Chapter 12: Kariya Dreams ①

I don’t particularly like intuition. This is because, for Waver, intuition was practically synonymous for failure. However, it would be cruel to blame him for that. Ordinarily, intuition is nothing more than luck disguised as a feeling; relying on it is fundamentally a mistake for a magus.

The bell rang shortly after he had finished dinner. He remembered clearly that he had been resting to let his stomach settle.

That device, which was an overstatement to call a Mystic Code. If you channeled Magical Energy into it to make it ring, another bell in a separate location would chime in sync. Yet, the sound it made sent a chill down Waver’s spine.

The bell was not supposed to ring. That is because it was truly meant only for emergencies.

When he and Archer agreed to a truce, they made one agreement. If there was an emergency—a situation where there was an abnormality in the Holy Grail itself—they agreed that it would be better to be able to contact each other just in case.

Archer had said that if there was time to make contact, they would contact Waver directly. When Waver asked how they would contact him when they didn’t even know his location, Archer simply and naturally replied, “I know.” Waver remembered a cold sweat breaking out all over his body.

And then, there was the case where they didn't even have that much leeway—a way to at least convey that 'something had happened'. Waver proposed handing over a tool he possessed. He suggested that such a device, which was unremarkable and required no special handling, would be perfect for emergency contact.

(Translator's Note: Ah, so this is the second insurance that Archer was talking about. The first was disguising himself as Lancer to lure out any hidden enemies, and the second is a two-way alarm bell to warn of any abnormalities that may arise during the Holy Grail War.) 

Waver inwardly chuckled to himself at how readily his suggestion was accepted. He had secretly embedded a searching spell (探索術式 - Tansaku Jutsushiki) into the bell he handed over. He thought he could follow it to discover Archer's base.

Of course, it was a wasted effort. The trace led to a massive estate that was obviously a stronghold; it merely confirmed what was already known. It was a base designed not for secrecy, but for being impregnable. Indeed, Archer didn't care if it was discovered. Waver had bitten his lip in frustration while Rider teased him for being seen through, adding to his humiliation.

Thus, that bell was something that should have remained silent. He never expected it to be used so quickly or so casually. Because if it was used, it meant that even someone as formidable as Archer had been stripped of his composure.

That was precisely why they needed to move with caution. And yet—

"Alright, Boy! We’re heading out!"

"Why!?"

“It is intuition! My intuition says this is the best course of action!”

The reason was, once again, intuition. If Waver had to list the things he trusted least in his life, "intuition" was always at the top.

He knew from the incident at the okonomiyaki shop that Rider’s hunches couldn't be ignored. But a hunch is just one factor. Moving an entire camp based solely on it was another matter entirely.

"Look, I told you..."

“Wait. This time, I have some basis for it.”

Rider used his massive palm to cover Waver's field of vision.

Waver slapped away the hand he disliked because it seemed to be boasting about its size. He wasn’t sure how much persuasive power the next words would have. However, Waver was aware that he had half-decided to believe the words. After all, no matter how outrageous the content of his assertion, in the end, Rider’s words were almost always proven correct.

“First off, there is no one who could deprive Lancer and Archer—working together—of their margin for error.”

"Exactly. That's why we, who are semi-isolated, can't afford to take risks."

"Don't rush to conclusions. While such a thing usually doesn't exist, there are exceptions. Namely, existences like us."

“What are you talking about? That’s impossible… no, wait.”

“Precisely. We can just guess the remaining pairs.”

Indeed, if it were Saber and Berserker, they would be enough to halt those two. If they launched a swift strike on one side, or at least created a one-on-one situation to get close to Archer, the situation wouldn't be worse than letting those two coordinate.

However, there was the issue of power balance. Currently, the Lancer-Archer alliance was the strongest camp. Charging in was a gamble, to put it mildly. These camps, which couldn't be attacked carelessly, were hunkered down like turtles. That was why the front lines had stagnated. Waver thought this would continue until one of them made a move.

"There's no reason to attack aggressively. But if the situation changed... No, did someone change it? But how...?"

"Fool. Such things are mere armchair theories. Something might have happened, and so we go to see for ourselves."

Waver was momentarily speechless.

He had been made painfully aware of his own small-mindedness countless times in the Holy Grail War. This was one of those times. What made it worse was that he wasn't even angry about it.

Rider’s argument was that of a veteran. Experience transcends knowledge. No matter how much Waver racked his brain, he was no match for Rider. Perhaps it was the nature of a magus to keep thinking regardless.

Rider, who had been standing tall with dead seriousness, suddenly put on a playful expression.

"Besides, if they are fighting each other, we can at least see their hidden cards. Isn't that reason enough to deploy?"

After hearing all that, there was no reason to object.

If he could construct such a logical reason for deployment, he shouldn't have started with "intuition." Then again, that was probably just the way of a King who had led a nation.

"Get ready in ten seconds. Time is the enemy!"

"I'm ready in zero! Let's go now!"

"Hoh! Quite the spirit for someone who was just hesitating!"

Waver grabbed only the binoculars lying on the table (he bought them because he often had to look at things far away; it was an expensive purchase) and dashed out.

The Gordius Wheel sliced through the darkness of the night, looking down upon the silent city. It was a city still struggling to recover from the trauma of the serial killer. It was insensitive to think so, but the situation favored a Servant like Rider.

They found the battlefield where Archer and the others were fighting almost immediately. On one side of the city, Archer and Berserker were clashing. In a man-made forest—or rather, a park with planted trees—Lancer and Saber were engaged. Despite the lack of people around, the combat was far too flashy. It wasn't that they didn't care about secrecy; they clearly no longer had the luxury to care.

"Hoho, it looks like we're in for quite a show!"

"I'm not saying don't watch, but don't get distracted. we have to identify the interloper."

Leaning out of the chariot, Waver peered through the binoculars. The first thing he saw by chance was a car on a hill that had just turned on its headlights. A white Mercedes started its engine and began to drive.

"Rider, look at that."

"Umu. It's unlikely to be unrelated. Probably a Master, or at least a collaborator."

Rider banked the chariot. He positioned them where he could keep an eye on the two battlefields and the moving car without losing sight of any of them.

Waver kept the car in his awareness while focusing the binoculars on the battlefield.

"Damn, what is that...? Even from this distance, I can't catch their movements at all."

"Is this Lancer’s true strength? Impressive. Far beyond the fight at the warehouse. And Saber’s grown stronger too—just as decisive as before, but without the carelessness or naivety. Archer’s words seem to have had an effect. Both are remarkable.”

"‘Remarkable’ isn’t the point! Can we really do anything about that?"

"It’s not about whether we can 'handle' it. Handling it is what war is. But, well... that's beyond my expectations. Once they close the distance, it’s over."

"No way..."

His involuntarily uttered voice sounded like a complaint. He had resolved to stop it many times, but it always slipped out.

If it was Waver’s role to cry out in panic, it was Rider's job to stop it; a sharp flick of his thick finger squarely caught the boy's forehead. The crack echoed inside his skull. Waver tumbled back onto the driver’s seat as a dull heat spread across his brow.

“I am a Rider. My role is not to approach and clash swords from the start. If we cannot win when approached, we must win without letting them approach.”

“Ouch… then don’t say things that make me anxious!”

Realizing his voice sounded pathetic even to himself, he shifted his gaze to the other battlefield to change the subject. In that instant, he froze.

Rider, too, looked at Archer as if pulled by a string, letting out a “Muu” sound.

"That looks bad. He's fighting Berserker equally in close combat. I was planning to resort to a melee if necessary, but that assumption was wrong."

"It’s more than just that!"

Waver screamed in frustration. Why couldn't Rider see the gravity of this? Seeing something like this, no Master could possibly remain calm. Even knowing it was irrational, he couldn't suppress his shouting. If he didn't understand this, he was absolutely insane!

"I won't understand anything if you just take your anger out on me. Explain it clearly."

"A... Archer’s Parameters... they’re all at Rank A+!"

“Hah!?”

At this, even Rider let out a sound that could be interpreted as a scream.

A Servant’s parameters are not something that can be raised easily. It is true that by increasing the amount of mana, one can bring them closer to their strength in life, but it is easier said than done. For instance, if Waver wanted to raise even one of Rider’s stats by a single rank, he would have to pour in twice the amount of Magical Energy.

Even with the forced boost of Mad Enhancement like Berserker's, those numbers were nearly impossible. Archer was unquestionably the Servant with the highest Stats among all the Servants right now.

"I see. Archer is forcibly raising his stats to contend with Berserker.”

"That's part of it, but not the point. The problem is how he's raising those stats!"

"I understand your frustration. But looking from here won't give us the answer. Give it up."

Rider was right. However, it was the Master's role to see through the enemy Servant’s abilities. At the very least, Waver felt that responsibility. To watch the enemy's power and not even be able to guess its source—the frustration was unbearable. At this rate, he truly was just a burden to Rider.

Just when he was experiencing that overwhelming feeling of powerlessness, he was interrupted—again—by the large palm.

"Don't regret it so much. If you don't know the ability, you just have to make up for it in another area. That’s all, isn't it?"

"Ugh... I don't need you to tell me that! Hmph, just watch! I'll uncover the information soon enough!"

“Oho, that’s the spirit!”

Waver shook off the hand that was roughly patting his head, trying his best to sound bold.

"Analyzing them is fine, but don't forget the car. Keep an eye on that as well."

"That too? It's just Saber's Master, right?"

"Umu. Intuition."

"Intuition again...?"

Whether it was exasperation or simply being tired of it, he felt slightly fed up with the word being mentioned for the umpteenth time.

“I do have a basis for this one, at least. It’s simple: they are the easiest Master to target. Between a Master holed up in a base and one in a car away from their Servant, you’d aim for the latter, wouldn't you?

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

Indeed, if the mastermind were to interfere, that would be the most likely point. Conversely, it also meant that if other Masters interfered, there was nothing they could do. Only the Master in the car was in a position to intervene at the last moment if something happened.

Whatever the case, since they had been provoked, there would be some movement here. He had to catch the omen of it. ...Well, while he was at it, he would thoroughly analyze the abilities of each Servant.

Saber versus Lancer was, as always, a contest of supersonic speed and supreme technique. For Waver, who was not only a combat novice but lacked any martial arts experience, he couldn’t even tell what kind of maneuvering was taking place anymore. Moreover, when fighting something that is simply superior (not just strong), one can only win by being more superior. It was an opponent for whom counter-measures were pointless and impossible to devise.

In contrast, the fight between Archer and Berserker was, in a word, beast-like. In terms of speed and technique, Berserker was likely a match for the former two, but his core drive was clearly to smash his enemy with all his might. In Archer’s case, he was likely the most tactically composed. Yet, his fighting style could only be described as sheer violence and brutality. He was more like a Berserker than the Berserker himself.

At that moment, the tide of Archer and Berserker's battle shifted slightly. Archer succeeded in cleverly preventing Berserker from closing the distance. And from the space shimmering behind him, countless weapons appeared.

“That fellow still possesses that many weapons? He’s a foe even more worthy of conquest.”

“That’s not all… those are all Noble Phantasms! Ridiculous! Rider possesses the Sword of the Kupriotes, which isn’t treated as a Noble Phantasm, but that number is abnormal! Wait a minute… maybe—”

Maybe he had been mistaken all along. What if that Servant wasn't carrying Noble Phantasms that weren't treated as such? What if he wasn't cleverly adapting his tools and weapons to the situation?

He began to organize the information about Archer in his memory, combining it with what he had just seen.

His intense obsession with life. His violent fighting style. His history as a king.

Finally, a new suspicion arose. The possibility that he possessed enough Noble Phantasms to deal with any situation.

“Hey, Rider.”

"I’ve come to the same conclusion. Archer’s True Name is likely the King of ancient Uruk. The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. If that is the case, Berserker loses all chance of victory the moment he loses his weapon."

While they spoke, the battle continued to accelerate. Berserker’s sword, which had been parrying Archer’s offensive, was finally destroyed.

A simultaneous volley of Archer’s Noble Phantasms erupted. Berserker’s fleeting resistance didn't last a second. Just as it seemed he would be crushed, the black mist surrounding Berserker blew away. In its place appeared a holy sword whose power seemed to rival Saber's Excalibur.

"That sword! A tranquil radiance like an unclouded spring... without a doubt, it is Arondight. Which means Berserker was Lancelot!"

"Berserker’s parameters are becoming visible... what is this!? His specs are even higher than Archer’s!"

Archer, who boasted A+ average parameters. Yet the current Berserker rivaled and even surpassed him in some areas. Waver didn't know how the Noble Phantasm’s power was influencing it, but those stats combined with overwhelming skill made him an overwhelming presence. There is no way to defeat him in a fair fight. 

Yet, Archer's offensive intensified. The size of the weapons he fired increased, and their power rose proportionally. Berserker swung his sword, deflecting them. However, he couldn't keep up with the overwhelming numbers and began to be exposed to attacks. In the end, he lost to the sheer volume and was easily impaled. It happened just seconds after he drew the holy sword.

“That Berserker was taken down in an instant… You’ve got to be kidding, right?”

"It's a matter of compatibility. For Archer, the ability to turn what Berserker held in his hand into a Noble Phantasm was more troublesome than his final trump card. That's all."

Does that mean…

Without possessing an ability that matches well against the opponent, one can be easily crushed. No matter how impressive one’s stats may be, they would be meaningless. Wasn’t that what it meant?

Precisely because he couldn't find a way to counter it, Rider’s voice was nothing but serious. Such a terrifying thought crossed Waver's mind. In fact, no matter how much Waver worked his brain, he couldn't see a strategy for Rider to win against Archer. Their greatest advantage, numbers, would not work on Archer. On the contrary, if he bombarded them with Noble Phantasms from the air, there would be no means of resistance.

He desperately wanted to find a clue. He continued to immerse himself in his own world, but it ended abruptly.

“Boy, you can worry later. The situation has changed.”

The car Rider pointed at had stopped. Upon closer inspection, Waver could see that the glass was broken.

“What happened?”

"Assassin. Apparently, there was a survivor. He’s heading somewhere with the silver-haired woman, Saber's Master."

"What? He kidnapped her? Instead of killing her on the spot?"

"Umu. I wonder what they’re planning."

Maintaining an altitude where they absolutely wouldn't be noticed, they tracked the Assassin.

"Are we going to help her?"

Personally, Waver wanted to at least force a contract cancellation, but he knew Rider would object. Because he knew that, he didn't say it.

"In the end, yes. But we’ll let them run for a bit longer. If Assassin is heading somewhere, it can only be the location of the mastermind."

“You’re right.”

Fortunately, Assassin’s movements were so slow they were hard to believe for a Servant. It was likely the effect of many of them being wiped out at the banquet. Even so, they still surpassed human limits by several fold. It was not an opponent Waver should ever fight.

Assassin ran while observing his surroundings. He was careful, but apparently, the sky above was outside his scope of concern. They followed without being noticed and arrived at a Civic Center that was still under construction, with some of the framework exposed.

"Alright, we’re charging in!"

“Waa! Wait, you idiot!”

“What, no spirit?”

"That’s not the point! You don’t know where those people who took the woman are inside that building! If you act recklessly, they’ll escape before we find them. Wait, I’ll send a Familiar to search inside. We charge in after we find her location."

Waver made a makeshift familiar and dropped it to the ground. It couldn't do much, and its duration was pitifully short, but it was enough to search a single building.

He searched while muttering his dissatisfaction with Rider, who was always suggesting reckless things. As he did, he suddenly realized something. Would Rider truly not have thought of that possibility? While the possibility that he genuinely hadn't thought about it was frightening, he was almost certainly aware.

Then, why did he suggest such a thing? Perhaps he acted that way on purpose to help Waver gain confidence.

It hadn't been long since the Holy Grail War began. Honestly, they hadn't known each other long enough to call it a deep relationship. In terms of depth, Waver had some confidence, but he couldn't claim to "understand" the other person based on that. However, one thing was certain: their relationship had changed from the beginning.

He couldn't say exactly how it had changed. He wasn't even aware of it himself. But he could definitely say there was a difference in their relationship. It was no longer the trivial matter of one being superior and the other subordinate.

He glanced at Rider. He wore his usual, confident, rugged smile. He couldn't figure out which was true, but that face blew away his small worries as if it didn't matter which. It was always like this. So, Waver Velvet just needed to be his usual self.

“You’re always suggesting reckless things! Think before you act for once!”

"Don't say that, Boy. I run the path for trampling, and if there is something in the way, you point it out. Isn't that what it means to be a 'duo'?"

"Hmph, what duo? You just give me trouble."

For some reason, those words...

Was it because Rider was thinking seriously about him? Or because he had been recognized as a partner? He was immensely happy.

Naturally, he didn't show it. One could show an opening, but never a weakness. Perhaps that was what being a duo meant.

“Found them! Circle around to the East side, the third room on the second floor, the one that’s under construction.”

“Understood! Hold on tight!”

“I know!”

Waver dug his fingers firmly into the edge of the chariot. He had learned the hard way that the words "restraint" and "gentleness" didn't exist in Rider’s vocabulary.

He hadn't expected them to enter quietly, and the charge was indeed a rough one, smashing through the wall by force.

He protected his head from the scattering glass and concrete fragments, enduring the shock. He felt as if he might be thrown off if he lost focus. When the shock subsided, he cautiously looked into the room. There was the room, which should probably have been completely destroyed, and two people. One was a silver-haired woman who looked like a scared girl, like a normal person. The other was a priest (神父 - Shinpu) who, in stark contrast to the woman, didn't even flinch at the devastation, let alone express surprise.

Waver immediately judged the woman to be an obvious ally. It would be foolish to cause a conflict here and immediately become enemies with Saber’s faction.

He gave Rider an eye signal, and Rider began his heroic speech. Taking advantage of the moment, Waver spoke in a voice as low as possible, but loud enough to reach the woman.

"You! Get over here, quick!"

"Eh?"

The woman, whose eyes were teary with fear, answered Waver in a dazed voice. Looking at her expression, he was slightly surprised. Her face looked just like the children who had been kidnapped by Caster and left in the sewers.

"If you intend to escape, hurry up! Believe me or not, it’s up to you, but I won't help you any further!"

"Ah... wait!"

The woman ran desperately, her trembling legs stumbling. Just running a few meters and climbing into the chariot left her breathless.

No, it wasn't due to the physical exertion. Tension, fear—all these things exhaust a person beyond the reality of the situation. Even more so when it is intense.

Waver slowly rubbed the back of the woman who had tumbled inside to calm her. She was someone from an enemy camp and shouldn't be let off guard, but at the very least, there was someone else who was a greater threat than her right now.

"Youuuu bastards! Why?! Why is Rider here?!"

The voice was not the priest’s. It was a squeezing, old man’s voice coming from somewhere—at least inside the room. Simultaneously, a clattering sound, like something grinding together, echoed, which was, to say the least, ominous.

“From what I can see,”

Rider scanned the room with a glare. He explored every corner, leaving nothing out. After a thorough inspection, he looked at the source of the sound as if seeing something unbelievable. A colony of insects, making an unpleasant, clattering sound, which didn't seem to be familiars, was the source of the voice. Waver looked at it too and involuntarily wanted to turn away. A miasma that made one want to avert their eyes. In terms of both common sense and Magecraft, this was clearly an abnormal state.

“You are the mastermind. I do not hate thieves, and I forgive my opponents. However, I am not so gentle or naive as to forgive a fiend like you!”

The moonlight and the purple lightning flickering from the oxen reflected off his sword, making it shine menacingly. Was that a scream? With a small sound of wings, the insects retreated.

The swarm of insects, presumably collaborators, were being cornered, yet the priest remained motionless. He watched the proceedings with complete lack of interest, as if it were someone else's business. A man clearly lacking in humanity. For some reason, he felt no threat from him. That was why the man was all the more terrifying.

Waver happened to look at the woman’s face. The crouching woman had calmed down somewhat and regained some composure. However, she wasn't yet able to stand up. As he kept looking at her—

(That’s right, her name is Irisviel von Einzbern.)

He finally remembered the name he couldn't recall and felt a moment of relief. It would be pathetic to talk to her and not even remember her name.

After repeating the name to himself a few times, he leaned toward her ear. She looked puzzled for a second but immediately caught his intent.

“Hey, are you Irisviel-san? I hope that’s right. Who are those guys?”

"One is Assassin’s Master, Kirei Kotomine. The other... I think... is Zouken Matou, the actual ruler of the Matou, one of the Three Founding Families."

It was a name he hadn't heard. At least, it wasn't a name that came up when he researched the Holy Grail War. He recognized the family name Matou, but that was Berserker’s Master, who was now with Saber’s faction.

“Who is Zouken Matou?”

"I don't know the details... but they say he’s lived a very long time, he’s a monster... and that he eats people... that’s all."

Waver nodded slightly to the trembling Irisviel. In any case, he knew that this was an abnormal existence. Especially the last part—it was likely something she herself was close to experiencing.

The problem was why such an entity would interfere with the Holy Grail without bringing a proper Servant. Did he think this gave him a higher chance of winning than bringing a Servant?

“To think that I was so close to achieving my long-cherished wish, yet why now!?”

"Fool. To commit such atrocities and think you can claim glory through opportunistic theft... do you still not understand your error?"

At Rider’s rebuke, the insects stirred. Perhaps they were trying to escape, but that was impossible while Rider was watching. If even one insect tried to leave, Rider would burn the entire room down first.

Rider dramatically displayed his intense anger, and Waver quietly whispered.

“Rider, that guy… that thing is too dangerous. It’s better to just obliterate him immediately.”

"I am well aware of that."

In the corner of the room, the insects huddled together as if clinging to something. They looked repulsive and pitiful at the same time—enough to make one mistake them for a trivial existence.

But once the lid was opened, it was definitely not that simple. Irisviel’s reaction proved that. Most importantly, Zouken Matou was definitely a Magus at the extreme of body modification. Among the many types of Magi, they were a particularly gruesome faction. Even considering that, Zouken exuded a dangerous aura.

No, if Waver stopped trying to sugarcoat it. Zouken Matou's aura bore a striking resemblance to a certain something.

To a man-eating monster—a Vampire.

Even in that state, Zouken Matou was still within the category of human. More accurately, he was just barely on the edge of the inhuman.

(He's already a cluster of delusions and obsession. If necessary, he wouldn't hesitate to become a Dead Apostle. A person with the power and mentality to discard their humanity, becoming even more than that…? Such a thing is…)

Even the word nightmare was too mild.

“Then why!?”

"But it is better to ask their purpose here. I feel that if we blindly destroy them now, it will be too late."

Intuition again. A premonition close to future sight. But this time, Waver wanted to ignore it and just finish this quickly.

There are many existences in the world called monsters. But among them, Vampires are the ones thoroughly hunted. Being the natural enemy of humans is a significant factor, and it carves fear into the soul. Before them, one is nothing but prey.

“Well… the one we should be wary of might be the priest over there.”

“Eh?”

There was no answer to his murmur. Rider continued.

"Do you have any last words? I don’t intend to forgive you, but I’ll listen to that much."

Rider’s gaze never left the swarm of insects. He spoke to the man who had been standing silently, listening—or rather, letting the words pass by. He stood there naturally, as if he were simply an extension of daily life. If he had stood just a little further away, one might have forgotten his presence.

In a battlefield, that was precisely the abnormality. To be in a place of conflict, with his life on the line, yet acting as if it were nothing. He seemed to not even factor his life into the equation. In terms of direct threat, Zouken was far superior. But where did the priest's unknowable nature come from?

Kirei didn't show the slightest confusion. He mechanically turned his gaze to Rider, as if simply reacting to the sound.

As expected, no visible reaction. Whether they were retreating or attacking, the sooner the action, the better. Just as Waver was about to signal Rider—

"Rider, do you possess the blood of a god?"

"What?"

"I am asking if you possess the blood of a god."

At Kirei’s words, spoken in a flat, monotone voice as if reading a prepared text, Waver’s body shuddered. It wasn't fear. He had simply thought of the man as a motionless object. The fact that he responded to their words was that surprising.

Rider tilted his head, not understanding the intent of the question. Waver felt the same. Normally, in a situation like this, the questions would be—to use a cliché—how did you find this place, or perhaps something about their escape method.

But he looked at Kirei’s face. Eyes that still lacked color, like looking at water—eyes so clear you couldn't see anything. It was a mistake to expect a common reaction from a man so far from "normal." In a sense, this sudden question with no discernible meaning or intent might be more reassuring.

"Why do you wish to know such a thing?"

"If you won't answer, so be it. That is the end of the matter."

Kirei ended the conversation abruptly, then stroked the golden cup with his thumb.

(…Hm? What is that?)

Waver frowned. It wasn't that he hadn't noticed its existence before. It had simply been overshadowed by the abnormality of Zouken Matou. But looking at the golden vessel again, how should he put it... he struggled for words for a moment, and then a term came to mind.

It was floating.

He knew it was simply an extremely high-level Mystic Code. Conversely, that was all he could discern; it was an artifact beyond the analysis capability of someone as unremarkable as Waver. Although, given Waver's inability to analyze Mystic Codes of even intermediate level or higher, even that assessment was questionable.

But the reason Waver thought so was different. Looking at it directly, he felt a pure atmosphere. At the same time, in its depths, something like fear or malice seemed to be lurking.

Why did that man have such a thing?

"Well, it matters not. The answer is I don't know, and I don't care. Even if I did have the blood of Zeus, it would not change the Path of the Conqueror (覇道 - Hadō) that I walk. My dream, my conquest, and the brave warriors who admire me are not so small as to be influenced by such a triviality."

"Heh—kuku, kukukuku."

Kirei’s eyes widened for a moment, and then he burst into laughter, unable to contain his expression.

Even though he was supposedly laughing, he was stained with hatred, loathing, malice, and despair—everything dark.

“How contemptible. What a contemptibly boring answer.”

Words like mud spat from his mouth. But they were not directed at Rider. They were directed at no one.

He was mocking with all his might, looking into the void beyond the answer. Likely toward whatever he considered "God." He was never an existence that could be understood. But now, that was being pushed to the extreme. That was why Rider didn't speak, simply observing the man in silence.

“How little power there is in the blood of God. That is most correct, too correct. Ah—I too had a sense of lingering attachment. But for cutting away that meaningless sentimentality, I shall be grateful.”

When he finished speaking, Kirei’s face had returned to its original iron mask. The only difference was a slight upward curve of his lips, a smile. And his atmosphere had shifted to one of eerily unsettling tranquility.

Why? Despite being such an utterly abnormal man, looking at him made Waver associate him with a saint.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Waver spoke as if to shake off a strange, truly incomprehensible chill. Something was wrong. Fatally. Not just in one specific area. Everything about the man before him was something that shouldn't be.

People fear what they cannot understand. Naturally. But what Waver felt was not that. He wasn't confident he could explain it well, but in any case, it wasn't that.

His arms tensed instinctively. To calm him, Rider’s hand patted his shoulder.

“Stop. Do not try to understand him. He is similar to Caster, only with a different direction. He does not seek to be understood. His emotions and actions are complete within himself.”

Rider’s intense Charisma was fully exerted, pulling Waver’s spirit back to tranquility.

Waver relaxed his arms and took several deep breaths. Right, that wasn't what he needed to think about now. Extract information and, if possible, devise a countermeasure. Focus only on that. In that process, what he needed was the words of his partner, Rider. He repeated them in his heart a few times, and then a thought occurred to him.

(…Wait? Then why is he cooperating with Zouken? No… is he even cooperating in the first place?)

Rider had said it: the man doesn't understand others and doesn't seek to be understood, moving only for his own purposes. The most troublesome opponent for communication—one with no intention of mutual understanding. Could such a person really be called a collaborator?

Looking at the situation, it was definitely Zouken Matou who was the lead actor.

The embodiment of obsessive delusion, and a man who had abandoned comprehension. There was nothing more to gain from talking to them. As if signaling this, Rider spoke his final words.

"This is the end. I will have you spill all your objectives! Otherwise..."

“To eliminate a certain number of Servants, and bring about the pseudo-birth of the Holy Grail (聖杯の疑似降誕 - Seihai no Gishi Kōtan). Use that to annihilate the remaining Servants and truly secure the Holy Grail. That is the objective—at least for Zouken Matou over there."

Unexpectedly, the answer came in a casual tone, as if tossing out small talk. Its sheer ease made Waver almost miss it.

Rider, who had asked the question, was stunned. No, not just Rider. Waver, Irisviel, and even the accomplice Zouken. Everyone except Kirei, who had spoken, was frozen in time.

The first to return to his senses was Rider, perhaps due to his experience. The man’s unidentifiable nature had accelerated, and now he was even more wary of Kirei than Zouken. He might not have realized it himself, but the tip of his sword had tilted slightly toward Kirei Kotomine.

"…Do you intend to beg for your life?"

"You asked a question. I answered it. That is all."

Whether you think it’s a lie or a deception is up to you. There is nothing more and nothing less. His attitude said as much, and indeed, no other intent could be felt from him.

"You, are you betraying me!?"

"Betraying?"

It was a simple repetition. A question back because he truly didn't understand what it meant.

They likely were never "allies" in the true sense from the start. Zouken thought he could manipulate and control Kirei conveniently. In a sense, there was a certain level of trust there. But Kirei Kotomine had none of that. It wasn't even that Zouken was useful. He was just there, or something about him was convenient—that was all.

Kirei Kotomine was equal to everything. The way he looked at Rider, the way he looked at Zouken, and the way he looked at the world itself. The value of those things no longer held meaning. If there is no difference in value, no one can explain how it differs from being worthless.

(But then why is he moving? If everything is the same, there should be no reason to do anything.)

The difference born between one thing and another is the driving force that moves people. For Waver Velvet, magecraft was higher in value than other things, so he could participate in the Holy Grail War at the risk of his life.

Everyone should have it. Naturally, he should too. A power source that makes him utilize Zouken and seek the Grail.

"This is bad..."

Rider muttered. Perhaps unconsciously.

“What’s bad? Is there something about that man?”

“No, there is, but it is not the point.”

Rider shook his head.

There was no question that the man was abnormal; it was plain to see. Waver wanted to know what was wrong with him.

“What’s bad is that I sense nothing from him. I feel discomfort and a sense of wrongness. My reason determines him to be a dangerous person. But… my intuition refuses to sense anything from him. What does this mean?”

“That’s what I want to ask you!”

“Even if you ask me, I have absolutely no idea. Why do I not feel a sense of danger from him?”

Waver had experienced the high accuracy of Rider’s intuition many times.

Waver looked at Kirei again. That abnormality, which was apparent after just a brief conversation, made him a dangerous person from every angle. Even using Waver's own unreliable intuition, he could safely condemn him as a menace. So why, of all people, did Rider's intuition fail to work on him?

"Damn it... You should've stayed as my obedient puppet!"

Zouken’s accusation elicited no reaction at all. No, Kirei’s eyes did slightly track the source of the sound.

Waver wondered what he meant by "puppet," but it was certainly an apt description. Kirei already possessed an aura of being less than human. If you stripped away his purpose, he might indeed look like a puppet.

“This goes against my principles, but it cannot be helped. The objective has been met, and Archer will surely take care of the Holy Grail itself. I shall destroy both of you here and now!”

With those words, Magical Energy flowed into the chariot. Using Rider as a cushion, it sucked mana from Waver. The sensation made him feel momentarily dizzy.

The bull neighing. The powerful front hooves, lifted high, slammed onto the floor, creating a loud roar. The already half-destroyed floor finally reached its limit, and more than half of its area collapsed.

The chariot lost its footing. However, for the Divine Bull (雄牛 - Oushi) that flew through the air, the mere loss of a physical ground had no effect. The subsiding lightning reignited, announcing the end.

“Hmph, is this all?”

Kirei responded to the collapsing floor by simply taking a step back.

There, for the first time, Kirei showed movement. He kept the cup raised, but lifted his right hand. He wasn't holding anything in it. He wasn't even clenching his fist. There were simply two strokes of Command Spells remaining on the back of his bare hand.

“By the power of the Command Spell, I command you—Assassin, kill yourself.”

Faster than Rider could react, Kirei spoke. One Command Spell burst forth from the back of his hand. Despite such a simple action, Assassin was certainly dead.

Waver had no idea why he killed Assassin at this moment. Considering the situation, he should have wanted every card he could play. Even if Assassin, in that condition, couldn't counter Rider. Even the severely weakened Assassin couldn't strike a blow against Rider, even with a Command Spell. Still, there were ways to use him effectively, such as a decoy or to buy time.

“Next, by the power of the Command Spell, I command ‘Avenger’. Manifest.”

“Oh, oh! So that was the plan!”

From the cup in his hand, mud (泥 - Doro) overflowed with a dopuri sound. Waver, seeing it directly, almost vomited.

He used a Command Spell to order it. Therefore, what appeared could only be a Servant. But he couldn't think of it as a Servant. Part of it was that it looked like a liquid with no intelligence. But more than that, it was a Curse.

It wasn't that its actions or thoughts were evil like Caster's. It simply existed, spreading malice and stirring it at the same time. It was as if it were the very incarnation of malevolence and hatred itself. It was a curse to itself and everything else.

The golden cup. He had thought it was something extraordinary. But it went far beyond his expectations, overflowing with a Servant. No matter how excellent a Mystic Code was, to perform such a feat without a ritual was a huge step outside the domain of humanity. It shouldn't be possible. But too many impossible things were happening, and the very possibility of the situation became incomprehensible.

“Wha…”

Irisviel, who had been sitting quietly until now, leaned forward in astonishment. Her eyes conveyed that she was looking at something unbelievable.

“Why is something like that coming out of the Holy Grail!?”

"H-Huh...? That is the Holy Grail!?"

“You’re late in telling us!”

Waver silently cursed Irisviel with all his might.

His brain was screaming in pain. That mud was truly the natural enemy of humanity. Perhaps even more so than Dead Apostle. It was natural for Waver, being human, to feel pain and fear. Because what was screaming inside him right now was his survival instinct.

That was the dangerous content of the Holy Grail that Archer had spoken of. Something so ridiculously and utterly dangerous that no amount of words could describe it. If this was the case, they should have destroyed the Holy Grail immediately. If there was a possibility of that appearing, they should have destroyed it immediately instead of leaving it to Archer.

He didn't even know where the Holy Grail was or what it looked like. Ignoring that, Waver still shouted. Something like that should not be allowed to exist!

"Rider, hurry!!"

Waver realized he was shouting. It wasn't an action after thorough thought, as he usually did. If you were to say so, it was an act rooted in intuition. But he was too cornered to deny that spinal reflex.

“I know! I’ll blow everything away! Ooh… Light is at the other end of the world — conquer!
Via Expugnatio!”

In an instant, they accelerated from a standstill to maximum speed. The lightning blinded them. The light concealed everything, making only the enemy in their path—the target of their conquest—visible.

In the accelerating world, Waver distinctly saw Kirei use the hand holding the Holy Grail, his left, to gently roll up his right sleeve. Inside, countless Command Spells remained.

“Continue, I command you. Avenger, assimilate Zouken Matou, and make him your sensory organ for the world.”

“What—Gah—!”

With the command, the black mud swallowed the swarm of insects in an instant. From the pool of black mud, grain-like things began to overflow one after another.

Insects. A massive number of insects that it would be foolish to count. They continued to be birthed from the mud, their volume clearly greater than the insects that were there initially. Furthermore, insects were also overflowing from the mud inside the vessel of the Holy Grail.

Bad—his intuition screamed the highest-level warning. It was no longer a weak feeling that could be dismissed as mere intuition. An intense pain in his brain, followed by a premonition of death. If they charged ahead like this, they would certainly lose.

The Noble Phantasm had already been activated. There was no way to stop it. That was why Rider’s face was contorted.

There was no hesitation. Perhaps it was an act purely for the sake of escape. That was fine. It was a hundred times better to be called a coward than to be eaten and die by such a thing.

"Dodge, RIDER!"

A Command Spell burst, and he felt a massive amount of Magical Energy being released.

The bundle of Magical Energy carrying Waver's will directly interfered with the chariot. Magical Energy that carried a miracle called "absolute will," interfering with higher priority than the owner's will. It permeated the chariot and, as if it had been so from the beginning, changed its direction upward, blowing away the remaining ceiling and the upper floors, and escaping into the night sky.

He felt the cold night wind. At the same time, the activation of the Noble Phantasm ended, and the lightning vanished, returning his vision to normal. There, he finally realized he was still alive.

What he felt was not relief, but terror. He had goosebumps all over, and a large amount of cold sweat poured out. If he let his guard down, his trembling body felt like it would collapse.

“Well done, My Master.”

The same large hand as always. He didn't like it because it felt like he was being pinned down. But in terms of reliability, it surpassed anything in the world.

He was guided to sit down on the driver's seat. His body, stiff from tension, slowly began to relax.

“If not for the Boy’s split-second decision, we would be…”

The chariot tilted slightly. It was circling around the Fuyuki Civic Center. With the change in angle, his field of vision opened up. If he tilted his head further, he could see almost directly below.

The strike of a near-top-class Noble Phantasm. A building that was not a fortress could not withstand a direct hit. The ceiling, largely shattered by the aftereffects, began a chain-reaction collapse, and the Civic Center itself was about to fall. Huge chunks of concrete fell, raising massive pillars of dust with each impact. A while later, the roar of the collapse echoed continuously.

Under these circumstances, Kirei Kotomine’s life or death could not be confirmed. There was a very low probability that he had been crushed and died, but it wasn't impossible.

However.

It was no longer a stage where they could consider what had happened to him. From the pieces of the building that were crumbling and flying away, black specks could be seen in places.

At the very least, the Holy Grail and the Servant called Avenger, who had assimilated Zouken Matou, were intact. The worst-case scenario had not improved at all; it remained the worst.

"This is no longer a situation we can handle on our own."

“Agreed. We should request cooperation from Archer’s side, and if possible, Saber’s side as well. If the Einzberns, who saw the situation, explain it, I think it will be fine. They will, right?”

"Eh... Y-Yes. That's right, we have to do that..."

Irisviel was staring blankly, simply looking down. Was she looking at the Holy Grail? She was clearly in a state of great shock because of what was inside the Holy Grail. Waver could understand how she felt. That was practically a scam. To sincerely wish for a miracle, fight to the end, and then find that there is nothing to grant that wish.

The black insects continued to multiply. Their speed was tremendous; a quantity that could initially be dismissed as an illusion was now on the verge of occupying an entire district.

“Let’s go. There’s nothing more we can do by staying here.”

“Indeed.”

Rider agreed and drove the chariot forward. As they left the Civic Center behind, he muttered quietly.

"Though, that's assuming the problem can be solved."

Waver couldn't respond to those words. Because if he opened his mouth, he felt he might agree.