Chapter 34: The Church Waltz

A deathly silence hung within the Fuyuki Church.

One after another, the various incarnations of Hassan emerged from their spirit forms, some sitting, some standing. But one thing was clear: there was no way out.

"He actually dares to storm the Holy Church? This... this is breaking the rules!" Risei Kotomine snapped, recovering from his initial terror.

Kirei Kotomine stood silently in the center of the chapel, saying nothing. The so-called "rules" had been broken from the very beginning. Had they not? Their alliance with Tokiomi Tohsaka had been facilitated by the supervisor himself. In the world of adults, rules are secondary to force.

Peering through the window, Kirei gazed at the Shadowkhan and murmured to himself, "Truly impressive, Caster. Even I cannot suppress the curiosity in my heart. Just what kind of being are you?"

He knew Shendu's Noble Phantasm was a Reality Marble, and he knew Shendu had the power to summon the Shadowkhan. He had seen these things through Hassan's eyes. But what they faced now was the exact opposite of a localized skirmish. Summoning such a vast number of shadow-minions in the real world was a completely different concept than doing so within a Reality Marble. Furthermore, while these ninjas were slightly inferior to a Hassan in individual combat, their numbers were simply terrifying.

Just how much mana does this person have to squander?

The image of Zoran flashed through his mind, and he understood instantly. It had to be that man. He had never seen a magus capable of reaching such heights.

Inside and outside the church, there was a total silence. The Shadowkhan had manifested long ago but remained motionless, creating a suffocating atmosphere of dread. It was an agonizing wait. Kirei and Hassan were already like fish on a cutting board, yet the butcher's knife refused to fall.

This was a form of psychological torture. Sweat slid down Kirei's forehead during this cruel, drawn-out suspense. When everything else fell silent, other sounds in the church became amplified.

Tick. Tick.

Kirei touched his chest. Was it his heartbeat? Was he afraid? No. He looked back at the clock on the wall. The hands pointed to 11:59 PM. An absurd realization struck him. Kirei's lips curled, he took two steps back, and suddenly let out a bizarre laugh.

"So that's it! Hahaha! Caster's Master, you truly are an interesting man!"

"Kirei?" Risei called out.

But Kirei was lost in his own world. He stopped looking at the darkness outside and fixed his gaze on the clock. The second hand moved with the steady, unrelenting pace of a stop-motion film toward midnight.

"Is this how you derive your pleasure...?" Kirei whispered.

Risei looked at his son in bewilderment, first the inexplicable laughter, now the self-muttering. He thought the boy had finally gone mad. For Risei, the "strategies" they had discussed earlier now felt pathetic and laughable compared to the ocean of black shadows outside. While they were busy plotting, the enemy's minions had already sealed the church shut. And they had the gall to dream of the Grail.

"Kirei, what are you looking at?" He followed his son's gaze. The clock struck 12:00 AM.

Kirei spread his arms wide, as if embracing a deity. "They were waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Risei blinked.

"Now."

As the word left his lips, the windows of the church exploded inward under a surge of unbearable pressure. Thousands upon thousands of black shadows poured in, turning the shattered glass into a storm of crystalline shards.

The Shadowkhan moved.

In that instant, the moonlight, previously blocked by the wall of shadow, flooded the chapel. The light glinted off the falling glass, reflecting Kirei's face. He closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. Ten thousand ninjas of the Shadowkhan, following a single will, swarmed the interior.

In the distance, Zoran floated quietly in the sky. He looked up; the night sky after the rain was so clear that even the moonlight seemed exceptionally brilliant. His vision was perfect, and his gaze fell upon the church below, which was now almost entirely filled with black.

The cacophony of the church did not reach his ears; he only saw streaks of blood spraying from within. At a shattered window, a Hassan wearing a white mask crashed halfway through the frame. A split second later, countless shuriken embedded themselves into his forehead, neck, and torso. He died almost instantly. His limp body hung over the sill, swaying gently in the moonlight.

Kirei stood in the center of the chapel as the shadow-minions sprinted past him, slaughtering his Servant's incarnations. He did not resist; he simply listened. It was a chaotic mix of footsteps, screams, and the whistle of blades cutting through air. He listened to it like a symphony in a concert hall.

Kirei Kotomine suddenly felt a trace of genuine joy. He opened his eyes just as a pitch-black shadow expanded to fill his vision.

In the night sky, Zoran turned and drifted away. It was over. He seemed to be in high spirits, humming softly as he floated into the distance. The post-rain night was peaceful and serene.

Shendu's towering form walked along the ground, following him. One by one, shadows raced back from the direction of the church along the earth, merging into Shendu's shadow like rivers returning to the sea. He, too, looked quite pleased.

The objective had been completed the moment the clock struck 12:01. The third participant had been eliminated.

…

In an unassuming room elsewhere, Waver Velvet stared intensely at the television screen. Beside him, the muscular Rider, Alexander the Great, sat on a small bed.

The news was reporting a massacre at the Fuyuki Church last night.

"Assassin is gone too. It had to be Caster," Waver said with certainty. A look of terror crossed his face as he added, "That level of power... there's no way we can win. Maybe we should try to ally with Saber and Berserker, but even an alliance seems useless..."

He rambled on, his face full of anxiety.

THWACK—

Iskandar slapped him onto the bed with one hand.

"Rider, what was that for?!" Waver wailed.

"Fool! Even if the enemy is invincible, a King must still raise his sword!" His voice was deep and resonant as he interrogated his Master: "My Master, Waver Velvet! What was your purpose in joining this Holy Grail War?!"

"Purpose?" Waver shrank back. "I just wanted to prove myself to that arrogant teacher of mine..."

Iskandar stood up, his spirit undaunted. "Very well! Then you have already won!"

"Why?"

"Because your 'arrogant teacher,' Lancer's Master, was eliminated before you!"

"Oh, right!" Waver's eyes suddenly lit up. He realized Rider actually had a point. As a teacher and fellow participant, being knocked out before your own student was a mark of shame. He scratched his head. "Even if you're a big dummy, you're pretty good at cheering people up, Rider. Maybe we should..."

Before he could finish, Iskandar roared with a booming voice, "I shall issue a challenge to my fellow sovereign! I shall challenge Caster!"

"Ehhh—?! Rider! You'll die!"