"I think I should be able to find the answer soon, Father..."
Kotomine Kirei turned his head slightly. An unimaginably strange expression appeared on his originally indifferent face. This made the old priest think for a moment that his son's body had been invaded by a demon. "Kirei, is that you, Kirei?"
At this moment, the old priest felt as if he didn't know his own son at all. Looking at the black energy coiling around his son's body, Risei finally took a deep breath, took a step forward, and threw a punch at Kirei.
Looking at his father, the Kirei of this moment actually had no desire to fight his own old father. No matter what, he respected his father. But his father's appearance, it seemed he did not wish for that existence to be born. Why couldn't his own father understand him? Subconsciously, Kirei raised his own arm and directly caught his old father's punch. The fist, stained with holy water, hit his arm. The black magical energy dissipated as if melted by high heat, but it did not cause any harm to him.
"Father, the Lord said all things are equal. Everything has a chance to be born, does it not?"
Hearing his son's words, Risei looked at the pure malice coiling around his son's body and immediately understood. His son wanted this pure malice to be born into this world. And he had seen this pure malice before, during the Third Holy Grail War. It was just that in the Third Holy Grail War, the young man who bore this malice was not evil.
Was it that the boy who had already turned into magical energy and returned to the Holy Grail 60 years ago could no longer suppress this pure malice?
"Kirei! I do not believe you are a person who would be influenced by malice!"
The "personality correction fist" that Risei had intended to land on his son's face was blocked once again. This feeling was not good. It was like a father trying to teach his son a lesson, but completely failing to get through.
"Father, where there is good, there is evil. He already has his own consciousness, so to some extent, he is a form of life. Whether his existence is right or wrong for the world, everything should be discussed after he is born."
Of course, no matter what the outcome was for the world, he would gladly accept it. If it was to bring the most solemn malice to the world, that would also be a good ending, wouldn't it? This way, he could witness with his own eyes the answer he had been seeking in his heart: was he truly a person who felt pleasure from the suffering of others?
"Father, I follow the Lord's teachings and view all life equally. Father, you have stained this world with too much personal desire. This is the Lord's loss. Father, if you continue to be so obstinate, then I can only have you return to the Lord's embrace."
Kirei didn't notice that as he said this, the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted. At his feet, the black magical energy, like a liquid, slowly spread out to the surroundings. That dense malice made the holy power on the old priest's fists seem like a faint candlelight in the darkness, which could be swallowed at any moment.
Looking at his own child before him, who was almost completely twisted, Risei finally became completely serious. In terms of mastery and technique of Bajiquan, he was far stronger than his own son. Looking at the fist his son threw at him, the old priest turned his hand with a skillful move, directly breaking through Kirei's fists, and even sent a punch towards Kirei's chest.
In any case, the key was to first make his son lose his ability to fight. Regardless of whether his son was bewitched or had already fallen, by making him lose his ability to fight, he could investigate and confirm in more detail. If it was the former, he could still perform an exorcism ritual. If it was the latter, this old priest couldn't say for sure what kind of choice he would make.
As if sensing that the person it had chosen was now at a disadvantage, the black magical energy, like a snake, climbed onto the old priest's legs, and then slowly slithered upwards.
Seeing this, the old priest continued his chant. "Eternal life can only be granted by death.—Forgiveness is here. I, of the flesh, hereby swear! May the Lord have mercy on this pitiful soul!"
A white holy light spread out to the surroundings, forcibly dispersing the black magical energy coiling around his body, and also revealing the original appearance of the ground that had been stained by the black magic. It was just a pity that when this holy light receded, that black magical energy once again began to attack.
This couldn't go on. The old priest had already begun to think about how he could get reinforcements. The Evils of this World were far more dangerous than he had imagined. He had originally thought that only a portion would flow out when the hole was opened, and then with the opening of the Root, it would be burned away. Looking at it now, it was clear that he had thought too simply.
Just as the old priest was still thinking about how to hold on, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. Then, the weight of a whole person was directly dragged onto him. In an instant, it was as if he was being held by several people. He turned his head to look behind him. One after another, figures made of black magical energy were clinging tightly to him.
"Assassin?"
No... this was not the Heroic Spirit they had summoned. The bodies of these things were fundamentally obstructed by that pure malice. These things were just simulating the forms of those heroes, simulating the abilities of those new heroes, existences simulated based on the data that had just been devoured by the Greater Grail. Of course, although they were much weaker than normal Heroic Spirits, they were not something that he, a single human, could deal with.
A Hassan made of black magical energy knelt respectfully behind Kirei, and then handed over the black dagger in his hand. The Evils of this World clearly understood the thoughts in this young priest's heart. Was it joy or sorrow? He would, with his own hands, have his father return to the embrace of the Lord.
"Kirei..."
The old priest wanted to perform the Baptism Rite again, but it was clear that there was no time now. He could only hope that his own son would choose to pull back from the brink at this critical moment, to cast himself back into the light of the Lord from the embrace of darkness.
However, the old priest's hopes were for the best, but his son, this young priest who wanted to obtain his own answer, had no intention of stopping. The dagger, made of black magical energy, easily pierced through the specially made vestments of the Church, then broke through the skin, flesh, and ribs, and plunged deep into his heart.
Then, the dagger, which had turned into black magical energy, directly melted in the old priest's heart, leaving a hole. Blood gushed out from the wound, and the few puppets made of magical energy also released their hands.