Fate: Question And Answer System of Traversing Heroic Spirits

[Lancelot, in his Berserker class form, appears disheveled and unkempt, a stark contrast to the dignified and handsome knight of his youth.]

["Why! My friend, you were once hailed as the greatest knight of the Round Table. Why have you fallen to such madness?"]

[Artoria's voice trembled with disbelief as she struggled to reconcile the image of the once-proud Sir Lancelot with the deranged figure before her.]

[Lancelot, consumed by his madness, responded with a feral roar and launched a relentless assault against his former king.]

[Artoria, unwilling to strike down one of her own knights, refrained from fully retaliating. She could only parry his strikes while being pushed further and further into defense.]

[As the ferocity of Lancelot's attacks increased, Artoria recalled Iskandar's words from earlier and fell into a spiral of self-blame.]

---

[Meanwhile, elsewhere, Emiya Kiritsugu had located Kotomine Kirei.]

[The two did not exchange a single word. There was no need. Their mutual hostility was palpable.]

[Without hesitation, they leapt into battle.]

---

[The video suddenly pauses.]

[Question: Who will win this battle?]

[A: Emiya Kiritsugu; B: Kotomine Kirei; C: The battle is interrupted.]

[Please answer within five minutes. Exceeding the time limit will be considered as giving up.]

---

Waver: "No matter how you look at it, Emiya Kiritsugu has to win this fight."

Iskandar: "Are you so sure? Based on previous patterns, the answer is likely to be C—an interruption."

Waver: "An interruption? What, do you think Gilgamesh will come to save Kotomine Kirei?"

Gilgamesh: "Hmph. I have no interest in engaging in such trivial affairs. If Kotomine Kirei is defeated, it will be by his own incompetence. I will not intervene."

Tohsaka Rin: "You're the worst Servant anyone could summon."

Gilgamesh: "You speak out of ignorance, child. Many Servants are far worse than I am."

---

[The time for answering questions ends, and the video resumes.]

---

[Kotomine Kirei retrieved six Black Keys and infused them with magic. The blades shimmered with dark energy as he charged toward Emiya Kiritsugu.]

[Emiya Kiritsugu fired his Origin Bullet, the cursed projectile ripping through the air toward Kirei.]

[The Origin Bullet struck true, shattering the Black Keys in Kirei's hand, but it did not harm him.]

["The Origin Bullet didn't work?"]

[Emiya Kiritsugu's eyes widened in disbelief as he observed the unscathed Kirei. Then, he noticed something, the Command Seal on Kirei's hand was missing a segment.]

["I see… He's using the Command Seals as a substitute source of mana. The bullet destroyed the Seal, but not his body."]

["As long as he doesn't rely on his own magical circuits, my Origin Bullets are ineffective."]

---

Kayneth: "Hmph, I'll give Kotomine Kirei credit for this. Using the Command Seals as disposable sources of mana is quite ingenious."

Waver: "But only someone like him, with a surplus of Command Seals, could even consider such a strategy."

Chihiro: "To be fair, this trick is risky, but it's clever. It shows that Kirei's no ordinary magus."

---

[Emiya Kiritsugu adjusted his stance, his voice cold and determined.]

["It doesn't matter. As long as I hit his body directly, it's enough to kill him."]

[Kirei discarded his shattered Black Keys and assumed a martial arts stance.]

[With a sudden burst of speed, he dashed toward Kiritsugu, his movements so fast they seemed to blur.]

[Before Kiritsugu could react, Kirei's fist struck him squarely in the chest, sending him flying.]

[Kiritsugu's body crashed through the wall behind him, leaving a gaping hole. He collapsed to the floor, motionless.]

---

Waver: "Wait… He knows martial arts?!"

Kayneth: "That stance, was that Bajiquan?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Indeed. That was Bajiquan, a martial art known for its explosive, close-range strikes."

Zhang Jiao: "Bajiquan? Chihiro, how does it compare to your Aikido?"

Chihiro: "Bajiquan focuses on aggressive offense, delivering powerful strikes to overwhelm the opponent. Aikido, on the other hand, emphasizes redirection and defense, using the opponent's force against them."

Zhang Jiao: "I see."

Tohsaka Rin: "Then, Chihiro, who's better between you and Kirei?"

Chihiro: "...Are you trying to start a fight?"

When it comes to martial arts, who can truly say without actually testing it in a fight?

Kotomine Kirei: "If you don't mind, I would be happy to spar with you."

Chihiro: "We'll talk about this some other time."

Kayneth: "I feel quite satisfied watching Emiya Kiritsugu take a beating."

Waver: "Um, professor, the video doesn't seem to be over yet."

---

[Kirei, standing over Kiritsugu's fallen body, remained silent, his face as impassive as ever.]

[But as he turned to leave, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back.]

[Kirei dodged instinctively, but it was already too late Kiritsugu, who had feigned death, had risen and opened fire.]

[Bullet after bullet screamed through the air as Kiritsugu emptied his weapon.]

[Kirei raised his arm to shield himself. Empowered by magic, his body absorbed the impact of the gunfire with minimal damage.]

["Time Alter—double accel!"]

[Kiritsugu activated his magecraft, rapidly reloading his weapon and firing again before Kirei could recover.]

[This time, the Origin Bullet found its mark. It pierced Kirei's right hand, shattering the bones and rendering the limb useless.]

---

Waver: "He's not giving Kirei any breathing room…"

Chihiro: "That's Kiritsugu for you. He'll exploit any weakness, no matter how small."

---

[Kirei, now visibly agitated, clutched his injured arm. His face twisted into a grimace.]

["If you have the ability to recover even from fatal injuries, then I'll aim for the brain."]

[Kiritsugu's voice was icy, his eyes calculating.]

[Kirei, gritting his teeth, prepared for another attack despite his injury.]

["The only weapons left are a dagger and two grenades."]

[Emiya Kiritsugu breathed heavily, his thoughts racing as he calculated his next move.]

["There are 12 Black Keys left and 8 spare Command Seals."]

[This was the same for Kotomine Kirei. Neither of them would retreat. Both understood the other was their greatest obstacle to their goals.]

["Time Alter—triple accel!"]

[Kiritsugu dashed forward with superhuman speed, closing the distance in an instant. One hand gripped his gun, the other held a dagger.]

[The two men collided, their weapons clashing in a flurry of strikes.]

[Kirei, despite being down one hand, managed to deflect Kiritsugu's attacks with his remaining strength.]

[With a well-timed kick, Kirei sent Kiritsugu sprawling to the ground.]

["Time Alter—Triple accel!"]

[Kiritsugu, refusing to stay down, performed a series of backflips to regain his footing. He reloaded his gun mid-air, his movements almost too fast to follow.]

[Kirei, unwilling to let him escape, charged forward.]

[But before either could land the decisive blow, the ceiling above them collapsed.]

[A torrent of black liquid poured down, engulfing them both.]

---

[The correct answer is C.]

[Congratulations to Waver, Chihiro, Gilgamesh, Kayneth, Artoria, Iskandar, Diarmuid, Lancelot, Hassan of the Hundred Faces, Emiya Kiritsugu, Tohsaka Tokiomi, Kirei Kotomine, Matou Kariya, Tohsaka Rin, Tohsaka Sakura, Bluebeard, Madam, Zhang Jiao, Red Hare, El-Melloi II, Ishtar, Sola-ui, Brynhildr, First Emperor, and Sigurd for obtaining 3 Saint Quartz.]

[The rest of the participants who answered incorrectly will be deducted 1 Saint Quartz.]

Everyone answered correctly.

After all, they had participated in the question-and-answer sessions so many times that they already understood how to handle this type of question.

Whenever a question like this appeared, it was highly likely that the process would be interrupted.

Iskandar: "So the battle was interrupted after all…"

Waver: "What was that black liquid? It looked… ominous."

Tohsaka Rin: "It's disgusting. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it."

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Don't worry, the video will explain everything. This is the final quiz, after all."

---

[The scene shifts to the dark basement where Matou Kariya lies dead, his magic power completely drained.]

[Elsewhere, Artoria drives her sword through Lancelot's chest, ending the battle.]

[Though she has won, her eyes are hollow. There is no sense of victory in her expression.]

["Even so, I must obtain the Holy Grail," she murmurs.]

["If I don't… there's no way I can atone."]

---

Artoria: "…Lancelot…"

Waver: "That must've been… devastating for her."

---

["Even now, you still raise your sword for such a reason?"]

[Lancelot, regaining his sanity for a fleeting moment, stared at Artoria with weary eyes, his body collapsing to the ground.]

["What a burdensome king…"]

[As his body began to fade into motes of light, his voice softened.]

["Farewell… my king."]

[Lancelot, exit.]

[Artoria remained standing, her grip on Excalibur tight. Her head hung low, and her eyes brimmed with anguish.]

["Sir Lancelot…" she whispered, her voice trembling with a mixture of sorrow and regret.]

[In her heart, the wounds of this battle would never fully heal. One of her most loyal knights had fallen, not as her protector, but as her enemy.]

[Artoria closed her eyes and turned away. She had won, but the victory felt hollow.]

[Meanwhile, in another part of Fuyuki City, Irisviel's transformation had reached its conclusion.]

[As Lancelot's departure signaled the completion of the Grail's power, her physical body vanished, leaving behind a small, golden vessel, the Holy Grail.]

[But the Grail did not remain pristine for long.]

[Without warning, black liquid began to pour from the Grail, staining the altar beneath it. The ichor spread rapidly, flowing like a malignant tide.]

[The dark fluid seeped through cracks in the foundation, dripping into the cavern below—the very place where Emiya Kiritsugu and Kotomine Kirei had been fighting moments earlier.]

[Both men were swallowed by the black liquid, vanishing into its depths.]

***

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