As much as he cared for her and for their daughter, without realizing it, Kiritsugu had completely pushed Irisviel to the opposite side from him.
It was like choosing the wrong path at a crossroads of fate; from that single mistaken step, everything that followed would be altered as an inevitable consequence.
He could never have imagined that, in such a short time living alongside Arthur and Artoria, Iri had completely rekindled her hope of living.
A flame that should have remained extinguished had begun to burn once more inside her.
Iri could not refuse to remove the sheath from within her own body, because above all else, she was a tool created by the Einzbern family to achieve the long-desired objective of her lineage.
Even if it were not for Kiritsugu, but for the Einzbern family itself, which had created her and granted her life.
Iri had to, and believed she could only, remove the sheath.
It was her way of repaying Kiritsugu for everything he had done for her, for giving his all, and for striving to fulfill the Einzbern family's goal.
"Iri, you..."
Holding the newly extracted sheath, Kiritsugu reached out a hand to help Iri, who staggered and was on the verge of collapsing.
But she gracefully brushed aside his outstretched hand.
Her gesture was gentle, yet decisive.
The next instant, she lost her balance and stumbled against a nearby cardboard box, using it to support herself so she would not fall to the floor.
"Mr. Emiya... are you satisfied now?" Iri asked.
Mr. Emiya...
Hearing that cold and distant form of address, Kiritsugu's hand, still suspended in the air, froze completely.
It was not merely a way of calling him.
It was a clear line drawn between the two of them.
As long as he continued pursuing justice the way he did, he would inevitably continue losing everything around him.
Until nothing remained.
Until he was abandoned by everyone.
Until he was betrayed by the entire world.
Even so, Kiritsugu remained determined to change the world completely.
No matter how sorrowful it was.
No matter how painful it was.
No matter how many times fate had deceived, humiliated, or betrayed him.
The man named Kiritsugu Emiya would bring absolute peace to the world, where no one would experience sorrow or pain, and where everyone would live in the same complete happiness they deserved.
That was the ideal he clung to.
This was a necessary sacrifice to achieve that ideal!
Before justice and peace were fully attained, Kiritsugu could no longer turn back on any of his choices, no matter how despicable they might be.
Otherwise, what would all the farewells he had made mean?
All the deaths he had witnessed?
All the sorrows he had carried?
All the pain he had endured?
Everything would have been in vain.
How could such a thing be allowed?
"I'm sorry, Iri."
Kiritsugu lowered his head in deep disappointment.
That was perhaps the most obvious emotional display he had shown in the nine years since meeting Irisviel.
"I thought you understood me... but that no longer matters."
His voice came out low, hoarse, heavy.
"I will go to the very end. Even if I am the only one left at its conclusion, I will realize our... my dream."
Iri felt a wave of unease wash over her.
An overwhelming sadness welled up from the depths of her heart.
She understood that man's sense of justice better than anyone, but...
Even as a homunculus, she was a person.
A living being who breathed and thought for herself.
She also felt sadness.
She also felt pain.
She also feared death.
She also wished to live.
The final destination of that justice already seemed predetermined.
The world never favors anyone.
It is not completely evil.
Nor is it completely good.
It merely leans toward chaos.
Before Iri, Kiritsugu then embedded the sheath into his own body.
Without hesitation or wavering.
He did not fear death.
What he desired was to use the sheath's passive healing ability to lessen the burden his ruined body carried whenever he used his abilities, allowing him to fight with greater freedom and efficiency.
That was essential for the battles yet to come.
And above all, it would be indispensable when the final confrontation against Arthur arrived.
---xXx---
As soon as Kiritsugu stepped out the door, the sound barrier created by Maiya silently dissipated, as if nothing had happened inside that warehouse.
Kiritsugu merely cast Maiya a glance with his dark, empty eyes, devoid of warmth. That alone was enough for her to understand immediately: he had gotten what he wanted.
In Maiya's mind, the outcome of this Holy Grail War had already been practically decided.
Although she found it strange that Kiritsugu was leaving without Irisviel, she had eyes only for him. After bowing respectfully to Irisviel, she did not look at her again even once, despite clearly seeing that Iri was weak, short of breath, and struggling even to remain standing.
At that exact moment—
Artoria had just finished her culinary training with Arthur, and the two of them were coming out together.
The moment she crossed the entrance, however, Artoria's expression changed abruptly.
Her instincts sensed something wrong before her mind could even process the situation.
The next instant, she vanished in a burst of speed and rushed into the warehouse where Iri was like a gale.
The violent wind generated by her sudden movement blew back Kiritsugu's spiked hair and Maiya's short strands.
"Kiritsugu, what did you do to Iri?!"
Artoria immediately caught Irisviel, holding her firmly before she could collapse to the ground. The homunculus's body trembled, so weakened that she could barely support her own weight.
Artoria's green eyes, usually controlled, were now filled with a coldness as sharp as steel when they turned toward Kiritsugu.
"Nothing... nothing has changed, or will change."
After speaking those words in a hollow tone devoid of emotion, Kiritsugu grabbed Maiya by the arm and left without hesitation.
Without looking back.
Arthur stepped forward, clearly intending to pursue him that very instant.
The atmosphere around him grew heavy, and even the air itself seemed to tremble under the chill in his gaze.
But Iri reached out a trembling hand and lightly grasped his sleeve, stopping him.
"Don't worry, Arthur... Kiritsugu did nothing wrong... nothing..." Iri said weakly, her voice nearly fading at the end.
The words were gentle, but her pale face and uneven breathing exposed the truth.
"Very well."
Arthur closed his eyes for a brief second, restraining the fury within himself.
Then he turned, carefully took Iri from Artoria's arms, carrying her as though she were something precious and fragile, and headed toward the bedroom.
Artoria cast one final icy glance in the direction Kiritsugu had gone before silently following Arthur.
Although Arthur truly wanted to go after Kiritsugu at that moment, rip the sheath out of his body, and return it immediately to Iri...
As Kiritsugu himself had said, nothing would change.
The deterioration would continue.
Time would continue to move forward.
But that no longer mattered.
Even if Iri died...
He would ensure that she returned.
That was the promise he had made.
And even if he had to destroy all of Fuyuki to fulfill it, he would do so without hesitation.
He would obtain the Third Magic at any cost.
---
After taking the sheath, Kiritsugu left the mansion.
He raised his gaze toward the incredibly dark night sky. His disheveled bangs fell over his eyes, hiding them in shadow.
His lips were pressed into a rigid line.
He remained there, motionless and silent, for a long time.
Maiya stood a few steps behind him, watching quietly, her eyes heavy with sorrow and bitterness.
It is difficult for people to share joy with others.
But sadness...
Sadness always finds an echo in another wounded heart.
Kiritsugu's deafening silence at that moment brought forth memories Maiya least wished to revisit.
Memories of her past.
The only thing Maiya remembered clearly was that, while still a child, she had been forced into the military and trained to become a soldier.
Not a person.
Not a child.
Only a tool for war.
She had been violated repeatedly by other soldiers and eventually became pregnant.
After that, she was separated from the child, whose name was never even recorded. She never knew whether the baby lived, died, or was ever even treated as human after being taken from her.
Nothing remained to her.
Not even an identity.
Not even her own name.
Maiya was rescued by Kiritsugu, who took her away from that battlefield and the even crueler fate awaiting her.
He became her mentor.
He taught her weapons, discipline, survival.
He taught her his way of life.
Even she no longer remembered her real name. Her current name, Maiya Hisau, had been given to her by Kiritsugu when he arranged forged documents so that she could exist once again in the eyes of the world.
Kiritsugu Emiya had torn her away from the chaos of war.
And from that day onward, Maiya swore to give everything that remained of herself to serve him in whatever way he desired.
That...
Was the reason for her existence now.
(End of Chapter)
A/N: An interesting fact: the character "Sigma" who appears in Fate/Strange Fake is Maiya's son.