Type-Moon: Shinji Matou Also Wants to Be the Protagonist

As she watched the dull strands of hair fall to the ground, she finally realized just how terrifying the man before her possessed.

Assassin's Master is merely a disguise; the man himself is a poisoned blade.

Where is Kiritsugu Emiya?

Kirei Kotomine put away the black keys, as if the killing just now was nothing more than brushing off the dust from his sleeves.

His question made Irisviel's heart skip a beat; the name came out of his mouth with an almost hungry focus.

"I won't tell you."

“I know.” Kirei Kotomine’s tone was completely flat. “That’s why I asked you.”

He took another step, this time giving Irisviel no room to retreat.

Shadows surged in from all directions, as if the forest itself were making way for the man.

Irisviel felt her breathing become difficult, and a sense of oppression heavier than death was slowly tightening.

"Your husband..."

Kirei Kotomine stopped in front of her, so close that he could see the trembling of her eyelashes.

What kind of man is he?

This abrupt question left Irisviel stunned.

She had anticipated threats, torture, and even execution, but none of them included this almost perplexing inquiry.

"you……"

"I've been observing him for a long time."

Kirei Kotomine continued on his own, his voice low and muttering to himself.

"That man known as the 'Magician Killer,' that man who would sacrifice everything for his ideals—I want to know what sustained him to this day. I want to know... what kind of expression will appear on his face when he finally obtains the Holy Grail."

Chapter 76: Bad News

Irisviel felt a wave of dizziness.

She finally understood—this man wasn't looking for an enemy, but for a mirror.

He saw in Kiritsugu something he himself lacked, a possibility that could fill the void in his heart.

You wouldn't understand.

She said softly.

"Kiritsugu's ideals, his pain, his choices... someone like you will never understand."

Kirei Kotomine remained silent.

The forest fell into an eerie stillness, even the chirping of insects seemed to be swallowed up by the shadows.

When he spoke again, there was a hint of emotion in his voice that Irisviel couldn't decipher—perhaps self-deprecation, perhaps regret.

"Perhaps, but that's precisely why I must find him."

With that, Kirei Kotomine took another step, preparing to take Irisviel away.

Based on his observations of Kiritsugu Emiya, this woman held special significance for him.

If you can capture this woman, Kiritsugu Emiya will come to you.

"boom!"

Just then, a terrifying roar came from behind Kirei Kotomine, in the direction of the church.

Kirei Kotomine turned his head and saw a torrent of crimson and golden magic colliding together.

A beam of magical energy, like a volcanic eruption, shot into the sky, blasting a huge hole in the clouds above.

The shockwave spread in all directions from the location of the church, leveling the surrounding woodland.

Even where Kirei Kotomine was standing, he could feel the strong wind blowing in his face.

Kirei Kotomine felt the magical power within his body rapidly draining away like water being released from a dam.

Even two of the Command Seals passed down from her father were consumed as magical energy.

The magic circuits experienced a burning, stinging pain due to the mobilization of a massive amount of magic power.

Kirei Kotomine had exceptional eyesight; he saw that the crimson magic, which initially held an overwhelming advantage, gradually became equal to the golden torrent of light, and finally even showed signs of defeat.

He acted decisively, using a Command Spell to summon Gilgamesh from the other side.

With a flash of golden light, Gilgamesh appeared before Kirei Kotomine.

Gilgamesh was in a terrible state; his golden armor was tattered and his body was covered with wounds of all sizes.

His signature arrogant expression was replaced by pain.

Seeing Gilgamesh in this state, Kirei Kotomine's lips involuntarily curled upwards.

"Is this what you call 'flirting'?"

Although the pain from the magic circuits intensified, Kirei Kotomine's tone became cheerful.

"Qili, although I admire you, that doesn't mean you can talk to me like that."

As they were speaking, a golden streak of light shot towards Kirei Kotomine's face.

Kirei Kotomine raised his hand and grabbed the incoming stream of light.

It was an ornately designed crystal bottle, with a liquid shimmering and swirling inside.

Gilgamesh took out a bottle and drank it all in one gulp. Afterward, his injuries healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"It seems we should retreat first."

After drinking the potion given to him by Gilgamesh, a cool sensation quickly covered the burning pain in his magic circuits.

Kirei Kotomine turned his head and refocused his attention on Irisviel.

Irisviel, who had just witnessed Kirei Kotomine and Gilgamesh's interaction, was still in shock.

According to intelligence, Kirei Kotomine is clearly the Master of Assassin.

Gilgamesh's Master should be Tokiomi Tohsaka.

What's going on here? Was all the intelligence we gathered before just fake?

However, no one answered her questions at this moment, and Kirei Kotomine casually knocked Irisviel unconscious.

Turning his head to look in the direction of the church, Kirei Kotomine's eyes revealed a hint of regret.

Kotomine Risei's body is still in the church; now it's as if his remains have been completely destroyed.

It's a pity I didn't get to witness that scene; it would have been very interesting otherwise.

With Irisviel hoisted onto his shoulder, Qi Li turned and left.

Although it's some distance from the church, it's not that far by the standards of a servant's walking distance.

If Saber catches up again, they won't be able to escape.

Gilgamesh snorted coldly, but did not refute.

He glanced back one last time in the direction of the church, a complex emotion flashing in his scarlet snake eyes.

It was anger, resentment, and a kind of restlessness stemming from having one's dignity violated.

EA's all-out liberation failed to defeat that Knight King, a rare humiliation in his life.

"Walk."

The King of Heroes dissipated into spirit particles, while Kirei Kotomine carried Irisviel as they hurried through the forest.

The artificial human's body is incredibly light, unlike a living person; it's more like a delicate Barbie doll.

Therefore, Kirei's speed was not affected much, and in the blink of an eye, he had already run far away.

Kirei Komine's judgment was correct, but Artoria caught up with them a moment later.

She immediately noticed the silvery-white threads scattered on the ground, the remains left by the giant eagle.

This indicates that Irisviel encountered enemies and a battle took place here.

However, there were not many signs of battle at the scene, either because the enemy was too weak or because Irisviel had already escaped.

Either the enemy was too strong, or Irisviel had no chance to fight back.

Artoria hoped it was the former, but the traces left at the scene indicated that the latter was much more likely.

This made Artoria extremely anxious, and she immediately began searching for Irisviel's whereabouts.

But Artoria is just a queen, not a detective.

However, her opponent was adept at concealing his tracks, so after a fruitless search, he was caught off guard.

Artoria had no choice but to call Kiritsugu Emiya.

Meanwhile, Kiritsugu Emiya was traversing the city streets, heading towards the church.

The battle between Artoria and Gilgamesh was even more intense than the previous explosions.

That towering beam of light could probably be seen from the entire city.

The message from Artoria came through his earpiece.

Regarding the unusual magical reaction in the direction of the church, the death of Father Kotomine Risei, and the most urgent situation.

"Alice has disappeared."

This news froze Kiritsugu in his tracks. His previously icy gaze melted instantly, replaced by obvious panic. He stood there for several minutes, trying to compose himself before finally suppressing the turmoil in his heart.

When he took another step, Kiritsugu Emiya's knuckles turned white from the excessive force.

He forced himself into that familiar, mechanical state.

"Kirei Kotomine."

Kiritsugu murmured the name as if he wanted to chew it up and swallow it.

Every detail that Artoria described in the communication was reconstructed in his mind.

The church's anomalies, the priest's death, the hero king's wounded retreat, and the final, undetected evacuation.

These fragments pieced together a picture he least wanted to face.

Archer's Master, Tokiomi Tohsaka, does not possess this ability, and in the Holy Grail War, there are not many people in Tokiomi Tohsaka's social circle who can act alongside Archer.

Among these people, it's easy to see who would be interested in Irisviel, or rather, who would be interested in him.

Chapter 77: Alliance

"Shinji, something's happened!"

Iskandar's voice came from outside the window, interspersed with the thunderous roar of the divine chariot wheels.

In fact, Shinji and Waver had already seen it without Iskandar's notification.

The two-colored beam of light that shot into the sky illuminated the city's night sky for a moment.

The explosion was so violent that even the apartment they were in could feel a slight tremor.

Without time to say much, Shinji left Gladys to guard the house and jumped off the balcony with Waver.

The speeding Divine Wheels precisely caught the two, then transformed into a streak of light and rushed towards the scene of the incident.

"Sigh~"

Before even reaching their destination, Weber gasped in shock.

The traces left by the explosion were so obvious that they could be clearly seen even without getting close.

The original site of the Fuyuki Church has been transformed into a giant crater with a diameter of over 100 meters.

The central part is probably more than ten meters deep, and the rocks and soil at the bottom of the pit are in a molten state.

It was bubbling and emitting a scorching heat.

"Tsk, now even a gas explosion won't be enough to fool people. We'll probably have to change it to a meteorite impact."

Shinji was secretly astonished and couldn't help but complain aloud.

The explosions had already put immense pressure on the covert operations of this Holy Grail War.