Humans in Type-Moon, Path of the Heroic Spirit

Chapter 8 The End of the Murderer

The January night was very cold, and the strong wind whistled through the streets, making people reluctant to step out of the warm room.

In an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, a place that is usually deserted and seems to be forgotten in a corner, today it welcomed two uninvited guests.

"Hmm, I see, I see—"

In the dimly lit open space, Uryu Ryunosuke flipped through an ancient book riddled with wormholes, muttering excitedly, "Fresh blood, magic circles... and any sacrifices?"

"All I need are these things to summon the devil! That's so cool!"

The killer closed the book with a "snap" sound, his body trembling with excitement. Then, as if to share this joy, he turned his head to look at the young girl tied to an old chair and asked as if he was thinking.

"Hey~ Tell me, are there really demons in this world?"

Of course, Ryunosuke Uesugi did not expect the gagged girl to answer his questions. He just wanted the woman to experience the fear more personally.

"But it's a pity that even if there really is a demon, you won't be able to witness it with your own eyes..." At this point, Uryu Ryunosuke deliberately prolonged his tone, a sunny and cheerful smile appearing on his face, "After all, you are an important sacrifice to summon Mr. Devil!"

"Wuwuwu..." Hearing these terrifying words, the girl opened her eyes wide with fear. She wanted to beg this devil-like man to let her go, but because her mouth was blocked by a rag, she could only make sobbing sounds.

"Well, now it's time to prepare for the ceremony. I'm sure Mr. Devil will be pleased with a beautiful offering like you."

After admiring the girl's face twisted with fear for a while, Ryunosuke took out a sharp knife with satisfaction. While gesturing on her body, he muttered to himself, "So where should I start first?"

"The aorta... the wrist... or this beautiful face... Hmm~ It's so hard to decide. The blood flowing from each place would be sweet and delicious, right?"

The killer's eyes wandered over the girl's snow-white skin, finally settling on her slender neck. He commented like an artist, "As expected, the carotid artery in the neck is the best. The blood flowing out from there will definitely be as spectacular as a fountain!"

"—"

Feeling the cold blade against her skin, the innocent girl closed her eyes in despair, but tears could not stop flowing from the corners of her eyes. She now regretted running away from home.

If I had stayed in my warm and comfortable room, perhaps I wouldn't have been haunted by this murderous devil?
puff!
The sound of a sharp object piercing flesh rang out the next moment, so heavy and clear in the silent factory.

However, the expected pain did not come, and she could even feel the sticky touch of an unknown liquid on her face. The girl tried her best to open her eyes, and then was stunned by the scene in front of her.

I saw a scarlet magic spear piercing through Ryunosuke Uesugi's chest from behind, and warm blood splattered all over the place. The devil's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

"What do you think of human life, you scum!" The silver-white figure standing behind the killer didn't give him a chance. His tone was calm and cold. "Use your life to pay for the sins you committed in the past."

“hagalaz isaz (absolute zero)!”

As the words fell, a terrifying cold air quickly spread in Ryunosuke's body, accompanied by dense spikes breaking out of his body, and his blood and body were instantly frozen.

click!
After a clear cracking sound, the existence named Ryunosuke Uryu turned into snowflakes floating in the sky and disappeared from this world.

"Huh... It's too easy for him to die so easily." Kamiya You put away the scarlet magic spear in his hand and let out a breath of foul air. He curled his lips and whispered with some dissatisfaction.

Ever since obtaining the Command Seals, Kamiya Yu has sent out many familiars to monitor Fuyuki City, with the aim of discovering Ryunosuke Uryu's whereabouts as soon as possible and preventing innocent passers-by from being killed by him.

Even if doing so would lead the upcoming Holy Grail War into an unknown direction, he would not hesitate.

"Now, how should we deal with the aftermath?"

Friends who often kill people know that killing is actually not that difficult, but cleaning up the scene and dealing with... placing witnesses are the most troublesome.

Looking at the dazed young girl not far away, Kamiya Yu rubbed his smooth chin with his hand, thinking with a headache. "Forget it, let's erase her memory first, and then send her home." With this thought, Kamiya Yu walked over to the dazed girl, knocked her unconscious, and spoke in a gentle voice.

"Sorry, please get some sleep first. Just treat what happened tonight as a nightmare..."

…………

At the same time, in the city of Einzbern in Germany.

"The holy relic that was long sought in Cornwall was finally delivered this morning."

In front of the altar of the chapel, Eubusta Kuhaid stroked his waterfall-like white beard with his hand while looking at Emiya Kiritsugu with eager eyes.

This burning and paranoid gaze made Emiya Kiritsugu, who had just returned here not long ago, very uncomfortable. He shifted his gaze slightly to avoid facing the old man head-on.

After a while, Hayd withdrew his gaze and pointed at the charcoal-colored cabinet on the altar.

"Using this as a medium, we can probably summon the strongest Servant with Saber as the job. Kiritsugu, just consider this as the greatest assistance the Einzbern family can offer you."

"I'm truly unworthy of this, Patriarch."

Pretending to be expressionless, Emiya Kiritsugu lowered his head deeply.

Unable to tolerate the failures of the previous Holy Grail Wars, the Einzbern family decided to break with the tradition since their founding and commissioned magicians from outside to help them achieve victory.

Kiritsugu Emiya, known as the "Magician Killer", was chosen by the old patriarch to participate in the upcoming Fourth Holy Grail War as a foreign aid.

Old man Haid turned his head and his eyes fell on the silver-haired girl standing aside.

"Irisviel, what's the status of the equipment?"

"There's no problem at all. It can function normally even in Fuyuki," Irisviel replied smoothly.

The wishing machine, the Universal Cauldron, only exists as a spirit and does not have a physical body. Therefore, in order for it to descend as the physical body of the "Holy Grail", two Holy Grail vessels must be prepared, namely the Greater Holy Grail that stores magic power and the Lesser Holy Grail that carries the souls of the servants.

The task of preparing an artificial Holy Grail has been carried out by the Einzbern family for generations since the beginning of the Holy Grail War. This android girl named Irisviel is the Holy Grail created specifically for the Fourth Holy Grail War.

"Very good." Hayd's eyes flashed with a frantic light, and he nodded seriously. "This time... no one must be left alive. Kill all six other Servants. This time, I must achieve the third magic, [Heaven's Cup]!"

"As ordered!"

Listening to the old clan leader's command, which was tinged with cursed passion, Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel responded in unison.

But in his heart, Kiritsugu disagreed with the old clan leader's stubborn thoughts.

Because he accepted Einzbern's commission not for the so-called money, but to use the almighty Holy Grail to realize his wish to save all mankind.

Emiya Kiritsugu, who adhered to this principle, always silently accepted the Einzbern family's attempts to win him over, and then cast them aside.

Whether it was Irisviel beside him or the child bred with his own sperm, this cold-blooded man always kept a strange distance and was unwilling to contact them.

In order to realize the ideal of world peace, Emiya Kiritsugu gave up almost everything. The hardships he experienced since childhood made him understand a truth - as long as you don't possess it, you will never lose it.

Therefore, he has always kept a distance from those useless fetters and shackles.

(End of this chapter)