I really didn't want to burn it.

Chapter 137 The Thousand-Layered Game Between Emiya and His Son

In the dimly lit room, Kiritsugu and Archer, father and son, stared at each other in a stalemate.

Although Kiritsugu had already aimed his sniper rifle at the door the moment Red A kicked it down, this weapon, capable of accurately headshotting from 800 meters away, gave Kiritsugu absolutely no sense of security.

"Tsk, they arrived way too fast! Did my magic get exposed?"

Kiritsugu shrugged as he looked Red A up and down.

The dark-skinned young man was quite good-looking, but his dark skin, silver hair, and Shibuya attire always reminded Kiritsugu of a small-time hoodlum in a big city.

"Judging by their race, they should be East Asian. Besides the thugs, are there any silver-haired young men around here?"

Kiritsugu knew he couldn't escape, so he tried to use the current stalemate to deduce as much information as possible about his opponent.

Compared to Kiritsugu, Archer, who was blocking the doorway, was experiencing a more turbulent inner world.

Red A never imagined that he would actually meet his father in 1998 in Kanbuko City, which is located across most of Japan from Fuyuki City.

He had only sensed that there seemed to be a magician in the building, so he planned to grab him and ask him about the situation. Who knew that the magician would be his own father?!

"Why is Dad here?! Wait, those are Command Seals?! Does that mean Dad is the Master of this Holy Grail War? In that case... it makes sense for Dad, as the Master, to be on the battlefield... what a load of rubbish!"

"Dad, why aren't you retiring in Fuyuki City? What are you doing here causing trouble?! Aren't you cursed by the black mud?!"

Red A kept asking himself questions about the current situation, but he couldn't say a word.

There was a time when Archer (Red A) longed to see Kiritsugu Emiya again, the man who set life goals for him.

Red A even mentally rehearsed countless dialogues in preparation for this moment.

But when Kiritsugu actually appeared in front of him, Archer found himself so clumsy with words that he couldn't even say something as simple as "Dad, your son has made something of himself."

"What should we do? Why is he so sullen and silent?"

Red A looked at Kiritsugu with a conflicted expression, unable to glean any information from the other's demeanor.

"He should know he can't defeat a Servant, so why isn't he panicking?"

Red A has already made his plans; he definitely won't make a move against his father, not in this lifetime.

But Red A was even more unwilling to expose himself here. That treacherous guy named Li Ang was nearby, and he absolutely could not reveal any information to that dangerous man.

Thus, Red A realized he only had one option: to let Kiritsugu go.

However, this requires Kiritsugu to take the initiative to attack, and then Red Archer to stage a scene of "I used my ultimate, but I didn't have a flash," and then let the opponent escape.

But his father just watched him calmly, leaving Red A completely baffled by his old man's tactics.

"Does Father have a plan to defeat the Servants?"

Red A couldn't help but have this thought.

After all, when Archer (Red A) participated in the Holy Grail War, he was still a novice. Yet, even so, Archer still dared to wield dual swords against Servants.

And his father, who is countless times stronger than him (According to Archer), might actually have a backup plan to defeat the Servant.

"Or... should we just wait and see?"

Little did Red A know that Kiritsugu, who appeared calm and collected on the surface, was actually panicking inside.

"Damn it, my retreat has been blocked by a Servant! What a blunder! Have all these years of peace caused my skills to decline?"

Kiritsugu held the gun in one hand and pointed the muzzle at Red A.

With his other hand, he took out a pack of oranges and lit one of his cigarettes to calm his frightened heart.

Kiritsugu actually broke his own tradition of quitting smoking since he adopted Shirou, which shows how much psychological pressure Archer put on him.

"Stay calm, don't panic. The more you panic, the more likely you are to make mistakes."

Even so, Kiritsugu never dared to make a move.

Trying to fight Servants with the limits of the human body is undoubtedly foolish, and unlike during the Fourth Shinobi World War, I don't have a scabbard to overuse [Time Control].

Therefore, it is necessary to wait for this Servant to reveal a weakness.

"Opportunity only comes once, so you must seize it and not waste it."

Kiritsugu, a cigarette dangling from his lips, silently stared at Archer.

If someone observes closely, they will notice that Kiritsugu really only holds the cigarette in his mouth and doesn't take a single puff.

Whether it was because Kiritsugu was too nervous, or because his adopted son had repeatedly warned him that smoking was harmful to his health, Kiritsugu subconsciously chose not to actually smoke.

However, the father and son, who were both preoccupied with their own anxieties, completely overlooked this small detail.

"You are the Master?"

After a long silence, Red A finally broke the deadlock.

"That's it."

Kiritsugu replied calmly.

Then, silence fell over the room once again.

"Keep talking, Dad! You're not usually this quiet! Tell me one of those jokes that made me laugh when I was little!"

Red A repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to calm himself down.

"So, Father, why didn't you run away? Did you really think you could defeat a Servant?"

Red A crouches down in a defensive posture, preparing to prevent his father from suddenly attacking him.

Although Archer doesn't think he'll lose to Kiritsugu Emiya, who's just an ordinary magician, it wouldn't be good if he were to suffer an unexpected defeat like some Mr. King.

Kiritsugu glanced at the window out of the corner of his eye, then focused his attention on Archer (Red A) standing at the door.

"This building is too tall; jumping out of the window is definitely out of the question. And the only escape route is blocked. This is a real problem."

"Are you a Servant?"

Kiritsugu subtly adjusted his posture, trying to get closer to the corridor.

"That's it."

Red Archer continued, mimicking Kiritsugu's earlier tone.

Which rank?

“Arch”.

"You're here to observe that battle?"

Kiritsugu pointed out the window with his thumb.

"Yes."

"Then you can continue reading, I've finished."

Having exhausted all other options, Kiritsugu prepared to resort to his deceptive tactics.

He was gambling, gambling that the Servant would consider the non-existent teammate Servant and thus make a peaceful choice.

"Okay... okay. Thank you."

Red A stepped into the room and stood at the doorway.

He dared not expose his back to Kiritsugu; after all, with his abnormal eyesight, he could already see the entire battle between Cú Chulainn and Ryougi Shiki clearly through the window from where he was standing.

"So they're still determined to block the escape routes... This time, things won't end well."

Kiritsugu coldly stared at Red A, who still hadn't given way to him, and silently lit a second cigarette.

"As expected of my father, most Masters would panic in this situation, but he remains completely unmoved."

Red A finds himself increasingly admiring Kiritsugu.

When he encountered that big dog fighting at the dock back then, he panicked and ran around the teaching building in a panic, and was then stabbed half to death by the other party.

And what about Kiritsugu?

He calmly analyzed the situation, pondered for a moment, and then drew a conclusion.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I might die here."

Kiritsugu wasn't unperturbed; he had simply resigned himself to his fate.

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"This is...the Holy Grail War."

Bazett stared blankly at the battle between the two Servants in front of him.

The legends and myths she had read countless times as a child were now vividly presented before her eyes.

Indeed, in Bazett's eyes, this was a reenactment of mythology.

In mythology, heroes wield lightning to tear the sky apart, ride the wind and waves to shatter the earth, and are capable of almost anything.

And now, the world of his imagination has been miraculously brought to life before Bazett's eyes.

"This is the battle between Svant..."

Faced with this unprecedented and astonishing duel, Bazett could only watch without moving.

This is not the Holy Grail War that Bazett imagined.

Bazett has always held herself in high esteem. Before summoning a Servant, she always saw herself as Cú Chulainn's assistant, rather than someone who would provide support from behind.

In Bazett's mind, she should be fighting alongside the heroic spirit she admires most, overcoming all obstacles, defeating all enemies, and ultimately winning the war.

But now...

Bazett realized that this was not a battle he could participate in.

If it were simply a contest of physical skills, Bazett wouldn't think he was no match for Ryougi Shiki, but Ryougi Shiki's sword was just too bizarre.

"You'll die, if you get slashed... no, even a glancing blow will kill you."

A warrior's instinct warned Bazett of this, preventing her from taking that crucial step into the territory.

Of course, Bazett has her unique Mystic Code, the Reverse Light Sword, which ensures that she can counterattack before Ryougi Shiki can unleash her trump card.

However, setting aside the fact that certain prerequisites are required to unleash the full potential of the [Reverse Light Sword], Bazett only brought a total of 3 [Reverse Light Swords] with him in this Holy Grail War.

If you use up a [Reverse Light Sword] right at the start, what are you going to do next?

For Bazett, the Reverse Blade was more precious than Command Seals.

If she uses a Command Seal, she might be able to get one from her teammates. But where will she find another [Reverse Sword] once she's used it up?

"I should have brought a few more."

Even though he had taken this Holy Grail War seriously enough, once the war actually started, Bazett realized that he had been too complacent.

"No... there's still something I can do."

Bazett turned his gaze to Li Ang, who was sitting on the container watching the show.

"If a Servant's opponent is another Servant, then a Master's opponent is another Master!"

Bazett tightened his black gloves, which were engraved with runes, and charged toward Leon with both feet off the ground.

"If my opponent is Magic Johnson, I won't lose!"

Bah!

The next second, Bazett's fist slammed into a floating ice wall.

As someone tasked with capturing those magicians who were sealed away, Bazett is undoubtedly a top-tier martial arts magician with exceptional combat skills.

Although her fists are far inferior to Noble Phantasms, they still possess the power of firearms.

However, the punch that Bazett had high hopes for, the one that could kill Leon in one blow, was blocked.

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