FATE: Target of Grand Master

Late at night, Fuyuki Church

Kirei Kotomine sat in front of a corner of the collapsed church, holding a plate of extra-spicy Mapo Tofu made fresh from ingredients sourced from a Chinese restaurant, and began to eat with great relish.

"Kiri, why do you still like eating this kind of cheap junk food so much?"

Gilgamesh appeared on the roof of the church.

"Don't you still like staying at a high place?" Kirei Kotomine replied.

"snort."

Gilgamesh jumped off the roof, leaned against the church wall, and crossed his arms.

"Would you like some?"

Kirei Kotomine, who was already sweating profusely from eating, scooped up a spoonful and pointed it at Gilgamesh.

"What a joke! I would never eat such junk food. And you're even using a spoon you've already used."

Looking at the devilish red color above, Gilgamesh refused without hesitation.

"Is that so? That's a real shame."

Despite saying that, Kirei Kotomine didn't hesitate to put the spoon into his mouth.

"You never intended to give this king any food!" Gilgamesh roared.

"Um?"

Kirei Kotomine gave her an expression that said, "What are you talking about? I don't understand at all."

"Tch. I don't have time to play these childish games with you."

Gilgamesh turned his gaze to the mountain of monster corpses piled up in front of the Fuyuki Church.

"That Matou Ryouken guy has gone too far this time. Are you still planning to just stand by and watch?"

After chewing and swallowing the mapo tofu in his mouth, Kirei Kotomine slowly said, "It was indeed a bit too much. The Church's grand spell can only last for three days at most, and we must defeat him within three days. I'll have to trouble you to help me this time, Gilgamesh."

"Hmph. This old fellow has already committed suicide by releasing wild beasts into my territory without my permission."

Suddenly, Gilgamesh looked into the dense darkness in front of the church and said, "It seems we don't need to bother going over there."

"Hehehe, as expected of the King of Heroes who remained unmoved even after being corrupted by the black mud in the last Holy Grail War. I was originally looking for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack."

The voice of Matou Ryuken could be heard from the darkness.

"Hmph, being praised by an insect is nothing to be happy about."

Gilgamesh released his hands and took two steps forward.

"Get out here and face me!"

Despite Gilgamesh's insults, Matou Ryogen emerged from the darkness without any apparent concern.

The two were not surprised by Matou Ryuken's youthful body; after all, it would have been difficult to go unnoticed after the great battle at Ryudouji that night.

Kirei Kotomine put down the half-eaten Mapo Tofu and then stood up.

"Kirei, Matou Riki-ken is a bit of a challenge for you right now. I'll help you this time."

Gilgamesh took two steps forward.

"Hehehe. Hero King, don't be hasty, your opponent is here."

From the darkness behind Matou Ryouken came the sound of metal rubbing against metal, and Artoria Altera, clad in black armor and wielding a black holy sword, slowly stepped out.

"Hmm? Saber, I didn't expect you to have changed Masters in just half a day. However, I don't like this outfit of yours. You'll have to wear something much better to please me next time. What!

A low humming sound filled the air, and Gilgamesh's words were answered by the release of a black and red magical energy.

The powerful magic directly destroyed the Fuyuki Church behind the two.

Having dodged the attack, Gilgamesh landed on the ruins of the Fuyuki Church nearby, and was furious.

"Saber, how dare you ambush me! Today I'll teach you what my family rules are! Gate of Babylon!"

More than ten Noble Phantasms were fired, colliding with Artoria Alter's magical release and creating a violent explosion.

Watching Artoria Alter unleash her magic without restraint, Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? It seems you have plenty of magic now. Well then, I can get a little serious."

Nearly a hundred Noble Phantasms shot down from mid-air, attacking Artoria Alter in a hemispherical formation.

Whether it was due to excessive confidence in her own strength or the realization that there was no way to dodge, the Black Knight Princess simply stood still and unleashed an exaggerated burst of magic to counterattack.

Bang!Bang!Bang!

Explosions echoed around Artoria Alter, kicking up huge plumes of smoke and dust.

As the smoke cleared, several Noble Phantasms pierced through the Black Knight Princess's body, including Diarmuid's Crimson Rose of Exorcism.

"Saber, you don't really think you can withstand my attack with just enough magic power, do you? I have all the treasures in the world, there must be a few that can break magic power."

The Black Knight Princess didn't speak, but instead gripped the Noble Phantasm inserted into her body and forcibly pulled it out.

"Speaking of which, you've been unusually quiet today. What's wrong? Are you so excited to see me that you don't know what to say?"

Although he said that, Gilgamesh had already noticed that something was wrong with the black-clad knight princess in front of him.

Click!

Artoria Altera's black eyepatch, which had been grazed by a Noble Phantasm during the previous battle, finally gave way and broke.

Gilgamesh saw that the Black Knight Princess's eyes were lifeless, as if her soul had been ripped out, but as a Servant, Saber's spirit origin had not been damaged.

"Matou Rikien, what did you do to Saber?!"

Gilgamesh angrily fired several Noble Phantasms at Matou Ryouken, which pierced through Ryouken's body.

However, Matou Ryouken did not fall, and the wounds on his body pierced by the Noble Phantasm healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Hehehe. It's nothing. I just contaminated her with black mud, but who knew she would reject me as her servant to the point of preferring to become a walking corpse."

"Putting that aside for now, releasing a large number of magical beasts into the city in broad daylight is a serious violation of the Holy Grail War's requirement for secrecy. As the supervisor overseeing this Holy Grail War, I have the right to eliminate you on your own."

Kirei Kotomine, wielding six black keys, charged toward Ryouken Matou.

"Hmph, Kirei Kotomine, do you still remember the pain you felt when you chanted the baptismal song over my body last time? Now I will repay you double."

Pfft!

Kirei Kotomine tripped and fell halfway down the road.

"Hehehe, Kirei Kotomine, how does it feel to have your heart squeezed? I never expected that you no longer have a heart in your body. You've survived for ten years entirely thanks to the black mud. It seems you understand the preciousness of life. However, I still have to let you die first."

"Kiri!"

Gilgamesh realized that Kirei Kotomine's situation was not good and immediately wanted to launch an attack.

"Saber".

Upon hearing Matou Ryouken's order, Artoria Altera stopped drawing her Noble Phantasm, and her magical power instantly surged to its peak.

"King's Hammer, Reverse the Dawn! Devour the light, Sword of Excalibur!"

Without hesitation, the Black Knight Princess unleashed her Noble Phantasm, and the massive flow of black magic forced Gilgamesh to use a defensive Noble Phantasm to block it.

While Artoria Altera was keeping Gilgamesh occupied, Matou Ryokon kneaded the black mud that replaced Kirei Kotomine's heart inside him many more times.

Kirei Kotomine was completely unable to resist, his body instinctively twitching as Matou Ryogen kneaded him.

Having satisfied his desire to avenge the destruction of his physical body by Kirei Kotomine, Matou Ryogen transferred the Command Seals from one of Kirei Kotomine's arms to his own, which was his true purpose for coming here.

Having achieved his goal, Matou Ryogen immediately disappeared into the darkness.

Artoria Altera also withdrew from the church after unleashing her Noble Phantasm.

Instead of immediately pursuing them, Gilgamesh landed beside Kirei Kotomine's corpse, picked him up, and placed him in an empty grave in the church cemetery.

"Kiri, although you are not yet worthy of being my friend, the past ten years with you have been quite pleasant. So, not letting your body lie exposed in the wild is a favor I can bestow upon you. Rest assured, I will avenge you in the process."

Gilgamesh, who was about to leave, saw the Mapo Tofu still on the church steps. He hesitated for a moment, then picked up the clean, unopened spoon and scooped a spoonful into his mouth.

In an instant, Gilgamesh felt a soul-piercing impact, but his dignity as a king prevented him from spitting it out.

After swallowing it while sweating profusely, Gilgamesh gave his assessment.

"It really is junk food."