"Tap, tap, tap…"
Emiya Kiritsugu's fingers unconsciously drummed on the map-covered table, making a dull, rhythmic sound.
In this narrow, brutal path of the Holy Grail War where only one person could reach the end, mutual suspicion between Masters and everyone fighting their own battles was the norm.
Forming an alliance this solid—especially at the start of the war—was extremely rare and extremely risky.
Because in the end, there could only be one winner.
An alliance could fall apart at any moment over how to split the spoils, or simply under the temptation of the Grail.
The only reason he'd partnered with Maiya Hisau was because they already had a deep bond—and because Maiya obeyed his orders completely.
Now the Saber team had formed an alliance with two other teams.
That had completely shattered the already fragile balance of the underground battlefield in Fuyuki City.
And it also brought huge tactical pressure and uncertainty for him, a "Magus Killer" who specialized in working from the shadows and picking off enemies one by one.
Rin Tohsaka…
He remembered that name.
She was Tokiomi Tohsaka's daughter.
As the head of the Tohsaka family, that man should have been the one participating in this Holy Grail War.
So why was it his daughter instead?
He hadn't expected the daughter to inherit the qualification to be a Master—and even become Saber's Master.
That alone was an unexpected twist worth digging into.
Then there was the upheaval in the Matou family, and that man called Rei Ao.
All of it made Emiya Kiritsugu wary.
Judging from Assassin's report, the other two Servants who hadn't shown themselves yet were clearly no pushovers either.
"Anything else unusual?"
Kiritsugu pressed.
He could feel that the depths of this Holy Grail War were far darker and more unfathomable than he'd first estimated.
As if some enormous beast lurked beneath the surface, hidden even from his gaze.
Assassin paused for a moment, as if trying to recall and confirm something.
"During reconnaissance, I did faintly sense some… out-of-place gazes."
"But the feeling was extremely weak and hazy. I can't determine whether it was just an illusion, or if there really is some unknown outside force intervening."
"Those hazy gazes…"
Kiritsugu committed that detail to memory.
The situation was indeed getting more and more complicated.
The "wrong" Servant, the unexpected alliance, unfathomable opponents, and possible observers watching from the dark…
Every variable was like a tangled bundle of threads.
All of them pointed toward a future that was growing more chaotic and unpredictable.
Kiritsugu took a deep breath.
Cold air mixed with the lingering smell of smoke rushed into his lungs, cooling his brain that had grown hot from constant high-speed thinking.
In his abyss-deep eyes, a steel-hard resolve slowly gathered once more.
No matter who the enemy was.
No matter how many accidents and variables appeared.
No matter how many thorns and how much darkness lay ahead—
He had to win the Holy Grail!
That so-called "saving the world" ideal that sounded grand, or even laughable, to others… was the only reason he was still alive.
And the pillar of his soul.
For that goal, he'd long since been prepared to shoulder every sin, stain his hands completely, and even fall into the deepest hell.
"Keep monitoring them. Focus on Saber's alliance. Find out the true names and abilities of those other two Servants if at all possible."
Kiritsugu issued new, more specific orders.
His voice had returned to its usual calm, stripped of all emotion.
"At the same time, pay attention to those 'gazes' you mentioned. If you discover anything concrete, report it immediately."
"As you command."
Assassin's form didn't make a single unnecessary movement.
Like a drop of ink dissolving into water, he silently merged back into the shadows in the corner.
Maiya Hisau gently set the fully cleaned and assembled sniper rifle onto the weapons case beside her, then looked at Kiritsugu, a clear question in her eyes.
"Kiritsugu, what's our next move?"
"The final objective doesn't change. But our tactics need to be adjusted based on this new intel."
Kiritsugu walked to the table.
His eyes moved between several key points marked on the map—the Hyatt Hotel, a house on the outskirts, and the areas Assassin had mentioned where the alliance's Masters were likely to be active.
"Priority is intel gathering, especially on that alliance and those so-called gazes."
"Until we have enough information, avoid a direct confrontation with the alliance."
"At the same time, look for chances… If possible, we should prioritize weakening the relatively isolated Lancer, or the unstable Berserker."
The former would cut down on unnecessary fighting power.
The latter might trigger problems inside the Matou family.
Right now, the only surviving Matou was Matou Kariya.
He paused, his gaze flicking to the spot where Gilgamesh had disappeared earlier.
A faint, hard-to-catch mix of resignation and caution edged into his tone.
"As for Archer…"
He stopped for a few seconds.
"For now, don't provoke him, and don't count on his help either."
"Let him 'play his game' however he wants."
"Until we've figured out all the variables—especially the stability of our own 'wrong' Servant—he can't be treated as a true ally. If anything, his threat level is higher than the others."
He only had three Command Spells to control Gilgamesh, so he had to use them—and handle him—extremely carefully.
Maiya nodded to show she understood completely.
She didn't say anything more.
Instead, she began methodically checking the rest of their gear—handguns, knives, and several custom-made magical tools.
Her movements were precise and efficient, like a finely tuned machine.
The damp, shadowy basement slowly sank back into its earlier silence.
Only the faint hum of the electronic equipment remained.
Like an ominous undercurrent flowing beneath this city.
And in the depths of Emiya Kiritsugu's heart, a cold, silent flame continued to burn—ready to consume everything for the sake of an unreachable ideal.
On the chessboard of the Holy Grail War, thanks to a "wrong" piece and an unexpected alliance, there now stood a player who didn't follow any of the usual rules—and who himself carried the mark of "error."
And the course of this brutal game, which decided both wishes and survival, had become even more mysterious and unfathomable.
The darkness ahead seemed thicker than in any Holy Grail War before it.
~~~
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