A certain crossover anime's nuclear-powered sword immortal

Gilgamesh spoke with a hint of disdain, his eyes narrowing slightly as he recalled the sword shadow that had just flashed through the air.

Ignoring what lay ahead, Gilgamesh raised his hand and took out a Noble Phantasm from the Gate of Babylon that Kirei Kotomine saw as a magic mirror. The moment he activated it, Kirei Kotomine felt himself enveloped in golden light.

The moment the light faded, Kirei Kotomine found himself back home.

Meanwhile, the gleaming Archer sat casually on the living room sofa, wearing an enigmatic smile for some reason.

Image: "!", Location: "Images/1673093150-100352746-109790280.jpg"

"Kiri, please sit down."

"..."

Normally, when a person smiles, it tends to infect those around them and ease the atmosphere. Unfortunately, Kirei is not the type of person who likes to see others smile.

Moreover, the smile on the face of the hero king in front of him could only suggest something unsettling.

"Although I haven't seen what the Holy Grail looks like yet, it doesn't matter if it's a worthless piece of junk. I don't care anymore because I've found something much more interesting."

"Oh...that's quite surprising. Didn't you once mock the world for being full of counterfeits and ugliness?"

For some reason, Kirei Kotomine felt that Archer was different today than usual.

At least the contempt he had for everyone had vanished.

Gilgamesh, meanwhile, took a wine cup from the Gate of Babylon, poured himself some wine, and said leisurely.

"I like proud opponents. People who are not humbled by their own abilities but have lofty ambitions. I always feel very happy when I meet such opponents."

Seeing Kirei Kotomine's puzzled expression, Gilgamesh sipped the red wine in his golden cup and then took out another wine glass, placing it on the coffee table in front of Kirei.

"However, there are two kinds of arrogance: one is that one's ability is too low, and the other is that one's ambition is exceptionally high. The former seems foolish, while the latter is rare and admirable."

"No matter how you look at it, it's foolish, isn't it?"

Kirei Kotomine looked at the red wine in the golden glass in front of him, hesitating whether to drink it or not.

"No, compared to ordinary wisdom, isn't this rare kind of foolishness more precious? Although born human, it possesses a heart so vast as to..."

An ideal that is beyond human capability, to achieve which one would be willing to give up being human. I never tire of this kind of drama!

Gilgamesh smiled as if he were savoring something.

Image: "Pleasure", Location: "Images/1673100237-100352746-109790280.jpg"

Kirei Kotomine actually understood the King of Heroes' feelings at that moment quite well, but he didn't show it.

But Gilgamesh easily saw through Kirei's disguise, and his smile widened.

"Tokiomi's task for you was to help him gather information on other Masters and Servants, right?"

"Yes. What's wrong?" Kirei frowned; he always felt that there was a deeper meaning in the King of Heroes' smile.

“That’s right. You only needed to pass on the information you saw to Tokiomi, but you chose to fight the guy who suddenly appeared and killed Kiritsugu Emiya.”

Kirei Kotomine's expression changed slightly, because he felt that the meaning behind the King of Heroes' smile was so similar to that of the boy.

This shows that the King of Heroes also noticed that Kirei was different from others.

"And besides the fact that Kiritsugu Emiya's death is something that can't be kept secret, you don't intend to tell Tokiomi any of the other information this time, do you?"

"..."

Kirei Kotomine remained silent.

Stared at by the King of Heroes's red eyes, Kirei Kotomine couldn't lie.

Gilgamesh, on the other hand, seemed to have seen something more interesting. Compared to other trivial matters, he was more concerned about the true nature of Kirei Kotomine.

"You keep saying you'll fulfill your duties as a disciple, but in the end you don't intend to tell him this crucial information. Could it be that..."

Gilgamesh paused, then spoke.

"Would you rather your teacher die than see him win?"

"How could I be that kind of person!"

Kirei Kotomine said righteously.

He felt he must be furious at that moment, and that what he said must be very righteous.

However, Gilgamesh stared at Kirei Kotomine's face with an expression as if he were watching an incredibly exciting show in a theater.

"You really are... the best clown, Kirei Kotomine!"

Upon hearing Gilgamesh's words, Kirei Kotomine was greatly shocked. He quickly walked to the mirror in the living room and looked at his reflection.

The reflection in the mirror shows a smile unconsciously rising at the corners of the mouth, a smile that has nothing to do with anger, but rather seems to indicate that the person is happy about something.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Karna's Dream

"How could this be... I'm clearly putting my own mentor to death, so why would I show such a rebellious expression!"

Kirei Kotomine stared at his own face in disbelief, but the more grandiose his words became, the wider his smile grew.

At that moment, Gilgamesh laughed for some reason.

"King of Heroes, why are you laughing?"

Kirei Kotomine looked at Gilgamesh and asked in a clear, resonant voice.

However, when he asked that question, Gilgamesh laughed even harder.

Then, a handsome man with golden hair, dressed in golden armor, smiled so much that the wine glass in his hand trembled slightly, and the wine spilled out.

"Although we still don't know what the Holy Grail looks like, or whether it truly has the power to grant wishes, that doesn't matter anymore... Compared to the Holy Grail, I definitely find you more interesting, Kirei Kotomine!"

"..."

Upon hearing Gilgamesh's words, Kirei Kotomine was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.

At this moment, Gilgamesh swirled the wine glass in his hand and spoke with great interest.

"I like arrogant opponents. Even if they are weak, as long as they have a temperament that I admire, they can bring me pleasure."

With that, Gilgamesh drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

"Does the fact that I'm still alive mean that there's something about me that brings you pleasure?"

Kirei Kotomine immediately understood the meaning behind Gilgamesh's words.

"But I don't think that someone as ordinary as me has any qualities that would be worthy of the respect of the noble 'Hero King'?"

"Haha... You underestimate yourself. Every word you say now brings me great pleasure, Kirei Kotomine."

Gilgamesh said to Kirei Kotomine with great joy.

"Compared to that boring guy Tokiomi Tohsaka, I definitely find you much more interesting."

"What do you mean? Are you trying to sow discord between me and my teacher?" Kirei Kotomine asked suspiciously.

Logically speaking, as a disciple, Kirei Kotomine should have felt angry upon hearing that others wanted to sow discord between him and his master. However, he found that he did not feel angry at all, and was even a little excited.

What exactly is it about myself?

It's the same thing. Why did they become so strange, as if their hearts had been changed, after listening to Gilgamesh's few words?

Kirei Kotomine feels like a stranger to himself now, but at the same time, he is also delighted by his gradually revealing desires.

Human beings are so complex; perhaps only Kirei Kotomine in this world possesses such complexity.

This is also why Gilgamesh was so interested in him.

Suddenly, the question returned to its starting point.

What kind of person am I?

Am I born to be such a despicable and rebellious person?

"Everyone is innocent and pure when they are babies, but as they grow up and begin to think for themselves, even a little bit of unusual thinking can lead them down a completely different path."

Gilgamesh spoke, his gaze fixed on Kirei Kotomine.

"When a person starts pursuing something meaningless, although what he does may seem meaningless to others, it can bring him 'pleasure'. This is what you have been looking for but have been unable to find."

Gilgamesh looked at Kirei Kotomine, whose pupils were contracting rapidly, and continued speaking.

"Kirei Kotomine, your heart yearns for 'pleasure,' but the rules of this world and the prevailing notions of ordinary people constantly shackle you, causing you to suppress your inner impulse to obtain 'pleasure' without even realizing it. Until this Holy Grail War... In this chaotic and extraordinary event, your inner impulse broke free of its shackles for the first time. Congratulations, Kirei Kotomine!"

Upon hearing Gilgamesh's words, Kirei Kotomine felt as if time itself had stopped flowing, and his mouth unconsciously uttered the word.

"Pleasure..."

……

Shirou never imagined that his unintentional act would bring these two pleasure-seekers together so quickly.

"I didn't expect Gilgamesh to suddenly appear... What a pity," Shirou murmured with some regret.

They missed the chance to kill Kirei Kotomine outright.

"But there's nothing I can do about it, what can I do about talking so much nonsense?"

Shirou shrugged and opened the door with a hint of helplessness.

"Consider it a lesson learned."

As Karna quietly returned to his room, his spirit form spoke to him.

"Master, how is the situation?"

"I took care of one enemy, and I could have taken care of two, but they were rescued when I was about to strike."

Shirou answered as he sat down on the sofa.

At this moment, Sakura was fast asleep. The girl was curled up on Shirou's bed, and it seemed that she had only fallen into a deep sleep because she could no longer resist the drowsiness.

"Is that so? Anyway, I'm glad you're alright, Master."

Karna was more concerned about Shirou's safety.

Upon hearing this, Shirou couldn't help but smile. Then, feeling sleepy, he yawned, closed his eyes slightly, and leaned back on the sofa to fall asleep.

Gradually, as his consciousness became hazy, Shirou traveled through a distant dream and saw Karna's memories from his previous life.

Long ago, there was a princess named Gunti.

She was the daughter of King Yadu Surah and the sister of Krishna's father, Krishna.