---o---
So intense. That was just too intense.
Although Heroic Spirit Emiya's combat power wasn't the strongest among the summoned Servants—he himself even admitted to being just an ordinary, third-rate Servant—his skills were undeniably cool. Just like the King of Heroes' Gate of Babylon, he projected and fired an infinite number of swords.
Moreover, Heroic Spirit Emiya's combat awareness was exceptionally sharp. He might not have the ability to master any single weapon to its absolute peak, but he possessed the ability to utilize all weapons effectively.
In the Light Curtain's comments—
Rin Tohsaka: "You rotten Archer, you hid this from me for so long! How can a Servant with this kind of power be some bottom-tier, nameless spirit!"
In another timeline, Rin Tohsaka directed this at the Red Archer by her side. He simply shrugged helplessly, a fond smile on his face. He was long accustomed to Rin's tsundere personality.
But speaking of which... his counterpart in the light curtain didn't seem to have revealed his True Name. Still... the more intelligent observers had probably figured out his origins completely by now.
That's why the most dangerous people in this world were the intelligent ones...
Hachiman Hikigaya: "Even though he's released his Noble Phantasm, I can't find any corresponding figure in history or mythology. What on earth is this Archer's origin?"
In the world of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, as a renowned teacher across the multiverse, Hachiman Hikigaya prided himself on his strong liberal arts knowledge. He knew his share of history and mythology, but he had truly never heard of any historical accounts related to Heroic Spirit Emiya.
Schicksal Overseer: "Hehe, it would be more surprising if you could find him. In a sense, this Archer does not exist in history or mythology. If one had to say... he comes from the future!"
Otto always enjoyed posting his deductions and answers in the comments when the time was right. And surprisingly, to this day, Otto had never been wrong. As if cursed by wisdom, the man's intellect and cunning were astonishingly powerful.
It was precisely because of Otto's hint that Conan, who had been deep in thought in the world of Detective Conan, felt his mind explode! He got it—he hurriedly typed his deductions and thoughts onto the screen.
Conan: "I see, it all makes sense now! No wonder this guy can see through Saber and Berserker's True Names without being a Ruler! No wonder he always acts so familiar with Saber! Because he... he is a Servant from the future!"
"The Throne of Heroes has no concept of time! We were all bound by past history and myths, but we never considered that the future is also a part of human history. So, when someone from the future with the qualifications to be a Heroic Spirit dies, they can naturally become a Servant just like Saber!"
As expected of a great detective, Conan's mind was sharp. With a single hint from Otto, he grasped the whole picture. However, even knowing that Heroic Spirit Emiya was from the future only raised more questions.
For example... why did he become a Heroic Spirit, and what was his relationship with Saber? Could it be that in a future Holy Grail War, Saber had been summoned once again?
---o---
While discussions raged in the light curtain's comments, the story continued—
In the light curtain, Heroic Spirit Emiya sat on the ground, panting slightly. Although he had achieved a decisive and spectacular victory, the damage to his body was very real.
Without a scabbard and its abnormal healing abilities, he had pushed himself to the absolute limit.
Jeanne d'Arc ran over and asked with concern, "Archer, are you all right?"
Heroic Spirit Emiya shook his head. "I won't die for now, but I can't fight anymore. Ruler, I'll leave the rest to you."
Jeanne d'Arc paused for a moment, then nodded. She spun her banner and planted it on the ground. A golden light emanated from its tip, dissolving into specks of gold that fell upon Heroic Spirit Emiya.
Although Jeanne d'Arc had no legends related to healing, she was still the maiden chosen by God. If she willed it, performing simple healing magecraft was well within her capabilities.
---o---
Meanwhile, with Berserker's exit, the only original participants left in this Holy Grail War were Saber and Solomon.
With his powerful magecraft, Solomon was able to deceive the Holy Grail system, making it judge that Saber was the only Servant remaining out of the seven.
Based on past wars, the Grail would have absorbed enough magical energy to manifest when only two or three Servants remained. But now, because Solomon had intercepted the flow of energy, Irisviel's body contained not a single trace of a Servant's power, naturally failing to meet the conditions for the Grail's appearance.
However, now that only Saber 'remained' in the Holy Grail War, the Grail was bound to manifest, no matter the reason...
"Bang—Bang—"
Two gunshots echoed from the light curtain, drawing the audience's attention. The only person still using a gun at this stage could only be our dear papa, Emiya Kiritsugu.
But... weren't they on the outskirts of Fuyuki City trying to escape? Who was Kiritsugu fighting now? He had even fired two Origin Bullets in succession!
That's right. Since the Origin Bullets had appeared once before, many viewers with special abilities could tell just by the sound that it was Emiya Kiritsugu's Mystic Code, the Origin Bullet!
The camera now turned to the inside of a ruined building.
As the audience watched, an endless swarm of insects slowly dispersed, and the Old Worm once again stood there as if nothing had happened.
Leaning on his cane, he looked at Emiya Kiritsugu with a wicked smile. His withered body looked both incredibly frail and utterly disgusting.
The mere sight of this man made the audience's blood pressure spike. Wherever he appeared, absolutely nothing good ever happened.
Although Emiya Kiritsugu hadn't exactly shown himself to be a good person, no matter how rotten Kiritsugu was, he was still better than the Old Worm!
Across from him, Emiya Kiritsugu was covered in wounds. If it weren't for his family's magecraft, Time Alter, he would already be a dead man.
Kiritsugu was in a pathetic state, even more so than when he fought Kayneth. Half of his body had been gnawed by demonic insects, and blood seeped from the wounds.
Even so, he held the gun loaded with an Origin Bullet in his left hand, aiming it at the Old Worm before him.
The Old Worm and Emiya Kiritsugu were fighting? It was unexpected that they would clash at this moment.
But it made sense. The Old Worm needed Irisviel to become the Holy Grail, and Emiya Kiritsugu would naturally not let him succeed. It was logical for them to be fighting here.
What the audience hadn't expected, however, was that Emiya Kiritsugu seemed to be completely suppressed. Even his trump card, the Origin Bullet, couldn't harm the Old Worm!
Wasn't the Origin Bullet supposed to be the bane of all magi? Any magus should have been unable to withstand that blow! And yet...
"My, my, these old bones just can't keep up with the young ones. I was just a hair's breadth away from 'taking care' of you."
With mocking words, the Old Worm taunted the Ally of Justice before him. Even if Emiya Kiritsugu was known as the world's number one Magus Killer, he was no match for him.
Origin Bullets? Indeed, they were a Mystic Code that was the bane of magi. But... they had to hit their target.
As a magus whose survival abilities were arguably the strongest, the Old Worm wasn't as foolish as Kayneth, who tried to block an Origin Bullet with his body or his magecraft.
The Old Worm's true body wasn't this withered, powerless shell. It was... the insects!
He was one of the countless insects swarming in the air. Unless Emiya Kiritsugu could find his true body, firing Origin Bullets was utterly meaningless.
Emiya Kiritsugu stared intently at the Old Worm. "Makiri... Zouken Matou. A figure from five hundred years ago. You're still alive?"
"His nature makes the Origin Bullets mostly useless, and the effects of Time Alter are limited. Irisviel is right behind me. This is a dead end..."
Having exhausted all his means, Emiya Kiritsugu realized with despair that his only option was to use the Command Spells on his arm to summon Saber from the front lines for defense. With Saber's power, she could annihilate the swarming insects before him in a single blow!
So... would Emiya Kiritsugu do it?
The answer was... no!
Although he didn't know the situation on the front lines, Saber's combat power was undoubtedly indispensable there. The threat posed by the Outer God was too immense. If it was truly unleashed from Fuyuki City, humanity would surely be destroyed.
Therefore, even if he and Irisviel died here, he absolutely could not allow Saber to withdraw from the front lines.
This was Emiya Kiritsugu's resolve. Perhaps under Saber's protection, even if the Outer God did destroy civilization, he and Irisviel might have a slim chance of survival. But Emiya Kiritsugu's ideal was destined to have him live or die with the world.
However, Zouken Matou, a wicked smile on his face, spoke up. "The world's strongest Magus Killer, Emiya Kiritsugu. Why did you join this Holy Grail War?"
Emiya Kiritsugu: "...What are you trying to say?"
As he spoke, his eyes subtly scanned his surroundings, clearly looking for any possible opportunity. Striking down a magus when they let their guard down was Emiya Kiritsugu's preferred method.
Magi were generally arrogant, so this tactic worked like a charm. But against the Old Worm, it would likely be of little use.
Zouken Matou chuckled. "This old one has heard that the ideal you've always pursued is to be an Ally of Justice. And you wish to save this world filled with sin, correct?"
Emiya Kiritsugu's expression tensed. He remained silent, but it was clear he was wary and confused as to how Zouken knew even these secrets.
Zouken Matou: "It seems the information this old one received was correct. How surprising. To think someone like you exists. Committing ruthless acts on one hand, while wanting to be an Ally of Justice and save the world on the other. You truly are a man who has piqued this old one's interest."
"Hehehe~~"
A smile on his face, Zouken Matou's expression became increasingly 'amiable.' He genuinely found the ideals of an Ally of Justice and saving the world amusing, especially when they belonged to a cold-hearted Magus Killer.
To see this man twisted, broken, and pained by his own ideals and beliefs.
Ah... there was nothing more interesting in the world.
Then, with palpable malice, Zouken Matou said, "Emiya Kiritsugu, do you know the truth of the Holy Grail War? Why did that Caster go to such great lengths to steal a Grail from Archer, rather than taking the Einzbern behind you?"
How could Emiya Kiritsugu not know? He hadn't known before, but... Elysia had told him everything, including the fact that the Holy Grail was corrupted!
But he didn't speak, instead continuing to listen to what Zouken had to say next.
Zouken didn't wait for the silent Emiya Kiritsugu's reply, but continued with malicious glee, "You want to use the Holy Grail to save the world, don't you? How unfortunate. The true nature of the Grail is no different from that evil god on the Fuyuki Grand Bridge!"
This time, Emiya Kiritsugu's expression finally changed, revealing a hint of shock. "What!?"
This, he truly did not know. While he knew something was wrong with the Grail, he had no idea about the specific reason, or what the corrupted Grail would do.
Seeing this, Zouken's smile grew even more sinister and malicious. "An object of endless curses. The greatest evil of this world. That is the true nature of the Holy Grail! That is the Grail you have so painstakingly pursued! Emiya Kiritsugu!"
"As the representative of the Einzbern family, did you not know that in the previous Holy Grail War, the Einzberns broke the rules and summoned an Avenger, a class that does not belong in a normal Holy Grail War?"
"This old one knows very well. That Avenger-class Servant was Angra Mainyu, who represents All the World's Evil!"
"When he was defeated, his curse, the symbol of evil, was absorbed by the Holy Grail! Hahaha... the current Holy Grail has absolutely nothing to do with the word 'justice'."
As he finished, a flicker of anticipation appeared in Zouken Matou's eyes. He anticipated the collapse and agony of Emiya Kiritsugu upon learning the truth. There was nothing more interesting in the world.
However... what he didn't expect was that Emiya Kiritsugu showed no signs of breaking down at all. He was simply shocked and incredulous that such a thing had happened in the previous Holy Grail War.
Right now, Emiya Kiritsugu was incredibly thankful. Thankful that he had already received this information beforehand. Otherwise... if the people around him had died for this cause, then perhaps Emiya Kiritsugu would have truly collapsed, just as the Old Worm had predicted.