"Hehehe, Kirei, is this the temporary base you found? Truly fit for a sewer rat."
After leaving the Fuyuki Church, Kirei Kotomine's top priority was to conceal his movements. He had long known that the area around the church was teeming with the familiars of various mages.
But before disappearing completely, he deliberately paraded Maiya Hisau—battered and barely alive—in front of one of Kiritsugu Emiya's cameras.
Carrying Maiya and accompanied by Assassin, Kirei chose a sewer tunnel near the Mion River as his new base.
The Mion River was the great river that cut through Fuyuki, dividing the city into its East and West districts.
"Kirei, did you not hear me speak, mongrel?"
The sewer was filled with filth, but Assassin quickly cleaned a section and set up chairs, a bed, and other furnishings.
With their sheer numbers, Assassin made short work of such menial tasks.
Only after carefully binding the unconscious Maiya and laying her down did Kirei finally turn his gaze to the King of Heroes.
"Archer, you should be with your Master."
"You mean I should stay by the side of a mongrel who constantly schemes against me? Tohsaka has grown too arrogant. Hypnotizing him was a gift."
The casually dressed King of Heroes sat down on the bed, patting the mattress with a raised eyebrow.
"Kirei, surely you don't believe that Tohsaka could truly defend against me if he tried?"
Tokiomi Tohsaka was a competent mage. While he had accepted the reversal of roles—becoming the servant to his own Servant—he hadn't simply given up and entrusted everything to the King of Heroes.
But it was precisely this self-reliance that had displeased the King of Heroes, prompting him to allow Tohsaka to see Sakura off while he himself sought out Kirei for amusement.
He had even mentally prepared himself for the possibility that Tohsaka might die on this journey.
However, it seemed the Magus Killer was truly occupied. He had neither attacked Kirei as he left the church nor targeted the lone Tohsaka.
"I say, Kirei, is torture really that interesting? You've utterly broken this woman."
Her limbs were shattered, her body a canvas of wounds, wrapped only in a trembling bedsheet. Fortunately, Kirei lacked any reproductive desires; he had not committed the one act even the King of Heroes found repulsive.
"Archer, she is a heretic, not a woman. In the eyes of an executor, heretics have no gender or race."
Though cast out from the Church like a stray dog, this abandonment seemed to have no effect on Kirei Kotomine. His expression remained serene, his mind solely focused on Kiritsugu Emiya.
Hearing Kirei's explanation, the King of Heroes frowned. He was far more ancient than the Church's Lord and harbored a deep-seated hatred for all gods.
"Mongrel."
The soft curse wasn't directed at anyone in particular, yet it could have been aimed at everyone in the Church.
"Kirei, I initially found you merely amusing—chosen by the Holy Grail, yet unaware of your own desires. Now, I'm increasingly eager to see you confront those desires and seize the pleasure that is rightfully yours. I eagerly await the day when you, a faithful servant of the Lord, finally realize your true nature has always been that of a demon."
The sewer was still too dark and gloomy, unbefitting the King of Heroes' presence. With those words, he dematerialized and vanished.
Kirei Kotomine, however, paid no heed to the King of Heroes' words. His gaze remained fixed on Maiya Hisau.
He simply wanted to understand what kind of man Kiritsugu Emiya was and what wish he intended to entrust to the Holy Grail.
-
Meanwhile, in the Great Forest west of Fuyuki City, outside Einzbern Castle...
The impeccably dressed Kayneth arrived with Lancer to pay a visit.
The previous night, the hotel Kayneth had booked was blown up. Not only had he lost many of his Magecraft tools and been left covered in soot, but most importantly, Kiritsugu Emiya had escaped unscathed, utterly humiliating Kayneth in front of Guinevere.
Guinevere would not participate in this battle. She would watch over the limbless Master herself, having acknowledged Kayneth's rage and desire for revenge.
When her Lia confronted Lancer, Guinevere remained silent, waiting for them to settle their duel.
"Kayneth, why are you so agitated? Do you have so little confidence in Lancer?"
As the price for endorsing Kayneth's revenge, she had vetoed his plan to have Lancer stall Saber while he infiltrated Einzbern Castle alone to kill the enemy Master.
Guinevere had only agreed to a direct challenge: Lancer would engage in a proper Knight's duel.
"Your Grace, you are the Queen of the King of Knights and have sparred with Lancer yourself. Do you truly believe Lancer has any chance of victory?"
"Have you forgotten? Lancer hasn't revealed his True Name yet. But the King of Knights' sword... I personally lent my sword to Lancer for him to wield."
"Speaking of which, Lancer's swordsmanship is actually better than his spearmanship. If he were a Saber, his skill with the blade would be on par with Lancelot's and mine."
This conversation took place before Einzbern Castle. As Irisviel von Einzbern accompanied the King of Knights outside, Guinevere waved to her without lowering her voice while speaking to Kayneth.
Afterward, Saber simply dispelled Invisible Air from her sword and, under the name Artoria Pendragon, formally accepted Lancer's challenge.
"My apologies, Saber," Lancer said. "Caster told me my parameters, martial skills, and Noble Phantasms are all inferior to yours. To have any chance of victory, I had to catch you off guard."
"It matters not, Lancer," Saber replied. "Your mana signature alone reveals you to be an honorable man. Besides, on the battlefield, one should use every means necessary."
It was also because of Guinevere. Portions of the military treatises she wrote at the Camelot Knight Academy survived, softening the King of Knights' rigid image in later ages.
Moreover, that battle between Camelot and Rome was clearly recorded in history. In later evaluations, some called it the last true knightly battle, while others claimed the Camelot Knights had lost all conscience, daring to set a trap for the Roman Knights, who were already at a disadvantage in overall quality.
But regardless of what Lancer was thinking, he now held his bandage-wrapped spear, ready to execute his surprise attack.
The next moment, the King of Knights and Lancer clashed, unleashing a storm of power that once again left Irisviel breathless with awe.
However, Guinevere helping Lancer bully the King of Knights drew Irisviel's displeasure.
Irisviel feared Kayneth, but she did not fear Guinevere, who stood beside him. Biting her lip, she strode forward and glared fiercely at Guinevere.
"Just because you fled for some reason yesterday and Saber considered it a forfeit, you've suddenly become a sore loser today?"
"Irisviel, I did not lose! It was all Archer and Kiritsugu Emiya's fault! They interrupted my deathmatch with Lia!"
"So, you agreed to Lord Kayneth's attack because you wanted revenge on Kiritsugu? Caster, I already promised to give you Illya as a child! That makes Kiritsugu your future family! You can't hold a grudge against him..."
Guinevere's eyes flew open, and she choked back a cough. She wasn't the only one stunned by those words.
Kayneth considered calling the whole thing off. If Kiritsugu really became Guinevere's family, he could even gift him a few more hotels to blow up.
Meanwhile, in the midst of battle, the King of Knights stumbled, revealing a significant opening. Fortunately, Lancer did not press his advantage.
Just then, Kiritsugu's voice came through Irisviel's earpiece as he set up his sniper rifle.
"Irisviel, what's this about Illya? Why am I just hearing about it now?"