"Kotomine Kirei—was everything he said true?"
When it came to Kotomine Kirei, Jiang You described every detail with uncanny clarity, as though he had seen it all with his own eyes. And each detail matched with Rin Tohsaka's memories, forcing her to start questioning everything.
Kirei truly wanted to see Rin's composure shatter when she learned the truth. That expression—he knew—would be intoxicating. But not yet… this moment wasn't what he had planned for.
He wanted to be the one to uncork this vintage himself. Only then would it be truly exquisite. Jiang You spoiling it early felt like a waste of fine wine. But now that the bottle was opened, pretending it hadn't happened was no longer possible.
"So things really came to this, huh?"
Kirei didn't deny it. Even if the cup he drank from had edges sharp enough to cut his mouth open and leave him bleeding, he would still lunge forward to taste it.
He was only puzzled—how had Jiang You known so much?
"Yes, I did it. When I drove the Azoth Sword into his body, the look of disbelief on his face filled me with human joy. It was then that I realized—this man called Kotomine Kirei was born for this!"
"You bastard!"
Rin completely lost control. She never imagined that her guardian of ten years—the man she respected so deeply—would be the one who murdered her father.
"You goddamn priest who doesn't deserve a grave! Even Hell would turn you away! The wardens of Purgatory would pass you around like a cursed object! You should be flayed and gutted alive and served as a pin-cushion feast!"
"Yes, that's it—that's the expression I wanted to see!"
Kirei smiled with genuine delight.
"That look—driven mad with rage—it's beautiful!"
The man before them felt like a complete stranger to Bazett. The mature and reliable Executor from the Church that she once trusted had completely crumbled in her eyes.
"Kotomine Kirei, tell me—this isn't real!"
"Heh… unfortunately, this is who I am. The man named Kotomine Kirei!"
Kirei knew full well that the moment he said this, he would be swarmed. But the thrill of dancing on a knife's edge was too addictive to resist. He no longer bothered restraining himself.
"Bazett, if it weren't for Caster getting in the way, I was planning to steal your Command Seals. You magi are far too trusting. I bet the look on your face would've been priceless when I turned on you. Still… your face now isn't half bad either."
Bazett bit her lip hard but didn't lash out. After all, she hadn't been physically hurt yet. Right now, it was Rin who most needed to vent.
"Saber, assist me! Send this sanctimonious priest straight to hell!"
Rin had reached her breaking point. She immediately summoned Jason and launched a full assault on Kirei.
"Die by the blade of a Greek hero!"
Jason burst through the stained glass and dove into the church, slashing straight down with a powerful overhead strike.
"Out of my way! I'll kill him with my own hands!"
At the same time, Rin threw out two jewels, locking the space of the entire chapel to prevent Kirei from escaping.
To Kirei, Jason's skill was inferior even to the likes of Shirou. As long as he avoided Jason's overwhelming brute force, defeating him would be easy.
But Kirei's real concern was Rin. If Jason were to activate his Noble Phantasm, Kirei would stand no chance. Not to mention—other Masters were present and already hostile toward him. Defeating Jason would only be a drop in the bucket.
"In that case… let's go out in a blaze of glory!"
Kirei didn't dodge. He charged into Jason's attack head-on.
"Rin, didn't you say these decks reflect a person's past and future? Then let me see—just how much of your father's life intersected with mine? Maybe we'll even get to recreate that moment again."
Kirei chose to duel.
"What an interesting Noble Phantasm—my life and experiences all engraved onto these tiny cards… for others to toy with. Truly despicable—hahahahahaha!"
The moment Kirei grasped the card, he received its information—and it only made him more delighted.
"This Caster must have a lot in common with me… what a shame he's so boring."
"Saber, transfer primary dueling rights to me!"
Rin would never sleep peacefully unless she took revenge with her own hands.
Jason obediently stepped aside and handed over control of the deck. Rin now looked as if she was about to devour someone alive.
"Rin, aside from anger, I know you're also thinking about those Soul Crystals, aren't you?"
Though he was speaking to Rin, Kirei's gaze shifted to Illyasviel.
"There are thirty neutral tickets in total. You'll get five from me fair and square, plus the two you already have. That gives you seven—an advantage from the very beginning. Doesn't that sound nice?"
Before Rin could reply, Illya chuckled.
"Mister Priest, are you trying to stir internal conflict?"
What no one knew was that, in this timeline, the Einzbern family had already accepted Jiang You's gift. That one Soul Crystal he gave them had been enough for the family to recreate the Third Magic.
"To go so far, even at the cost of your life… you're certainly dedicated."
"Family is an irreplaceable treasure. Rin, go ahead and vent all that rage."
Illya's world had once consisted only of her father and mother. Before Sella and Leysritt appeared, she had spent years alone. It was the warm memories of living with Kiritsugu and Irisviel that got her through it all. So to Illya, family meant everything.
"Thank you."
Rin was deeply moved by Illya's empathy. She could never have imagined that, in the original timeline, Illya was a seemingly innocent little girl who wielded deadly intent like it was candy.
"Sometimes I really wonder—are you people actually magi?"
Kirei had lost interest. These kids were just too immature. Even with Soul Crystals at stake—the Einzbern family's ultimate desire—Illya was talking about family. It was tiresome.
"Boring little brats… my turn!"
"First, I activate the Spell Card Final Affection! I send one copy of Claudia Hortensia from my deck to the graveyard to Special Summon one Kotomine Kirei from my deck!"
[Kotomine Kirei] – Master | ★4 | ATK 1600
But unlike others, Kirei wasn't summoned into the battlefield. Instead, what appeared was a version of him wearing an apron, holding a steaming bowl of mapo tofu.