Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1039: Finally Unraveling the Mystery

The assailant seemed to be a seasoned expert, not only choosing the perfect moment to strike but also predicting Sven's movements with precision. He had even anticipated the subsequent actions, effortlessly dodging Sven's roar and claws before landing a punch on the back of the golden wolf's head.

It was that very punch that caused Faker, the Servant, to cough up blood. Had the blow landed directly on the wolf's head, even with Sven's legendary golden-wolf physique, death would have been inevitable.

Fortunately, just as the punch was thrown, another hand reached out from the side, grabbing the wrist behind the punch with pinpoint accuracy. Then, in a series of swift movements, the assailant was flung a dozen meters away.

The attacker quickly adjusted his posture mid-air and landed steadily on the ground, leaving no room for a follow-up attack.

Only after this did the newcomer say, "Still not impressive."

The assailant, now standing firm, glared at the person who had ruined his plans, his voice cold and filled with disbelief as he asked, "Why are you here?"

The man who had just protected Sven furrowed his brow slightly. "You know me?"

"I do. You're Matou Shinji, the Azure Knight, the bodyguard of the White Princess."

Indeed, the one who had saved Sven and Faker from peril was none other than Shinji. Despite being a participant in the Holy Grail War, Shinji and Waver had tacitly cut off contact, but they were still friends. There was no way Shinji would stand by and let an enemy kill someone close to Waver.

Upon hearing the title Azure Knight, Shinji nodded lightly.

"That's right. I'm also curious—why are you here?"

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"Oh?"

The other man was taken aback.

"You know me?"

"I do. You're Kotomine Kirei."

Shinji had observed the battlefield longer than anyone else, and he had recognized Kirei a bit earlier than the others. However, due to his brief moment of surprise upon identifying him, he had been a step too late to save Faker. Fortunately, Waver had been cautious enough.

Shinji's response made Kirei's eyes flash with a hint of amusement.

"I didn't expect you to know me."

"I didn't expect you to change so much—you've become a vampire. The title of Executor must be weeping."

"Executor? What does that even matter?"

Kirei let out a chuckle, then added with a twisted smile, "From the way you speak, it sounds like we've met before?"

Shinji didn't hide the truth: "We met ten years ago."

"That's unfortunate."

"Unfortunate how?"

"Unfortunate that I didn't kill you back then."

Kirei did not attempt to conceal his killing intent, and the strange expression he wore earlier was now explained—that twisted look came from suppressing his murderous desires.

"Do we have a grudge?"

Shinji frowned slightly.

"No."

"Do you bear a grievance?"

"None."

"Then why?"

The only possible grudge Shinji could think of was one incident, a dark Chapter in Kayneth's history—Kirei's father, Kotomine Risei, being shot. At the time, Shinji and Scathach had been observing from afar, waiting for Risei to die before they entered to claim the Command Seals. But at most, that could be considered standing by while someone died, followed by a bit of looting. It wasn't enough to warrant a deadly enmity. Moreover, based on their conversation, it seemed Kirei wasn't aware of this incident. So why was he so intent on killing Shinji?

"Because you're his knight. Blame yourself for following the wrong person."

"Huh?"

Shinji couldn't believe what he was hearing.

What did this have to do with Arcueid? And when had Kirei gotten involved with her?

Now that he thought about it, something seemed off about Kirei's aura.

Shinji's puzzled expression only seemed to please Kirei more, who flexed his fingers and grinned wickedly.

"Can't figure it out? Then don't bother thinking—just die with that question on your mind."

It had to be said, this was a nasty trick. Not only did it bring Kirei psychological satisfaction, but it also distracted his opponent. As long as Shinji was even slightly confused, his performance in the upcoming fight would inevitably suffer, bringing him closer to death.

Unfortunately for Kirei, his plan was foiled by a well-meaning warning.

"Be careful, Roa. That man is extremely dangerous. My previous failure had a lot to do with him."

Kotomine Kirei—or rather, Roa—almost cursed out loud. Is this how you treat your allies? I come all the way here, despite my injuries, to help you, and not only do you not show any gratitude, but you also ruin my plan. He couldn't even voice his complaints because Araya Souren's warning had been given with good intentions.

Roa understood how his previous failure had left a deep psychological scar on Araya. The warning was meant to ensure that Roa stayed completely alert. Araya was probably worried that since Roa had only recently recovered from unconsciousness and his wounds hadn't fully healed, he might get careless again and end up in real trouble.

But what Araya didn't know was that Roa might be careless with many things—but not when it came to anything related to Arcueid. After being killed by the same person over ten times, anyone would learn to be cautious, even if the opponent wasn't Arcueid herself but her knight.

The difference in their perspectives caused Araya's well-intentioned warning to backfire, leaving Roa feeling incredibly frustrated—almost to the point of madness.

Of course, his frustration was nothing compared to the shock Shinji was feeling.

"Roa?"

Another unexpected revelation, and one that Shinji had long been searching for.

The Dead Apostle Ancestor who had stolen Arcueid's power and caused her eight centuries of suffering. The mere thought of that blood-soaked, nauseating memory was enough to ignite a raging fire of killing intent within Shinji.

"The Serpent of Akasha? Kotomine Kirei is your vessel in this life?"

Roa wanted to deny it, but one look at Shinji's eyes told him it was pointless. The guy had already set his sights on him. So, Roa decided to admit it outright.

"Yeah, that's right. In some ways, he's been the best vessel yet."

"Good. Very good."

With this, many of Shinji's questions were finally answered.

Why had Kotomine Kirei acted the way he did earlier?

Because Roa and Arcueid were mortal enemies.

Why had Kirei become a heretic?

Because of Roa's influence.

Why hadn't Kirei become a Master in the last Holy Grail War?

Because the Fuyuki Grail would never choose a vampire as a Master.

Why had Arcueid been unable to find Roa this time?

The answer became clear by looking at Araya Souren. If Araya could create a bounded field that could deceive the Counter Force, then concealing Roa's existence was a simple task for him.

However, there were still some unanswered questions.

Why had Roa reincarnated into Kotomine Kirei after Tohno SHIKI?

How had Roa become entangled with Araya Souren, and why was Fabro involved too? What was their purpose in coming to Fuyuki? Even if this was part of some twisted church meeting, weren't they still missing someone? Hell, why not just invite King Hassan while they were at it?—Okay, that joke was too cold, and not very funny.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Because no matter the reason, no matter the plot, once the mastermind was dead, everything would fall apart.