What is the most important thing to keep in mind when facing Kiritsugu Emiya?
First, it is necessary to properly examine the composition of his team.
To ensure a smooth supply of magical energy, Kiritsugu keeps the Command Spells on himself while positioning Irisviel as a proxy Master. This has actually been quite effective, successfully baiting a number of people.
Second, his wildcard, Maiya Hisau... She is a fairly capable combatant in her own right, but against Heroic Spirits, she won't be able to exert much power. In fact, she was utterly wrecked when she went up against that Mapo-Gundam.
Finally, Saber.
The Knight King of Britain and the paragon for all knights...
Of course, in the fandoms of FSN or Fate/Zero, she's often degraded as the 'King of Jobbers' or 'Seibab' because she's constantly getting beaten. But one has to look at it from a different perspective.
"Even after being weakened that much, she still goes toe-to-toe with other Servants."
Think about it.
With Shirou Emiya as a Master, suffering from every possible debuff and having her mental state shattered—do you really think proper combat should be possible?
Surprisingly, this Knight King actually pulls it off. Truly.
"However... she has a flaw."
"A flaw, you say?"
"Servants should be fought by Servants. That is basically common sense in a Holy Grail War. Kiritsugu doesn't trust the Knight King at all and likely won't even try to utilize her as a Servant, but regardless, if I order Archer to attack the Einzbern Castle, he'll have to order Saber to intercept."
"...I see."
Tristan's expression was dark.
Whether it bothered him that Artoria Pendragon was taking orders from someone else, or whether the fact that he had to engage her in combat weighed on his mind, I couldn't tell for sure... regardless, he looked quite distressed.
"Taking advantage of that opening, Aoko-nee and I will storm the castle."
"...Well, I don't mind, but are you going to be okay? Those Origin Bullets that Kiritsugu Emiya uses... they're quite dangerous for you, aren't they?"
Origin Bullets.
Those bullets, imbued with Kiritsugu's personal Origin of 'Severing and Binding,' are a type of anti-magus weapon that directly affects the Magic Circuits of a person using magecraft or the magecraft itself, wrecking the circuits upon impact.
The problem is that the power of these bullets is insanely high—high enough to turn Kayneth, the strongest among the Masters, into a magical cripple in an instant.
Furthermore, Kiritsugu has modified his gun so that the Origin Bullets fire with enough force to penetrate standard body armor. In short, it's a bullet that cannot be blocked without magecraft, but must not be blocked with magecraft.
Naturally, the Six Paths of Pain I created also qualify as a manifestation of magecraft. If an Origin Bullet hits a Path, it's obvious that my own Magic Circuits would go into haywire through the magical energy receivers.
"That's why I won't be using the Six Paths of Pain this time."
"...What? You're going to charge in with your own body?"
"Aoko-nee, I'm going in with a Magician. What could possibly be dangerous?"
The power of an Origin Bullet?
I'll just crush it with pure force.
* * * * *
The plan was simple.
With Tristan at the vanguard charging through the forest, Saber would intercept him. While they fought, Aoko-nee and I would attack the main base and force Kiritsugu to surrender.
Honestly, I didn't know how long Tristan would last against Artoria... but I didn't send him there to win in the first place. Since the real objective was Kiritsugu Emiya, it didn't particularly matter.
While circling through the forest under concealment, we almost got caught by homunculi a few times, but thanks to Aoko-nee's magecraft, we were able to pass by easily.
Finally, just as we were about to sneak into the mansion after circling the entire forest, the sound of weapons clashing violently and trees being toppled began to echo from the middle of the woods.
"...It looks like Saber and Archer have made contact."
"Then we should hurry too."
In that instant, Aoko-nee suddenly pushed me aside and fired dozens of Magic Bullets into the air.
Quickly sticking to her side, I activated Shinra Tensei. Something resembling a grenade exploded right in front of us, but it was immediately repelled along with its fragments.
"...Setting up booby traps like this in front of a magus family's estate. I suppose I should expect as much from the Magus Killer."
"Tell me about it. Anyway, it seems Kiritsugu is inside."
As we slowly opened the door and entered, machine guns connected to tripwires greeted us. Using Shinra Tensei, I blew the machine guns away as I walked slowly with her.
Occasionally, booby traps would pop up, which Aoko-nee would either blast away or destroy. I only used Shinra Tensei to dodge or deflect when an attack was clearly aimed at me.
Proving that this man wasn't a war mercenary for nothing, the traps were more than just diverse; they reached a level of creativity. It was like a museum of traps—from simple booby traps involving machine guns or grenades to classic pitfall traps, and even magical traps that sprayed toxic substances or flames created through magecraft.
"At this point, it feels like we're in Home Alone... what do you think, Nee-san?"
"He's close. At the very least... I think he's behind that pillar."
In that moment, a face peeked out from behind the pillar and immediately began spraying bullets from an Uzi.
Aoko-nee fired a few Magic Bullets, but he dodged by ducking. As I blocked the bullets with Shinra Tensei, he hid behind the pillar again to reload.
"This is a technique I personally refined...!"
The power of Shinra Tensei is gravity manipulation. To be precise, it is the manipulation of attractive and repulsive forces.
If the repulsive force is maximized, it can exert power equivalent to a massive kinetic projectile, physically smashing the opponent. If they hit a wall, so much the better.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The invisible force extending from my palms shattered the pillar where the assassin was hiding, and a thick cloud of dust began to rise around us.
After the three-second cooldown passed, just as I was about to fire another Shinra Tensei, Aoko-nee grabbed my hand.
"He's already gone. Looks like he moved elsewhere."
'As expected of Intrinsic Bounded Field: Time Alter... is it an ability that can even evade the senses of a Magician?'
I had prepared 'countermeasures' against a decapitation strike via Time Alter just in case, but an ability that allowed someone to vanish suddenly before one's eyes was certainly perilous.
It was lucky he was still treating me as a typical magus like 'Kayneth El-Melloi,' otherwise, the situation could have been dangerous. However...
"If you don't cross a dangerous bridge, you'll never gain anything!"
I concentrated power into both hands and gathered the magical energy I had previously absorbed into the vicinity of my heart.
This castle was Kiritsugu Emiya's home ground. In other words, Kiritsugu, who knew the layout perfectly, could use hit-and-run tactics to ambush me while swapping between Origin Bullets and standard ammunition.
If Aoko-nee were to unleash the Fifth Magic, she could probably take him down in an instant, but Magic isn't something you just turn on like a faucet. Basically, you're using it while picking a fight with the Counter Force, so the cost-performance is poor in many ways.
"Therefore—stop hiding and come out, Kiritsugu Emiya!"
Just like the original Pain who first used the Rinnegan, I maximized the repulsive force using only 'myself' as the center point.
Blowing away the ceiling above and crushing every object in all directions... a technique that literally lays waste to the surroundings.
"Full Power: Shinra Tensei!!!"
* * * * *
Kiritsugu Emiya had made plans regarding how to deal with every Master.
While the Master of Berserker—the only one he couldn't obtain information on—weighed on him, he was prepared to fight even Kayneth and Kirei, whom he presumed to be the most troublesome opponents.
'...He uses magecraft that utilizes magical energy to repel other objects. If it's the manipulation of repulsive force, it's a fairly simple yet powerful ability.'
But at the same time, the weakness was clear.
'While he can use it for a long duration once, there is a cooldown of at least 0.2 seconds and up to 3 seconds after use. And since it is strictly a manifestation of magecraft, it won't be able to block my Origin Bullet.'
Thus, Kiritsugu trusted that judgment and took action.
He had ordered Maiya, who was setting booby traps in various locations, to take charge of Irisviel's protection and retreat. He had left that rigid Heroic Spirit, who knew nothing but chivalry, to deal with Archer, who seemed to be acting as a lure outside.
It was a self-evident fact that his own tactics were more effective and efficient than those of a foolish Heroic Spirit.
'First, I'll check that guy's magecraft and its power with bullets.'
When he sprayed Uzi fire using hit-and-run tactics, the opponent seemed to get agitated, firing a strong repulsive wave that shattered the pillar he had been hiding behind. Seeing this, Kiritsugu Emiya quickly used Time Alter to retreat to a safe location.
His plan was to use guerrilla-like tactics to strike and retreat, irritating the enemy into manifesting powerful magecraft, then seize that opening when their Magic Circuits were fully active to fire his strongest strike, the Origin Bullet.
As if his prediction hit the mark, the enemy extended both hands and attempted to manifest some kind of magecraft. Kiritsugu quietly waited for that timing.
"Full Power: Shinra Tensei!!!"
However, the one thing he didn't expect was that the power of that single strike would exceed even his wildest calculations.
* * * * *
The power of the attack was terrifying.
The Einzbern Castle, which was of a considerable size, was more than just shattered—there was only a deep, hollow crater left behind, and all the surrounding trees were either driven into the ground or crushed flat.
Kiritsugu Emiya was hiding behind a tree, barely outside the range of the gravity manipulation; he had seemingly managed to avoid the area of effect of the Shinra Tensei by utilizing Time Alter.
"Karma, are you okay?"
"...My magical energy consumption is quite high, but it's manageable."
A full-power Shinra Tensei definitely drained an extreme amount of power.
But I felt this much was necessary to seize the high ground, and in fact, that thought proved correct.
Even though I was completely defenseless, Kiritsugu didn't dare to even think about firing an Origin Bullet. Maiya Hisau and Irisviel were nowhere to be seen, having likely fled somewhere.
In that moment, this time I made the first move.
"Bansho Ten'in!"
Kiritsugu Emiya's body suddenly floated up and began flying toward me. In a desperate move, he pulled out a long-barreled pistol from his coat and aimed it at me.
It was indeed an Origin Bullet.
"Summoning: Naraka Path!"
But I was faster this time.
Having prepared in advance from the moment I began pulling him, I quickly summoned puppets in front of me. His Origin Bullet pierced through the skull of the puppet blocking my path in an instant, but it fell to the ground without delivering even a trace of impact to me.
* * * * *
Tristan was walking slowly through the forest.
In one hand he held Failnaught, while his other hand was poised to pull the string at any moment, yet he lacked any will to engage in combat.
Eventually, in the middle of the woods, a woman dressed in a blue dress and armor revealed herself.
Yes, she was Tristan's own liege, the King he was meant to serve.
Walking slowly toward her, Tristan spoke in a low voice that could not hide its trembling.
"My King, do you remember me?"
"...Indeed, Sir Tristan. How could I ever forget my loyal knight?"
As Artoria Pendragon answered, Tristan's expression changed noticeably.
His already dark face became even more rigid, turning almost corpse-like, and his closed eyes—once the hallmark of a schemer—were trembling as if he were about to burst into tears.
'How can you call me that?'
'I betrayed you. I said things I should never have said, and I insulted my King with my foolish thoughts!'
Artoria Pendragon planted her sword in the ground and faced Tristan, as if inviting him to speak if he had something to say. Tristan, whose body was shaking, eventually lowered his head, knelt on one knee, and touched his forehead to the ground.
He looked like a criminal binding himself and begging for penance.
His Master had instructed him to buy time against King Arthur, his own lord, but such thoughts had now vanished without a trace.
"My King."
"..."
"I... have dared to commit a great sin against my King."
The Archer Servant began to pour out his words as if confessing his sins.
His voice was full of grief, and his entire body seemed to be atoning for his crimes.
"Without understanding my King's suffering, and without knowing my King's hard work, I intoxicated myself with shallow knowledge and a petty heart, and spoke words to my King that should never have been uttered."
"..."
"There was no one who thought of others as much as Your Majesty, yet I dared to speak the blasphemy of judging the King's heart, and I dared to utter words that clouded the King's judgment."
As he continued his confession, tears began to pool and eventually overflow from Tristan's eyes, and he shook with a guilt he could not bear every time he spat out a sentence.
Overwhelmed by emotion, he eventually laid the bow in his hand on the ground and bared his neck to her.
"Therefore, Your Majesty, please punish this sinner. What could not be done then... please punish this sinner who was not punished at that time, now."
"...Ridiculous."
But the one who cut off that wretched confession was none other than Artoria Pendragon herself.
Invisible Air—the Strike Air that should have been used in combat—was deactivated, and the brilliant radiance of the Holy Sword revealed itself.
Instead of striking the neck he had offered as if pleading for death, King Arthur rested her blade on his shoulder and spoke in a low voice steeped in regret.
"If you suffered yourself but were proud that those words were necessary, then even if your limbs were torn for those words, you should take pride in them and not feel shame. Why do you feel shame for words that sprouted from your loyalty and sense of justice?"
"...Ah...!"
"Is there a law in Britain to punish a knight who dares to offer honest counsel? Or is there a code to behead a subject who opposes the King's administration? You merely attempted to stop my misgovernance with all your heart, and your actions should be as proud and unashamed as if they were standing under the high sun. Fleeing on your own, and seeking punishment on your own—that is what truly turns your loyal counsel into blasphemy, Sir Tristan."
"...!"
"Go to your Master. Go and do what you must do, my knight. Not for a single moment did you ever betray my loyalty."
After finishing those words, King Arthur vanished into the trees. Tristan remained there, silently ruminating on his King's words.
"...So... that was it."
Failnaught lay on the ground, and though no one was by his side, Tristan didn't care and simply continued to weep.
Were those tears of regret and remorse for his past actions? Or were they tears of joy at having finally been forgiven by his King?