"How is Kayneth's current condition?" he asked, looking at Kirei.
"Severely injured," Kirei replied. "Spearman fled with him and Sola-Ui into an abandoned factory district. They are currently undergoing emergency treatment."
"Excellent." A sharp gleam flashed in Tokiomi's eyes as he rapidly formulated a countermeasure.
"Kayneth must hate Avenger to the bone right now... His pride as a Color-ranked Magus has been trampled, and his fiancée severely injured. This hatred is enough to make him cast aside all his reservations."
"Kirei, I want you to dispatch Assassin to contact Kayneth immediately."
Tokiomi pulled a pre-written letter from his coat, penned on parchment bearing the Tohsaka family's Magic Crest. "Tell him that the Tohsaka family is willing to provide the best healing potions, and can even offer magical energy assistance."
"In exchange, I wish to form a temporary alliance with him to jointly subjugate the rule-breaking Servant—Avenger."
"Furthermore..." Tokiomi paused, as if recalling something. "The Master of Rider, I recall he is a student at the Clock Tower, correct?"
Kirei Kotomine picked up a document from the desk. "Yes, Waver Velvet."
Risei Kotomine added, "He is Kayneth's student. It is said that after his thesis was humiliated by Kayneth, he stole a Sacred Relic in a fit of pique and came to participate in the Holy Grail War to prove himself."
"Heh, a master and disciple turning against each other? An amusing drama." Tokiomi elegantly adjusted his collar. "In that case, let us pull this Waver into the game as well."
"If Kayneth wishes to increase his combat power after recovering, he will definitely need to reclaim his Sacred Relic or find a new source of magical energy."
"Inform Kayneth of that student's location, and let us see if he decides to cleanse his own house."
"Hmph..."
A cold light flickered in Tokiomi's eyes. "If Kayneth is unable to recover, then we will make that student understand that if he wants to survive this war, relying on the Tohsaka family is the better choice."
"We must utilize every available force to isolate the axis of evil formed by the Matou family and Avenger."
"Understood, Teacher," Kirei Kotomine said, bowing deeply.
"O King of Heroes—"
Tokiomi Tohsaka stood up and bowed deeply toward Gilgamesh, who had been lounging on the sofa, savoring his wine.
"I would like to ask you, in your capacity as a king, to invite Saber and Rider to a banquet. We shall see if we can persuade them to join us in subjugating Avenger..."
Tokiomi's request hung in the air, illuminated by the flickering candlelight of the inner room, reflecting on Gilgamesh's handsome yet thoroughly bored face.
He leaned lazily against the sofa, gently swirling the golden goblet in his hand.
"Tokiomi, your caliber truly ends here."
"Scheming and plotting like rats in the gutter, all to deal with a mere mad dog?"
He disliked this kind of strategy, which felt like the weak huddling together for warmth.
In his eyes, whether it was Avenger or Berserker, as long as he wished it, he could pull a specific Noble Phantasm from his treasury at any moment and blast them to ash.
The only reason he hadn't done so was because Tokiomi had deduced that he was cursed by that Avenger, and thus needed to save him for last.
"This is also a strategy devised to protect the King's Holy Grail..." Tokiomi replied respectfully.
Gilgamesh brought the goblet to his lips, took a sip, and let out a scoff before casually tossing the cup aside.
"If this is a simple alliance negotiation, I have absolutely no interest. However..."
His tone shifted, and a gleam of profound interest suddenly surfaced in his previously apathetic eyes. "If it is to judge the caliber of kings from other eras in my capacity as a king... that would not be a bad sideshow."
Particularly, that figure who had danced gracefully while wielding her holy sword at the warehouse district.
To Gilgamesh, who was accustomed to the ugliness of the world, that kind of stubborn idealist held a special attraction.
She was like a flower blooming on the edge of a cliff, making one unable to resist the urge to pluck it, even if it meant crushing it in the palm of his hand.
A possessive smile curled the corners of his mouth.
"Especially that Saber... I have quite a strong interest in her."
Tokiomi rejoiced inwardly.
He knew Gilgamesh's personality well; this king viewed everything in the world as mere dust. Things that could pique his interest were exceedingly rare.
If they could use this opportunity to win over the Saber-class Servant, their plan would become infinitely easier.
"A wise decision, King of Heroes... If the banquet allows her to witness your greatness, perhaps she will willingly join us."
"Then, I shall go make the arrangements at once."
"Go," Gilgamesh said, waving his hand dismissively. "Have that Assassin who only knows how to hide in the shadows deliver the invitations. Tell those mongrels that tomorrow night, I shall grant them the honor of sharing fine wine with me."
The next day.
Bright sunlight spilled into the living room, where the television was broadcasting follow-up reports on the gas explosion at the Hyatt Hotel from the previous night.
"Bwahahaha! Is this what modern warfare looks like? Blowing up such a massive building! That magus named Kayneth sure is unlucky!"
Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, sat cross-legged on the floor. Clutching a large handful of rice crackers, he laughed uproariously while watching the TV, scattering crumbs all over the floor.
Behind him, the scrawny Waver Velvet was curled up in the corner of the sofa, hugging his knees with a look of utter despair on his face.
"Idiot! Keep your voice down!" Waver shot a neurotic glance toward the elderly couple's room on the second floor.
This was a place he was temporarily staying at under a borrowed identity; it was best not to cause any trouble.
"Also, that's my teacher, Professor Kayneth! Even though I hate him, he's still a first-class lecturer at the Clock Tower! To think he was defeated just like that..."
It was hard for him not to notice the explosion last night, but at first, he hadn't connected it to the Holy Grail War.
It wasn't until Assassin delivered a letter in the middle of the night that he belatedly realized the Master of Spearman was Professor Kayneth!
That insufferably arrogant Kayneth, hailed as a genius in the Clock Tower, had actually been severely wounded by a single strike from that Avenger during last night's battle...
Rumor had it that even his invincible Mystic Code, Volumen Hydrargyrum, had been crushed.
Furthermore, whenever Waver remembered that he had stolen his Sacred Relic from his teacher... he couldn't help but feel a guilty conscience.
"Just what kind of monster... is that Avenger?" Waver shivered. "If we absolutely have to fight a guy like that, we're going to die, aren't we, Iskandar?"
"Hm?"
Iskandar swallowed the rice crackers in his mouth. There was no fear in his tiger-like eyes; instead, they held a trace of admiration.
"Boy, do not let fear blind your eyes."
He extended a thick finger, pointing at the devastated hotel ruins on the television screen.
"Although I was not present for last night's battle, I can roughly guess what happened."
"Even though that Avenger looks ferocious, his reason for drawing his blade must have been to protect that ordinary human and her daughter."
"Protect?" Waver froze for a moment.
"Exactly." Iskandar stroked his red beard. "When that Berserker went mad, and when that golden fellow launched his indiscriminate attacks, that Avenger constantly stood in front of that mother and daughter."
Iskandar's gaze grew profound.
"The so-called path of a king is not merely about blind slaughter! To wield a sword to protect one's subjects, to be stained with blood to carry out one's convictions—that is also the duty of a king!"
"Although his class sounds a bit gloomy, I believe that boy named Asuka is a man worth befriending! So even if we run into him, there's nothing to worry about. We just meet him in battle!"
"Hah?!"
Waver frantically clutched his head. "Is your brain broken?! That's an enemy! An enemy! And he looks so vicious..."
Just then, a cold, eerie wind suddenly blew the tightly shut window open.
Waver's screams came to an abrupt halt. He stared in horror at the shadows of the living room.
There, a dark figure wearing a skull mask slowly emerged.