People in Type-Moon start from adopting Sakura

His combat experience and fighting instincts are both outstanding. Even though he has lived for so long, there are only a few people he has met who can surpass him in combat intuition and instinct.

This kind of guy was actually sent to the Eighth Secret Site?

In Matou Zouken's opinion, with Kotomine Kirei's talent, he would be more suitable to be deployed to Western Europe, the main battlefield between the Holy Church and the Dead Apostles, rather than appearing in a mysterious and barren rural area like the Far East.

His talent is definitely among the best among agents of his age. If he undergoes special transformations by the Holy Church and fights enough to accumulate corresponding merits, he will have the opportunity to enter the monster gathering place called the Burial Organ in the future. Coming here to be a small priest and worshipping the useless mediocrity Tōsaka Tokiomi as his teacher is actually a huge waste.

As for the fact that the kid Tōsaka Tokiomi, who had no combat experience at all, died at the hands of such an opponent without the protection of the King of Heroes, he was not surprised at all.

The gap between them is really too big...

If the distance is close enough and the opponent is not prepared, Kotomine Kirei can kill Tōsaka Tokiomi just like killing an ordinary person, without any pressure at all.

After a period of entanglement, Zouken Matou, who had been chasing him, also roughly figured out the level of Kotomine Kirei's strength.

The top among mortals, proficient in all combat skills of the Templar's agents, no matter whether using the Black Keys for close combat or ranged combat, he has done it impeccably. With his current body as decayed as a mummy, if he gets close to him, he might really be nailed to the ground by a set of Black Keys.

However, knowing this very well, Matou Zouken never engaged in close combat with Kotomine Kirei from beginning to end, and would never give him the opportunity to kill him.

Thus, realizing that Kotomine Kirei intended to draw him into close combat and then counterattack, Matou Zouken revealed a sinister smile on his face. Immediately afterwards, the insect familiars beside him began to gather more and more, and soon formed a black mass. Then, under his deliberate control, they split into two different torrents, one from east to west, and the other from west to east, intending to completely block Kotomine Kirei in the forest and eliminate him once and for all.

Realizing this, Kotomine Kirei did not sit still and wait for death. Taking advantage of the moment when Zouken Matou stopped to control the insect swarm, he suddenly turned around and swung the black key in his hand like a flying sword directly at Zouken Matou's head.

--clang!!

However, this action naturally caused no harm to the old bug. He simply released his right hand, raised his cane, and knocked Kotomine Kirei's Black Key, which had been launched from mid-air, directly to his feet. Kotomine Kirei also took advantage of Matou Zouken's distraction to leap into the forest on the right, and then his nimble body completely disappeared.

"Humph, you cunning brat! But do you think you can get away?"

Seeing Kotomine Kirei's figure completely disappear into the forest, veins suddenly bulged on Matou Zouken's face, which was as old and decrepit as a dead tree. Although Kotomine Kirei had long since disappeared, he still wasn't going to let him go.

After all, the ominous aura he felt from Gilgamesh still hung over his heart. Just thinking about it made his heart, which had long been replaced by insects, let out an uneasy wail.

In a moment, Zouken Matou had a vague, absurd thought: even if the three top Servants joined forces, they would still be destroyed by Gilgamesh. So, to be on the safe side, he had to capture Kotomine Kirei, Gilgamesh's new Master, at all costs, and then make plans for the next step.

Thinking this, Matou Zouken leaned over and picked up the black key that had just fallen from Genmine Kirei's hand on the ground, and then threw it into the swarm of insects behind him.

"Tracking Bug, detect the scent here for me, and then lead me to him! For the final victory, I must capture that little Agent Imp no matter what!"

His tone was ferocious, and he immediately gave orders to his familiar.

After receiving this order, the originally dark swarm of insects began to boil at this moment. Thousands of insects suddenly spread out from behind him and began to search in the forest. The originally huge dark swarm was suddenly reduced by half.

Matou Zouken clenched the dry wooden cane in his hand and laughed coldly, like an evil ghost in the forest, following the traces of smell and searching for the breath of living people.

……

……

Soon after……

Crunch——!!

A pitch-black wooden door was pushed open from the outside with a harsh sound. No light could be seen in the dark church. Even the faint candlelight placed on the altar was blown out by the cold wind blowing in from outside when the door was pushed open.

The rotten strings, the broken chair, and the half-broken statue of the Virgin Mary...

This is undoubtedly a church that has been abandoned for a long time. It was originally located in this forest, but because it was too inconvenient to visit it every day, it was moved and abandoned.

At this moment, all the items and decorations inside are covered with traces of time.

Da da da--! !

The sound of footsteps echoed in the church. Kotomine Kirei, who had just rushed back here, walked past the collapsed seats on both sides.

suddenly……

--boom! !

A gust of icy cold wind suddenly blew past my ears, and then the wooden door behind me was closed heavily.

Kotomine Kirei frowned slightly, but his expression remained calm. He looked at the broken statue of the Virgin Mary in front of him, and heard the rustling sound of insects crawling beside him. He already had the answer to the current situation in his heart.

"How miserable you are, Kotomine Kirei..."

The voice, as hoarse as a dead tree and as sharp as a demon, slowly rang out in the church.

He also whispered the other person's name at this moment: "...Matou Zouken."

"Is that so? You came here so soon."

"Haha, after all, you made a fatal mistake, Agent."

The old voice continued to echo in his ears, followed by—

clang! !

There was a crisp sound of metal clashing, and a pitch-black dagger flashing with cold light suddenly fell from above. The sword body was inserted directly in front of Kotomine Kirei, and it was flashing with a few strands of cold light.

"That's it..."

Seeing this thing, Kotomine Kirei smiled slightly, and he already understood why the other party could find this place so quickly.

"Be content, Kotomine Kirei. The curtain has almost fallen. Accept your fate."

The old voice sounded again, but this time it carried a hint of murderous intent, accompanied by the sound of the crutch hitting the roof, and then a rustling sound began to ring in his ears.

Countless black insects hidden in the shadows began to crawl out from the darkness along the pillars under the command of Matou Zouken. The statue of the Virgin Mary from the crack of the door behind them soon surrounded Kotomine Kirei, forming a situation of being trapped on all sides, making it difficult for him to escape.

"Kill him... No, let him live. It would be best if we could preserve his Command Seals."

The old voice hesitated, then gave the order again.

The next moment, the pitch-black swarm of insects became completely agitated, rushing forward like a wave, wanting to devour Kotomine Kirei, who was trapped in the center.

However, even so, even in the face of such a desperate situation, Kotomine Kirei's eyes remained extremely calm. He did not make any sound but just stared quietly at the statue of the Virgin Mary hidden in the darkness in front of him. His calm and indifferent eyes never even glanced at the surrounding insects, as if these things posed no threat to him at all.

Although I didn't learn about this until I killed Tokiomi-sensei...

But the feeling at this moment is becoming more and more obvious.

Ah, ah... I know, I always knew.

I was born different, I was born incomplete...

To me, so-called happiness is actually bitter. Only distortion is truly sweet. In other words...

Only in despair and distortion can I feel true joy and realize that I am still alive.

I actually understood it a long time ago.

My existence is wrong for this world and for any living being, because it is the purest evil.

Even fellow monsters like Meiren Solomon and one of Roya's hosts, Xiel, have described me in this way.

I am so severely disabled. Perhaps I shouldn't have been born into this world.

But even so, over the past twenty years or so, I have gained conscience by suppressing my nature.

I have also tried hard to correct myself, to become a normal person, and to integrate into the human group, but without exception I have failed.

That last attempt was my attempt to love a woman.

That is not love...

It's just that I think I should do it.

I hope to do that.

I hope to find my sense of being human again by falling in love with another woman and having children.

What is the result...

Until the moment you die in front of me.

"As for me, I still can't fall in love with you..."

Kotomine Kirei slowly closed his eyes, muttering silently, and allowed the endless sea of insects to submerge his body.

……

"Hmph... is he dead already? Poor little Agent."

Sensing the stillness below him through the insect swarm, Zouken Matou, standing atop the church in front of the cross, gave a mocking smile. "Just like your foolish and naive teacher, your betrayal and your desires will ultimately be in vain."

"With this, Gilgamesh is out of the picture. From now on, I will directly say that finding a way to kill El-Melloi and Emiya Kiritsugu will be a great achievement..."

He mocked wantonly, and in his heart, he had already deemed Kotomine Kirei dead after being dragged into the insect swarm by him.

However, just before he was about to give a speech to express his gratitude for his victory, suddenly——

boom! !

A violent explosion suddenly rose from under his feet, accompanied by a huge gap. Then, before he could react, a dark figure jumped up from below and suddenly appeared in front of him.

"It's... it's you! But, this... how is this possible?!"

Matou Zouken looked at Kotomine Kirei in front of him, whose face had been half eaten off by the swarm of insects and whose body was in tatters, but who was still growing at an extremely strange speed, with astonishment in his eyes.

Kirei Kotomine did not answer his question. His hand, which had been bitten to the point that only a skeleton was left, slammed hard on Zouken Matou's head and pressed him to the ground. Then, under his incredulous gaze, the eye that had been eaten grew back at this moment. His eyes were still calm, staring at Zouken Matou in front of him, without joy or sadness.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!!"

Matou Zouken roared and cursed, constantly questioning Kotomine Kirei, the man in front of him who should have died and been eaten by the swarm of insects, but who reappeared here.

However, the other party did not answer, and his eyes still showed no joy or sadness. He just held down Matou Zouken with his palm and muttered silently -

"Declare

I am in charge of killing and I am in charge of life.

What I hurt, I heal.

There is no way to surpass the palm of my hand.

The one thing that cannot be escaped is my gaze."

"This, this is...?"

The sacred spell came out of his mouth, and the strange feeling that followed made Matou Zangyan, who was pressed underneath, suddenly realize something.

“To destroy it.

I will call back the disabled and the old.

Trust me, learn from me, and obey me."

As the holy spells continued to hide from his mouth, the white holy land, centered on Kirei's palm, continued to spread in the middle of them. The dazzling light enveloped him and Matou Zouken below, showing a unique brilliance under the night sky.

The bodies of both of them were illuminated by the holy light. Gradually, Zouken Matou's decayed face became distorted, and black mist gradually appeared on his dry palms. He stared at Kotomine Kirei who was still chanting the spell in front of him, and with his last bit of strength, he let out a roar that resounded through the night sky.

"Stop! Stop now!! Stop it right now!!"

Facing Matou Zouken's roar, Kotomine Kirei's expression remained expressionless, neither happy nor sad, and he remained unmoved.

A moment of rest,

I have not forgotten the song, I have not forgotten to pray, I have not forgotten myself.

"No, no, you can't do this, Kotomine Kirei! My wish, my long-cherished wish, has not been fulfilled yet! You can't kill me!!"

“With my lightness, I lay aside all burdens and let them rest in my hands.

Anointed and branded for your sins."

Kotomine Kirei held up Matou Zouken, whose head had been burned to the point of being utterly destroyed by the Holy Light, and pointed it at the cross before him, still maintaining a calm expression as he spoke:

"Eternal life is given by death.

Forgiveness is now, sworn in my flesh."

Looking at Kotomine Kirei's calm face, Matou Zouken's heart trembled wildly, and at the moment of death, he began to curse madly.

"You bastard! You devil! Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable, you hypocritical captives of justice, you only tarnish my ideals with your boring, false morality! I will never forgive you, no! I curse you, I curse you...Ahhhhhh!!!"

——KYRIE ELEISON (Put your compassion on this soul)

Kotomine Kirei spoke calmly, then slowly loosened his grip, casting the remaining part of Matou Zouken's soul along the holy light into the distant galaxy, straight to the sky where the Lord resided.