CHAPTER 3.3 - OLD MAN ACHT

"We sent you to win the war for us, to bring us the glory we used to have," Jubstacheit slowly walked forward. His red eyes glared at Kiritsugu, and tension filled the air.

"I just want my daughter back, Acht," Kiritsugu stated while readying his M16.

"Ah yes, 'your' daughter," sneered Jubstacheit. "You break into my castle, kill many of my creations, and now you're pointing your toy at me. Yet, you still have the nerve to say that?"

"Would you let me take her if I rang the doorbell and asked nicely then?" Kiritsugu retorted sarcastically.

"Hahaha, you've got a point," Jubstacheit chuckled darkly.

This Jubstacheit von Einzbern was the eighth incarnation of his homunculus model and the current head of the Einzbern family. He had lived long and many lives at this point, with only one goal to reach—the goal given to him by his creator, who sacrificed her life to make the Holy Grail.

Decade after decade, the Einzberns honed their craft, prepared their best, and invested as much as they could to reach their goal. They failed in the first and second wars, ruined their own chance in the third war, and were betrayed in the fourth.

Preposterous!

They had given Kiritsugu everything—his wife, his daughter, the best catalyst—and they had even intended to invite him as an honorary member of their family. Yet, after all of that, he threw everything away. He already held the Grail but refused its offer.

Jubstacheit narrowed his eyes. "Tell me, Emiya, why would you throw away the Grail?"

Jubstacheit knew what this man wanted. A childish dream, yes, but surely something the Grail could easily grant.

Kiritsugu was silent, his eyes trying to discern whether Jubstacheit knew about the corruption or not.

"It was corrupted, Acht," he replied.

Jubstacheit merely raised his brows. "Surely, you jest."

An epitome of the application of magecraft at the highest degree shouldn't be something that could be corrupted.

"I'm not," Kiritsugu said with clarity. "The corrupted Grail will twist any wish, Acht. It wasn't worth it. Check it yourself if you don't believe me."

Jubstacheit saw that Kiritsugu showed no signs of lying. He closed his eyes. "I see, this is indeed a problem."

"Then we're on the same page here. How about you let me take Illya, and we can discuss what we're going to do with the corrupted Grail?" Kiritsugu suggested.

Jubstacheit chuckled. "I'm afraid not."

So it was just a mere curse? Nothing significant that he couldn't handle. Stopping the Einzbern grand plan for a mere curse wouldn't even pass his mind. They had already invested too much to stop.

"A twisted wish? A curse? Nothing the Einzberns can't handle. As long as the wish-granting system of the Grail is still working, we will not stop," Jubstacheit declared.

Kiritsugu hissed, "People died, and probably many more will, Acht!"

"A sacrifice I am willing to make..." Jubstacheit countered.

"The Clocktower wouldn't approve of this. The vice director himself would send his enforcers to hunt you down."

Jubstacheit admitted Kiritsugu had a point, but he remained resolute. "When we achieve our dream, the Clocktower won't even be worth our attention."

Even at this moment, the Einzbern family didn't have a high opinion for the Clocktower. They had practically isolated themselves from it and only sent representatives every now and then.

"Nothing I say would change your mind, then?" grunted Kiritsugu.

"Most likely, no."

"Not even the threat of the Counter Force?"

Jubstacheit was taken aback by that statement, but he steeled his will. "...Yes."

"...You will doom the world, Acht!"

"And we will build a new one from the ashes."

Kiritsugu gritted his teeth. "So we've reached the point of no return, huh?" His circuits hummed as they started to activate. "...What a shame."

"One day, Emiya. You will come to me, begging and apologizing for how wrong you are," Jubstacheit said with certainty.

Kiritsugu smirked. "In your dreams." He aimed his M16 at Jubstacheit.

Jubstacheit only scoffed at the man in front of him. "Leave, Emiya, and I might show you some mercy."

"Not without my daughter."

"...So be it then."

In an instant, Kiritsugu pulled the trigger, unleashing a torrent of bullets charging towards Jubstacheit with blinding velocity, as if seeking to bring an end to the old man's reign.

Jubstacheit's expression remained unamused as he barked, "...Form, Werde Lebendig!"

In response, tendrils of rhenium wires surged forth, their metallic form lashing out with incredible speed. They became an impenetrable shield, tanking the onslaught of bullets with remarkable resilience and deflecting each projectile away from their intended target.

Realizing the futility of his attack, Kiritsugu ceased his relentless assault. The ground around him was littered with spent bullet casings, a testament to his failed attempt to penetrate Jubstacheit's defenses.

Jubstacheit sneered with smug confidence. "Is that all? A mere toy like that wouldn't even make a scratch on me."

Kiritsugu's eyes burned with determination as he activated his next move. "We'll see. Time Alter: Double Accel!"

The air around Kiritsugu seemed to ripple as his magecraft took effect, doubling his speed and altering his perception of time. He swiftly ran to the side while continuing to shoot at Jubstacheit, trying to break through his defense.

"I once thought of you as a respectable man, Emiya!" Jubstacheit sneered.

Tendrils rushed towards Kiritsugu, threatening to crush him. He rolled forward, narrowly dodging the attack.

"You are a heretic in the eyes of magi everywhere, but your accomplishments were nothing to scoff at!" Jubstacheit taunted.

More tendrils came his way. Jubstacheit wielded them like whips, lashing out and destroying everything that came into contact. Debris and dust flew everywhere.

"And you spit on my good grace," Jubstacheit accused.

Kiritsugu's breath was uneven, the burden on his body reaching unprecedented levels. The curse rotting his body, coupled with his relentless use of magecraft, led him to this state.

He reloaded his weapon. "I just want to take my daughter with me, Acht..."

"You lost that privilege after you betrayed us!" Jubstacheit scorned.

Tendrils lunged forward. Kiritsugu did the same, ducking, bending, and twisting his body to evade the incoming tendrils. The sound of gunshots reverberated non-stop as Kiritsugu didn't cease pulling the trigger of his weapon.

So far, none of Kiritsugu's relentless assault had hit Jubstacheit, but he frowned as Kiritsugu drew closer. He had had enough and mentally commanded one of his tendrils to grab Kiritsugu's leg.

Kiritsugu's eyes widened as he felt something grab his leg. Then, he was violently pulled up from the stairs he was standing on and thrown across the room. The air was forced out of Kiritsugu's body as he hit the ground, feeling pain from every part of his body. However, he had achieved his objective. He opened his hand, revealing a grenade pin.

TING.

Jubstacheit widened his eyes in shock as a grenade dropped near his feet.

"Go to hell, Acht!"

"You—"

BOOOOM!

Jubstacheit was engulfed in the explosion. Kiritsugu pulled himself back up, panting as he assessed his situation. He still had some grenades left, a combat knife, and his trump card—the Thompson Contender and its origin bullets.

He retrieved the Thompson Contender, which had been modified to withstand the power needed to fire origin bullets. It was now considered a mystic code, one that he always brought in life or death situations.

He loaded an origin bullet into the Thompson Contender.

One shot. That's all he needed to end the magus's entire career and life. The bullet severed any magecraft it struck, forcefully tying the broken parts together, resulting in malfunction and short-circuiting. He aimed at the smoking crater where Jubstacheit once stood.

He had a limited number of origin bullets. He needed to make every shot count.

As the smoke slowly faded, a cocoon-like structure unraveled, revealing Jubstacheit with half of his body and face burned.

"Again and again, Emiya. You manage to earn my ire," Jubstacheit said.

"Hah, you're welcome..." Kiritsugu replied.

Despite his current condition, Jubstacheit regained his composure. Ominous, heavy magical energy spiked around him. More tendrils swayed menacingly. No more playing around.

Kiritsugu was visibly worried. A direct head-on fight with an experienced first-rate magus was not his specialty, especially if said magus was enraged and taking him seriously.

But then, "Kiri, we're out."

He heard his wife's voice through the earpiece. She had succeeded; she was already on her way to leave with Illya. Their plan had been successful. Kiritsugu quietly sighed in relief.

Jubstacheit seemed to notice the change in Kiritsugu's body language. He stared at him, his expression turning into a frown. "I see, you have an accomplice. This whole thing is a sham."

Kiritsugu couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, an accomplice—the very best one."

"Then that means your daughter has already left the castle. A shame, really," Jubstacheit waved his hand, mentally ordering some homunculi to chase after his granddaughter.

"I planned to turn her into the perfect Einzbern, mold her, shape her to suit the Einzbern's needs," he continued.

Kiritsugu scoffed, "I wouldn't allow that."

"You may have been able to take her from me for now, but what about yourself?" Jubstacheit glared. "You don't actually think I would just let you walk out with your life, right?"

"No, but I will, regardless."

"Fool..." Jubstacheit lunged his tendrils at Kiritsugu from every direction.

Kiritsugu stood his ground, looking at the incoming tendrils without even flinching. He aimed the Thompson Contender, took a deep breath, and glared back.

"Stay away from my family!"

He pulled the trigger.