Mount Enzou, Ryuudou Temple.
This ancient temple, which rarely saw worshippers even on ordinary days, was completely sealed off tonight by a Bounded Field invisible to the naked eye, turning it into an isolated island cut off from the rest of the world.
Upon the stone steps, a pitch-black figure dragged his heavy footsteps, walking toward the main hall one step at a time.
"..."
Kirei Kotomine stopped in his tracks, clutching his chest as he let out a suppressed cough.
Bloody froth seeped through his fingers, dripping onto the bluestone slabs.
Although Kiritsugu Emiya's Origin Bullet had failed to claim his life directly, the agonizing pain of having his Magic Circuits severed from the depths of his soul and haphazardly reconnected continued to torment his nerves every waking moment.
An ordinary magus would have likely gone into shock from mental collapse long ago, but he was different.
This pain instead made him feel an abnormal sense of... clarity.
"This place will do."
Kirei let go, throwing Irisviel—whom he had been dragging along like a dead dog—onto the ground.
"Ugh..."
She let out a pained groan. Her originally flawless, high-quality winter coat was now covered in dirt and grass clippings, and her long silver hair was in a disheveled mess.
What caused her the most agony was the dagger currently embedded in her calf, placed there to prevent her from escaping.
Crimson blood trailed across the ground from the wound. The constant tearing sensation drained even more color from Irisviel's already pale, homunculus skin.
"Kiritsugu Emiya... hasn't pursued us."
Kirei turned around, looking down at the beautiful woman from above.
In his hollow, lifeless eyes, there was no pity—only the cold, detached gaze of someone dissecting a frog.
"...A calm choice. Truly worthy of the Magus Killer."
"What exactly are you trying to do..." Irisviel raised her head, stubbornly meeting Kirei Kotomine's gaze. "Are you trying to use me to threaten Kiritsugu?"
"Half and half, I suppose."
Kirei shrugged and let out a cold sneer.
He crouched down, reached out, and roughly grabbed Irisviel by the chin. "Answer me, doll of the Einzberns."
"That man... Kiritsugu Emiya. He has exhausted every scheme, not hesitating to dirty his own hands just to obtain the Holy Grail... What exactly is the wish he seeks to grant?"
This was the matter Kirei was currently most interested in.
The coldness in that man's eyes was so similar to his own, yet he was struggling desperately for the sake of something.
Kirei wanted to know exactly what kind of obsession could drive such a killing machine to operate.
"Does he want to become the king of the world? Or does he wish to acquire a physical body for you? Surely it couldn't be... some boring topic like reaching the Root."
Kirei Kotomine threw out a few guesses of his own accord, his gaze constantly peering deep into Irisviel's eyes, trying to discern something.
Irisviel clenched her teeth and tried to turn her head away, but the iron grip on her chin rendered her unable to move.
"Let me think. Could it be to resurrect someone?" He recalled the intelligence he had gathered, which recorded that Kiritsugu Emiya had once murdered his own father and mentor in the name of executing justice.
'Could it be to make up for his own regrets?'
The force in his hand grew stronger, causing a burst of sharp pain in Irisviel's chin, but she still remained completely silent.
Left with no other choice, Kirei helplessly twisted the dagger embedded in Irisviel's leg, letting the agony teach this woman to speak.
"...To save the world."
Using every ounce of her strength, she squeezed those words through her gritted teeth.
The moment he heard her answer, Kirei Kotomine froze.
Even though he had considered countless possible answers, he had never once imagined this reason.
His mind went blank for a split second.
Then, he burst into laughter.
At first, it was a low chuckle, which gradually turned into uncontrollable, maniacal laughter that started from his shoulders and spread through his entire body.
His laughter echoed within the temple, carrying a sickly sort of joy.
"Save the world? Haha... Hahahaha!"
"Kiritsugu Emiya, your wish is actually this? An assassin, wanting to save the world?"
"How utterly comical! How utterly ironic!"
Kirei laughed so hard that tears nearly streamed from his eyes.
"Just for such a childish dream, he turned himself into a machine that only knows how to kill..."
Enduring the pain within his body, he wiped away the tears of mirth from the corners of his eyes.
Irisviel was highly dissatisfied with his reaction and replied in a deep voice, "Someone like you... a guy who merely follows behind Tokiomi Tohsaka, could never understand Kiritsugu's ideals."
"Even the head of the Tohsaka family has more vision than you do!"
The expression on Kirei Kotomine's face instantly turned cold, returning to that terrifying, deathly stillness.
"Yes... I truly cannot understand it..." He looked back at Irisviel, a trace of cruel amusement entering his eyes. "Since that is the case, it makes it all the more worth destroying."
"I am very curious to know, will he use the Heaven's Feel to resurrect you..."
Kirei reached out his hand, several sharp Black Keys pinched between his fingers.
"I know you are the vessel created by the Einzbern family to serve as the Lesser Grail. Even if your physical body dies, your soul will return to the Greater Grail."
"Therefore, to thank you for bringing me such amusement... I will do my best to make your death a painful one."
Watching the approaching blades, Irisviel closed her eyes in despair.
'Kiritsugu... I'm sorry...'
Just a second before the Black Keys could pierce her body.
"Stop right there!!"
A young, yet furious shout suddenly rang out from the temple's main gate.
Kirei's movements paused, the Black Keys hovering mere centimeters away from Irisviel's eyeball.
Somewhat surprised, he turned his head to look at the source of the voice.
At the end of the long stone steps stood a tiny, panting figure.
It was a little girl wearing a red coat, her hair tied in twin tails.
She looked to be no more than six or seven years old, her hands tightly gripping a still-glowing magical compass.
Her small face was flushed red from running so hard, and her azure eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
She was Tokiomi's daughter, Rin Tohsaka.
"Mister... Mister Priest? What are you doing?!" Rin's eyes widened.
The priest who always followed behind her father on ordinary days, Kirei Kotomine, who was taciturn yet polite...
Was currently wielding weapons with a sinister expression, about to murder a completely defenseless woman.
Even though this uncle was usually cold and didn't talk much, her father had said he was a reliable person.
'How... How could this be?'
This massive contrast dealt a tremendous shock to her young mind.
"How could you... Why are you doing this?"
Rin's voice was trembling.
Kirei Kotomine's gaze shifted to the magical compass in Rin's hands, which was currently flickering with a faint light.
Tonight, it felt as if the entirety of Fuyuki City was shrouded in an oppressive fluctuation of magical energy.
That sense of unease had made it completely impossible for her to sleep. Driven by some inexplicable impulse, she had secretly taken the magical compass from her father's study.
She had sneaked out behind her mother's back, originally wanting to see exactly what kind of grand battle her father was fighting.
Yet, the moment she stepped out the door, she had discovered the magical traces of a stealthy Assassin.
The compass needle had spun wildly before finally pointing here.
She never expected that she would end up witnessing a scene like this.