Wisps of white smoke rose, drifting past the man's weathered face. The room was dark, devoid of light.
Kiritsugu Emiya sat on the bed, the floor around him littered with crushed cigarette butts. Firearms and equipment lay scattered to the side. His brow was furrowed deeply; his stubble had grown wild in just two days, yet he had no heart to tend to it.
Representing the Einzbern family as an outside mercenary in this Holy Grail War, he now saw no glimmer of hope. Maiya was dead. His wife, Irisviel, was in terrible condition. Though he preferred to keep his distance, Saber had already informed him multiple times regarding Irisviel's failing health.
Reports of one participant after another being eliminated continued to pour in. Even the Holy Church had collapsed. The latest intelligence indicated that Caster was already engaged in battle with Rider.
The outcome of that battle was not difficult to guess. With Caster's Master present, Rider stood no chance. That meant their next target could only be one person.
Is it finally our turn? He exhaled a long cloud of smoke. To implement his version of justice, he was willing to use any means necessary. Assassination was his most common tactic; no matter how powerful a magus was, they could rarely defend against a bullet from the shadows.
But Caster's Master was the exception. He had seen with his own eyes how that man froze a bullet in mid-air, crumbling it into harmless iron dust. Modern weaponry lost all meaning before such an existence.
The man hovered in the sky like a wall looming over the heart, borderless, spanning every direction, constantly signaling that there was no way forward.
Kiritsugu crushed a cigarette butt with his foot. His hand brushed against the cold metal of a sniper rifle. This partner, once invincible, now felt utterly powerless. With that monster's power, he would surely see what Irisviel truly was. That was likely why he had eliminated the other participants first, saving them for last.
It had to be.
He stood up abruptly. Perhaps tomorrow would be the moment everything was decided.
…
Inside the castle stronghold prepared by the Einzberns, Saber stood guard by Irisviel's side, her gaze solemn. Her wounds had healed since Lancer's elimination, but Irisviel's condition was deteriorating rapidly.
"Irisviel..." she murmured.
The souls of the eliminated Servants, one after another, were eroding the body of the Einzbern homunculus. Her human form was becoming impossible to maintain; she was on the verge of collapse.
From the very beginning, she had existed as a tool created through alchemy, the Lesser Grail meant to collect the souls of fallen Servants. This was a predestined fate, impossible to resist. The curse known as "All the World's Evil" had polluted the Grail during the Third Holy Grail War, and that agony and corruption were now gradually descending upon her.
The world was cruel. In Irisviel, this fact was especially evident.
…
On the other side, the Reality Marble dissolved.
The existence known as Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, vanished completely from this world. He, who would have had to exert every ounce of strength just to face a single Shendu, was utterly unable to withstand the addition of a Shendu projection of identical power.
The curtain finally fell on this War of Kings. In the Fourth Holy Grail War, Rider was eliminated!
Two identical versions of Shendu stood quietly upon the ground. Shendu studied his projection with curiosity. He could tell the creature did not speak, nor did it possess a true soul. However, its strength was undiluted, a fact proven by the battle just concluded.
"Truly miraculous power," Shendu remarked, looking at Zoran with admiration.
The strength his brother currently displayed had far surpassed his expectations. Without a doubt, the current Zoran was the strongest among the eight brothers and sisters. That artifact, the Pan'ku Box, bloomed with an entirely different brilliance in his hands.
"My brother, what kind of trick is this?" he asked.
Zoran smiled, pondering for a moment before replying playfully, "The power of bonds?"
He didn't offer a direct explanation, answering instead with a touch of wit.
"Bonds..." Shendu muttered to himself.
Zoran raised his hand slightly. The Pan'ku Box glowed once more, and the Demon Portal opened. Of course, this was not the true portal linked to the Netherworld of their original world; it was simply a necessary process for using the artifact. The Shendu projection stepped into the portal and returned to its source.
Zoran took the Pan'ku Box back into his palm, and with a flick of his wrist, the treasure vanished. Currently, aside from his own immense demonic chi as the Moon Demon, the Pan'ku Box was a powerful asset.
It was worth noting that even the projection summoned just now only matched the current Shendu's strength. This was not yet the peak of the Fire Demon. Zoran already had a plan for how to truly rescue Shendu from their original world.
"Now, the other Servants have all been eliminated. Only Kiritsugu Emiya and his Servant, Saber, remain," Zoran analyzed.
His thoughts quickly moved to one person: Irisviel. She was Kiritsugu's wife, but also the Lesser Grail, the key to opening the Greater Grail.
"We have one last step, Shendu," Zoran said quietly. "At that time, this body of yours will also leave this world, and your soul will return to the statue."
"I know," Shendu replied, his expression unreadable.
If he had been anxious about this before, he was no longer. After receiving the promise of his elder, Zoran, he was no longer impatient. The power Zoran had displayed was far beyond his estimates. His promise was entirely credible.
"I look forward to that day," he said calmly.
…
The next day.
This was the day Zoran had designated as the final day of this journey. The only remaining objective was Kiritsugu Emiya.
He had no interest in the Masters of the other eliminated participants. Kayneth had returned to the Clock Tower, and Waver, the Master of the defeated Rider, would likely leave soon as well. Kariya Matou, the Master of Berserker, had burned down the Matou household and disappeared with Sakura after fulfilling his pact. He wouldn't live long; Zoran could guess where he had gone. That man hated Tokiomi Tohsaka to his core but held deep feelings for Tokiomi's wife, Aoi. A twisted fellow indeed. Zoran had no desire to involve himself in their drama of love and hate.
Among these Masters, Kiritsugu Emiya was indeed the most interesting.
Ignoring the eyes that had been observing him along the way, Zoran retracted his thoughts and gently knocked on the castle gate, saying with a smile:
"Mr. Kiritsugu Emiya, I've come to pay you a visit."
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