The Ultimate Lich King of the Multiverse

"Oh… You mean in terms of raw power? Indeed, a man who can go toe-to-toe with a Servant in direct combat is certainly dangerous."

Kotomine Risei nodded in agreement.

He and Kirei had seen everything through Assassin's eyes—Yoru's battle with the now-eliminated rogue Servant. They couldn't help but be impressed by the sheer power Yoru displayed.

Kirei looked at his father. That might have been part of the danger—but not all of it. The unease he felt ran deeper, though he had no intention of explaining it.

"For now, we can pretty much confirm that the Servant who's been eliminated was the real Caster. That leaves the identity of this girl named Flandre open to question."

"If that eliminated Servant was indeed the true Caster, then that only leaves the Berserker class unaccounted for."

"But… while Berserkers might not always be mindless, that girl is far too composed. It's hard to believe she's a Berserker…"

Risei frowned. It truly didn't add up.

A Berserker wasn't necessarily rabid—but someone like Flandre, who could sit, speak, and act with full awareness? That just didn't make sense.

"That girl… you could believe she's any class except Berserker."

"…For now, we'll just have to treat her as if she's Berserker," Kirei said.

"Yes, for the time being. But we must notify Tokiomi immediately. If they continue assuming she's a low-tier Caster, they might suffer a major loss."

Risei's tone was grim. Kirei nodded and turned to leave—only to be stopped by his father once more.

"Wait—there's one more crucial detail. That Servant named Flandre… is most likely not human. Or at least, wasn't human before becoming a Heroic Spirit. She belongs to some race that avoids daylight."

Risei's eyes narrowed in recollection. Her sluggish behavior earlier made him think of a certain very familiar kind of creature.

"From her behavior… she really reminds me of a vampire."

"A vampire, huh?" Kirei mused. "If that's the case, the King of Heroes likely has plenty of anti-vampire Noble Phantasms in his treasury."

"Exactly," Risei said, nodding firmly. "Even if she's not technically a vampire, she's definitely some nocturnal race. Anti-vampire weapons might prove surprisingly effective."

"I understand, Father. I'll report this to my teacher, Tokiomi."

"Yes. And have your Servant continue monitoring them closely. I feel like our greatest enemy in this war… is that outsider summoned by the Einzberns."

No—

There's someone else.

Kirei kept that last thought to himself. His true greatest threat wasn't Yoru.

It was Kiritsugu Emiya—the elusive and dangerous mage killer. Even someone like Yoru didn't quite match him in Kirei's estimation.

Because Kirei couldn't understand him.

In Yoru's eyes, Kirei saw purpose—conviction, even love. That man clearly cherished his wife.

But in Emiya Kiritsugu's eyes… there was only emptiness, just like Kirei's own.

What do you seek from the Holy Grail… Kiritsugu Emiya?

◇

"So we… really got it this easily? An extra Command Spell?"

Irisviel still sounded disbelieving as they left the church.

"It's normal," Yoru replied. "As Overseer, they can't tamper with the Command Spell handout—not with so many eyes on them. Their real goal was probably just to figure out who Flandre really is."

"So… Flandre's hidden identity has been exposed?"

"At this point, there's no hiding it anymore." Yoru sighed.

"Everyone saw the magic cast by the real Caster before he died. That ruled him out as a Berserker. So there's no way anyone's going to keep treating Flandre as a Caster."

He paused, brow furrowed.

"And more than that—her species might've also been guessed. To a church Overseer, vampires aren't exactly a foreign concept."

"…They figured that out too?" Irisviel's face grew pale.

"If they know Flandre is a vampire, then targeting her becomes far too easy."

"It's just preparing for the worst," Yoru said. "They might not be sure, but suspicion is definitely there. If one of the enemy Servants has an anti-vampire Noble Phantasm, it wouldn't hurt to try using it."

"Don't worry, Master,"

Flandre's carefree voice rang out from the side.

"I'm a Heroic Spirit now—the perfect form of life. So all the weaknesses I used to have as a vampire? Gone. The only reason I feel sleepy during the day is habit."

She grinned playfully.

"And I'm not the type to get taken down by a weapon. If the weapon can't land a hit, it doesn't matter how effective it is. And if it does hit me in the heart, well—any weapon would kill a Servant at that point, not just one with a special attribute."

"…You're not wrong," Yoru admitted. "But be cautious all the same."

"Of course, Master~"

Flandre sang out with a smile.

"I won't let the Scarlet name be tarnished on my watch. If that happened, my dear sister would definitely be upset, don't you think?"

Yoru's concern was answered with a teasing lilt in her voice.

The group quietly made their way back to the Einzbern estate, far from the bustle of Fuyuki City.

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