Chapter 171 Countdown to the Final Battle
Tick, tick.
Raindrops fell from the eaves, and the bamboos beside the pond made clear sounds.
The fragrance of tea was lingering, and the white-haired young man sat on the veranda, looking up at the gray sky.
The moon tonight must be very bright. If the temperature is cool, he can enjoy the moon here with Miyu and the others.
The young man emptied his mind and let his thoughts run wild until a beautiful silver hair broke into his field of vision. He turned his head and his ruby-like pupils were full of resentment.
"Irisviel."
"Little Shuoyue, you made me not know what to do." Although she was already a mother, Irisviel pouted, and her eyebrows still hid the girlish coquettishness, "Take me away in this way, Kiritsugu must be very anxious."
"It doesn't matter, I have left a message for him." The young man picked up the teapot and stared at the emerald green water line and poured it into the celadon teacup.
"Sit down. Although there is no moon, listening to the sound of rain can also relax your mind."
"You are obviously a young man, but why do you look like an old man?" Irisviel muttered, sitting down next to Shuoyue who was wearing a black and white kimono, holding up the teacup and sipping it, then sticking out her tongue and putting the teacup back in place, "Is this tea? It tastes so bitter."
"That's because you are not used to it, madam." Shuoyue smiled and picked up the teacup, the tea went down his throat, and then it became sweet, "Let's get back to the topic, why did you come to me?"
"Of course I have a lot of things to ask you, such as what's going on with Illya? Can the magic in her heart be solved?"
"Do you care more about your daughter than the Holy Grail? Well, I'm always here I can remove the magic on her, but..."
"But what?"
"But if you want your daughter to escape the fate of the "Little Holy Grail", it is better to keep it this way." Sakutsuki said, "Through Miyu's magic induction, I was able to use projection magic to write the simulated heart of Illyasviel, and asked a puppeteer to remake it."
"But...isn't this the means you use to threaten us, Sakutsuki?"
"Yes, it is both a threat and a salvation, just like the real threat to human reason is the desire to protect human reason itself, things always have two sides-although the puppeteer is in the dire straits of the 007 work system, but when it comes to Day, she will have time to deal with Illya's affairs, right? Then I will use the replacement magic to help her get rid of the future tragedy, so..."
"So?"
Looking at the puzzled Irisviel, the young man showed a cunning expression: "So, even if it's for Illya, you must protect me, okay?"
"Really cunning." Irisviel showed a helpless bitter smile, with joy in her eyes, "Then when will the Holy Grail War end? After all, we don't even know what your purpose is. "
This time, the young man who always kept calm finally fell silent, and said after a while: "There is still some time, I will tell you a story , Irisviel, a story that happened in another world. "
"You really like to tell stories, little Sakutsuki."
"No, it's just that some things feel better when told in the tone of an observer." Sakutsuki said, "Then where should I start..."
"Let's start from the man named 'Emiya Kiritsugu', the little Holy Grail named 'Irisviel', and the Servant Saber came to Fuyuki City."
"It's just that in this story, there is no 'Sakutsuki'."
The sound of rain was fine, the fragrance of tea was curling, and the voice of the young man was like a dream, telling the gray past, the silver present, and the red future together.
"…In the end, the boy named Shirou, who was adopted by Emiya Kiritsugu, vowed to become a hero in Kiritsugu's place, to become the person Kiritsugu once admired but gave up. The wish to protect smiles and gentleness, and the wish for eternal happiness, was passed on to his adopted son from the hands of a man who had achieved nothing and gained nothing in his life."
"And so, the gears of fate continued to turn, leading to the destined and unknown other side."
Sakutsuki finally stopped talking. At some point, Saber, Miyu and even Hisau Maiya had gathered around him, and Irisviel, who had been sitting next to him at the beginning, was already in tears, choking and asking:
"Back then, you The self-proclaimed 'Shirou' is it? "
"Yes, that's me, to be precise - that's the original power I inherited. In another world, the man who is also called 'Emiya Shirou' gave me everything he had left, including his bond and fate. "Sakutsuki confessed, "Although the story development is different from this world, because of the pollution of countless 'Shirou' on the Throne of Heroes, and the memory of me who is familiar with the trajectory of fate, everyone who has a connection with the individual 'Emiya Shirou' will have an impact on me. "
"So you are so tolerant of Emiya Kiritsugu because you are influenced by 'Emiya Shirou'?" Saber thought thoughtfully.
Sakutsuki nodded: "I have to admit that because of this way of existence, I do feel guilty and grateful to Emiya Shirou. It is normal to have a preference for his relatives. At the same time, the soul fragments he left behind are also affecting me, making me subconsciously let go of many things, otherwise Kiritsugu would have been caught by me long ago. "
"But that's all in the past. Thanks to someone for not being a riddler, I have now realized this mistake. Shirou Emiya's emotions can no longer interfere with me. In addition--"
The young man stood up, stretched, walked towards the house, and left a sentence lightly.
"In one day at least, two days at most, my pilgrimage in this Holy Grail War will be declared over. At that time, the condolences for a certain man will also come to an end."
"I will live in this world in his place as 'Sakutsuki' with respect."
————
The gossip of Sakutsuki and others came to an end. In another corner of Fuyuki City, Kiritsugu Emiya and Rider were still running to save important people.
After signing the master-servant contract, Rider, who was supplied with magic power, brought Kiritsugu Emiya to the door of the church at lightning speed, and then stopped.
"There is a warning barrier outside the door. If we take another step forward, the people inside will sense our arrival." Rider said, "Do you have any good ideas, Emiya Kiritsugu?"
"Method?" Emiya Kiritsugu said as he took out his pistol and turned off the safety. "The solution is that we rush in together. If there are servants, you deal with them. While I kill Kotomine Kirei, I will look for your Master's trace."
"Put finding my Master first."
"That's impossible." Emiya Kiritsugu turned his head and looked at Rider, "My mission is equally important."
"Then we will each do our own things after entering the church - maybe the servants inside are more interested in the Master." Rider raised his eyebrows and did not give in.
"..." Faced with Rider's naked threat, Emiya Kiritsugu finally chose to take a step back, "Well, I'll help you find the trace of the Master first, and then take action against Kotomine Kirei. Do you need to sign a contract, King of Conquerors?"
"No, I don't need that thing. Just let me trust you once, Saber's Master." Iskandar said meaningfully, and deliberately emphasized the last sentence. Then he took the lead in driving the God's Wheel and rushed into the church:
"Weber! Where are you, kid? I'm here to save you! AAAALaLaLaLaie!"
The tranquility of the sacred land was broken, the lightning smashed the concrete wall, broke the precious statue, and rushed into the hinterland, looking for the trace of the Master.
"What are you doing, King of Conquerors!" The golden Heroic Spirit first appeared in front of the King of Conquerors and shouted angrily, "You are invading my private domain. In other words, are you ready to go to war with me?"
"What are you talking about!" Gilgamesh responded with a heroic laugh, "Of course I am not ready! After all, you have kidnapped my Master!"
"Then you are!"
"However, King of Heroes, it is not a bad idea to take a look at the army under my command. How about it? Please accept the King's Army (Ionian Hetairoi)!"
The inherent barrier opened, pulling the two servants away from the battlefield, and in the church, a man in black clothes shuttled through it like a ghost, looking for his target; the priest in a robe took out the black key and waited for it; the imprisoned little Master stretched out his palm and finally touched the sole of his shoe.
The mystery beyond common sense has been eliminated. In this church, the struggle for mankind has just begun.
TIP: Enro is a platform on the outer corridor of a Japanese house. It is used for basking in the sun outside and watching the rain when it rains. Kiritsugu Emiya and Shirou often watch the moon here. This is also the place where Shirou was knocked unconscious and then fought over by three girls in "Fantasy Carnival".