novel-bin Chapter 114 The Budding of Pleasure
Chapter 114 The Budding of Pleasure
Kirei Kotomine's gaze swept over the ruins, which were more than 100 meters in diameter, as he recalled everything he had just seen through Assassin's shared vision.
Originally, his goal tonight was not this duel between kings at all.
He sent out his hundred clones to surround Einzbern Castle in order to force Kiritsugu Emiya to comply.
He wanted to see with his own eyes what kind of struggling, painful, or even distorted expression the rumored ruthless magician assassin would show when faced with overwhelming adversity.
But things took an unexpected turn when Lancer intervened in the battle and fought alongside Saber.
Faced with the combined attack of two top-tier Servants, continuing the assault was pointless, so Kirei decisively issued the order to retreat.
However, he still left an Assassin clone here, who secretly watched Arthur's duel with Gilgamesh.
"What a... magnificent battle."
Kirei stood at the edge of the pit, murmuring softly.
The magic and martial arts unleashed by these two kings standing at the pinnacle are enough to inspire awe in any magician.
But he reached out and pressed his hand to his chest.
Why doesn't my heart beat for this kingly glory?
He stared at the soil, still imbued with the lingering power of violent magic, his eyes gradually becoming vacant.
Then, a chilling, dark light shone from the depths of his pupils.
The glory of a hero, the greatness celebrated by the world, could not fill the emptiness in his heart.
Instead, when he fantasizes in his mind...
If, in the battle just now, that noble otherworldly knight king had his legs severed by the golden battle axe, if that arrogant hero king had his chest pierced by the holy sword…
If they were covered in mud and blood, groaning and howling in pain on the ground...
"thump."
Kirei's heart skipped a beat.
A twisted, pleasurable smile, which he himself didn't even notice, flickered across the corner of his mouth.
"I see... So this is what I really wanted to see."
Kirei Kotomine seems to have finally grasped the answer that has been troubling him.
He resumed his indifferent expression and turned to walk into the darkness.
"Continue to monitor Eindzbern Castle."
He issued a cold command to the air, and a deep "Yes, sir" came from the shadows beside him.
Then, the priest, who had finally begun to confront the abyss within himself, disappeared completely into the night.
Meanwhile, in the corridor on the second floor of Eindzbern Castle, littered with shards of glass, the atmosphere was extremely tense and delicate.
Just as Lancer was proposing Kenneth's alliance to Irisviel, a golden light suddenly appeared outside the window at the end of the corridor.
Having just finished a fierce battle, Arthur transformed into a streak of light and landed precisely beside Artoria.
"Arthur!" Artoria's eyes flashed with joy when she saw him return safely.
Arthur's emerald green eyes swept across the entire room in an instant:
The ground was littered with shards of glass, fragments of Assassin's spiritual energy, and Lancer, wielding dual pistols, showed no hostility.
And there's Emiya Kiritsugu, who hides in the shadows deep in the corridor, radiating a chilling aura without showing his face.
In almost a second, Arthur understood the situation before him.
Did Lancer's Master choose to ally with the Einzbern?
Arthur pondered to himself.
As a member of the Tohsaka faction, he was the very enemy they were allied against.
If he stays here now, the other party's Master might see it as a suitable opportunity...
Although he wasn't afraid of the opposing alliance, given Artoria's personality, she would probably feel uncomfortable if she were forced to obey orders.
"It seems I've interrupted an important meeting."
Arthur removed his hand from the hilt of his sword and gave Lancer, who was standing by in a tense atmosphere, a gentle and understanding smile.
"King Arthur..." Lancer gripped his twin pistols tightly. Although he didn't attack, all the muscles in his body were taut to the limit.
"There's no need to be nervous. I'm not here today seeking battle, nor do I intend to disrupt this candid exchange between knights."
Arthur turned to face Irisviel, placed his right hand on his chest, and bowed slightly.
"Mrs. Irisviel, I am very sorry that due to my personal reasons, your beautiful garden has been turned into wasteland."
As an apology, I will not set foot in this forest again today.
Then, he looked at Artoria, a hint of expectation in his eyes:
"Saber, I hope that next time we meet, we can clash fairly and squarely on a battlefield where no outsiders can interfere."
"...I understand." Artoria nodded solemnly.
Arthur didn't linger. He turned around gracefully, and with a burst of starlight-like golden magic, he headed towards Fuyuki City's Fukayama Town.
His decisive departure brought a sigh of relief to everyone in the corridor.
This person put immense pressure on them.
Just after Arthur's magic completely dissipated.
A strange noise came from the shadows at the end of the corridor.
It wasn't the screeching sound of leather shoes stepping on broken glass, but a depressing hissing sound, like heavy mercury flowing.
"I must say, this male knight king is more knowledgeable about etiquette than I imagined, which saved me some trouble in clearing obstacles."
A voice filled with aristocratic superiority, high-pitched and somewhat sarcastic, drifted down the corridor.
With that sound, a huge sphere of mercury, gleaming with a silvery metallic sheen, emerged from the darkness.
The Moon Spirit Essence Liquid spread out before its master like a giant beast with its own consciousness.
He ruthlessly crushed and pushed aside the broken glass and remnants of hidden weapons on the ground, carving out a spotless passage through the mess.
The man standing on this mercury-filled tunnel was a man with a neatly combed slicked-back hairstyle, wearing an elegant suit and an expensive windproof coat.
He held a magic wand inlaid with jewels in his hand, his chin slightly raised.
He scrutinized Irisviel, who stood in front of Lancer, with an almost condescending gaze.
Kenneth Elmero Archibald.
The monarch of the Clock Tower's Spirit Summoning Department finally stepped into this battlefield under absolute security.
"Nice to meet you, homunculus lady of Einzbern."
Kenneth stopped five steps away from the group, and the mercury beneath him instantly condensed into two deadly metal blades on either side of him.
Although he was proposing an alliance, his demeanor was like that of a king giving alms to a beggar.
"It seems my Lancer has conveyed my goodwill on my behalf."
Kenneth tapped the Mercury beside him lightly with his cane, his tone filled with arrogance and disdain towards the starter Pokémon:
"Faced with the grim reality that Tokiomi Tohsaka, a third-rate magician from the far east countryside, had somehow gotten lucky and possessed two exceptionally powerful Heroic Spirits."
I believe you should understand this too…
Kenneth's lips curled into a smug, confident smile.
"Besides relying on me, this genius monarch, and forming a temporary alliance with me to share some of the positive pressure..."
"You pathetic bunch, you have no hope of surviving this Holy Grail War, do you?"
As Kenneth's arrogant and condescending remarks came to an end.
Hidden in the deepest shadows of the corridor corner, Emiya Kiritsugu's cold eyes flashed with an extremely dangerous and pure killing intent.
"Thank you for your arrogance, monarch of the Clock Tower."
Kiritsugu's finger silently rested on the trigger of the gun.