Chapter 390

Chapter 390: Chapter 390

The golden giant remained visible for only an instant before disappearing, leaving many of those who witnessed its appearance wondering whether they had imagined the entire thing.

A handful of people, however, understood that what they had seen was no illusion.

It was a genuine manifestation of extraordinary power.

"To think that young man possesses such overwhelming strength..."

Inside the church, Kirei Kotomine gazed at the images transmitted by Assassin, his expression unusually contemplative.

Even after the vision ended, he remained silent for quite some time.

"That level of power would have made him a figure of considerable importance even in my own age."

Coming from Gilgamesh, a man whose arrogance was practically legendary, such an assessment was extraordinarily high praise.

"Then, King of Heroes, could you defeat him?" Kirei asked, turning toward Gilgamesh.

"Hahaha! Who do you think I am?"

An arrogant grin spread across Gilgamesh’s face.

"A giant like that? I could obliterate it with a casual use of my Noble Phantasms."

He spoke with such absolute confidence that his declaration seemed less like boasting and more like a statement of an unquestionable truth.

And in fact, Gilgamesh did possess the means to support his claim.

The foundation of his overwhelming strength was his Noble Phantasm, Gate of Babylon: The King’s Treasure.

It was not a single extraordinary weapon, but a treasury existing within a separate space, containing a virtually inexhaustible collection of priceless treasures.

Gilgamesh often proclaimed that he had gathered all the treasures of humanity.

Yet this was far more than a boast.

During his lifetime, Gilgamesh had collected the original forms and prototypes of the technologies and treasures produced in his age, bringing them all under his ownership.

Rather than merely being the wealth amassed by a single king, the contents of his treasury could be regarded as the original foundations of human ingenuity itself.

In other words, Gate of Babylon allowed Gilgamesh to retrieve an astonishing variety of Noble Phantasms, each possessing its own powerful or unusual properties.

From relatively ordinary E-rank treasures to extraordinary artifacts reaching EX rank, his collection contained weapons and objects suited to almost any conceivable situation.

More importantly, these were not the projected imitations produced through EMIYA’s Magecraft.

They were the genuine originals.

Their appearances, structures, materials, and special effects were all authentic, making them fundamentally different from the reproductions created by Archer’s Projection Magecraft.

That was why Gilgamesh possessed several ways to deal with Kiriya’s godlike golden giant.

The simplest and most direct method would be to use Ea, the Sword of Rupture.

Its true-name release, Enuma Elish, took its name from the ancient Mesopotamian creation epic.

Ea was a weapon said to possess the power to tear the world apart.

Its destructive potential rivaled that of Saber’s Excalibur, and could even surpass it.

With the assistance of certain other Noble Phantasms, its power could be enhanced still further.

If Gilgamesh unleashed its true name at full strength, destroying the enormous golden giant in a single attack was well within the capabilities he believed himself to possess.

Indeed, the astonishing variety of treasures in his possession was one of the principal reasons Gilgamesh was regarded as the strongest of Heroic Spirits.

No matter what sort of predicament he encountered, his treasury would almost always contain a Noble Phantasm capable of providing an appropriate solution.

"It seems I was mistaken to question the abilities of the illustrious King of Heroes."

Kirei readily acknowledged his supposed error.

"However, there is something else I find rather curious."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

Gilgamesh leisurely swirled the wine in his glass.

"According to the rules of the Holy Grail War, the seven Servants must fight and sacrifice their souls to supply the magical energy required for the Greater Grail to manifest."

Kirei paused thoughtfully.

"Yet this young man has already brought five Servants under his control. Clearly, he has no intention of allowing them to slaughter one another."

He raised his eyes toward Gilgamesh.

"Does that mean he intends to obtain the Holy Grail without sacrificing anyone at all?"

At this point, Kirei spread his arms, and his voice acquired an almost theatrical quality.

"If that is truly his intention, then he must be quite an admirable young man."

His lips curved into an increasingly delighted smile.

"With such a pure sense of justice, his wish must surely be something extraordinarily noble and magnificent. Perhaps, like Kiritsugu Emiya, he dreams of saving all humanity."

"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"

Gilgamesh suddenly threw back his head and laughed.

He pointed at Kirei’s unmistakably delighted expression.

"You truly are an irredeemable bastard, Kirei. Do you enjoy seeing despair on other people’s faces that much?"

"Is there any greater pleasure?"

Kirei’s deep voice carried its usual peculiar magnetism, his expression becoming almost reverent as he described the scene he imagined.

"Consider a young man driven by a noble ideal, possessing tremendous power and an unwavering desire to accomplish something beautiful."

"He follows his convictions, overcoming every obstacle and moving steadily closer to the future he envisions. Everything proceeds according to his expectations, and at last, the fulfillment of his dream stands within reach."

Kirei’s smile deepened.

"Only at the final step does he discover that the Holy Grail he has pursued so earnestly is actually a grotesque vessel filled with corruption and evil."

He seemed to savor the thought.

"Imagine the expression on his face when that realization finally strikes. I suspect it would be quite magnificent."

"Indeed."

Gilgamesh nodded, clearly appreciating the entertainment value of such an outcome.

"When the Greater Grail descends to cleanse the world, his lofty ideals will collide with the cruelty of reality. The despair and suffering born from that confrontation would certainly make for a rare and exquisite wine."

"Then perhaps we needn’t act just yet," Kirei suggested. "Why not wait until they have tasted the sins contained within the Holy Grail before making our appearance?"

"An excellent suggestion. Very much to my liking."

Gilgamesh drained the wine remaining in his glass and gave Kirei an approving look.

"If they somehow survive the coming purification, I would not object to granting them a place in the new era."

He smiled with regal arrogance.

"They should consider themselves fortunate to be allowed to become my subjects."

...

While the two connoisseurs of other people’s misery were happily imagining the future, the atmosphere at the secluded Matou estate was considerably less enthusiastic.

Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya sat side by side on a sofa, their heads lowered and their shoulders slumped.

They resembled two thoroughly wilted plants, utterly drained of their former confidence.

Across from them, Saber was enthusiastically devouring the food laid out before her, chewing with such single-minded satisfaction that she appeared to have completely forgotten her earlier defeat.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

The legendary King of Knights was clearly enjoying herself.

Beside her stood Archer, holding a tray laden with a fine tea service.

The white-haired Servant was currently pouring black tea for Kiriya with an almost exaggerated degree of courtesy.

As the fragrant aroma of the high-quality tea spread through the room, Rin and Shirou found themselves growing increasingly hungry.

"Damn it..."

Rin’s eyes were practically red with envy.

That was Saber!

The Servant she had dreamed of summoning, the one she had desperately hoped would become her partner in the Holy Grail War!

And now, not only had Saber been captured by the enemy, she was sitting there enjoying a meal as though she had never had a care in the world.

As for why Rin seemed more upset about losing Saber than about losing her own Archer...

Well, that was obvious!

The white-haired bastard had turned against her the moment his contract was transferred. His change of attitude had been so swift that it made flipping a page look slow.

Rin Tohsaka had absolutely no use for such a shameless Servant!

At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

Unfortunately, every time she looked toward Archer, she still found herself grinding her teeth in frustration.

She almost wished she could bite a few chunks out of that infuriating white-haired man’s flesh.

"All right, stop looking as though someone murdered your entire family."

Kiriya finally addressed her.

"I’m only borrowing this guy for a little while. Once I’m finished with him, I’ll return him to you."

As he spoke, Kiriya retrieved a massive gold bar from one of his sealing scrolls and casually tossed it toward Rin.

"Here. Consider this the rental fee."

THUD—!

The gold bar, weighing several dozen kilograms, slammed into the floor with a tremendous impact.

The wooden boards immediately sagged beneath its weight, and cracks spread outward in every direction.

Archer stared at the damage, his forehead practically covered in imaginary black lines.

’Hey, hey! What am I, some kind of household appliance? You can’t just lend me out and return me whenever you feel like it!’

He glanced toward Rin.

’And besides, Rin is the young lady of a distinguished Magus family! Does this guy seriously think he can buy her cooperation with a little money? What does he take her for, a beggar?’

Then Archer saw something that made his entire mind go blank.

The elegant, dignified young lady whom he had believed stood above such vulgar concerns suddenly lunged forward.

Rin practically threw herself onto the gold bar and wrapped both arms around it, hugging it tightly as though afraid someone might steal it.

"Deal!"

Her acceptance was immediate and enthusiastic.

"That hundred-and-something-pound guy is all yours! You can even slice him up and sell him by the pound for all I care!"

"..."

Everyone stared at her.

Even Archer was left speechless.

The speed with which Rin had agreed, together with her complete willingness to dispose of her own Servant however Kiriya pleased, caused the expressions around the room to become distinctly peculiar.

Rin merely tightened her grip around the precious gold.

"What? Haven’t you people ever seen someone who knows how to manage her finances?"

She gave them a disdainful snort.

’Honestly! These people have absolutely no idea what it costs to run a household!’

As far as Rin was concerned, anyone who criticized her response simply didn’t understand reality.

’Do they have any idea how ridiculously expensive studying Magecraft is?!’

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