Chapter Text
「 Kiritsugu’s POV. 」
Stepping out of the camouflaged camping tent, I quickly covered the tent’s flap with a bundle of pine leaves before heading over to Irisviel.
She had been on lookout duty for the past hour, and it was now my turn to take over for the next hour. It was tedious, and not optimal, but seeing as the time frame of when Alistair would attack was vague, it forced us to stay vigilant.
The fact that we had no idea where he’d attack from was just the icing on the cake, forcing us to stay at a distance to minimize the chances of him discovering us by accident. The only good thing was that the distance gave us a wide view, meaning we’d likely spot any large attacks or activity when it happened.
Once that happened, Iri would be able to create some familiars to scout the surroundings out of his sight. Deploying them before that might lead to Alistair spotting them, and possibly linking them to Irisviel, meaning our cover would be blown, and chances are, Alistair would ignore the Einzberns in order to get a chance at killing us.
The risks were simply too high.
The only form of surveillance that I had been able to set up was a pair of small, inconspicuous video cameras pointing at the pathway leading to the Castle.
Odds are, if the kid has inherited even a tenth of his ancestors' chivalry, he’d attack from the front, so hopefully that was the case.
Slowly stepping on the already existing footprints, I quietly made my way over to Irisviel, who was standing in a small depression close to the top of this hill, allowing her to look into the valley where Einzbern Castle was located.
Stepping up next to her, I wrapped one arm around her waist, causing her to instinctively lean into my touch.
Before Irisviel could respond, I felt my phone start to vibrate.
Widening my eyes, I pulled it out while flipping it open. The screen displayed one of the phone numbers indicating that someone had ‘tripped’ the movement sensors on the cameras I had planted.
“He’s coming,” I said, causing Iri to slightly stiffen.
Hanging up the call, and flipping the phone shut, I shoved it back into my pocket. “Let’s go prepare,” I said while letting go of Iri.
Sprinting to the tent, I didn’t bother to minimize the tracks I was making, as time was of the essence. Reaching the tent, I threw aside the leaves covering the flap before hastily entering the tent.
Walking over to my laptop, I flipped the top open. Punching in my password, the screen flickered to life, and displayed two separate camera feeds displaying a snow-covered cobblestone road.
But on one of them, two figures could be seen walking down the road. But something about the two felt off.
“Iri, these two are Alistair and Vivian, right?” I asked with some unease.
The Alistair I was looking at now did not match the Alistair I had in my memories. His skin was too pale, and his hair color was several shades too light.
Feeling Irisviel position herself next to me, I heard her give a sharp intake of breath at the sight. “Wh–what happened to them?” she exclaimed with mild distress.
Grimacing at her question, I did my best to condense the little information I was able to squeeze out from my contacts. “I only managed to get snippets from the report on the Grail War, but apparently the two were covered by the Grail’s mud, which led to a few cosmetic changes in the two.”
I didn’t need to look at her to feel the self-reproach her face was showing.
There was only one thing that could have led to the two being covered in the Grail’s mud, and that was my Servant’s final attack.
And apparently, she couldn’t even do that job right, as ‘Avenger’ survived, forcing Alistair to kill it.
But I’d keep that to myself. Iri was hurting enough at the realization that she might have gotten all of the Pendragons killed due to her actions, the knowledge that only Rosalind died could barely be considered good news, but it did make things better.
I wouldn’t put fuel on that fire, and admit that Alistair probably might have had things in control, and would have been able to fix, or at least neutralize the threat by himself.
I’d carry that cross myself, as I refuse to burden Irisviel with my mistakes.
“But what about Vivian?” she exclaimed while pointing at the white-haired woman next to Alistair. “She’s so tall now, and she’s wearing a veil of all things, do you think the mud disfigured her?”
Pointing at the image, I turned to look at Iri. “Her skin on her arms looks unblemished, so I don’t think she is disfigured, but seeing as her height has changed, there is a good chance that her face has undergone some change too. But it’s premature to assume that she’s disfigured.”
Understanding my point, Iri nodded her head, causing me to nod back before closing the computer.
“Get enough wire to create a few constructs, and send them to survey the back of the Castle, just outside of the Bounded Field. Now that we know where the two are coming from, you should be able to keep them out of sight,” I ordered, causing Iri to quickly scramble over to her bag to pull out her wire.
Walking over to my briefcase, I flicked the lid open, revealing my equipment. Pulling out the Walther WA 2000, I put its sling around my chest before sliding a magazine into the gun, and placing a few of them into my coat.
Grabbing the TT-33, I slid in a magazine before holstering it in my holster.
Looking down at the Thompson Arms Contender, I hesitated picking it up. Its hinges and overall structure were damaged thanks to Kirei’s ambush, along with the explosions I had used during the fight.
There is a not insignificant chance that it would just explode in my hands if I fired a bullet using it.
However, it was a necessary risk.
From the fragmentary report I had gotten through my broker, and the few questions I managed to get out of him, Alistair Pendragon’s danger rating was evaluated on the same level as a Dead Apostle Ancestor. And rumor has it that his Magecraft can mimic True Magic.
Knowing all that, having a gun that might blow up in my face, but could possibly cripple him, was the equalizer I needed.
Picking it up, I flicked it open and inserted one of my Origin Rounds before holstering it.
Grabbing five more bullets, I placed them in my inner pocket.
Lastly, I grabbed a few grenades and a pair of binoculars before closing the briefcase.
“I’m heading out, meet me at the lookout spot when you're ready,” I said, before rushing out of the tent.
Reaching the outpost, I pulled out a pair of anti-reflective binoculars before pointing them at the entrance of the Castle.
A minute later, I felt Iri press up next to me. “Have you created the familiars?” I asked without looking at her.
“Yes, they are flying through the trees, and should reach the back of the Castle within the next couple of minutes,” she explained calmly.
“Good, I’ll keep you informed on the Pendragons, while you scout the tower to see if Illiya is there,” I ordered.
Almost right afterwards, I felt my phone buzz once more. Using my free hand, I automatically ended the call, not bothering to check. “He’s almost there, I’ll have visuals any moment,” I said seriously.
Focusing on the front gates, I observed the Combat Homunculi guarding them, raising their arms to stop someone from moving closer.
Adjusting my angle, I watched as the somewhat blurry image of Alistair walked out from the treeline.
Alistair didn’t seem to care about the Homunculi’s orders, as he didn’t stop, causing the guards to point their halberds at the trespasser.
Suddenly, a bright light emanated from him, causing me to close my eyes and avert them from the binoculars.
Blinking the spots out of my vision, I placed the binoculars back in front of my eyes, and tried to focus back on the spot I had been looking at.
The Homunculi were shredded into chunks littered on the ground, and Alistair was absentmindedly talking to Vivian next to him. What truly drew my eyes was the sword he was holding.
The blade portion was glowing—no, it was shining—lighting up the area around them.
It made it difficult to look at it, but I had only seen something resembling this once.
“Excalibur…”
“What?” Iri squawked.
Before I could elaborate, I watched as Alistair raised the sword, pointing it directly at the gate. Instantly, the sword's glow intensified tenfold.
Dropping the binoculars, I covered my eyes and Irisviel’s before a blinding light engulfed the valley, followed by a giant boom.
Almost as fast as it came, the light vanished, causing me to lower my hands.
A giant hole was punched straight through the Castle’s gates and the castle itself, continuing beyond to create a giant trench on the other side.
Surrounding the Castle, the Bounded Field became visible due to the damage it had sustained, and it could be seen that it was disintegrating at an astonishing rate.
“Illiya!” Irisviel shrieked, causing me to quickly cover her mouth, and pull her behind cover.
Waiting for a moment, I thanked my lucky stars that I didn’t hear an echo.
Holding her close, I gave her a grave look. “Irisviel,” I said seriously, meeting her terrified red eyes. “You need to control yourself, if he had heard that, he’d either go for us, or try to kill or kidnap Illiya to get to us.”
Seeing her shaking pupils, I didn’t let up. “Can you do that for me? For Illiya?” I asked in the same serious tone, earning a shaky nod from the woman.
Seeing that, I removed my hand from her mouth before gathering myself.
There was no way around it.
The kid had Excalibur.
No Mystic Code in this day and age could bring forth such power. The question remained: how the hell did he get it?
When Saber died, it should have vanished with her… which meant that this one was likely the genuine article, or he had somehow stolen it from her before she vanished.
Either way, neither boded well for us.
Standing back up, I picked up the binoculars, and pointed them at the group of two. It seemed they were talking, seemingly coming to an agreement on something as the two nodded at something.
She extended her arms, and a small black bubble emerged from nothing between her hands before expanding to cover the two, almost instantly expanding to the point that it covered the entire Castle, before continuing beyond, engulfing the valley itself.
Before I could even lower the binoculars, the black dome passed through me… and nothing changed.
Lowering my binoculars, I tried to feel for any changes, only to come up empty.
Vivian clearly created some giant Bounded Field, but I couldn’t feel its effects, hell, I couldn’t even tell if I was in a Bounded Field.
Looking at my wife, I saw her looking paler than before. “Iri?” I gently asked.
“I— I can’t see,” she muttered with disbelief.
“What?” I exclaimed, discarding the binoculars in order to grab my wife to look at her eyes. “Iri, what happened!”
Shaking her head, she pointed to the area behind the Castle. “I can’t see through my familiars; our shared vision only reveals darkness,” she quickly explained, causing me to gently let go of her.
…
Vivian had cut Irisviel’s ability to see through her familiars’ eyes, despite the fact that I couldn’t even feel the Bounded Field that must have been at fault.
Damn it all.
Cursing under my breath, I pulled up my rifle, and used its scope to look down at the two attackers.
Neither of them was looking in our direction, so chances are that Vivian’s Bounded Field did not give her a lock onto the people within it. Which made sense, given its size and lack of presence.
“Change of plans,” I said while watching the two Magi walk through the broken front gate of the Castle. “Create a familiar that can support the two of us riding atop it. We’ll be flying to Illiya’s room the second the two enter the Castle,” I ordered.
“Right,” Iri replied, allowing me to focus on the two.
As the two got closer to enter the Castle proper, I watched as more Combat Homunculi rushed out of the Castle to stop them.
Only to be bisected the moment they got within Alistair’s sword’s range.
As more and more Homunculi rushed out of the Castle, Excalibur’s glow started to intensify once more.
I closed my eyes as, once more, a giant blast of golden light bathed the valley, followed by another boom.
Opening them once more, I watched as another chunk of the Castle had vanished, this time completely shearing a portion of the left-hand side of the Castle.
I didn’t need to look through my scope to know that cracks were growing on the walls, as it was simple physics.
It wouldn’t take long before the left portion of the Castle collapsed.
“Iri!” I barked while wrenching my head from the horrible sight, allowing me to see Irisviel frantically constructing a giant bird. “Thirty more seconds,” she replied frantically.
Turning to look back at the Castle, I watched as a small portion of it finally gave way, and collapsed due to its lack of structure.
Watching that happen, I couldn’t help but look up at the tower where Illiya’s room was.
We were lucky that only a small portion of the Castle collapsed, but if this continued, Illiya would die.
Looking back through my scope, I trained it on the two figures, and had to hold back the urge to try and shoot them.
Alistair was clearly comparable to a Servant; even this Mystic Code would likely be unable to scratch him. So Vivian was the only one who might die from a single bullet, but doing so would likely doom us all.
So I had to hold back.
Watching the two enter the building, I turned to look at Irisviel. “Ready?” I asked, to which she nodded. “Yes,” she said while pulling a few extra strings, causing the large bird construct to flap its wings.
“Get on,” she said while vaulting onto it. Following suit, I jumped atop it as well, and leaned onto Irisviel for stability.
“And, we're off!” she exclaimed while pulling on a few strings, causing the construct to lift off the ground.
Holding more firmly onto Irisviel, I watched as she steered us towards the top of the Castle, towards Illiya’s room within mere minutes.
As we got close to the window, I let go of Irisviel, and shot it out, as there was no way to enter otherwise.
Jumping off the bird, I dove forwards, and rolled into the room to break my momentum.
Raising the gun, I surveyed the room.
“Dad?”
Snapping my head in the direction of the voice, I rushed over to the bed, reinforcing my body, and lifted the corner of the bed, revealing a shocked and shivering Illyasviel.
“Illiya,” I said happily, while letting go of my rifle, allowing it to hang from my body, to wrap my arm around her.
The second I hugged her, Illiya desperately hugged back. “You’re back, you came!” she rattled off hysterically, causing me to tighten the embrace. “I’m sorry for taking so long.”
Lowering the bed frame, I stood up while adjusting my hold on her.
“We have to leave immediately, as we are under attack,” I said by way of explanation to her, as right now there was no time for a proper explanation.
Moving to the window, I quickly jumped onto Iri’s construction, causing Illiya to see her mother, Irisviel.
“Mom?!” she exclaimed loudly in my ear, causing me to wince.
Grabbing onto Irisviel, I felt Illiya try to wiggle out of my grip, causing me to hold her even more firmly. “Illiya, now’s not the time. Mom needs to concentrate to get us out of here.”
That caused her to stop, and to instead look around, only to see that her home was crumbling.
“What’s happening?” she squeaked out, only for Irisviel to tug on her strings, causing the bird construct to go flying, though not in the direction of our camp.
We’d fly to some other place to throw anyone off just in case, and walk on foot to camp to retrieve our things.
“Some bad guys are attacking our home, so we’ll need to leave for Japan,” I replied, causing her to tighten her grip on me.
“Why do we need to lea—”
Before she could finish, the entire valley once more lit up with golden light, blinding us all, followed by another boom.
Turning around, I watched as the entire top of the Castle collapsed due to Alistair’s attack.
Einzbern Castle was now little more than rubble and a few walls, with the entire top of the Castle having imploded in on itself.
Watching the sight, I felt my mouth go dry.
Alistair was seconds away from killing Illiya… and he didn’t even know it.
Just looking at the devastation, I could hope that I’d never see him again.
If we ever meet in the future, I know for a fact after seeing this devastation, that I’ll lose everything.
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A/N
Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and reviews, as it would be much appreciated.
Ahh, ‘poor’ Kiritsugu thinks Alistair is wielding Excalibur, but no, it was instead Alistair taking Rhongomyniad on a joyride!
So, yeah, a lot of unreliable narration in this chapter, as Kiritsugu is simply too far out of the loop to know most things.
But yeah, Alistair and Morgan are being a bit ‘extra’ for intimidation factor, and to show all those watching, other than the Emiyas, to back the fuck off.
Of course, no books or info were destroyed in this event, as everything was planned out ahead of time, so nothing but a castle and some historic items were destroyed.
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Now, hand over those Power Stones, can't you see they are lonely when not used? Give them to me, and allow them to socialize, it's for their best... I swear…