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

"What did you say?"

My ominous premonition reached its peak; what does it mean to use his methods to fulfill my wish?

If he hadn't already realized that his methods wouldn't achieve his goals, why would he seek a miracle?

He noticed that Kiritsugu Emiya's cold face stiffened.

'Irisviel' chuckled softly, gently stroking his cheek, and said:

"The next question is one you must ask yourself."

Before Kiritsugu Emiya could react, the scene before him changed once again.

The new scene is in a guest room, where a black-and-white television is crackling.

Just as Kiritsugu Emiya was becoming increasingly wary, a detached voice rang out from the television:

"One ship has 300 people, the other has 200 people, plus Kiritsugu Emiya. Assuming only 501 people remain in the world, and both ships have a hole in them, and only Kiritsugu Emiya can repair them, which ship would you choose to repair?"

"Eight people!"

Without hesitation, Kiritsugu Emiya gave his answer.

Even though he knew the situation was strange and he shouldn't follow the other party's lead, Kiritsugu Emiya simply couldn't control himself.

"As expected of Emiya Kiritsugu. So, after you make your decision, what will you do if the people on the 200-person ship capture you and force you to repair their ship?"

The voice coming from the television was still monotonous, but the question he asked made Kiritsugu Emiya break out in a cold sweat.

But this time, he didn't have to answer; the scene itself provided the answer: gunshots rang out from all directions.

When Kiritsugu Emiya came to his senses, he was already standing amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

Then, a new question was raised on television.

It was still the same two ships, but now one carried 200 people and the other carried 100.

Then, it comes down to the same question again: have Kiritsugu Emiya repeat the process once more.

Next came 150 and 50, 100 and 50...

They made the same choice over and over again, the only change being that fewer and fewer people survived.

Until 'Irisviel' appeared before him again.

This time, she even brought his daughter, Ilya.

"Bang~ Bang~"

The two rapid gunshots rang out almost in quick succession, sounding particularly jarring in the empty interior of the Holy Grail.

Without the slightest hesitation, Kiritsugu Emiya decisively pulled the trigger, killing the mother and daughter who appeared before him.

This resolute action also officially declared that he had given up his last chance to make a wish upon the Holy Grail.

Having just experienced that series of cruel and real "tests," he has completely understood the essence of the Holy Grail.

If he had truly made that wish to save the world, the ultimate result would likely have been the extinction of all humanity.

This is not some kind of all-powerful wish-granting machine that can fulfill all your desires.

Instead, it is a Pandora's box that will twist all good hopes into disaster.

He looked down at the two "corpses" lying in front of him, their faces still bearing the bewildered expressions they had before their deaths.

On one side are billions of people around the world, and on the other side are just two family members.

With such a stark contrast in numbers, the answer seems obvious and easy to choose... right?

But why... why is his vision trembling and blurring uncontrollably?

Why do I keep hearing Ilya's clear, bell-like laughter and Irisviel's gentle, caring words?

Those sounds were so real, as if they happened just yesterday.

He slowly squatted down, his hand trembling as he reached out, wanting to touch his "daughter's" cheek one last time.

However, the fingertip suddenly stopped just centimeters away from Ilya's skin.

The next second, he jerked his hand back as if he had been electrocuted.

Then, as if fleeing for their lives, they escaped from the inner space of the Holy Grail without looking back.

He was scared.

He was afraid that he would hesitate when he touched his daughter, so he didn't give her any chance to speak and directly drew his gun and fired.

The same fear lingers now; he fears that when his fingertips actually touch the cold temperature of the mother and daughter's "corpses," he will regret making this choice.

Inside the Holy Grail, even regret is a high-risk act—if it is identified as a wish.

The moment he emerged from inside the Holy Grail, Kiritsugu Emiya fired a shot toward the location he remembered Kirei Kotomine as being there.

"Ding~"

But the sound of bullets hitting concrete sent a chill down Kiritsugu Emiya's spine.

"I want to thank you, Kiritsugu Emiya, for making such a pointless choice!"

Kirei Kotomine's voice came from behind. Kiritsugu Emiya turned around and saw Kirei Kotomine stand up from the black mud beneath the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail slowly fell from the sky and landed in Kirei Kotomine's hand.

At the same time, a huge hole appeared in the sky above the ruins of the guild hall.

Chapter 98: Making a Wish & Difficult Birth

A chilling malice emanated from the holes in the sky.

Then, as if releasing a flood, the black mud of the Holy Grail gushed out from the hole.

In an instant, it submerged large areas of urban space and spread in all directions like a tidal wave.

Wherever the Holy Grail's black mud passed, raging fires followed.

The city, which had just emerged from the shadow of the earthquake, was engulfed in flames in an instant.

What did you do?

Watching in horror as the fire grew larger and larger, Kiritsugu Emiya gritted his teeth and asked the culprit.

"As you can see, the Holy Grail has granted my wish."

Kirei Kotomine, holding the Holy Grail, remained calm.

The Holy Grail is just there; the fact that Kiritsugu Emiya doesn't use it doesn't mean its function will be affected.

Of the four people swallowed by the Holy Grail, Artoria was ranked low in the Holy Grail's selection priority due to her moral character.

After all, the purpose of the "Holy Grail Will" is to descend into the real world.

His arrival would be a disaster for the entire world.

However, within the Holy Grail, the question that answers the wisher's question is part of the Holy Grail system's mechanism, making it impossible for him to deceive the other party.

Therefore, Artoria is the most likely to refuse among them.

In fact, the "Will of the Holy Grail" favors Gilgamesh and Kirei Kotomine the most.

These two guys have extremely low moral standards; they'll basically never refuse anything as long as it interests them.

But Gilgamesh, with his extremely strong will, forcefully resisted his summons.

Between Kirei Emiya and Kiritsugu Emiya, Kiritsugu Emiya is ranked higher because of Irisviel, the vessel he is in.

Since Kiritsugu Emiya, who was first in line, gave up the Holy Grail.

The Holy Grail then directly chose Kirei Kotomine, whom he favored most.

Do you know what the consequences will be if that thing comes to pass?

For once, Kiritsugu Emiya lost control of his emotions, his voice filled with barely suppressed rage and incredulous questions.

His gaze was fixed on Kirei Kotomine's face, which was so calm it was almost distorted, and he practically forced out the words through clenched teeth.

Did he not know that the so-called "Will of the Holy Grail" had descended into reality?

Does this mean the destruction of countless innocent lives and the collapse of the entire world order?

"Of course I know, that's exactly what I hope for. Once such a being descends, he will surely answer all my questions and dispel all my confusion. Isn't that wonderful?"

Kirei Kotomine's voice was calm and undisturbed, as if he were discussing the weather.

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes even carrying a hint of naive expectation.

It was as if what was about to descend was not a catastrophe that would destroy the world, but a treasure that could satisfy all his curiosity.

He looked at Kiritsugu Emiya's body, which trembled slightly with anger, and even a very faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. It was an expression that showed he understood the other's pain but also found it incredibly interesting.

"You beast!"

Enraged, Kiritsugu Emiya launched a personal attack, simultaneously unleashing a physical assault.

He took a sudden step forward, and with lightning speed, his right hand drew the Beretta 92F hidden inside his trench coat.

The cold muzzle of the gun was pointed without hesitation at Kirei Kotomine's forehead.

He chose to take the initiative, even though he was no match for Kirei Kotomine in close combat.

But now that he carries a scabbard, he has more leeway and can take a gamble.

The moment the trigger was pulled, the flash from the gun illuminated his face, contorted with extreme rage.

It also illuminated Kirei Kotomine's still calm and unwavering eyes.

However, the expected splatter of blood did not occur.

Kirei Kotomine raised his hand and swung the black key in his hand with extremely fast speed, blocking all the incoming bullets.

He could even clearly see that Kirei Kotomine's smile deepened, as if mocking his futile efforts.

Emiya Kiritsugu did not hesitate; he had already witnessed enough of this scenario in his previous battles with him.

Kirei Kotomine's martial arts skills were even more exaggerated when he faced a siege by mercenaries.

With his other hand, he quickly pulled out the Contender, a weapon specifically designed to launch Origin Missiles, from his waist.

He held the gun with both hands, pointing the muzzle alternately at different parts of Kirei Kotomine's body.

A series of muffled gunshots rang out, and bullets swarmed toward Kirei Kotomine like an angry swarm of bees.

Kirei Kotomine also became serious when faced with Kiritsugu Emiya's single-shot gun.

Kiritsugu Emiya had attacked him with this gun before, which resulted in the complete destruction of the black key structure.

If Gilgamesh hadn't given him a defensive Mystic Code, he would definitely have been injured during that sneak attack.

The battle between the two quickly escalated to a fever pitch.

So much so that neither of them noticed Shinji sneaking up on them.

After resolving the issue of the ley lines, Shinji immediately notified Grace.

She had previously been assigned by Shinji to house the Matou brothers and Sakura.

People had already been evacuated to the outskirts of the country before the earthquake began.

I was not far from Shinji when I received his message.

After they reunited, Shinji immediately transferred the magic crest given to him by Kiritsugu Emiya onto Gladys.

Rejection reaction after transplanting a magic imprint?

The magic seal is still difficult to deal with, even with the core of the Great Sea Demon?

The imprint was immediately eroded and devoured by the core of the sea demon the moment it was implanted into the body.

With the Magic Crest, even if Goredia didn't understand the principle of [Time Control], it didn't prevent her from using it directly.

Moreover, Gladys's physical attributes are far superior to Kiritsugu Emiya's, and she also has a robust life force to back her up.

On the first use, it boosted the [Inherent Time Control] speed to ten times.

This wasn't even the limit, because after the [Inherent Time Control] was removed, Goredia only suffered extensive muscle tears, bone fractures throughout her body, and varying degrees of damage to her internal organs.

Ordinary people, even followers, would be beyond saving if they suffered such injuries.

But such injuries healed in the blink of an eye for Goredia.

The only cost was Shinji's loss of stamina.