Mobius: "..."
Vill-V: "..."
At this point, both Mobius and Vill-V had grown completely accustomed to this sort of thing. Elysia's desire to organize a "Thirteen Flame-Chasers Roll Call" was born from the simple fact that she thought it sounded cool.
For Elysia, "cool" was reason enough. Had they not all witnessed how she had once cast aside Abyss Flower and Black Orchid?
And just as Elysia had said, if she truly set her mind to it, neither Vill-V nor Mobius had any reason to refuse. It wasn't because they couldn't defeat her, but because they couldn't bear to turn her down.
Eriri: "I don't know why, but I'm not feeling the slightest bit of dissonance from this."
Eden: "Because that's just who Elysia is. Whenever she has an interesting idea, she never hides it."
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Putting other things aside, that 'Round Table Seal Release' was quite interesting. I have some knowledge of the Knights of the Round Table, but are the Thirteen Flame-Chasers something similar?"
Su: "No, the differences are quite significant. Other than the matching number, there are almost no other similarities."
Conan: "The Thirteen Flame-Chasers... are they a symbol established by your organization to fight the Honkai?"
Eden: "Established? Regrettably, the Thirteen Flame-Chasers never received official recognition, even at the very end. However... we didn't need their recognition."
Never received recognition? What does that mean? What exactly happened in the Previous Era? What is Elysia's true identity? There were absolutely no clues.
In the world of Detective Conan, Conan, sitting in the Mouri Detective Agency, was completely baffled. He lived in an ordinary, scientific world, devoid of any superpowers or special abilities. In terms of information, he was already miles behind everyone else.
However, Conan had always been a person with immense curiosity. The existence of Heroic Spirits was miraculous, but they were at least familiar historical figures. Compared to Elysia, who was almost a complete mystery, they were far less intriguing.
And then there was the Honkai. This was not the first time the word had appeared. For something to make even a person with a personality as lively as Elysia's turn serious, it was clear the Honkai was no simple matter. One thing was certain: it was definitely not a good thing.
Unfortunately for him, very few of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers paid him any mind. Even the more amiable members like Su and Eden were unwilling to tell him about Elysia's true identity or provide any information about their group.
---o---
[In the video—
Beyond the night's mist, the giant tentacled monstrosity was devoured by a brilliant golden light, gradually vanishing. Sola-Ui watched it all unfold from the rooftop of a skyscraper in the center of Shinto.
The heart of the foggy battlefield was already difficult to see, let alone from such a great distance. Observing the battle's progress with the naked eye was impossible, and she had not prepared any familiars for reconnaissance. She could only gaze worriedly at the chaotic scene of the colossal sea demon and fighter jets clashing across the bay.
Regardless, the battle had come to a close, and the Command Spell on her right hand had not disappeared. This meant Lancer had emerged victorious and survived.
"Thank goodness..."
Enduring the fierce winds that buffeted the rooftop, Sola could finally feel a moment of relief. Perhaps Lancer would soon return with a report of his victory.
As for the Command Spells and Kayneth, those were trivial matters. As long as Lancer had survived that battle, it was the best possible outcome for her.
If not for the howling wind, Sola might have noticed the presence of the assailant sneaking up behind her much earlier.
But because she had focused all her attention on the distant battlefield, her guard was down. She couldn't be blamed; this pampered young lady had never undergone combat training, nor did she possess even the most basic knowledge of self-preservation.
Suddenly, her feet caught on something. She stumbled backward, tumbling onto the concrete ground. Even then, she didn't understand what had just happened.
The right hand she had reflexively extended was seized by someone's rough grip. It was clear this person had no intention of helping the fallen Sola up; instead, they delivered a heavy blow to her right arm.
"Ah—!"
Like a faucet that hadn't been shut off properly, blood gushed from the cross-section of her slender, beautiful wrist. Sola stared in disbelief.
Her right hand was gone.
With a single strike, it had been cleanly severed. The fingers and nails she had so meticulously cared for and taken pride in, along with the Command Spells on the back of her hand—more important than anything else—had vanished from her right wrist.
It had been stolen.
More chilling than the pain and blood loss was the despair of losing her most precious possession. Sola's mind plunged into darkness.
"Ah, ah, ah! Aaaahhhhhh!!"
On the verge of a mental breakdown, Sola let out a hoarse, blood-curdling scream. She scrambled on the ground, frantically searching for her missing right hand.
No, she couldn't be without it. Without that, she couldn't summon Diarmuid. She couldn't ask for Diarmuid's help.
The time had been almost ripe. She would use all her Command Spells to order Diarmuid, "Please, cherish me." That way, she could bind him and make him hers. Not having the Command Spells on her right hand was a serious problem. No matter what, even if it cost her life, she had to get them back.
She was mad... The woman before them had gone completely mad. Her right hand had been severed, she was covered in her own blood, yet all she could think about was Lancer. This level of twisted obsession could no longer be described as love.
But no matter how she searched the cold concrete, all she found were splatters of blood—and a pair of booted feet standing motionlessly before her.
Although the person's face was not shown, sharp-eyed viewers could recognize them. It was Kiritsugu Emiya's assistant—Maiya Hisau.]
---o---
[The night in Fuyuki City had completely lost the tranquility it was supposed to have. The sirens of ambulances and police cars blared incessantly as they sped through the streets.
However, even the personnel rushing about didn't truly understand why they were being made to race around in the middle of the night. They didn't know the full picture of the situation, and they likely never would.
A tall figure in a priest's cassock walked down a street in the dead of night. Under normal circumstances, he would have surely been stopped and questioned as a suspicious individual.
This person was Kirei Kotomine. Right now, he was cleaning up.
After the King of Heroes had refused Tokiomi Tohsaka's request to eliminate the monster, Tokiomi had rushed to the scene at top speed. Unfortunately, he was intercepted halfway by Berserker's Master, Kariya Matou. Though it was unexpected, Kariya's hastily learned magecraft was no match for Tokiomi.
Without a shred of hesitation, even though the man before him was a former friend and rival, Tokiomi gravely wounded him. For the sake of his daughter perfectly inheriting the Matou family's magecraft and for victory in this Holy Grail War, he showed no mercy.
Out of a final shred of sentiment, Tokiomi chose not to kill Kariya himself. Instead, he left his disciple, Kirei Kotomine, to deliver the final blow.
Kirei had always strived to be faithful to his orders, obedient to his duties, and strict in his adherence to ethics and morality. Therefore, his words and actions were always carefully considered, his choices never to be doubted.
This was what Tokiomi Tohsaka had always believed. This disciple had never disappointed him. After this final task, he would have Kirei leave Fuyuki City for a while to ensure his safety. That was Tokiomi's plan.
"Hello there, Master of Assassin?"
It was a question, not a statement, indicating the speaker wasn't entirely sure of his identity. To think I would run into her here, he thought.
Seeing the young woman before him, Kirei Kotomine retracted the Black Key he was about to plunge into Kariya Matou's body.
Because the King of Heroes had never paid him any mind from the start, and because Tokiomi had done nothing to cross the king's bottom line, Kirei's heart was currently an utter void, but he still lacked the catalyst that would push him into depravity.
He had genuinely intended to kill Kariya Matou just now, for it was his teacher's will. It would ensure Berserker's permanent withdrawal from the war.
"Um... are you listening?"
Elysia quietly observed the man. Without a doubt, he was also from the world of mystery. The faint magical energy emanating from him was similar to Assassin's, and he had Command Spells on his hand, which still showed faint traces despite being used up.
But he seemed reluctant to communicate. And the man lying on the ground, barely breathing... he must be a Master as well. By process of elimination, he had to be Berserker's Master.
It was normal for Masters to kill each other. Elysia had no reason to intervene, especially since she knew nothing about Berserker's Master. Judging from the first night's events, Kariya Matou hadn't left a very good impression on Miss Pink Elf.
After a brief silence, realizing he had absolutely no way of escaping from under Elysia's watch, Kirei Kotomine replied, "Interloper in the Holy Grail War. A suspected elf from another world. A woman possessing power on par with a top-tier Servant. Why have you come here?"
Kirei's tone was devoid of any emotion, like that of a tool, as if Elysia's existence was nothing for him to be concerned about.
"I was just passing by and smelled blood. That person... he's Berserker's Master, isn't he."
A statement, not a question. She's certain, then? Kirei thought to himself. The young woman before him did everything on a whim, without any logic or rules. If she decided to save Kariya Matou, he had no means to stop her.
What should he do? Kirei wondered. He had never feared death. For Kirei Kotomine, whose heart was an utter void, death would be a form of release.
"Well... you can relax a little. You don't have to be so tense. Try thinking of something happy." Seeing Kirei's on-guard expression, Elysia felt a slight headache. I'm so cute, why do I seem to frighten people so easily?
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"There is nothing in my heart that could be considered happy. So, I want to know why. After witnessing the cruelty of the Holy Grail War and a creature of such evil, how can you still smile?"
Kirei asked. Since he was about to die anyway, he might as well ask the question that puzzled him most. For the first half of his life, his heart had known only emptiness. An endless void filled his soul.
So he couldn't understand why Kiritsugu Emiya, whom he considered a kindred spirit, had Irisviel and Maiya Hisau helping him willingly and from the heart. He couldn't understand how those three kings whose kingdoms had fallen could continue to uphold their way of kingship. He couldn't understand how, no matter what happened, Elysia could still smile.
"There's nothing happy to speak of... Is that what you believe?"
Instead of immediately answering Kirei's question, Elysia was more focused on the first part of his statement.
It was just as she had predicted. Although most ordinary people could live happily, the mystical side of this world was still filled with darkness. Even without a disaster like the Honkai threatening humanity's survival, humans still couldn't support one another?
It wasn't that Elysia didn't understand human desire. Forget a world at peace; even in a world overrun by the Honkai, humans still killed each other. Deceit, slaughter, war—these were inescapable parts of human existence.
"Hey, if you were about to die, who would be the first person you'd think of?"
Kirei Kotomine was a pitiable person. His heart was a void, he had no reason for being. His situation was somewhat similar to Rin's before she joined the World Serpent, but Rin had a sister, and that sister was her reason for existence. He had nothing.
A memory at the brink of death? Like a revolving lantern...
My teacher? No. Although Tokiomi Tohsaka had treated him well, he had not found his purpose through him.
My father? No, that wasn't right either. He felt no emotion for Risei Kotomine. To him, that man was merely the one who had given him life.
"No one..." After slowly uttering those two words, Kirei felt as if he had expended all his strength. Looking back on his life, was it truly so meaningless?
"Then why not try searching for someone you can think of?"
"If life has no meaning, then create meaning for it. Assassin has been eliminated, so your mission is complete. The rest of your life is for you to decide, isn't it?"
Elysia continued. She could see it—the void in Kirei Kotomine's heart, his inner struggle. But she couldn't help him directly. Kirei had to find enlightenment on his own.
The world was cruel; that was a truth she had learned during her travels long ago. But besides cruelty, the world had something else... love.
The bonds between people could sometimes transcend everything. Elysia had always firmly believed this. The meaning of life was to be found in love. This was the only help she could offer Kirei Kotomine.
"Create meaning?"
Did his life still have meaning? Kirei Kotomine had never felt that his life had any meaning at all.
But... thinking carefully, it seemed someone had once shown him affection... Who was it?
For some reason, Kirei recalled the woman who had already passed away. It seemed that only when he was with her did he feel a reason for his existence.
Unfortunately, that woman was already dead... and because of him... No, although she was dead, but...
Caren...
As if remembering something, Kirei didn't continue speaking. Instead, he slowly knelt down and looked at the heavily injured Kariya Matou on the ground.
If he truly wanted to understand himself, perhaps he should start by changing now. To make a change, he could start by prioritizing Kariya Matou's life and future.
Overall, while Elysia's words had moved Kirei slightly, they couldn't fundamentally change him. Perhaps to him, her words were merely a jest not worth listening to.
But what was it that made Kirei choose to defy his master's orders now? By killing Kariya Matou, this Holy Grail War would lose a competitor, wouldn't it...
He must be confused. Perhaps it truly was the elf's magic that made him think of that long-forgotten woman... No, perhaps he had never forgotten her at all.
"I know that you love me."
"Look, you're crying."
A strange yet familiar voice echoed in Kirei Kotomine's heart.
Crying... Had he really experienced such an emotion before...?
By the time he came to his senses, Kirei had already begun applying healing magecraft to Kariya's wounded body as emergency treatment.
He then carried the still-unconscious but no longer in mortal danger Kariya away from the battlefield, avoiding prying eyes, and secretly left him at the gate of the Matou residence.
It was hard to imagine why Kirei Kotomine, a mere tool, would know how to use healing magecraft. Perhaps it was for Claudia Hortensia—his wife.
After expressing his gratitude to Elysia, though his heart remained a void, Kirei Kotomine was no longer lost. The hidden emotions within him were slowly beginning to surface...
The stimulating sensation made him feel almost drunk, heady.
Kirei Kotomine walked along the long road that stretched from Miyama Town through the outskirts of Shinto, traversing Fuyuki. This feeling, born from the heart...
Until now, he had acted behind Tokiomi's back many times, sometimes even giving him false reports, but none of those actions had directly hindered Tokiomi.
His anticipation for a confrontation with Kiritsugu Emiya did not conflict with Tokiomi Tohsaka obtaining the Holy Grail.
But extending the life of Tokiomi's nemesis, Kariya Matou, was an undeniable act of opposition to Tokiomi Tohsaka.
It needed no explanation. It was betrayal. Without any clear intention, he had done such a thing. Tonight, Kirei had clearly crossed the line of being Tokiomi Tohsaka's loyal subordinate.]