Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Fate/Zero:Act 16 Part 6

2011-05-28T18:03:42Z

88.162.35.241: links error

=== -03:54:28 ===

The battle tactic analysis concerning Kotomine Kirei – was conducted based on information from Hisau Maiya, who had fought him twice.

He threw Black Keys for ranged battle. A single throw, together with preparatory movements, can be completed in 0.3 seconds. As for continuous throwing, it had been confirmed that he can complete four throws in 0.7 seconds. He can also attack without obstacles toward unconfirmed targets. The power of the blades, half-spiritual entities, can penetrate iron. Chances of a hit – 100% when he is using illusions.

He used [[Fate/Zero:Translator's Notes#Baji_Quan_2|Baji Quan]] for melee fighting. Although the details were unclear, he was indeed at the level of an expert. He had seriously injured Maiya, who had a dagger, with just one blow. The destructive power of this kind of attack can snap a tree with two blows, and was extraordinarily dangerous.

The frock covering his entire body had been reinforced with bullet-proof materials and processed to protect against spells. It can defend against the impact and the penetration power of 9mm Parabellum bullets.

As for the result of pre-battle intelligence gathered from other fields – according to the magecraft teaching result report obtained from Tōsaka Tokiomi, Kotomine Kirei’s level of magecraft learning had not progressed beyond the degree of a beginner. His most outstanding skill was simply spiritual healing. If he were to use any effective measures during battle, then the only predictable one would be physical enhancement; his most adept skill, used to exert even greater physical strength.

Lastly, predicting his battle tactics.

Since Emiya Kiritsugu had thoroughly hid himself, the most information Kotomine Kirei could get to analyze Kiritsugu’s tactics would consist of rumors. The only battle in this Heaven’s Feel that forced Kiritsugu to use his ‘secret weapon’ was the fight against Lord El-Melloi. The bounded field of the Einzbern Castle at that time was still dense enough to prevent the Assassins from penetrating. Moreover, Kirei himself was tied down in the battle with Maiya and Irisivel during that time. In conclusion, it was impossible for Kirei to know about Innate Time Control and the ‘Origin Bullet’. It can be concluded that he would not have countermeasures for these.

– The above was all the information that Emiya Kiritsugu had gathered concerning the final decisive battle.

Firstly, their initial wave of attacks consists of Black Keys versus bullets. Of course, Kirei would be in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position. However, if he wanted to rely on magecraft to compensate for his lack in weaponry, then it would be very possible for Kirei to rush up fearlessly and shorten the distance between them.

At last, the Executor waved the wing-like six Black Keys and rushed toward Kiritsugu from the front. It seemed that he had made the defensive preparations for Kiritsugu’s bullets.

That was exactly what Kiritsugu had wanted. Kiritsugu could ensure the success of his killing blow precisely because Kirei had made defensive measure. It was because he was firing the magecraft bullet from his Mystic Code.

With the belief that the early bird gets the worm, Kiritsugu fired toward his opponent. Kirei should have been able to completely predict the trajectory of the bullet from Kiritsugu’s killing aura and preparatory actions. As a humanoid Shura, an Executor of the Holy Church, the quickness of Kirei’s mind far surpassed that of a bullet.

Kirei initiated a large scale magecraft.

The Black Keys that he grasped with both hands instantly swelled up into more than twice their original size. The half-spiritual blades, which were woven with magecraft to begin with, had extra prana instilled into them and were completely ‘strengthened’. Although the forceful execution of this spell evidently surpassed the limit of the weapons themselves, it was enough to handle one bullet. Kirei crossed the six enormous swords before his chest and held them in fan-like formation. The mighty destructive power of the .30-06 Springfield assault rifle bullet was completely sealed off in an instant.

The bullet was deflected away together with flying sparks. At the same time the Black Keys, which had been filled with too much prana, could no longer handle the heavy load and shattered completely.

This extraordinary skill, which allowed swords to surpass bullets, now became a wrong move. It was truly shocking that Kirei, who shouldn’t even have a Magic Crest, could exert such a surprising skill. But more importantly, this would allow the fatal destruction of Kirei’s Magic Circuits, which were currently serving as a sack full of energy. Due to Emiya Kiritsugu’s repulsion towards the ‘Origin’, Kirei’s flesh would instantly be annihilated due to the magecraft running rampant in his body – that was what was supposed to happen.

A rapidly approaching figure clad in black frock suddenly appeared within the fragments of the six Black Keys, which were scattering away. Kiritsugu couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.

“Time alter——double accel!”

His body reacted sooner than his brain while he remained in shock. Kiritsugu chanted a spell.

Kiritsugu jumped backward at the last moment. Kirei’s right foot ferociously swept past the tip of Kiritsugu’s nose, and the left foot that followed up the attack didn’t land on Kiritsugu’s neck either. Kirei’s smooth roundhouse kicking attack completely missed its target under the confusion caused by Kiritsugu’s double-speed movement.

That was not within the scope of his predictions. The ‘Origin Bullet’ fired from his magecraft Contender gun was nullified – Kiritsugu couldn’t figure out the reason no matter what. Meanwhile, Kirei didn’t know the reason for Kiritsugu’s surprise. Even Kirei wouldn’t have imagined that the uniqueness of his magecraft had surprisingly nullified Kiritsugu’s killing blow.

Kirei had never been an orthodox magus. Kirei, whose Magic Circuits were yet to be developed properly, only obtained a source of prana through utilizing the spare Command Seals he received from Risei so he could instantly learn how to use magecraft. Although the characteristics of the Command Seals meant they were disposables which would disappear upon use, it had managed to save Kirei at the end. The moment that the magecraft was activated and the ‘Origin Bullet’ made contact to exert the effect, the Command Seal that served as the source of prana had simply disappeared from Kirei’s arm.

Having his one-turn-kill plan completely disrupted, Kiritsugu could only progress onto his next step. He did not expect the opponent to attack back. Although in terms of the result, Kirei’s attack would only be a waste of efforts, the overwhelming destructive power of his martial arts was evident. This man is a high-level martial artist, and Kiritsugu won’t have any chances of victory if he was pulled into melee fighting with him.

Kiritsugu ignored the damage Innate Time Control gave him as a side effect and maintained its activation and escaped Kirei’s range at once. Firstly, he had to increase the distance between them, otherwise he would have no chance. Kiritsugu would be able to deal with Kirei if the other simply threw Black Keys, but the current competition had become an authentic contest of ‘distance’. Kiritsugu was retreating, while Kirei was advancing. Since the ideal distance for them to initiate an attack differed between the two men, now they could only compete their speed on foot.

The power of mobility that Innate Time Control gave to him was Kiritsugu’s most reliable defence. Firstly, a certain distance was needed to fill the Contender bullets. As long As Kiritsugu was at a relatively close distance where his enemy’s fists won’t hit him, but at the same time won’t be able to predict the bullet’s path and thus escape, then he would be able to surely finish the enemy this time. Even if the bullet contained no magecraft, the bulletproof vests that the enemy wore which had been mentioned in Maiya’s report would not be able to stop the innate penetration power of these hunting bullets that can kill even large beasts in one shot. Though he understood that the continuous activation of Innate Time Control was nothing less than suicide, he had no other choices at this moment.

However – Even then, Kiritsugu still underestimated the man Kotomine Kirei.

It wasn’t due to Kiritsugu’s overly-fast speed or a miscalculation that caused Kirei’s roundhouse kick to go off the mark. Kiritsugu’s movement wasn’t so nimble that Kirei was completely unable to grasp it. Once he understood that Kiritsugu was only moving at twice the speed of normal human – Kirei also made appropriate calculations.

Therefore, Kiritsugu immediately experienced surprised for the second time.

The space between them was more than five steps. The tall Executor took a slight step forward, and shortened this seemingly safe distance. This step, which sneaked toward the enemy along the ground without announcing its speed, was called ‘the moving stance’. It was also one of the dangerous secret skills of Baji Quan.

The tall, frock-clad figure slid in front of Kiritsugu like a Reaper, while Kiritsugu was shivering all over. Baji Quan can exert its greatest power at this distance. Kirei’s fist smashed down heavily toward the enemy with the power to reach infinity in all eight directions…

Kirei stepped forward. The concrete floor boomed under the impact, and the heavily planted forward fist smashed against Kiritsugu’s chest like a rock. Using the ‘Eight Postures of the Buddha Guards’ style, Kirei’s single blow had the same power as a grenade exploding in front of someone’s chest. Kiritsusu’s body, which took the full force of the blow, flew out into the air like a strand of hay and slammed into the support pillars that crowded the room. He never had the chance to defend himself. His thoracic cavity tore apart under the heavy hit of Kirei’s iron fist, and his lung and heart were pounded into nothing more than a mesh of meat.

Kirei remained clutching his fist and experienced the feel of death on his hand, and at the same time sighed slowly. Even a fight to the death, in which every second mattered, took only one moment to decide the victor. He experienced an emptiness that he had never felt before the moment he attained victory. This had originally been an end that he had pursued with a crazed fervor.

This lethargy made Kirei’s focus dull. He didn’t know that the opponent would actually sneak in an attack at this momentary gap. Nor did he realize that he would be the next to experience surprise.

There was a piercing pain between his brows, and the splashing red covered his field of sight.

The sound of gunfire beside his ears made Kirei instinctively raise his arms to shield his head before he understood what was going on. A rain of 9mm bullets was mercilessly showered upon him. The sleeves, which were made of Kevlar and covered in protective sigils, barely managed against the force of the bullets. Kirei was stunned.

Even Kiritsugu did not expect himself to be revived. He had already been prepared to die when Kirei neared him. In truth, Kiritsugu’s heart and lungs had indeed been completely destroyed, and the best he could manage should have been a final struggle.

However, seconds before his blood-deprived brain was about to die due to lack of oxygen, the heavy and uncontrollable injury on his body had healed completely by itself. Of course, Kiritsugu didn’t use any healing magecraft. Nonetheless, Kiritsugu had no doubts concerning this shocking miracle. He immediately understood what was going on.

The Noble Phantasm, Avalon – the holy relic that had summoned Saber and had been kept by Old Man Acht, the sheath of the holy sword that had protected Irisviel’s body for so long. Kiritsugu obtained this sheath when he separated from his wife, this sword sheath that can prevent aging and possesses a mighty healing power. Since it had been sealed inside Kiritsugu’s body, who was Saber’s authentic Master, the sheath could obtain prana from Saber and exert its effect in full according to the contract.

Although Kiritsugu understood its ability, he had never confirmed it with his own eyes. Therefore, he did not expect the sheath to be able to heal fatal injuries. The current situation was completely unpredicted for him. Kiritsugu was indeed admirable; he began to consider battle tactics as soon as he realized that he had been revived. He didn’t open his eyes, and he suppressed the urge to cough as his body began to breathe again, and pretended to be dead while waiting for the chance to launch a surprise attack.

Unfortunately, the Contender in his right hand still needed a bullet to fill it. If he were really to attack the other at unawares, then he could only use his left hand to take out the short automatic machine gun from the holster on his chest and fire. However, since Kirei’s strategies against bullets were perfect, Kiritsugu must aim at his head if he were to have a chance at victory.

It was awkward angle, and he could only fire instinctively. Moreover, the target was very small. Kiritsugu, who was a master shooter, managed a hit even though these three obstacles presented themselves before him. However, though the bullet hit its target, Kirei’s head was not shot through. Only the skin on his brow was scraped. Bullets can easily be deflected off their effective angles since the skull is made of curves, and therefore it is a rule in real battles to avoid aiming at the head.

Kiritsugu adjusted the machine gun into full automatic mode after he understood his surprise attack had failed, and sealed Kirei’s movements using a tight wall of suppressive fire. At the same time, he used his right hand to take out the empty shell in the Contender’s barrel. Although it was hard to use only his left hand to control the machine gun’s kickback inertia, which was as ferocious and wild as an untamed horse, Kiritsugu’s right hand still managed to fluently carry out a series of movements. It was as if he had trained himself into a war machine.

What was more worthy of praise was his strength of mind. Even though his two hands were engaged in two completely different tasks, he actually managed to chant out a spell with a superhuman concentration.

“Time alter——double accel!”

The time within his body changed. Kiritsugu threw everything to the wind in order to maximally use the tiny gap that he had managed to steal from this strong enemy.

He drove his accelerated limbs and leapt up from the ground, jumping backwards to further the distance. The machine gun ran out of bullets. Kirei adjusted his pose. Kiritsugu threw away the machine gun and grabbed a .30-06 bullet with his now empty left hand. Kirei loomed near. With a near-flight speed – Kiritsugu filled the Contender’s open barrel with the bullet. He closed the barrel half-way, took aim –

A space of three steps separated him from Kirei’s iron fists.

The Contender once again let out a furious roar. Kirei had no time to dodge, nor did he have time to pull out Black Keys.

Actually, Kirei never intended to dodge.

Kirei once again activated his Command Seals the moment he stepped toward Kiritsugu. He strengthened his physical abilities – he accelerated his reaction time and multiplied the maximum power output of his right flexor, radius muscle, and [[Fate/Zero:Translator's Notes#pronator teres|pronator teres]] muscle. There was no time to strengthen the sleeve of the bulletproof frock. The rest depended on his skill.

Kirei moved his right arm again before the Contender shot out a bullet. His arm, having transformed into a lethal megacraft Mystic Code, carved a spiral in the air and a tornado roared into being.

This movement became a spiralling force. It had originally been a defensive skill to nullify the opponent’s fists, but it had been performed at an extraordinary speed after the prana of two Command Seals had been infused into it.

The bullet, which left the barrel at a speed of 2500 inches per second, was wrapped into the spiral that moved at a divine speed. Even so, the .30-06 bullet still kept a straight path. It tore apart the Kevlar sleeves and clashed viciously with Kirei’s hardened arm, emitting alien sounds like the clash of two mill stones.

The scattering sparks distorted the usual laws of physics. It was a supernatural phenomena where the approximately 3000 pound per inch kinetic energy bent its knees to the power of prana. Kiritsugu felt a chill creeping up his skin as he watched the second Contender bullet had its trajectory forcibly changed and flew off toward the distance.

Monster – he didn’t know how to describe this man apart from that word. At this moment, Kotomine Kirei’s battle prowess could probably be considered that of a desperate man. Just what kind of a willpower was required for a living man to drill his own body into such a terrifying lethal weapon?

A piercing pain suddenly invaded his entire body. With a moan, Kiritsugu stumbled. His body had reached its limit due to the continuous activation of Innate Time Control. The blood vessels all around his body had ruptured, and the bones in his limbs also began to fracture due to having borne an unimaginable burden.

However, Kirei did not follow up his attack during this pause. He remained where he stood and did not move, as if he was observing the opponent’s next move. Large amounts of blood gushed out of his right arm where the frock sleeve was torn. It was probably because he had used too much prana with his unskilled method. His right arm, which had been overly strengthened by magecraft, was severely wounded as the price for having blocked the Contender’s blow.

The two men kept their disdainful eyes on each other, and analyzed the situation as they each thought of their next move.

According to Kirei’s analysis, Kiritsugu’s strategy – consisted of a magecraft that can accelerate his movement and a healing power that could even revive the caster even if the heart was destroyed. In other words, Kirei had to admit that he could not win no matter how heavy a wound he may deal to the enemy, unless he could destroy Kiritsugu’s brain with one blow. As for himself… his right arm had been damaged from the muscle to the bone, and he could only manage one more blow even if he was prepared to shatter his entire right fist. On the other hand, although the wound on his forehead wasn’t deep, the blood that seeped out had affected the sight of his left eye. The bulletproof ability of the frock had also been severely reduced since he had been shot at multiple times, and only the protective sigils close to his body remained intact. He had twelve Black Keys and eight Command Seals left.

According to Kiritsugu’s analysis, Kirei’s strategy – consisted of an unknown prana source that can nullify his ‘Origin Bullet’, and his ultimate Baji Quan skills. Melee fighting would be extremely disadvantageous for him. As for himself… he had lost his machine gun and the Contender needed to be filed again. His remaining weapons consist of one dagger and two grenades. The heavy wound that his chest had obtained at first had all but healed and won’t affect his movements, but he didn’t know about the damage caused by Innate Time Control –

Kiritsugu finally felt that there was something different when he attempted to tighten the muscles on his arms and legs.

He could move them; there were no difficulties. The bones which had definitely snapped a while ago were now in perfect condition, as if they had never been damaged – no, he could still feel the echo of that pain in his body, but there were no injuries.

“… I see.”

Kiritsugu finally understood the true worth of this trump card within his body. It seemed Avalon not only could heal injuries dealt by his enemies, but also the damages dealt by himself. This discovery gave Kiritsugu, whom had fallen into a desperate situation by fighting with an unimaginably strong enemy, the greatest confidence in the world.

Which means –

“Time alter——triple accel!”

Kiritsugu boldly leapt toward Kirei at the same time that he muttered that forbidden spell. His completely unpredictable acceleration caught Kirei off-guard. One blow from the hardened walnut wood smashed Kirei’s right radius and ulna. This time, his right arm was completely ruined.

As the same time that he struck out viciously with his right arm, Kiritsugu drew out the dagger by his waist using his left hand. He concluded that it didn’t matter how great a threat Kirei’s martial art skills may prove to be; victory would belong to Kiritsugu as long as he kept moving at three times the speed of a normal human. Using Innate Time Control in this way would ordinarily be suicide, but he could now use it to its full potential as a strategic weapon thanks to the protection of Saber’s sheath.

Kirei dodged the upward stab as the dagger was removed from its sheath, and used his left arm to block the downward slash and backhand horizontal swing Kiritsugu followed up with. However, Kiritsugu edged toward Kirei’s left side using these three attacks, and prepared to use Kirei’s blind spot – due to his left eye’s ruined eyesight – as his advantage. As long as he stayed to the enemy’s left side, Kiritsugu would have all the chances in the world to successfully succumb Kirei from his blind spot.

Kiritsugu’s sharp blade crept nearer, but Kirei didn’t turn and used his left side of the body to block everything. Turning around would have been pointless; his broken right arm could not possibly block Kiritsugu’s dagger. Therefore, though it was very disadvantageous for Kirei to use his left side of the body to defend himself, he had no other choices.

The dagger attacked continuously as it flashed with a chilling light. Ordinary humans would never have been able to see Kiritsugu’s movement, and could only have captured the lighting-like residual images of the dagger. However, Kirei blocked every single attack using just his left hand. Kirei, who easily defended himself even when faced with attacks made at three times the speed of normal humans, terrified Kiritsugu. There were a few attacks that Kirei would never have seen coming with his eyes, but the Executor’s left arm made effective defences as if it had grown eyes.

“Could this be the idea of – ‘hearing’ a move!?”

Kiritsugu only had a vague impression of this phrase. It had been said that when a martial artist had reached a certain advanced state in his skills, he wouldn’t need eyesight to detect the enemy’s movement. He could predict the opponent’s next move purely on the brief moment when his arm touched that of his opponent.

Then the attacks from his blind spot had also been rendered pointless. Since the direction the attacks were coming from weren’t changing, Kirei could block them even if he couldn’t see them. This man’s skills made him someone who wouldn’t be at a disadvantage even when put under the duress of speed.

Kiritsugu’s arms, legs, and heart let out sad screams of excruciating pain with every swing of the dagger. The adverse effect of Innate Time Control was also mercilessly tearing apart Kiritsugu’s flesh. At the same time, Avalon was also fixing the damage. Regardless of how Saber herself had used it, the sheath was only ‘healing’ Kiritsugu while in his body; in other words, it was only nullifying the ‘damages received’. That meant the excruciating pain of torn tendons and snapped bones were tormenting Kiritsugu’s nerves every single moment.

Even so, Kiritsugu did not hesitate. There was no need to hesitate. As long as his body could maintain its functions, he didn’t need to pay any attention to what he was feeling. Kiritsugu bet everything on the effect of the sheath of the holy sword, and continued to accelerate against the normal time flow as if his life depended on it.

“Whoaaaaaaaaa!!”

Kiritsugu’s body was reborn at the same time as it was dying. Kiritsugu shrieked out of agony while he swung his dagger, aiming for the enemy before him. His blood vessels, which endlessly repeated a cycle of rupture and repair, shed out sanguineous mists with his every move.

Kirei suddenly changed his feet stance, and rolled forward towards his left. Kiritsugu had thought that the enemy’s ability to ‘hear’ a move had been pushed to its limit, but Kirei unexpectedly used his feet to hook one of Kiritsugu’s legs from the inside. This legwork was named ‘the locking stance’. Kiritsugu immediately stumbled backwards. After he finally managed to balance himself, he realized that a heavy blow from Kirei was fast approaching. However, since his weight had shifted backwards, he would definitely be hit.

If so – Kiritsugu squeezed out a spell from his throat that was frothing with blood.

“Time alter ——square accel!”

The explosive pain boiled into every part of his senses. Kiritsugu leapt up and backwards, and turned in mid-air to escape out of Kirei’s range of attack. At the same time, he threw out the dagger in his left hand with all the strength in his body. Faced with this shocking repeated acceleration, Kirei couldn’t dodge no matter how good his ‘move-hearing’ skills were. The dagger tore through air and flew toward Kirei’s thigh. The Kevlar fibres were pierced through and the sharp blade stabbed deep into flesh.

Kiritsugu maintained his four-time acceleration and continued to leap backwards as if there was a throttle equipped on him. He had moved about ten meters away from Kirei in the blink of an eye. Kirei took the opportunity to take out a Black Key and throw at him, but Kiritsugu dodged it with ease and began to refill the Contender at the same time.

He pulled it and opened the barrel.

Kirei rushed up. He paid no attention to the dagger, which was still sticking out of his left leg. Even the fact that the sharp blade was tearing the wound open wider as he ran did not cause him to hesitate any.

The expelled cartridge danced in the air; the light of the golden bronze sparkled.

Kirei pulled out four Black Keys with his left hand. That was the limit to the number he can wield in one hand.

Kiritsugu put the new bullet into the barrel. The bullet slide in easily, but this split second had seemed so long in the quadruple-accelerated time.

Kirei threw his Black Keys, not to the front, but upwards. The four sharp blades danced in the air beneath the tall ceiling of the large prop warehouse like boomerangs. Kirei didn’t plan to use the Black Keys for a normal attack; Kiritsugu didn’t know his intentions. Moreover, there was no time to ponder Kirei’s intention at this moment.

With one flick upwards, the gun barrel was closed. The Contender once again transformed into that heinous murder weapon.

Kirei was getting close. He again used his martial art stances to shorten the distance between him and Kiritsugu, but he won’t be getting any nearer. Right now, Kiritsugu would definitely be able to dodge him and fire at the same time.

The Black Keys landed from above him. Kiritsugu finally perceived Kirei’s tactics when the four sharp blades surrounded him in all directions like a bird cage.

Sealing his movements – if Kiritsugu wanted to dodge Kirei’s sudden advance, there the sharp blades of the Black Keys would be waiting for him no matter where he moved toward. Kirei’s intention had always been to seal Kiritsugu’s movements when he threw the Black Keys.

The only way to stay alive was to fire before he was attacked.

Kiritsugu aimed with Contender. There was no need to be anxious, no need to be fearful. All he needed to do was focus on firing at the enemy in front of him.

Kirei stepped on the ground viciously with his right foot and leapt forward. This leap equaled to about five normal steps. His left foot would likely be broken the moment he land, but it didn’t matter; the following blow would decide the victor. There was no need to hold back; his entire body had been fully prepared. His goal was to perform one of the Eight Grand Openings – The Standing Upward Cannon. The smashing upper hook would definitely shatter the opponent’s skull into pieces.

I will win – both men believed firmly in that.

I will die – both men understood that fact.

The fist and the gun that contained the will for a sure kill finally completed their last exchange.

Emiya Kiritsugu and Kotomine Kirei, who were deeply engrossed in battle, did not notice the abnormality above them.

Directly above the big prop warehouse where the two men were, Irisviel’s already-cold corpse was placed upon the raised stage of the music hall.

As the ‘Guardian’, she had almost lost all signs of life. The organs within her body had already reverted to the form of the Vessel of the Grail, and was waiting to recollect the souls of the remaining Servants.

After Archer’s victory, this vessel had finally absorbed the soul of the fourth Servant.

The sealing enchantment had already disappeared. Having gathered enormous amounts of prana, its residual waves brought scorching heat to its surroundings.

The corpse of the beautiful homunculus was completely consumed by the heat in the blink of an eye, and was reduced to ashes. That was not all. The golden cup that had contacted the outside air charred the floor and the curtains, and roaring flames enveloped the completely empty stage.

On the stage where the fire was raging ever wilder, the golden cup floated in the air as if it was upheld by a pair of invisible hands. The ceremony of the descent of the Holy Grail, which the Three Noble Families of the Beginning had desired so much, had begun silently even without the presence of a priest.

Then – a gap no wider than the width of a hair, so minute and almost invisible, appeared on the ‘Gate’ that remained tightly closed. Through this tiny gap, something beyond the Gate silently seeped into the Holy Grail.

That thing seemed very similar to ‘mud’. It was black, simply and only black, a ‘thing’ that seemed like mud.

The thing that seeped into the Holy Grail suddenly overflew by one drop, then another drop. It soon became a thin black line. Like a crack that had appeared on a dam, the black torrents soon completely overflew out of the vessel and drained toward the stage floor.

The strength of the stage floor could not bear that inky black substance at all. The dirty mud seeped into the brand new building materials, eroding them, and flew even deeper like how the water from melted snow seeps into land.

The moment that the trigger of the magecraft gun was pressed –

The moment the floor moaned from the heavy step –

In that moment, Kiritsugu only saw Kirei, and Kirei only saw Kiritsugu.

The two of them did not detect that thing, which dribbled down through the ceiling, even till the end.

At that brief moment between life and death, the two men were drenched with the black dirty mud that descended from above.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_5|Act 16, Part 5]]
| Return to [[Fate/Zero|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_7|Act 16, Part 7]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Fate/Zero:Act 16 Part 2

2011-05-28T17:58:52Z

88.162.35.241: link error

=== -03:59:48 ===

At that moment, Saber was wandering aimlessly around eastern Shinto in search of Irisviel. Naturally, she too noticed the smoke signal sent out at Fuyuki Municipal Hall.

Though she did not understand the significance of the signal, it undoubtedly had something to do with the Heaven’s Feel. Like one critically ill who would turn to any doctor, as if grasping a lifeline, Saber immediately turned the vehicle and sped in the direction of the smoke signal's flare.

Saber, who did not need to cross the Mion River to reach her destination, was not attacked by Archer who was guarding the bridge, and arrived first at the Fuyuki Municipal Hall.

Saber drove the V-MAX through the silent night scene; revving the V-type four-cylinder engine, she drove into the front porch, the walls of which still looked new.

There was no sign of the enemy in sight, and neither could she sense any killing intent hidden in the darkness. In that case — was the enemy hiding within the building?

Saber gazed for a moment at the pitch-black area near the outer wall of the Municipal Hall, turning the V-MAX around to the guiding road designated for visitors. She followed the sloping path that extended below the building and entered the underground parking area.

In the underground area where the moonlight could not reach, the white light of the headlights cut through the darkness to shine on the icy cement wall. The wide car park, designed to accommodate more than a hundred cars, had not yet been opened for use; only several cars from the construction company were parked here and there; the rest of the empty space was heavy with dusty air.

The rough roar of the V-MAX’s engine was also swallowed up in an instant by the strange, crypt-like silence. Saber warily glanced at her surroundings. All around her was dense darkness, the shadows of the support pillars that had been built all over the place… Extremely suitable for the enemy to hide his form. More importantly, her instinct felt the murderous intent that almost saturated the air.

“Ah…”

From the floor came a resentful sigh; it sounded like the groaning of the dead from a dark abyss.

Saber could not have heard this sound wrongly, for she had many times been its target—

“URRRRRR!!”

She immediately reacted to the explosion that closely followed the roar.

Saber twisted and retreated quickly. In the spot she had just been, the V-MAX left behind was surrounded by fire that splashed like rain. In just one instant, her beloved steel steed was turned into a shapeless heap of scrap. The gunpowder scent of burning reached Saber’s nose.

“This weapon is—“

Saber had an impression of it. This was the rain of fire that had turned Lancer’s Master and the rest—all who had fallen terribly victim to Emiya Kiritsugu’s calculations—into pitiful corpses. It was the mechanized shooting weapon that had become mainstream in this modern world.

In the depths of the darkness, red lotuses of flame blossomed once more. Under the firelight that shone from the muzzle of the gun, the black shadow of Berserker lengthened to a state of deformity as it gestured threateningly on the walls of the underground parking area. Without the slightest hesitation, Saber leaped into the air, dashing out through a baptism of flying lead bullets. The stray bullets of unimaginably destructive power tore open a large hole in the cement of the ground and walls. That power obviously could not be spoken of in tandem with the weapon that Maiya had used. Saber sensed that even though she was a Servant, if she were hit she would be fatally wounded; she gnashed her teeth in anger.

Of course, she could not have known the process by which Berserker had obtained the small machine guns. Both of the crazed black knight’s hands held a modern firearm that Kotomine Kirei had prepared using the power of his position as Supervisor; Berserker nimbly and freely operated them as if they were extensions of his own hands. The firearms’ structure and holster were all immersed in the hated prana, and had turned into fierce magecraft military equipment that could threaten even Saber.

“▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅！”

The two machine guns were not in any way inferior to the black knight’s angry howl; screeching hotly, they attacked Saber. The bullets, faster than the speed of sound, were still unable to surpass the speed of Saber’s sword. Nevertheless, the speed of twenty-odd bullets per second left her only able to parry.

Berserker could confer the properties of a Noble Phantasm on the weapon in his hand, regardless of its origin or time period. Once it had been upgraded to the category of Noble Phantasm, the difference in power between the two weapon types of ‘sword’ and ‘firearm’ forced Saber into a decisively disadvantageous situation.

Because the building's construction was not yet finished, a large number of paint cans were piled in one corner of the parking lot. One of the stray bullets struck them, and the calcined bullet caused the solvent to explode. The underground darkness was dissipated by red lotuses of flame.

Saber was so restricted by the curtain of bullets that she could not close in; she looked around in search of a method by which she could return from certain defeat. Then, she saw a small truck parked in a lot at the corner of the car park.

“— That’s it!”

Accepting the risk that she could be forced into the corner with no route of retreat, Saber dashed toward the vehicle she had set her eyes on. Berserker pursued her as she fled, at the same time shooting at random with the firearms in his hands. Saber made a ferocious step that narrowly preceded the howling bullets, dashing to the back of the truck. She brandished the flat of her blade upward, flinging the structure of the vehicle into the air.

At that point, the rain of bullets targeting Saber crumpled the truck as if it had been a paper model. Saber continued to hide behind the structure of the truck, pieces of which had been scattered all over, using her shoulder to halt the rotating chassis. In this manner, she dashed toward Berserker.

Berserker continued to shoot, using the machine gun to mercilessly smash the structure of the truck to iron chips. Even though the heavy frame of the truck quickly met its disintegrated fate, from Saber’s perspective, as long as the ‘temporary shield’ could close the distance and bring Berserker into proximity of her sword’s attack, it would be enough.

“Uaoaoaoao!”

The bullets, which had penetrated the structure of the truck, grazed her face and shoulders. One bullet sent sparks flying in all directions as it impacted the oil tank, combusting the fuel inside. The structure of the vehicle, already unrecognizable, was consigned to the flames. Nevertheless, even this did not stop the pace of Saber’s attack.

When the distance to the adversary had closed to less than ten meters, Saber picked an opportune moment to throw the wreckage of the truck toward Berserker. Facing the flaming iron scrap, Berserker not only declined to dodge, but also brought up a single hand in the attempt to smash it with one fist.

— The time was ripe.

“Ha-a!!”

With a great shout, Saber once again pressed in on the burning structure of the truck with the thunderous speed of lightning, using all her strength to drive her attack downward. The precious sword pierced the burning piece of iron that had been used as a distraction; the point of the sword closed in on Berserker on the other side.

Blocked by the obstacle, Berserker was completely unable to see Saber’s actions, and thus had no way of avoiding this attack. In the third clash of blades, Saber finally scored a hit on the enemy in one blow. From the point of her sword, a sense of having scored a direct hit traveled up to her hand.

But—

“— Too shallow!?”

On Saber’s side, because of the blocking shield, she too could not directly see her target. Even though she had indeed scored a hit on the other by relying on her intuition to attack, she had ultimately not been lucky enough to score a critical hit in that blow. The front part of Invisible Air, though it had accurately made contact with the center of the forehead of the black helmet, it had been unable to smash the skull inside.

The outside of the truck was subject to a heavy rain of bullets, and its inside had been pierced by a sword; this time it finally broke into two pieces. Although Berserker had not received a fatal wound, the fierce attack to his face made him stagger backward and left him unable to recover for a short moment. That was time enough for a follow-up attack. Now the scales of victory were tipped toward Saber.

Saber kicked aside the burning vehicle wreckage and lifted her sword high into an [[Fate/Zero:Translator's Notes#Upward Stance|upward stance]]. This time, she would definitely not let him off. She aimed at the top of Berserker’s defenseless head and gambled victory on the following direct attack.

The stance, speed, and timing were all perfect. It was a strike worthy of the name of the sword-wielding Heroic Spirit, enough to make one believe that the outcome had been decided—precisely for this reason, the instant when Saber’s sword was stopped in midair was especially surprising.

Berserker threw away the machine guns, trapping the blade of Invisible Air between his bare hands before her eyes. That consummate skill was unbelievable on two counts: the first was that he had used an impossible stance to respond to Saber’s follow-up killing blow, and the second was that he had done so even though it was impossible to perceive the path of Invisible Air. But the Black Knight had grabbed the white blade with his bare hands to seal Saber’s attack as if he had known every detail of Saber’s sword, from the shape to the length, like the back of his hand.

Saber suddenly realized the fatal danger of having Berserker come into contact with her weapon; she shuddered violently. She banished the astonishment of her heart to the back of her mind and used all her strength to kick out towards the black knight’s chest. Berserker, who could not take the blow and was forced to retreat, released the precious sword, allowing Saber’s beloved weapon to narrowly escape the danger of being corroded by the other’s black magic.

The sprinklers on the ceiling at last reacted to the flames spreading all around; they began to violently spray curtains of water. Even though their bodies were exposed to torrential pour of water, the silver and black knights still did not move in the slightest as they confronted each other.

In Saber’s heart again rushed forth a question that could not be overlooked.

The deceptive illusion of Invisible Air had been ineffective against Berserker. He was obviously very familiar with the sword protected by an invisible sheath. In other words, that meant that he had originally known her before she had become a Heroic Spirit.

At the warehouse district and Mion River, this black knight had shown an abnormal persistence in attacking Saber. If his actions had not been under his Master’s instructions, but this insane Heroic Spirit’s own hatred…

The more she stared at the black fog, the more indistinct the details of the armor became. This indicated that around Berserker’s body was twined a delusive protection similar to Invisible Air, making it impossible to see the true face of this Heroic Spirit. But at this point Saber could not but believe — he was undoubtedly one of the knights who had known her.

“… Your skill says that you are by no means an anonymous knight. Answer me!”

Saber made up her mind and cried out loudly to the enemy she confronted through the mist.

“Since you have recognized that I am the King of Britain Arturia Pendragon and challenged me as such, you should make known your background with the glory befitting a knight! To issue a challenge while hiding your identity is akin to plotting against me!”

The patter of water, like a heavy downpour of rain, was slowly penetrated by a clear clatter — ''ka-da-ka-da'' — of metal. Though it was very slight, the sound that permeated the ears chilled her soul; undoubtedly, it came from Berserker — under the cover of the black mist, his full-body armor was trembling.

That was the gentle sound of the armor that completely covered his limbs as the pieces rippled softly and knocked against each other.

“You…”

Saber finally discovered the source of the strange sound, like a sigh or a groan, crawling across the ground.

That grinding, sobbing noise originated from the depths of the black helmet. Berserker’s entire body shuddered, revealing an emotion that could not be suppressed.

Laughter — when Saber understood it thus, an unspeakable shudder ran through her body.

Lacking sound logic or proof, with only her sixth sense as guidance, she realized one thing: her previous interrogation had been a fatal mistake.

It was a pity that she had realized it too late. The words that would have summoned to her the worst possible curse had long since been spoken through her own lips.

The black fog painting the black knight’s entire body began to swirl and contract. Within the rushing mist, the pitch-black armor finally revealed its true colors.

It was perfect armor that was neither exquisite nor crude, but which perfectly melded magnificence and functionality.

The delicate, nuanced workmanship of a smith who had put in his utmost effort succeeded in granting it an air of formidability and fine construction. The countless marks and scratches etched into it became carvings highlighting the wearer’s illustrious military exploits, adding a touch of valor to the armour. It was an ideal battle outfit that all knights could not help but envy.

Saber recognized the hero that had once worn that armor to ride forth on the battlefield. At the Round Table of Camelot he had been an unrivaled swordsman more radiant than any other; he had been a knight more excellent and a warrior more loyal, more brave than any other.

“You are— how could—“

She wished that she had seen wrongly. He was the ideal incarnation embodying the true face of a ‘knight’. That illustrious appearance could not have become the pitch-black form corroded by the Mad Enhancement curse.

The black knight laughed sinisterly as if mocking Saber’s thoughts, reaching for the hilt of the precious sword in its scabbard. That sword had neither been picked up nor stolen. This Heroic Spirit who had been hiding his name all along was finally revealing his own Noble Phantasm.

Saber could only watch on helplessly as he slowly drew the precious sword from its scabbard.

She could not have been wrong; the design of the sword was the same as that of her own, and the fairy letters carved into it was proof that it had not been forged by mortal hands. The flash of the sharp blade under the moonlight was like the water of the lake as it shone with radiance. That was a limitless sword that would not be damaged regardless of the attack it had received.

Only he who was exalted as ‘the perfect knight’ was worthy of having that sword; its name was also known as ‘Arondight • The Indestructible Light of the Lake’ — that evidence spoke the bearer’s name even more clearly than if he had said it himself.

“… Ar… thur…”

The vengeful cry reverberated within the black helmet. With this one vibration, the mask that had already cracked under Saber’s previous blow now shattered.

From the fractured mask was revealed a blackened face.
[[Image:FZ v04 277.png|thumb|]]
Nothing remained of the beautiful visage that had once drawn the admiration of many women. Yesterday’s hatred had made him as gaunt and pallid as a phantom; only his eyes, filled with hatred, gave out light. That was the visage of a living dead man who had lost everything to a curse.

“… Ah…”

Saber felt her knees weaken. The unyielding King of Knights forgot herself in helplessness; as if unable to bear the weight of water droplets raining upon her shoulders and back, she fell to her knees on the wet floor.

— Even those who are heroes will fall so far as to lose even the most basic sense of honor —

In the past, someone had spoken to her thus.

In that case, had the curse started from then?

“… Do you really…”

Saber looked at the figure before her eyes, who had long since lost the distinguished dignity of yesterday and had been thoroughly changed by his descent into the seat of madness; hot tears rushed forth, and she could only question.

“… Do you really hate me so much, my friend…? Even if you have become as such… Do you hate me so much, Knight of the Lake?!”

In that instant, the young girl who always maintained her glory to the very end, who fought for honor to the very last—

That was the instant in which she was defeated.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_1|Act 16, Part 1]]
| Return to [[Fate/Zero|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_3|Act 16, Part 3]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Fate/Zero:Prologue 2

2011-05-28T17:54:20Z

88.162.35.241: link error

=== 3 years ago ===





When we speak about occultism, theories on dimensions say that there is a 'power' from outside this world.

Pinpoint the beginning of all things. That is the dearest wish of all magi, the 'root', ... The place of God, [[Fate/Zero:Translator's Notes#Akasha and the Akashic Records|Akashic Records]], the records of the beginning and the end of all things that creates everything in this world.

200 years ago, there were those who put into execution experiments on that place 'outside of this world'.

Einsbern, Makiri, Tōsaka. Called the 3 families of the beginning, what they designed was the reproduction of the 'Holy Grail', the subject of many traditions. Expecting that the summoning of the Grail would realize any wish, the three families of magi offered their secret art to finally manifest the 'omnipotent container'.

... However, that Grail could only grant the wish of one person. As soon as that truth was known, the bonds of cooperation were washed in blood by conflicts.


That is the beginning of the 'War of the Holy Grail', 'Heaven's Feel'.

Henceforth, once every 60 years, the Grail is summoned again in the far-East land of 'Fuyuki'.

Then, the Grail selects 7 magi who have the power to take it, and distributes a huge amount of [[Fate/Zero:Translator's Notes#Prana|prana]] among them, to render possible the summoning of Heroic Spirits called 'Servants'. The conclusion of a battle to the death decides which of the seven is most suitable to receive the Grail.

— To put it simply, that is what Kotomine Kirei was undergoing.

"The pattern that has appeared on your right hand is called the 'Command Seals'. It is the proof that you are chosen by the Grail, and the holy mark that grants you the right to control a Servant."

The person with the smooth but carrying voice who explained this was Tōsaka Tokiomi.

In the room of an elegant villa built atop a small hill in the neatest district in the south of Turin, Italy, 3 men sat on a lounge chair. Kirei and Tokiomi, and the Father who introduced them and mediated the conversation, Kotomine Risei... Kirei's actual father.

For the friend of a Father who would soon reach 80, that Tōsaka was an eccentric Japanese. He did seem to be around the same age as Kirei, settled and with the presence of an expert. From the lineage of an old distinguished family even by Japanese standards, this villa was his secondary residence, as he said. But the most interesting was that he would casually declare himself as a 'magus'.

Being a magus isn't such a strange thing as it may sound. Kirei was, as his father, a clergyman, yet the duty of the father and son greatly differed from what ordinary people know of a 'Father.'

The 'Holy Church' that people like Kirei belonged to had a doctrine that was outside the bounds of miracles and divine mysteries, but would bear the role of exterminating the stigma of heresy, and burying it into oblivion. That would be, taking a standpoint from where they could supervise a blasphemy such as magecraft.

Magi conspire with magi only, and are organized in a self-preserving group that calls itself the 'Association', which presents a threat as a rival to the Holy Church. At the present time, they have both agreed to preserve a temporary tranquility; but even so, a state of affairs where a Father from the Holy Church and a magus would gather in the same building for a lecture would be unthinkable.

As for the case of Risei, the father, the Tōsaka family was one to which the Church already has old connections, despite being a house of magi.

It was the previous night that Kirei had discovered the surfacing pattern shaped in three marks. He had then consulted his father, and Risei had immediately taken his son to Turin the next morning to meet that young magus.

From then, after a hurried greeting, the explanations Tokiomi had given to Kirei in this secret meeting were concerning the same war, 'Heaven's Feel'. The meaning behind the mark that had appeared on Kirei's hand... That is, the product of Kirei acquiring the privilege to dispute the chance of getting his desire by a miracle through the fourth recreation of the Holy Grail that was to happen three  years later.

Not that he would refuse to fight. Kirei's duty in the Holy Church was, in essence, direct removal of heresy, meaning he was a fully fledged combatant. You could say that it was his very duty to wager a life-and-death bet against a magus. Rather, the problem was the contradiction that it required Kirei, a clergyman, to participate as a 'magus' in the Heaven's Feel that was a dispute between magi.

"The thing about the Heaven's Feel is that it is a battle that uses Servants as [[Fate/Zero:Translator's Notes#Familiar|familiars]]. So to keep on going forward, the elementary magecraft for the summoning itself becomes required. ...Essentially, the seven persons who are selected as Masters of the Servants have to be magi. It must be exceptional for someone like you, who doesn't make a living out of magecraft, to be recognized by the Grail at such an early stage."

"Does the Grail have preferred people to select?"

Tokiomi nods to the yet-unconvinced Kirei.

"I mentioned the '3 families of the beginning' — for the granting will favor the magi related to the Makiri, who have now changed their name to Matō, the Einsbern, or the Tōsaka houses. In other words..."

Tokiomi lifted his right hand to show the threefold pattern.

"As the current head of the Tōsaka family, I will participate in the next battle."

Then, was this man planning to cross arms with Kirei after having  kindly guided him so thoroughly? Although Kirei couldn't comprehend that, he carried on with his numerous questions.

"I wonder about the Servants you mentioned earlier. Heroic Spirits summoned and used as familiars, you said..."

"It may be hard to believe, but that is the fact. That could be the one wonder of this Grail."

The legends of great men, super humans who have left their name in history and folklore. They are those who remained in the permanent memory of men after their death and were taken out of the category of mankind, promoted even in the spiritual realm; they are 'Heroic Spirits'. Those are on a whole different status from the vengeful spirits or common evil spirits from nature that the magi usually summon as familiars. So to speak, it is an existence with the spiritual status of a god. Although a part of that power can be brought out and borrowed, it is unthinkable that they would be used as familiars in the present world.

"If you consider that making this impossibility possible is the power of the Grail, you understand how outrageous a treasure it is. In the end, even the summoning of a Servant is but a mere fragment of the power of the Grail."

As if to say that he himself was dumbfounded by what he was saying, Tōsaka Tokiomi sighed deeply and shook his head.

"Heroic Spirits from between the ancient age of gods up to at best a century ago can be summoned. Seven Heroic  Spirits follow seven Masters, each protecting their own Master and exterminating the enemy Masters. Heroes from any era and country are summoned into the present era, and would meet in a deadly competition for supremacy. That is the Holy Grail War of Fuyuki, Heaven's Feel."

"... Such a monstrosity? In a place where thousands of citizens live?"

All magi follow the common idea of hiding themselves. It's the one obvious way to go in this era that believes science to be the sole universal truth. Revealing their existence is definitely impossible when we take the Holy Church into consideration as well.

But you would have to conceal a power that can bring a catastrophic disaster with Heroic Spirits. Using seven Servants in a conflict between humans in the present era and have them clash together... It is practically the same as ordering a slaughter of massive calibre in a war.

"— Of course, it is implicitly understood that the confrontation must be held in secret. You need a well prepared supervision to make sure of that."

Having remained silent until then, Kirei's father, the priest Risei, came forward and voiced his part.

"The Heaven's Feel happens every 60 years, and this time will be the fourth. The civilizing of Japan had already begun when the second War occurred. Even in the most remote places, we cannot ignore people witnessing the spreading of serious damages.

Then, since the third Heaven's Feel, an agreement has been made so that we at the Holy Church would dispatch a supervisor. To reduce the disasters from the War to a minimum, we must conceal its existence and have the magi comply to keeping the feud secret."

"Does the Church serve as a referee in a conflict between magi?"

"Precisely because it is a conflict between magi. There is no one in the Magi's Association who is fit as a referee because of political implications. There simply wasn't any way other than having recourse to an external authority such as the Church.

In addition, it was just not possible for our Holy Church to let the name of the Holy Grail be used lightly to begin with. We can't ignore the possibility that it really is the cup that received the blood of the son of God, either."

Both Kirei and Risei, father and son, have a place in the section called the Assembly of the 8th Sacrament. A duty of that group in the Holy Church is to recover control of holy relics. The treasure called the Holy Grail appears in many tales and legends, and the importance of the 'Grail' in the doctrine of the Church is particularly large.

"Under such conditions, last time, in the chaos of the World War, a meeting was held at a suitable time regarding the third Heaven's Feel and I, then a youngster, was appointed an important task. For the next battle, I would proceed to the land of Fuyuki to watch over your fight."

At the words of his father, Kirei could but tilt his head.

"Please wait. Isn't the chosen Church supervisor expected to be fair? It is a problem if a participant is a blood relative... "

"There, there. You would think this is a blind spot of the rules?"

The unusual smile of the stubborn father was implying something that Kirei could not read.

"Kotomine-san, you shouldn't trouble your son. Let's move on to the real question."

Tōsaka Tokiomi explicitly urged the old priest to the point.

"Hm, right. — Kirei, all we have explained was only about the 'outward aspects' of the Grail War. There is another reason I had you meet Mr. Tōsaka today."

"... Which is?"

"To tell the truth, we have had a positive proof since long ago that the Grail that appeared in Fuyuki was a different one from the holy relic of the 'son of God.' In the end, the battle in the Heaven's Feel of Fuyuki is only fought for a treasure that is a mere copy of the omnipotent container, one that opens a way to a utopia. It is in no way related to our Church."

That's how it is. Otherwise, the Holy Church would not be content with just the role of a silent supervisor. If the Grail turned out to be an actual 'Holy Relic', the Church would bypass the cease-fire agreement and plunder it out of the hands of the magi.

"If the final goal of a chalice is only a means used to reach the Akashic Records, it is none of our Holy Church's concern. Afterall, the craving of magi to find the 'Akasha', the origin, does not necessarily conflict with our doctrine.

— Though, to allow ourselves to leave it alone, we need to pass it to a strong person. If an unwelcome fellow got around it, we don't know what kind of accident might be caused."

"Then, if we eliminate it as a heresy —"

"That is still difficult. The magi who confront for the Grail have an uncommon tenacity. If we were to conduct a frontal trial, a conflict with the Magi's Association would be inevitable. And that would create too many victims.

Rather, as the second best plan, there would be nothing more interesting than finding a way to entrust it to a 'desired person'."

"... I see."

Kirei was gradually catching up to the true motive of this interview since his father was intermingling with Tōsaka Tokiomi, a magus.

"Since they have been oppressed by the faith of their native land, the Tōsaka family has followed the same doctrine as ours. Knowing Tokiomi-kun's character, he himself is guaranteed to qualify for the use of the Grail."

Tōsaka Tokiomi nodded, then resumed speaking.

"Reaching 'Akasha'. There is no greater purpose than this to us Tōsaka. But, sadly, the Einsberns and Matōs, who once shared the same motive, have lost track of it to more worldly matters, and have now totally forgotten their original intention. I won't even mention how they have invited four Masters from the outside, as well. They want the Grail for their despicable lust and nothing else."

That would mean that the Holy Church would approve of no one else but Tōsaka Tokiomi as the bearer of the Grail. So Kirei understood more about his assignment.

"So you would like me to participate in the next Grail war to let Mr. Tōsaka Tokiomi win?"

"That's it."

Finally, Tōsaka Tokiomi showed the first sign of a smile.

"Of course, we will join forces under the surface against the five remaining Masters, and annihilate them, to increase the chances of victory."

At Tokiomi's words, Father Risei gives an austere nod. The neutrality of the Holy Church as a referee was already turning to a farce. This Heaven's Feel must be interesting, taking into concern the original expectations of the Church.

As for that, it was neither good nor wrong to Kirei. If the intentions of the Church were clear, there was only the fulfilling of his task as one devoted executor.

"Kirei-kun, you will be transferred from the Holy Church to the Magi's Association, and you will become my apprentice."

Without a break and with a practical tone, Tōsaka Tokiomi hastened his explanations.


"A — transfer ?"

"The exchange has already been made formal, Kirei."

Saying this, Father Risei took out a letter. It was a notification with the joint signatures of both the Holy Church and the Magi's Association, and was addressed to Kotomine Kirei. Kirei was more than surprised at the merit of the performance: from the day before to today, the letter had been taken care of immediately.

In the end, there really was no real purpose of acting up in the matter for Kirei, nor had he any particular reason for taking offense at the discussion. For Kirei had no purpose at all.

"The important thing will be to have you do nothing but practice magecraft in my house in Japan. The next Heaven's Feel is in 3 years.

By then, you must have a Servant that obeys you, and become a magus who will participate in the battle as a Master."

"But — is it alright? If I openly study under you, won't there be any doubts that we are working together?"

Tokiomi gave a cold-hearted smile and shook his head.

"You don't know about magi. If their interests collide, a conflict between a teacher and his student ending in a battle to the death is a common occurrence in our world."

"Aah, I see."

Though Kirei didn't mean to understand about magi, he had a good grasp of the tendencies of the race called magi. He had had countless occasions to compete with 'heretical' magi as an executor. The number of people that he had brought down with his own hands isn't in the tens or twenties.

"So, do you have other questions?"

As Tokiomi requested for a conclusion, Kirei asked the question he had had since the beginning.

"Only one — The Grail that selects the Masters, just what is its purpose?"

Apparently that was really not a question Tokiomi expected. The magus' eyebrows gathered in a wrinkle for a short while, then he gave a relaxed reply.

"The Grail will... Of course, it will preferably select Masters who sincerely need it.

As I said earlier, us Tōsaka will be included at the top of that list as one of the original 3 families."

"So, all of the Masters have a reason to want the Grail?"

"It isn't limited to that. The Grail requires 7 persons to show up. If not enough people turn up at the present time, irregular people who would normally not be chosen can carry Command Seals. There might have been such a case in the past, but — Aah, I see."

While speaking, Tokiomi seemed to realize what Kirei was suspicious of.


"Kirei-kun, you think you shouldn't have been selected, don't you?"

Kirei nodded. No matter how hard you would search, there was no reason for a wishing machine to notice him.

"Hm, certainly, it is odd. The only thing that would link you to the Grail would be your father, who was appointed as supervisor, but... No, you could think that's the very reason."

"... Which means?"

"The Grail might have already anticipated that the Holy Church would support the Tōsaka family. So an executor of the Church who would acquire command Seals would back up the Tōsaka."

Saying this, Tokiomi, who feels satisfied at having to end the discussion, added.

"In other words, the Grail is giving me, a Tōsaka, two shares of command Seals, and for that, it chose you as a Master.

... How about it? Does this explanation satisfy you?"

So, he gave his conclusion with such a daring tone.

"..."

This arrogant confidence seems to suit the man called Tōsaka Tokiomi. This man holds a dignity that just borders sarcasm.

Certainly, as a magus, he was a man of excellence. And he must have had the self-confidence that came with that excellency. That's why he probably would never doubt his own judgement.

That meant that you would never get any other answer from Tokiomi here and now — That was Kirei's conclusion.

"When do we go to Japan?"

Hiding his inner discouragement, Kirei changed the subject.

"I will visit Great Britain for a bit. I have a small task to do at the Clock Tower.

You will go to Japan a step ahead. I will tell my family."

"Understood. Then, I will go at once."

"Kirei, go ahead first. I need to discuss something with Mr. Tōsaka."

Nodding to his father's words, Kirei stood up from his seat and, after a silent bow, left the room alone.

<center>※※※※※</center>

Remaining in the room, Tōsaka Tokiomi and Father Risei silently watched Kotomine Kirei off.


"That's a reliable son you have, Kotomine-san."

"His strength as an 'Executor' is guaranteed. None of his colleagues are more studious than him during training. I'm the one you should doubt."

"Ho... Is that the exemplary attitude of a defender of the faith?"

"Oh, it shames me to say it, but this Kirei is the only pride of a senile old fool like me."

The old Father was known for his rigor, but, feeling at ease with Tokiomi, he smiled. As his eyes turned to his only son, his trust and love clearly showed up.

"As I still didn't have a child past 50, I had given up on an heir... But now, I am amazed at how far my son has gone."

"Though, he agreed more easily than I thought, hasn't he."

"My son would jump in a fire if that was the will of the Church. That's how far he would go for his faith."

Though Tokiomi didn't mean to doubt the words of the old Father, the impression he had had of Father Risei's son wasn't quite such a 'passionate faith'. The quiet appearance of the man called Kirei felt more nihilistic to him.

"To be honest, that was a disappointment. However I look at him, it seems he was just involved in something that is of no concern to him."

"No... That might really be salvation for him."

Speaking ambiguously, Father Risei started muttering gloomily.

"It is a private matter, but his wife died a few days ago. They hadn't been married for even two years."

"Oh, I—"

Tokiomi was at loss of words under the unexpected circumstances.

"Though it doesn't show, he seems to endure it fairly well. ... He has too many memories in Italy. Maybe right now, for Kirei, returning to his old fatherland for a new mission could help heal his wounds."

Risei sighed in his speech. Tokiomi kept gazing straight at him.

"Tokiomi-kun, doesn't one's true worth show as hardship increases?"

Tokiomi deeply bowed at the old priest's words.

"I am obliged. My debt towards the Holy Church and both generations of the Kotomine family will be carved as a family precept."

"Not at all. I am only fulfilling my oath for the future generation of Tōsaka. — The rest will be only praying for God's protection until your journey takes you to the 'Root'."

"Yes. My grandfather's regrets, the dearest wish of the Tōsaka... this is what my whole life has ever been for."

Hiding how much his self-confidence was suffocated by the weight of his responsibilities, Tokiomi nodded resolutely.

"This year, I will reach the Grail. I will make sure of that."

At Tokiomi's dignity, Father Risei blessed the memory of his late friend.

'My friend... You too got a good heir.'

<center>※※※※※</center>

With the wind of the Mediterranean sea rustling his hair, Kotomine Kirei returned from the villa atop the hill, alone and silent, on the narrow, winding path.

Finally, Kirei put in order the many impressions he had had of the man called Tōsaka Tokiomi, whom he had met just then.

Perhaps he had led a hard life. As if pride was proportionally converted to the experienced hardship, he was a man endowed with a firm dignity he could rightfully boast about.


He understands that sort of personality quite well. Kirei's very father was of the same kind as that Tōsaka Tokiomi.

Men who have defined the meaning behind their birth, behind their own existence, and followed it without a doubt. They definitely would never waver, never hesitate.

Forging it into an iron will of acting with a clear objective, vectorized only by the fulfillment of 'something' that was identified as their lifelong goal, in any aspects of their life.

The 'form of this conviction' can be, in the case of Kirei's father, a pious faith; and in Tōsaka Tokiomi's case, perhaps it was the self-confidence of one who was chosen — a privilege not for the plebeians, and the self-consciousness of someone with a responsibility to shoulder. He was one of those remaining 'genuine aristocrats' you would rarely find nowadays.

From then on, the existence of Tōsaka Tokiomi would probably hold important implications for Kirei... But even so, he was of a type that was incompatible with Kirei's kind. That was just the same as saying that he was similar to his father.

Those who see only their ideals can never understand the pain of those unable to have one. People like Tokiomi had a 'sense of purpose' as the base of their convictions, but that was totally absent in Kotomine Kirei's mind. Not once in over 20 years had he ever felt such a sensation.

By judging so, he couldn't consider the most noble idea, have comfort in any quest, or find rest in any pleasure. Such a man couldn't have any such thing as a sense of purpose in the first place.

He couldn't even understand how he was so far removed from the sense of values that the ordinary world held. Kirei couldn't even figure out a passion to throw himself into about anything.

He still believed that there was a God. That there was a supreme existence, although he didn't have the maturity to perceive it.

He lived believing that one day, the holiest word of God would lead him to the supreme truth and save him. Betting on that hope, clinging to it.

But in the depth of his heart, he already knew. That salvation would no longer come from the love of God for a man like him.

Being confronted to such anger and despair drove him to masochism. Under the pretense of penance for moral training, he simply kept wounding himself repeatedly. But those tortures forged Kirei's body like iron, and when he realized, he had risen to the top of the elite of the Holy Church as an 'Executor', where nobody had followed him.

Everyone called that 'glory.' Kotomine Kirei's self-control and devotion were praised as a model for the clergy. His father Risei was no exception.


Kirei understood very well why Kotomine Risei had so much faith and admiration for his son, but that was a misunderstanding so far off the point; for in reality, his heart was shameful. A whole lifetime's worth would probably not be enough to amend that misunderstanding.

Till this day, there is no one who has come to understand how much Kirei lacked.

Yes, even the only one woman he was to love —

"..."

Feeling a sense of lightheadedness, Kirei loosened his pace and put his hand to his forehead.

When he tried to remember the wife he had lost, he lost his diffuse thoughts in a rising mist. It felt like standing in a fog before a precipice. The instinct for survival told him to not to take even one step forward.

When he realized, he had arrived at the bottom of the hill. Kirei stopped and looked back to the faraway villa at the top.

Finally, he still hadn't reached a satisfactory conclusion on his interview with Tōsaka Tokiomi... That was the important problem that concerned Kirei the most.

Why had a miraculous power such as the 'Grail' chosen Kotomine Kirei?

Tokiomi's explanation was a desperate one. If the Grail wanted a supporter for Tokiomi, there must have had been as many a capable person as it wanted who would be friends with him; not Kirei.

There must have been a reason to his selection for the next Grail's appearance.

Yet... The more he thought about it, the more Kirei found the inconsistency worrying.

He essentially didn't have any 'sense of purpose', nor any ideal or aspiration. Regardless of the way you look at it, he had no reason to be the bearer of a miracle such as an 'almighty wish machine.'

With a gloomy face, Kirei looked at the three symbols that had appeared on the back of his right hand.

They say the Command Seals are a holy mark.

Would he find a pledge to carry, three years from now?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Fate/Zero:Prologue_1|Prologue: 8 years ago]]
| Return to [[Fate/Zero|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Fate/Zero:Prologue_3|Prologue: 1 year ago]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>
''Italic text''