Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 158: [] The Disappearance of the Command Spells

Long ago, the Church had already gathered evidence proving that the Holy Grail appearing in Fuyuki was different from the relics of the "Divine Son." The object fought over so fiercely in Fuyuki was only useful to magi and had no connection to the Church whatsoever.

However, because the Holy Grail of Fuyuki was far too powerful, the Church could not simply stand by and do nothing. After all, it was still a wish-granting device. If it fell into the hands of someone with malicious intentions, who knows what kind of disaster it could bring?

But if the Holy Grail were to be treated as heresy and eliminated, it would inevitably lead to conflict with the Mage's Association, and the sacrifices the Church would have to make would be too great.

—Rather than that, it would be better to take a step back. If the Holy Grail of Fuyuki could be entrusted to a "suitable candidate," that would be ideal.

This was the reason the Church chose the Tohsaka family—because the head of the Tohsaka family, Tokiomi Tohsaka, had always upheld the grand wish of "reaching the Root."

However, this alliance ended here.

The sound of gunfire shattered the tranquillity of the holy ground. The man holding the murder weapon stared at the old priest's corpse, which had collapsed to the ground but still maintained a punching posture. After a moment, he pursed his lips, and the disguise on his face faded away, revealing the appearance of a young man with white hair and golden eyes.

"It seems I can discard this useless sense of guilt."

With a snap of his fingers, a shadowy Servant appeared, stepped forward, rolled up the sleeve of the old priest's right arm, and then swiftly cut it off.

Woosh!

It was unclear what technique Hundred Faces had used, but although he had severed Risei Kotomine's right arm, not a single drop of blood sprayed from the wound.

Sakatsuki extended his finger and touched the right arm covered in Command Spells, recalling the contents of John 4:24 that he had read along the way.

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the spirit and in truth."

As if in response to these words, all the Command Spells on Risei's cold right arm began to emit a faint glow once more.

The holy words were lifted, and with a tingling sensation, Sakatsuki watched as the Command Spells, like ants, crawled one by one onto his wrist. In the dim church, the red patterns glowed eerily, like blood.

Dozens of Command Spells—these were the legacy left by the participants of the previous three Holy Grail Wars.

And now, they all belonged to Sakatsuki alone.

"Should I wrap it in bandages like Kirei?"

Muttering to himself, Sakatsuki closed the old priest's visionless eyes and stood up.

"Let's go, Assassin."

"As you wish, Master."

After completely destroying Risei Kotomine's right arm, Assassin bowed respectfully and disappeared into the church with Sakatsuki.

***

Tokiomi Tohsaka discovered his old friend's death an hour later.

Feeling suddenly uneasy, he left his workshop and entered the chapel, where he sensed the presence of death.

To learn magecraft, one must first learn to accept and understand death—this is the first lesson for every apprentice magus. And so, the moment he sensed death, Tokiomi Tohsaka also detected the smell of blood and a faint trace of gunpowder.

Someone had undoubtedly committed an unforgivable act in the church.

Tokiomi tightened his grip on his cane and cautiously moved through the pews. As he approached the altar, he discovered Risei Kotomine sitting in the front row of the congregation, his eyes tightly shut.

In the solemn atmosphere of the church, the old priest sat at the very front of the congregation, his body and seat shrouded in darkness, while his face was illuminated by sunlight, giving him an almost sacred appearance.

"Father—"

The cry that almost escaped his lips was suppressed. The moment Tokiomi saw Father Risei, he also noticed the bullet wound in his forehead and the missing right arm.

Tokiomi knew that Father Risei's right arm bore the Command Spells coveted by all Masters.

In other words, the one who had killed his old friend was one of the Masters in the Holy Grail War.

To his knowledge, the Command Spells entrusted to Father Risei were protected by powerful holy words. Without his permission, it was nearly impossible for them to be stripped away by magecraft—perhaps this was the reason the priest's right arm had been severed.

That vile thief must be racking their brains to obtain the Command Spells, like a stray dog drooling over a piece of meat just out of reach.

Cursing the murderer with malice and killing intent, Tokiomi's face showed no emotion as he coldly searched the church for any traces.

It was then that he noticed the magical patterns drawn beside the old priest's body, glowing as if triggered.

"This is... a triggered spell set to activate under specific conditions!"

Tokiomi immediately recognized the nature of the spell, but it was too late.

The timed spell activated, and a deep red light symbolizing "eleven" shot into the sky, flashing brightly.

In the Major Arcana of the Tarot, the eleventh card represents—

Justice.

***

And so, several hours later, the familiars gathered once more.

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This time, however, the church was empty—save for four familiars and a corpse.

Tokiomi had already hidden himself, but he had not concealed the old priest's body. Since the murderer had already set up the spell, any additional actions on his part might make him the target of suspicion.

Just as the four familiars gathered, another triggered spell activated before anyone could begin to communicate.

What appeared before them was a recorded magical image.

In the crystal-clear footage, a black-clad magus killer sat in the congregation, exchanged a few words with Father Risei, then raised his pistol and ended the priest's life before the latter could strike.

Under the stunned gazes of everyone, the so-called perpetrator was easily exposed, and Kiritsugu Emiya was instantly thrust into the spotlight.

No matter how improper the actions of the Church's personnel might be, their existence held far greater significance than that of mere overseers—killing the old priest meant slapping the face of the Holy Church.

How could Kiritsugu Emiya dare to do such a thing?

Was it because of those precious Command Spells?

More importantly—what was the meaning behind that signal? Who had released this recorded truth?

It was as if an invisible black hand was pushing the Holy Grail War into even greater chaos.

"So it was you, Kiritsugu Emiya."

Tokiomi thought to himself. Though the footage was full of holes, it didn't stop him from directing everyone's hostility toward Kiritsugu.

"You were the one who killed the priest!"

Not only him, but even Kariya and Waver couldn't help but turn their gazes toward the silent bat—Kiritsugu's familiar.

They didn't know about the holy words, so the fact that Father Risei had been killed and his right arm taken meant that the Saber faction now possessed far more Command Spells than any other group.

They had no intention of avenging Risei Kotomine, but the Saber faction, with its overwhelming number of Command Spells, had to be eliminated first.

...Even if it was a misunderstanding, having the powerful Saber eliminated first would still be to their advantage.

Faced with the hostility of the three factions, Kiritsugu said nothing. Instead, he severed the connection with his familiar and began silently packing his equipment.

"Aren't you going to explain? We didn't kill the priest."

Irisviel said worriedly.

"It's pointless."

Kiritsugu replied calmly.

"It's easy to throw mud at someone, but hard to wash it off. Rather than waste my breath on people who pretend not to understand, I'd rather conserve my energy and strike first."

The long-dormant magus killer's eyes gleamed as he focused on a specific point on the map.

It was the location where Maiya Hisau had secretly tracked the Matou family's Master.

In other words, it was where Kariya Matou and his Servant, Berserker, were hiding.

"Maiya, go find Saber."

"Yes."

***

At the same time, Kirei Kotomine, who had been locked up in the police station, received his first visitor.

"How is it? This dark, filthy place suits you well, Kirei Kotomine."

"Archer?"

***

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