Assassin's Death?

For the magi gathered in Fuyuki City, two places commanded their attention. The two grand western-style mansions of the Matou and Tohsaka families, both stand proudly atop the hills of Miyama Town.

It was well known that the Masters seeking the Holy Grail resided in these two mansions. As a result, familiars were frequently seen lurking around the area, monitoring day and night. The mansion owners had, of course, anticipated this and had set up more than a dozen layers of detection and defensive barriers in their courtyards. From a magical perspective, their homes had essentially been transformed into fortresses.

Of course, the Matou family had long since become an empty shell, and the true Master of the Matou lineage, along with his allies, had taken refuge elsewhere in Miyama Town while keeping a close watch on their rival, the Tohsaka family.

Doesn't all this seem overly cautious? Maybe even cowardly?

Well, aside from Sakatsuki, who was an anomaly to begin with, most magi wouldn't see this as shameful—in fact, they would take pride in it.

Despite wielding mystifying powers, magi were still fundamentally human. Their physical bodies were not exceptionally strong; they bled when cut, and they died when killed.

Servants, however, were different. Even the weakest Servant possessed strength far beyond that of humans. In the modern era, the number of individuals capable of standing against a Servant barely reached double digits.

Thus, the first priority in the Holy Grail War was not victory, but survival—because once you were dead, everything was over.

Take the previous battle between Rider and Sakatsuki as an example. Didn't Iskandar end up in such a miserable state just to protect his Master from a simple magic projectile?

Without absolute confidence in their survival, Masters would naturally hide in the shadows, cautiously gathering intelligence in every possible way.

Tokiomi Tohsaka relied on his disciple Kirei Kotomine and the Holy Church's network.

Matou Kariya leveraged the Matou family's influence and surveillance familiars.

Kayneth and Waver used their own familiars.

And Sakatsuki… well, he barely needed intelligence gathering at all. After all, he already had everything stored in his mind.

However, to be cautious, he still needed to confirm. Would his actions after coming to this timeline cause any butterfly effects?

"Let's take a look at what happened last night."

Saying this, Sakatsuki signalled for Kariya to connect with a familiar and play the recorded footage.

***

The tragedy unfolded in an instant.

A shadowy figure, its form indistinct, appeared within the familiar's field of view. As soon as it was visible, it had already flung several stones, breaking the interwoven barriers surrounding the Tohsaka residence and slipping into the courtyard.

However, the moment the shadow tried to dismantle the foundation of the barrier, a gleaming spear shot down like lightning from above, piercing its hand.

Thanks to Sakatsuki's assistance as a grand magus inheriting millennia of magical knowledge, their surveillance familiars were exceptionally advanced. Even the shadowy figure's shock and disbelief were vividly reflected in the familiar's vision.

A magnificent golden figure stood atop the roof of the Tohsaka mansion. His presence was awe-inspiring, his entire body radiating brilliance, dimming even the starlit sky and the luminous moon.

"You lowly insect crawling on the ground, who permitted you to raise your head?"

The golden figure questioned coldly, his fiery crimson eyes looking down upon the Assassin sprawled on the ground. His tone carried no contempt—only absolute indifference.

"An insect, like you has no right to gaze upon this king. Insects should keep their eyes on the dirt as they perish."

A storm of dazzling weapons whistled through the air, descending upon Assassin.

The familiars outside the Tohsaka estate could do nothing but watch as the first casualty of the Fourth Holy Grail War—a Servant—was slaughtered mercilessly, without even a chance to fight back.

The footage ended there.

***

Silence.

After watching the brutal execution, Kariya remained speechless for a long time.

He asked himself, if it had been his Berserker instead, could they have so easily defeated Assassin?

After all, Assassin was still a Heroic Spirit's vessel—a being that ordinary magi couldn't possibly oppose.

Could he and his Servant defeat Tokiomi Tohsaka and that golden tyrant?

"Kariya, what do you think?"

Sakatsuki's tone at that moment was uncannily similar to a certain Detective Conan character.

"Brat, just say what you're thinking."

Kariya shot him an irritated glare.

"Alright then, I'll just give you my conclusion."

Sakuya grinned.

"This battle was staged—it was a performance meant for us to see."

"I've fought that golden Servant before, so I know—he's not the kind of guy who just sits and waits."

Sakatsuki stepped forward, gesturing with his fingers as he replayed the footage of Assassin's appearance and the golden figure's attack. This time, even Miyu noticed something off.

"The timing… is too short."

"Exactly. From the moment Assassin materialized to the moment Tokiomi's Servant attacked, the interval was far too brief—almost as if they had set the stage and were waiting for the prey to walk in."

Sakatsuki ruffled Miyu's hair with a smile.

"Don't forget, Assassin possesses the class skill 'Presence Concealment.' He shouldn't be discovered so easily."

"If Sakatsuki is right, then there's only one explanation for why Tokiomi's Servant arrived so quickly."

Kariya, now calmer, also noticed the inconsistencies.

"That means this was all prearranged."

"I heard Assassin's Master has already taken refuge in the Holy Church, and the Overseer has declared him under protection."

"Hmph, what a clever move."

Kariya scoffed. After a year of hellish training, he was no longer a novice in magecraft.

"I don't know how he kept Assassin alive, but with this setup, the other Masters will surely let their guard down, allowing them to steal intelligence with ease."

The Holy Grail War was a battle of information, and with Assassin turning from an overt presence to a covert one, the intelligence advantage was obvious.

What concerned Kariya, even more, was that since Tokiomi Tohsaka was willing to stage such a deception, it meant he had allied with the Assassin's Master—Kirei Kotomine.

That significantly raised the difficulty of defeating Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"Kirei Kotomine…"

Recalling the emotionless priest whose fists struck like mountains, Sakatsuki curled his lips, making no effort to conceal his murderous intent.

Before that priest fully succumbed to darkness, Sakatsuki was determined to send him straight to hell himself.

While the two men were lost in thought, a small voice spoke up.

"U-Um… Onii-san."

It was Sakura, who had been quietly sitting nearby, raising her hand hesitantly.

"The flight you were waiting for has arrived."

Sakatsuki's golden eyes lit up instantly. His excitement was so palpable that even the others could feel it. He grinned, picked up Sakura in a quick spin, and then eagerly rushed for the door.

"Let's go, Miyu! We're going shopping today!"

"Mm~"

Miyu nodded. Sakura, though a little envious, knew better than to complain.

After all, Sakatsuki had been by her side these past few days, and that was already more than enough for her.

"How does a flight have anything to do with shopping?"

Kariya sighed, already knowing the answer but unable to resist commenting. Then he called out.

"Be careful! And don't stay out too late!"

"Got it! Dinner's on me!"

As Sakatsuki and Miyu departed, a private jet from Germany landed at the nearest Fuyuki City airport.

The princess from the Winter Castle, accompanied by a knight of unparalleled beauty, had arrived in this small, ill-fated city.

***

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