That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

The demon flapped its wings, now reduced to mere skeletons, and raised them high. A black energy sphere formed at the center of the two wings, causing the earth to tremble. The demon roared and pushed the black energy sphere toward the True Ether Greatsword.

呲味味~

The greatsword of light slashed at the demonic power, emitting a blinding white light. The earth trembled, and everything around was blown away. The demons that were closer to it gradually melted under the radiation of energy, their muscles dissolved, and their skeletons were burned black.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!!!"

The demon's body remained upright, roaring to the sky, as the black energy sphere, gathering all its demonic power, slowly pushed the giant sword of light back.

However, it was all in vain.

Mystery fails in the face of higher mysteries. This does not mean that lower-level magic is completely incapable of harming higher-level mysteries, but rather that it is a relationship of restraint.

The true etheric light that simulates the age of gods is more ancient and mysterious than the demons imagined by humans; it is knowledge that has long been forgotten by humanity and the world.

The highly concentrated energy sphere of cursed power was slowly separated by the greatsword of light made of true ether.

Swish!

The greatsword of light slashed down, splitting the highly concentrated demonic power and the demon itself in two, before turning into light particles and disappearing.

The demon's body suddenly stiffened, standing still, and after a moment it turned into black mist and disappeared.

The mist in the water storage chamber dissipated, revealing a scene of utter devastation: pits everywhere, flowing lava, burning corpses, and not a single intact stone pillar to be found.

"Won."

Shinji Matou let out a long breath, white smoke rose from his right arm, the light patterns quickly faded, his skin turned red, and a feeling of exhaustion washed over him. Eight or nine tenths of his magical energy was gone, and unless he replenished it with a Command Spell, he would find it difficult to fight against Servants.

Shinji Matou looked around. The corpses in the water storage room had been almost completely burned by the fire tornado, so there was no need for much treatment.

"I bet we'll see news about the sewers collapsing due to a gas explosion tomorrow." Shinji Matou chuckled and shook his head. After making sure he hadn't missed anything, he left the water storage room and hurried towards the only exit.

The battle with the demon was delayed for more than ten minutes, so Ryunosuke Uryuu could not escape far, and there was also a magic trap set by Shinji Matou in the sewers.

Although Berserker's main body is still by Ryunosuke Uryuu's side, the fact that he has created such a powerful demon in his clone means that his own strength must have been greatly reduced.

Shinji Matou's magic power is insufficient; Berserker will only suffer more.

After walking for a few minutes, Shinji Matou found the magic trap he had set. Sure enough, it had been triggered, and concrete spears pierced out from four directions: up, down, left, and right. Although no body could be found at the scene, a large amount of blood could be found.

Such a large amount of bleeding would at least result in serious injury for an ordinary person.

However, Shinji Matou discovered a large amount of blood around the trap.

"The traces have been covered up."

Shinji Matou narrowed his eyes. Berserker shouldn't have this ability. Indeed, Berserker is a doctor and can treat Ryunosuke Uryu's injuries, but it's impossible that not a single drop of blood was shed.

There must be someone skilled in treatment and cover-up who did something here.

The only answer I can think of is Assassin.

While Hassan the Hundred Faces lacks direct combat ability, his cunning and underhanded tactics are arguably the pinnacle of Heroic Spirits.

After all, there are eighty-eight personalities, each with different abilities.

Any action taken by Assassin must be an order given by Kirei Kotomine.

"What did that priest, Kasyapa, want to do by saving Ryunosuke Uryu? Could it be that he has realized his own ugly nature and feels a sense of shared suffering with Ryunosuke Uryu?" Shinji Matou muttered to himself.

It was impossible that Tokiomi Tohsaka's order was to save Ryunosuke Uryuu. He had the pride of a magician and could not tolerate a murderer running rampant in Fuyuki City.

After a short wait, a black bat landed in Shinji Matou's hand; it was one of Shinji Matou's familiars.

"We lost them as expected, and several familiars were killed."

The cooked duck flew away, which was also within Matou Shinji's expectations. More than being angry, Matou Shinji was more concerned about the intentions behind Kotomine Kirei's actions, and the remaining magic power did not allow Matou Shinji to pursue Assassin.

After leaving the sewers, Shinji Matou found some tools, wrote two letters, and hung them on his two familiars.

"Go to the Tohsaka family."

"Go to the church."

Since Ryunosuke Uryu has lost track of him, Shinji Matou's reluctance to pursue him doesn't mean he can't do anything. Kirei Kotomine and Tokiomi Tohsaka are both Shinji Matou's enemies, so Shinji Matou wouldn't mind stirring up trouble between them.

The letter elaborates on the events in a definitive tone, condemns Kirei Kotomine's behavior, and demands the handing over of Ryunosuke Uryu, otherwise there is reason to doubt the injustice of the Church.

The Holy Grail War, ostensibly, is a magical competition overseen by the Church.

Chapter Fifty: Human instinct drives the pursuit of pleasure.

In a deserted forest, the young priest Kirei Kotomine stared indifferently at Ryunosuke Uryu lying on the ground, his right hand gripping the three black keys, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

Ryunosuke Uryu's right leg was completely broken, and his chest injury was also serious. If left untreated, he would have certainly died. It was only because Kirei Kotomine used magic to treat him that he has been able to live on for so long.

If Berserker hadn't risked his life to save him, Ryunosuke Uryu would have certainly died when he triggered that magic trap.

Why save this man?

Kirei Kotomine pondered the answer to the question, his brow furrowing deeper as he became increasingly perplexed by his rash actions.

“Saving him was definitely not what my master wanted to see. Although my master also wanted to eliminate him to obtain the Command Seals, he was a dignified magician, and I would rather not see such a scoundrel running rampant in Fuyuki City than obtain the Command Seals.”

“Rescuing him without authorization is an undeniable act of treason.”

"Do I have a reason to save him?"

"Regret it?"

"No, what's wrong with this feeling? I clearly saw that hell on earth through Assassin's eyes, so what is it about this murderous demon that I'm so obsessed with?"

"Am I excited right now?"

"Even the death of Claudia (Kallen's mother, Kirei's wife) didn't stir any emotion in me, so why does saving him excite me so much? What am I expecting?"

"Humans are instinctively drawn to pleasure."

That's what he said.

"If this is my true nature... how ironic. What have I been doing for the past twenty years? Where did the education I received go wrong?"

Kirei Kotomine smiled, the smile growing increasingly eerie as he turned and left.

Soon, Berserker appeared, transforming into a doctor to treat Ryunosuke Uryu's injuries. It was in a very weak state, its Command Seals' magic power was completely exhausted, and its spiritual power was also squeezed to the limit. It was still unable to obtain magic power from its seriously injured Master.

"Why did that man... save the Master? There's a Servant's aura around him, so he must also be a Master." Berserker was equally puzzled by Kirei Kotomine's decision to save Ryunosuke Uryu. If Kirei Kotomine had wanted to kill Ryunosuke Uryu just now, it would have been impossible to stop him in its current weakened state.

"Cough...cough cough cough...cough cough..."

Ryunosuke Uryu coughed up blood, slowly opened his eyes, saw the middle-aged male doctor in front of him, and gave a weak smile: "Yo, senpai, have you dealt with that guy yet?"

Berserker shook his head: "On the contrary, the demonic clone that possessed all my power was killed by that Caster."

"Oh, what a pity. That guy was a great prospect." Ryunosuke Uryu sighed regretfully, lay down and leaned against a tree trunk, staring blankly at his severely injured body. Blood was still flowing from his abdomen, and his right leg was completely broken, with only skin and flesh connecting it.

He laughed, like a child, his smile pure and cheerful: "Senior, I've finally found the color I've always dreamed of... The moment I felt life flowing away from my body, the instant I stepped into death, was the best experience, the highest art!"

Ryunosuke Uryu closed his eyes and murmured in ecstasy, stroking the wound on his abdomen, his right hand completely soaked in blood: "It has always been here, always~ always~ always~ always~ always~ always! Why didn't I notice it? That guy was right, only by experiencing it yourself can you create true art."

"When the heart stops beating, comfort and peace follow."

“I wanted more people to understand this art, but it seems that’s not possible now. This body will slowly die. This ending isn’t so bad. I can finally taste the flavor of death properly.” Ryunosuke Uryu sighed regretfully.

Berserker suddenly said, "Master, there is a way to satisfy all your desires."

"what?"

"Please use your last Command Spell to release the Berserker class skill's Berserk seal."

······

Fuyuki City Church

After reading the letter his father handed him, Kirei Kotomine heard Tokitomi Tohsaka's voice through the retro speakers: "Kirei, why did you save the Berserker's Master? It was too reckless. Annihilating the Berserker's Master is the consensus of all Masters in this Holy Grail War, yet you have disobeyed the orders of both your father and me."

Behind Kirei Kotomine stood Risei Kotomine, the supervisor of the Holy Grail War. The elderly priest looked very grim; his proud son had made a fatal mistake in this Holy Grail War.

The contents of the envelope were naturally written by Shinji Matou. The gist of it was that the familiar had monitored Kirei Kotomine saving Ryunosuke Uryu, whom it was chasing, and demanded that the church make a fair judgment.

In reality, Shinji Matou didn't see it, and the familiars were all dealt with by Assassin, because Shinji Matou has God's-eye view.

This is an indisputable fact.

Kirei Kotomine had no idea what methods Shinji Matou, as a Caster, had to monitor him, and he had no room to refute Shinji Matou's written accusations.

What was the reason for saving Ryunosuke Amusei?

If Kirei Kotomine answers that he doesn't even know, can anyone believe such an answer?

This must be covered up for now.

Kirei Kotomine's expression remained calm. After thinking it over, he replied in a deep voice, "Master, Caster has already defeated Berserker. If I don't take action, Berserker will surely be destroyed by Caster. At that time, the Matou family will gain two more Command Seals. In addition, the cooperation between the Matou family and the Einzbern family's puppets will inevitably put us in an extremely disadvantageous situation."

"Kiri, is this your judgment?"

Kirei Kotomine lowered his head deeply and replied, "Yes."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Tokiomi Tohsaka's voice came through the speakers: "It's not that I can't understand your thoughts, but a magician must have the dignity of a magician. The Holy Grail War can only be completed under the constraints of rules. Berserker's Master is a kidnapper and murderer. I cannot tolerate such a person living in this world. His actions in Fuyuki City are the greatest provocation to the Tohsaka family."

"However, while your actions have caused trouble, they have also created more opportunities for the Tohsaka family. Kirei, you should temporarily hand over the Command Seals to your father and have Assassin stand by at the church to ensure your safety. Assassin has already gathered enough intelligence, and I will not forget your contributions."

Kirei Kotomine answered without hesitation, "Yes, Master."

“Father, please announce the news of the punishment that stripped Kirito of his authority to the public, so as to ensure the Church’s just status.”

The elderly priest stepped forward and said apologetically, "I understand. I'm very sorry that my son has caused you so much trouble."

Chapter 51 A Visit

"Berserker was seriously injured by Caster and is currently missing."

"The Assassin faction was stripped of their Master powers by the Church Tribunal for helping the Berserker escape. The Assassins are temporarily under the Church's control to monitor the misconduct of various Masters and to locate the Berserker. If a Master loses their Servant, they can apply to the Church to form a contract with the Assassin after the Berserker is destroyed."

"Assassin will report to all Masters as soon as he finds any trace of Berserker."

Waver read the message the familiar had sent back in a low voice, his brow furrowed: "That guy Caster beat us to it. Luckily, Berserker escaped. We now have two Command Seals left, and we must get those two Command Seals to make up for our disadvantage."

Beside him, Rider, wearing a white T-shirt, laughed heartily: "Isn't Caster a pretty capable guy? I wonder which era he's from. That kind of reckless Caster is the most interesting."

"You have the right to talk about others like that? Rdier, remember this: that guy is the enemy! Every Servant who appears in this Holy Grail War is the enemy!" Waver complained.