I really didn't want to burn it.

But Kiritsugu no longer had time to calculate the exact number of Command Seals Kirei Kotomine had; he didn't even have a chance to think about how to reload them.

Because Kirei Kotomine simply wouldn't allow Kiritsugu even a moment's distraction.

Just as Kiritsugu understands Kirei Kotomine, Kirei also understands Kiritsugu Emiya's fighting style and techniques.

Emiya Kiritsugu, proficient in various firearms and explosive techniques, can maximize his combat power at mid-to-long range. Once it turns into close-range combat, his mastery of Bajiquan gives him an absolute advantage.

Although Kiritsugu can use Time Control to accelerate his body, how many times can he use it without any means of recovery?

Thus, under Kirei Kotomine's deliberate guidance, the battle between the two turned into a contest of distance.

Kiritsugu Emiya resisted the damage that the Time Control had inflicted on his body, gritting his teeth and continuing to fight.

Speed ​​allows him to gain an advantage in short-term actions, provided he can seize the opportunity—

Bah!

Kirei Kotomine's fist shattered the carbine Kiritsugu was using to restrain him with his left hand, and he followed up with a shoulder strike to Kiritsugu.

In an instant, Kiritsugu experienced his second defeat.

Accelerating at twice the speed was not enough to maintain his speed advantage; instead, he found himself in a predicament where he could see the movement but his body couldn't keep up.

This shoulder strike even made Kiritsugu feel the breath of death. It wasn't that he, Emiya Kiritsugu, couldn't withstand a shoulder strike, but rather that Kiritsugu was certain that if he were hit, what awaited him would be a combo that would prevent him from landing.

If Kiritsugu hadn't used the wreckage of his carbine to block the attack at the last moment, he probably would have been shot into the air by the fake priest and wouldn't have been able to land.

In an instant, Kiritsugu's mind flashed back to the scene of him playing fighting games with Shirou in the arcade.

M78 Nebula 756365104

PS: According to earlier Fate settings, Kirei Kotomine was at his strongest at the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Relying on his obsession with Kiritsugu Emiya, his combat power at that time was equivalent to that of Chiel (one of the heroines of Tsukihime, the seventh member of the Burial Agency).

Listen to that... obsession with Emiya Kiritsugu, tsk tsk. →_→

Chapter 172 Father Mapo: Why is my fight with Kiritsugu Emiya always interrupted?

"My physical condition isn't keeping up..."

Although Leon helped Kiritsugu remove the curse of the black mud, his body, now over 30, has begun to decline in various ways.

In addition, Kiritsugu has not been able to train his body properly in the past four years (nor has he had the opportunity), so his body can no longer keep up with Kirei Kotomine.

In such a fierce battle, even the slightest mistake could cost one of them their life.

Kiritsugu realized he had to come up with a solution quickly, otherwise he might be beaten to death by Kirei Kotomine if the fight continued.

"More important than settling scores with him is the Holy Grail... but what about our manpower..."

Kiritsugu hesitated for a moment; it seemed too late to use a Command Seal now.

"You're distracted, Kiritsugu Emiya!"

Kirei Kotomine roared angrily and punched his opponent directly in the stomach.

"Time alt--triple accel! (Time control triples speed!)"

Although he knew that using triple speed without his sword sheath was suicidal, Kiritsugu knew even more that if he didn't dodge the punch, he would die.

After dodging the punch, Kiritsugu accelerated again and a voice appeared in his mind.

Stop immediately!

Perhaps it was a bodily instinct, or perhaps something else, but Kiritsugu canceled the magic at the crucial moment, saving his own life.

If it had been half a second later, Kiritsugu might have suffered cardiac arrest and ruptured blood vessels due to the world's correction, ultimately dying from the side effects of magic.

Unfortunately, Kiritsugu's good fortune came to an end there.

Before he could even adjust to the burden of three times the speed, Kirei Kotomine was already in front of him.

"—die."

Kirei Kotomine became excited.

This battle, which has lasted for four years, is finally coming to an end.

Now, he only needs half a second to kill his arch-enemy, Emiya Kiritsugu.

He, Kirei Kotomine, will soon kill his nemesis, become the boss of Fuyuki City, descend upon this world as the evil, marry the Holy Grail, and reach the pinnacle of life!

At least, at this moment, Kirei Kotomine believed this.

however--

"—Trace on. (—Projection begins.)"

A "rain" of swords shot towards the priest from the side, like a storm, forcing Kirei Kotomine away from Kiritsugu Emiya with an unyielding and unquestionable attitude.

Despite the seemingly seamless attack, Kirei Kotomine activated a defensive spell in less than 0.1 seconds, blocking the deadly rain from his body.

As he activated his magic, Kiritsugu Emiya also safely escaped the clutches of death.

"Again!"

Kirei Kotomine complained with dissatisfaction.

Why is it that every time he tries to do something with Kiritsugu Emiya, he gets interrupted?!

"Ah...ah...sorry I'm late."

Red A emerged from the smoke and dust, offering a completely unapology.

"I've already taken your son home, so you don't need to worry."

Although he was speaking to Kiritsugu, Archer's eyes never left Kirei Kotomine.

Kiritsugu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the dark-skinned Heroic Spirit in front of him with some confusion.

The red-clad hero raised the corners of his mouth as he drew his black and white swords.

"Alright, let's finish this fake priest off this time."

"Why do you want to help us?"

Kiritsugu asked with a serious expression.

He heard Red Archer's incantation just now, which made Kiritsugu question the identity of the Heroic Spirit in front of him.

"There's no other way. The current situation risks burning away humanity, so it must be eliminated. As the guardians of humanity, Chaldea must stand on the side of humanity."

Red A's original intention was to use this high-sounding reason to get by, but Kirei Kotomine on the other side had a different idea after hearing it.

"Human logic?"

The fake priest's eyes immediately lit up.

The expression on his face was as if he had gone to redeem a lottery ticket worth 1 yuan but found out that he had actually won 1 million yuan.

"That's really...not bad."

Kirei Kotomine smiled and extended his hand.

"You're like a Mapo Tofu..."

Red A was so angry he laughed.

Just as the two sides were about to clash, Gilgamesh's roar came from above.

"Li Ang! Die for me!"

Archer and Kiritsugu looked up immediately, and then they saw Vimana launching a nuclear missile at the rock giant.

"Wait a moment!!"

Red A was stunned by Gilgamesh's actions, but it was too late for him to react.

The ancient nuclear warhead collided with the giant, causing an explosion that spread outwards.

If EA is the entity that splits the heavens and earth, allowing all things to rebuild order.

This ancient nuclear warhead represents destruction, a destructive force that returns everything to chaos.

Wherever the eruption passed, everything was engulfed in it.

destroy.

damage.

Everything that once existed has become meaningless; all that remains is the dust and debris of ruins.

The hole in the cave was also among those damaged, but instead of disappearing obediently, it revealed something inside without reservation.

The black mud silently boiled, screamed, and surged, gushing out from the hole.

Large amounts of black mud were poured down from above the crowd.

Kiritsugu hurriedly looked up and turned around. Through the gap in the black seawater, he saw Kirei Kotomine with the proud look of a victor.

Humanity... world... let destruction begin from here!

The priest in black conveyed these words silently through his eyes.

Everything happened too fast; before anyone could even resist, they were engulfed by the black mud.

Kiritsugu Emiya was almost instantly overwhelmed by the negative aura, unable to breathe, and the familiar feeling of being cursed and suffocated descended upon him once again.

Just when Kiritsugu thought he was about to experience the curse of the Holy Grail again, a force suddenly knocked him down.

Before Kiritsugu could even react in surprise, he saw the red-clad servant shield him completely.

"you……"

"Dad!"

Emiya Kiritsugu felt a blur before his eyes, and he felt his soul leaving his body.

The things around him that had become blurry began to slowly become clear, but the scene that appeared was not the great void where Kiritsugu was, but a Japanese garden that he knew all too well.

"here it is?"

Kiritsugu walked silently down the corridor.

The moonlight shining on the ground created a captivating beauty.

But Kiritsugu's attention was not on the scenery at all. He looked at a father and son sitting in the corridor, side by side, as if they had just finished dinner and were chatting.

Kiritsugu remained silent; he knew this father and son very well.

No, I wouldn't say familiar; he was just one of them.

"When I was very young, I admired the embodiment of justice."

Kiritsugu in the scene let out such a sigh.

"In the past? Have you given up now?"

Shirou responded with dissatisfaction, as he hated his idol's rejection of him.

"Yes, it's a pity that being a hero has its time limit; once you become an adult, it becomes much harder. I wish I had realized that sooner."

Although Kiritsugu himself had not experienced this scene, he could sense the helplessness in his own tone within it.

I once liberated a demon capable of destroying the world in pursuit of my ideals.

Unfortunately, by the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. Countless people had died because of it, including Shirou's own parents.

But Shirou didn't see it that way. After hearing Kiritsugu's words, he fell into deep thought.

But he soon seemed to accept Kiritsugu's statement and nodded.

"Really? Then there's nothing we can do."

"Indeed, there's nothing we can do about it."

The man replied with a hint of sorrow, then looked up at the moonlit sky and sighed.

"Ah, what a beautiful moon."

Shirou hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage and spoke.

"Well, if you can't do it anymore, then let me do it for you."

In the serene darkness of the night, the young man made a vow as if nothing had happened.