Part 215: Original and Fake

His remaining strength is not even a tenth of his original powers.
His muscles are weak, and his body will slowly disappear if he loses focus.

""
But there's no problem.
Even if he has less than a tenth of his original power, it is enough to kill Emiya Shirou.
Considering the difference in their abilities, this isn't even a handicap.
Therefore, it will end once they fight.
His one and only objective will be accomplished here.



And his wish was granted.
No, it is about to be granted.
…He does not care what awaits him afterwards.
He will kill his own self with his own hands.
The hopeless, futureless wish is what kept him going after he wore out.



It's just like a book.
Every time a heroic spirit is summoned, the book with its story is sent to its home.
The heroic spirit itself remains in the house, reading those books.
The trouble is that the one at the house does not know when those books arrived.

Past or future do not matter.
All the "books" are already in his room.
His only way of measuring time is to read the records of his "cleaning" that he will accomplish.

It makes no difference if it's eternal or instantaneous.
Eternity is instantaneous, and an instant is eternal.
Therefore, he does not know how rare this miracle is.
He does not know if this is the first time or the thousandth time since he obtained this hope.
…All he has is unordered knowledge.
Past, present, and future are meaningless for heroic spirits.

"…A guest, huh? I chose this place because I was told there would be no interruptions here."
The knight in red suddenly gets up.
Did his ears hear the sound of the intruder?
Footsteps echo through the silent castle.



Music: Footsteps of Destruction



I don't have any business with you. You have no business with Tohsaka either, right? Then isn't it meaningless for us to fight here?"
Matou Shinji walks forward with light steps.
He is looking at Tohsaka, who is tied up.
The girl glares silently at the intruder.


That must delight him.
He licks his lips in satisfaction and walks to the girl.





Stared down by the knight, Matou Shinji looks up in annoyance.
"What, you want to fight me? Are you serious? You'd be no match for me!"
He smiles and turns back to the entrance.



There stands a man with golden hairthe eighth Servant, Gilgamesh.
He is, literally, a disaster.
The golden Servant looks at the knight with cool eyes.
But within them…
The red eyes only show the intent to brutally kill the enemy in front of him.





"Haha. You're scared, right? It's nothing to be ashamed of. He even killed Berserker. It's natural for you to be scar"


"Do you want Rin, Matou Shinji?"



"Huh…? Y-Yeah, of course. There's no other reason for me to come to this castle."

"I see. Then wait until this is over. I will give her to you after I kill Emiya Shirou.
She is mine until then. It cannot be helped if you cannot compromise on that. It will be regrettable, but you will die here, Gilgamesh."
The knight's eyes remain on the golden Servant as he speaks.


"Very funny, you fool."
Were those words reason enough for the man to kill Archer?
The golden Servant identifies the knight in front of him as a target he must kill.



"Oh. Hold on, Gilgamesh. Don't be rash, and let's be smart. Come on, he says he's going to give her to me, so I'll let him.
Archer doesn't have a Master. I'm sure no Master would make a contract with a Servant that betrayed so many people, so he'll disappear if we let him be. I can take Tohsaka after that."

Matou Shinji smiles and stares at the knight in red.
It looks as if he is enjoying the fate of the one who is about to disappear.


"You're smart, Matou Shinji. That's an intelligent decision. You are a most fitting Master, in a sense."


"Oh, you show promise! How wasteful! I would've made a contract with you if you came to me!"
Stepping away from the knight, Matou Shinji claps his hands happily.



"But I'm sorry. I don't need any more Servants. It's unfortunate, but you'll have to disappear."
"You do not need to tell me. So what will you do? Will you fight me, or wait until I disappear?"

"Yeah, I'll wait. You're pretty decent, so we'll protect Tohsaka until you kill Emiya.


But, yeah. That thing is mine already, right? Then I can do anything to her, right?"



He stares at the knight and Tohsaka Rin with snake-like eyes.
His words are to test the loyalty of the knight.
To that…
"I have promised Emiya Shirou that she will not be harmed. But that promise is over at dawn. You can do as you wish when the time comes."
The knight in red replies in an emotionless voice.





Archer passes by Gilgamesh.
Archer ignores his mocking gaze and walks into the hallway.
At that instant…



Music: Stop