Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

However, Bai Mao Hassan relentlessly pursued him and did not leave him far behind as he had expected.

"Shh-!"

Hassan the Hundred Faces threw a short sword, and Kiritsugu Emiya dodged the attack with a clumsy effort.

She even had the energy to launch an attack while pursuing...

As he watched Hassan's incredibly fast and unpredictable movements, something flashed through Kiritsugu Emiya's mind.

Could this be—

That night, the old man of the mountain who fought against Kiritsugu Emiya.

One of Hassan's eighty-eight personalities, Swift Markul.

The purple-haired female assassin switched to a personality known for its speed, and in doing so, gained that incredible speed.

This was originally a power that Hundred-Faced Hassan did not possess.

"Delusion (Zabaniya)"

Hassan the Hundred Faces used this constantly activated Noble Phantasm to split himself into 88 separate individuals.

At the same time, these nearly one hundred Hassans all share a common skill—"Mastery of the Encyclopedia A+".

Use your professional skills freely.

They can achieve a proficiency level of B or higher in tactics, academics, stealth, assassination, deception, rhetoric, and a total of 32 other areas of expertise.

To be precise, all 88 Hassans together constitute a complete skill.

With all the other Hassans now dead, the female assassin can no longer use the abilities of her other personalities.

However, this predicament changed after she became Shirou's Servant.

It wasn't Shirou who did anything.

It's not that Shirou's abilities as a Master are superior to Kirei Kotomine's—

It was simply because of their excellent compatibility that their "encyclopedic knowledge" rating rose from A+ to A++.

"Proficient in all subjects (A++)"

The current Hassan with a hundred faces can disregard any conditions and freely access the power and abilities of all the personalities within him.

"Well……!"

Kiritsugu Emiya quickly realized that even if he activated "Time alter", he could not gain a speed advantage.

Since that's the case... let's defeat them head-on!

Kiritsugu Emiya immediately made this judgment, and a strangely shaped pistol appeared in his hand.

It's more like a hunting rifle than a pistol, reminiscent of a medieval dagger.

This gun is called the Thompson Contender. It has a single-round magazine and cannot automatically eject spent cartridges. It was a modified weapon that Kiritsugu Emiya used as his ace when he was still human.

Originally developed as a single-shot pistol for competitive/hunting use, it was transformed into a magical costume by the man using magical engineering.

The magazine contains the "Origin Bullet," a magical bullet made from Kiritsugu's ribs, which holds the origin of "severance" and "union."

Just like its origin, "cutting off and connecting," it can bring about irreversible changes to the object.

If it hits a living organism, the magic circuits activated by the target will first be cut into pieces, and then forcibly and irregularly reconnected, leaving it crippled.

The destructive power depends on how many magic circuits the target activates at the moment of impact, because it is the enemy's own magic that destroys the enemy's body.

Incidentally, this was originally a Mystic Code that only worked on mages, but after Kiritsugu Emiya became a Servant, "Origin Bullet" became capable of damaging even Servants.

"Time alter Square accel (Time Control - 4x Speed)!!"

With a deep growl, Kiritsugu Emiya leaped into the air and tumbled, raising his beloved gun at the same time.

The crosshair was aimed at Hassan the Hundred-Faced—nevertheless, the female assassin showed no sign of stopping her pursuit.

She closed the distance between herself and Kiritsugu Emiya with incredible speed, while simultaneously throwing the short sword she was holding.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce the man's chest—

"Bang——!!!"

A deafening barrage of gunfire erupted.

The "Origin Bullet" struck Hassan in the face, sending the charging female assassin flying several meters before crashing heavily to the ground.

"Haa...haa...haa...uh!"

Kiritsugu Emiya returned to the ground in a disheveled state, collapsing to his knees before he could even stand properly, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

This is a side effect of the high-intensity use of the inherent time control; his internal organs have almost turned into a mess.

However, Kiritsugu Emiya did not stop for a moment, because Assassin's short sword was still stuck in his chest.

He gritted his teeth, pulled out the weapon, threw it aside, and used magic to heal his injuries.

As expected, Hassan's dagger was poisoned.

It was a neurotoxin that could disrupt the normal functioning of an enemy's magic circuits. Although it wasn't fatal, Kiritsugu Emiya wouldn't be able to fight for the time being.

so close……

Hassan's last-minute dagger throw was both fierce and precise; had it been just two centimeters off target, he would have been the one to die.

It seems that this time, even luck is on his side.

In this duel between assassins, Kiritsugu Emiya emerged victorious.

Even an Assassin-class Servant would not survive a direct hit from the "Origin Bullet" at point-blank range, however—

Bai Mao Hassan got up from the ground with a relaxed expression.

Unlike Kiritsugu Emiya, who was so badly injured he could barely stand, she leisurely patted the dust off her black robe.

"........."

Emiya Kiritsugu was speechless.

He saw something glittering between the purple-haired female assassin's neat teeth.

This monster actually managed to bite the "Origin Bullet" with its teeth under those circumstances...!

Hassan, killed by Archer on the very first night of the Holy Grail War—

Zaid of the Base, his specialty is this kind of acrobatics.

By reading his personality and mastering his skills, Bai Mao Hassan caught the burst of bullets with his teeth.

"..."

Kiritsugu Emiya thought to himself helplessly, "I'm really not suited for head-on combat."

Hassan, with one hand on his hip, flicked his head and spat out a brass magic bullet onto the ground with a "poof".

"That evens things out. You'll get your revenge for all the injuries you inflicted on me."

When Hassan the Hundred Faces uttered those words, Kiritsugu Emiya finally understood—she had deliberately not aimed at his heart (spiritual core).

The female assassin, in high spirits after successfully carrying out her revenge, looked down at Kiritsugu Emiya and spoke.

"Although I really want to kill you right now, my master wishes to spare your life."

Why have you repeatedly targeted the Einzbern Masters' lives?

My master is very interested in your motives and would like to sit down and talk to you face to face.

Bai Mausole thought it was a complete waste of effort.

Because the other party seemed to be the type of silent killer who wouldn't communicate with the enemy.

However, she still faithfully conveyed her Master's thoughts to him.

"Of course, you can also refuse to cooperate—that's the best option."

Shirou has entrusted me with the decision of life and death at this scene. I will return you to the Throne of Heroes without causing you any pain.

"..."

Kiritsugu Emiya said without changing his expression, "There is no point in communicating. You simply cannot understand my position."

However, Hassan's next words caused the man's unchanging expression to waver.

"Your stance? I know, you're a Servant without a Master, right?"

“…What?” Kiritsugu Emiya opened his mouth slightly.

Hassan readily repeated what he had heard from Shirou.

"You are a Servant without a Master, an Assassin who does not belong to any side in this Holy Grail War."

Your ability to manifest as a Servant is still based on a summoning contract—

However, the entity with whom you made the contract is not a human being, but the "world" itself...

Am I right? An agent of inhibition.

"........."

Hassan observed the man's expression hidden under his hood and determined that Shirou's guess was correct.

To be honest, she was even more surprised than Kiritsugu Emiya himself.

While inwardly admiring Shirou's imagination, the female assassin wore an aggressive expression.

"So, are you interested in chatting with my master now?"

After a brief silence, Kiritsugu Emiya nodded.

"Understood. Just pass that message on to your master—"

I will tell him the reasons why the Einzbern family's homunculus must be killed, and...

The truth behind the Fuyuki Holy Grail War.

……

……

"What happened? King of Knights!"

Rider maneuvered the "God's Wheel" to approach Saber and Irisviel, and loudly questioned them with displeasure.

Iskandar could have launched a surprise attack from behind while Saber was rushing to save Irisviel, but he didn't.

To recruit Saber, it would be meaningless unless one defeats the King of Knights and breaks the Star Sword in a fair and square manner.

This is only one aspect; more importantly—

Iskandar noticed when they activated their Noble Phantasms simultaneously, thanks to his extensive war experience.

If they hadn't been interrupted, they probably would have been the ones who lost.

The Star Breath from the Supreme Holy Sword will engulf the two people in the vehicle before the "Divine Wheel" can ravage them.

Saber gave up the opportunity to completely eliminate Rider and rushed to her Master without hesitation.

At that time, she abandoned the duel to prove their respective right to rule, and went to fulfill her mission as a knight. Iskandar, on the other hand, felt he had no right to criticize her.

If it were him, he would probably have abandoned the "Divine Wheel" to save his Master's life.

Saber explained the situation to Rider, Webber, and Irisviel, who was still unaware of what had happened.

Someone infiltrated the forest and launched an attack while the two were fighting, but Shirou secretly repelled them.

"Shirou protected me...!"

Irisviel covered her mouth.

If Saber hadn't told her, she wouldn't have even known that this was the third time Shirou had saved her.

"That kid... he's really something."

Rider looked at the scattered fragments of the sword on the ground and clicked his tongue in amazement, saying, "As expected, he, like you, should have been my companion... Hahahaha!"

Saber rolled her eyes: "So neither I nor Shirou will submit to you."

Rider said nonchalantly, "Don't be so sure. I will use my power to change your minds."

“Oh? Shall we continue?” Saber raised an eyebrow.