Despite his bluster about making Kiritsugu Emiya pay, Kayneth, in his current state, was undoubtedly no match for even an ordinary person.
Even the slightest caution on Kotomine Risei's part would have prevented Kayneth from succeeding. Risei's death was entirely due to his own overconfidence.
But Kayneth couldn't regain his composure. The familiar sound—the searing pain of his severed magical circuits—triggered a fresh wave of agony, sending him into a frenzy as he roared into the darkness.
"Is that you, Kiritsugu Emiya?! Is it you?! Show yourself, you mad dog, you waste! You disgrace to mages!"
The icy touch at the back of his head cut short his outburst. Faced with the immediate threat of death, Kayneth recoiled.
"Kiritsugu Emiya…" He turned, gritting his teeth at the man standing before him: a worn coat, unkempt hair, and a scraggly beard.
His grim face was at odds with the sharp intensity in his eyes… the man who'd cruelly severed all his magical circuits, the hateful Matou lackey, the impassive figure in the oversized coat.
Kayneth's eyes blazed with murderous intent; his hands, gripping the armrests, twisted; his gaunt face contorted in rage. If he hadn't been crippled, he might have lunged to seize the devil by the throat.
A piece of paper fluttered down beside him. Ordinary paper, yet Kayneth stared intently at the few words written upon it.
"If you don't want your lover to die, look behind you…"
Kayneth's eyes widened; he turned his wheelchair. In the pitch-black depths of the abandoned factory, light from a skylight illuminated a single spot like a spotlight.
In the faint, cold light, the outline of a woman lying unconscious was visible.
"…"
Even in the dim light and distance, Kayneth couldn't mistake the face.
Though Sola's face was pale with pain and exhaustion, a strand of hair trembled as if stirred by a gentle breeze. It was proof of breath; she was alive.
Kiritsugu Emiya's submachine gun was pointed at Sola's head. Kayneth's breath hitched; he watched the cold-blooded man, unsure of his intentions.
Another piece of paper fluttered down; upon reading it, Kayneth's eyes widened.
Without warning, without preamble… a brilliant crimson blossomed across the ground.
Both Saber and Lancer, equally shocked by the sudden turn of events, stared with wide eyes… Lancer's surprise was surely the most profound. He had no expectation or preparation for such pain and despair.
Lancer stared blankly at the crimson lotus blooming on the ground, his own blood.
His own beloved spear had pierced his heart. It wasn't another; his own hands had driven the spear into his chest.
It wasn't his will, not his desire. His red spear should have pierced Saber's heart. Saber's sword should have pierced his.
A power capable of completely ignoring his will and beliefs, stripping him of everything… it could only be a Command Seal.
"Ah…"
Crimson tears flowed from Lancer's wide eyes.
Betrayal… betrayed again… He'd become a Heroic Spirit to change things, to truly serve once more, yet the result was a tragic repetition… experiencing that despair and sorrow again.
The Heroic Spirit looked behind him with bloodshot eyes. At that moment, two Masters emerged from the abandoned factory to witness his end: Kayneth, his vacant expression fixed on his wheelchair, and another man, holding the unconscious Sola. It was the unnamed Master of Saber, whom he'd met recently.
"You… so…"
Lancer knelt in his own blood, his voice hoarse.
"You wanted victory so badly?! The Grail so much?! You even trampled on… my one true wish… Don't you feel shame?!"
"Unforgivable… utterly unforgivable! Enslaved by fame and fortune, you debase the glory of knighthood… I defile your dreams with my blood! I curse the Grail! I curse your wishes to become calamities! When you fall into the cauldron of hell, do not forget Diarmuid's rage!"
As he faded, dissolving into a hazy shadow, his final words were a curse. The glorious Heroic Spirit was gone, replaced by a vengeful spirit. Servant Lancer was finally destroyed.
Kayneth stared blankly at the space where Lancer had vanished. Kiritsugu casually placed the still-unconscious Sola on his lap. Kayneth gently stroked his lover's pale face, asking Kiritsugu weakly.
"…So, your contract is…"
"Yes, it's complete. I can't kill you anymore…" Kiritsugu slowly backed away, lighting a cigarette—perhaps a signal.
Gunfire erupted, from the Steyr AUG in the hands of Kuzuki Mai, who had witnessed everything from the shadows.
The magus and his fiancée, victims of the very bullets they'd so easily dismissed, were torn apart and fell to the concrete floor.
"Indeed… I can't kill you, so I had to ask Mai to do it." Kiritsugu said impassively, spreading his hands innocently.
"U… ah…!!"
Perhaps Sola, killed instantly without pain, was fortunate. Kayneth, riddled with bullets, fell from his wheelchair, still breathing. His multiple fatal wounds left no hope of survival. Even those few remaining seconds of life, enduring the agony of death, would have been excruciatingly long.
"…Ah… kill… kill me…"
"Sorry, that's a contract I can't fulfill."
Ignoring the weak plea at his feet, Kiritsugu exhaled a puff of pale purple smoke, replying coldly.
The sobbing ceased. Saber, unable to bear the sight, beheaded Kayneth, ending his suffering.
"Let's go."
Kiritsugu said flatly, ignoring the bodies on the ground; others would deal with the Grail War's casualties.
Of course, he didn't yet know that Kotomine Risei had been killed by Kayneth.
That makes three eliminated; only the three strongest enemies remain.
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