At 2 a.m., the chirping of insects broke the silence of the night.
Souta and Rin arrived at the Fuyuki branch of the Holy Church.
In the dark, the church looked like a haunted house. Even though it was a place of worship, it couldn't dispel the eerie atmosphere created by nature.
"Rin, you've figured out how to deal with Kotomine Kirei, right?"
Before entering, Souta asked the girl walking beside him.
"I guess... stab him with a dagger?"
"Stab to wound or stab to kill?"
Rin gripped her "anti-teacher Noble Phantasm," her tone uncertain.
She truly hated Kotomine Kirei, but after so many years together, there were still lingering feelings.
So now, she hesitated. Should she really kill the man in the church who hadn't even done anything—yet?
Souta saw through the emotions on Rin's face. After a moment, he pulled her aside and said:
"I've got a plan—want to hear it?"
"Huh?" Rin looked puzzled. "Don't tell me you've already planned out how to deal with Kirei?"
"Yep, I have. But he's your father's killer and the one who ruined your mother's life. I figured you'd want revenge, so I didn't bring it up."
Souta didn't hide anything and told her plainly.
He hadn't experienced the tragedy of losing both parents like Rin, so he couldn't truly empathize. Naturally, he wouldn't preach about forgiveness or tell her to let go of her hate.
Lots of people talk about forgiveness so easily—because they don't understand hatred... Wait, who said that again?
"Anyway," Souta continued, "if you want to personally take him down, I won't interfere. But... you seem hesitant?"
"Am I that easy to read?"
Rin rubbed her cheeks, almost wanting a mirror to check her face.
She glanced at Souta and sighed softly:
"My feelings right now... are a bit complicated. If it were the future Kotomine Kirei, I could probably stab him to death without hesitation. But the Kirei now hasn't done anything yet. If I just kill him ... Souta, you won't blame me for not being able to go through with it, right?"
"Of course not. You didn't go after a young Matou Shinji either, and I didn't say anything about that, did I?"
Souta smiled, and using his height advantage, gently ruffled Rin's hair.
"That just shows you have principles, that you have a moral line you won't cross. That's a good thing. Far from disliking it, I actually admire it."
Rin's cheeks turned a little red, but she didn't push away his hand.
She glanced at the church's front door and said softly:
"I haven't decided how to deal with Kotomine Kirei yet. What was that plan of yours—the one you were going to shelve? Can you tell me?"
"Kirei has a daughter named Caren," Souta sighed. "Her life is similar to Sakura's in some ways—tragic, really. So I was planning to implant a suggestion in Kirei, make him protect and care for his daughter, and stop him from stirring up trouble. In a way, that's like erasing the sadistic personality he's about to awaken."
"Yeah, Caren Hortensia."
Souta recalled as he explained:
"When she was nine, she awakened to a special constitution—a spirit medium with a masochistic affinity. The Church turned her into a weapon to combat demons. The method? She lures people possessed by demons into attacking her, and uses her body's special properties to purify or expel the demons."
"..." Rin's expression twisted with disgust. "The Holy Church... that's absolutely revolting."
"Caren isn't even nine yet. If Kirei can protect her, the future won't turn out that way."
Souta looked her in the eyes and asked:
"What do you think of that plan?"
"Make him become a good father...? Let's go with your idea."
Rin didn't hesitate for long before agreeing.
With the matter settled, they didn't delay any longer and walked straight toward the church's front doors.
Clearly, neither of them had any intention of sneaking around—they were ready to bulldoze their way in.
After all, Assassin—Hundred-Faced Hassan—wasn't King Hassan or anything. He wasn't that strong. The only problem was that he'd split into too many copies, which made it hard to take them all out at once.
And with his A+ rank Presence Concealment, tracking him was difficult. The only way to flush him out was to threaten his Master's life.
Rin didn't hesitate—she had Lancelot kick the church doors wide open.
With a deafening crash, the noise woke the sleeping occupants inside.
She had always wanted to do this at least once—and now, in this timeline, she finally got her wish.
Souta used his spiritual sense to detect the souls inside the church. He couldn't tell which one was Kirei, but searching each one wouldn't take long.
As luck would have it, the very first one they checked was the right one!
Whoosh—the sound of blades slicing through the air.
Startled by the noise, Kotomine Kirei kicked open the door to his bedroom.
In an instant, he hurled three Black Keys toward the approaching Rin.
Clang! Metal clashed as Lancelot materialized, easily blocking the keys with his armored hand.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking the neutral Church?"
Kirei's father, Kotomine Risei, arrived just then and shouted at Souta and the others.
Souta glanced at him, then casually raised a hand and used divine power to cast a sleep spell, knocking him out cold.
Watching his father collapse, Kirei's expression flickered.
He abandoned Tokiomi's orders on the spot and called forth the Assassin, who had been hiding beside him under Presence Concealment.
"Assassin—hold them off!"
With that, he ran toward Risei, apparently trying to escape with his father.
At the same time, several shadowy figures wearing skull masks rushed at Souta and Rin, knives silently targeting their vital points.
Their assassination technique was so refined, their blades made no sound at all—a true art form of silent death.
Unfortunately, they were up against the worst possible enemy.
Souta spoke softly, activating a special domain within the church basement.
Instantly, all five Assassins attempting to attack froze like insects trapped in amber, unable to move.
Only Souta and the berserk Lancelot remained in motion.
It wasn't true time stop, but rather an energy-created zone of warped time.
If your energy level was high enough, you could resist its effects.
Souta hadn't bothered to freeze Lancelot—it wasn't necessary.
He glanced at the five immobilized shadows and smiled knowingly.