how about we demonstrate our sincerity by lowering our weapons simultaneously on a countdown?"

"Alright." Shirou nodded.

"3"

"2"

"1"

Shirou and Kiritsugu lowered their weapons simultaneously, the tension in the air easing slightly. However, in a sudden and unexpected turn of events, a sword materialized in Shirou's hand with a flick of his wrist.

Kiritsugu's reaction was swift; he smoothly reached for another gun at his waist and aimed it at Shirou's head.

The two men stood locked in a tense stand-off, their weapons trained on each other, ready to act at a moment's notice.

...

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