"!"
"Th-this... this is--"
Through a familiar's eyes, Waver stuttered at the staggering explosion.
He'd never seen someone that insane.
Even knowing he'd die, Kirei had shown zero fear or hesitation. Like a zealot ecstatic to carry out his sovereign's command.
Rider's magecraft... was this terrifying.
Waver swallowed hard. Then he glanced at Kotomine Risei standing nearby. The old man displayed no grief whatsoever. If anything, he looked proud.
"He successfully fulfilled His Majesty's mission."
Just as Waver feared. Far from mourning, Risei was smiling.
"Indeed. He served me faithfully."
"A flawless execution."
The corner of Lelouch's mouth twitched upward. He nearly laughed.
This sensation of controlling the board's every piece hadn't visited him since his days as "Zero" leading the Black Knights.
"Tohsaka Tokiomi still doesn't know about any of this."
"Not that it would change anything even if he did."
"This war... has entered its final sprint."
The situation had exceeded even Lelouch's expectations.
Initially, he'd only hoped Kirei would wound Kiritsugu enough to create an opening. When Assassin lost to Saber, he'd assumed the plan had failed.
But Kirei's final act had delivered a stunning result.
A concealed bomb. Detonated at point-blank range after death.
Both Master-Servant pairs annihilated.
In one stroke, Lelouch no longer had to worry about Saber.
Using Geass to control the Kotomine father and son had yielded dividends beyond imagination.
Delightful.
"Now then. All that remains is to wait."
"Wait for the prey to take the bait."
"Yes, my King!"
Bowing, Risei withdrew from the room.
"Waver, have the familiars retrieve the Dragon Ball from Emiya Kiritsugu's body."
"Huh?"
"Rider, we're not leaving?"
Eying Lelouch as he settled calmly onto the bed, Waver steadied his shaken nerves and asked.
"No need. We just rest here until Archer and Berserker settle things between themselves."
Lelouch knew Waver was bursting with questions. He offered one line of explanation.
"Huh?"
Waver was even more confused.
Why was Rider so certain Archer and Berserker would fight?
"Whether Berserker wants to or not, Archer will seek him out once he's recovered."
"After all, every 'nuisance' has been swept away."
The plan had closed into a loop. All Lelouch had to do was wait.
"But we're still here! Archer might come for us instead."
Unable to follow Lelouch's logic, Waver didn't understand this confidence.
"He won't."
"The Most Ancient King, Gilgamesh..."
"Doesn't consider me worth his time."
Recalling that arrogant demeanor, Lelouch felt no concern.
"As long as I don't actively interfere, he'll treat me as trash to be cleaned up at his leisure."
"Somewhat humiliating to admit, but it's the truth."
"Precisely because he could kill me effortlessly, he won't bother hunting me first. He'll go settle the score with Berserker."
Lelouch spread his hands, entirely at ease.
That resigned expression almost made Waver think he'd given up -- if not for the tone that suggested otherwise.
"You can't possibly be hoping they'll annihilate each other too?"
Waver hazarded a tentative guess. Surely that kind of luck couldn't strike twice?
"No need. We just need Archer to win."
"?!"
"Wait, WHAT?!"
Staring at Lelouch's relaxed expression, Waver needed several seconds to process.
"Well, 'win' isn't quite the right word. As long as he forces Berserker to back down, that's sufficient."
Correcting himself, Lelouch sipped at the tea on the bedside table.
"Back down... wait, do you mean--!"
It clicked. Waver recalled the critical intelligence from Kotomine Kirei.
Berserker's Master was six years old.
By all logic, she couldn't sustain a Servant's mana consumption.
Berserker had been operating on self-generated mana this entire time.
"So the reason you didn't sever the ley line feeding Archer was to let him exhaust Berserker's limited reserves?"
Enlightenment dawned.
"Archer's previous deployment of that Noble Phantasm... he'll undoubtedly use it against Berserker too."
"But speculation is meaningless. We have to wait and see the outcome."
Staring at the ceiling, Lelouch tempered his optimism.
Victory appeared close. But the final step was a chasm.
The Berserker-Archer duel would determine whether his endgame succeeded or failed.
As for targeting Berserker's Master directly? That would be... difficult.
"I see. Kirei is dead."
Tohsaka Tokiomi received the news from Risei. His mood was... complicated.
A disciple's death should have been sorrowful.
But learning that Emiya Kiritsugu had also perished brought a measure of relief.
At least Kirei hadn't died in vain.
"Then where are Kiritsugu's and Kirei's Dragon Balls?"
The crucial question. Tokiomi hadn't forgotten.
Lancer and Caster's Dragon Balls had been recovered by the Church.
"You found Kiritsugu's Dragon Ball, but Kirei's is missing?"
"How can that be?"
"Could it be a mistake? Perhaps Kiritsugu hid it somewhere?"
"No, this is definitely Kiritsugu's. It only has one star."
"Kirei's had two stars."
The discrepancy nagged at Tokiomi.
How could something so important vanish? Was it hidden? But surely Kirei would have informed his own father and his teacher beforehand.
The thought that Kirei might have concealed something from him cast a shadow over Tokiomi's mood.
"Never mind the Dragon Ball for now."
"I have a critical piece of intelligence to share."
Risei's words snapped Tokiomi back to attention.
What kind of intelligence could matter at this stage?
Unless it concerned Berserker's Master?
If so, that would be--
"Berserker's Master... appears to be the daughter you sent to the Matou family."
The words hit Tokiomi like a physical blow.
His jaw went slack. His eyes widened. Pure shock painted itself across this composed man's face.
He might have been composing himself for the first time in his life.
This news was more staggering than learning of Kirei's death.
"Are you certain?"
The same question, repeated. His voice trembled.
The daughter sent to the Matou family -- that was "Sakura."
But why on earth was she a Master?!
What in God's name was happening in this world?
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]