The journey of dragon transformation starting from Demon Slayer

"..."

Kirei looked carefully and soon found the important information.

He murmured, "My body was eaten by insects, as if I had been severely tortured and abused..."

"This place that was bitten by insects... looks a bit like a magic circuit..."

At this time, Shichen suddenly said: "If nothing unexpected happens, he should have been exterminated, right? After all, the Holy Grail War is imminent, and he suddenly went abroad at this time without the protection of that person, which undoubtedly confirmed his identity as a traitor..."

"Given the control that old man has over Matou, it's not surprising that this happened..."

The name Matou Zouken has appeared countless times in the position of the head of the Matou family.

It was only after investigation that Tokiomi realized how horrific the control this old man had over "Matou" was.

The reason why Matou Kariya was left alone in the beginning was probably to sit back and watch Kariya being harassed by the demonic creature.

I have to say it fits the style of a fallen magician.

"But I always feel that he does this for a different reason..."

Tokiomi's words caused Kirei to think deeply.

He thought about the old man who looked like a blood-sucking worm, and soon thought of the famous "Dead Apostles" in the church.

The behavior patterns of the two have a certain degree of commonality, and Zang Yan can only do...

"I think you value the magic circuits in him, right?"

"I have read a report about Matou before, which contains detailed information about the two brothers Matou Tsuruno and Matou Kariya..."

"Now that Matou Kariya has become the Master, is Matou Zouken doing this for Matou Tsuruno's magic circuit?"

"For example, using some means to enhance the Master..."

"Of course, this is just a guess..."

Tokiomi nodded: "Yeah, that's true... Let's put the possibility of 'being liquidated' at the top of our priority list..."

"Speaking of that corrupted magus, I wouldn't be surprised if he did anything..."

"Let's talk about other important things..." Tokiomi paused and asked his disciple, "Kirei, were you not seen by others when you entered this house?"

"After all, we are already enemies on the surface..."

"Hostile relationship" was a lie made up by Tōsaka Tokiomi.

Not long ago, he and his disciples jointly spread this false news. The reason for doing so was to confuse the masters.

Although Kirei had been chosen by the Holy Grail three years ago, under Tokiomi's orders, he had been carefully hiding the seal on his right hand, and only announced the news of his acquisition of the Command Seals this month.

It was from that time that the relationship between him and his master Tokiomi was broken due to the fight for the Holy Grail.

Of course, because it was fake news, the two of them were still in an alliance behind the scenes.

"Please don't worry. With Assassin here, my whereabouts won't be known to anyone..."

Tokiomi breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good..."

"But speaking of which, Kirei..."

"I feel like your expression has become more expressive recently. Did something happy happen to you?"

Kirei had not made his treatment known to the public, especially to Kirei himself. He could not possibly tell his father or the teacher in front of him about his defects.

His father was very concerned about him because he had a son in his old age. He thought it was a gift from God and named him Kirei. The Japanese homonym means pure and beautiful.

Kirei has always lived up to his father's expectations. Although his life has been very confusing, he has been searching for his goals while walking on the road unswervingly.

The reason why he didn't tell his father was because Kirei knew that his father couldn't help him change. Even with such a close relationship, he couldn't detect his true nature. He felt that there was no need to tell his father.

And his teacher is a magician who may not be able to empathize with his own experiences.

Coupled with his and his father's identical comments, Kirei realized several times the invisible wall that existed between them.

"..."

Kirei was silent for a moment, and then a tired expression appeared on his face.

“It may not be a good thing…”

"Is that so... Sorry, I am being rude..."

Tokiomi was slightly stunned, then apologized decisively, chose to skip this topic, and turned to talk about other things.

"By the way, the holy relic I prepared was delivered this morning! Kirei..."

"That is a Heroic Spirit who is no less powerful than any Servant! I believe that under his might, the enemy will be defeated..."

Tokiomi smiled with satisfaction, his expression full of his unique pride and confidence.

"Let's prepare for the summoning tonight! Since there's no one else watching, Kirei should come and participate. It would be best if you can ask your father to come as well."

Kirei asked doubtfully, "Will father also participate?"

Tokiomi nodded: "Yes, if the summoning is successful, victory will basically be ours!"

“Of course, it would be even better if that adult could not make trouble…” Tokiomi’s tone was a little sour, but he quickly recovered: “At least now, I want everyone to share this joy together!”

However, the moment Tokiomi finished speaking, the jewel device on the table began to shake again.

Kirei said: "It seems there is something else..."

"Ok?"

Tokiomi was stunned: "Oh~! That's another investigation matter, not the latest news!"

"I asked them to investigate a man who may become the Master of the Einzbern family..."

After a while, the ink-soaked gem stopped resonating, and Tokiomi pulled out the paper underneath and carefully read the personal information about Emiya Kiritsugu.

Tokiomi had known about this person nine years ago.

About nine years ago, the Einzbern, who always boasted of their pure bloodline, suddenly recruited a foreign magician as their son-in-law. This incident was quite famous in the association at the time.

You have to know that the magicians of the Einzbern family specialize in alchemy and are not suitable for fighting with others. The reason why they were defeated in the Holy Grail War in the past was due to this reason. So it can be seen what kind of person the magician they found is.

Of course, if you are not paying attention to this family, you will definitely not take this information to heart.

After all, it was just that a certain family suddenly recruited a son-in-law.

Unless this son-in-law is the monarch of the Clock Tower, he is not that important.

However, this incident had a different meaning for Tokiomi.

He was keenly aware that this man might become his enemy in the future, so he began to collect intelligence about him early on.

After quickly reading Emiya Kiritsugu's information, Tokiomi handed the investigation report in his hand to Kirei who was standing beside him.

Kirei saw the beginning of "Investigation Report: Emiya Kiritsugu" at a glance, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Emiya Kiritsugu... I've heard this name before. He seems to be a very dangerous person..."

Tokiomi showed a surprised expression.

"Hmm? Is this guy already so famous? I didn't expect that even the Holy Church has heard of him..."

As he spoke, Tokiomi began to sigh, “When it comes to the ‘Magician Killer’ Emiya, he was notorious at the time!”

"On the surface, he is a loner who does not belong to the association. But secretly, he has done countless shady things for the people in the organization..."

Kirei understood, and said, "So it's almost the same as an agent, right?"

Tokiomi sneered: "Humph, you underestimated him, because this guy's behavior is even worse than the agent..."

"Although the Church's agents also carry out assassinations, their methods are not as sinister as Emiya Kiritsugu's."

"He's like a professional killer who specializes in targeting magicians. And because he's a magician, he understands magicians very well."

Finally, Tokiomi concluded with a sharp look in his eyes: "He persecutes magicians in the most un-magician-like way, and doesn't care even if it means using despicable fighting methods. To put it bluntly, he is that kind of person."

Tokiomi's disgusted tone made Kirei slightly interested in the man called Emiya Kiritsugu.

Kirei had indeed heard rumors about him before, because this man had once been in opposition to the Holy Church, so he had also been warned to pay special attention to this man and to act with caution when he met him.

However, despite saying so, Kirei never met Emiya Kiritsugu once. Instead, he went to a seminary, got married after graduation, and then obtained the Command Seals after his wife's death.

Just at this time, Tokiomi found his father and said that he wanted to take him as his apprentice, so he temporarily put aside his job as an agent and turned around to learn magic from Tokiomi.

Now, after so many years, seeing this name on paper documents again, especially when he appeared as an enemy, Kirei couldn't help but feel a little curious.

Kirei carefully read the information Tokiomi gave him, most of which was about Emiya Kiritsugu's tactical research.

For example, analysis of several mysterious deaths or disappearances of magicians suspected to be caused by him, as well as research on his methods of killing.

As he read deeper, Kirei understood more and more why He Chen was so wary of this man.

This man named Emiya Kiritsugu's actions can be described as unscrupulous.

In his eyes, sniping and poisoning are just insignificant means.

The report even mentioned that he had openly used bombs to kill people in public, or shot down a magician along with the plane he was on.

These shocking behaviors, if we don't understand the motives behind them, make us wonder whether he is a madman who is keen on terrorist attacks.

In fact, many of his crimes were classified as terrorist attacks according to civilian reports. This is a testament to how terrible this man was. The word "assassin" is indeed the most appropriate to describe him.

Kirei had studied magic under Tokiomi for three years and knew that disputes between magicians often turned into mutual attacks.

However, despite this, these battles are often simply a show of magic, resolved in a manner similar to a duel.

The Holy Grail War is the same in this respect.

Although it is called "war", it is by no means a disorderly and indiscriminate killing. Several regulations and iron rules must be strictly followed.

And in Emiya Kiritsugu's battle reports, there was no record of him ever using "normal magus methods" to fight.

To be frank, if the future "Holy Grail War" is really messed up, this man will definitely be the one who deserves the most credit.

“Magicians are a group of people who transcend the secular laws. They have abilities and wisdom beyond ordinary people, as well as sufficiently ambitious desires and goals. Although they have great power, it does not mean that magicians can do whatever they want and ignore morality and laws.”

"On the contrary, it is precisely because we have such great power that we need to strictly restrain our behavior."

Seeing Tokiomi begin to talk nonstop, Kirei chose to listen quietly to the side.

“However, this man named Emiya is completely unscrupulous and has no dignity as a magician. I can never forgive such a shameless person as him!” Tokiomi’s face was full of anger, while Kirei on the side was silent, as if he was thinking about something.

Soon, Kirei could not help but murmur: "Dignity..."

At this time, Tokiomi nodded and said affirmatively: "Yes, this man must have gone through rigorous training when he became a magician in the past. If he can achieve such success today, he must have some kind of belief in his heart that supported him to endure the hardships of training."

"In my opinion, even after a magician gains power, he must never forget his original belief."

This is how Tokiomi came all the way, but there is one thing only Kirei knows.

In this world, there are some foolish people who immerse themselves in rigorous training without any purpose.

After a few seconds of silence, Kirei asked, "Can I borrow this document to take a look?"

"You can take it. I hope you can study its contents carefully for me. I still have to prepare for the summoning ceremony tonight."

Hearing Tokiomi say this, Kirei walked out of the underground magic workshop with the investigation report on Emiya Kiritsugu.

In the corridor of the Tōsaka family, Kirei happened to run into Tokiomi's two daughters, who were dragging large suitcases and looked like they were preparing to go on a long journey.

"Hello, Rin, Sakura..."

Rin was silent for a second: "...Hello, Kirei."

Although her tone was a little unnatural, Rin still answered politely.

Sakura, on the other hand, was more straightforward and responded directly and obediently.

"Hello, Uncle Kirei..."

Because of the regular treatment, Kirei can now appreciate the cuteness of the little girl.

When seeing the two little ladies in front of him, Kirei couldn't help but think of his own child. He wondered how she was doing now.