C47

Although Ryuunosuke wasn't a fan of violent and bloody movies, he recognized their significance as a form of entertainment. He believed that these types of films - including horror, war, disaster, and adventure movies - all shared a common obsession with depicting human death. He thought that perhaps it was because through fictionalized death, viewers could safely confront and mitigate their fears.

Humans took pride in their intelligence and often feared the unknown, but with understanding came the ability to conquer fear. However, death was one thing that could never truly be understood while alive. So, helpless humans could only try to understand the nature of death by observing others' deaths and simulating the experience.

In civilized societies, human life was highly respected, and death was often only experienced through fictional means. But in war-torn regions, where death was a constant reality, people did not seek out horror movies for entertainment.

Similarly, fictional entertainment could play a role in helping people understand and overcome the misfortunes of life, such as physical pain and mental pressure. By experiencing these things vicariously through fictional characters, individuals could gain a better understanding of them and reduce their fears. This was why movie and television screens were often filled with scenes of sorrow, pain, and suffering. By observing and understanding these emotions, people could learn to cope with them in their own lives.

Therefore, viewers also often felt that death and difficulties were not as daunting when they saw themselves as the protagonist in these works, who was able to overcome death and difficulties.

Ryuunosuke used to be like many people, constantly filled with the fear of death. However, he always found the graphic depictions of corpses and blood in horror movies to be inauthentic and cheesy. It occurred to him that if simply watching these movies could truly conquer his fear of death, then he would have been a fan of the genre a long time ago.

Ryuunosuke possessed a keen ability to discern the reality of death from fiction. He found the horror stories and movies to be ridiculous and shallow, unable to truly capture the essence of death. He believed that the true nature of death could not be experienced through mere entertainment. This perception may have been influenced by his father, who was crushed by reality and alcoholism.

Ryuunosuke's father, in a fit of drunken rage, inflicted his spite on his own son.

When Ryuunosuke was just six years old, he was strung up on a tree and subjected to a brutal beating that lasted for an entire day and night. Despite his inability to feel physical pain, Ryuunosuke experienced the true horror of the world and the true meaning of death through this traumatic event.

This experience left Ryuunosuke fixated on the feeling of death, the only thing that gave him a sense of true and eternal meaning as someone without sensation.

So, in the dead of night, he took a knife and delivered three fatal cuts to his father's neck.

As his father awoke and clutched at the wounds, Ryuunosuke watched the blood flow but was not punished for his actions due to the laws regarding juveniles at the time.

Ryuunosuke's obsession with the feeling of death led him to understand his purpose and the means to make his world feel real. He became devout in his beliefs, respecting and pursuing the eternal truth he had found.

He wanted to share this truth with others, much like when he was 12 and shared it with his beloved sister, who was the first person he wanted to experience this ultimate truth.

Ryuunosuke, despite being a loving person with a broad mind, was viewed by others as a ruthless killer. Strangely enough, he took pride in this perception, seeing it as the ultimate compliment.

Over time, his hunting techniques became more and more sophisticated, spanning the entire country. No one was able to catch him or escape his grasp, fueling his arrogance and sense of superiority.

However, everything changed when he met a red-haired boy.

Ryuunosuke had made a mistake, and as a consequence, he was captured by the red-haired boy. Through a cunning technique, the boy manipulated Ryuunosuke's mind, causing him to believe that he was someone who valued life!

"No!" Ryuunosuke's subconscious screamed. "I have stolen, destroyed, and killed. I have nothing else, so don't try to strip away my only sense of reality!"

However, the method Ryuunosuke used was quite clever. His mind deceived his brain, evoking memories from before he was six, causing a struggle between his subconscious and conscious mind. The false and the real, the subconscious and the conscious fought against each other, causing him immense pain and confusion.

And at this time, Kiritsugu's Origin bullet hit him.

The process of "Severing" broke the "Suggestion" but also, due to the "Binding," it repaired his neurological defects. He awoke, but the once painless person now experienced pain for the first time.

"Pain... So much pain... So much pain!"

For the first time in his life, Ryuunosuke felt pain as he was hit in the abdomen with the Origin Bullet. The process of destruction and repair was intense, causing him to sweat profusely and contort his face in agony.

The experience left his mind in a state of disarray.

When Shirou arrived on the scene, he witnessed the police rushing in and then saw Ryuunosuke who had snatched a gun from one of the officers and was now pointing it at his own jaw.

With a loud bang, Ryuunosuke pulled the trigger, and the bullet penetrated his jaw, causing a mixture of brain matter and blood to flow out of the wound.

Shirou was taken aback by the turn of events, though it seemed reasonable. However, after everything was said and done, he glared at Kiritsugu with anger and exclaimed, "How dare you launch a surprise attack on my master!"

Kiritsugu remained unfazed, the appearance of Caster was one of the scenarios he had taken into consideration and it was a plausible one. He didn't hesitate to use his Command Seals to summon Artoria.

Shirou witnessed Artoria appearing before Kiritsugu through the use of Command Seals, seemingly teleporting across time and space. As he did, he realized that Kiritsugu was now invulnerable and could not be killed.

Ryuunosuke's death was necessary to announce that Caster had been defeated. Shirou also needed someone to help him spread the news, otherwise, he would not be able to escape the consequences from both worlds. Kiritsugu was the perfect candidate for this task.

Shirou turned his gaze towards Artoria and spoke in a confrontational tone, "Is this what you call righteousness, King of Knights? Your master attacked and bombed my home last night, causing me to flee my workshop, as my heroic nature would not permit me to watch innocent people get caught in the crossfire. And now, he is employing secular power to compel me to relinquish the defense of my workshop and launch a surprise attack on my master. Can you explain this?"

"Is all of this because I was concerned about keeping the Mystery hidden? Is this your notion of righteousness simply because I have compassion in my heart and was concerned about not endangering innocent civilians?" Shirou questioned Artoria with a tone of frustration. "King of Knights, is this what you consider to be righteousness?"

"No, it's not, Caster!" Artoria tried to say something, but Shirou interrupted her.

"You...you..." Shirou clutched at his chest, stumbled backward, and fell into the nearby river. Then he dissolved his Saint Graph to create the illusion of defeat, his voice echoing in the air, "You shameless woman!"

"Caster!" Artoria reached out, her face twisted with discomfort. Her sworn opponent, whom she had pledged to defeat honorably, had been eliminated because of her master's dishonorable actions. Her oath had been mercilessly trampled upon!

Kiritsugu, however, remained calm and said, "Well done."

Feeling guilty and ashamed, Artoria bowed her head and clenched her fists. "I, I didn't do anything,"

Kiritsugu gazed at Artoria with eyes as emotionless as the dead sea, "That's why I said you did well."

"Why?" Artoria looked up at Kiritsugu, her blue eyes filled with anger. "Why did you do this? Don't you trust me? Don't you trust your sword? Why would you do something so dishonorable?" she asked, her voice tinged with hurt.

Kiritsugu took a drag of his cigarette as he spoke, his voice calm and measured. "Saber, you're too straightforward. You don't understand the complexity and ugliness of human hearts. Caster's words were a clear attempt to divide us before his defeat, and it was unnecessary because you and I were never compatible. Besides, even if I did something dishonorable, so what? I have a conscience. Do you?

"What?"

"To protect one thing, you must hurt another. Do you have that kind of conscience? One who refuses to relinquish anything cannot change anything."

Kiritsugu snuffed out his cigarette and began to depart, leaving behind a final statement, "I don't disapprove of your principles, but they impede my mission. If you're not willing to sacrifice everything and hurt anyone, then just live your life, let me handle the rest."

The Master spoke in a manner that was completely dismissive of the Servant's words. Artoria was so incensed that she could hardly keep her sword steady in her hand.

Artoria clenched her fist.

"What should I do...?"

...

As the sun rose, Shirou returned home and removed his disguise. From then on, everyone will know that the Servant known as Caster had retired and nobody knew that master known as Shirou had entered the picture.

He returned to the police station to tie up any remaining loose ends and was surprised to find that Ryuunosuke was still alive!

The bullet that passed through Ryuunosuke's jaw and into his brain should have killed him, but due to Kiritsugu's bullets' healing properties, he survived.

However, the bullet remained lodged in his brain, rendering him unable to speak or move properly, and potentially affecting his self-awareness.

The serial killer, who had been chasing death his entire life, made only three mistakes in his killings.

The first mistake was with his father, the second was targeting Shirou, and the third and final one was himself!

Paralyzed and unable to communicate, the death-chasing killer teetered on the brink of death but was unable to die.

His final demise left him in this state.

It was uncertain whether this was his ultimate wish granted by his own hand or his own wish destroyed by his own hand.

Shirou didn't know for sure, but he knew that he could still make use of Ryuunosuke again.

...

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