Fate/Magus Path

25 Kiritsugu and Saber

Kiritsugu Emiya, known as the Magus Killer, is considered a disgrace in the magus community. With a horrifying record of hunting down hundreds of magus, he is regarded as a dangerous figure in the moonlit world.

Yet, at this moment, such an outstanding individual feels an overwhelming sense of sorrow.

The pale-faced man, with blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, endures excruciating pain throughout his paralyzed body. The agony contorts his expression into a grimace, and if he could, he would want to smoke a cigarette to calm himself.

However, his equally disheveled servant, Artoria, who is dragging him with a handcart, clearly doesn't understand his intentions. The master and servant, one struggling to drag, the other lying helplessly, make their way through the small grove.

Seeing that Saber has no intention of assisting him, Kiritsugu sighs, enduring the pain as he raises his already paralyzed hand to grope for a cigarette in his pocket, then lights it using magecraft.

The man named Kiritsugu Emiya smokes a cigarette while recalling the tragic battle.

This fight can only be described as a total defeat.

First, from the master's perspective, Kiritsugu exchanged half of his life for crucial intelligence yesterday. He encountered a Lord from the Clock Tower, specifically the Lord of the Department of Mineralogy, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, one of the highest figures in the mysterious world.

Although the Einzbern patriarch had informed him beforehand that two opponents were orthodox magus from the Clock Tower, he never expected a Lord would appear, and a particularly outrageous one at that.

Typically, a noble like Kayneth, a Lord-level figure from the Clock Tower, would be exceedingly proud. As a magus, his arrogance would far exceed that of other magus, and when facing opponents far beneath his level in magecraft, he would undoubtedly look down upon them and refuse to use his full strength, making the arrogant mistake of underestimating his enemies.

Kiritsugu only needed to seize a moment of Kayneth's carelessness to take him down; the secret of the Origin Bullet was a surefire kill against these magus.

However, for some reason, this guy seemed to have been stimulated.

Attending a rural magical ceremony, he was completely armed from head to toe with mystic codes... defense, decoys, concealment... various msytic codes that could be said to cover everything that could save his life.

What's worse, this guy never truly revealed himself. Even when he located Kiritsugu, he didn't use his real body but sent out high-level magical puppets that could pass for him to test Kiritsugu.

After enduring a fierce life-and-death struggle, and paying the price of his current state, Kiritsugu finally confirmed that he had hit the Origin Bullet into Kayneth's body. He felt the relief of a victor, only for the next moment to see another Kayneth appear around the corner.

At that moment, his heart shattered.

Recalling the events of last night, he had used his severe injuries as bait, pretending to be driven into a corner and launching a crazy, unstructured counterattack, even using modern gadgets. Kiritsugu, with his pitifully low magical achievements, had naturally received Kayneth's disdain.

To seize this golden opportunity, Kiritsugu even risked his life to unleash a terrifying fivefold acceleration of his Time Alter, quickly closing the distance, then throwing a flashbang in Kayneth's face, and finally firing the Origin Bullet for a surprise shot.

The plan was excellent, and its execution went smoothly, showcasing Kiritsugu's selfless determination, clever mind, and astonishing explosive power with the fivefold acceleration.