Meanwhile, after rescuing Kayneth, Iskandar guided his substitute chariot on a seemingly aimless journey through the skies above Fuyuki.
"..." ×3
Aside from the strong wind cutting through the air, the interior of the chariot was… strangely silent.
No one spoke.
Waver kept his body stiff, barely daring to breathe too loudly. His instinctive fear of Kayneth prevented him from opening his mouth.
Kayneth, on the other hand, remained motionless, his gaze lost on the horizon. His recent defeat had been a severe humiliation—too harsh a reality even for someone as prideful as him.
As for Iskandar, he simply observed in silence.
Unlike his usual behavior, he deliberately said nothing, giving master and student space to resolve their own issues.
Time passed.
Eventually, Kayneth's eyes, once clouded, began to regain focus as his reason returned—along with his pride.
His gaze drifted toward Waver's right hand.
One of his Command Seals had already been used.
"Let's head to Fuyuki Church first." His voice was firm.
"Huh? Y-Yes!"
Waver flinched but quickly nodded, leaning forward to nudge Iskandar somewhat awkwardly.
Iskandar let out a heavy sigh.
"Honestly, you should give orders with more dignity, Master."
Even so, he didn't argue.
With a pull on the reins, the chariot changed direction, racing through the sky toward its destination.
From the moment he had been summoned, Iskandar had already taken measures in his own way.
He and Waver had bought an entire bookstore.
The objective?
Maps.
Lots of maps.
Maps of the entire world.
After all, a conquering king couldn't even begin his journey without understanding the land he sought to claim.
Naturally, that included detailed knowledge of Fuyuki City.
To Iskandar, this wasn't excessive—it was the bare minimum.
---
Fuyuki Church
Outside, Hassan watched as a blue bolt of lightning cut through the sky, rapidly approaching.
He immediately relayed the information to Kirei Kotomine, who was resting inside the church, then dissolved his presence, shifting into spiritual form to avoid detection by Rider.
Inside the church, Kirei slowly opened his eyes.
Still leaning back in his chair, a faint smile appeared on his lips before he calmly stood up.
His footsteps echoed softly through the hall.
Main Hall of the Church
When Kirei entered, his father, Risei Kotomine, was already receiving the visitors.
The elderly priest, with graying hair and a firm posture, maintained his usual composure as he faced Kayneth, Waver, and Iskandar.
"According to the contract, the Church is a neutral and inviolable zone."
"Mr. Kayneth, your Servant saber has returned to the Holy Grail. So… have you come here seeking refuge?"
"No. I am not here for asylum," Kayneth replied immediately.
He then pointed to Waver behind him.
"I am already out of this Holy Grail War. Even if I were to contract another Servant, it would only bring disgrace—a stain on my name and my family's. So… I came here because of my student."
"Huh?!" Waver froze upon hearing himself mentioned.
Ignoring Waver's reaction, Kayneth raised his hand, showing his Command Seals.
"I want you to restore my Command Seals and then transplant one onto him."
His voice was firm, filled with authority—not a request, but a demand.
"What?"
Risei's expression froze for a moment.
His eyes narrowed slightly, as if evaluating whether he had heard correctly or if this was some kind of tasteless provocation.
Since becoming supervisor of the Fuyuki Church, never—not once—had anyone dared make such an absurd demand.
At most, he had restored Command Seals to Masters who had already used all three while their Servants remained active, granting them one final chance during the Third Holy Grail War, sixty years ago.
Nothing more.
"I do not wish to repeat myself."
Kayneth didn't raise his voice, but his impatience was clear.
"If you refuse… Rider will release his Noble Phantasm right now and destroy the entire Fuyuki Church."
The threat was delivered with the same calmness as commenting on the weather.
"Huh? Me? You—"
Iskandar, who had been casually exploring the place like a curious marketplace—touching objects, inspecting walls, even peeking out the window—turned around in genuine confusion.
He pointed at himself, then looked at Waver.
Waver, drenched in cold sweat, shook his head repeatedly, silently begging: don't question this right now.
Iskandar blinked.
Then shrugged.
"If that's how you want to play, fine."
Without hesitation, he clapped once—and in the next instant, outside the church, rows upon rows of soldiers appeared.
A true army of "Servants."
Watching through the window, without even needing Hassan's shared vision, Kirei witnessed everything.
His gaze darkened immediately.
"What do you want?!" Risei stepped back two steps, clearly shaken—not by simple fear, but by the sheer weight of a situation completely out of control.
But Kayneth gave him no time to react.
He stepped forward and firmly grabbed Risei's right arm.
Without ceremony, he pulled back the sleeve of his robe, revealing an astonishing number of Command Seals engraved on his skin.
"All of these were left behind by Masters eliminated in the previous Holy Grail War, correct?"
Kayneth observed them with cold analysis.
"I'm only asking for three."
His eyes met Risei's.
"Is that too much? Compared to your life… and your son's… this seems like an excellent deal."
"..."
Silence filled the church.
From a distance, Kirei remained still, coldly assessing the situation.
Without his Mystic Code, Kayneth was weakened.
He estimated a sixty percent chance of victory.
But that didn't make the situation acceptable—far from it. Kayneth could not die inside the Church.
In the world of the Mage's Association, hierarchy and prestige were not empty concepts.
And in that regard, very few stood above Kayneth.
Even fewer could bear the consequences of his death.
…
A short time later, Kayneth took the lead, with Waver and Iskandar following him out of the church.
The Command Seals on both Kayneth's and Waver's right hands had been restored.
Inside the Church, despite their evident dissatisfaction, Kirei and Risei maintained polite expressions.
Silently watching as the group departed.
Bang!
As soon as the church doors closed, Kirei spoke:
"Father, Kayneth's actions have severely violated the rules of the Holy Grail War. We should notify the other Masters immediately and eliminate him."
Risei didn't respond at once.
It was as if the weight of recent events had finally caught up with him.
In mere moments, he seemed to age years.
Slowly, he bent forward, supported himself on a nearby chair, and sat down.
"Kayneth… is not someone we can afford to provoke lightly… Forget it…"
---
Meanwhile… in a dark room filled with a suffocating atmosphere
"I'm back, Ryuunosuke."
"Ah~ welcome back, Caster."
The air was thick with the metallic scent of fresh blood—and something worse.
Gilles materialized slowly, passing through the wall.
Before him, five children were crucified.
Their small bodies were grotesquely twisted, as if forced beyond any natural limit. Their fingers were broken at unnatural angles, their bodies trembling involuntarily. Their skin was torn in multiple places, opened in irregular cuts that still bled, crimson dripping slowly down their arms and onto the floor.
Some were still breathing.
Each breath was a desperate struggle, accompanied by weak sobs barely audible in the room.
At the center stood a young man in a purple jacket.
He had two piercings, a chain at his waist, and a calm demeanor. The bracelet on his wrist was a magical item given to him by Caster. His hair was orange.
He held a box cutter, carving into the body of one of the crucified children.
He wasn't merely injuring them—he was sculpting.
Like an obsessed artist, tracing lines into living flesh with disturbing precision, as if it were a canvas rather than an innocent child.
Clang!
Noticing Gilles' arrival, Ryuunosuke Uryuu casually dropped the cutter, the blade clinking against the bloodstained floor.
He clapped his hands in childish excitement.
"I call it 'Blood Rose'! It's a masterpiece among masterpieces!"
"Ah, yes…"
But Gilles' response wasn't as usual.
"What's wrong, my friend?"
Ryuunosuke tilted his head, approaching with genuine curiosity, as if concerned about a fellow artist.
"Weren't you going to see the girl of your dreams? So? Did you see her? I really want to show her my masterpiece!"
"Hehehehehe…"
Gilles' laughter held no humor.
It was the sound of something broken and filled with hatred.
Without answering, he walked toward the central pillar and—
Without hesitation, struck.
Pfft!!
The child's skull shattered instantly.
Blood exploded outward, splattering the walls, the floor, and Ryuunosuke's face like paint.
Gilles' strength was only rank D.
But that never meant weakness.
Even the lowest-ranked Servant surpasses human limits.
In the Holy Grail War, Servants are ranked from lowest to highest as E, D, C, B, and A—with EX being beyond measure.
Rank E already represents the maximum limit a normal human body can reach.
And yet, even among those ranked E, there are differences.
But none of that mattered to those children.
"How despicable!"
Gilles' voice suddenly erupted, filled with twisted fury.
"That accursed God still keeps Jeanne's soul suffering even now!"
"Jeanne d'Arc…"
Ryuunosuke stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Is she really the woman you saw in the crystal ball?"
He frowned slightly.
Honestly… she doesn't resemble your description at all…
But that didn't matter—not to Gilles, and not to him.
"I have no doubt!" Gilles shouted.
His eyes wide, completely consumed by madness.
"No matter how cruel or immoral something is, God will not punish it! Ryuunosuke, we must work even harder!"
He spread his arms like a prophet of a twisted faith.
"Such a small offering is far from enough to atone for God's sins!"
"More! More!! More!!! We need far more sacrifices!!!"
"I understand!" Ryuunosuke nodded vigorously, a wide, disturbing smile spreading across his bloodstained face.
"Caster, your approach is way cooler than I imagined!"
His eyes turned toward the darkness at the back of the room.
"In that case—"
Gilles raised his arms even higher.
"We will commit even more immoral and blasphemous acts!"
"We will pile offerings until the heavens can no longer ignore us!"
"We will trample the name of God with these sacrifices! Let's begin!"
He waved his hand as if starting a celebration.
Ryuunosuke nodded excitedly—but then paused, as if remembering something.
He slowly turned his head toward the darkness.
Faint sobs and weak moans could still be heard.
"But… for now…"
He smiled.
"Let's sacrifice the 11 children in the basement first… and then leave."
Like someone preparing for a casual outing, he walked lightly into the darkness.
A few seconds later, sharp, desperate screams began to echo.
And mixed with them—the loud, distorted laughter of two monsters enjoying themselves.
(End of Chapter)
A/N: This was easily the most disturbing chapter I've ever written in my life. But I believe it served its purpose. If you're curious about who the hell Gilles de Rais is, check the Fate wiki—I'm not going to waste time writing about him. Of course, if anyone wants to, feel free to do so in the comments.