258 The Mastermind?

Arkhan raised his hand, and Oath of Judah's chains immediately released EMIYA and dispersed.

"Well, now that the situation is clear, let's move on to the next step. But to avoid exposing your identity, I'll temporarily refer to you as Assassin. How does that sound?" Arkhan asked.

EMIYA pulled his mask back up silently, nodding in agreement.

"Then..." Arkhan's pitch-black eyes revealed an indescribable depth. "Tell me, Assassin, what is the source of this world crisis?"

As a guardian of the 'World', EMIYA naturally carried the will of the 'World'. This allowed him to see the source of the crisis more clearly and take reasonable measures to end it, saving human order with maximum efficiency.

On this point, even Arkhan couldn't compare unless he was willing to make a contract with the 'World' and become an agent of the Counter Force.

But doing the grunt work for the Counter Force? Forget it.

Hearing the question, EMIYA fell silent for a moment, then shook his head slowly.

"I don't know the source of this world crisis."

"Do you still not believe me?" Arkhan frowned slightly. 

"No, with the power you possess, you can't be an enemy of the world in any way." EMIYA's tone remained unchanged. "But I can't see clearly where this crisis is coming from. However, I have encountered him."

"Him?" Arkhan paused for a moment, then suddenly snapped back. "You mean you've met the one who's causing this world crisis?"

"Yes." EMIYA nodded slightly. "When I was summoned to this world, I received the order of the Counter Force—Prevent Caster Gilles de Rais from being summoned."

"Caster..." Arkhan furrowed his brow slightly. He hadn't expected that things would come full circle, ending up with this French Marshal again.

But following the normal trajectory, even if Gilles were successfully summoned, the most outrageous thing he could do was summon a giant sea demon like in the original work, risking the exposure of 'Mystery' to the common people. This was a far cry from the crisis that could lead to the world's demise.

If, in the case of the sea demons running amok and the Counter Force sent an agent to stop them, that would be acceptable. But sending an agent just to prevent Gilles's arrival seemed a bit exaggerated.

However, since the Counter Force did so, it indicated that Gilles's arrival was undoubtedly related to the crisis that could potentially lead to the world's destruction.

Thinking about the gunshot wound behind Ryuunosuke, Arkhan touched his chin thoughtfully.

"So, you were the one who killed Caster's Master?"

"Since I must prevent Caster's arrival, killing his Master is the fastest and simplest way. I don't see any problem with that." EMIYA responded calmly.

"Heh, as expected of you..." Arkhan sighed in resignation, then furrowed his brow. "But if you've already killed the Master, why was Caster still summoned?"

"Unfortunately, by the time I identified Caster's Master, he had already summoned Caster." EMIYA explained.

Arkhan's expression turned somewhat strange.

"Didn't the Counter Force tell you in advance about the Master's identity?"

"The Counter Force is only responsible for issuing orders and providing magical energy. It won't interfere with anything else. How to handle it is up to me to decide." EMIYA said with an unchanged tone.

'What a bullshit...' Arkhan cursed in his heart.

"Back then, I concealed myself in the shadows, cutting off my presence with every breath. I seized the opportunity to kill Caster's Master. I thought that would make Caster disappear, but his existence was temporarily sustained by a grimoire he held. I decided to use my Noble Phantasm to destroy the grimoire as soon as possible. However, out of nowhere, a man engulfed in black flames appeared, blocking my path."

"A man engulfed in black flames... Is that the mastermind you're talking about, the one causing this world crisis?" Arkhan squinted his eyes.

"As soon as you meet that man, you'll understand why I say that. He lacks any reason or wisdom, only pure destruction and madness. I've dealt with many like him before, but compared to him, they were child's play." EMIYA shook his head slightly. "That man is almost beyond the scope of human, fallen into a different entity."

"How can you be sure that man is human?" Arkhan asked.

"Because he has magic circuits." EMIYA took out an ordinary-looking knife. "This knife bears my origin. It inflicts lethal damage if it hits magic circuits or magic crests. When that man intervened, I distinctly felt I hit his magic circuits."

"If that's the case, why didn't you pursue him when you had the upper hand?"

Arkhan remembered that, according to the police investigation, there were no signs of intense combat at the scene. It indicated that EMIYA chose not to engage in a deadly battle with Gilles and that mysterious man.

"My knife only affects magic circuits near the wound. A mere scratch wouldn't have a significant impact on him. Besides, Caster was present at the time. As an Assassin, I couldn't handle two powerful mages simultaneously. Once my Noble Phantasm duration ended, I would be at a disadvantage. In that situation, other than escaping, what other choice did I have?" EMIYA explained nonchalantly.

Arkhan scrutinized EMIYA and nodded.

"You have a point. Facing two mages simultaneously would indeed be challenging for you."

EMIYA furrowed his brow slightly, feeling that this man seemed to be implying something.

'Just as I thought, someone foresaw Caster's arrival in advance. No, perhaps that black-flame guy arranged Caster's arrival...' Arkhan felt this mystery was getting even more messed up.

Thinking about the Counter Force's attitude and the mysterious appearance of Prelati's Spellbook in the Matou residence, he realized that Gilles's arrival this time was probably not just a coincidence.

The mastermind probably targeted Ryuunosuke from the start, intending to summon Gilles through him.

Even though the mystery of Ryuunosuke's and Gilles's deaths was solved, Arkhan's mind was filled with more questions.

'What is that guy's objective? What does Caster have that's worth such an elaborate plan?'

'Is it for Prelati's Spellbook? But if so, why did he easily hand it over to Zouken? Or was this part of his plan all along?'

'But there's one crucial question left... Who is that black-flame guy?'

Arkhan pondered for a moment, then looked at EMIYA.

"Is Kotomine Risei that black-flame man and the mastermind behind all this?"

"No." EMIYA answered flatly.

"Then why did you kill him?" Arkhan asked with a puzzled tone.

EMIYA fell silent for a moment, contemplating how to explain.