Chapter 69: Emptiness

Just as Chihiro and his companions were about to return to Fuyuki City, a sudden burst of gunfire rang out from behind them.

[Name: Emiya Kiritsugu; Class: Assassin; Gender: Male; Alignment: Chaotic Evil.]

[Strength: D; Endurance: C; Agility: A+; Magic: C; Luck: E(EX); Noble Phantasm: B++.]

[Class Skills: Presence Concealment A+, Independent Action A+.]

[Personal Skills: Magecraft B, Holy Grail's Blessing A+, Scapegoat C.]

[Noble Phantasms: Chronos Rose (B+ rank anti-personnel, range 1-10 meters, affecting up to one target); Phantasm Punishment (C+ rank anti-personnel, range 0-2 meters, affecting up to one target).]

[Weapons: Customized Thompson Contender, Calico M950, Origin Bullets.]

It was Heroic Spirit Kiritsugu. The man had caught up to them and initiated his attack, clearly intent on seizing this moment to eliminate Chihiro.

Sigurd reacted immediately, stepping forward and deflecting the bullets with swift, precise swings of his sword. Zhang Jiao quickly summoned numerous talismans, sending them toward Kiritsugu to disrupt his movements.

"Think you can keep up with me?" Kiritsugu sneered.

"Chronos Rose!"

Heroic Spirit Kiritsugu activated his Noble Phantasm, manipulating time around himself. To him, the world slowed down to an almost imperceptible crawl, every second stretching as he moved.

In the blink of an eye, Kiritsugu had bypassed Sigurd and Zhang Jiao, and in an instant, his blade was aimed straight at Chihiro's heart.

But just as the blade connected, Chihiro's body suddenly shimmered with a golden glow. Kiritsugu's sword struck against an unyielding barrier, as though he'd hit solid steel.

Unbeknownst to Kiritsugu, Zhang Jiao had given Chihiro a protective talisman before they set out that night, the same talisman he'd used earlier to transform Red Hare into his Golden form. This one was designed to activate automatically if Chihiro's life was in danger, temporarily granting him the resilience of a Yellow Turban Warrior.

Kiritsugu was taken aback, his mind racing. His Phastasm Punishment should have been able to disable any magecraft or reinforcement spell. Why wasn't it working on Chihiro?

What he didn't know was that Zhang Jiao had applied two talismans to Chihiro, one on his chest and another on his back. Although Kiritsugu's attack had destroyed the talisman on Chihiro's chest, the one on his back remained intact.

With no time to ponder, Kiritsugu adjusted his grip, directing his blade toward Chihiro's eyes in a ruthless attempt to bypass his defenses.

At the same moment, the effect of Kiritsugu's Noble Phantasm wore off, and time snapped back to normal.

"Oh crap!" Chihiro gasped as he realized Kiritsugu was right in front of him.

Reacting instinctively, Chihiro took a quick step back, twisting his head to avoid the blade, while raising his right elbow to intercept Kiritsugu's strike. With his left hand, he countered with a swift upward jab, forcing Kiritsugu back and tearing the bandage partially covering the man's face.

Kiritsugu hadn't expected Chihiro to respond so quickly. Without missing a beat, he drew his modified Thompson Contender, aiming directly at Chihiro.

Seeing the weapon, Chihiro acted on instinct, lunging forward to push the gun aside before delivering a powerful punch to Kiritsugu's chest, sending him staggering back.

By this time, Sigurd and Zhang Jiao had closed in, positioning themselves to surround Kiritsugu.

Chihiro took a breath, his pulse racing. If he'd hesitated for even a second, he might have ended up like Kayneth in the original timeline.

Yes, Kiritsugu's modified gun was loaded with Origin Bullets.

Since the Assassin-class Heroic Spirit was essentially an incarnation of Kiritsugu, it made sense that he would retain access to the Origin Bullets. And Chihiro couldn't be sure if his Yellow Turban Warrior defense would hold up against the destructive power of an Origin Bullet.

Deciding not to take any chances, Chihiro quickly activated his Class Card, summoning the God Force, which transformed into arm guards.

"…."

Seeing his attempts foiled, Kiritsugu knew the assassination had failed. He quickly fired a volley from his Calico M950, forcing Sigurd and Zhang Jiao back, then threw down a smoke bomb.

When the smoke cleared, Kiritsugu was nowhere to be seen.

It was troublesome to deal with someone with A+ level Presence Concealment. Once they decided to hide, finding them was nearly impossible.

However, Kiritsugu didn't know that Chihiro had tracked his position.

Once a Heroic Spirit's true name is known, no matter how well they conceal their presence, as long as they're within sight, they can still be detected.

Yet Chihiro held back from ordering a pursuit. Kiritsugu had already fled far enough, and with A+ Agility, catching up would be a challenge. Besides, everyone was exhausted after their recent battle with Gilgamesh.

Kiritsugu's sudden assault was a stark reminder to Chihiro that he couldn't afford to drop his guard, even after a victory. Overconfidence could have cost him dearly.

To recover, Chihiro pulled out some emergency rations—extremely-spicy mapo tofu and Goredolf's special dish and shared them with Sigurd and the others, allowing them to replenish some strength and mana.

"Not bad," he commented, swallowing a bite.

Just then, a voice spoke up behind them, startling the group.

They turned, only to relax upon seeing who it was.

The newcomer was none other than the First Emperor.

[Name: Ying Zheng; Class: Ruler; Gender: Male; Alignment: Neutral Good.]

[Strength: B; Endurance: C; Agility: A; Magic: B; Luck: A+; Noble Phantasm: EX.]

[Class Skills: Territory Creation A, True Name Discernment A, Divine Judgement A+.]

[Personal Skills: Golden Rule A+, All Books Must Be Burned B, Imperial Privilege EX.]

[Noble Phantasms: Tai'a Sword (A+ rank anti-army, range 1-100 meters, max targets 100); Afang Palace (EX rank Reality Marble, range 0-10,000 meters, max targets 1 million); Great Wall Never Falls (EX rank anti-army, range 1-1000 meters).]

Glancing at the First Emperor's data, Chihiro was briefly stunned.

Two EX-rank Noble Phantasms, and EX-rank Imperial Privilege. Truly, he was worthy of being called the First Emperor.

"As the Master of a descendant of my empire, you've performed well," the Emperor remarked, his tone calm and approving. "Defeating that insolent king with strategy, it's commendable."

"But you grew complacent after victory," he added, a slight reproach in his voice. "You failed to account for other enemies."

Chihiro chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head. "Uh… Why are you here?"

The First Emperor's tone reminded him a bit too much of a strict teacher.

"Curiosity, mostly. To observe your capabilities."

With that, the Emperor tossed a card to Chihiro. "A small token. Consider it a gift of advent."

Magic Gift—"Yummy?"

The card bore an image of Nezha dressed in a maid outfit.

Its effect? Enhancing the taste of any food.

Chihiro stared at the card, baffled.

"Just a trinket I drew from a bronze chest," the First Emperor explained matter-of-factly. "I have no use for it, but you seemed to enjoy food."

"Ah… Thank you." Chihiro replied, laughing weakly.

Did he really come across as a glutton? Sure, he liked good food, but who didn't?

The Emperor gave a short nod and then faded into spirit form, vanishing without another word.

Chihiro and his companions exchanged amused looks before they hurried back home, determined to avoid any further ambushes.

"What? You were ambushed?"

Ishtar was surprised when they filled her in.

After their previous battle, she'd flown back on Maanna, and this was the first she'd heard of it.

"You're alright, though?" Rin asked, relieved. Beside her, Sakura clung to Chihiro's arm, visibly concerned.

Why were they here? Concerned that someone might attack Tohsaka Aoi and Sakura, Rin had decided to have them stay the night at Chihiro's place, just to be safe.

After all, by now, she knew just how ruthless their opponents could be in pursuit of victory.

Especially when it came to someone like Emiya Kiritsugu.

Chihiro nodded reassuringly. "Now that Gilgamesh has been dealt with, what's your plan moving forward?"

Ishtar gave a confident smile, crossing her arms. "Don't worry. I promised to help you get the Holy Grail, and I'm not one to break a promise."

"Thank you. Really," Chihiro replied sincerely, feeling a rare sense of relief.

Meanwhile, over at the Tohsaka residence…

Kotomine Kirei and Hassan of the Hundred Faces were quietly observing Tohsaka Tokiomi, who stood by the window, gazing up at the moon.

Their team had suffered a heavy blow that night.

Gilgamesh had been eliminated, and almost all of Hassan's clones had been wiped out, with fewer than ten remaining.

Yet, despite these losses, Kirei's expression showed no particular concern. Instead, he seemed… contemplative.

The reason lay in the unfinished "guidance" he'd been receiving from Gilgamesh. Up until now, the Heroic Spirit had been subtly leading Kirei down a path of self-discovery, urging him to confront the darker sides of his nature.

But that journey had been abruptly cut short with Gilgamesh's defeat. Now, Kirei found himself at an impasse, left with a strange emptiness.

In his heart, questions festered—unanswered and unresolved.

***

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