"What... did you just say?"
Kotomine Kirei genuinely thought he'd misheard.
Berserker's Master was his teacher's daughter?
His shock was understandable. Tohsaka Tokiomi's daughters were still children.
The elder daughter, Tohsaka Rin, was only seven this year.
The younger, sent to the Matou family, "Tohsaka Sakura," was only six.
By any measure, neither girl could possibly be the Master of a Servant as monstrous as Berserker.
Given Berserker's ability to fight Gilgamesh head-on, sustaining that level of power demanded enormous mana reserves.
What six or seven-year-old possessed the magical foundation to support that kind of drain?
And at their age, neither child could possibly have any meaningful understanding of magecraft.
Becoming a Master in this extraordinary war was beyond absurd.
"Hard to believe?"
"But it is the truth."
"The Matou family, was it? He sent his second daughter there."
Watching even the unflappable Kirei react with visible shock, Gilgamesh found it deeply satisfying.
"Matou... Sakura."
Quietly repeating the girl's name, Kirei fell into thought.
He hadn't expected to receive such explosive intelligence from the King of Heroes.
His thoughts needed a moment to catch up.
His teacher's most troublesome rival was his own daughter?
This was...
Absolute chaos.
Kirei suddenly found himself intensely curious about what expression Tokiomi would wear upon learning the truth.
It would surely be spectacularly entertaining.
No. He couldn't laugh yet.
"Ahem."
"Why tell me this?"
Suppressing his roiling emotions, Kirei coughed and posed the question.
Casually sharing information this explosive seemed... inappropriate?
He was still nominally Tokiomi's disciple.
"Tell him if you wish. It doesn't concern me."
"But there is one thing the King can state with certainty."
"No matter what tricks and schemes you mongrels employ, none of you can defeat Berserker."
"Only the King can kill him."
Taking a slow sip of wine, Gilgamesh reclined, his voice carrying absolute conviction.
"..."
At this, Kirei fell silent.
He believed the King's judgment.
"Understood."
Rising, Kirei left the room and quietly dispatched a message to Assassin.
Perhaps it was time to reconsider his own plans.
"Indeed, as an opponent, he would not dishonor your stature."
Disregarding the departing Kirei, Gilgamesh tilted his head upward and murmured softly.
Ea. The Sword of Rupture. A blade that could sever the world itself. Gilgamesh's supreme offensive Noble Phantasm.
He'd assumed this war would offer no occasion to wield it. Now, that assumption was being reconsidered.
"Nameless savior..."
"Your weight is sufficient."
For the first genuine time, Gilgamesh felt urgency.
The intelligence fed back through Sha Naqba Imuru slowly cleared the fog.
A Heroic Spirit who had earned the right to be summoned as a Saver. In the annals of all heroes, that was an almost singularly rare distinction.
A being who had saved the world. Such a Servant was worthy of the King of Heroes' full power.
And conveniently, Kirei had just provided the means to fight without restraint.
Timing. Position. Resources.
Everything had aligned.
"The final act approaches."
"Mongrels, play your parts!"
He poured the remnants of his wine outward. The crimson liquid splashed across the table, staining the map red.
"Hmm... Lancer's nowhere to be seen."
"Must've hidden her presence."
Patrolling Fuyuki's skies in the Knightmare with Lelouch, Waver peered down at the cityscape below.
"You've stopped being afraid, I notice."
Lelouch observed Waver standing on the mech's shoulder rather than sitting inside the cockpit.
"Hmm?"
"Don't point it out. I'm just forcing myself."
He could have tracked mana signatures from inside just as easily. But Waver wanted to see the scenery from Rider's vantage point.
Maybe this was his attempt at changing, just as Lelouch had suggested.
'This is terrifying!'
No matter how many times he looked, the aerial view of the city below made his knees buckle.
"But it's so beautiful. This view."
The nightscape from this altitude was something no ordinary person would ever witness.
"Heh."
Paying no mind to Waver's sentiment, Lelouch studied the full extent of Fuyuki's layout.
'Uninhabited areas are surprisingly few.'
'Setting up Sakuradite mines wouldn't be practical here.'
His go-to strategy of "terrain demolition" was off the table. A frustrating limitation on his offensive options. The Knightmare alone might not be enough against the other Servants.
Beep beep!!
A shrill tone from Waver's pocket. He fumbled it out. A communication device.
"Yeah? That location? Got it."
The call was brief. Kiritsugu.
"Saber's team found Lancer's hiding spot."
Waver informed Lelouch.
"Rider?"
Looking at the white imperial coat billowing ahead, Waver noticed zero reaction.
"Let them handle that. We're going somewhere else."
Walking calmly along the arm toward the cockpit, Lelouch turned and spoke.
"Huh? We're not going?"
Waver was baffled. What could possibly be more important right now?
"This direction... Rider?"
Once both were back in the cockpit, Waver realized their heading was extremely sensitive.
They were flying toward the Church.
"Kiritsugu?"
"Don't rush."
Seeing Kiritsugu posted at a corner, Saber was about to ask when they'd move but was stopped short.
"Wait for Rider's team before engaging?"
The weary man, leaning against the wall, looked haggard to the bone.
"We don't need to be the first ones through the door."
"Assassin or Rider will make the opening move."
"Besides... something feels slightly off. I want to observe a bit longer."
Mid-sentence, Kiritsugu's hand rose by reflex toward his lips, then stopped. He lowered it.
"You haven't smoked in a while."
Saber noticed the aborted gesture.
"Yeah."
"Planning to quit."
"I see..."
For reasons she couldn't articulate, Saber felt relieved.
The man who had been wandering in uncertainty seemed to be finally choosing change.
Facing away from Kiritsugu, Saber monitored the situation ahead, then responded to his quiet question.
"Do you think I can do it, Saber?"
"Well... if it's you, I'm certain you can."
"After all... haven't you always lived that way?"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]