"What a pointless struggle."
Roland's tone oozed condescension as he took another step closer. "You're Emiya Kiritsugu's assistant. You should know better."
His gaze fell on Hisau Maiya, who'd somehow produced another dagger from her coat, hands bloodied, face pale, but still unyielding.
"You should understand," Roland continued lazily, "if I really wanted you dead, you'd be a corpse already. So why not cooperate? You might even earn yourself a few extra minutes of life."
Maiya's face darkened. Her silence was not weakness, it was calculation. She clenched her jaw, but didn't respond.
Revealing some intel earlier had already crossed her bottom line. She only did it to exploit the enemy's arrogance and stall for time. If Roland wasn't so sure of himself, she'd never have broken protocol.
But she'd seen enough of his power to know: resistance would be meaningless. She'd die here. That much was inevitable.
And when she did, Roland would go after Kiritsugu next. That meant she had only one duty left.
Buy time.
If her death could delay him even a second longer, it would be worth it.
And forcing Roland to kill her outright… that might just do the trick.
He wasn't wrong. She didn't realize the full danger of the information she'd leaked, but she did know the kind of man Kiritsugu was. Once he realized she was dead, his entire mindset would shift.
Even without knowing the enemy, Kiritsugu would snap into full alert.
And if that happened, the window to kill him would slam shut.
"Tch… boring."
Roland clicked his tongue and tilted his head, a mock pout on his lips. "So this is your grand play? Trading your life for Kiritsugu's? Well, That's loyalty for you."
He smirked. "You're making me look like some kind of mustache-twirling villain. How unfair."
His tone was dry and mocking, but it wasn't quite a joke. If anything, it sounded like a genuine complaint.
He hadn't asked for this. He hadn't wanted to be here. He'd been dragged into the mess, abducted, even, and thrown into a city where everyone wanted a piece of his Command Seals. If not for Killer Queen, he'd be the one in a body bag by now.
But all of that meant nothing to Maiya. She stood still, like stone. Emotionless. Unblinking.
Roland let out a long sigh. "No witty reply? That's a shame. Still…"
He shook his head as he began walking toward her. "You're in luck. You happened to meet a kind person today. I'll grant your wish."
His tone was light, but the finality in it was suffocating.
---
Two streets away…
Emiya Kiritsugu advanced through the shadows, footsteps silent and steady. Even at night, his pace was calculated, quick, but not rushed. Alert, but not obvious.
He'd received a call from Maiya not long ago. She'd used a code meant only for emergencies, something to be used only when normal channels were compromised.
That alone set every alarm in his head ringing.
She was only supposed to be out buying cigarettes tonight. Nothing more. Her identity wasn't compromised. No one should've been tracking her.
And yet, she had reached out with the highest-priority warning.
Kiritsugu didn't speak during the walk. He didn't speculate aloud. His trust in Maiya was absolute.
She was his best asset. His most reliable partner.
Colder than he was. Sharper than he was. The one person he could depend on to execute without hesitation. Every trap, every strategy at Einzbern Castle, they were hers. Not his.
He didn't feel guilt with her. He didn't feel shame. When she walked beside him, his own cruelty didn't feel like a burden.
If he had a place in this world, any place at all, it was beside her.
[T/N: Wow! This version of Kiritsugu has fallen hard for maiya huh! Who would have thought]
He was two streets from the base when he finally reached for his intercom.
"…?"
Silence.
The line was dead. Not even static. Just a hollow emptiness on the other end.
Kiritsugu's brow creased.
Maiya never failed him.
And if she wasn't answering now, that meant something had gone very wrong.
He acted without hesitation.
The case in his hands was a weapons box. He opened it swiftly, retrieving his usual gear, silent, efficient, methodical. With the length of his coat concealing his movements, he armed himself and advanced.
No traps greeted him.
No tripwires. No alarms. Not even magical residue.
That was wrong.
Very wrong.
Maiya wasn't just a third-rate spellcaster. She was a first-rate killer. Paired together, they were nearly untouchable. Ordinary magi wouldn't even get within range.
Was it possible the enemy hadn't uncovered their base?
…No. That would be too much of a coincidence.
Every step made Kiritsugu's gut twist tighter.
Then, he stopped.
Instinct.
Years of slaughter, betrayal, and near-death experiences all screamed at him at once.
He didn't ignore it.
From his coat, he pulled out a small gift box, one of the strange alchemical "tools" provided by the Einzberns.
He hurled it to the ground.
With a soft pop, the box shattered, releasing a shimmering dust that spread out in a circle, part detection spell, part spiritual barrier. A hybrid tool. It was designed to expose spirits… and damage them.
And it worked.
Within the haze of floating particles, something appeared.
Tire marks.
Thin, almost toy-like… but utterly wrong.
They weren't wide. They weren't fast. The path they traced across the shimmering dust looked like something a child's RC car might leave on a sidewalk.
But Kiritsugu's instincts shrieked louder than ever.
Because the tracks were close. Too close.
Barely two body lengths away.
"Shit."
Kiritsugu didn't hesitate.
He fired instantly, gun already raised, while fishing a vial of electric-blue liquid from his pocket and chugging it down in one motion.
He nearly gagged from the taste, and the splitting pain behind his eyes hit him like a freight train, but it worked.
It always did.
He'd acquired this experimental drug years ago during a job in Japan, an alchemical prototype from a now-extinct clan.
The side effects were hellish, but its function was invaluable.
The Pure Eye.
A mystic enhancement that allowed him, briefly, to see that which should not be seen.
And what he saw made his blood run cold.
It really was a toy car.
Small. Painted in garish colors. A skull mounted on its roof.
Ridiculous… and yet, it was already faster than him.
Even as he retreated, gun still aimed, the toy car passed him. No sound. No delay.
And now, it was directly at his feet.
Then it spoke.
The skull on its roof opened its jaw with a mechanical click.
And in perfect, cheerful Japanese, it said:
"——Show me your strength!"
And then a loud explosionblew through the silent night.