Third POV
"Caster, we've already wiped out all the Masters in the Holy Grail War, along with their Servants, thanks to the Eclipse Princess's help. Now…it should be my turn to die."
Aritoshi Reiroukan turned his weary face toward Caster, bracing himself for what he knew had to come next.
"Kill me. Tell your new Master, Manaka, that I've fulfilled my role. Now…it's her turn." His voice cracked with bitterness as he spoke.
Caster stared at him, eyes shadowed with regret. "Sorry, Master… I'll do my best to protect your daughter once this is all over."
In case you forgot, Aritoshi Reiroukan was previously threatened by Manaka into attacking all the other Masters and Servants, with his daughter being held hostage by her.
They'd spent the last three days and three nights hunting down Masters and their Servants, leaving carnage in their wake.
It would've been a lie to pretend their bond was purely fake.
After everything they'd done together, even a dog's owner couldn't kill his own dog unless there was no other choice or unless someone forced their hand.
But in the end, Caster's heart hardened. His face turned cold and expressionless as he nodded solemnly.
"Farewell, then, Master. I'll take care of the last target for you."
The identity of the final target was too complicated and too sensitive.
Aritoshi Reiroukan just couldn't bring himself to do it.
The last target might be Manaka's father, but the target was also his friend.
Unlike Manaka, who could murder her own father in cold blood, he couldn't.
He just couldn't.
So all he could do was leave the dirty job to Caster.
Besides, they weren't alone in this brutal hunt.
An Assassin skulked in the shadows, silently picking off Masters one by one, while the Eclipse Princess in her prime had been cutting down any obstacles in their path to end the Holy Grail War once and for all.
Just as Caster raised his hand to execute his Master and swear his loyalty to Manaka, a thunderous voice suddenly cut through the air, echoing off the walls like a gunshot.
"Say hello to my little friend, Caster."
The instant those words hit his ears, his entire body tensed up.
A chill ran down his spine, and his instincts screamed that something was terribly wrong.
Before he could even spin around or raise his defenses, a hand rammed straight through his chest, fingers crushing his beating heart in an instant.
His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the one who'd betrayed him.
It was his master's newly recruited secret aid, a hidden ace meant for hunting down servants and their masters, an insurance policy to end the Holy Grail War in her favor.
"Why, Eclipse Princess? And you… You're supposed to be on your sister's side. Why are you betraying us?" Caster choked out, blood bubbling at the corner of his lips as he glared at Ryouma with disbelief burning in his eyes.
"Your role is over, Caster. And besides… how dare you step out of line."
As though understanding the silent signal in Ryouma's words, the Eclipse Princess yanked her hand back out of the gaping hole in Caster's chest.
Blood poured freely, soaking the ground, as chunks of meat and fragments of ribs slipped out along with it.
The sight was grotesque, and the color drained from Caster's fading form, his spiritual presence flickering like a dying flame.
"The Holy Grail War is over, old man. Now you can go, old man. I'll have Assassin report to Manaka that she's already killed you. Go hide somewhere far away, and never show your face in front of her again. You can't afford the price if she finds out you're still breathing."
I didn't even spare Caster a glance after that as I spoke sincerely to Miyaka's father, Aritoshi Reiroukan.
Aritoshi let out a bitter laugh. "How far has my lineage as a magus fallen? That I'd end up needing to be saved by someone so much younger than me…"
"And my daughter, Ryouma? What about Miyaka? I can't hide while she's still in danger or she'll die."
"Manaka's bluffing you. Your daughter hasn't been kidnapped. She slipped into another parallel world. I'll make damn sure Manaka doesn't have the time or opportunity to go after her." Ryouma's voice was cold and certain.
That was the whole reason he had restlessly fucked his sister over and over, putting a child in her so she'd be too preoccupied raising their child to pull her usual twisted schemes.
"Caster. I never betrayed you," I said, stepping forward to grab a fistful of the front of his blood-soaked robe. "You might have sworn your undying loyalty to my sister, but you never had a shred of respect for me. You arrogant piece of shit, who the fuck did you think you were to try and murder my childhood friend's father and think you'd get away with it?"
I leaned closer, my voice dropping to a growl. "Go and fuck yourself."
With that, Caster's body shuddered violently as his spirit core finally ruptured.
His form collapsed into dust and motes of magical energy, his existence completely wiped out at the hands of his own master's brother, a man he'd never even considered a threat.
In his last fleeting moment of consciousness, all Caster could feel was searing regret.
The ultimate knowledge he'd been chasing, that he'd believed was just within his grasp, was now forever out of reach.
And so he disappeared, leaving nothing behind but a gory stain and the echoes of his failures.
His mission to wipe out all the Masters in the Holy Grail War was over.
Only his master, her brother, and her father remained alive.
Ryouma watched the entire scene with cold, silent eyes, offering no words of comfort, no trace of remorse.