Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

Kiritsugu Emiya must be nearby.

Kirei was certain of it.

Even though he had never met the Magus Killer, even though his past and the man known as "Kiritsugu Emiya" were two parallel lines that never intersected, the moment he obtained information about him, Kirei felt a shiver from the depths of his soul.

He was staring into the abyss of that man, convinced that the same abyss existed within his own heart.

The Holy Grail, capable of granting any wish, the Heroic Spirits gathered here throughout history—these things, thrilling as they were, paled in importance compared to the existence of "Kiritsugu Emiya" in Kirei's eyes.

He had endured a hollow, empty life for too long.

Unable to feel happiness, devoid of personal desires, his religious devotion was merely a search for answers to his own confusion. Yet, the more he studied principles, the more he honed his skills, and the further he drifted from finding the correct path for himself.

He became a priest because of his father's expectations. He became the Master of Assassin because of his teacher's wishes... It was as if "Kirei Kotomine" could only continue existing in this chaotic world by using the requests of others as fuel.

If he had been born in an era of war and turmoil, then the yet-undiscovered Kirei Kotomine would have likely become someone like "Siegfried," wielding the holy sword Balmung, slaying the evil dragon Fafnir in response to the people's cries, forever fulfilling their expectations as a hero.

But unfortunately, this was an era of peace. People's wishes would not be trampled upon, nor did they need a champion to fight for their justice in blood and battle.

And so, the emptiness within Kirei only grew larger. He could not experience joy, yet he found a strange pleasure in the suffering and disgrace of others—something that his lifelong teachings told him was forbidden by God.

Oh Lord, what should I do?

Day after day, the priest prayed devoutly. And finally—he found what he believed to be the answer in one man.

Find Kiritsugu Emiya. Unearth the meaning of his own existence through him. For Kirei Kotomine, this matter took precedence over everything else—even his own survival.

Even Kiritsugu himself would never know that from the moment he stepped into Fuyuki City, he had been ensnared in a vast web woven by countless shadowy Heroic Spirits.

That was why Kirei had come to this place.

Through Diarmuid's legend, the curse effect of the yellow spear had already been revealed. With all six remaining Servants still active, Saber had lost the use of one hand in the first battle, making her the most likely to be eliminated first. She was already teetering on the edge of defeat.

Kiritsugu Emiya would undoubtedly recognize this danger. Eliminating Lancer, the source of the curse, as soon as possible would be the Einzbern faction's top priority.

Thus, Kirei cast his net near Kayneth's stronghold, waiting for the attacker to take the bait. He had expected it to be Kiritsugu, yet another person appeared instead. However, Kirei was certain that this woman was connected to Kiritsugu. The woman he was now pursuing was the key to finding him.

But just as he was about to capture her, a sudden smoke grenade disrupted the situation.

Thick smoke rapidly spread from a military-grade portable smoke canister, enveloping the surroundings. Taking advantage of Kirei's momentary hesitation due to the obscured vision, swift footsteps echoed across the concrete floor, quickly fading into the distance.

Kirei initially considered throwing a Black Key to follow the sound of her escape but ultimately chose not to.

Someone else had thrown the smoke canister at Kirei's feet, clearly to cover the woman's escape. However, there was no third person inside this building. In other words, the smoke canister had to have been thrown from outside.

If he carelessly attacked now, regardless of whether the woman survived or not, his position would be exposed.

And if the third party outside the building were a sniper, even Kirei Kotomine would find survival difficult under the cover of smoke.

But if the canister had been thrown from ground level up to this floor…

Kirei stepped to the edge of the building, his priestly robes billowing wildly in the wind as he peered downward.

The Hyatt Hotel had already vanished, and another building had inexplicably collapsed. Now, there were no longer any structures of similar height nearby.

If the canister had been thrown from ground level to this floor, there was a height difference of over 150 meters. Even using a grenade launcher, achieving such precision would be incredibly difficult. If it was thrown by hand, the very idea was beyond absurd.

But as an Executor specialized in hunting heretics, Kirei was long accustomed to battling the irrational. A phenomenon of this degree was not enough to shock him.

The streetlights flickered, patches of darkness swallowing the glow between them. Somewhere within that darkness lurked the magus who had obstructed him.

As long as he confirmed this, tonight's efforts would not have been in vain.

Suddenly, Kirei's battle-honed instincts screamed in alarm.

He flipped backwards to evade, and twin arcs of red and blue light slashed past him, reducing the spot where he had stood to rubble.

Without pausing, Kirei hurled six Black Keys in three rapid volleys—tracking, suppressing, intercepting—all within a single second. His throw was even faster than the standard 0.3-second single-toss technique.

The six Black Keys split into three groups, each fulfilling a different role. And this was only the beginning. As soon as he landed, the robed man kicked off the ground again—not retreating but advancing—to close the gap for his true killing strike.

But when he finally saw his attacker's face, he abruptly stopped.

Amid the sound of his own body straining against the sudden halt, Kirei Kotomine raised his right hand without hesitation, and three crimson markings flared to life.

"By the power of my Command Seal!"

***

[015: Artoria Pendragon (Saber)]

[Character Information: Known in legend as the King of Britain, also referred to as King Arthur. Hailed as the King of Knights, she drew the Sword of Selection from the stone and lived as the idealized figure of King Arthur, concealing her true gender. However, as her kingdom fell into ruin due to civil strife, she came to believe she was unfit to be king. For the sake of her country, she sought to use the Holy Grail to select a new ruler… So how could someone like this possibly fall in love so easily?]

[Hidden Information: Locked.]

[Record Conditions (1/3)]:

[•Earn Artoria's approval. (Completed)]

[•Defeat/Kill Artoria Pendragon. (Incomplete)]

[•Help Artoria resolve her inner conflicts. (Incomplete)]

A pale blue notification flashed before his eyes, signalling the completion of a certain condition. Without hesitation, Sakatsuki discarded the dual blades in his hands and leapt backwards, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow!

At the same time, a golden figure burst through the spinning blades. Her emerald eyes locked onto the incoming arrow, and with a dazzling arc of light, the holy sword Excalibur sliced the supersonic projectile in two!

Then, magical energy surged forth. The petite King of Knights unleashed wild, brutal strength, shattering the ground beneath her feet. In an instant, she closed the distance to Sakatsuki, gathering wind upon her blade.

"Strike Air!"

"Shoot, A Hundred Heads!"

The chaotic storm cleared everything within a dozen meters. But behind the enormous, heavy black axe blade, the young man had already vanished.

Somehow, he had disappeared without a trace.

***

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