Durandal walked step by step into the depths of the hollow. The deeper she went, not only did it not become darker, but there was also a red light. In the deepest part of the great hollow, a huge red tumor floated on a red "lake."
"I didn't expect you to break through those two kings and numerous traps to reach this place."
Before Durandal could clearly see the so-called Greater Grail, a man in a priest's robe standing in front of the lake turned around and looked at Durandal.
Standing with the shocking Greater Grail, this young clergyman was extremely inconspicuous here.
"Kotomine… Kirei."
Riding Krishna, Durandal looked at the priest blocking her path: "Why are you doing this? Having seen this thing, you should know that it cannot fulfill your wish."
"Why?"
It was as if he was asking himself, and also as if he was asking Durandal.
"No, it can fulfill my wish. My wish is only one: to let this curse be born into this world."
Although he was still young and different from his ten years later self, the distortion named Kotomine Kirei had already existed.
He could not find satisfaction and happiness in things that ordinary people found happy. Instead, he took pleasure in others' tragedies, in personally destroying others' beauty, and from that, he felt a joy that could fill his hollow heart.
Having received a good education, he naturally understood that his situation was wrong.
From the beginning, he realized his own distortion and tried to change himself by falling in love with others.
But the result was failure.
It wasn't until a few years later that he realized this, leaving his wife with the words "I really can't love you," which led to her suicide.
Although she didn't have much longer to live anyway.
His wife didn't see through this man, but he understood very well…
Because at that time, he had a thought in his mind.
"If I'm going to die anyway, I want to kill myself."
He knew this was wrong, but it was the most genuine thought that flowed from within him.
This was Kotomine Kirei, a person who fed on the misfortunes of others, full of distortion and filth.
And now, he had found something that could give him the greatest satisfaction.
"Why are you doing this? You should know what will happen if this thing is born. Everyone will die."
Durandal frowned. She had heard about this priest from Takatsuki. Takatsuki's only evaluation of him was—distorted.
But she still couldn't quite believe it. Could such a person exist in the world?
Durandal, who believed in the beauty of the world and loved and was loved by others, could not understand this instinct that wished for others' misfortune.
"He didn't do such a thing."
Kotomine Kirei stood still, seemingly patiently answering Durandal's question: "He is neither evil nor good. Humans, from birth, learn from scratch what is right. The initial state is zero. In other words, everyone is just a blank slate at first."
"What truly changes them is their growth environment, and the self that is born within that environment. Helping life that desires to hatch be born, that is love."
"????"
Durandal listened to Kotomine Kirei's words and felt they made sense, even though she knew there was something wrong with them, it didn't stop her from finding them reasonable.
"The essence of humanity is like this. Villains will bloom with kindness in their indulgence, and saints will occasionally commit evil deeds. It is precisely such contradictory existence that is human. As long as a person lives, both good and evil will simultaneously be nurtured."
"And this existence has not yet been born. Will it lament itself as evil, or accept itself, and even if it is seen as evil, as long as it does not doubt itself, then it is not evil!"
Durandal was not a eloquent character to begin with. She knew Kotomine Kirei's words were wrong, but she didn't know how to refute them.
And because of this, she paused.
"Don't listen to his nonsense."
Just as she was feeling a bit lost, Takatsuki's voice suddenly appeared. Durandal looked over with a hint of surprise.
Beside her, Takatsuki was stepping out of a spatial passage.
"Takatsuki!"
Unlike Takatsuki, Durandal could only sense that Takatsuki was still alive through their contract.
So when she saw Takatsuki appear, the stone that had been weighing on her heart finally lifted.
Because of her trust in Takatsuki, and also to live up to Takatsuki's trust, she chose not to look back, but that didn't mean she wasn't worried.
"You've worked hard, Durandal."
Looking at Durandal's posture, even so, Takatsuki still saw fatigue and many scars on her.
These were all traces left from her previous battles.
"This is what I should do."
Takatsuki nodded and looked at Kotomine Kirei opposite him: "What this guy says is just a bunch of high-sounding words to cover up his true essential wish, Kotomine Kirei."
"Your true wish, your most fundamental wish, is actually to see what kind of reaction it will make after it destroys the world and only it remains."
Takatsuki, who had seen the plot of the Fifth Holy Grail War, naturally knew what Kotomine Kirei truly wanted to do.
Hearing Takatsuki's words, Kotomine Kirei paused, then burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"I didn't expect that the person who understands me best would be a kid I just met."
Kotomine Kirei looked at Takatsuki: "It's something that even my master, my wife, and my father couldn't understand."
"Speaking of master."
Takatsuki looked at the large tumor behind him: "This should be Tohsaka Tokiomi, right?"
"Hahahahaha! You really do understand."
Perhaps it was the first time he had been understood, or perhaps his inner thoughts had been exposed, Kotomine Kirei seemed very pleased.
"But you only got one-third right."
"One-third?"
Looking at the continuously wriggling tumor, Takatsuki thought of something.
"Kariya…"
"That's right, the man who always wanted revenge on Tohsaka Tokiomi, I fulfilled his wish. He personally pushed Tohsaka Tokiomi into the Greater Grail, and there was also the fiancée of that Clock Tower Lord, I think her name was Sola, who was personally fitted with the Lesser Grail's heart by Gilgamesh and together became nourishment for the Holy Grail."
Seemingly in a good mood, Kotomine Kirei explained what had happened earlier.
Originally, Kotomine Kirei, who was bewitched by the Black Holy Grail, wanted to kill his teacher with his own hands.
But he met the man who wanted revenge on Tokiomi.
He proposed a deal: he would create an opportunity for Kariya, and in return, Kariya would act as his inside man with Takatsuki.
Kariya agreed without hesitation, and he did not go back on his word. However, after Kariya pushed Tokiomi into the Greater Grail, he pushed Kariya in as well.
"Hahahahaha! The expression on Kariya's face at the moment of betrayal in extreme joy was truly wonderful! Indeed, only in such situations can I feel what is called happiness."
"But they all achieved their wishes, didn't they? Kariya completed his long-cherished revenge, Master also reached the Root when the Holy Grail descended, and I, too, can bring this existence into being!"