Asuka's face darkened.
"I'm not bargaining with you."
"If you don't save him, I'll cut you down right now."
Zouken's expression shifted, and the surrounding swarm of bugs immediately grew restless. "Is this really necessary? We are allies, after all."
"You can test me and find out."
The black patterns on Asuka's body surfaced once more, radiating a killing intent even denser than before.
Truth be told, Asuka had wanted to kill this monstrous old man for a long time.
As for the Holy Grail, the black-haired youth had already warned him that it was a monster capable of twisting wishes.
Cooperating with Zouken and fighting desperately to seize it wasn't because he actually expected it to grant any wishes.
He wanted to witness the end of this war, to see if surviving this absurd magical conflict would allow him to return to his original world.
Moreover, this twisted magical energy could absolutely not be allowed to fall into the hands of others.
Otherwise, this world might truly face destruction.
Besides, compared to an old fossil like Zouken, the Soul Reaper who had clearly regained his senses was much closer to being an ally.
He still had questions for this Soul Reaper; he absolutely could not let him die here.
Looking into Asuka's eyes, which held not a single trace of jest, Zouken fell silent.
He could sense that this madman was entirely serious.
If he actually refused, that black blade would cleave into him the very next second.
Although his true body wouldn't die so easily, this Avenger's abilities were truly peculiar.
The Amplification Worm he had implanted in Haruri had been devoured by his blade...
'If all the Crest Worms in this body are eaten by him, will I be able to reform myself? Will my Core Worm be affected?'
'More importantly, I would completely lose this powerful combat asset.'
Zouken glanced at Kaien on the ground.
'Though he looks like he's on death's door, he is still a Soul Reaper from another world, and indeed a ticket to the world of the Root.'
'It would be quite a pity if he just died like this.'
"...Heh heh, how intimidating."
Zouken scoffed coldly, putting away his sinister facade.
"I will save him, then."
He walked over to Kaien, pulling a bottle of green liquid from his robes and summoning several peculiar white worms.
"But let me make one thing clear upfront: his very foundation has been damaged."
"Without Kariya to supply him with magical energy, I can only temporarily use Crest Worms to replenish him. A full recovery is likely out of the question."
"That's enough," Asuka said, sheathing his sword.
While treating Kaien's wounds, Zouken glanced at Artoria in the distance from the corner of his eye, calculating inwardly.
'The King of Knights is still there. She hasn't left, nor has she attacked.'
'How troublesome.'
'This Saber's threat level is in a completely different league from Rider's.'
'If I fight her, the outcome will be unpredictable, and this traitorous Avenger certainly won't cooperate.'
'Could it be that tonight's events must end here...?'
Just as the tension began to ease slightly...
Rustle, rustle...
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the woods on the other side of the riverbank.
Everyone's gaze instantly snapped toward the noise.
A man in a black trench coat dragged his exhausted body out of the shadows, step by step.
Kiritsugu Emiya.
He looked more wretched than ever before.
His face was bruised, his signature trench coat was torn to shreds, and his body was covered in lacerations from sharp blades.
Blood soaked his clothes, dripping steadily onto the ground.
His left arm hung limply at his side, clearly broken or dislocated.
Those usually dead, fish-like eyes were now surprisingly filled with panic.
"Saber! Is Irisviel here?!"
He ignored everyone else around him.
Including Gilgamesh, who had just plummeted from the sky, the dying Berserker, and Asuka and Zouken Matou standing nearby.
His eyes were locked onto Artoria, hoping she could give him good news.
Artoria's heart sank.
Since the start of this subjugation battle, she had been entirely absorbed in the chaotic melee and her brief, intense duel with Asuka.
The drain on her magical energy left her with almost no leeway to focus on anything else. She truly hadn't noticed where Irisviel had gone!
"Irisviel...?" Her voice trembled slightly. "Master, what are you talking about? Wasn't Irisviel supposed to be in the bounded field in the woods, protected by you and Maiya?"
Her questioning was only half right.
That had indeed been the original plan, except Kiritsugu Emiya had left halfway through to ambush the others.
"...After taking down Lancer's Master, I encountered Kirei Kotomine, Assassin's Master." Kiritsugu's tone was brief and cold, carrying his usual utilitarian style.
Kiritsugu coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of bloody phlegm.
The previous battle had been far too perilous.
That man, Kirei Kotomine... was practically a humanoid monster.
Whether it was his martial arts or his skill with Black Keys, he was nearing the absolute peak of humanity.
A single strike of his Bajiquan was enough to snap Kiritsugu's ribs, and the Black Key blades he wielded struck with the immense force of steel rebar.
If Kiritsugu hadn't sacrificed his left arm at the last moment to forcibly activate Time Alter: Triple Accel, driving an Origin Bullet into Kirei's body...
Kiritsugu would likely be a corpse by now.
"...That shot wasn't fatal. He seemed to receive some sort of intelligence and suddenly retreated from the battle despite his injuries."
"I realized something was wrong and pursued him all the way, but..."
Kiritsugu paused, his voice suppressed and tinged with frustration. "I'm not the type who excels at close-quarters combat. I was almost counter-killed by him and Assassin."
"That man's target was never me from the very beginning, or rather, it wasn't just me..."
Kirei Kotomine's retreat route had been bizarre and swift. He didn't flee toward the Church, nor did he go to regroup with Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Using the vision provided by Assassin, he dragged his heavily injured body straight into Irisviel's hiding place.
By the time Kiritsugu realized something was wrong and desperately chased after him, he only found Maiya lying unconscious in a pool of blood.
And Irisviel was nowhere to be found.
"Then where is Irisviel now?!" Artoria asked anxiously. In a way, that woman felt much more like her Master.
Kiritsugu furrowed his brows. "I suspect he has already learned of Iri's true nature from Tokiomi Tohsaka and the King of Heroes..."
"As you know, she is a homunculus of the Einzbern family, the physical vessel of the Lesser Grail. Controlling her is equivalent to holding the key to the Root."
These words were heard clearly by Asuka in the distance, who shot a dissatisfied glare at Zouken. "We've been busting our asses out here, so why is the key in someone else's hands?"
"Heh heh, what difference does it make? It will be sacrificed sooner or later..." Zouken remained entirely unconcerned, continuing to treat Kaien.
His old face scrunched up like a dried prune as he let out a sinister chuckle. "However, if the Lesser Grail is destroyed by that priest, then all the Heroic Spirit souls we've painstakingly collected will go down the drain..."
'Destroying the Lesser Grail could also stop the Heaven's Feel magical ritual?'
Asuka remained silent, quietly observing Kiritsugu's group in the distance.
"Regardless, we have to find Iri, or everything is ruined."
Clutching his wounds, Kiritsugu prepared to leave with Artoria.
But in the center of the river, an anomaly they could not ignore was taking place.
Gilgamesh, who had just plummeted into the middle of the river, was slowly rising from the water.
Only this time, he was holding a bone mask in his hand, its tentacles tightly wrapped around his handsome face.
"Lowly creature, do you still delude yourself into thinking you can taint Divinity?"
"Begone!"