Kuro's smile didn't fade.
He even let out a soft chuckle.
"Hm… just as expected."
His hand rose casually, pointing slightly toward Gilgamesh.
"Arrogant, loud… and overly possessive of things you didn't even create."
The air around them tightened.
Yet Kuro didn't stop there.
Slowly, his gaze shifted.
Toward the other side of the ruins.
Toward a man in black robes standing calmly among the burning debris.
"Ah, right… before we begin."
His tone returned to something almost casual—like ordinary conversation.
"Kotomine-san."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"As for this explosion… I'll leave it to you."
Kuro gave a light shrug.
"So, do your job as the overseer of this Holy Grail War."
For a moment, silence fell.
Kuro's eyes changed.
Blood red.
A single tomoe rotated briefly around his pupil.
The Sharingan activated.
The aura around Kuro shifted subtly—colder, sharper.
"And…"
His voice dropped half an octave.
"…don't interfere with me."
Silence settled over the ruins once again.
Dust slowly drifted down like gray snow, while lingering heat still trembled in the air.
Then—Kirei Kotomine smiled faintly.
A smile that never quite reached his eyes.
An expression difficult to read—somewhere between interest… and something darker.
"…Interesting."
His hand moved casually, adjusting the scorched collar of his robe, as if the destruction around him were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
"From Gilgamesh's words…"
He raised his gaze, looking directly at Kuro—sharp, penetrating, as if attempting to peel away whatever lay hidden beneath his existence.
"You are a magus… yet you possess a Noble Phantasm?"
Not a question.
More like… an observation.
He took one slow step back—calm, measured, showing no sign of excessive caution.
"I don't understand."
His tone remained flat, but now it carried a deeper weight—like a priest delivering a truth he himself did not fully believe.
"However, ignorance is not an excuse for action."
He paused briefly.
His eyes narrowed slightly—not from doubt, but from rising interest.
"…As long as you do not openly violate the rules of the Holy Grail War…"
The words flowed calmly, almost like a whispered prayer.
"…I will not interfere."
That faint smile remained.
"Let's call this… a minor accident."
"…Enough."
Gilgamesh's voice cut through the air—cold, absolute authority.
Several C+ ranked Noble Phantasms behind him trembled, then aligned directly toward Kuro.
"I have heard enough of your nonsense."
His eyes burned with killing intent.
"Be grateful, zasshu…"
His hand rose slowly.
"…I will kill you quickly."
Kuro only smiled.
Wider than before.
"If you can."
Gilgamesh's brow twitched slightly.
"…Insolent."
SWHOOOSH!!
Without warning, ten weapons shot forward at once, slicing through the air at extreme speed—generating pressure strong enough to tear the ground along their path.
But—through Kuro's eyes, the world changed.
Everything slowed down.
Each weapon's trajectory became visible—angle, speed, even the mana fluctuations around them were read with terrifying precision.
His one-tomoe Sharingan rotated slowly. Combined with the effects of Histeria Savant Syndrome, his analysis reached an inhuman level.
"…too straight." he muttered softly.
His hand moved—not fast, but precise.
Several gray gates opened in front of him, appearing exactly at the interception points of each attack.
One by one—the weapons did not hit Kuro's body, nor did they explode.
They… vanished.
Swallowed into Kuro's own Gate of Babylon, as if being devoured.
In an instant—every attack from Gilgamesh vanished without a trace.
Silence.
The air returned to calm.
Not a single projectile remained.
Kuro slowly lowered his hand.
"…Thanks for the gift."
His smile was casual, almost teasing.
"Pretty useful for expanding my collection."
On the other side—Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed.
For the first time—his expression changed.
Not just anger.
But something deeper.
Disturbed.
"You dare smile in my presence."
The pressure of mana intensified—slowly, but steadily. The air around them hardened, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
"You think you can stand equal to me… just by swallowing a few treasures?"
His eyes sharpened—crimson light flashing coldly.
"A dog that steals a crown… remains a dog."
He paused for a moment.
"And dogs…"
The sound of distorted space echoed as gate after gate opened behind him. Not ten anymore—but dozens.
Layer upon layer of Gate of Babylon filled the night sky, forming an arrogant golden constellation. The tips of countless weapons pointed toward a single point.
No gaps.
No escape.
"…must be taught its place."
His hand rose—a simple motion, yet filled with absolute will, as if the world itself obeyed his command.
"Then…"
A thin, cold smile formed on his lips—full of disdain.
"I will trample you… properly, zasshu."
SWHOOOOOSH!!!
In an instant—dozens of Prototype Noble Phantasms, Rank B++ and A++, were fired simultaneously.
Faster than lightning.
Denser than a storm.
The sky collapsed into a barrage of steel and light—sealing every possible escape route, erasing all space for evasion, leaving not a single safe point behind.
However, in the midst of the raining Noble Phantasms that tore through the sky like a storm of death, Kuro's gaze remained calm—reading every trajectory with precise clarity.
His gates opened one after another, perfectly aligned with the paths of the attacks. Most of the weapons vanished before they could even reach him—swallowed into his Gate.
Gilgamesh looked on with contempt and disgust.
"…Keep struggling, zasshu."
His voice dropped—calm, too calm. No longer mockery, but judgment.
"The more you resist…"
A brief pause.
"…the more clearly your disgusting existence reveals itself."
In the next instant, the number of Gates of Babylon multiplied drastically.
Dozens became hundreds of golden lights filling the horizon like a storm of weapons that devoured everything in its path.
SWHOSH! SWHOSH! SWHOSH!!
A relentless rain of death descended—faster, denser, more brutal.
"You—ugh."
For the first time, Kuro's expression shifted. His brows tightened as the rhythm of the attack began to exceed his absorption capacity.
"This is bad…" he muttered softly. "I'm reaching my limit."
SWHOOOOOSH!!!
One Rank B+ Noble Phantasm slipped through—breaking past his defense and grazing his shoulder.
BRRAAK!!
The asphalt behind him shattered into fragments, while other attacks narrowly missed his body, forcing him to twist and leap away.
Even so, the attacks kept coming without pause—leaving no room to breathe, no space to think.
BOOOM!! BOOOM!! BOOOM!!
Explosion after explosion struck the ground, destroying roads, tearing apart sidewalks, and forming crater after crater around the church area.
The pressure from each projectile scattered debris in all directions.
At the same time, Kuro landed hard and rolled, just before a spear struck his previous position.
But the impact still caught him, throwing his body thirty meters back into a wall.
Fortunately, he immediately reinforced his body with magic.
But before he could fully recover, the next wave of attacks had already arrived.
Kuro forced himself up.
He immediately moved, running as space rippled around him, his body protected under constantly opening Gates that absorbed the weapons aimed at him.
In the distance, amid the storm of weapons, Gilgamesh stood unmoving—calm, untouched—like a king watching an execution.
"That is how it should be." his voice echoed coldly through the destruction.
"A dog… must crawl on the ground."
The assault did not stop—it only grew denser, pushing Kuro to the edge where he could barely keep up.
"…now!"
Without hesitation, he pulled the World Travel Ticket from his pocket, his focus hardening for a moment as he activated it.
The next second—light enveloped his body, forcing Gilgamesh to raise a hand to shield his vision. The barrage that had been bombarding the area paused for an instant.
"What trick are you playing now, zasshu."
His tone dropped, suspicious… and irritated.
The light faded.
Kuro… was gone.
No trace.
No remaining mana signature.
As if his existence had been erased from that space itself.
Silence.
For the first time since the battle began, there were no explosions.
No pressure of attacks.
Only ruins… and an unsettling stillness.
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes.
Slowly, he lowered his hand.
Dozens of Gates of Babylon still remained open behind him, but they no longer fired.
"…Gone?"
His voice was low.
Not confusion—but disbelief.
Even Sha Nabq Imuru swept across the area.
Searching.
Analyzing.
But—nothing.
No trace of existence.
No residual movement.
No spatial distortion to track.
Completely… vanished.
His expression changed.
Slightly.
"…Did you escape?"
His tone was flat, but clearly carried dissatisfaction.
"Fuhaha…"
A cold laugh escaped him.
He looked up at the empty night sky.
"Interesting…"
Even if his prey had slipped away, the fact that he could not detect anything—not even with Sha Nabq Imuru—was enough to irritate his pride.
"Very well…" he murmured softly. "Hide as best as you can, zasshu."
His eyes glowed faintly.
"Because when I find you…"
A sharp, dangerous smile formed.
"…I will make sure there is nowhere left for you to run."