After the meeting concluded.
Kirei Kotomine walked out of the mansion alone, arriving at the courtyard that had just been bombarded.
The scent of scorched earth and magical energy still lingered in the air.
Although the ground had been repaired with magecraft, that overwhelming presence remained unshakable.
"Kirei."
A voice suddenly rang out behind him.
Kirei Kotomine turned around.
Under the moonlight, the golden king who had just been on the second-floor balcony was now leaning against the courtyard's fountain.
Gilgamesh had a white shirt casually draped over his upper body, unbuttoned to reveal his lean, muscular chest, while his lower half was clad in a pair of leopard-print lounge pants that looked rather flamboyant for this era.
He held a golden goblet in his hand, listlessly swirling the amber liquid inside.
"King of Heroes."
Kirei bowed slightly, performing a standard vassal's greeting. "Have you not rested yet? If you are dissatisfied with the performance just now, I can apologize on my teacher's behalf."
"Hmph, that boring man, Tokiomi."
Gilgamesh scoffed lightly, tilting his head back to drain the wine.
"Treating this king as a mere pawn in his schemes... it makes one want to yawn just looking at it. It is highly displeasing."
He casually tossed the goblet into the fountain, letting out a crisp clatter.
"The only reason this king played along with this farce is because that insect truly soiled my eyes. It does not mean I approve of such petty tricks."
Gilgamesh took a step forward, slowly walking up to Kirei.
Those crimson eyes locked onto the expressionless priest.
"Compared to Tokiomi, it is you, Kirei."
"You seem to have no interest in any of this, do you?"
Kirei lowered his gaze. "You misunderstand me. I am fully carrying out my duties as a son and a disciple, doing everything in my power to assist my father and teacher in obtaining the Holy Grail..."
"Liar."
Gilgamesh sneered.
"There is absolutely nothing in your eyes. Neither a desire for the Holy Grail, nor an obsession with victory... You are like an empty shell, Kirei."
"To think someone like you would actually be chosen to join the Holy Grail War. How truly amusing."
This piercing evaluation caused Kirei's brow to twitch slightly.
But Gilgamesh did not pursue the topic, instead shifting the conversation.
"Say, Kirei. Rather than playing along with Tokiomi's tedious schemes, this king has a much more interesting task for you."
Gilgamesh turned around, casting his gaze toward a certain direction in Fuyuki City.
It was the direction where that Avenger had descended last night.
"As you know, a nauseating presence has appeared on this land."
Gilgamesh's voice grew somewhat low, carrying a trace of obvious disgust.
"That so-called Avenger..."
"Though his magical energy reaction is pitifully weak, as unpleasant as a stray dog by the roadside... deep within that power, this king smelled a familiar stench."
"It is the scent of the underworld, the scent of death... yet it differs from the underworld this king knows..."
His gaze deepened, the corners of his mouth curling into a joyful arc. "Kirei, lend those clones of yours to this king."
"Go and find that wretch for me."
"If we can kill a creature with such a twisted stench... perhaps it will add a decent sideshow to this boring banquet."
Kirei fell silent for a moment.
This went against Tokiomi's directives.
Tokiomi Tohsaka's orders were merely for him to fully monitor the other Masters, especially the movements of the Einzbern and Matou families.
However...
Looking at Gilgamesh's eyes, which were brimming with interest.
Kirei Kotomine felt as if something had slightly stirred deep within his heart, across that dead, silent wasteland.
It was curiosity.
A curiosity toward this anomaly that the oldest king deemed interesting, and an anticipation for some kind of variable that might exist in his own empty life.
"I understand."
Kirei slowly raised his head, his voice remaining calm. "Since it is the King's command, I will have the Hassans investigate."
"Excellent."
Gilgamesh smiled in satisfaction.
He reached out and patted Kirei's shoulder. "Do not disappoint this king, Kirei."
"In this boring world, the things that can bring this king pleasure... are exceedingly rare."
With that said, golden particles danced around him, and his figure dissolved into the night like a gust of wind.
Leaving Kirei Kotomine standing alone in the courtyard.
"Avenger, is it..."
He muttered the class name under his breath.
For even that arrogant King of Heroes to care so much...
Then, that Avenger, and his Master.
Just what kind of people could they be?
Kirei turned around, his black vestments snapping in the night wind.
'Hassan-i-Sabbah.'
He issued the command in his mind.
Shadows writhed as dozens of faint presences awakened in every corner of Fuyuki City.
'Go to Shinto and find that Avenger's presence.'
'And then... observe him.'
"Achoo!"
Asuka, who was currently observing the young girl's breathing in Sumire Kamado's room, suddenly sneezed without warning.
'Do spiritual bodies sneeze too?'
Asuka rubbed his nose, furrowing his brow.
"What's wrong, Mr. Asuka?"
Sumire Kamado, who was sprawled over her desk catching up on homework while maintaining Total Concentration Breathing, turned her head and asked with a pained expression, "Did you catch a cold too?"
"No..." Asuka shook his head.
He turned his head, looking through the gap in the curtains at the pitch-black night sky.
'That feeling of being watched by something...'
"Kid, stop writing your homework for now."
"Eh? Really?! That's awes—"
"Do another set of sword swings."
"...You demon!!!"
Amidst the young girl's wails, the night over Fuyuki City grew even deeper.
Within this profound darkness, Kariya Matou stood at the edge of the pier, his body trembling violently.
Pain.
This trembling was not due to the cold.
Beneath his skin, countless pale little worms were frantically burrowing and gnawing.
It felt as though thousands of searing steel needles were traveling through his veins; every breath was accompanied by a tearing agony.
His left eye had long since lost its sight, the cloudy pupil covered in a layer of dead gray, while his originally jet-black hair had turned a withered, ghastly white in just a few short days.
"Cough... cough, cough!"
Kariya suddenly doubled over, violently coughing up mouthfuls of dark red blood.
A hoarse gasp.
The blood splattered onto the cold concrete floor, and shockingly, a few tiny Crest Worms were wriggling within it.
But he could not afford to care about that.
He raised his head, looking forward with his sole remaining right eye.
At the end of the pier, standing tall within the shadows untouched by the streetlights, was an anomalous existence.
It was his Servant, the Heroic Spirit of the Berserker class.
Although named Berserker, he was surprisingly silent at this moment, not letting out meaningless roars like the maddened Heroic Spirits of legend.
He merely stood quietly in the ocean breeze, letting his garments snap wildly in the wind.
That tranquility was paradoxically more terrifying than any frenzy.
In his hand, he held a long, slender katana, its tip exuding wisps of black aura.
The black aura spread through the air, and wherever it passed, even the hard concrete emitted faint sizzling sounds of corrosion.
"A god of death, huh..."
Kariya forced his trembling legs to stand straight, his voice hoarse.
"Heh... he certainly looks the part... That appearance is practically made for reaping lives."