Chapter 198 - 198: I Just Need Some Alone Time

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Tokiomi Tohsaka's voice, echoing through the connection forged by the Command Spells, jolted Gilgamesh. Before she could react, the world around her distorted as the forced teleportation activated.

The familiar, understated elegance of the Tohsaka mansion's living room came into focus.

Gilgamesh's crimson eyes blazed with fury. Being summoned back by Tokiomi, robbed of the chance to annihilate thatbastard child—she was livid.

"Tokiomi! Howdareyou?!" she roared, turning towards Tokiomi, who sat on the sofa.

Then, she froze.

Tokiomi Tohsaka lay slumped on the sofa, his eyes rolled back in his head, his mouth agape, drool trickling down his chin, his body emaciated andtwitchinguncontrollably, as if he were having a seizure.

Gilgamesh's face flushed crimson. She looked away, embarrassed. She knewexactlywhy he was in this state.

It was the result of her battle with Haru. She'd drawn on Tokiomi's magical energy without restraint, fueling[Ea]'s devastating power, desperate to destroy him.

[Ea], an EX-ranked Noble Phantasm, devoured magical energy like a ravenous beast. A short burst was one thing, but she'd been locked in a prolonged struggle.

Tokiomi's magical energy had been depleted in an instant, and then—she'd begun to draw on hislife force.

Click.

"What happened?" Kariya Matou entered the room, his brow furrowed in concern. He'd heard Gilgamesh's angry outburst.

Seeing Tokiomi's state, his eyes widened, and he rushed to the sofa, grabbing Tokiomi's shoulders. "Tokiomi! What's wrong?! Don't scare me!"

"He—overexerted himself," Gilgamesh said, her hand covering her face, her voice a bit awkward.

After all, Tokiomi was her Master, a subject she'd come to—respect. And his current state was entirely her fault.

"Overexerted...?" Kariya's eyes widened. As a member of a mage family, he knew that magical energy was tied to life force. This was—bad.

Rip, rip, rip...

"....."

The sound of fabric tearing.

Gilgamesh stared at Kariya, who was now undressing, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What—what are you doing?"

"Replenishing his magical energy, of course," Kariya replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He turned to Tokiomi, his face filled with concern. "Hold on, Tokiomi! I'm coming to save you!"

"I see. I'll leave him to your—care, then." Gilgamesh nodded, then turned and left the room. Normally, she might have remembered the numerous treasures within the[Gate of Babylon]capable of healing Tokiomi.

But right now, she just needed some—alone time.

She'd answered the Grail's call because someone had dared to stealherprize. She'd intended to punish the thief, to see what—amusements—this era offered.

But she'd been—shocked. Enkidu, her beloved—had borne a child withInanna, her hated rival.

Had she killed Haru in her rage, it would have been one thing.

But now, calmer, she found she couldn't bring herself to harm him. He was Enkidu's child, a part of her beloved that still lived.

Her face a mask of conflicting emotions, she walked towards an empty room in the mansion.

....

In the Church's basement, Kirei Kotomine listened to the sounds emanating from the communicator—Tokiomi and Kariya's—moans and gasps—a smile playing on his lips.

Just then, one of Hassan-i Sabbah's clones appeared beside him.

"What is it?" Kirei asked, his voice cold, his pleasure at being interrupted evident in his tone.

"I found something—unusualoutside the Church. I thought you should know," Hassan said, handing Kirei the body of a bat.

"A familiar?" Kirei's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yes. Placed just outside the barrier, clearly meant to—observethe Church."

Kirei fell silent.

This wasunexpected. The Church maintained a neutral stance in the Holy Grail War, a position ofsanctity. Any interference was met with severe penalties, including the forfeiture of Command Spells and a temporary ban from participating in the war.

Someone was taking abig riskto spy on the Church. There had to be a reason.

"Do they—suspect mywithdrawalfrom the war?" he murmured.

Then, he noticed something attached to the bat's abdomen, a small, palm-sized video camera, held in place with tape.

Magicians despised technology. It reduced theirartto meretricks. And in a Holy Grail War, the only one who would use such acrudemethod...

Kirei flipped through the files Hassan had compiled on the participating Masters. He found the answer under the Matou family's profile.

"Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer, who disregards a Magician's pride and uses any means necessary to achieve his goals..." he murmured.

Looking at Emiya's profile, he felt a strange stirring within him, a sense ofexcitement—more intense than even the pleasure he'd derived from eavesdropping on Tokiomi and Kariya.

He wanted to understand this man, thisempty shellof a human, driven by an unknown purpose, willing to destroy everything in his path to obtain the Grail.

"Abandon the Einzbern. Focus all your attention on Kiritsugu Emiya," he ordered Hassan.

"Yes, Master." Hassan vanished.

Kirei stared at the spot where Hassan had been standing, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He'd dismissed Tokiomi's orders without hesitation, without a shred of guilt.

He felt onlyexcitement. He knew, instinctively, that learning Emiya's motivations, understanding hisway of life, would fill the emptiness that had haunted him since childhood.

....

Tap—tap—tap...

Footsteps echoed on the empty street near the Fuyuki City docks.

Saber and Illyasviel turned to see Haru and Kiyohime walking towards them.

"Haru, are you alright?" Illyasviel asked, rushing into his arms, ignoring Kiyohime'sdeath glare.

"I'm fine. she was called back by her Master at the last minute," Haru replied, a hint of frustration in his voice. He could have defeated Gilgamesh.

She'd been fighting like amadwoman, desperate to kill him. But the Counter Force had intervened, limiting his power.

He understood their reasoning. His and Gilgamesh's full power, unleashed without restraint, would have devastated the planet, threatening their very existence.

And besides, he wasn't particularly eager to kill thepouty, jealousQueen of Heroes. So, when Tokiomi recalled her, he'd deactivated the[Sword of Salvation].

Saber, her gaze fixed on Haru.

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