Fate/Magus Path

53 False Salvation

Burn...

Destroy...

Hate...

Everything is already over. There's no longer any need to suppress myself.

But...

Is it really over?

"Iris... I..."

The man remained speechless.

...

In a hidden chamber at the lowest level of the gymnasium.

With silver hair cascading like a waterfall, Irisviel quietly lay on the platform, awaiting her end.

Looking at his wife lying on the stone slab, Emiya Kiritsugu's face was full of complexity.

But things had reached this point, and the time had come.

He, Emiya Kiritsugu, the world's most pitiful man, could only bow his head and repeatedly say, "I'm sorry." unable to do anything else as he faced his wife.

There was no turning back...

Neither for him nor his wife.

"It's okay... Kiritsugu, don't be sad for me. This is the fate I was created for, the fate of the Lesser Grail.

And... I'm already happy that I can help you achieve your wish in the end."

Irisviel held his hand, a tragic yet satisfied smile on her face. She turned her head to comfort Emiya Kiritsugu while quietly waiting for death to arrive.

For her, fulfilling Kiritsugu's dream with her life and dying in her beloved's presence was the best ending as an Einzbern homunculus. But this comfort only pierced Kiritsugu's heart even more.

"Kiritsugu... I can feel it. My time to leave is almost here..."

"I think... it's really time to say goodbye."

Irisviel's eyelids drooped.

"Iris..."

Kiritsugu gripped her hand tightly.

"But Kiritsugu, please promise me... Take care of Illya, and live with her and Miss Maiya. You must all find happiness in the life that follows..."

The bloodstained homunculus softly whispered.

This was her final will, not only as a homunculus who lived for just a few years but also as a mother.

In that moment, the always cold, always strong Emiya Kiritsugu finally revealed his inner vulnerability.

From youth to middle age, he had personally sent off his father and his foster mother. And now, today, his wife was about to sacrifice herself for his wish. The combined physical and emotional pain pushed him further toward collapse.

At this final moment, as he stood at the threshold, the flood of painful memories surged like a tide, shattering the emotional walls within Emiya Kiritsugu. The cold-hearted magus killer, known across the world, became fragile and broken.

Yet a voice still echoed in his ears.

It's okay... just one last step.

Once you take this final step, you can save all of humanity. If that happens, both you and the world will find... happiness.

Happiness...

A male voice suddenly broke the atmosphere.

"Do you really think you can find happiness?