Chapter 51: Uniting as One

My name is Illya.

I have just transferred the magic crest to Sola.

113:24:15

Whoosh—

At high noon, accompanied by swirling billows of black mist, the Assassin finally "reset." However, it was not the full roster returning as Tohsaka Tokiomi had hoped. Out of a total of seventy-nine Hassans, only four rematerialized—precisely the "Four Heavenly Kings," as Ryunosuke jokingly named them.

Tohsaka Tokiomi, who had already gathered everyone to discuss the upcoming tactical strategy, was forced to cut his speech short.

"What is the meaning of this?" Seeing his master's displeased expression, Kirei Kotomine asked one of the Assassins. Compared to the taciturn Gozer, the frivolous and rash Makur, and the misleading Melt, the pragmatic and obedient Zayd was the best subject for inquiry.

"The total number has reached the upper limit," Zayd replied, gesturing slightly toward Emil, who was hiding behind Kirei Kotomine.

"...!" The little girl-shaped Assassin immediately shrank backward. Yet, this precisely proved that she was different from before; lacking sapience, she would normally have been incapable of reacting unless directly affected, whereas Zayd had merely raised his hand casually, without even completing a definitive pointing motion.

"What is going on?" Kotomine asked the same question, but this time addressing Emil.

"Hmph..." Emil uttered the very first word since her summoning, even though it was merely a meaningless breathy exhalation.

"Eh? Emil, you came out from in there? Will there be any consequences?" The one who reacted the most strongly was none other than Uryu Ryunosuke. He trotted right over, squatted down to match the height of the little Assassin, and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Emil blinked her eyes and then slowly nodded. Once again, this was her first reaction to "language."

"Oh my, Junior Disciple, look—" "Let Kotomine finish, Ryunosuke."

Ryunosuke, who had intended to fool around, was interrupted by Tokiomi. He simply shrugged, spread his hands, and walked off to the side.

"Why haven't the others appeared?" "Hmph—"

Kotomine realized that Emil could still only produce a breathy sound and was unable to answer his question, so he turned back to Zayd.

"Heh, the four of us are called the Four Heavenly Kings by you people, but the slots we occupy are merely double those of ordinary Assassins," Zayd pointed at the other Assassins before looking at Emil. "As for *her*, her manifestation takes up seventy-two slots. Therefore, the 'existence' known as Assassin is currently complete right here."

"What are the benefits once she 'emerges'?" Tohsaka Tokiomi's primary concern was combat effectiveness under such circumstances.

"If we are defeated, we will immediately be reborn by her side," answered Makur the Swift in a shrill voice.

"Within a certain range, combat power increases," Gozer of the Monstrous Arm rumbled like a cracked bell.

"If necessary, she can channel the power of up to seventy-two Assassins into one of us, though those seventy-two poor souls will never be able to come out again, hehehehe—" Melt of the Hundred Faces let out an eerie chuckle.

"Should she die, all of us will vanish as well," Zayd of the Foundation added at last.

"Hmm..." Tohsaka Tokiomi began to ponder how to utilize this mutated Assassin.

Using her as a scout like before was obviously out of the question, and given that intelligence between the factions was practically transparent, scouting was no longer necessary anyway. However, her current abilities seemed skewed toward close-quarters assassination—wasn't that what Assassins were meant for in the first place?

"What are you trying to express, Emil? Take your time and speak~" Seeing his master fall into deep thought, Ryunosuke went back to coaxing Emil to talk, while Kirei Kotomine frowned slightly.

If she truly had attained sapience, he probably wouldn't be able to look after her the way he used to, Kotomine mused. Children throwing tantrums could be terribly troublesome; perhaps he should just dump her on Ryunosuke's care—after all, the man seemed to be quite fond of Emil—

"...Father!"

Upon hearing Emil finally coaxed by Ryunosuke into uttering that complete word, Kirei Kotomine's entire aura instantly turned sharply dangerous, his piercing gaze reminiscent of a battlefield from his days as an Executor.

"Uh... I think she meant 'Father' as in the priest..." Ryunosuke, watching Emil shout that title at Kotomine, raised both hands to signal his innocence while hastily backing away.

The "Four Heavenly Kings" had already retreated far into the distance. Even Tohsaka Tokiomi, who had just finished his deliberation, had no idea what to say at the moment. The towering man and the little girl stood facing each other, looking as though they might remain that way until the end of time, until an arrogant voice rang out within the room.

"Hahahaha! It hasn't been long, yet you've prepared such a high-class amusement for this King. Impressive, Kotomine."

Countless golden points of light materialized in the void, and in the next instant, they traced out the imposing phantom of a king according to a predetermined trajectory. A blinding golden radiance then burst forth from the phantom, and the majestic figure transformed from ethereal to corporeal, stepping down from the air.

The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, had descended.

"Welcome back, my King." Tokiomi immediately bowed in salute. Ryunosuke hastily scrambled to his feet as well, while the Assassin "Four Heavenly Kings" had long since hidden away into the shadows without a trace.

Emil seemed to be utterly terrified of Gilgamesh. When she tried to duck behind Kotomine as she usually did, she found that Kotomine was still maintaining that dangerous aura and even took two steps back to refuse her approach. Left with no choice, she could only stand frozen in place, looking timidly at the golden Heroic Spirit.

"Oh? Look who we have here." Gilgamesh strode up to Emil, his crimson eyes scanning the teary-eyed little girl with a critical gaze. As time passed, expressions of disappointment and disgust began to gather on his face.

"Disappear before this King." The golden monarch delivered his verdict.

The three Masters present were startled simultaneously. Kotomine broke out of his dangerous state almost immediately, and before any of them could speak, the King of Heroes continued.

"In you, this King sees no value that surpasses the other seventy-two subordinates combined. Vanish at once and swap out those barely useful mediocrities."

Since there was no intention of executing her outright, there was no need to risk incurring the King's wrath with advice. Moreover, based on the previous explanation, she indeed lacked the comparative value of the remaining expendable Assassins, so Tohsaka Tokiomi abandoned his intent to speak.

Involving Emil—the true body of this Assassin form—in the Holy Grail War was simply too dangerous. Kirei Kotomine and Uryu Ryunosuke's thoughts synchronized in that exact moment. Unlike her previous state, where she could only be judged as an ordinary human, once the Heavenly Kings respawned near her more than twice, other Masters would inevitably piece the clues together and target her. Therefore, sending her back to whatever "place" she came from was the best course of action.

"Hey..." Emil muttered, keeping her head down.

"Hmm?" Gilgamesh wore a stern expression. "What are you still waiting for?"

"—NO." Emil, head still lowered, abruptly popped out a single word, and in the next instant, she dissolved into a plume of black smoke and drifted swiftly out of the room.

"Is this what you meant when you said she had no other abilities?" Kirei Kotomine asked the Assassins hiding in the shadows with an icy tone.

"Th-That's just our basic Assassin ability. It's only natural that she knows it too..." Melt of the Hundred Faces stammered evasively.

She felt entirely like an ordinary human perceptually, yet she could pull off a trick like that? If used for assassination...

"Kotomine, Ryunosuke, go and track down Ass—Emil immediately. It's still daytime, so the other factions shouldn't make any moves," Tohsaka Tokiomi briskly assigned tasks. "You four—you Four Strongmen, split up to monitor the Einzbern and Kayneth factions."

"My King, this was merely an accident." Once all the subordinates' movements had been arranged, Tokiomi turned back to face the seemingly displeased Gilgamesh. "Your servant guarantees that you will not feel discomfort due to a lack of subordinates."

Therefore, please do not raise the subject of sending her back again.

"Hmph, that is your duty." Dropping those words, the King of Heroes dissolved back into spirit particles and vanished.

112:34:51

Boom—boom—clang!

In the courtyard of the secluded western-style mansion, the fountain, benches, and flower beds had been blasted into a chaotic mess by the aftermath of magical combat, and several pre-set magic barrier nodes had been completely shattered. Yet, Kayneth did not harbor a single complaint about this.

Because the two parties engaged in combat were his fiancée and a mystic code he had crafted with his own hands.

"Luna, come on, hit this one, hit this one—" "[As you command, my Queen.]"

Besides, this could hardly be called a battle; it simply looked like two young ladies who had both newly acquired powers showing off to each other... or so it seemed.

Luna had originally only possessed self-awareness and transformed herself based on other people or objects she had encountered in order to fight. However, after fusing with Galahad under unclear circumstances and becoming a Heroic Spirit, she had further unlocked her Noble Phantasm with Caster's assistance. Although her aesthetic of wielding a single-edged sword in one hand and a tower shield in the other was somewhat peculiar, she at least possessed sufficient combat capability.

As for Sola, she had just undergone the transplantation of Caster's magic crests. While the mystery of why the Einzbern Winter Maiden possessed the magic crests of a severed-lineage family remained questionable, the power Sola gained was undeniable. She had ultimately chosen a family crest passed down for five generations that resonated deeply with her dual Fire and Earth attributes. It allowed her to summon sturdy earth walls and rock golems akin to familiars, though both came with time limits. Furthermore—

"Luna! Get ready!" "[Standing by at all times!]"

Kayneth felt a terrifying scale of magical energy beginning to gather in Sola's hands, while Luna slammed the shield of her Noble Phantasm directly down into the ground.

"Pyroblast!" "[The Immovable Object!]"

Sola and Luna chanted simultaneously—one casting a spell of destructive flame, the other invoking the incantation to release her Noble Phantasm. The next instant, amidst the collision of a giant fireball and the phantom of a resilient shield, another patch of lawn, streetlamp, and cobblestone path was thoroughly obliterated.

"Caster, what is your objective?" Kayneth glanced sidelong once more at the Winter Maiden floating beside him, who was watching Sola and Luna spar with enthusiastic interest, and finally couldn't help asking.

Whether it was the previous cooperation agreement or the assistance provided thus far, everything had massively increased his faction's strength. Meanwhile, the Einzbern faction, to which she herself belonged, had completely ceased all activities—which Kayneth deduced was likely due to recuperating from mutual destruction with their adversaries.

To put it bluntly, as long as he could deal with that golden Heroic Spirit, the Holy Grail could be considered securely within his grasp. Yet under such circumstances, Caster acted as if she couldn't care less.

"Hehe~ Guess?" Caster blinked mischievously, then suddenly gazed off toward the city center. "Well, I must be going. You'll understand why I'm doing all this very soon."

With those words, she dissolved into a chilling wind laced with snowflakes and vanished without a trace.