Crossover Anime: Starting with Bankai from Demon Slayer

Chapter 198 What a cunning avenger!

Golden particles vibrated, and the magic in the air became scorching due to Gilgamesh's rage.

Kirei Kotomine looked at the almost pathological anxiety and murderous intent in Gilgamesh's eyes and frowned slightly.

This is not normal.

"Wait a minute, King of Heroes."

Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, casting a dangerous glance at Kirei: "Kirei, do you also wish to command me?"

"No, I am merely fulfilling my duty as an ally and assistant." Kirei bowed slightly, his voice calm and unwavering.

He showed neither fear of the king nor the slightest flattery; he simply stated an objective fact: "Perhaps your anger at this moment is not entirely of your own volition."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"Don't you think your anger is a bit too unfounded?" Kirei raised his head, staring directly into the king, who was on the verge of exploding with his empty black eyes.

"None of them, whether swordsmen, spearmen, or even the berserker who attacked you, have elicited such a strong emotional reaction from you."

"Right now, you give me the feeling that you're in a hurry to finish a duel that has been going on for a thousand years, like... going to take revenge on a long-standing nemesis."

Seeing Kirei Kotomine's serious expression, Gilgamesh let out a short, mocking laugh: "Are you saying that my emotions can be swayed by such an insignificant and lowly person? Kirei, your joke is not funny at all."

"Nemesis? Grudge? A mere rat hiding its head and tail dares to call itself my nemesis?! I am merely..."

His words suddenly stopped.

Gilgamesh instinctively pressed his fingers against his temples.

Yes, why?

The moment that black figure appeared in his field of vision, an indescribable sense of hatred surged within the depths of his soul.

It wasn't just a matter of disliking it.

It was a memory echoing like a curse, as if etched deep within one's spiritual foundation.

Countless fragmented images flashed through Gilgamesh's mind:

Uruk swallowed by black mud, the desecrated treasure, and... the cold touch of that ominous black blade piercing his body.

and many more.

Gilgamesh's pupils contracted violently.

Where did these memories come from?

During his great lifetime, and in his legends, no such black-clad swordsman had ever been seen.

He had never been hurt by such a blade, nor had he ever seen such a tattered black kimono.

These memories are false.

But that hatred, that urge to tear the other person to pieces and grind their bones to ashes, was real.

...Tsk.

The red light in Gilgamesh's eyes flickered, and his anger, which was about to erupt, quickly subsided by more than half.

The moment Kirei pointed it out, he also realized the abnormality in his own mental state.

"Kirei, contact Tokiomi."

Gilgamesh abruptly sat back on the magically constructed throne, his face terribly grim, like a lion that had realized it had stumbled into a trap.

"Now that you've noticed, things are much easier."

Without saying a word, Kirei turned around and activated the communication magic circle.

As magic was injected, Tokiomi Tohsaka's slightly anxious voice came from within the formation.

"Kirei, what happened? I sensed a violent fluctuation in the King's aura just now. Has an enemy invaded?"

"No, teacher, there are no enemies here. Or rather... the enemy has already completed their attack."

Kirei glanced at Gilgamesh, whose face was ashen, and said into the communication array, "The King of Heroes was just subjected to a very subtle form of mental interference."

"Mental interference? Against the Hero King who possesses extremely high magic resistance?... It's that mysterious spellcaster (Caster)."

"Is that right?"

"It wasn't a direct magical attack, teacher."

Kirei calmly analyzed, "If it were a magical attack, the King's magic resistance would automatically defend against it. But this situation is different; it's more like a subtle, gradual influence based on class characteristics."

"...It was the Avengers who did it."

Immediately afterwards, Kirei Kotomine reported all the anomalies he had observed to Tokiomi.

Tokiomi fell silent on the other end of the communication line, followed by the rustling sound of ancient books being turned.

As the head of the Tohsaka family, he was well-read and possessed a vast amount of knowledge.

But at this moment, he was somewhat at a loss.

The Avengers are an illegal class summoned by the Einzbern family during the last Holy Grail War.

Information about its specific abilities and characteristics was destroyed and sealed by the three starter families due to the defeat in the Third Holy Grail War, leaving only vague records of abnormal summoning.

Even though Tokiomi Tohsaka was one of the three founding families, he could not know the secrets on his own.

"...I suspect it might be some kind of inherent ability." Tokiomi said uncertainly, "Perhaps this class called Avenger can transform its own hatred into a source of power, or use it as a bond that anchors both sides..."

"Hero King, you've never seen this black-clad swordsman before, yet you have vivid memories of hatred, right?"

"Don't waste your breath."

...This could be a form of cognitive pollution.

On the other end of the communicator, Tokiomi's expression was grim: "It's not that the King remembers him, but rather that he forcibly implanted the false concept that 'he is the King's enemy' into the King's Spirit Origin through a class skill."

"Just seeing him, just being aware of his existence, will forcibly awaken the most primal desire for revenge deep within my heart."

"You'll feel that he's the source of all misfortune, a nemesis you must personally slay. Even if you've never met him, even if you have no connection whatsoever."

Snapped!

With a crisp sound, Gilgamesh crushed the golden goblet in his hand into golden powder.

"Bastard...!!"

Gilgamesh's teeth were grinding together.

Arrogant as he is, this tactic is even more unforgivable than direct provocation.

This is a violation of one of the king's most precious treasures: the alteration of memories, and a desecration of the king's will!

That seemingly ordinary boy in black, who only knows how to slash around with a broken knife, is actually secretly playing such an extremely insidious trick.

"Moreover, this is not just about affecting perception; no one has any reason to create enemies out of thin air."

Tokiomi's urgent warning came again: "I suspect that the Avenger's class ability will cause this evil to continuously erode the Servant's rationality, causing the affected target to go berserk in battle, and in severe cases, it may damage their Spirit Origin."

"Furthermore, if driven by this false hatred, once you actually kill him, or believe you have killed him..."

"The concept of revenge will be achieved, and as the executor, you will likely be judged as having completed your mission, leading to the self-disintegration of your Spirit Origin and your passive withdrawal from the Holy Grail War."

Overthinking, Tokiomi wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his wariness towards the seemingly cold-blooded swordsman in black growing even stronger: "To think he could use such methods to drag the strongest Hero King into the mire..."

"What a cunning kid, I almost fell for his trick."