Chapter 87

As if a miniature version of the Big Bang at the birth of the universe, heaven and earth trembled violently under the power that opened the world, uprooting trees and shattering large areas of the ground, sending stones and sand flying. In Fuyuki City, the high-rise buildings were almost entirely destroyed in this battle, broken, torn, and falling to the ground, turning into a wasteland. The Knight King and Kenshin, their magic power exhausted, were pinned to the ground by the pressure of the wind. Conqueror King protected his Master, hugging him and using his body to shield against the oncoming shockwaves. Berserker, lacking reason, was directly blown away by the storm, crashing into a pile of rubble.

In the Fuyuki Association, Kiritsugu Emiya was dueling with Kirei Kotomine. From the information obtained from Xunxin, Kiritsugu Emiya clearly realized that the Origin Bullet would be ineffective against Kirei Kotomine's magic, which he cast using the many Command Spells obtained from his father. After learning of Kirei Kotomine's strength, Kiritsugu Emiya also made thorough preparations. First, the weapons Kiritsugu Emiya carried were not just the submachine gun and the magical Contender from the original story; this time, Kiritsugu Emiya also had his black coat reinforced by Xunxin. Even the attacks of the Black Keys could not penetrate the greatly reinforced black coat, though breaking a few ribs was inevitable. Besides the convenient pistol, Kiritsugu Emiya also held a German-made G36 assault rifle, still in development, for firepower. The small-caliber assault rifle bullets were inferior to large-caliber bullets at medium to long range, but at the distance of about fifty meters between him and Kirei Kotomine, the small-caliber assault rifle bullets could even penetrate Kirei Kotomine's robes and strike his body, which had been tempered by countless battles and enhanced by magic. Although they could not break through Kirei Kotomine's flesh, the cumulative impact of the bullets would still cause significant injuries.

Moreover, as long as Kirei Kotomine's body was wounded and bleeding, Kiritsugu Emiya's other means could be put to use. The Mage Killer could poison, and before the battle, Kiritsugu Emiya had coated each bullet with poison. A small amount of the potent poison would only cause Kirei Kotomine to slow down, but even a slight discomfort during the duel could lead to failure. Kirei Kotomine was also aware of this; the first bullet that grazed his skin already made him realize the bullets were toxic. Next, Kirei Kotomine used the numerous seats in the association to avoid Kiritsugu Emiya's attacks. The seats were made of hard stainless steel plates inside and soft cushions of cotton and synthetic fibers on the outside. Kirei Kotomine chose to duel here because of the hardness of these seats, which, although limiting his own movements, were even more challenging for the Mage Killer using modern firearms. These high-quality seats, custom-made from the United States, could block Kiritsugu Emiya's submachine gun bullets, and the assault rifle's penetration power would be greatly reduced after passing through them. Taking advantage of the moment when Kiritsugu Emiya was changing magazines, Kirei Kotomine leaped up and threw three Black Keys. Kiritsugu Emiya realized something was wrong the moment he saw Kirei Kotomine in the air.

"Fixed Time Control — Double Speed."

Kiritsugu Emiya's speed suddenly increased, and in less than a second, he aimed the submachine gun at the direction of the Black Keys. The 9mm metal bullets collided with the Black Keys, deflecting two of them. There was no time to shoot down the remaining Black Key, and with the seats on both sides, even at double speed, Kiritsugu Emiya could not cross the 1.3-meter-high seats before the Black Key hit him. In a critical moment, Kiritsugu Emiya threw the G36 assault rifle, which was like a piece of cheese, at the Black Key that was less than ten meters away. The expensive experimental assault rifle was pierced like cheese.

The sacrifice of the assault rifle was effective; the handle of the Black Key got stuck in the rifle, making it three times heavier, and its speed decreased significantly, allowing Kiritsugu Emiya to easily dodge it. At this moment, Kirei Kotomine seized the opportunity to close the distance, crossing his hands in front of him to block the bullets Kiritsugu Emiya shot. The muscles of the top-class Servant, like steel, deflected the bullets made of copper and iron, a body that was not human, causing Kiritsugu Emiya, who had obtained Kirei Kotomine's information, to break out in a cold sweat.

'Can't let him get close.'

'If he gets close, one strike will decide the outcome.'

After canceling the Fixed Time Control, which placed a heavy burden on his body, Kiritsugu Emiya quickly retreated. The submachine gun's magazine was empty, but Kiritsugu Emiya still had his trump card. He pulled a grenade from his waist and threw it. Kirei Kotomine took out six Black Keys to form a hexagonal defense. This time, Kiritsugu Emiya loaded not ordinary bullets but his magical Contender — Origin Bullets. Using his full strength, he activated Fixed Time Control at triple speed, and intense pain immediately spread through his body as his bones, blood vessels, and muscles strained under the world's attempt to repair the abnormal time zone. However, for less than a second, Kiritsugu Emiya could still hold on. The Contender's menacing barrel aimed at the grenade, and he pulled the trigger, firing a 30.06mm bullet capable of blowing off an elephant's head toward the grenade. At the moment the grenade exploded, the shrapnel and the shockwave shattered the Black Keys' defense, and the Origin Bullet, hidden by the explosion's light and smoke, shot toward Kirei Kotomine. This was Kiritsugu Emiya's killing move. Hearing a muffled groan from the dust, Kiritsugu Emiya smiled in victory.

'Won.'

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the scene before him made Kiritsugu Emiya stare in shock. Kirei Kotomine was unharmed, the Origin Bullet's tip flattened and lying at his feet. However, although the Origin Bullet had not penetrated Kirei Kotomine's skin, his body was almost destroyed. In the split second before the bullet hit, Kirei Kotomine's sixth sense, honed through countless life-and-death situations, kicked in, and he used three Command Spells to reinforce his body, especially his head and torso.

The cost was severe. Using the magic power of three Command Spells, which could control a Heroic Spirit, for defense caused the capillaries in his body to burst. From Kiritsugu Emiya's perspective, Kirei Kotomine's flesh, exposed under the tattered robes, was an abnormally bright red, and high-temperature steam emanated from his entire body. Parts of the muscles in his chest and abdomen were even cooked by the magical flow. Despite the cruel treatment of his own body, Kirei Kotomine remained unmoved, continuing to charge toward Kiritsugu Emiya. The assault rifle was damaged, the submachine gun and Contender were out of ammunition, and Kiritsugu Emiya could only draw the dagger from his back and charge at Kirei Kotomine...

At this moment, the magical storm caused by the explosion of the乖离剑 and Xunxin's pseudo-black hole hit the Fuyuki Association, and the two injured bodies were thrown into the walls, the last straw that broke their already overburdened bodies, causing them to faint simultaneously...

"Truly impressive, Xunxin. You still had a trick up your sleeve."

As the storm gradually subsided, Conqueror King helped his Master stand up from the ground, his two smaller eyes revealing surprise.

"Don't tease me. After this attack, I don't have much strength left to continue the battle. If Hero King is unharmed, I have no other options."

Supporting the defensive barrier, Xunxin's eyes never left the position of the Hero King in the sky. Even at an altitude of ten thousand meters, with enhanced vision, Xunxin could clearly see the number of fibers in the Hero King's clothing.

"Indeed... it's just a draw." The golden light in the sky disappeared, re-forming into a human shape on the ground. Hero King leaned on the乖离剑, and the complete release of the乖离剑's power, the Heaven's Feel, had also been extremely draining for him. This attack had left the Hero King with almost no magic power left.

"Huff, huff..." Panting heavily, Gilgamesh had not experienced such an exhilarating battle since his fight with his dear friend Enkidu. At this moment, Gilgamesh's face was no longer filled with arrogance, ferocity, or a sneer, but with genuine joy, enjoyment, and recognition. As the true form created by the folly of a human king and a goddess, Gilgamesh was sent down from heaven by the gods to prevent humans from consuming them, a wedge to delay the gods' demise. However, from the beginning, Gilgamesh had despised the gods who were about to perish, governing the city of Uruk in his own way. As the first human-god hybrid with the highest level of divinity, Gilgamesh's power was as great as his two-thirds divinity, and even the Bull of Heaven, created by the gods as a last resort to destroy the world, could not defeat him. After finding the elixir of immortality and having it stolen by a snake while bathing, Gilgamesh saw through death and, driven by the desire to collect, returned to the underworld to gather the elixir, returning to his kingdom as a wise king until his death. Gilgamesh was lonely, with no one to match him, and the gods, who had lost most of their power, were not even worth a glance. But the opponent before him, a human, fearlessly fought the ancient king, and his strength was enough to withstand the king's treasures.

"Heaven's Field Xunxin... You are the second person I have encountered who can match me. Fighting you in this Holy Grail War has truly been worthwhile."

In his left hand, a golden mechanical key appeared, and after a transformation, Gilgamesh's Treasury of Kings was reopened. "Come, it's time to end this battle. I will decide the winner."

"Golden Flash, you still have the magic power to use the Treasury of Kings..."

"It's fine..." Xunxin stood up, leaning on the Moonlight, with the Crimson Lotus appearing in his left hand, and the red lotus flames swirling around him. Looking around, there were no Noble Phantasms for Conqueror King to use, the Knight King's magic power was exhausted, Kenshin's body was overused, and Berserker, who was almost out of magic power, was struggling. Xunxin sighed helplessly.

"Then, the infinite apostle, Heaven's Field Xunxin, is going to attack." The blade of the Crimson Lotus was held in reverse behind his back, and the thrust of the flames increased Xunxin's speed to supersonic. The Moonlight in his right hand slashed diagonally, aiming for the Hero King's neck. Gilgamesh, covered in blood from the storm, raised two golden long swords, waiting. Xunxin's first strike hit between the two swords, sparks flying. The Crimson Lotus, acting as an accelerator, struck the Moonlight with a flame capable of vaporizing steel, and the double-sword version of the Air Cross did not destroy Gilgamesh's weapons but knocked them away. Even as Gilgamesh quickly retreated, the Moonlight and Crimson Lotus still left X-shaped wounds on his body, blood gushing out, and he retreated dozens of meters, leaving a trail of blood, the air filled with the scent of the ancient king's blood.

"Gilgamesh, releasing the乖离剑 to that extent is not something you can do easily, and now your power has weakened, your magic power is almost depleted, and you took the storm head-on without armor. After my two strikes, do you think you still have a chance to win?"

"Cough! Ugh!" Xunxin's attack had impacted Gilgamesh's internal organs, but the Hero King would not bow here. A king can be killed, but he cannot be defeated. "Don't underestimate me. I am the ancient king, Gilgamesh. Do you think you can gauge my situation with your inferior level?" Four Noble Phantasms emerged from the golden gates: the dark-entwined gem — Dragon's Jewel Op, the nature-emanating longbow — Fairy Bow Silvan, the rune-covered holy spear — Eternal Spear Gungnir, and the world-destroying flame sword — Demon Sword Laevatein. Silvan landed in Gilgamesh's hand, while the other three Noble Phantasms floated in the air. The Dragon's Jewel moved to the tip of Gungnir, embedding itself at the junction of the spearhead and the shaft. Laevatein's handle connected to the tail of Gungnir, and black-red flames spiraled from the tail to the tip, while the spearhead emitted a deep and heavy darkness. The holy spear, entwined with the world-destroying flames, emitted a magical aura that even surpassed the Spear of Victory, the combination of the three main Greek gods' artifacts.

"Now, I don't have the strength to continue releasing the乖离剑. This is my final move. Witness the destruction of the gods." If the Spear of Victory represented the prosperity of the gods, then this spear, symbolizing destruction, darkness, and chaos, marked the fall of the gods. Gilgamesh grabbed the spear, and the flames and darkness did not harm him. Placing the spear on the light string of the Fairy Bow Silvan, Gilgamesh drew it to a full moon.

"Then, this is my final glory. Go, Ragnarok (Twilight for the Gods)!!!"

With the effects of certainty, destruction, darkness, and speed combined, Ragnarok shot toward Xunxin, its power being an EX-class Noble Phantasm with two characteristics: the certainty of killing gods and the ability to affect the world. In other words, unless Xunxin could banish this attack to a dimension outside the Moonlight World, the world-destroying Noble Phantasm would continue to pursue him through the space-tearing effect. With his spatial abilities not sufficient to break the dimensional barrier, Xunxin had only one option: to break it head-on. But with his magic power also nearly depleted, Xunxin had no idea how to stop this attack.

'What to do? What to do!'

Xunxin watched as Ragnarok approached, but he could not come up with any solution. The Moonlight and Crimson Lotus called out to Xunxin in their mental link, but the Crimson Lotus could not block this attack, which clearly exceeded the ten-heart level and would be destroyed upon contact. Using the Moonlight to block, Xunxin's own strength was not enough to withstand an EX-class world-destroying Noble Phantasm.

'Must I die... No, there must be a way...'

Recalling all his abilities, in his soul, a drill about an inch long was shining brightly.

'Spiral drill, even the Moonlight cannot destroy it. If you can give me infinite power, respond to me!!!'

Summoning the spiral drill from his soul, Xunxin thrust it toward the spear tip.

All tangible things have their limits, but the only thing without limits is the heart, the symbol of infinity that cannot be bound by matter. Originating from the heart's infinity, the spiral finally traced its path, extending endlessly. Beyond the reach of truth, breaking the rules, ignoring concepts, no matter who the opponent is, as long as they have a limit, they can be defeated. This is the infinity that surpasses the strongest, now extending from the point of the heart, forming an increasingly larger spiral pattern, without end