Chương 42: So Angry I Could Cry
The night deepened, and in the west of Fuyuki City, a thin mist lingered over the Einzbern Forest. A tranquil barrier of magic formed an impassable boundary, announcing the sovereignty of the Einzbern family.
The taxi could only take Kariya Matou to the highway, and he limped toward the edge of the barrier, a dark vengeful figure forming beside him.
Inside the castle's meeting room, the group watched him through a crystal ball, filled with curiosity.
Kariya was a low-level magus, only recently learning the craft. He didn't understand familiars or the etiquette of magecraft. Faced with the Einzbern barrier, he chose the simplest method.
"Roaaarrr—"
Berserker roared violently at the barrier, unleashing a dark, chaotic wind.
Click—
The entire world was instantly dyed in black and red—it was Avenger.
That slender, black-and-red gothic figure stepped out from the barrier, exuding an overwhelming oppressive presence.
"Kariya Matou, do you have a death wish?"
Kurumi raised her right hand, and from the shadows, countless slender, delicate arms emerged, like something out of a nightmare.
In the black-and-red world, the spying familiars were immediately seized and dragged into the shadows. Kariya and Berserker were also ensnared by the arms. As Kurumi clenched her right hand, an ancient flintlock pistol appeared in her grip, its cold barrel aimed at Kariya's forehead.
"Raaahhh!" Berserker roared, breaking free of the arms and stepping between Kariya and Kurumi.
But Kariya signaled Berserker to stand down again.
"Avenger... I'm just here to offer a bargain."
The face of the defeated man wore a bitter smile, yet there was an unmistakable sincerity to it.
"Oh? A bargain?" Kurumi laughed disdainfully. "Well, well, what could you possibly offer? Sakura?"
"My life, my everything—even this body," Kariya's voice, though raspy and broken, was gentle and resolute.
Kurumi stared at him deeply for a moment.
"Follow me."
Near the terrace by the entrance, Saber was waiting. She still wore her stiff black suit, her golden hair tied at the back, with her ahoge standing tall.
She looked like a peerlessly handsome young man.
The moment Berserker saw Saber, he flew into a frenzy once more.
"A...Ar—!"
Lancelot grabbed a small tree nearby, his dark red magical energy enveloping it as he charged forward.
But just as he began to roar, Kurumi appeared behind him in a flash of black-and-red energy.
The massive golden clock face appeared behind her as she stepped onto Berserker's back, a force heavier than a thousand mountains pressing him down to the ground.
Bound by the rules of this power, Berserker couldn't get up. The flintlock pistol was pressed against the back of his helmet.
Kurumi was not in a good mood.
"Avenger!" Saber ran up, looking conflicted.
"Oh, you're so heartless," Kurumi smiled sweetly. "I'm helping you out, you know."
"I..." Saber was at a loss for words.
"Yud—Tenth Bullet."
The clock hand turned, and black-and-red spiritual energy flowed into the flintlock pistol. Kurumi pulled the trigger, and in an instant, countless memories echoed in Lancelot's mind. Kurumi shoved something into Saber's arms.
"A purification medicine. Feed it to him yourself." Then she turned to Kariya. "You, come with me."
"Avenger, you really are a good person."
Walking down a long corridor, Kariya sighed deeply. But then he felt something cold on his head. Kurumi, wearing her black-and-red spirit attire, had raised her left hand, the flintlock pistol aimed at his head.
"I am not a good person," she said with a chilling smile. Then she continued leading him to the meeting room.
"Sakura's savior is the best person there could ever be," Kariya whispered to himself.
In the meeting room, Emiya Kiritsugu was busy working on some kind of plan, his hawk-like eyes fixed on Kariya as if stripping away his flesh and peering into his soul.
Maiya was preparing various materials for him, handing him whatever he needed at a moment's notice.
On the other side, another Kurumi lay limply on a sofa, her face pale as paper, her lips colorless.
Irisviel sat beside her, cradling Sakura in her arms. The girl sat quietly like a doll, obedient and still.
"Mm, Sakura's about the same age as Illya," Irisviel said cheerfully, gently squeezing Sakura's cheeks.
"Little Sakura, let's go change clothes, okay? We'll talk to your Uncle Kariya later."
Sakura's purple eyes sparkled as she looked at the tall, thin man who had just entered.
"Mm."
"Kariya Matou." After Irisviel and Sakura left, Kiritsugu lit a cigarette. "What do you want?"
"Me?" The half-dead man looked at Kiritsugu, this infamous mage killer, with his clouded eyes.
"I'm only here to secure a future for Sakura."
Kurumi, as a Servant, would disappear once the Holy Grail War ended. And Kariya himself wouldn't survive past this month. He had come to secure a way out for Sakura.
Kariya Matou did indeed bring good news to the Einzbern family.
Berserker's attributes were excellent, and his compatibility with Saber was also promising—once their mutual grievances were resolved, of course.
Kariya signed the self-enforced contract that Kiritsugu had prepared without hesitation, leaving his blood-stained name on the parchment, which bound his soul.
This man had already thrown everything away. In his world, there was only Sakura.
"Tomorrow, we'll launch a surprise attack on Lancer's Master's stronghold. We'll need Berserker..."
"The mana supply issue, the Einzberns will handle it."
Kiritsugu's assessment of Berserker was even more precise than Kariya's.
"At your command."
...
A maid led Kariya to his guest room. As Kiritsugu watched his limping figure fade into the distance, he stubbed out his cigarette and sighed deeply.
In Kariya, he saw himself.
"Illya..."
Kiritsugu clenched his fist and began drafting another plan, not for the Holy Grail War, but for the Einzbern family's snow-covered Castle of Winter.
He couldn't allow Illya to face such a cold world, such a fate as a mere "vessel." Irisviel had encountered Kurumi Tokisaki, but what about Illya?
"I'll get you out, I promise."
In the long corridor, Kariya knelt before the small purple figure standing in the shadows, trembling as he hugged the light, soft body close to him, tears streaming down his face.
"Uncle Kariya..."
This was enough. This was all he needed. He took a deep breath, grateful for the Einzberns' kindness.
Thank you.
On the rooftop, beneath the cool moonlight, Kurumi gazed out, feeling somewhat melancholic.
A good person? No, that's impossible.
The sins I bear cannot be washed away.
She looked out over the distant Fuyuki City, stars twinkling in the night sky.
"Assassin, collected..."
"Caster, collected..."
"Archer, not collected."
That guy wasn't dead yet.
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