"Restore my Command Seals to full… and transplant an additional one to him."
Kayneth spoke in a commanding tone to Kotomine Risei.
"…What?"
Risei's expression froze slightly, wondering if he had misheard.
Since becoming the priest of Fuyuki Church, no one had ever dared make such an unreasonable demand.
At most, he would grant one additional Command Seal to a Master who had already used all three but whose Servant had not yet disappeared—allowing them one last chance to continue fighting in the Holy Grail War.
That was the limit.
"I don't like repeating myself," Kayneth replied coldly.
"If you refuse, Rider will immediately activate his Noble Phantasm and crush Fuyuki Church."
His voice remained calm, but the threat was unmistakable.
"Ah? Me? You—"
Iskandar, who had been wandering around the church curiously—poking here and looking there—suddenly heard his name being dragged into the situation.
He pointed at himself in confusion, then looked toward his Master Waver.
Waver was sweating profusely.
He quickly shook his head at Iskandar.
Iskandar shrugged in understanding and didn't contradict Kayneth's outrageous claim.
Instead, he simply clapped his hands.
Clap!
Under the horrified gaze of Hundred-Faced Hassan, who was observing in Spirit Form, the area surrounding Fuyuki Church was instantly encircled by countless soldiers who appeared out of thin air.
Every one of them carried the presence of a Servant.
Whether in numbers, quality, or the overwhelming aura of an invincible army, they utterly crushed Hundred-Faced Hassan's proud division ability.
The two weren't even remotely comparable.
Through the church windows—
Without even needing to share Hassan's vision, Kirei Kotomine could see the formation outside.
His expression immediately darkened as he silently contemplated something.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Startled, Kotomine Risei took two steps back.
But Kayneth immediately stepped forward and grabbed his arm, forcibly pulling up the sleeve.
Revealed beneath it were at least a dozen or more crimson Command Seals carved into Risei's arm.
"These were left behind by eliminated Masters, correct?"
"I'm only asking you for three."
"That hardly seems excessive."
"Compared to the lives of you and your son, it's a very reasonable trade."
Kayneth's tone was firm and uncompromising.
"…."
Standing nearby, Kirei Kotomine fell completely silent.
At this distance, he was confident he had a sixty percent chance of killing Kayneth—especially now that Volumen Hydrargyrum had been mostly exhausted.
But…
There was no joy to be found in such an act.
More importantly—
As a Lord of the Clock Tower, Kayneth absolutely could not die inside Fuyuki Church.
Because in terms of status within the magecraft world, Kirei still answered to many superiors.
But above Kayneth…
There were only a few.
A short while later—
Kayneth walked out of Fuyuki Church, leading the group.
Behind him followed Waver and Iskandar, surrounded by hundreds of Servant-like soldiers.
On the backs of both Kayneth's and Waver's right hands—
Their Command Seals had been fully restored.
Just beyond the church door—
Kirei Kotomine and Kotomine Risei stood inside with expressions as dark as coal.
Yet they still forced polite smiles as they watched Kayneth's group depart.
Bang!
Once the church doors closed—
Kirei immediately spoke.
"Father, what Kayneth has done is a severe violation of the Holy Grail War's rules."
"We should inform the other Masters immediately and have them eliminate him."
"Kirei… have you been eating too many sweet red beans lately?"
Kotomine Risei seemed to age a decade in an instant.
His back hunched slightly as he lowered himself into a nearby chair.
"Kayneth is a Lord of the Clock Tower."
"He is not someone we can afford to provoke."
"…Let it go."
Meanwhile—
"Kayneth-sensei… wasn't that a bit too much?"
Waver excitedly examined the three restored Command Seals on the back of his hand while cautiously asking the question.
"Waver."
"That was the first lesson I'm giving you."
Standing at the front of the chariot with his hands behind his back, Kayneth spoke calmly.
"That man earlier wasn't wrong."
"We magi act without regard for methods."
"You must learn to use the rules, not be bound by them."
"Just like what happened earlier."
"I lost my Servant, so I used the military strength of you and Rider."
"And you used my status and influence."
"The final result?"
"We obtained Command Seals through irregular means… yet those two old foxes didn't dare say a word."
"Don't assume that because they claim neutrality in the Holy Grail War, they are truly noble."
"For all we know, they could be plotting something shady behind the scenes."
"After all…"
"Human nature is the thing that fails most easily under temptation."
"The Holy Grail is said to be an all-powerful wish-granting device."
"I refuse to believe they have absolutely no desire for it."
With nothing more than instinct—
Kayneth had already stripped away most of the hidden intentions of Kirei Kotomine and his father.
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