The Exorcism Tale of Hachiman

Kiritsugu Emiya clearly did not intend to tell Artoria that Irisviel was the vessel for the Lesser Grail in this Holy Grail War.

Upon hearing that there was enough Holy Grail, his first reaction was to immediately take Saber and Irisviel to occupy the easily defensible Ryudou Temple, set up a barrier, and summon the Holy Grail.

Then, using the Holy Grail as bait, they eliminated the remaining contestants one by one...

Given Ryudo-ji's advantageous location, the invaders would have no choice but to attack from the main gate.

With Saber guarding the main gate, they are absolutely invincible!

Having made his plans, Kiritsugu Emiya got up and gestured for Artoria to take Irisviel with her, while he went to the garage to drive the car to the door.

However, he had only just reached the garage when a severed hand was thrown at his feet.

"This belongs to Maimi?"

With just a quick glance, Kiritsugu Emiya recognized the severed hand at his feet as belonging to Maiya Hisau.

“Saber’s true Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, known in the magic world as the Magic Killer.”

Kirei Kotomine walked out from a corner of the garage with a blank expression, muttering to himself about Kiritsugu Emiya's information.

"Are you from the church?"

Kiritsugu Emiya frowned as he looked at the cross around Kirei Kotomine's neck.

The people who appeared before him were probably known to all the Masters except for Hachiman Hikigaya.

After all, Kirei Kotomine was the unlucky guy who tried to send an Assassin to assassinate Tokiomi Tohsaka the day before the Holy Grail War officially began, but was killed instead and lost his qualification to participate. He was forced to flee to the church for protection.

However, subsequent investigations have proven that Kirei Kotomine did not lose his eligibility to participate in the competition, and Assassin is still alive!

Now, looking at Kirei Kotomine's priestly attire, Kiritsugu Emiya instantly understood everything.

"Have the church and the Tohsaka family joined forces?"

"You are a smart man, but you are about to die."

Kirei Kotomine approached Kiritsugu Emiya step by step, the black key in his hand extending its slender blade. He neither denied Kiritsugu's conjecture nor admitted it.

"Have you forgotten that Saber is right beside me?"

Seeing Kirei Kotomine so brazenly appear and prepare to launch an attack, a sense of foreboding instantly welled up in Kiritsugu Emiya's heart.

Assassin could never defeat Saber, but if he was simply stalling her to buy time for Kirei Kotomine, he might not be a match for Kirei Kotomine after losing an arm.

"Please don't worry, Saber has dedicated Heroic Spirits to deal with her."

Although he was somewhat puzzled by the attack order given by his mentor, Kirei Kotomine still chose to obey at this moment.

"Specialized Heroic Spirits?"

Kirei Kotomine's words caused Kiritsugu Emiya's pupils to contract instantly.

If it weren't for Assassin, then the Heroic Spirit's identity could only be...

"Boom!"

As Kiritsugu Emiya was thinking, a huge explosion suddenly came from the next room.

Through the garage door, he clearly saw Gilgamesh leap from Vimana into the courtyard, a smile on his face, and walk toward Artoria and Irisviel.

"Damn it, Saber, get out of here immediately!"

Through the connection with the Servant, Kiritsugu Emiya immediately ordered Artoria to leave with Irisviel, who was the vessel of the Holy Grail.

He then swiftly drew the pistol strapped to his waist and fired at Kirei Kotomine!

"Clang, clang!"

Kirei Kotomine easily deflected two ordinary brass bullets with his black keys.

Kirei Kotomine then casually flung out eight black keys from his hands toward Kiritsugu Emiya, before taking out two more and charging forward.

Rolling into the garage to dodge the black key thrown by Kirei Kotomine, Kiritsugu Emiya put his pistol back on his waist, then took out a special grenade from his pocket, bit off the pull ring with his teeth, and threw it into the corner behind the garage.

With a series of rapid explosions, a figure burst through the smoke and dust as it rushed out of the breach in the wall.

The instant he left the garage, Kiritsugu Emiya, disregarding the fact that he was still within range, detonated the highly concentrated explosives that had been planted in the house beforehand!

Chapter 238 The War Continues

"What a cunning mouse you are, don't you think? Kirei..."

Looking at Kiritsugu Emiya, who was staggering away in the distance, Gilgamesh, who was not covered by a speck of dust, walked out of the ruins and asked Kirei Kotomine beside him.

"Shouldn't we chase after them?"

Kirei Kotomine did not answer Gilgamesh's question; he simply frowned slightly as he looked in the direction where Kiritsugu Emiya had disappeared.

Although Kirei Kotomine was temporarily hindered by the explosives prepared by Kiritsugu Emiya, he was not actually seriously injured. He could have easily caught up with Kiritsugu Emiya and captured or killed him.

However, just as he was about to act, Gilgamesh stopped him...

"If Saber were to exit right here, wouldn't the Holy Grail War become far too boring?"

"Besides, that would be going along with Tokiomi's wishes..."

Looking at Kirei Kotomine, whom he had almost completely taught, Gilgamesh truthfully revealed his inner thoughts.

"You have such a twisted sense of humor..."

"No, I'm just following my heart and doing what I feel like."

Gilgamesh glanced at Kirei Kotomine beside him, then slowly walked forward.

"What should we do with the woman Assassin caught before?"

"It's up to you. You can kill her or let her go, just follow your heart."

Gilgamesh waved to Kirei Kotomine, then vanished from his sight.

"Should I follow my heart?"

Kirei Kotomine stood there in thought for a while, then turned and walked in another direction.

..............

"Then, please accept the cursed seals awarded as a reward for this Caster subjugation..."

Inside the church, Kotomine Riji, the notary of this Holy Grail War, was distributing rewards to those who had contributed to the war against Caster.

Waver and Kenneth each received an additional cursed seal, while Hachiman Hikigaya, who ultimately destroyed Caster, received two.

After distributing the curse seals, Kotomine Risei looked around and then frowned, pretending not to know anything.

"Didn't Saber and her Master come?"

"Saber and the others must have encountered some unexpected trouble."

Recalling Artoria's sudden departure, Hachiman Hikigaya began to explain for them.

"Is that so? Then I'll temporarily keep Saber's reward with me."

Nodding to indicate that she understood, Kotomine Ritsu covered the curse mark on her arm again.

He then put his hands behind his back, and with a serious expression, first expressed his gratitude to the three groups of contestants in front of him, before announcing that the Holy Grail War, which had been suspended, would resume.

However, it is clear that after the fierce battle with Caster, neither Iskandar nor Kenneth had any intention of continuing the fight today.

So after saying goodbye at the church entrance, the three groups went their separate ways and headed towards their respective locations.

The streets were brightly lit.

It's clear that what's happening in the city center can no longer be kept secret.

After all, such a big and deep pit suddenly appeared...

In particular, Caster summoned a large number of magical beasts in order to deal with Hachiman Hikigaya and others, and also transformed all the people he captured into magical beasts.

This resulted in nearly a thousand people disappearing in Fuyuki City tonight!

Although the general public was unaware of what had happened, they were not foolish enough to continue staying in Fuyuki City.

On their way back to the hotel, all the three of them saw were people carrying large and small bags or driving away from Fuyuki City.

Compared to the panicked crowd, the three people calmly going against the flow should have been extremely conspicuous.

But when it comes to escaping for one's life, who cares about such details?

The main road was already packed with people, so Hachiman Hikigaya had no choice but to return to the hotel through the alleyways.

However, halfway there, a sacred fox of Inari suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Hikigaya-sama..."

The white fox appeared before the three in the form of a three-headed priestess. After respectfully greeting Hachiman Hikigaya, the priestess explained the reason for her appearance.

"Saber and the others were attacked?"

The repeated explosions naturally attracted the attention of Inari the Fox, who had been sent out by Hachiman Hikigaya to gather intelligence.

Although everyone had already left by the time they arrived, the Inari fox spirits were still able to identify Saber's group from the lingering scents.

"Well, besides that, we also found a man with a missing arm..."

Artoria, who was retreating with Irisviel, was not found by the Divine Fox in a short time, but Kiritsugu Emiya, who escaped under the impact of the explosion, was easily discovered.

"Who is this person?"

Looking at the transmitted image, Hachiman Hikigaya remembered that Kiritsugu Emiya was the sniper who had shot at the harbor and was almost killed by Diarmuid.

Hachiman Hikigaya instinctively felt a sense of disgust towards this kind of sneaky attacker.

However, considering that Kiritsugu Emiya might have a connection with Saber and Irisviel, he had the fox spirits take him back to the inn.

"Yes!"

Upon receiving Hachiman Hikigaya's order, the shrine maiden nodded, then transformed back into a white fox and vanished from before the three in a few leaps.

"These are divine servants, aren't they, Master?"

Once again, only Hachiman Hikigaya, Sakura, and Karna remained in the alley.

Looking at Hachiman Hikigaya in front of him, Karna prepared to ask the question that had been bothering him.

"Shouldn't they be considered that way?"