บท 52: Alternating Desire
"Priest, Risei, if I were you, I'd behave myself," Kurumi tilted her head, gently pressing her fingers to her forehead.
She was in a bit of a bad mood.
Risei Kotomine had assumed a defensive stance, ready to use his mastery of Bajiquan to face Kurumi. He was an expert in the martial art, even more skilled than his son, Kirei. But in front of a Servant, he was nothing.
"Avenger! What are you planning?" the burly old man glared at her, his voice booming with fury. "Has the Einzbern family fallen so low?"
Yet deep inside, he felt the chilling realization of their inevitable victory.
It wasn't just Saber; this Avenger's hidden powers alone were terrifying.
The sky overhead was a dark red, like a crazed painter had smeared it with chaotic brushstrokes. Below, countless clock-shaped platforms were connected by spiraling Roman numerals, forming stairs that linked various places.
It was almost like a Reality Marble of fantastical grandeur.
And not just that—everywhere he looked, in the shadows, there were pale, feminine silhouettes, stacked upon each other.
If each one was a resting version of Avenger's clones, it was truly terrifying.
"Oh my, Priest, we're just here to make sure you get some rest," Kurumi chuckled playfully. "In fact, we're here to protect you."
"Protect me?" Risei scoffed, seeing through her intentions. Wasn't she just after the Command Spells he guarded?
"Relax, we're not interested in your Command Spells," Kurumi's smile turned mocking. "The divine is sanctified, and so we revere the divine—"
"Shall I keep reciting?"
As she spoke, the Command Spells on Risei's right arm glowed faintly, and a dull pain coursed through him.
This Servant knew his deepest secret. Cold sweat trickled down his back. She knew the incantation that safeguarded the Command Spells!
"Shh—be good now," Kurumi warned.
Not far away, her clones appeared from the shadows, bringing with them maids from Einzbern and Sakura, walking out quietly.
Kurumi's bad mood had a reason: someone had broken into Einzbern's castle.
And she had lost one of her clones.
While the Einzbern faction was launching their attack on Kayneth's base, another Servant had headed straight for the Einzbern forest.
It was Archer.
Infuriated by his earlier humiliation at the hands of Berserker, the golden king could no longer hold back after hearing that Berserker had been spotted outside Einzbern's barrier.
He was determined to punish the one who dared sully the king's pride.
With a casual gait, Gilgamesh strolled towards the castle, opening a portal behind him from which countless Noble Phantasms shot out, clearing a path before him.
The Einzbern household quickly noticed his approach.
In the castle, only a few maids, Sakura, and one of Kurumi's clones remained.
One particularly significant clone.
Earlier...
In a secret chamber of the castle, Irisviel lay almost entirely exposed on a wooden bed, her face flushed with a deep red hue.
This wasn't surprising, considering Kurumi was currently seated atop her waist, the smooth sensation of her sheer black stockings brushing against Irisviel's bare skin, The silky fabric, almost transparent, allowed the warmth of her legs to seep through, the silk gliding over Irisviel like a mischievous sprite, teasing her with each subtle movement.
Irisviel was beginning to regret agreeing to Kurumi's plan.
Kurumi had promised to help her transfer the Lesser Grail.
But... how had the room turned into such an intimate scene?
The girl's smooth, slender fingers glided slowly across Irisviel's body, from her face down to her neck, then traced teasingly along her collarbone.
Having existed for only nine years since her creation, Irisviel had no memory of ever experiencing such provocative touches from another woman.
Her legs were tightly clenched together, her cheeks burning crimson.
"Avenger..." she muttered in embarrassment. "Please, stop this."
Her face was gently turned forward, and the crimson red eyes of Kurumi filled her vision, growing larger as the mischievous girl pressed herself closer.
"Oh my, what was that, Iri?" Kurumi asked sweetly, as if greeting a neighbor with a simple "good morning," her tone entirely devoid of flirtation.
If only her hands weren't wandering.
"Avenger..."
"Shh, call me Kurumi."
"Kur... Kurumi... Can we start now?" Irisviel asked, her voice trembling, eager to end this ordeal.
"My, you're so eager, Iri? I never would've guessed," Kurumi teased with amusement.
"N-no, you know what I mean," Irisviel mumbled, her entire body flushed, overwhelmed by embarrassment.
Kurumi's hand pressed against her chest, delicate fingers brushing against the soft skin that spilled from her grasp.
Irisviel turned her head, trying to focus on the cold beneath her instead of the situation.
This woman... she really was a witch.
Suddenly—
Kurumi's hand plunged through Irisviel's chest, gripping her heart.
Even though her pain receptors had been turned off, Irisviel's body instinctively twitched, but before she could react further, Kurumi held her down.
Slender arms reached out from the shadows, restraining Irisviel.
Dazed, Irisviel gazed upward, her vision filled with the mechanical, golden clockwork of Kurumi's emotionless eye.
In her last conscious moment, Irisviel saw Kurumi clutching her still-beating core.
...
With a flick, Kurumi tossed a golden coin high into the air, and it landed back into Irisviel's body. In a burst of miraculous light, she awoke, feeling dazed.
The sensation of death was indescribable.
She had seen it—beneath her feet, an endless expanse of clear blue reflected the sky, while snowflakes drifted like a blizzard.
Irisviel hated snow more than anything.
"Mother, I had a terrible dream... A nightmare where Illya became the Grail."
...
Afterward, they had to find a new vessel for that core.
One of Kurumi's clones that had been caught slacking off.
...
After emerging from the chamber, Irisviel refused to speak of what had transpired within. Saber, who had been standing vigil, sensed something had changed, though Irisviel deliberately avoided contact with Kurumi from then on.
That woman truly was a witch!
When Gilgamesh broke through all the barriers and leisurely strolled into the castle, he found it nearly deserted—completely empty, with no one inside.
As he walked towards the only room with signs of life, his fingers brushed a silver teapot. It was still warm.
It was as if everyone had vanished all at once.
He peered into the room to find a woman lying on a magical circle, being drained of mana.
"Irisviel."
This was the vessel of the Holy Grail, a pitiable creature unable to escape as she was forced to collect the spirits of the Servants.
"Hmph."
Gilgamesh sneered and summoned his Vimana.
The golden-green craft broke through the walls, and with Irisviel on board, they disappeared into the night.
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