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

Where is Irisviel?

His voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

“She is safe and is fulfilling her mission as the ‘Holy Grail vessel’.”

Kirei Kotomine said indifferently.

As he spoke, he naturally moved his body to adjust his state.

When the two finally met, not only did Kiritsugu Emiya feel something was off about him, but Kirei Kotomine also vaguely saw what he wanted to see in Kiritsugu Emiya.

Upon hearing Kirei Kotomine's words, Kiritsugu Emiya felt as if a piece of his heart was missing.

He certainly understood the mission of the Holy Grail vessel.

In fact, he knew this day would come sooner or later when he married Irisviel.

He had already prepared himself mentally before coming to participate in the Holy Grail War.

But when that moment actually arrived, he still found it hard to accept.

He lost the person who loved him once again, and once again gave up the person close to him with his own hands.

Kelly, Natalia, Maiya, Irisviel.

Familiar faces involuntarily flooded his mind, causing Kiritsugu Emiya's cold expression to momentarily crumble.

Although Kiritsugu Emiya quickly adjusted his mindset.

But he was facing Kirei Kotomine, the gifted proxy.

Even the fleeting change in expression was noticed by Kirei Kotomine.

Almost instantly, he understood the emotions contained in that fleeting change in expression.

He felt an unparalleled pleasure from all of these sensations, which made the corners of his mouth unconsciously turn up.

Kiritsugu Emiya revealed a flaw, which pleased Kirei Kotomine.

Pleasure requires the mind to be occupied, and this momentary distraction becomes Kirei Kotomine's weakness.

Compared to Kirei Kotomine, who chooses to please himself, Kiritsugu Emiya is much more pragmatic.

The moment he caught the opening, Kiritsugu Emiya activated [Time Control - Double Speed].

He raised his hand and fired in one fluid motion while accelerating.

A muffled gunshot rang out in the empty underground hall, the bullet accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, aimed straight for Kirei Kotomine's forehead.

In Kiritsugu Emiya's accelerated vision, the still-present, joyful smile on Kirei Kotomine's face seemed to be slowed down. His pupils contracted, clearly indicating that he had also sensed the danger.

However, Kiritsugu Emiya's timing for shooting was extremely precise.

It was precisely that momentary hesitation caused by Kirei Kotomine's inner joy.

However, just before the bullet hit, Kirei Kotomine's body suddenly tilted to the side at an angle that almost defied the laws of physics.

His movements were not fast, even strangely stiff, yet he managed to avoid the bullet's trajectory.

The bullet grazed his cheek, leaving a gruesome bullet hole in the wall behind him, sending debris flying.

"Oh?"

Kirei Kotomine steadied himself, gently brushing his fingertips across his cheek where a thin trail of blood had been drawn by the strong winds whipped up by the high-speed airflow. He looked at Kiritsugu Emiya, his smile deepening—the kind of excitement one feels when discovering an interesting toy.

"Quick reaction, Kiritsugu Emiya, is this your magic?"

Kiritsugu Emiya did not answer. The instant he fired, he rolled to the side and hid behind a huge concrete pillar.

He knew very well that if the first shot failed, the battle that followed would be far more difficult than he had imagined.

Kirei Kotomine's dodge was not a fluke; it was the result of his battle instincts and body control honed through countless trials.

"You seem to harbor a great deal of hostility towards me."

Kirei Kotomine walked slowly toward the pillar where Kiritsugu Emiya was hiding. His voice was calm, yet it carried an invisible sense of oppression.

"But have you ever considered that we might be the same kind of people?"

"similar?"

Kiritsugu Emiya's voice came from behind the pillar, carrying a hint of cold mockery.

“I have nothing in common with a monster like you who takes pleasure in the suffering of others.”

In that instant, Kiritsugu Emiya understood why he had been so averse to Kirei Kotomine.

Kirei Kotomine is a monster who draws nourishment from the suffering of others; he is injustice itself, running counter to justice.

Kiritsugu Emiya wanted to become an ally of justice, and Kiri Kotomine was his destined enemy.

"some."

Kirei Kotomine shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a missionary-like certainty.

"Kiritsugu Emiya, I've seen your file. You've consistently volunteered for the most dangerous battlefields."

After killing one group of people, he would rush to the next battlefield, repeating the cycle endlessly—he was practically a psychopathic killer.

Even if you don't think that way, you must have found a sense of self-worth in this behavior.

In other words, you also felt pleasure from this behavior, right?

"Da da da..."

Kiritsugu Emiya ignored Kirei Kotomine's sophistry. He had killed too many villains, many of whom could rationalize their actions, and quite a few of them were even more eloquent than Kirei Kotomine.

If he had to listen to everyone and be swayed by everyone, he would have died long ago.

He suddenly burst out from behind the pillar, his Beretta 92F spitting out flames once more.

This time, he no longer aimed for a single, fatal shot, but instead fired continuously at an extremely high speed.

Bullets rained down on Kirei Kotomine, blocking all his escape routes.

Despite the barrage of comments, Kirei Kotomine remained calm and composed.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, making a peculiar gesture, and muttered obscure incantations under his breath.

The next moment, the air in front of him seemed to freeze, forming an invisible barrier.

The bullets struck the barrier with a dull "thud," their tips instantly deforming before falling limply to the ground.

"Mystic Code? Or some kind of defensive magic?"

Emiya Kiritsugu felt a chill and immediately stopped firing.

He knew that ordinary bullets were no longer effective against Kirei Kotomine.

He quickly drew another, even more unusual-looking gun from his waist.

That was a custom-made firearm specifically designed to be used with the "Origin Bullet".

This bullet embodies its own origin attributes of "cutting" and "combining".

It has a special restraining effect on spirits and magic.

"Looks like you're finally going to show your true skills."

Kirei Kotomine sensed the danger emanating from the Origin Bullet, his smile fading and his gaze turning serious.

He slid several black keys from the sleeve of his priest's robe, the attire of a church agent.

In the underground hall, the air seemed to freeze.

Kiritsugu Emiya held his breath, his muscles tense, ready to activate his Time Control at any moment.

Kirei Komine, holding a black key, leaned slightly forward, like a cheetah ready to pounce.

The two were only a few meters apart, yet it felt as if there was an insurmountable abyss between them.

A battle of life and death, and of beliefs, is about to erupt in this cold underground space.

Chapter 91: The Decisive Move

Within the Reality Marble, the fierce battle among the Servants continues, and the final outcome remains undecided.

Despite being surrounded by three people, Gilgamesh displayed amazing resilience.

With the various defensive artifacts continuously extracted from the Gate of Babylon, they built layer upon layer of solid barriers.

He was forced into a complete defensive posture, which was undoubtedly the ultimate insult to the Hero King, who was always proud and used to crushing his opponents with absolute power.

However, despite the humiliation, this defensive-focused approach is indeed effective in the current situation.

Of the three Servants present, Iskandar attempted to activate his Noble Phantasm, "Distant Devastation and Domination," to launch a powerful charge.

However, upon getting close, they were firmly bound by the Chains of Heaven.

If Lancelot hadn't come to his rescue in time, he would probably have been the first Servant to be eliminated.

This experience of being completely restrained by the Chains of Heaven made him deeply understand why Shinji was so certain that he could not defeat Gilgamesh—it was too targeted, he couldn't play any games with him.

Having learned his lesson, Iskandar no longer dared to approach Gilgamesh easily.

They can only command their troops to provide support and assist in attacks from the sidelines.

On the other hand, Lancelot and Artoria remained on edge.

Their primary mission is to prevent Gilgamesh from having the opportunity to pull out the Anti-World Noble Phantasm, "Eagito" (Star of Divergence).

Therefore, although the two of them kept applying pressure, they dared not easily unleash their Noble Phantasms—because the brief pre-cast animation before the Noble Phantasm was activated was easily caught by Gilgamesh and allowed to counterattack.

Relying solely on superior martial arts skills to launch a siege is insufficient against a Hero King who has focused all his energy on defense and whose Noble Phantasm provides ample protection.

More importantly, whenever the tide of battle was about to turn completely and Gilgamesh was on the verge of defeat.

Gilgamesh would then use a Command Spell to strengthen himself in an attempt to counterattack, or at least solidify his defenses.

That's right, it was Gilgamesh himself who used the Command Seals.

Because Master Kirei Kotomine has other matters to attend to, he is unable to keep a close eye on the battle situation here.

Finding it troublesome, he simply transferred all his Command Seals usage rights to his Servants.

This almost unreasonable ability to instantly enhance himself is the main reason why Gilgamesh was able to stand firm against the siege of three powerful enemies.

However, there is a limit to the number of Command Seals, so if this drags on, Gilgamesh will eventually be the one to perish.

But at this crucial moment, Artoria, who was responsible for keeping an eye on Gilgamesh, suddenly paused.

In that instant, a red light struck her face.

Artoria instinctively deflected the incoming Noble Phantasm.

The next moment, Gilgamesh, who had been cowering in a defensive posture, suddenly sprang into action.

He took a blow from Lancelot's sword at the cost of a huge crack appearing in his armor, and was sent flying backward.

It just so happened that it landed in the direction of the Noble Phantasm that Artoria had launched into the air.

"not good!"

The moment Artoria noticed the change, she knew something was wrong; she had made a mistake.

She had seen the Noble Phantasm that had just been knocked away.

Lancelot reacted quickly, especially since he had been pursuing Gilgamesh after knocking him away.

Therefore, the next attack was perfectly timed.

A short gun wrapped in strips of cloth replaced the black knight's sword in his hand.

It pierced through the crack in Gilgamesh's armor, leaving him with a wound that would never heal.

It was the [Destroyable Yellow Rose] that had been stolen from Lancer.

Diarmuid's two Noble Phantasms don't have any special visual effects, and the only way to deal damage is by simply stabbing the opponent.

However, their effects are very suitable for killing someone at first sight.

Artoria was caught off guard and fell into a trap, almost resulting in her being sent away.

Lancelot has not used it yet, precisely to maximize its final effect.

The "Red Rose of Exorcism" is unlikely to be effective on Gilgamesh.

This guy's defense system is not simply a magical artifact or a magical barrier; it also includes various other types of defense, including purely physical defense. It only has the ability to break through magic, but it doesn't have the strength to cut through iron like mud.