Chapter 33

Sorry, I couldn't upload the chapter earlier because I got sick. I'm still sick, but I'm not as serious as yesterday. It's worth saying that this chapter took me a long time to write. I didn't know how to end the fight in the castle, hence the delay.

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Kiritsugu remained in the highest tower of the Einzbern Castle, his steel-cold gaze fixed on the dense forest surrounding the fortress. Clutching his sniper rifle, he waited patiently, his eyes glued to the scope. His heart beat with a controlled rhythm, in sync with his measured breathing, as he had trained for years. Every second counted in a war like this, and he couldn't afford to act without precise information.

But the Assassins hadn't shown themselves. Not a single one. Kiritsugu frowned. It didn't make sense. They were in the area—he had seen them with his own eyes before all the chaos at the dock began. They should have appeared by now. Something wasn't adding up.

"Maiya, any updates?"

His voice was cold, precise. From the other end of the communicator, Maiya's voice responded almost immediately, as emotionless as ever.

"Negative. No targets sighted so far."

Kiritsugu let out a silent sigh. Something was wrong.

It was then that Irisviel's voice echoed in his ear, tense and urgent.

"Kiritsugu, there's another presence. It's approaching the castle, fast. An unidentified Servant. It's not one of the ones we saw last night."

Kiritsugu adjusted his rifle with pinpoint precision, scanning the area through his telescopic sight. And then he saw it. A dark figure was darting through the trees with astonishing speed. It wasn't one of the Assassins—that much was certain. Its movements were different, more deliberate, more powerful. And then, the moonlight broke through the thicket, briefly illuminating the intruder. Kotomine Kirei.

Kiritsugu's mind went on high alert. Then, he understood everything.

"Tsk... So the Assassins were the distraction. Stupid of me not to have seen it coming..."

he muttered under his breath. Had his true enemy been Kirei Kotomine from the very beginning? It was a possibility he couldn't ignore. That whole spectacle at the dock, the looks Kotomine had given him… No, that wasn't a coincidence. That bastard had been observing him. He had been analyzing his movements.

Kiritsugu didn't hesitate. He calculated the distance. Kirei wasn't close enough yet to launch a direct attack on the castle. But he would be soon. Kiritsugu couldn't allow that.

Without a second thought, he rested the barrel of his sniper rifle on the windowsill, aligning the scope with the priest's chest. His index finger began to squeeze the trigger.

"You won't get any closer, Kotomine."

He fired.

The whistle of the bullet cut through the night, piercing the darkness of the forest with deadly speed. But Kirei didn't flinch. With a precise flick of his wrist, his right hand rose, and three Black Keys—spiritual energy projectiles—materialized out of thin air, spinning through the air. With inhuman precision, he launched them simultaneously, striking Kiritsugu's bullet and deflecting it at the last moment.

Kiritsugu frowned. Such skill with the Black Keys was rare. At this distance, even for him, landing an accurate and effective shot was a difficult feat. Yet, Kirei had avoided it with the ease of someone who didn't even consider it a challenge.

Irisviel, who was still a few meters from the entrance, felt a shiver run down her spine. She glanced toward the tree line from which the hostile presence was coming and pressed her lips together.

"Kiritsugu, he's still advancing. What do we do?"

He couldn't afford to lose the initiative. If Kirei reached the fortress, things would get really difficult. He was a fighter with overwhelming physical abilities, capable of rivaling a Servant in close combat if he had Caster's support. Kiritsugu wasn't close enough to attack him in person, so there was only one option left: order the counterattack.

"Irisviel, send Saber."

There was a pause on the other end of the communicator, and then his wife's voice responded firmly.

"Understood."

Kiritsugu continued scanning the forest through his scope, but his mind wasn't entirely focused. Something was bothering him. The memory of the battle at the dock, the overwhelming display of power from those Servants… and above all, the presence of the mage from the previous night. Edmund. What exactly was he? His presence still lingered like a shadow in his mind. It was too big of an unknown to ignore.

"I need to find and eliminate him as soon as possible… if I can."

But for now, the problem was different. Kotomine Kirei was still advancing with impressive speed, and Kiritsugu knew the time for waiting was over. With a quick motion, he reloaded his rifle, making sure everything was ready. This time, he wouldn't miss.

But, at the exact moment he adjusted his scope and was about to pull the trigger, Irisviel gasped over the communicator.

"Kiritsugu… there are multiple presences moving in the forest. They're Servants. Not just one… but several."

Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed. It wasn't just Kotomine. There were more presences moving through the thicket, approaching quickly and from different directions.

"What the hell is going on…?" he muttered to himself.

Just then, a new shadow fell from the sky, and the situation escalated to another level.

The impact sent a thick cloud of dust rising in front of the castle entrance. From above, Kiritsugu quickly adjusted the scope of his sniper rifle, trying to identify the new intruder.

As the dust began to clear, the glow of two red eyes became visible through the haze.

A figure clad in dark armor emerged from the dust. In its hands, a sword as black as night.

Kiritsugu felt a chill run down his spine.

"Berserker…"

At the entrance, Irisviel also saw it, and her heart raced.

"Kiritsugu, it's another Servant," she said hurriedly through the communicator, though he had already noticed.

Saber, who still held her sword high, frowned as she looked at the newcomer.

"So you've finally shown yourself," she murmured.

But before she could do anything else, Berserker moved.

Like an unleashed beast, it lunged at her with astonishing speed. Its sword came down in a brutal slash, forcing Saber to raise her own blade to block the strike.

The impact shook the ground beneath their feet.

From his elevated position, Kiritsugu watched the scene with his finger on the trigger, analyzing every possibility. He knew a single shot wouldn't be enough to take down a Servant, but if he could create a distraction at the right moment…

However, before he could make a decision, a new warning from Irisviel echoed in his ear.

"Kiritsugu, Kirei is still advancing!"

He adjusted the scope back toward the forest.

Kirei Kotomine continued his relentless advance, his Black Keys gleaming with a sinister reflection under the moonlight.

Kiritsugu clenched his teeth.

Two simultaneous threats.

Saber was occupied with Berserker. Kirei was about to arrive. And he didn't have enough time to deal with both.

It felt as if the entire enemy strategy had been designed to corner him.

"I have no other choice…" Kiritsugu murmured.

With a quick decision, he glanced at his hand where the Command Seals were… and hesitated.

He couldn't afford to waste another one.

At the castle entrance, Saber swung her sword with unparalleled mastery. Her opponent, consumed by black madness, roared as they exchanged ferocious blows.

Berserker.

The black knight moved with inhuman speed and reflexes, deflecting every one of Saber's attacks with his distorted sword. His body was clad in shadowy armor that adapted to each strike, absorbing the impact without yielding.

Saber gritted her teeth. Her body hadn't fully recovered from the previous attacks by the Assassins. Individually weak, but there were too many of them, and she had spent a lot of magical energy launching compressed air attacks as projectiles. And now she was locked in a battle of pure ferocity against an enemy who felt no fatigue or fear.

Berserker struck with a vertical slash, aiming to cleave her in two, but Saber twisted her sword and blocked the blow. However, the force behind the strike was overwhelming. Her arm trembled under the pressure, forcing her to step back.

She couldn't afford any mistakes.

And just then, the chaos intensified.

From the shadows of the forest, dozens of Assassins emerged like a dark tide, lunging toward her with blades in hand.

"Tch…"

Saber spun around, and with a single sweeping arc, ten of them were cut in half.

But more kept coming.

Berserker didn't stop either. He took advantage of the distraction and charged at her with blinding speed.

*CLANG!*

Their weapons clashed in an explosion of sparks.

The Assassins tried to seize the opportunity to attack her from blind spots, but her armor deflected their blows, and her battle instincts kept her sword in constant motion.

It was a true combat hell.

Saber against Berserker and dozens of Assassins at the same time.

But she was no ordinary warrior.

She moved with finesse, evading Berserker's attacks while cutting down any Assassins who got too close.

Finally, after a fierce exchange, she found an opening.

With a precise feint, she dodged Berserker's blade and, in a single motion, pierced through five Assassins with her sword, sweeping its edge in a brutal strike.

Their bodies fell to the ground.

But Berserker didn't stop.

With unstoppable fury, he grabbed one of the fallen Assassins' weapons and hurled it like a projectile straight at Saber's face.

*WHOOSH!*

Saber dodged by a hair, but the attack was enough for Berserker to close the distance.

The black knight raised his distorted sword and brought it down with terrifying force.

Saber barely had time to block.

The force of the impact sent her flying backward, slamming her violently into the ground.

But just as Berserker was about to capitalize on the advantage…

Saber, with adrenaline coursing through her body, rose and took a defensive stance. The black knight, despite having endured the onslaught of battle, stood firm, his madness evident in every movement.

The remaining Assassins began to retreat, slipping into the shadows like rats on a burning ship. They stood no chance of victory. Their numbers, once their advantage, had been reduced to mere scattered remnants.

Berserker, on the other hand, showed no intention of retreating.

Saber adjusted her grip on the hilt of her sword. Her breathing was heavy, but her determination remained unshaken.

"Will you keep fighting?" she murmured to herself, watching as Berserker's aggressive stance remained, like a predator lying in wait.

But after a few tense seconds, his silhouette began to blur. His body, consumed by madness, seemed to lose its rigidity for a moment… and without warning, he leaped backward and vanished into the darkness of the forest.

Saber narrowed her eyes, not lowering her guard.

"Tsk… so he just wanted to buy time," she whispered in frustration.

The battle wasn't over.

Berserker had achieved his goal.

Now… where was Kiritsugu?

High up in the castle, the situation wasn't any better.

Kiritsugu moved quickly through the dark hallways, setting explosive traps at key points as he advanced. He knew Kirei Kotomine was hunting him.

The priest had already entered the castle.

Kiritsugu had seen him from his position before leaving the tower—a swift shadow moving through the ruins of the battle.

He hadn't wasted any time entering the building.

"…Maiya, Iri. It's time."

His voice was firm over the communicator.

At the entrance, Irisviel and Maiya received the signal and began to move.

There was no more reason to stay. Their mission wasn't to defend the castle, but to survive.

Kiritsugu descended the spiral staircase with controlled steps.

He couldn't stay to face Kirei in direct combat. It would be suicide.

The man was approaching quickly, but when he reached the top floor of the tower…

Kiritsugu was no longer there.

Kirei observed the sniper rifle still mounted on its stand. He approached slowly, scanning every corner of the room.

Empty.

"Running away again, Kiritsugu?"

An almost imperceptible smile formed on his face.

But he didn't pursue him.

Not yet.

He clenched his fists and turned toward the castle entrance. His work here was done.

The surviving Assassins were already dispersing, slipping into the shadows as if they had never been there. The ambush had failed.

For now.

Kirei exhaled slowly. There was no point in chasing a ghost.

Turning on his heel, he vanished into the night.

The battle at the Einzbern Castle had concluded.