Fate/Magus Path

In the dead of night, with the moon shining faintly and stars scattered across the sky.

Compared to the bustling of Fuyuki City at this time, the suburban woods appeared much quieter.

Once again, a fire ignited in the spacious church, and several figures stood high upon the pulpit.

"The situation is progressing rather poorly…"

Amakusa Shirou rubbed his temples and said with some frustration, "I didn't expect Tokiomi Tohsaka to refuse. That King is not easy to deal with…"

"However, fortunately, our combat power is still sufficient. As long as we utilize it properly, we can definitely achieve victory, and we have even stronger trump cards on our side... "

Amakusa Shirou glanced at the several figures gathered around him, smiled slightly, and then felt reassured.

"Is Tokiomi Tohsaka's Servant famous?"

A male voice came from the corner, and with the sound of footsteps, a figure's face emerged in the candlelight.

That face, almost decayed in appearance, looked somewhat ghastly under the light.

It was Matou Kariya, who had not shown himself until now, and he unexpectedly appeared here.

Like Emiya Kiritsugu, Amakusa Shirou had found him yesterday and successfully lured him in with a suitable offer, which is why he hadn't appeared before.

In addition to Emiya Kiritsugu, who shared the same goal of saving humanity, Amakusa Shirou also used the promise of helping Kariya find his own sense of existence as leverage, successfully bringing in Kirei Kotomine, who lacked emotional connection. Including Kariya, they had sufficient combat power with three Servants.

Unfortunately, ever since he was materialized by the Holy Grail, his power had noticeably declined. Aside from still retaining the Ruler class, he had become a solid third-rate Servant.

Materialization, or the reshaping of the physical body, had only one benefit for a Servant... allowing them to remain in the present world. Beyond that, it was entirely detrimental, let alone making them stronger.

When a Heroic Spirit becomes a Servant, they grow weaker, and when a Servant becomes human, they only become weaker still.

A Servant's body is composed of a spiritual form and a saint graph, representing the Servant's true body, which is unaffected by physical laws.

The physical form consists of magical energy and is shaped using the principles of the Third Magic, creating the Servant's temporary body, which obeys physical laws.

Thus, whether it's a Heroic Spirit materializing or a Servant materializing, they can only become weaker, not stronger.

This was even more so for Amakusa Shirou. With his Noble Phantasm, he could still hold his ground against a few Assassin clones or other magus, but challenging other Servants head-on and winning was absolutely impossible.

However, the situation of the other groups' Servants was far worse than theirs.

Kiritsugu's efficiency had not disappointed Amakusa Shirou; the pre-prepared demolition plan had successfully heavily injured the greatest threats among their opponents.

Those were explosives reinforced by Berserker's traits; even Kiritsugu had marveled at their exaggerated power.

However, Kariya, who provided the explosives, was unaware that Roy had already allied with Kayneth, and his explosives had indirectly harmed his benefactor.

Because Amakusa Shirou had only mentioned that the explosives were to attack Lancer's workshop, he did not inform Kariya that Roy was also one of the targets, leaving him completely in the dark.

Lancer and his Master were currently still uncertain if they were alive or dead, while Rider was fleeing with the other two Masters, making it difficult to regroup for a counterattack in the short term.

Moreover, they had already dispatched Kirei to send an Assassin to search for their whereabouts, and with Assassin's eyes spread throughout the city, they believed results would soon follow.

So, the pressing matter now was…

"Concentrate our forces and attack Tokiomi Tohsaka first!"

Amakusa Shirou glanced at the three people present and expressed his thoughts.

"The Servant summoned by Tokiomi Tohsaka is extremely powerful, the ancient King of Heroes, whose true name is Gilgamesh. His strength is among the best in human history, and our primary goal must be to force him out of the arena to avoid any unexpected events in the subsequent plan."

"King of Heroes, Gilgamesh?"

Upon hearing this, Emiya Kiritsugu was momentarily stunned, clearly surprised by this outcome. However, recalling the display of Gilgamesh's prowess at the port that night, everything suddenly made sense.

"I didn't expect Tokiomi Tohsaka to summon that renowned King of Heroes. No wonder he has the power to suppress multiple Servants."

"Gilgamesh…"

Upon hearing this name, Matou Kariya fell silent for a moment. Although he wasn't a legitimate magus, he was clearly familiar with this name from studying human history.

The ancient King of Heroes who brought prosperity to Uruk, the absolute protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The Servant he summoned was also one of the most famous knights from Celtic mythology... Lancelot. His strength was definitely top-tier among Servants, but without a doubt, Lancelot could never be a match for Gilgamesh.

The gap between their levels was simply too vast.

Seeing the two of them fall silent, Amakusa Shirou spoke up, "No need to worry, everyone. Although Gilgamesh's strength is very formidable, we don't need to defeat him; we just need to force him out of the arena."

"Force him out…"

Emiya Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow slightly, clearly understanding Amakusa Shirou's intention.

"Are you suggesting we directly attack Tokiomi Tohsaka?"

"Exactly. As long as we kill the Master, we can cut off Gilgamesh's supply of magical energy. Once his supply is severed, even if he is powerful, he will have to retreat. Moreover, this method is much simpler than defeating the King of Heroes."

"I don't think this will be too difficult for you, right? Mr. Emiya Kiritsugu."

Amakusa Shirou looked at Kiritsugu, and his intention was quite clear.

He had great trust in the capabilities of this magus killer.

"…" After a moment of silence, Kiritsugu nodded without hesitation and replied, "Leave it to me."

For him, assassinating a magus was second nature. As long as he could hold off Gilgamesh, then assassinating Tokiomi Tohsaka would be a piece of cake.

"Then I'll trouble you to go again."

"No way, I refuse!"

Matou Kariya suddenly spoke up, his tone firm, "That guy Tokiomi Tohsaka must be defeated by my own hands! I have a personal vendetta to settle with him, and no one else can interfere!!"

"Hmm…"

"Hmm…"

The two fell silent for a moment and looked at Matou Kariya. Then Amakusa Shirou confirmed, "Are you sure you want to do this? While we can hold Gilgamesh at bay… Tokiomi Tohsaka is also highly skilled in magecraft. If it's a one-on-one fight, it's very likely you will die at his hands."

His meaning was clear, you cannot defeat Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"I'm sure, but I will defeat him! Don't forget our agreement."

Matou Kariya's tone was serious, filled with an unwavering determination.

His deal with Amakusa Shirou was to help him settle things with Tokiomi Tohsaka and heal the hidden wounds on himself and Sakura.

Having confirmed Kariya's resolve, Amakusa Shirou no longer insisted.

"Alright, since this is your insistence, let's change the strategy."

"Let Saber and Berserker hold off that King of Heroes, while Matou Kariya takes care of Tokiomi Tohsaka. Mr. Emiya Kiritsugu will be responsible for supporting your Assassin as they continue to search for the other Masters' whereabouts. Then we'll strike and eliminate them all in one go. How does that sound?"

"I have no objections. Regardless of whether he wins or loses, I will deal with Tokiomi Tohsaka afterward." Kiritsugu said calmly.

"Oh? That's quite reliable…"

Amakusa Shirou smiled slightly.

"However, to ensure everything goes perfectly, I should distribute these to you first."

Amakusa Shirou rolled up his sleeves, revealing his arms covered in dense red marks. Everyone present couldn't help but widen their eyes.

They certainly knew what these were.

The densely packed marks were Command Seals, which could enhance a Servant's performance. A Master could only have three marks, yet he had so many?!

"These are Command Seals left behind by previous generations of participants; it's time for them to come into play."

"Even if Gilgamesh is powerful, with so many Command Seals to enhance the Servants, we should be able to hold him back."

Amakusa Shirou smiled and then distributed two Command Seals to each of the three people present.

"Then let the plan begin, everyone. Let's fight for our mutual wishes."

"I will not lose; I will personally defeat Tokiomi Tohsaka."

"Then I wish you good luck."

Matou Kariya left without looking back.

...

As soon as the three left, a black flame ignited in the corner of the church.

"What a clever idea, using the power of these three individuals who all have their own desires to help you clear obstacles."

"However, once the plan is over, how will you fulfill their wishes? That pathetic man named Matou Kariya is fine; his wish hasn't transcended the limits of magecraft, and it can be easily realized with the remaining magical energy. But what about their Servants? Just fulfilling that King Arthur's wish would probably consume all the magical energy you've accumulated, right? After all, different wishes require different amounts of magical energy."

"Crossing space and time and manipulating history is not a simple matter, as you must know."

"So what do you think I will do?" Amakusa Shirou raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Probably eliminate her. As long as the person is dead, her wish won't need to be fulfilled, similar to how if a debtor dies, the debt doesn't have to be repaid. You think that way, right?"

"After all, that King Arthur's wish is somewhat fanciful. If it were truly to be realized with the Holy Grail, the remaining magical energy would be insufficient to fulfill your so-called salvation of all humanity."

"Exactly. If her wish were something simple like Matou Kariya's, I wouldn't mind helping her. Matou Kariya's wish can be fulfilled with just a bit of magical energy to heal his broken body. However, that King Arthur's wish will certainly not be fulfilled."

"Or rather, I won't help any of the Servants fulfill their wishes. Although the Holy Grail, which has completed Heaven's Feel, possesses nearly infinite magical energy, it is merely a source; the activation of its core essence still requires a key."

"And different Servants are the keys to activating the Holy Grail. To reach the Root through the Holy Grail requires seven Servants to arrive simultaneously, but to activate the function of fulfilling wishes, at least five Servants are needed."

"So you intend to treat them as consumables?"

"Don't forget that you signed a binding contract with them, swearing by their essence. You cannot harm them, and if that binding contract cannot be fulfilled, you can imagine the consequences."

"Well, haven't I left myself some leeway? Although I say to realize their wishes, I've written down the fulfillment of each pair of Servants' wishes. Each pair consists of two individuals; I never specified which wishes would be fulfilled." Amakusa Shirou said, tilting his head and speaking casually.

"When the time comes, if that King Arthur revolts, I trust Emiya Kiritsugu will make the right choice."

"After all, giving him so many Command Seals, he could simply order Saber to commit suicide."

"Hah, that's a typical trick of magus. Intentionally leaving loopholes in the contract while still making them serve you wholeheartedly. When they truly discover it, they'll have to make an even crueler choice, to turn on each other."

"When he learns the truth, given that man's character, he will undoubtedly use a Command Seal to control Saber to commit suicide, turning her into nourishment for the Holy Grail."

"After all, there's no helping it…" Amakusa Shirou clicked his tongue.

"Think what you will, but this has nothing to do with me. Your wishes, your conflicts, I have no interest in."

"However, I'm quite surprised that you didn't try to approach that golden guy."

"Don't be ridiculous. With that king's personality, he would definitely not accept my plan. His character would surely lead him to say, 'Though your wish is quite the performance, this king absolutely cannot allow it.'"

"I had originally planned to use Tokiomi Tohsaka's Command Seals to force him out early, but it seems Tokiomi Tohsaka is also not playing by the rules. But you've worked hard tonight; without you holding him back, the plan wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

"No need to thank me; it's just a transaction." 

"Just a transaction? I have no idea what you might gain from me…"

"Why are you helping me?" Amakusa asked.

"Hah, don't get me wrong, Saint. I'm not helping you; what I do is also for myself."

"Up to this point, everything I've done is merely to complete the task of Counter Force entrusted to me. Right now, I just want to do what I truly wish to do, just like the wish you want to fulfill, but I haven't succeeded…"

"Aren't you worried he'll be blown to bits by Emiya Kiritsugu?"

"Hah, he won't die; it's destined."

The man shook his head and said affirmatively, "In the end, such a thing must be done by my own hands. I must kill him myself; until then, he will never die…"

"That's quite a resolute answer."

Amakusa Shirou shook his head, "While I'm curious about the reason, I'm sure even if I ask, you won't tell me."

"The truth or fate is predetermined; you just need to do your own thing, Saint."

"Yeah, that young man has already lost his Servant and can't affect my plans, so let him be."

"Then let's part ways here for now, sorrowful Saint. Wait and hold on to hope! Krahahahaha... "

*Boom!*

After the mad demonic laughter, the man sprang up and disappeared in a flash, leaving behind only the roar of flames burning out in the church.

"What a self-willed guy…"

Amakusa left standing there, scratching his head.

"However, as for fulfilling wishes? I will definitely accomplish that this time…"

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