Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"What? You're such a grown-up and you're still being picky about food."

Shirou handed the plastic bag in his hand to Hassan Hyakume and took the little hand of the purple-haired girl beside him.

"If you're not going to eat it, then buy the portion for me and the little one."

Shirou and the little girl Hassan queued up and bought two large meat buns, then returned to the sidewalk and ate them as they walked.

"Shirou, what are you planning to do next?"

Assassin asked, "So you still want to take care of Tokiomi Tohsaka first?"

Shirou thought for a moment and said, "I was a bit too active last night. I want to keep a low profile from now on."

Specifically, we should wait and see how the other two companies act before making a decision.

Assassin nodded: "I see, that's good... The Holy Grail War has progressed to this point, and you have an overwhelming advantage, right? The initiative is now in your hands."

Shirou modestly replied, "It's hard to say. Rider and Archer are both very powerful enemies, and I don't even know their backgrounds."

Especially Gilgamesh, having fought him once, I have a deep understanding of his power...

Even though a night has passed, I still feel lingering fear when I think about last night's battle.

Although I'm confident I won't lose to him, it would be even better if I knew his trump card before the battle..."

This is a personality trait that Shirou developed while fighting in the Fairy Kingdom.

Although he possesses extraordinary "eyesight" and "intuition," he is also very inclined to intelligence gathering.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Shirou recruited Assassin as his initial ally.

Hearing the boy's words, Hassan frowned and said, "Archer's trump card, you mean that Anti-World Noble Phantasm?"

"……Why?"

Shirou asked blankly, "Do you know the strongest Noble Phantasm in the 'King's Treasury'?"

Bai Mao Hassan nodded: "Yes."

Shirou said speechlessly, "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Bai Mao Hassan was even more speechless: "...You didn't ask me."

Thus, Shirou learned about the "Anti-World Noble Phantasm" from Hassan the Hundred-Faced.

Hassan Hyakko didn't know much about the specifics, only that it was a treasure that supposedly existed in an era older than humans or even the planet itself.

Before human civilization existed, before weapons like swords or guns were invented.

The "sword" was wielded by the gods to create the world, embodying the concept of creation.

The thing that split the sky and the earth from the beginning of this planet.

Cut through the void and create the sky, penetrate the sky and return to the void.

It is a supreme artifact stored in the deepest part of Gilgamesh's treasure vault, symbolizing the power of beginning and end.

Generally speaking, offensive Noble Phantasms are classified into "anti-personnel", "anti-army", and "anti-city" based on their different properties.

However, the supreme treasure possessed by the King of Heroes is of a nature and purpose "against the world".

When Gilgamesh unleashes his true name, whether the enemy of the king is an individual or a group, it will destroy the world to which it belongs.

After listening to Hassan the Hundred Faces' description, Shirou fell into deep thought.

"How was it? Did it help?"

Shirou nodded: "At least I've figured out a little bit."

Hassan asked curiously, "What?"

"This is a bit troublesome. That Noble Phantasm might be my nemesis."

"It's really discouraging."

Hassan slumped her shoulders. She had actually been hoping that Shirou could defeat the King of Heroes... but was that too unrealistic?

No, Shirou is already powerful enough! It's Archer who's way beyond expectations.

"Should I prepare for the assassination of Tokiomi Tohsaka?"

Shirou frowned: "Didn't I tell you? Archer is my prey. You're not allowed to lay a hand on Tokiomi Tohsaka."

Hassan said, "But...didn't you say that the King of Heroes is your natural enemy?"

Shirou said, "You didn't say I would lose, did you? In fact, after hearing your explanation, I'm even more convinced that only I can defeat him."

Looking at the confident red-haired boy, Bai Mao Hassan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

Shirou suddenly felt a chill run down his spine: "Why did you suddenly start laughing like that? It's giving me the creeps..."

Hassan said angrily, "I'm really sorry I have such a villainous face!"

Upon returning to the inn, Shirou prepared a sumptuous lunch for the two Hassans in the inn's kitchen.

Although all three of them were very satisfied with their meal, Hassan's magic recovery was still not ideal.

In her current state, she's fine for infiltration, but getting her to fight or investigate another Assassin would be a bit difficult.

After dinner, Bai Mao Hassan watched TV with Loli Hassan, enjoying a rare moment of peaceful rest.

"Big Sister Avalon, is there any way to quickly replenish Hassan's magic power?"

Shirou secretly inquired about the Flower Magician who had been following him around all day and using illusion magic to hide his identity.

"A shortcut suitable for a third-rate magician like Master... Heh, there is one."

"Are there any?"

"Hmm~"

Ms. Avalon said in a lighthearted tone, "And this is a method that only boys and girls can use!"

Shirou: "What is it?"

Lady Avalon: "Replenishing mana, which is essentially exchanging bodily fluids."

Shirou was taken aback: "Excuse me, what did you say?"

"..."

Perhaps it was because Lady Avalon, who was using illusion magic to conceal her form, was close to the boy's ear, that a faint fragrance entered his nostrils.

"Simply put...?"

Lady Avalon explained the meaning of mana replenishment to Shirou.

Strange knowledge increased.

"What's wrong, Shirou? Your face is so red."

Bai Mao Hassan turned around and asked with a strange expression.

"N-nothing, I think I should probably go now! We'll keep in touch via communicator later!"

As he spoke, Shirou stumbled to his feet and took his leave.

"Oh! Aren't you going to do it?" The female magician was quite disappointed.

"How could I possibly do that!" the red-haired boy exclaimed, blushing with embarrassment.

Shirou suddenly recalled a distant memory from his time in the Fairy Kingdom.

Could it actually be mine that little bottle of "magic supplement" that Morgan and Melyuchina fought so fiercely over...?

Volume 1, Chapter 79: Going Home

Kirei Kotomine's war only truly began after he completely lost Assassin.

Until now, he had been hiding his strength in order to better utilize Assassin, but now there is no need for that anymore.

During his time working as an agent at the Holy Church, he was the elite of the elite. Even though he was just a novice who had only been involved in magic for three years, Kirei Kotomine possessed combat power that surpassed that of ordinary magicians.

After Assassin disappeared, the Tohsaka faction proceeded to the second phase as planned.

Tokiomi Tohsaka will use the intelligence gathered by Assassin to send Gilgamesh to eliminate the enemies one by one.

Unfortunately, the plan did not go as smoothly as expected, and there was still a lot of unknown information until Assassin disappeared.

Thus, Kirei Kotomine's first new job was to investigate the boy whom Gilgamesh called a "Faker"—Shirou Amemiya—for his teacher.

Kirei Kotomine spent an entire night collecting all the information on the boy.

The lack of rest and sleep for several consecutive days left even this former pioneer, known for his steely spirit, feeling exhausted.

At this moment, Kirei Kotomine was in his room on the first floor of the Tohsaka residence. He leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose.

Just then, he sensed a presence approaching from the outside corridor, a presence he was quite familiar with.

Even when simply walking, that heroic spirit made no attempt to conceal the astonishing sense of oppression emanating from him.

Archer walked into Kirei Kotomine's room without even knocking.

"Still the same old disappointing face, Kirei."

With a haughty smirk, King Gilgamesh walked confidently to the cupboard in the room and took out a bottle of red wine and a glass.

This wasn't the first time Archer had trespassed into this room; recently, he'd been coming almost every night to drink the red wine that Kirei Kotomine had collected.

Even when asked what was wrong, the King of Heroes would give him a cryptic look and say, "Because it seems that there are others who are also bored besides me."

Simply put, he was just there to kill time, and he seemed to take Kirei Kotomine's empty and painful expression as a form of amusement.

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Archer."

Kirei Kotomine noticed that Gilgamesh had been wearing a smile on his face since last night.

Generally speaking, a smile should make people in the same room feel happy, but Kirei Kotomine is not the kind of person who would be happy because of the joy of others, and he cannot imagine why the King of Heroes is so excited.

"Although I can't yet see how amazing the Holy Grail really is—even if it's just scrap metal, it doesn't matter. I've already found entertainment other than the Holy Grail."

"Oh...that's quite surprising. You're so fond of this boy named Amamiya Shirou?"

The reason why the cynical and arrogant Hero King's mood improved was undoubtedly the battle with the red-haired child last night.

"Since arriving in this era, I have become accustomed to seeing bastards coveting the king's treasures."

The way those guys fought each other for my Holy Grail was both disgusting and utterly ridiculous.

Therefore, if I occasionally encounter one or two bastards who have absolutely no interest in the Holy Grail, I will naturally take notice.

At this point, Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, noticing the information about Shirou that was placed in front of Kirei Kotomine.

Are you investigating that guy?

Kirei Kotomine nodded and then began reading the report he had just completed.

Amamiya Shirou, recorded age 8, is an orphan whose parents are unknown.

Until a year ago, she was living in a children's welfare home in Fuyuki City. Suddenly one day, she left the welfare home and went to stay at the Matou family's house.

Shortly after Shirou Amamiya moved in, the Matou family announced that Zouken Matou had left Japan for an extended period of travel abroad, with his son Tsuruno taking over family affairs.

Although Kirei Kotomine once held the same view as his teacher, believing that Shirou Amamiya was actually the Matou family's substitute magician.

However, considering the numerous sources and the unknown whereabouts of Zouken Matou, it is more likely that Shirou Amamiya usurped the Matou family's power.

Tokiomi Tohsaka asked Kirei Kotomine to investigate information about Shirou Amamiya, but the more he investigated, the more incredible it seemed.

There are too many things that cannot be explained.

Where did that child's power come from, and why did he participate in the Holy Grail War?

"Archer...do you know anything?"

"Oh my, so you do have things you're interested in, Kirei."

Gilgamesh gave a meaningful smile, while swirling the wine glass in his hand: "This is the first time you've asked me for a favor."

Kirei Kotomine said in a slightly provocative tone, "I've heard that King Gilgamesh possesses eyes that can see into the future. So surely you can easily see through the true nature of a mere child, Your Majesty."

"Hmph, of course."