My family runs an adventurer's guild.

"...Rockets?!"

"...Whoosh—BOOM!!!!"

Before the smoke from the explosion had even cleared, a US military Humvee loaded with a heavy machine gun roared through the factory gates and into the courtyard where refugees had gathered. At the same time, the valiant Southeast Asian mercenary, Hisayu Maiya, stood on the vehicle with a sinister grin, skillfully operating the vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun with its long ammunition belt, unleashing a deadly barrage of fire upon the panicked, chaotic crowd inside the factory.

—Although, as instructed by Kiritsugu Emiya, Hisau Maiya tried her best to avoid the Fuyuki citizens gathered there when operating the vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun to fire at the factory, minimizing casualties and focusing on warning shots.

Hisayu Maiya's purpose in operating the vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun was not to kill people, but to drive these ordinary people away.

However, even with warning shots, amidst the hysterical terror and chaos, many people were still struck down by stray bullets.

Meanwhile, a certain Church representative, overestimating his abilities, attempted to rush forward and stop the military Humvee with his short sword. He was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and was hit directly in the head by the heavy machine gun controlled by Hisayu Maiya. His head exploded like a watermelon in an instant, terrifying the Japanese behind him.

As ordinary citizens of a peaceful country, how could they have ever witnessed such a hellish scene that was beyond their imagination?!

The clatter of gunfire, the flying rubble and debris, the splattering blood and flesh, and the heart-wrenching screams and wails...

Watching the heavy machine gun bullets leave craters not far from their feet, the church priest who tried to stop them was shot to pieces and his brains exploded without warning, and the seemingly sturdy reinforced concrete buildings collapsed and shattered under the bombardment of RPG rocket launchers... The Japanese present were all gripped by fear, and some couldn't help but think of the Beirut refugee camp massacre ten years ago, and subconsciously began to turn and run away.

Chapter 80, The Cruelty of the Holy Church (More chapters tonight!)

However, faced with the Southeast Asian mercenary Mai Kuu, and the hail of bullets pouring down from the military Humvee, the ordinary refugees of Fuyuki City could pray they wouldn't be hit by stray bullets and turn to run away as fast as they could. But Kenneth, whose range of movement was restricted by the [Self-Forced Certificate], had no way to escape the abandoned factory that had been turned into a meat grinder for the time being.

More importantly, Kiritsugu Emiya's utterly uncouth and despicable sneak attack has thoroughly enraged Kenneth!

—In the world of Type-Moon, if viewed from the perspective of a magical duel, Kiritsugu Emiya's current actions can be described as utterly despicable.

If the magical array Kenneth set up in the abandoned factory hadn't been destroyed by the agents of the Church who used the place to house refugees, then Kiritsugu Emiya's armed Humvee would never have been able to get close to Kenneth, a master of magic, and would have been discovered beforehand.

If Kenneth hadn't been surrounded by so many ordinary people and had the Church's agents closely monitoring him, preventing him from immediately using magical means for defense and counterattack, the heavy machine guns and rocket launchers on the Hummer alone wouldn't have been able to create such a suppressive scene.

In short, in Kenneth's eyes, Kiritsugu Emiya, this extremely despicable and shameless assassin, actually attempted to use the ironclad rule that "magic must be kept secret" to force him to refrain from using magic in public, and then shoot a noble magician to death with a pistol!

However, while it is true that "magic must be kept secret," when it comes to a life-or-death situation, who can care about so much?

Looking at the few Church agents around him who were being shot down by machine gun fire and unable to lift their heads, Kenneth snorted disdainfully. He first ordered his fiancée, Sora, to find a place to hide immediately, and then activated the most powerful magical artifact he carried with him, which was also the most powerful artifact in his family's collection.

"...Fervor, mei sanguis." (Boiling, my blood!)

As Kenneth chanted the incantation, a large ball of shimmering magical mercury, as if it had come to life, quietly rose from the large ceramic vase beside him, sparkling with a mirror-like light—this was Kenneth's most powerful ancestral magical artifact: Moon Essence Liquid!

The mercury, known as Moon Marrow Elixir, instantly formed a hollow, semi-circular barrier, easily intercepting all the heavy machine gun bullets fired from the nearby military Humvee. Only a string of dazzling sparks splashed on the slightly writhing surface of the mercury.

However, this shimmering silver [Moon Marrow Elixir] also revealed Instructor Kenneth's location in the crowd.

Immediately after noticing the enemy's presence, Hisayu Maiya picked up another new rocket launcher and pulled the trigger at Kenneth.

Unfortunately, the firepower of a single RPG was insufficient to penetrate the defenses of a high-level magical artifact like the [Moon Marrow Elixir].

Therefore, after the loud explosion, the [Moon Marrow Elixir] and Kenneth, who was hiding behind it, remained unharmed.

Instead, Kenneth seized the opportunity to throw a bright fireball, which accurately hit the hood of the military Humvee!

In an instant, just like in a Hollywood action movie, the military vehicle's fuel tank was destroyed and set ablaze, engulfed in flames!

"...Rumble—"

Unfortunately, as seasoned veterans with years of experience on the battlefield, both Hisau Maiya and Emiya Kiritsugu, being cunning individuals, jumped out of the vehicle and fled as soon as they saw the situation was turning against them. They quickly escaped Kenneth's sight and were not killed on the spot.

Even so, this sudden attack has come to a temporary end.

However, as a traditional magician, Kenneth knew very well that neither side had yet deployed their Heroic Spirits in the battle. This seemingly intense fight was merely a test. The real decisive battle, the battle that would determine victory or even life and death, was yet to come.

However, before the final battle, the trash on the ring must be cleaned up first... Of course, he doesn't need to do that dirty work.

"...Gentlemen, I don't need to teach you how to clean up the mess from here on out, do I?"

Kenneth calmly put away the [Moon Marrow Elixir] to conserve unnecessary magic power, then glanced back at the several Fuyuki City refugees who seemed stunned, and casually spoke to the remaining four black-clad agents of the Holy Church beside him.

The agents exchanged helpless glances, nodded with bitter expressions, and drew their specially made short swords, known as "Black Keys," from their waists...

The next moment, these Fuyuki City refugees, still in a daze, met their end.

—Even as the sharp, cold tip of the sword pierced their chests, their expressions remained one of surprise and shock. They showed no intention of dodging or resisting, seemingly unable to believe that these priests, who had been bringing them food and water and showing them concern just moments before, would suddenly turn into murderous monsters.

However, the blade still pierced down, splattering bright red blood... and an unbelievable scream!

Because the number of refugees from Fuyuki City stranded at the scene appeared to be slightly greater than the number of surviving members of the Church of Christ's agents, two local women wearing crosses around their necks narrowly escaped the first wave of killings by the Church of Christ's agents. After witnessing the church members' massacre to silence them, they stumbled and tried to escape, screaming in terror.

Impatient church agents then drew their pistols and opened fire on their backs. After several shots, one woman was shot in the head and died instantly, while the other woman was only shot in the leg and continued to scream as she crawled away.

Unfortunately, she ultimately had no chance of escaping—moments later, a black-clad agent of the Holy Church approached, carrying a blood-dripping dagger. He first stepped on her stomach, rendering her immobile, and then plunged the sharp tip of the sword into her heart.

As death approached, this tenacious woman seemed to want to say something, but the blood spurting from her mouth rendered her only able to utter broken, indistinct sounds. Watching the light fade from her eyes as she personally killed her proxy, one couldn't help but sigh slightly.

Although he was fulfilling his duties, as a teacher, he still had an innate aversion to such dirty and bloody things.

Although there are quite a few twisted, bloodthirsty, and tyrannical individuals among the agents of the Church today, at least a considerable number of them still possess some compassion and kindness.

This is because it is the core tenet of Christianity and the biggest difference between it and those blood sacrifice cults.

Otherwise, if the entire church is filled with bloodthirsty and murderous killers, then the church's collapse and the breakdown of faith will not be far off.

—On Earth, no matter what kind of religion it is, as long as it wants to grow and thrive, it must take the spread of positive energy as its main purpose.

Author's message

P.S.: I've recently come across some trolls who are just ridiculous; they manage to make something as noble as patriotism sound disgusting.

Not long ago, someone released an architectural atlas containing photos of various modern buildings. One of them was a picture of a company's Taiwan branch building. Then some trolls jumped out, criticizing why the photo wasn't labeled "China Taiwan Province Branch Building," arguing it was akin to separatism. However, in the same atlas, skyscrapers in Chongqing and Shanghai didn't have the word "China" labeled before them either. What's the point of making such obvious things into a politically correct issue?

Chapter 81, The Holy Grail is shrouded in darkness.

However, no matter how much guilt and pity they felt for these innocent refugees in Fuyuki City, the agents of the Holy Church had to kill all the witnesses—because "keeping it a secret" was ultimately the top priority for the magic world of the Type-Moon universe.

If an ordinary person witnesses the magic trick being performed, then everyone present must be slaughtered.

This is an ironclad rule in the Type-Moon world, which must be strictly observed by everyone, including the Mage's Association, the Catholic Church, and monks and priestesses from the East.

If anyone lets a witness go out of pity, the only result will be that they are all purged along with the witness, no matter if they are a king, president, or pope—unless you are strong enough to directly confront the clock tower or punch the church to pieces...

Therefore, given that the fact of the "magic battle being leaked" could not be changed, the Church's agents had no choice but to silence them.

Meanwhile, Kenneth didn't care about such a trivial matter as silencing witnesses; instead, he focused all his attention on his own battle.

Because, after the first wave of probing was successfully repelled, the enemy's heroic spirits finally appeared.

It was a petite, golden figure with a slightly chubby, youthful face and bright, sun-like golden eyes. In her hand she held a golden dagger adorned with rubies. Although she was less than a meter tall, her imposing aura was enough to dispel any contempt.

Although this was their first time facing each other directly, Kenneth recognized the golden retriever girl at a glance.

—The Sword Heroic Spirit in this Holy Grail War, Saber summoned by the Einzbern family!

The moment of the final battle seems to be finally approaching!

So Kenneth immediately dispatched his spear spirit Lancer, the sleeping goddess Mengmeng, who was wrapped in a quilt and carrying a long spear.

A thrilling and adorable battle between a cute dragon and a cute mouse seems to be about to begin amidst much anticipation!

However, what happened next left Kenneth completely bewildered and disoriented...

Beneath the Holy Grail lies a dark secret; there are no thrilling life-or-death duels, only shady deals that cannot be brought to light…

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

In the courtyard of an abandoned factory, littered with smoke and craters, Sleepy Dream, clutching her [Blanket-Rolled Spear], calmly gazes at Princess Catherine, the Golden Dragon, who holds a golden short sword.

However, after a moment of silent confrontation, Princess Hypnos did not unleash any earth-shattering attacks. Instead, in her perpetually half-awake, half-asleep, adorable tone, she yawned and spoke in some otherworldly language that no Earthling could understand:

"...Heh~~ Your Highness, have you had enough fun? Are you ready to go home?"

"...Ah...To be honest, I hardly had any fun this time! Apart from forests and ruins, I didn't see anything new."

Princess Catherine sheathed her sword and complained, "...the castles in this world aren't as beautiful as the ones in my house!"

"...There's nothing we can do! It's the first time we've tried it, and none of us have experience. We should be able to arrange things better next time..."

Sleepy Dream shrugged. "...But this trip was indeed quite boring, and I'm feeling a bit tired too. Are you planning to go back?"

"...Can we end this game now?" Catherine raised an eyebrow curiously. "...Aren't there still three groups of contestants?"

"...We don't really need to use the Holy Grail to make a wish, Your Highness! Actually, as long as five 'Descendants' leave, we can activate the Holy Grail system buried underground here and end this journey! Now, I've roughly learned how to use the Holy Grail summoning system to descend into another world. I've had enough of this boring place where I have to obey everyone's orders. I just want to go back to sleep!"

Dormouse Girl Mengmeng squinted her eyes, yawned repeatedly, and mumbled an explanation, "...Does Your Highness want to come with me?"

“…Fine…there’s nothing entertaining to see here anyway.” Princess Catherine yawned and said nonchalantly.

"...Understood. Then I shall take my leave first. Let us meet again in our homeland, Your Highness..."

The next moment, to the incredulous gaze of Instructor Kenneth, his Lancer Heroic Spirit, the mouse-eared sleeping goddess Momo from another world, actually bowed to the sword Heroic Spirit Saber opposite him, and then turned into countless scattered particles of light, quickly dissipating without a trace.

The reaction from the Command Seal in Kenneth's hand conveyed an undeniable yet inexplicable piece of devastating news:

His Lancer Heroic Spirit, Lancer, after exchanging a few words with the enemy Saber, surprisingly self-destructed and left the field without making a single move!

In other words, Kenneth has lost the Fuyuki War in a rather inexplicable way!

In an instant, the dumbfounded lecturer Kenneth felt as if a thousand alpacas were galloping through his mind.

Endless sorrow, despair, helplessness, and indignation gripped his heart tightly.

Instructor Kenneth's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down, his heart filled with endless turmoil and melancholy.

How could I have become a loser so inexplicably?

What happened to the heroism and sacred duel we were promised?

Where is the spirit and integrity of a true hero?

You, noble and esteemed spirits, actually colluded behind the scenes to fix the competition?!

What kind of legendary hero is this? More like a habitual biased referee! Can you guys please stop being so down-to-earth?

Not to mention that you, Lancer, are a true god! Your behavior is just too despicable!

Referee! I have a complaint! I have a report! This generation of Heroic Spirits is no good! This Holy Grail War is rigged!!!

—Gaia and Alaya, the two behind-the-scenes figures who made a secret deal with the otherworldly gods, smiled without saying a word…

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Meanwhile, seeing Kenneth's Lancer Servant being forced to self-destruct and leave the stage by his own Saber with just a few words, Kiritsugu Emiya, Saber's Master, was also dumbfounded and shocked.

At the moment Lancer left the stage, Kiritsugu Emiya did not feel ecstatic, but rather confused and bewildered.

They actually... won so easily?!

Oh, I never expected this!

But... why did this happen? What kind of deal did these otherworldly heroes make behind the scenes?

Although his mind was still a complete blank, the outcome of this battle was ultimately decided, and he was the final victor.

Although a little fairy named Rider was still escaping, she could no longer hinder the arrival of the Holy Grail or their victory.

So, after hesitating for a moment, Kiritsugu Emiya abandoned his plan to continue fighting. He gestured to Saber and his female assistant, Maiya Hisau, to disengage from the battle and leave the battlefield. At the same time, he put away the specially made flintlock pistol that he had just loaded with a new Origin Bullet, which he was preparing to snipe at the enemy.

—This kind of [Origin Bullet], which is specifically designed for people who practice magic, is quite powerful, but it is not easy to make. It requires the ribs that Emiya Kiritsugu himself took off, dried and ground into powder, and then mixed with a large number of precious materials. Therefore, the quantity is not large, and it is difficult to continue to produce and replenish it.

After years of depletion, Kiritsugu Emiya now has very few Origin Bullets left.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, save money whenever possible!

Only after he and Hisayu Maiya's group disappeared outside the gates of the abandoned factory did Kenneth, who had been standing blankly among the ruins, seem to finally come to his senses and roar a string of hysterical curses in the direction where Kiritsugu Emiya had disappeared... but it was too late.

For Kiritsugu Emiya right now, the most urgent task is definitely not to continue to entangle with the already defeated Kenneth and eliminate him completely, but to rush back to the ruins of Ryudouji Temple on Mount Enzo, where the "Minor Grail" is located, and to receive the prize of the Holy Grail War victor—the opportunity to make a wish!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Of course, when the final chance to make a wish arrives, the alliance between the Master and the Servant will also crumble. Instead, they will turn against each other in the struggle for the sole opportunity to make a wish, and in this cutthroat competition, the Summoner is usually no match for the Servant.

Fortunately, in response to the aforementioned unfavorable situation, the "starting three families" who planned the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City had already prepared a backup plan from the very beginning...

Thinking of this, Kiritsugu Emiya couldn't help but lower his head and stroke the Command Seals on the back of his hand—although he had already used one Command Seal when fighting Tokiomi Tohsaka, the remaining two Command Seals were enough for him to control this golden little Saber and make her commit suicide and leave the stage.

However, just as Kiritsugu Emiya was pondering this, he caught a glimpse of Princess Catherine, the Golden Dragon Princess, out of the corner of his eye. She did not seem to have left the courtyard of the abandoned factory, but stood still, smiling and waving at him as if saying goodbye.

What does it mean?

Is it saying goodbye to me?

Isn't it a bit too early?