It's normal for an evil god to raise an Abyss.

After marking all the marks on the map, Kiritsugu took two steps back and looked at the somewhat messy map of Fuyuki City. He sorted out the overall content in his mind and re-evaluated the direction of the Holy Grail War.

The Berserker and Lancer groups have both left the stage, so unless there are other unexpected events, there is no need to consider them for now.

There was no movement in Archer's Master's residence, Toosaka. Ever since defeating Assassin on the first day, Toosaka Tokiomi had been staying indoors like a hibernating bear, in an unfathomable silence.

Rider's Master——I have no clue at all. Rider has a flying Noble Phantasm that makes him very difficult to track. Although he looks very bold, he has no flaws at all. He is undoubtedly a powerful opponent.

Irisviel had already conveyed the general situation regarding Rider and Archer, as well as the news that Maiya, who had been in a coma, had finally woken up, over the phone.

It is said that things took an unexpected turn, and Rider had no choice but to use his Noble Phantasm to destroy Assassin.

The Noble Phantasm called [King's Army] used by Rider was of concern, but what Kiritsugu was more concerned about was Assassin's fate.

What kind of secret does that Assassin who seems to be able to multiply infinitely contain? And the many Assassins who attacked Einzbern last night should have mobilized all of them. If not, they would not dare to carry out such a siege with such low individual combat power. This time is completely different from the farce at the Tohsaka family last time. Perhaps it can be considered that the Assassins have been completely eliminated.

But there is still a question, what about Assassin's Master?

Kiritsugu sighed deeply and lit his first cigarette of the day.

Kotomine Kirei, what is the purpose of this man participating in this war?

When the first melee occurred in the warehouse district, Kiritsugu had already realized that Assassin's Master was a puppet of Tōsaka Tokiomi and was only responsible for scout work, but after that, Kotomine Kirei made many actions that he could not understand.

Whether it was ambushing at the construction site of the Central Building, or attempting to sneak into Einzbern City from the opposite direction...

All these strange behaviors can only be explained if we assume that his target is Emiya Kiritsugu.

But this is even more strange. He first performed a farce of pretending to quit, and then fled to the Fuyuki Church for asylum while continuing to send a large number of Assassins to conduct espionage operations. If he wanted to make this tactic more perfect, he should have been hiding in the Fuyuki Church without leaving, but his subsequent actions completely exposed himself.

Originally hiding behind Irisviel and Saber, Emiya Kiritsugu was only exposed during the battle against the monarch El-Melloi camp, so no one should have known his true identity until the day before yesterday. Even if Tōsaka Tokiomi's intelligence network had found some clues, it would not have directly concluded that Kiritsugu was Saber's true Master. Excluding these, from the overall battle situation, what was the intention of targeting Kiritsugu?

Kiritsugu had also thought about whether it was a personal grudge, but after investigation, this possibility was completely rejected. In Kotomine Kirei's experience, there was almost no intersection with Emiya Kiritsugu, and even among the magi and related victims that Kiritsugu had assassinated, there were no relatives or friends of Kotomine Kirei.

Even if he lost his Servant, Kotomine Kirei would definitely stand in front of Emiya Kiritsugu and block his way. This man's code of conduct has already exceeded the scope of the Holy Grail War. This is Emiya Kiritsugu's overall judgment.

Kiritsugu's tactic is to "disrupt the opponent's mind". Where the enemy is going to attack and what the enemy's goal is, as long as he can see through the opponent's actions in advance, he can find the opponent's blind spots and weaknesses; moreover, magi generally have a "sense of purpose" that is higher than that of ordinary people. Because of this, Kiritsugu can never fail in "hunting" magi.

Enemies like Kotomine Kirei, whose appearance and inner self are completely unpredictable, are Kiritsugu's greatest threat. And in front of such a strong enemy, Kiritsugu is now helpless; it's as if the pursuer can read his thoughts and see through all his actions.

Kiritsugu was not standing in the position of the hunter this time, but in the position of the prey. This was the only unexpected factor -

"…Who are you?"

Kiritsugu muttered unconsciously. The more he thought about questions related to Kotomine Kirei, the further away the answer he wanted became. Of course, the result could only make him more anxious.

Kiritsugu rented a garage in a nearby town and hid a modified tanker truck that could be controlled from a distance. This civilian weapon, which could be called a "cheap cruise missile," was originally intended to be used when the Matou and Tohsaka families were besieged. If it was used to crash into the Fuyuki Church, even the agent wouldn't be able to withstand it...

"Asshole, stop it..."

Emiya Kiritsugu reminded himself and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

Winning the Holy Grail War is the top priority. Kotomine Kirei is just a defeated Master. Even if he doesn't know the purpose of his attack on him, it would be putting the cart before the horse to dwell on this issue and ignore the Holy Grail War.

If you get caught up in anxiety, you will lose your ability to make calm judgments. You can't go on like this and you have to readjust your mood.

Chapter 37 Pleasure is about to be completed (4K)

He lit up another cigarette, and amidst the smoke, Kiritsugu began to think about the last camp.

Caster and his Master. As a Servant, Caster's strength far exceeded expectations. He defeated Berserker and Lancer successively. However, from the intelligence analysis, Caster has no pursuit of the Holy Grail and simply enjoys the process of fighting. Caster's Master is just a little girl in her teens. At first, it was thought that this might be a deception. After all, how could such a young child be a Master? It is more likely that she is a puppet controlled by someone behind the scenes. However, according to subsequent investigations, this possibility has been ruled out. But this brings up a new problem. Such a young child can afford the magic power needs of such a powerful Caster. Either Caster has an unknown way of supplying magic power, or the child is not an ordinary person at all.

However, Caster and his friends' residence could never be found, and the address Caster voluntarily gave up was a place that had been inspected many times and confirmed to be empty, so it was quite confusing.

Unlike Kirei's danger, Rider's strength, and Archer's difficulty, Caster only shows mystery.

Such a Caster took the initiative to propose an alliance, and in fact did lend a hand in the incident a few days ago, and it seemed that they could communicate.

So, should I go to the appointment?

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Kiritsugu put out this cigarette in the ashtray.

For Caster, whose source of information was a mystery, it was meaningless to avoid her. Perhaps he could gain more information by talking to her. And if Cater and her Master did not desire the Holy Grail, there would be no conflict of interest for them...

Kiritsugu decided to meet this "ally" first.

I looked at the clock and realized that about seventy hours had passed since my last sleep. Although I didn't feel sleepy under the effect of amphetamines, I was really feeling tired and my attention and concentration were becoming a little dull.

There is still some time before the meeting with Caster's team in the morning, so let's take advantage of this time to have a good rest.

Emiya Kiritsugu regarded himself as an automatically operated mechanical device, so he had no concerns about his physical health. He managed his physical health in the same way as he organized his numerous weapons. As long as he could keep his body in a working state where it could fully exert its full capabilities, that was enough.

Kiritsugu lay down on the bed and used a self-hypnosis spell to disperse his consciousness and disintegrate his mind. This was a barbaric method that could clear away mental stress and fatigue at the same time.

Self-hypnosis is not a high-level magic, but it will cause a certain lack of self-awareness and disconnection after it is released, so many people do not like to use this kind of magic. For Kiritsugu Emiya, the most efficient method is the best, so he uses this method very frequently.

After about two hours, the originally dissipated consciousness will be restored, and the hypnotized person will wake up naturally. However, during this period of time, the hypnotized person's body is in a completely unconscious state, so it should be safe to use in this hidden place.

Kiritsugu completely relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.

-------------------------------------

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Archer."

Gilgamesh, who was sitting casually in Kotomine Kirei's room tasting wine as if he were at home as usual, had an unfathomable smile on his face since morning for some unknown reason.

Normally, a person with a smile on his face would often infect the people around him, making the surrounding environment more relaxed and harmonious, but unfortunately, Kirei was not the kind of guy who liked to see other people smile, not to mention that the smile on the face of the Hero King in front of him could only make people think of some uneasy things.

"Although I haven't seen what the Holy Grail looks like, it doesn't matter now. Even if the Holy Grail is a worthless piece of junk, I won't care because I have found something more interesting."

"Oh~ This is really surprising. Didn't you laugh at the fact that there are only fakes and ugliness in this world?"

Kotomine Kirei folded his arms across his chest, leaned against the wall, and echoed in a condescending tone.

"That hasn't changed, but now, I'm interested in watching the final outcome of this Holy Grail War~"

Archer swirled the red wine in his glass leisurely and continued speaking.

"I like arrogant opponents, those who are not constrained by their own humble abilities and have great ambitions. Whenever I see such opponents, I feel happy. However, there are two types of arrogance. One is too low in ability, and the other is very ambitious. The former is stupidity that can be found everywhere, while the latter is a rare species that is hard to find."

"No matter how you differentiate, it's just stupid." Kirei disagreed.

"Compared to the clichéd wisdom, this rare stupidity is even more precious. Although born as a human, he has an ideal that is too great to be achieved by human power, and in the end he is forced to abandon his identity as a human to realize this ideal... No matter how many times I see it, I never get tired of it. The sad and desperate end of this kind of person."

Archer raised his glass as if in celebration, and then drank the red wine in it elegantly.

"By the way, you seem to be in a good mood today."

"Oh, I just feel relieved. I am finally freed from the heavy burden."

The Command Seals originally engraved on Kirei's right hand have disappeared. He has now completely lost his authority as a Master.

"Where did the disappeared Command Seals go? After all, they are the embodiment of magical power. They can't just disappear out of thin air, right?" Archer asked.

"In theory, they should have returned to the Holy Grail. However, if a Servant loses his Master and cancels his contract, the Holy Grail will redistribute the previously recovered unused Command Seals to new contractors. After the Holy Grail War, the unused Command Seals will be collected and kept by the Supervisor."

"So, as the Holy Grail War progresses, there is a possibility that a new Master will appear?"

"Yes, but being chosen by the Holy Grail is not a random decision. When looking for a new Master, the Holy Grail will still give priority to those who were previously chosen to become Masters."

“In that case, Kirei, isn’t there a great possibility that you will obtain the Command Seals again?”

Hearing Archer's words, Kirei sneered and responded:

"That's impossible. I was originally there to assist the Tohsaka camp. Now that my mission is complete and the teacher has already formulated a winning strategy, there is no need for me to participate anymore."

“If you ask me, I have doubts about Tokiomi’s plan. That guy has absolutely no ability to seize the Holy Grail.”

"You are really outspoken about your Master." Kirei sneered.

"Kirei, you have a huge misunderstanding of the master-servant relationship between Tokiomi and I. Tokiomi treats me as a subject treats his king, and at the same time offers his magic power as a tribute. It is because of this contract that I agreed to obey his summons. Don't compare me to other Servants who are like running dogs."

"So, what do you do with the command of the Command Seal?"

"I don't care about that kind of thing. It's just that the subject has fulfilled his duty, and the king will occasionally listen to his advice." Archer didn't care.

Kirei couldn't help but smile bitterly upon hearing this. If Archer knew the true purpose of this Holy Grail War, the contractual relationship between him and Tokiomi would probably be broken. However, by that time, Tokiomi, who possessed the Command Seals, should have an overwhelming advantage.

"Hey, Kirei, you had a 'communication' with Caster a few days ago, right? Don't you have any new thoughts?"

Archer suddenly changed the subject.

"..." Kirei recalled his fight with Caster. He had to admit that Caster was a very strong opponent. His ability to use boxing was unexpected. In the brief exchange...

A "half-baked" with an empty heart...?

Seeing Kotomine Kirei's slightly troubled expression as he thought, Archer added fuel to the fire with an amused attitude:

"Kirei, is your definition of 'pleasure' still so narrow? What is the contradiction between pain, lamentation and 'pleasure'? There is no specific form of so-called pleasure. It is precisely because you do not understand this that you are confused."

"That's not the case!"

Without giving it much thought, Kirei's angry retort came out like a conditioned reflex.

"King of Heroes, only someone like you with a devilish nature would feel happy to taste the pain of others. However, doing so will turn your soul into a sinner, and it is a crime that should be punished. No matter what, the path that I, Kotomine Kirei, believe in will not be tainted by you!"

Facing Kirei's stern rebuttal, Archer simply shrugged his shoulders with a smile, took a sip of red wine and continued:

"So you think pleasure itself is a sin? Haha, you are quite good at coming up with fallacies. You are becoming more and more interesting."

Just as Kirei was about to make a few more rebuttals, a sharp pain suddenly struck his whole body.

This kind of severe pain is not unfamiliar. After the pain, there will be waves of burning sensation.

Kotomine Kirei rolled up his sleeves and looked at his left wrist. Sure enough, the remaining Command Seals that had disappeared due to Assassin's defeat reappeared in their original size.

"Hahaha, is that really the case? Is that just as I guessed? But I didn't expect it to come so soon."

Archer seemed to see something funny and laughed.

Kirei was momentarily unable to recover from the fact that he had regained the Command Seals, and stood there in a daze.

Because this was simply impossible. Without any Servant canceling the contract, they were given the Command Seals again. This was unprecedented.

"Ah...it seems like the Holy Grail has high expectations of you~"

Archer said to the embarrassed Kirei with an evil smile,

"Kotomine Kirei, it's time for you to respond to the expectations of the Holy Grail. No matter what, you must have a reason to obtain the Holy Grail."

“Me…the reason for obtaining the Holy Grail…?” Kirei felt a lock in his heart loosen, and his tone became hesitant.

"If that is truly a miracle that can fulfill any wish, the Holy Grail, the almighty wish-granting machine, must also be able to fulfill the wishes hidden deep in your heart that you yourself are not even aware of."

Looking at Archer's expression, Kirei suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. Yes, in the illustrations of the Bible, the expression of the serpent in the Garden of Eden was exactly like this.

"Kirei, thinking will not bring you answers. Thinking that is bound by ethics will distort your cognition. Pray that you can obtain the Holy Grail. Then, you will find the true answer you seek in what the Holy Grail brings you."

This was something Kirei had never considered, a reversal of purpose and means. It was precisely because he did not know what his wish was that he wanted to obtain the Holy Grail that could fulfill all wishes to find out.

If it is just used to find an answer, this approach does have an immediate effect.

"But... if I do this, I will have to destroy the wishes of everyone else with my own hands before I can find the answer. Moreover, I will have to become an enemy of my mentor..."

"Oh, that's right, so you have to find a powerful Servant first, otherwise how can you compete with me~"

Archer took a sip of red wine leisurely, as if talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"Anyway, as a necessary prerequisite, you first need to seize a Servant from someone else. As for what happens after that, it's up to you, Kotomine Kirei."

As if he was becoming more and more interested in Kotomine Kirei, who had been given the Command Seals again, Archer's bright red eyes flickered like a venomous snake, emitting a light of pleasure.

"Pursue your own desires. This is the right way to entertain. Then entertainment will bring you pleasure, and finally pleasure will point you in the direction of happiness. Look, the path has been clearly pointed out to you, Kirei. It has been pointed out to you very clearly..."

Archer put down the empty wine glass, transformed into a spirit again and left, leaving Kotomine Kirei alone, standing under the bright yellow light, wondering what he was thinking.

Chapter 38 Xueyue's Dark History (4K)

The black-haired, brown-eyed girl in the dream gave Abigail an inexplicably familiar feeling.

The girl looked calmly at the silent tombstone and gently put down a bunch of white chrysanthemums.

Three years ago, her father died while performing a top-secret mission. Of course, this was just the girl's guess. All she could get were condolences from men in black who claimed to be official. After that, her mother took too much care of herself, and the incurable disease she already had rapidly worsened. Yesterday was the day her mother's funeral ended.

The complete family fell apart within three years, and I was left alone in the world.

Those so-called relatives were unreliable. They said their family was in financial difficulty, but in fact they regarded the girl as a jinx. Fortunately, the inheritance left by her parents was enough for her to live on for a while.

If you don't want to go to high school, then it's enough for you to learn the knowledge by yourself. You don't have to go to school and experience the cold words of your classmates. This is good enough.

That day, the girl returned to her former home.