"Killed by a gun?"
"Idiot! Why didn't you call me! Why did you act on your own!"
Kyoko Sakura fell to her knees, releasing her grip on her spear. She was utterly livid. In the short time she had spent chasing Caster, her Master had been eliminated without her even knowing. Since all seven Servants had been gathered nearby, the conflict could only have been between Masters.
A Master who used firearms... there was only one such person in this war: Saber's Master.
"What on earth was that long-faced bastard thinking?"
She could feel her magical energy beginning to ebb away. If this continued, she would undoubtedly be forced to exit the war. A Servant who loses their Master dissolves due to a lack of mana. Kyoko Sakura couldn't accept it—to be disqualified like this was unbearable.
Standing up, she pulled an orange orb from Sola's pocket. Three stars within it glowed brilliantly. The Dragon Ball hadn't been taken; the attacker had likely fled, knowing she would return quickly.
With a look of grim determination, Kyoko made her choice. she wouldn't simply vanish. She had to immediately find a new contractor who met the requirements.
...
"Why now... of all times..."
His right shoulder slashed open, Kayneth clutched the bleeding wound with his left hand. He had been so close to killing Kirei Kotomine, but at the last moment, Kirei hadn't hesitated to use a Command Spell to summon Assassin. And the Assassin who appeared was a threat far beyond Kayneth's expectations.
Whoosh!! Swish!! The silver liquid couldn't keep pace with the opponent's sheer speed. Defense was becoming as difficult as offense. Fast—unbelievably fast. That was the only way to describe Assassin.
Splurt! "Ugh!! Ahhh!!" His back was slashed, leaving a jagged red mark across his flesh. Kayneth cried out in agony. 'What happened? I sent the signal... Why hasn't Sola arrived?!'
Gritting his teeth to endure the pain, Kayneth desperately sought an answer. He wasn't staying here to die; he was buying time for Sola. Once she saw the signal, she would bring Lancer here, and they would be safe. But as time passed with no response, his unease turned to dread.
"Volumen..." He opened his mouth to speak, but a blade piercing his throat silenced him forever. Splurt!
As the sword was withdrawn, blood sprayed onto the pavement. Kenshin felt the familiar sense of slaughter—a taste he hadn't experienced in a long time. It was the same feeling as when he had struck down high officials and enemies in the past. Masters who weren't Heroic Spirits were so fragile before him.
Drip! The mercury, now uncontrolled, slumped to the ground as a pool of sludge. "Hmph... should I call it misfortune or fate?"
"Assassin is the Hitokiri Battousai—a man-slayer by trade. Facing him without a Servant's protection is the height of overconfidence."
Despite his own injuries, Kirei Kotomine looked down at Kayneth's cooling body and chuckled. The renowned Lord of the Clock Tower had been no match for a slayer like Assassin.
Don't let Kenshin's struggles against Saber or Berserker fool you; he was a master in his own right. As Kirei said, direct confrontation with Assassin without a Servant meant a swift and almost certain death. His extreme speed and lethal swordsmanship could easily end a human life.
"Hmm?" Kenshin sensed an approaching presence and turned, weapon ready. A young girl with a long spear came into view. She looked far younger than him.
"Lancer?" Kenshin noted her arrival but didn't lower his guard. Anyone who could manifest as a Heroic Spirit had a specialty. Even if she looked like a child, Kenshin's experience told him not to be careless.
"Tch! Why do they all have to die without permission? Both of them are cut from the same cloth!" Kyoko Sakura's frustration was mounting. With Sola dead, her own clock was ticking. She had hoped to find a temporary magus to bridge the gap, but she hadn't expected Kayneth to follow Sola so quickly.
She was left with two choices: mana replenishment through extreme measures, or finding a new surviving Master to form a contract.
Whoosh! Kenshin watched as Kyoko vanished, carrying the body with her. He had expected an attack, but she had left without a word.
"Assassin, what is the situation elsewhere?"
"The King should be fighting in person now."
"Is that so? Though I would like to observe, I am in no condition to do so."
The fight with Kiritsugu and Kayneth had left Kirei Kotomine significantly weakened. If it weren't for the Command Spell used to summon Assassin, he might not have survived. He had no energy left to care about the ongoing battles elsewhere.
"Let us retreat for now, Assassin."
...
"Iri... Maiya..."
Standing over the blast crater, Kiritsugu Emiya looked at the scorched earth and felt a stabbing pain. Kirei's plan had been an 'open conspiracy'—one he couldn't avoid unless he was willing to sacrifice Irisviel and Saber's sheath. Though he had made a life of sacrificing the few for the many, the grief was overwhelming.
Losing his wife and his partner hit harder than he ever imagined. His childhood friend, his foster mother... and now them. 'If I had only given up... maybe it would be different.'
He had once considered abandoning his impossible dream to live in peace with Iri, Maiya, and his daughter. But in the end, he couldn't. Now, the loss left even his hardened heart reeling.
An orange orb rolled from his pocket—a single star shining up at him. Picking it up, Kiritsugu felt a selfish thought creep in. If he abandoned his quest for world peace, perhaps there was still a way to save them.
Idealism clashed with personal desire. The cruelty of the war was finally becoming clear to everyone. No one escaped without loss; innocents and participants alike were being ground into the dust of sacrifice.
Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri... Dead!
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald... Dead!
Maiya Hisau... Dead!
Irisviel von Einzbern... Dead!