Chapter 53: 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?
Do people like you even deserve it?"
Disregarding the weeping Kiritsugu kneeling before Irisviel, Roy, who had just appeared in the room, spoke with a cold tone.
In that instant, Kiritsugu noticed the vent in the room had been burned open, and the avenging ghost from hell had crawled inside.
Thanks to the Count's Noble Phantasm, derived from his escape from the Château d'If, no prison or maze-like structure in the world could trap Roy. Using this ability, he found a way into the collapsed building.
Neither the well-hidden Kiritsugu nor the heavily wounded Maiya could have predicted this.
At this moment, Roy had breached the sanctuary.
"Think back, Kiritsugu. From killing your father and mother with your own hands, to now sending your wife to her grave... your pursuit of happiness is built upon the deaths of your closest loved ones. Do you really believe this is right?"
"How did you find this place? What happened to Saber?"
Kiritsugu ignored the question and hurriedly stood up, warily eyeing the uninvited guest.
To ensure no interruptions, he had not only dispatched Saber to block the door but also destroyed every entrance, leaving only a small, hidden vent for ventilation, hoping to buy time.
He just needed to hold out a little longer. As long as the Holy Grail descended, everything would be over. But how did this man reach here so quickly?
"Did you really think Saber could hold everyone off? Or was your confidence in the sealed entrances you rigged?"
Roy shrugged, his tone icy. "Don't you even know what your assistant has done outside?"
"Maiya? What happened to her?!"
Kiritsugu's emotions surged as a terrible premonition arose within him.
"She's dead." Roy replied. "That woman ambushed Kayneth on the upper level of the gym, but as expected, she was killed by him."
"Still, you should be grateful to her. If she hadn't detonated all the bombs upstairs, Kayneth would have blasted his way through with his gemstone magecraft."
"As for how I found this place, that's not important. Let's just say I have a special magecraft... no labyrinth or sealed structure can trap me."
"Is that so?"
Kiritsugu's hand, the one holding his gun, trembled slightly, a subtle change showing in his expression.
"Emiya Kiritsugu, are you still capable of fighting in your current state? Your hand is shaking... What are you, in this condition? Are you really hesitating at the final step?"
Facing the barrel of Kiritsugu's gun, Roy's lips curved slightly as he pointed toward the lying figure of Irisviel.
"...Kiritsugu."
"Take a good look, you pitiful man. Your wife can barely speak now. In just a few more minutes, she'll fully merge with the Holy Grail, and you'll never see her again."
"Aren't you going to say goodbye? At least kiss her farewell as a husband in this final moment, give her some last tenderness so you have no regrets. After all, your lives both end here."
"What... what are you going to do?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Roy raised his hand with a polite gesture.
"As your enemy, of course I'm going to kill your beloved husband. The next scene might be a bit gruesome, so please close your eyes. It's better not to leave behind such tragic memories before you die."
"Wait-"
Before she could scream, as Roy had warned, at that moment, Kiritsugu felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and his body was sent flying, crashing hard into the wall.
Roy's fist had struck Kiritsugu in the chest. Accompanied by black flames and a flash of light, his body crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll.
"Cough... Arghh!"
A scream.
Kiritsugu let out a scream of agony.
Lying on the ground, the clothes on his abdomen were quickly burned away by the black flames, and his skin and flesh were charred by the intense fire, causing unbearable pain.
"As expected, you're quite tough, Kiritsugu. You should be grateful to the legendary Avalon. That punch was meant to nearly kill you, but I didn't expect you'd still be conscious."
"You... cough, cough... what exactly..."
Through labored breathing, Kiritsugu coughed up a mouthful of blood. Roy's punch had shaken his lungs, causing severe internal bleeding.
That seemingly simple punch, under the weight of such monstrous strength and speed, was more painful than any injury Kiritsugu had ever experienced in his life.
The terrifying speed and strength, and that strange burning sensation... what on earth was all this?
Not just this time, but last time too, Roy's speed was so fast that Kiritsugu couldn't even react. Was this really something a human could achieve?
A monster...
This man had already become a monster, just like the Servants.
Kiritsugu clenched his teeth, his gaze fixed on his opponent, desperately seeking answers.
"Don't bother looking. Someone like you could never understand the source of my power." Roy tilted his head and continued.
"This power comes from bonds and choices, something a puppet like you could never comprehend."
"Oh, by the way, I'd advise you not to try summoning Saber with a Command Seal. Lancer is nearby, and without Saber holding him back, he could find this place easily."
"If that happens, the two of us will just unleash chaos here with Saber. After all, I have no interest in the Holy Grail, and Irisviel's safety doesn't concern me either. In the end, the only one who'll suffer will be you."
Roy glanced at Kiritsugu's clenched fists, easily reading his thoughts.
"Why? Why are you people trying to stop me?! If I just activate the Grail and complete the Third Magic, I can save all of humanity."
Kiritsugu gritted his teeth, staggering to his feet. He stared at Roy with fury in his eyes, "If Heaven's Feel succeeds, all suffering and sadness will vanish. Humanity will no longer slaughter each other over conflicts and resource inequality. Everyone will be happy! Why doesn't anyone understand?!"
"Pffthahahahaha!!"
"You actually believed it! Hah, I can't believe it, Kiritsugu! A man like you actually believed it! You fell for Amakusa Shirou's nonsense!"
Roy couldn't help but laugh. His now golden eyes gazed at Kiritsugu, and he spoke calmly, "You've reached a dead end, haven't you? You're so desperate you've even begun to believe in such a blatant lie."
"Think about it carefully, Kiritsugu. Is this wish truly salvation? How many people in the world want you to impose such salvation on them? This is nothing more than your own self-satisfaction and self-deception."
His eyes had already seen through their essence.
"Imposing the salvation you think is right onto everyone else, all for your own self-gratification... do you dare call that salvation?"
"Think carefully, Emiya Kiritsugu. This behavior is far from salvation; it's merely the delusion of you and another seeker."
Every word from Roy pierced like a dagger, his sharp remarks further clouding Kiritsugu's mind and intensifying his inner torment.
But at this point, Kiritsugu had already clung to Amakusa Shirou's vision and concept as his final lifeline, unable to let go.
He had lost himself.
Gripping his head with both hands, Kiritsugu wore a pained expression and shouted, "No! That can't be! I want to save them! You don't understand my wish at all! Once this is completed, we can create a truly peaceful world! A world where the weak will never be oppressed again!"
"So, you plan to murder the entire world? To save humanity, you'll personally kill humanity. Emiya Kiritsugu... you are the cruelest one of all."
He had killed his biological father and his adoptive mother and now had buried his own wife. In the end, he sought to destroy the very humanity he cherished most.
All he had done thus far didn't lead to salvation for humanity or himself; rather, it pushed him down a path of no return, destroying everything he once held dear.
This was Emiya Kiritsugu's tragic life... one of sorrow and pain.
"Have you really thought about the world Amakusa Shirou described, where there's no conflict and the weak are no longer oppressed?"
"It's not that they won't be oppressed; it's that they can't be oppressed. Everyone will become the same." Roy answered in a calm tone.
What was the true impact of Heaven's Feel? What changes would befall humanity after being transformed by the Third Magic?
The answer was that everyone would become identical.
All would have immortal lives and endless magical power... even their souls and appearances would become the same. All of humanity would become indistinguishable from one another.
In such a scenario, naturally, there would be no way to oppress the weak... because the weak would no longer exist.
But would this method, which erased all human differences and possibilities, really be called the salvation of all humanity?
If it's merely the Heaven's Feel, does it even matter if the subjects are humans? Whether it's animals or other creatures, the effect would be the same... erasing all possibilities and turning all living beings into the same form.
Cats, dogs, and even insects could be transformed into the same existence as humans. Humanity would lose all distinctions and possibilities, and the throne of primates would be obliterated.
This method, rather than being called the salvation of humanity, should be more accurately described as the destruction of all humanity.
"Emiya Kiritsugu, because of your own selfish desires, you are pushing all of humanity toward destruction."
Roy spread his arms wide and gazed solemnly at him.
"That's why I will stop you, and right here, I will personally extinguish your delusions. So... are you ready, champion of justice?"
"I'm here to send you and Amakusa Shirou Tokisada on your final journey together."
He looked behind Kiritsugu, where the Greater Grail had already descended without anyone noticing, a smile spreading across his face.
The Holy Grail had arrived, and it was time to bring this absurd war to an end.
----
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