I, Kurumi, the Assassin Hunter

"I've always thought this way for a long time now."

"The world, filled with so many delights, is far too extravagant for us as individuals. If you shift your perspective just slightly, you'll find it teeming with countless hidden foreshadowings. To pursue true happiness, I think nothing could be more exhilarating than overcoming this world."

— Ryuunosuke Uryuu.

In the moment of his death, he finally saw it—the ultimate beauty he had been seeking all along.

"So it was inside me all along, huh? No wonder I never found it."

The last thing he saw was darkness and red. At long last, the first casualty of this war was born.

...

Amid the endless, nightmarish screams behind her, Tohsaka Rin ran as fast as she could, terror clutching her chest. It felt like something in the darkness was chasing her, a relentless force on her heels.

Rin was at her limit. Her vision was blackening at the edges, and her legs, numb from blood loss, were losing all sensation. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she saw it—a monster, grotesque and ugly, as though infested by insects. Yet, the right eye in the darkness was filled with sorrow and loneliness.

"...Uncle Kariya?" Rin murmured in hesitation, her last words before she collapsed into unconsciousness.

...

Night.

In the riverside park near Mion River, Aoi Tohsaka, having rushed out wearing only her indoor clothes, spotted her runaway daughter.

The quiet, desolate park under the night sky felt more like a graveyard.

Beneath a dim streetlamp, Rin's small figure, dressed in her red coat, lay on a familiar bench.

"—Rin!"

Aoi ran over, gathering her daughter's tiny body into her arms, quickly inspecting her condition. Rin's breathing was steady, her body unscathed, as though she had simply fallen asleep after playing too much.

Aoi sighed in relief, tears of gratitude welling in her eyes.

But that relief was short-lived. The magical energy in the air felt... decayed, giving off a near putrid scent.

She then noticed a figure stepping out from the shadows.

He emerged casually, pulling back his hood. Beneath his lifeless white hair was a half-dead face, the left side decayed and stiff—Kariya Matou.

Aoi's heart clenched as she looked at her childhood friend, a small, terrified sob escaping her lips. "How... how could this be...?"

"This is the nature of Matou's magic—sacrificing the body, eroding life, in exchange for immense magical power." Kariya's voice, nearly destroyed, remained calm and gentle, the way it had always been.

But beneath that gentle tone, Aoi heard a deep accusation.

"But Sakura is safe now. She was saved by Avenger," Kariya managed a strained smile as he mentioned her.

"Sakura!?"

"After the war is over, you can be together again, just like before. Here, in this park."

Aoi trembled, her mind reeling. Beneath the flickering streetlight, she saw it—the red Command Seals etched into Kariya's right hand.

"You… you joined this war too?"

Kariya's dead left eye glared, like a curse. His once kind right eye now gazed at her with a pleading sorrow.

An overwhelming chill crawled up Aoi's spine, and her tears fell onto Rin's face.

Her childhood friend and her husband... now stood on opposite sides of this blood-soaked battlefield.

...

In the darkness, the Assassins moved silently, changing their target as they began following Kariya Matou.

"Is it wise to just leave Tohsaka's daughter like that?"

"—Don't worry, continue tracking Berserker's Master."

"—Understood."

Ever since yesterday, Kotomine Kirei's orders had become stranger and stranger, instructing them to monitor the interests and private lives of each Master in minute detail.

But orders were orders, and the Assassins sprinted through the night.

Clink.

That familiar, nightmarish sound of chains echoed.

A flash of gun blade steel pierced the night.

The Assassin didn't look back as they fled, but something felt off—why does it feel like I'm floating? Below, the fleeing figure seemed strangely familiar...

Click.

The shattered skull mask fell to the ground. The black and red Gothic-dressed girl calmly approached, picking it up.

"The eighth one..."

...

Nearing midnight, Fuyuki's streets had grown utterly quiet, with even the patrolling cars enforcing the curfew becoming scarce.

Kurumi strolled leisurely, holding a cup of creamy yogurt in hand. The rich flavor of this old-fashioned treat, something hard to find in Tengu City, felt like a pleasant surprise here.

Broadcasts of urgent news flashed across the city's giant screens, prompting Kurumi to glance over.

...

"We interrupt this program with an urgent news bulletin. Earlier this afternoon, another gas explosion occurred near the Mion River..."

...

"Experts have analyzed..."

...

The city's screens displayed convenient fabrications of the truth, ones that only magi would understand. In reality, a war was unfolding in Fuyuki.

Soon, another broadcast would replace this one—Kurumi hadn't even bothered cleaning up the killer's corpse from earlier. It wasn't her job, after all. The Church would handle it, wouldn't they?

Overhead, something moved through the sky, concealed by magical energy, heading toward the Einzbern forest. It was like the rumble of distant thunder.

Kurumi sank back into the shadows, preparing to relay her message to her true self.

"Rider's coming."

...

The roar of thunder shattered the stillness at the edge of the Einzbern forest. Despite being forewarned by Avenger, the intensity of the noise caused a great strain on Irisviel's magic circuits.

The entire forest's barrier was connected to Irisviel's magic, allowing her to clearly sense an approaching force—an uninvited guest about to arrive.

Saber gently supported Irisviel, her arm steadying the woman's shoulders.

Everyone watched the crystal ball anxiously, especially Sakura—big sister was outside.

...

Beyond the Einzbern forest, the once-dense woods had been torn apart by the Wondrous War Chariot of Rider, which had plowed through, leaving scorched tracks in its wake. Rider slammed the brakes, purple lightning crackling beneath his chariot as it screeched to a halt.

The reason was simple.

In front of the war chariot, at the edge of the barrier, stood a girl in a black and red Gothic Spirit Dress. Her exposed shoulders gleamed in the moonlight, smooth and flawless.

"So beautiful..." Even though she was clearly an enemy Servant, Rider's Master, Waver Velvet, couldn't help but marvel. She looked like a fairy from a dream, blooming like a rose beneath the moonlight.

Of course, it would've been more enchanting if she weren't pointing a gun at them.

"Do you want to die?" The girl's voice, seductive yet mocking, carried an overwhelming pressure.

Though her stats were nothing extraordinary, both Rider and Waver took her seriously. There was no doubt—she truly could kill them both here and now if she wanted to.

She was a rose with thorns.