Outside the city. Einzbern Forest
One man walked inside the magically protected forest, not caring about the danger such recklessness might earn him. He was too drunk to care about anything anymore, apart from his grief, that is.
Ryuunosuke took another sip from the beer can before tossing it away. The former master of Caster was already intoxicated but he didn't stop and continued to walk. Soon, he found his destination. The former battlefield. the same one where his best friend did the coolest thing Ryuunosuke ever saw. The trees around the area were smashed and burned. Branches, trunk, root, and even the soil, all were overturned, carved away, annihilated in the face of the mayhem that occurred not a few hours ago.
The serial killer let out an inebriated chuckle. His short-term, yet bestest friend really knew how to party.
He decided to stop and sat down on one of the collapsed trees. Ryuunosuke pulled out another can and raised it towards the sky.
"If God truly exists, I hope he was amazed by the show you put up, Boss… Or, what was cut short of it anyway…" A single tear fell from his face as Ryuunosuke continued. "Farewell, Boss Bluebeard. You really were… the coolest person I ever knew…"
Ryuunosuke started to drink and didn't stop until the can was empty. Once there was nothing left he chucked it away. With nothing left of his pal, not even a body to bury or even anything to do at this time, he just looked around. All of this was damage, this destruction, this chaos… was done by his best friend.
The saying went that the greatest of man, the best of the best, almost always went out with a bang… But why…? Why did they have to leave so early? Ryuunosuke couldn't understand.
'We're people who don't lie to ourselves and do as we please. We're more honest than these zombies who live every single day the same boring way. Eh, whatever, I should find some family and have fun with them. Maybe pay a little tribute and try out what he taught me this time. Boss would have liked it that way.'
A small smile formed on Ryuunosuke's face. Today he would kill some kids in memory of his best friend. Caster would have done the same for him no doubt. However, as Ryuunosuke stood up and was about to leave, something stopped him.
BANG
One shot rang out and had him falling to a knee.
BANG
The second seemed to have struck his leg harder than the first as it had him falling forward on his face.
He'd heard it all before feeling the pain in his legs. So drunk was he that, when he saw two small holes that were now bleeding through each of his knees, one of which looked partially disconnected with the rest of his lower leg, Ryuunosuke stilled in silence. All before a wide smile formed on his face.
"Ha...ahahaha! This feeling again! Amazing!"
Ryuunosuke, so lost was his mind to the alcohol and pain, didn't notice two figures closely approaching him from either side. One of them knocked the hearty sniggering air out of him as she kicked him to his side. Gun, locked and loaded, Maiya Hisau readied to fire. But just as her finger rested on the trigger, her partner stopped her.
"Wait," Kiritsugu said with a cold voice. "Not yet. He might know something."
His partner nodded and backed down. The true master of Saber stepped closer and grabbed Ryuunosuke by the collar. The wounded maniac didn't even seem to mind the rude treatment. Ryuunosuke Uryuu couldn't help but giggle even more erratically. It was all too cool and fun! That or the alcohol had gotten way over his head.
"Your servant fought against Avenger here. Tell me everything you know about her and I will let you leave." It wasn't a lie. He would be free to go. But Maiya would be ready to put a bullet in him regardless of whether he'd make it out of the forest's boundary or not. But despite the looming threat of death, the deceased Caster's master continued to laugh. Kiritsugu kept his calm. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, sorry, but you look like those hired killers from the movies. So cool! Also, I was shot the second time this week, neat." Kiritsugu raised his eyebrow.
"What do you mean the second time?"
Ryuunosuke drunkenly waved his hand with a shrug, about to answer but momentarily gagging at puke he swallowed back. Kiritsugu gave the man time to collect himself.
"Ah, my bad. It's just… some foreign guy tricked me the last time and shot me in the back. Ah… shit, I lost so many kids because of him. Boss said it was most likely the master of that redheaded bitch who fought him. Ah… how boring of him…"
Kiritsugu carefully listened to the madman. Taking the words of a drunk seriously, but it was the information of the only unaccounted for master. He didn't know if this Lelouch Lamperouge was capable of magecraft, but from what the child murderer said, it would appear the master of Avenger was using regular weapons.
To surmise, Avenger's master tried to kill Ryuunosuke. He failed, of course, but Kiritsugu now knew a little more than he had yesterday. After seeing what the boy's Servant could do against a fully-independent and out-of-control Caster, getting rid of Avenger and her master's priority as a target were both raised.
However, before that, he grabbed Ryuunosuke's hand and tried to find the command seals, but there was nothing.
"Your command seals, what did you do with them?"
"Oh, these tattoos? Boss asked me to use them on him. Said something about getting even more power."
"All three?" Ryuunosuke simply nodded with a smile.
"Yup. Tattoos aren't my thing honestly, plus they were itching anyways—Mm!" another gag, another vomit held back. The stench of the former master was getting stronger, as well as his wooziness.
Kiritsugu clenched his fist. He didn't expect to gain much from someone like him. He had some information, but he'd hoped that at least one command seal was saved.
"Hey, mister killer, can I ask you a question? Do you kill people because of money or you do it because you're loving it?" Ryuunosuke asked innocently while Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Weeeell, not to brag, but I've killed tons of children, so you might call me a professional killer too. And I do it because it's fun for me! But you're a real killer, something like those hitman-types in the movie, right? I mean, I didn't even notice you until you and your partner shot my legs out from under me! Which is super cool! Killing people for money is sort of a dream job I once had, and I was kinda curious if you like it the same way I like my hobby!"
Kiritsugu's brow furrowed as he eyed the smiling drunkard with disgust. For him, it was a means to the end. For Ryuunosuke it was some kind of twisted pleasure. The master of Saber met people like him before. Psychos. The criminally insane who couldn't be reasoned with.
Basically, the people he placed at the other end of his gun's barrel.
"I'm nothing like you. I kill only because I need to, not because I like it." Ryuunosuke let out a short snicker before turning into a cackling laugh. "What are you laughing at?"
"Ahahahahah! Ah, my bad… It's just… Snrk! Hahahah…" Realizing he was getting to the end of his listener's patience, the drunk stated. "Then, why do you have the same eyes like me? he smirked. "You… you have that lost, dead look in your eyes. Like you've seen it all but are just bored as hell. You look just like me when I look at myself in the mirror every day!"
"You're wrong," was the flat reply. "We're nothing alike. I kill because it is the only way to fix the problem. People like you cannot be treated and are too dangerous to be left alive. I'm only doing my best to improve this world. You're nothing but a deranged child-killer."
But soon this world would be free from the likes of him. Until Kiritsugu learned about the existence of the Grail, his only method to deal with such people was simple, culling them. However, now that he aimed for the Holy Grail, it need not be the same anymore.
He need not kill a single person after this war was over. The master of Saber was sure the artefact would grant him his wish of a peaceful world. So long as he paid the price of winning it, then…
"EH? Are you going out killing the bad guys then?! Come on, mister killer, don't be silly. That's impossible." Ryuunosuke smirked. "Only kids and weekend cartoon heroes think like that anymore, ya know?"
"What makes you think so?"
"Because there are dozens of people like me who just want to express themselves in various ways. Some of us are born like this, others, like the Boss who suffered because of crappy people like the ones who executed his Saint friend, are made. We're like this because society let us become like this. You call us freaks, but we're simply doing what we love!"
How a drunkard could drone on about philosophy was beyond Kiritsugu right now. Even if the words made sense, the creature pretending to be human didn't move the stone-cold killer who murdered for justice.
"Aaah, you look like you don't get it. Neither of you does! Boss understood me. For a moment, I thought you might. But eh… whatever." For a moment, Kiritsugu though the madman's rant over. Then, he spoke again. "Ya know, even if you want to get rid of us, all you can do is try, yeah? I mean, even if it's someone as cool and cold-hearted as you, you can't get rid of all of us bad apples."
"I don't need to. The Holy Grail will grant me my wish."
It was his and Iri's dream. A world without war and violence. A world where the likes of his father would have never done their terrible experiments. A world where Shirley would have lived in happiness, nit suffer until her untimely end.
Kiritsugu was going to win this war and make that dream into reality, no matter what it would cost. He knew that he would lose his wife no matter what, but they're both willing to do it for the sake of his dream. For the sake of Illya, and a future their daughter could live in without a care in the world.
The Grail will do it. Kiritsugu was sure of it.
"Jeez, mister killer. I didn't know someone like you could be such an idealist. To believe something like that so easily… Wish granting thing? Pffft, nothing but a scam. You can't just hope for something to give you everything you want. That sounds too good to be true. Then again, it seemed the same could be said for the Boss… Had he not been distracted by that blondie girl, that bitch and her boring master would've been dead and Boss would be alive to agree with me again… Hah… Hahahah… Ah… Life's such a bitch, eh? It always takes and takes. The one moment you try and enjoy yourself for once, it ends up crashing down on ya from high heaven. All to say that you can't have what you want… I guess that's why you keep clinging to an impossible dream, eh? You haven't failed as spectacularly as the rest of us freaks of society yet! Is that so, mister killer?"
Ryuunosuke started to drone on while laughing his intoxicated mirth away. Kiritsugu only glared at him. He was done with this conversation. The master of Caster had nothing left to offer. Not to him nor the world.
"Maiya," Kiritsugu called her and silently walked away. His loyal assistant walked towards wounded Ryuunosuke and aimed her gun against his head. The man on the ground didn't look scared at all, in fact, Ryuunosuke became enthusiastic.
"Ara, did I hit the nerve, mister killer? Heh." Ryuunosuke, tired and all out of laughter, stared at the barrel of the gun. Kiritsugu didn't bother with the man as he smiled one last time. "Guess I'll see the Boss sooner than I expected. See ya later, mister killer! You too, miss quiet scary eyes."
BANG THUD
Kiritsugu ignored the sound of grating dirt as he continued his walk towards the castle. Maiya would take care of the corpse as well as any evidence that remained while he focused all his attention on the remaining masters.
Yet, despite designating most of his rant as the ravings of a lunatic, something about Ryuunosuke's words didn't sit well with Kiritsugu. He knew why he was doing it and nothing would stop him. Impossible as it would seem in reality, the fact he was seeking out the Grail should've been enough to annul that impossibility.
He wouldn't back down now. He sacrificed too much to get to this point. So many were killed so Kiritsugu had a chance to achieve his dream. Reality wouldn't fail him anymore for the Holy Grail will do it.
He would make sure it did.
"This isn't a blind hope, I will make this world peaceful no matter what," he repeated to himself in particular. As if stating it would reassure him in his path of blood.
They say the path to hell was littered with good intentions. Coinciding with that, the road to heaven was paved with sacrifices and blood. If he was to go to hell for the sake of world peace, then so be it.
'Once this war is over and my wish is granted, I will pay for my crimes. But until then, I shall go on.'
He stamped down on the earth. The soles of his shoes were stained with the dried blood of the late Caster's minions. The same ones that were born from the bodies of the kidnapped children. Merely a few of the many he intended to save.
'Avenger's master is but a child playing a dangerous game. But he wields one of the most deadly and unknown of Servants. Lelouch Lamperouge. I'm sorry if you were dragged into this mess by the Grail.' Calm, collected, and focused on his last job that was the Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu Emiya vanished into the still-shattered doorway of the Einzbern mansion. 'But for the sake of the world, you will die like the rest of them.'