Tōsaka Aoi simply stared at her husband's corpse, remaining silent for a long time... She slowly knelt on the ground, gently touching the already cold body as tears streamed down her face.
Matō Kariya wanted to comfort her, but found himself unable to speak... He had once sworn he would never let this beloved woman shed tears, yet now he realized he was completely powerless to keep that promise... Sobs echoed through the church, immersing the entire space in sorrow...
"...So the Matō family obtains the Holy Grail this way, are you satisfied, Kariya...?"
The voice was cold and heartless, a tone neither Matō Kariya nor Tōsaka Aoi had ever heard from each other before.
"No, I... but..." Matō Kariya stammered, completely stunned by this bizarre turn of events... Why was Tōsaka Tokiomi dead? Who killed him? Did the master ask me to come to the church because it was related to him? And why was Aoi here? These questions echoed in his mind, but he couldn't find any answers.
And why was she blaming me? Wasn't all of this Tokiomi's fault? Yes, it was, it was all Tokiomi's fault!
"The Matō family took Sakura, wasn't that enough? Why did you have to kill my husband? Why? Why in front of me? Why? Why do you hate us so much?"
Her tone carried intense disgust and murderous intent. Matō Kariya couldn't believe it. No, this woman definitely wasn't Aoi, she couldn't be. Aoi was such a gentle person, so gentle she had never blamed him before, so how could she harbor murderous intent toward him?
"It's all this man's fault! If it weren't for him, no one would be unhappy. Aoi, you still have Sakura, no one would be suffering, everyone would be happy, happy!" Matō Kariya shouted with all his might, his voice hoarse! He would not allow the woman he loved, his childhood friend, to speak to him like this!
"What a joke!!" Tōsaka Aoi screamed, "...What do you know? What do you know? You've never loved anyone, anyone!!"
"Ah—!" Matō Kariya roared at the sky.
"Who says I haven't? I have! I have!!" In that instant, Matō Kariya felt something inside him snap. He realized this body no longer belonged to him, and the emotion called reason had completely vanished... To be told by the person he loved that he had never loved anyone—such a blow was something the emotionally fragile Matō Kariya simply couldn't endure!
"I... have someone... I like!" Matō Kariya growled, his face contorted into a ferocious grimace!
His body instinctively grabbed Tōsaka Aoi's neck. Matō Kariya confessed, growled, and tightened his grip.
Tōsaka Aoi's face turned purple, her limbs flailing like a drowning person desperately gasping for precious oxygen... Matō Kariya could only escape through madness, fleeing from Tōsaka Aoi's accusations.
Slowly, the struggling woman gave up, her limbs falling limply to the ground as she completely lost consciousness... But Matō Kariya couldn't tell. The madman naturally assumed Tōsaka Aoi was dead, just like Tōsaka Tokiomi... He stared at his hands, the hands that had just killed the woman he loved most... "Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!" Holding his head, Matō Kariya slammed it against the ground, completely disregarding the blood flowing from him. This time, he might have truly gone insane... He wanted to run, but just as he stood up, a sharp pain shot through the back of his head, and he too fell unconscious...
"Is this what you wanted me to do?" Kotomine Kirei asked Ryougi Raku beside him, but Kotomine Kirei's body was filled with an indescribable exhilaration. He was the designer of the entire script, directing everything, watching the actors follow his plan. Kotomine Kirei had never experienced such pleasure in his life... Of course, there was only one small difference: the script still contained someone else's thoughts...
"Why didn't you let him run? Wouldn't that have been even more perfect?" Kotomine Kirei asked the person beside him, puzzled.
Ryougi Raku smiled, looking at a corpse and two unconscious people not far away, and quietly said, "Death isn't the worst outcome. A script designed by fate, broken by one's own hands—isn't that more enjoyable? The immensely powerful and arrogant Tōsaka Tokiomi, the weak and humbly living Matō Kariya—their life paths should have never intersected, but this war brought them together... Matō Sakura, who should have lived a miserable life in the Matō family, and Tōsaka Rin, who should have had everything in the Tōsaka family..."
"Now, everything has changed... That arrogant and powerful Tōsaka Tokiomi is dead, killed by his own arrogance. That humble and weak Matō Kariya is still alive, simply because he met a stronger me... Tōsaka Tokiomi's wife, Tōsaka Aoi, who deeply loved her husband, will end up with Matō Kariya. Although she has lost her memory and is somewhat senile, isn't life the most precious thing? She still has her life, and that is the most valuable thing money cannot buy!"
"Look, Matō Sakura will receive Matō Kariya's care and can live with her mother again; while Tōsaka Rin will struggle to survive under the guardianship of her father's murderer. Isn't that interesting? The path designed by fate has changed just like that. The script of fate is broken just like that. Isn't that the most fun?"
These were the most words Ryougi Raku had spoken to Kotomine Kirei, but they deeply moved this profound man... Ryougi Raku's explanation gave Kotomine Kirei a feeling of climaxing pleasure, a joy from the bottom of his heart—the joy of controlling everyone, even fate itself... Ryougi Raku looked at Kotomine Kirei, sneering inwardly. This man with a flawed personality was sometimes truly simple, truly naive... 'As a transmigrator, fate is the inherent trajectory of the story. Not breaking this trajectory is only because I don't yet have the power to resist it. Not breaking this fate is only for the sake of my own life... But, since I already know the future will change, then let's experiment properly here, according to my own ideas... A certain great man once said that practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Let me see what changes this slight difference will bring to the world? Or perhaps no changes at all?' Ryougi Raku thought to himself. He had made a small change, and there would be even bigger changes after this. Would it break fate, or was this merely a tributary of fate, and he was still struggling in this river called fate?
"Alright, I'll take these two back with me... Archer has already made a contract with you, hasn't he? Hehe, it seems the climax of this war is about to begin..." Ryougi Raku said as he walked over to Matō Kariya and Tōsaka Aoi.
Kotomine Kirei just stared deeply at this young man... This really was just a young man, but he completely lacked everything a person of his age should have. Facing him, Kotomine Kirei even felt like he was facing an ancient monster who had lived for countless years... 'But as long as he can lead me out of my confusion and help me understand the meaning of my existence, nothing else matters.' Kotomine Kirei continued to savor the lingering joy... He quietly took a sip of the red wine in the nearby glass. In that instant, he felt astonished. Why? Even the very expensive wine that he used to find tasteless—now, he could taste the flavors brewing within it?
However, it was truly delicious, and he wanted to keep drinking...
---
"Oh, and the Holy Grail vessel also needs to fulfill her duty, and that woman, Hisau Maiya—since she chose to oppose me, let her leave quietly..." Ryougi Raku coldly dictated the life and death of others.
Ryougi Raku didn't want Irisviel to die... But, as the Holy Grail vessel, Irisviel had a mission she had to complete. Since she chose Kiritsugu Emiya, then Irisviel had to pay the price for her choice. However, Ryougi Raku also knew that Irisviel had long since come to terms with it... For someone with such resolve, death wasn't so terrifying, nor impossible to arrive. From this perspective, it also dispelled Ryougi Raku's last doubts... 'Ultimately, I still can't achieve the true mindset of a seeker of truth. This indecisiveness could cost me my life...' Ryougi Raku reflected, identifying his shortcomings so that next time he encountered such a situation, he could truly be decisive.
'It's a pity for Irisviel—the Kiritsugu Emiya you chose, he ultimately doesn't have that kind of resolve...'
Kotomine Kirei naturally understood Ryougi Raku's meaning and nodded in agreement. The two of them were like allies and enemies, a relationship that was hard to define... Things proceeded as imagined, without any errors.
Saber wandered aimlessly throughout Fuyuki City like a headless fly. She, of course, didn't know that Irisviel was actually inside the Holy Grail... Until she saw the smoke signal from the Fuyuki City Hall. Having no other clues, she could only take that as her last resort. Regardless, she knew it must be related to the Holy Grail War.
Riding her motorcycle, she arrived at the Fuyuki City Hall at top speed. The area was deserted. Saber quietly observed the wall, then unhesitatingly drove her vehicle into the underground parking lot.
That was a good place for a battlefield!
Saber vigilantly scanned the entire underground garage. If there was an enemy, he would definitely be here!
"Ah ah ah ah ah!" A furious roar echoed. Saber naturally recognized the source of the voice! Then, a violent explosion sounded, and Saber's intuition allowed her to dodge the attack instantly.
"This is..." Saber naturally recognized the weapon of attack. It was the most feared and exciting thing in modern times!
The machine gun spat fire. Due to Berserker's ability, this gun had also become a Noble Phantasm, gaining mystique and thus being able to harm Servants.
The power was as if it wasn't firing a gun, but a rocket launcher!
Saber dodged while scanning her surroundings until she spotted a truck in the corner... 'That's it!' Braving the hail of bullets, Saber quickly rushed to the corner. Bullets arrived as expected, and Saber swiftly dodged behind the truck, then used her sword to launch it into the air. The furious gunfire instantly tore through the truck's body, but for Saber, that was precisely the desired outcome!
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(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) ‹ (TL : More Chapters @patreon.com/c/Gooberilla)