"Such a tedious knightly duel. Why not simply order him to kill himself?"
Emiya Kiritsugu watched the dazzling spectacle in the distance with a look of bored incomprehension.
In truth, what Kiritsugu said made a certain kind of sense. Ordering Lancer to commit suicide, and then killing his Master afterward, was by far the best method.
Naturally, after much persuasion from Shichen, Kiritsugu had reluctantly allowed Kenneth to order Lancer to fight Saber.
"Is it finally over?"
Seeing the radiance subside, Kiritsugu unhesitatingly drew his pistol.
"Bang! Bang!"
After two bullets pierced Kenneth's chest, Kiritsugu expressionlessly disposed of the corpse...
***
A few tens of minutes earlier, in the woods.
"Madam, no!"
Maiya Hisau, Emiya Kiritsugu's assistant, cried out in sheer desperation. The man standing before her—Kirei Kotomine, also known as Kirei—was on the verge of killing Irisviel, the person Kiritsugu loved most in the world.
"Ugh..." Irisviel collapsed from a single blow by Kirei, unable to rise. Another strike like that and her body would likely shatter on the spot.
"The two of you attacked me, seemingly to protect Emiya Kiritsugu. Exactly who put you up to this?"
"I'll ask you again. Woman, whose orders are you fighting under?"
Kirei Kotomine slowly approached the silver-haired woman lying helpless on the ground, his low voice pressing down upon her.
"I will never let you pass. I'll stop you even if it costs me my life."
Irisviel could no longer stand, nor did she have the strength to clench her fists, yet a deep, burning hatred flickered in her eyes as she glared fixedly at Kirei, never looking away.
Without a word, Kirei raised his foot, preparing to deliver the final blow that would send Irisviel on her way. Suddenly, a figure leaped out from afar.
"Kirei, I advise you to know when to stop and turn back. Otherwise, prepare to die."
Shichen dropped gracefully from the sky, landing with a flourish.
A few minutes prior, he had suddenly remembered that Kirei would cross paths with Irisviel and Maiya Hisau around this time and beat them mercilessly.
As an ally, Shichen was never going to allow such a thing to happen.
*Caster?* Kirei fell into deep thought. Had he come here to rescue these two women?
This was a major complication. How was he supposed to get away now?
Did he really need to summon all his Assassins to fight him?
Forget it. Even ten thousand Assassins wouldn't be enough to match him...
"Caster... cough, cough... you're here."
Irisviel looked up at Shichen, her eyes carrying a trace of helplessness and gratitude.
Shichen nodded at Irisviel, then turned around to fix his gaze squarely on Kirei.
"Did you really think I only came to warn you?" As he spoke, he raised his hand slightly, and the surrounding magical energy began to surge.
Feeling a crushing wave of pressure, Kirei cursed inwardly.
At that exact moment, a dark shadow lunged forward, placing itself between Kirei and Shichen. It was one of the Hassan of the Serenity (an Assassin), who held a short blade and watched Shichen with acute vigilance.
Shichen frowned slightly. "A mere Assassin dares block my path? It won't even take me a second to deal with you."
Seeing how badly the situation had deteriorated, Kirei decided he had no choice but to make a frantic and undignified retreat.
It seemed he wouldn't be seeing Emiya Kiritsugu tonight after all. Quite a disappointment.
Still, with Caster there, even if he wanted to go, he probably wouldn't get the chance.
On the other side, Shichen chose not to pursue Kirei. First, the assassins along the way were far too annoying, constantly harassing his advance. Second, Irisviel and Maiya Hisau were still waiting for him to rescue them.
"Caster, thank you."
Watching Shichen help her and Maiya Hisau to their feet, Irisviel said with profound gratitude.
Shichen smiled gently at Irisviel. "Think nothing of it. We need to hurry and find Saber now."
With that, Shichen led Irisviel and Maiya Hisau toward the place where Saber was.
Along the way, Irisviel could not help offering a wry smile. "Caster, is there any meaning to what we're doing?"
"Of course there is. You are fighting for Emiya Kiritsugu. And therein lies the meaning."
Taken aback for a moment by the question, Shichen gave his reply.
Irisviel lowered her head, falling into silent thought for a moment.
When Kiritsugu wasn't around, the elders in the castle had told her:
"Your existence has no meaning whatsoever. Your sole purpose is to be used as a tool for the Holy Grail War—that is the greatest honor of your life."
But was that really true?
After Kiritsugu came, he never treated Irisviel as a tool. Instead, he treated her as his beloved.
For that reason alone, Irisviel felt that Kiritsugu was worth protecting, worth guarding with her entire life.
And yet... this fragile, broken body of hers was truly terrifying to contemplate...
Beside her, seeing her mistress in such distress, Maiya Hisau could not help but feel deeply concerned.
Meanwhile, Shichen was torn by conflicting thoughts. He was debating whether he should reveal the truth of the matter to Saber, Kiritsugu, and everyone else.
The Holy Grail had long since been tainted. Ever since the Third Holy Grail War, the nature of the Grail had undergone a fundamental shift.
It was not a mere change in the rules; the Greater Grail itself had suffered severe corruption and distortion.
This originated from the soul of the defeated Eighth Class Servant, Angra Mainyu. That soul had tainted the Grail, maliciously twisting and amplifying its functions.
The original Holy Grail should have been an omnipotent vessel capable of granting the victor's wish. Yet once tainted, that function did not disappear; instead, it was imbued with endless malice.
The way wishes were granted became warped and evil. For instance, the cataclysmic fire that followed the Fourth Holy Grail War was the direct result of this malicious interpretation of a wish.
Even more alarming was that the tainted Greater Grail was beyond control. Once unleashed, it would release "all the evils of this world"—Angra Mainyu—bringing forth endless calamity and destruction.
This malice would persist until every last human being was exterminated.
In short, the Greater Grail of the Holy Grail War had transformed from a mystical source of power into a malicious and perilous entity, its very existence and influence profoundly distorted.
Shichen was well aware of the Grail's corruption, and he had no wish to see history repeat itself.
And so, he had no choice left but to prevent all of this...