Chapter 47: Gilles: What did you say? I became the eighth Servant summoned illegally?
Generally speaking, in order to maintain their combat status, Servants would draw a large amount of mana from their masters. However, while Illyasviel had been fighting for a long time and it was extremely intense, Kotomine Kirei did not feel the slightest bit of discomfort. This must be a hidden symbol of being at ease.
The mana extraction will not lie. Even King Gilgamesh needs to extract a lot of mana from Tohsaka Tokiomi to open more than a hundred gates of the Gate of Babylon.
Therefore, in Kotomine Kirei's opinion, the fact that Illyasviel was unable to defeat the enemy and fled in panic after being beaten seemed to be a rather impressive acting skill. If he was not her Master and knew clearly that he had never given his own Servant any Command Seal or Mana support, he would have almost been fooled by the opponent's acting skill. He could only sigh in his heart that he was worthy of being an Assassin, who easily concealed the truth and achieved a wonderful performance that other Heroic Spirits could hardly achieve.
'I'm afraid even Miss Illya herself doesn't know that she is actually not weak.'
She can beat any swordswoman with higher attributes than her or King Gilgamesh with higher mechanics than her, which leads to her image in the eyes of others being infinitely elevated.
Especially at the end of the battle at the harbor, it is not an exaggeration to say that she was the key to winning the game, because she was the only one who could get close to the Golden King silently. It can almost be said that without her fatal sneak attack, all the Servants present would have to retreat and become the foil of King Gilgamesh.
It's just that her specific strength is ten points or even nine points. When she attacks Servants, they are beaten without a sound. Her success rate in assassinating the Master has been basically zero so far.
Like a strange guy who disdains frying fish, only plays high-end games, and plays well in high-end games.
'Could it be that... I am the biggest monster?'
Miss Illya, who was staying in the basement obediently and eating cream cake, was almost blushing from being praised, and she was deep in thought, thinking carefully about the battle at the dock last night.
It seemed like she was the one setting the pace throughout the whole process, and the best player of the match seemed to really go to her. Moreover, after the battle, she also CPU'd the chess piece Matou Kariya, and almost completely confirmed her professional identity as a magi, making other camps beware of another assassin with hidden abilities and terrible abilities who did not exist at all, and she also gained the favorability of the vast majority of masters and servants.
But thinking of her unfortunate assassination success rate... Miss Illya bit the spoon in her mouth sadly.
"No, no! I can't get too arrogant. If the Knight sister hadn't been worn out by me and her hand hadn't been injured, she would have been able to kill me with just two strikes."
The successful assassination of King Gilgamesh was also a coincidence. Iskandar's assistance, the Black Knight's defense breaking, and Diarmuid's loaned weapon were almost all indispensable. Except for the swordswoman who looked like a slacker no matter how she played, all kinds of miracles piled up to the highest point.
Thus, King Gilgamesh was successfully assassinated by her and was killed with the yellow spear, a weapon that was extremely lethal to servants.
'So don't be too bloated. Don't be too bloated!'
Illya kept reminding herself in her heart, although she was somewhat happy to be praised.
She even doubted whether she was really a genius, but it was well known that if you want to destroy someone, you must first make him crazy. King Gilgamesh was the best negative example. The other party was so powerful, but his stomach was punctured because of the swelling of the pufferfish. How could she repeat the mistakes of others?
'But, but, it's really nice to be praised...' The ahoge on Miss Illya's head is spinning back and forth, and eating sweets makes people feel happy.
Coupled with Kotomine Kirei's flattery and her actual combat record, she looked a lot more energetic, and the last trace of darkness in her eyes gradually faded away.
"Assassin, the identity of Uryuu Ryunosuke has been confirmed. He is a descendant of the Uryuu family, a completely fallen magi family. He is currently a freelancer and has no magical talent. However, according to the investigation of the Holy Church, he is suspected to have many similarities with the serial killers in Fuyuki City recently. However, due to the fact that the Holy Church has been busy dealing with the follow-up work of the Port Terminal Battle, his location cannot be confirmed for the time being. If Assassin, you can find conclusive information, I can ask the Holy Church to issue a wanted order for Caster and him."
With a creak, Kotomine Kirei pushed open the door of the basement holding a stack of information. A hint of fatigue appeared on his calm expression. Apart from the first night of summoning, the Holy Grail War had only just begun for a day and a half.
The entire Fuyuki City was in chaos, and the entire port terminal was destroyed last night. The nearby residential areas could even clearly feel the earthquake. Even if the Holy Church had enough energy, it would be too busy to handle all the things it had to deal with.
This was even more true for his old father, Kotomine Risei, who was interviewed by reporters from the TV station every few days and even went on stage to give some reassuring speeches to appease the people. In a short period of time, he became a well-known figure in Fuyuki City. The number of people who came to the cathedral church to pray every day increased several times more than usual. Even he was fed up with it and posted a notice that the interior of the church was being renovated.
"Wanted order for him and Caster? Master, what are you talking about? Isn't Uryuu Ryunosuke a magi who violated the rules of the Holy Grail War by summoning an eighth Servant of an unknown class?"
Miss Illya wiped the cream off her lips and tilted her head innocently and asked back.
She was going to continue wearing the alias of Caster. At first, it was because she was afraid that Tohsaka Tokiomi would respond with hostility. Now, she wanted to invent a non-existent Assassin with hidden abilities that could deceive everyone, so that other groups would be hesitant and not dare to attack with all their strength. After all, if it was confirmed that the Assassin was her, her priority in being attacked would have to be raised.
"As expected of you, Assassin."
Kotomine Kirei nodded, understanding everything in his heart. The feeling of deceiving everyone was inexplicably wonderful. He even looked forward to the unbelievable expressions of his teacher and the other Servants after they learned the truth.
"In addition, there is also the information about the crest worm of the Matou family that you asked me to investigate. I have also found some clues. The father of the two brothers Matou Kariya and Matou Byakuya is Matou Zouken, the current magi consultant of the Matou family."
"There are some big problems with him. On the surface, he is the father of Matou Kariya, but according to the clues of the Holy Church, he has lived for at least eighty years. It is said that he is also a great magi. Of course, this is no problem for a magi expert like you, Assassin. It is a sure thing for us to attack him."
'Please stop giving me weird titles!'
'Magi expert? What else can I do besides some familiar magecraft and the magecraft of the Einzbern family!'
'Don't link mana reserves with magecraft attainments. If you calculate it that way, then the Holy Grail that can absorb the mana of the spiritual veins of Fuyuki City can be considered a magi!'
"Attack him? Hehehe, Master, why would I attack a great magi and a family of magi?" Miss Illya suppressed the desire to complain in her heart and smiled mysteriously. This was the main reason why she needed to bear the title of Caster. She never intended to help Matou Kariya save Matou Sakura from the beginning to the end.
Just like she said before, other people's life and death has nothing to do with her. She is not a saint who will help others when she sees them in trouble. There is no need for her to meddle in other people's family affairs.
After all, the stage of removing the crest worms has blocked the alliance between her and Matou Kariya. When Matou Kariya rescues Matou Sakura, he finds out that she doesn't know how to remove the marking worms at all. Then he will let her experience what a berserker's value is.
Matou Kariya will die, just like Emiya Kiritsugu and that beautiful big sister with big breasts, no brains, and who is very familiar with her. They are all on her kill list.
There are no allies in the Holy Grail War. They are all just tools used by each other.
If she doesn't abandon others, she will have to wait to be abandoned by others. In this world, apart from herself, there is no one with whom she can feel at ease and without any worries.
"It's good that you have your own plan. There is one more thing. Something has happened to Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald. He seems to have gradually changed from attending the magecraft exchange seminar to being more serious. According to the investigation of the Holy Church, he contacted the Archibald family in London last night as the head of the family, and he seems to want to obtain something..."
Beep, beep, beep.
The old phonograph in the basement made an inappropriate sound.
That was the mystic code that Tohsaka Tokiomi used to contact him, which had not sounded since the first Battle.
Kotomine Kirei looked at the cute little girl who was sitting on a chair and swinging her white and tender feet with cream still on her lips, and then put the collected information in front of her.
After getting the other party's tacit consent, he tried his best to calm himself down, suppressed the doubts in his heart about why the teacher would contact him at this time, turned around and turned on the ringing phonograph.
"Teacher......."
"King Gilgamesh is dead."
On the other end, Tohsaka Tokiomi's voice was a little hoarse, and his tone was lonely as if he hadn't slept all night, and he didn't notice that there was anything unusual in his disciple's voice.
"W-what? King Gilgamesh is really gone? He is the oldest king in the legend."
Kotomine Kirei remained calm with a hint of surprise in his tone. He glanced at Miss Illyasviel who was looking at him, and couldn't help but imagine the expression of his teacher right now, as he had clearly drawn the best and strongest card.
On the first night of the Holy Grail War, they were besieged and forced to retreat by other Servants. For such a proud opponent, this was a blow no less than the end of their family's future.
"Haha, there's nothing bad to say, Kirei. This time I underestimated the heroes of the world, and I was too eager for quick success and made a bet in advance. As a gambler, it's only natural that I got such a result. I watched that epic and mythical battle the whole time, and I believe that I gave King Gilgamesh the right support at the best time every time. But Caster's stealth and concealment magecraft is really strong. I have to admit defeat at the hands of such a magi of the Age of Gods. After all, in the final battle between her and King Gilgamesh, I couldn't even see their movements clearly, and because of the mist blocking, I couldn't even use the Command Seal to heal King Gilgamesh's injuries. I could only watch the king fall."
"Teacher, you don't have to blame yourself. I have also heard Assassin describe the epic battle last night. It was King Gilgamesh who was too arrogant and provoked the servants..."
"Needless to say, the King of Heroes' actions were indeed problematic, but I cannot say that his actions were problematic, because I chose to believe him in my judgment at the time, and when have I, Tohsaka Tokiomi, ever regretted my choice? In order to explore the mystery of the root, failure is only a necessary process."
Anyone can blame King Gilgamesh, but he cannot blame others in any way.
This was his choice, and he never regretted it. King Gilgamesh was already powerful enough, and he could not achieve the final victory even if he served such a king.
It can only be said that it was fate. He lost the bet and lost everything.
Tohsaka Tokiomi's voice was very carefree. It was obvious that he had come to the corresponding realization after a night of meditation. The road to exploring the root cause is always tortuous and difficult. If he gets stuck in a dead end because of a failure, it only shows that he is just like that.
Hearing this, Kotomine Kirei was really surprised this time, because in his impression.
His teacher has always been a steady, simple, elegant, aristocratic magi. Although his words in the past were also calm and confident, he never had the mentality of being able to adjust in a short period of time after suffering a major blow with clear thinking and perseverance.
"I saw the determination of heroes who did not belong to this era to fight to the death, and I was deeply moved. After all, I never thought that my ideal of pursuing the root was much weaker than theirs..." As if he had guessed his disciple's surprise, Tohsaka Tokiomi's free and easy voice came again:
"Besides, I'm not completely out of the game, am I? There's still the possibility of pursuing the Holy Grail."
"!!!"
The ahoge on Miss Illyasviel's head stood up in shock.
The spoon in his hand also fell to the ground.
What does that mean? What do you mean by not completely out yet? Is it not out even if the servant dies?
Although she had already guessed in her heart that there was something wrong with Tohsaka Tokiomi's recall of King Gilgamesh, now that Tohsaka Tokiomi really admitted it, she couldn't help but think of some ghost story.
Could it be that King Gilgamesh has been resurrected? But what's the point of resurrecting when his head is pierced by a yellow spear? Or did King Gilgamesh prepare a resurrection item in advance?
But after being shocked for about a second, the hair on her head returned to normal.
She was very sure that no matter how bad her luck was, King Gilgamesh would definitely die, and with the other party's pride, it was impossible for him to prepare means of resurrection in advance. If he didn't die, she wanted to curse the biological mother of this world and ask if King Gilgamesh was her father. He was such a supermodel.
"Teacher, what do you mean? King Gilgamesh actually has a chance to be resurrected?"
Kotomine Kirei was also surprised. He had clearly confirmed with Miss Illyasviel that King Gilgamesh was indeed dead. If he wasn't dead, she would have eaten three pounds of Mapo Tofu on the spot.
"Hahaha, Kirei, King Gilgamesh is indeed dead. This is a fact that everyone knows."
"That......."
"But no one has stipulated that once a Servant dies, the participants of the Holy Grail War must withdraw, right?"
Tohsaka Tokiomi is going to do something.
Still a big job.
Just like Kenneth, who has begun to face up to the Holy Grail War, and Matou Kariya, who has come to his senses, the head of the magi family, who is approaching middle age, is also restless.
"Kirei, as long as the spirit base of a Servant is still there, even if it dies from a fatal wound, it will not dissipate immediately. Instead, a corpse containing the spirit base will be left behind. And as long as it is infused with mana to maintain it, even a corpse can exist for a long time." Tohsaka Tokiomi spoke in a leisurely tone, as if he had guessed how shocked his own disciple on the other side would be.
He felt like he was really crazy, risking all of the Tohsaka family's wealth for a hope that might very well fail, but he knew very well that what he was doing was the right thing to do.
Looking at the corpse in the living room, lying in the magic circle, with most of its head smashed, and the body still unable to close its eyes until the end.
And surrounding the magic circle were more than a dozen precious gems that he had originally intended to leave to his daughter, Tohsaka Rin. He couldn't help feeling bitter and sad.
If he didn't have a daughter, Sakura, who could take on the responsibility in the future.
He would not do such a gambler's behavior that was unkind to his father.
He was sorry for Rin, but at least he was kind to Sakura.
(TL: HUH?!)
"After that, you will announce to the public that I have withdrawn from this Holy Grail War. Thank you, Kirei. King Gilgamesh's public death will also allow me to fade out of the sight of other Servants and that terrifying Caster."
This can be considered an unexpected benefit.
Although it was a bit like cheating in public, he would bear the blame alone.
"I understand Sensei. I believe Caster will never be aware of your plan."
He looked at Miss Illyasviel who was rubbing her hands together, eager to kill Tohsaka Tokiomi.
Kotomine Kirei assured without changing his expression. This wasn't really a lie. After all, no matter how you looked at Caster, you wouldn't know what kind of fun his teacher might be up to.
At this time Miss Illyasviel also came over. In addition to worry, she was more curious. She was curious about how Tohsaka Tokiomi, who had lost all his servants, would fight in the Holy Grail War with a dead body of a Heroic Spirit. After all, she also heard that Tohsaka Tokiomi should not have the ability to revive King Gilgamesh, otherwise the opponent would have brought King Gilgamesh, who was obviously able to beat all the Servants in this Holy Grail War, to the door of a certain unlucky Servant and forced him to retreat.
"I feel relieved when you say that." Rubbing his red and sore eyes from a sleepless night, Tohsaka Tokiomi laughed out loud, with the announcement of the Holy Church.
Even if he failed in this gamble, he could still save his life and raise Rin.
"Then, teacher, what exactly do you want to do? I'm not doubting your plan, but I'm wondering what use a corpse can have since King Gilgamesh is completely dead? If it's really inconvenient, just pretend I don't have it..."
"It's not inconvenient. Rather than saying what to do, it's more of a guess. I need to study carefully how to implement it. Although the probability of success is very low, as long as it succeeds, I still have a chance to win this Holy Grail War."
Tohsaka Tokiomi's words were very vague, or he actually hadn't organized his thoughts.
It's just a gamble, a gamble on that subtle glimmer of hope.
"and......."
"Teacher, please speak."
"I have one more thing to ask of you, Kirei. I beg you to agree to it."
"?"
At this point, Tohsaka Tokiomi's voice hesitated, as if he knew that this was a bit too much, but he considered that his own disciple had no desire for the omnipotent wish-granting machine.
Even if the other party agrees to this matter, there will be no loss for the other party. At most, he can give the other party a certain amount of compensation later.
"Kirei, your Assassin is still here, right?"
"Although its attributes are extremely inferior, it is still a Servant after all and can increase my chances of winning... So can you give it to me?"