Amidst mocking and pitying laughter, a blinding golden light dispelled the darkness of the cell, forcing Kirei Kotomine, who had been staring into the void, to turn his gaze toward the outside of the cell.
Even just standing there, the Servant exuded an overwhelming pressure, completely disregarding the reverence and discipline expected in a modern law enforcent facility.
"Even at this point, you're still lost in thought? You really are slow, Kirei."
"Did Tokiomi-sensei send you? Archer."
"Tokiomi? That guy has no ti to deal with your affairs. In fact, he probably doesn't even know about your situation, does he?"
The blood-red eyes of the Servant scrutinized Kirei Kotomine, as if he had already anticipated and was looking forward to Kirei's reaction.
"...What do you an?"
"Let tell you, Kirei—he's currently handling the funeral arrangents for Father Risei Kotomine."
Father? Risei Kotomine? Risei... Kotomine...?
Father?
When the information Archer had spoken finally sank in, the sensation of tears sliding down his cheeks left Kirei montarily stunned, and he instinctively pressed his hand against his face.
Shedding tears over the death of a blood relative... for a person, this should be a natural reaction. But at this mont, Kirei felt as if he had stepped into an abyss, plunging into a state of near-terror and confusion.
You must not look directly at it—a stern voice warned him from within.
Kirei Kotomine, you must not understand, nor must you acknowledge the emotions rising within you now. Because that is—
"Regret?"
The golden Servant savoured Kirei's hollow and struggling expression, a sadistic smile playing on his lips.
"Not sadness over the death of a loved one, but regret for not being there. No, that's not quite accurate."
"To be precise, you regret that the one who killed your own father wasn't you, right?"
The words pierced Kirei's heart like a steel needle, shattering the barriers he had erected three years ago. Kirei stared blankly at the wetness in his hand, at the tears he had shed.
Tears... when was the last ti he had cried?
Yes, it was three years ago, that unforgettable mont. That woman, his wife Claudia, cupped the tears streaming down Kirei's face and said.
"You love so much."
This parting was nothing like the ending he had hoped for—he had thought the sa back then. By the bedside of that terminally ill woman, hadn't Kirei already realized what he was searching for?
He wanted to see her suffer more—
He wanted to see her in even greater agony—
At that mont, just like now, Kirei once again felt the sa chaotic, bewildering emotions he had experienced three years ago.
At the very least, before his father's death, he should have made him experience the most extre...
"The soul seeks pleasure, just as a beast follows the scent of blood—"
The ruby-like eyes lood in his mind, smiling wickedly as they whispered to him.
"Now, you should be able to give an answer, shouldn't you? About that matter."
Kirei knew what Archer was referring to. It was the night he lost Assassin, when Archer had demanded he participate in a "pasti"—a way to satisfy his curiosity about each Master's motives for pursuing the Holy Grail. For this, the King of Heroes had generously handed over one of his treasured Noble Phantasms.
One of them had been placed by Kirei in the church, revealing Sakatsuki's theft of the spiritual leyline. The rest had indeed been used by Kirei for surveillance, yielding so results.
But what was the point of talking about this now?
With a feeling akin to escape, Kirei, through the bars of his cell, finally opened his mouth and began to speak slowly.
He spoke of the Lancer Master, who sought victory for the honour of a magus. He spoke of the Rider Master, who once shared the sa ideals as his teacher but now seed to have gained new insight. He spoke of the Caster Master, that enigmatic young man who harboured murderous intentions toward him. And because he had failed to track down the Saber Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, he lied to Archer, then continued to speak of the Berserker Master, Kariya Matou.
"A self-taught magus burdened with a maddened Servant, who initially seed to form an alliance with the Caster faction but has recently drawn a line. Moreover, he seems to have a past connection with Tokiomi's wife, Aoi, and has taken in Tokiomi's two daughters..."
Suddenly, Archer interrupted Kirei's narration.
"Then, Kirei, let's assu a scenario—if by so miracle and sheer luck, the Berserker Master actually survived to the end. Can you imagine what would happen then?"
An assumption. If it were just a hypothetical...
If the Berserker Master defeated everyone and even obtained the Holy Grail, what would Kariya face?
Needless to say, he would face his own darkness. Waving the banner of justice to reclaim Aoi's daughters, yet having to take her husband from her—a glaring contradiction. Kariya's heart had not yet realized this contradiction... no, he was deliberately ignoring it. This ant he was deceiving himself, hiding his jealousy and base desires.
Standing at the blood-soaked peak of victory, Kariya Matou would be forced to confront the ugliest aspects of his own heart.
Archer watched Kirei's thoughtful expression and smiled knowingly.
"Kirei, you should have realized it by now, shouldn't you? The true essence of this question."
"...What do you an?"
"If you were to ask the sa question about the other Masters, you would quickly realize it's aningless, a waste of effort. But with Kariya, you didn't notice. You abandoned your usual precise thinking, indulging in pointless fantasies. You forgot how aningless this was, and even if it led nowhere, you didn't mind. This is what's called 'interest.'"
Archer spread his arms, his face still devoid of any warmth, instead shining with the pure joy of a child observing an anthill.
"Celebrate, Kirei. Your endless pilgrimage is finally nearing its destination—you have finally understood what 'pleasure' is."
In a trembling as if struck by lightning, Kirei's mind went blank, but in the vast sea of his soul, sothing seed to surface.
He wanted to see his wife suffer more—
He wanted his father to experience the most extre form of death—
He eagerly anticipated the pitiful outco of Kariya's wish being fulfilled—
The warnings of the gods could no longer stop Kirei. At last, he understood that righteousness and morality could not provide him with any answers.
Finally, the man let out a long breath, a sigh of joy tinged with loneliness upon reaching his destination.
"What is this... what am I?"
In the end, even the false sighs ceased. The man dressed as a priest simply clutched his stomach and laughed, gasping for breath but unable to stop.
"So twisted? So filthy? Is this really the son of Risei Kotomine? Hahaha, no, impossible! What is this? Did my father really give birth to a four-legged beast?"
"Are you satisfied, Kirei?"
Gilgash asked with a pleased smile.
"No, not yet. This alone isn't enough."
Kirei wiped away his tears and shook his head.
"I have indeed found an answer in this life of endless searching, and that's a great step forward. But this doesn't solve the problem. The answer was just thrown at , and the process or path to it was skipped. How can I accept that?"
The priest, now with a renewed spirit, smiled and raised his right hand.
Had he been so overwheld with joy that he ignored the pain on the back of his hand? At so point, the Command Spells symbolizing a Master had reappeared.
"The equation that produced this aberrant existence of mine must be based on so clear logic, existing sowhere. No, it must exist. I must seek it out, explore what it is... and in this Holy Grail War, there will undoubtedly be the answers I seek."
Faced with Kirei's declaration to rejoin the war, Archer laughed.
"Hahaha, you really are an endless source of amusent... it seems my efforts to spur you on were worth it. But Kirei, you're about to face a big problem."
After laughing for a while, a cunning yet dangerously evil glint appeared in Archer's blood-red eyes.
"If you intend to participate in the Holy Grail War of your own will, Tokiomi Tohsaka will beco your enemy. That ans you are now unard, facing an enemy Servant in the sa room. Don't you think that's a dangerous situation?"
"Not necessarily. I've already thought of how to plead for rcy."
"Oh?"
Archer's interest was piqued as he narrowed his eyes, while Kirei continued calmly.
"Since I will be opposing Tokiomi-sensei, there's no need for to protect his lies anymore—Gilgash, I will tell you the truth behind the Holy Grail War that you do not yet know."
***
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