Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1022: Everyone’s gathered

Do you remember Natalia's evaluation of Kiritsugu Emiya?

A natural-born killer, someone who could completely separate his emotions from his actions.

No matter how conflicted, how torn, how unwilling he might feel inside, once he held a gun, there would be no hesitation.

After saying what he needed to say, Kiritsugu raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

At the same moment, Acht began to chant: "—Straße/gehen!"

Though he had been evading and running all this time, that didn't mean Acht was a helpless weakling without any combat ability.

Maybe he had been in the past, but certainly not now. The existence of combat-type homunculi suggested that the Einzberns had started to focus on the combat capabilities of magus, even those not Servants. As the head of the family, Acht wasn't foolish enough to come to Fuyuki for the Holy Grail War without any combat training. What he was using now was...

Don't forget, he was created by the Father of Homunculi himself, designed to carry out his will. The materials and techniques used were the finest, and his performance was excellent, second only to the likes of Irisviel and Illya, who were Justeaze-class homunculi, miniature Holy Grails.

His previously cowardly behavior was not just a result of the Einzbern's lack of combat prowess, but also because he needed to conserve energy to supply Heracles with mana.

Controlling Heracles in the Berserker class was extremely difficult, requiring a tremendous amount of mental and magical energy — the highest consumption in the current Holy Grail War. The fact that Acht had supported him this long without Heracles going berserk was a testament to Acht's capabilities.

Now, without the pressure of maintaining a Servant, and with his life on the line, he certainly wouldn't just sit back and wait to die.

The magical energy flowing through his body changed, adapting to the best possible defense. In front of him, it formed a bounded field, blocking the bullets that whistled out of Kiritsugu's silenced gun.

After deflecting an entire clip of bullets, the magical energy quickly shifted, changing to a property best suited for tearing through flesh and shattering bone. It transformed into invisible blades, aiming to destroy Kiritsugu's gun, and perhaps even tear him apart.

Kiritsugu remained still, calmly and skillfully reloading his gun, completely unconcerned by Acht's counterattack.

Because there was another, louder gunshot.

Bang — the sound of a sniper rifle, coming from a different direction, perfectly covering Kiritsugu's position.

The shooter was Maiya Hisau, Kiritsugu's assistant and his other half. Wherever Kiritsugu went, she followed, always by his side like a shadow.

The power of the sniper rifle far exceeded that of a handgun. The bullet Maiya fired easily penetrated the bounded field Acht had created, then shattered the hand he was using to channel his magic.

"Guh!"

The old man let out a pained cry, his already broken body now even worse off. The magical energy that had transformed into blades disintegrated just before it reached Kiritsugu.

Acht had far too little combat experience. He might have been able to handle ordinary people, but against a seasoned veteran like Kiritsugu, he stood no chance.

At this moment, Kiritsugu had already reloaded his gun and was raising it once again.

This time, nothing would stand between the gun's barrel and its target's head.

Just as the situation reached this dangerous climax, a soft sigh echoed through the silent forest.

The sigh carried a multitude of emotions.

There was nostalgia, sadness,

Regret, reluctance,

Guilt, and a trace of pity.

"Please don't shoot, Kiritsugu Emiya."

Tiny particles of mana floated from the bushes, gathering behind Kiritsugu and forming the silhouette of a pure white figure.

Kiritsugu's finger, which had been resting on the trigger, froze. A look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Lady Justeaze..."

"What?"

Acht's reaction was even more intense than Kiritsugu's.

Who was Justeaze? She was the ancestor of all homunculi, a woman who had sacrificed herself for the family's wish and for the noble ideal of saving all of humanity. Known as the Winter Saint, she was arguably the greatest being in the history of the Einzbern family.

How could she be here?

No, how could she even still exist? Hadn't she already sacrificed herself, becoming the Greater Grail?

Justeaze took two steps forward, looking deeply at the battered Acht, before turning back to Kiritsugu.

"Could you not kill him and leave him to me?"

"This... Alright, since it's your request."

Kiritsugu hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he lowered his gun and nodded.

If it hadn't been for Justeaze, Irisviel would have dissipated into nothingness the moment the Lesser Grail was born. Kiritsugu would remember that debt of gratitude for the rest of his life.

"Thank you."

Justeaze let out a sigh of relief and then crouched down in front of Acht. She wrapped his wounds in mana, cleaning and stopping the bleeding, then treated the injuries on his leg and shoulder.

As for the hand that Maiya had blown apart with the sniper rifle, it was beyond saving. Regular healing magecraft wouldn't work on it. So, Justeaze simply severed the ruined hand at the wrist and fashioned a new one.

Yes, you read that right. Just like changing a tire on a car — if one breaks, just replace it with a new one.

It might sound like something out of a fantasy, but for the Einzberns, this was standard procedure. Since homunculi were created with standardized parameters, they didn't have the rejection issues humans did, and there was little individual variation. If a part malfunctioned, it was replaced. When a homunculus was no longer useful, it would be discarded. This had been the Einzbern way for over two thousand years.

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However, Justeaze's method was a little different. She had come in spirit form and wasn't carrying any spare parts or materials, so she didn't rely on alchemy to create the new hand. Instead, she used magic — materializing the soul, and drawing mana to create a physical form.

It was precisely this ability that convinced Acht the woman in front of him was truly Justeaze — he had witnessed her magic firsthand. Since the passing of the legendary Third Magician, only Justeaze could recreate such a miracle.

"Is it you... Lady Justeaze?"

Acht muttered in disbelief, finally showing the demeanor of an ordinary old man.

"Yes, it's been a long time, Acht. Almost two hundred years, hasn't it? You've aged quite a bit," Justeaze said softly, helping Acht to his feet and gently patting his shoulder, like an elder sister comforting her younger brother.

"You haven't changed at all," Acht said, bowing his head, his attitude unusually respectful, completely different from how he treated the maids.

"No, I've changed a lot, so much that even I find it hard to believe," Justeaze smiled, turning her gaze toward the direction Acht had come from.

There, a man dressed in a white spiritual robe with blue hair and blue eyes was running quickly through the forest, stopping in front of them.

"What's going on here? Everyone's gathered."