Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Concubine, At Best
~ Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!
<><><><>
Beads of sweat trickled down Haru's face as he looked at Kiyohime's expression—an expression of pure, unadulterated terror. Even the densest Devil King could recognize the signs now—this girl was yandere.
Facing a yandere for the first time, Haru felt a flicker of—unease.
He hesitated, then began to speak. "She's—"
Kiyohime's lips parted, her tongue darting out like a snake's, her voice low and menacing. "Don't you dare lie to me. If you lie to Kiyohime, she'll have to wait for your reincarnation—again."
"So you were the one who killed Anchin?" Haru asked, his eyes widening slightly. This was getting complicated.
Kiyohime's expression shifted, tears welling up in her eyes. "It was your fault! You promised to return and accept my love! But you lied! You ran away!"
She clung to Haru, burying her face in his chest, her voice choked with sobs. "And when I found you, you hid inside a bell, refusing to come out! I was so heartbroken—I had no choice—I burned us both—in a sea of flames…"
"...."
Haru froze, staring at her with a mixture of shock and—fear.
"Such a beautiful love story—so tragic…" Illyasviel murmured, wiping away a tear.
Haru glared at her. "Tragic? This is a yandere who set herself and her lover on fire because he rejected her! Where's the beauty in that?!"
Saber, though still wary of Kiyohime, looked at Haru with disdain, as if he were the one to blame. "Lying is—dishonorable."
Haru's face darkened. He was being blamed for something he hadn't even done! "I'm only letting this slide because you're pretty…"
He looked down at Kiyohime, forcing his voice to remain calm. "Kiyohime, Illyasviel is my wife."
Kiyohime's sobs ceased. She looked up at Haru, her eyes widening, her voice filled with a desperate anguish. "You're not lying... My first time..was it for nothing? You—you were already married before we met again, I—I had no chance…?"
Her face a mask of despair, she clung to Haru's waist, activating her EX-Noble Phantasm. "Samadhi Through Transforming Flames"
BOOOOOOMMMMMM!
An azure dragon erupted from Kiyohime, its fiery breath engulfing her and Haru.
"An EX-ranked Noble Phantasm! Haru!" Illyasviel cried out, seeing the dragon's power through her connection to Haru as his Master. She rushed forward, trying to pull them apart.
"Damn it!" Saber, seeing the approaching flames and Illyasviel's reckless action, grabbed her, pulling her back towards the chapel's entrance.
"What are you doing, Saber?! Put me down! I have to... the Command Spells…" Illyasviel, struggling in Saber's grasp, looked back at Haru, who was now enveloped in flames, then froze.
"Where—where did the dragon go?"
"I will wait on the Throne of Heroes.. I will wait until my husband calls for me again…" Kiyohime's voice, filled with sorrow, echoed through the chapel as she closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
Then, she opened her eyes, a puzzled look on her face. She felt no pain, no burning.
She was still in the chapel, unharmed, her arms wrapped around Haru. Where was her dragon?
Thwack!
Haru flicked Kiyohime on the forehead. If not for the egg's energy nullification, that blast of jealous rage would have seriously injured him, despite his enhanced durability.
"Ow! Ow!" Kiyohime released him, clutching her forehead.
"Trying to kill me? There's a limit to self-dramatization, you know. And who said I wouldn't marry you?" Haru's voice was stern, but he knew he had to placate her. If he didn't, she'd probably unleash that EX-ranked Noble Phantasm again.
"Really? You'll marry me? As your wife? Your first wife?" Kiyohime's tears turned to tears of joy.
"Concubine, at best. After what you just pulled," Haru retorted.
"How mean…" Kiyohime pouted.
Haru took her hand and led her out of the chapel, towards Illyasviel and Saber. "Time to go. We're heading to Fuyuki City."
--
3:00 AM. The world was silent—except for those participating in the Holy Grail War.
Under the cover of darkness, Masters and Servants engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse, reconnaissance and assassination attempts a constant threat.
For the Magicians of Fuyuki City, two locations were of particular interest—the two grand mansions on the mountain overlooking the city: the Matou and Tohsaka residences.
These imposing structures were under constant surveillance, low-level familiars monitoring their every move.
But Tokiomi Tohsaka had anticipated this, his mansion protected by layers of powerful barriers, transforming it into an impenetrable fortress.
Not even a fly could enter uninvited, let alone a human—or a Servant.
But there was one exception. Hassan-i Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain, possessed a unique skill—Presence Concealment. While lacking in direct combat abilities, this skill allowed him to infiltrate even the most secure locations.
Hassan moved through the Tohsaka mansion's defenses, a sinister smile on his face, silently mocking Tokiomi's—naivete!
The arrogant Magician seemed to trust his apprentice, Kirei Kotomine, implicitly.
He had no idea that Kirei had commanded Hassan to—betray him.
"There's no need for excessive caution. Even a direct confrontation with Tohsaka's Servant shouldn't be a problem. Your priority is to eliminate Tokiomi Tohsaka quickly."
'Those had been Kirei's instructions.' Hassan chuckled.
He reached the final barrier. To proceed, he would have to physically disable it.
Rustling sounds echoed through the forest—the familiars of other Masters, observing the Tohsaka mansion.
They were all waiting for the inevitable clash, the first blood to be drawn.
Hassan grinned, reaching out to disable the barrier—
When a spear, radiating a brilliant light, descended from the sky, piercing his hand, pinning it to the ground.
"…?!" Pain, fear, and above all, shock. Hassan's face contorted in disbelief as he looked up, searching for his attacker.
But there was no need to search.
Atop the Tohsaka mansion stood a radiant, golden figure, her long hair flowing in the wind, her face so beautiful, so majestic, that it put even the moon and stars to shame.
"Kirei, you set me up!!!" Before Hassan could finish his outraged cry, he was engulfed in a torrent of holy light.
"A rat from the gutter dares to stand before me?" A voice, filled with queenly arrogance, echoed through the air.
As the light faded, Hassan, his body dissolving, turned his gaze towards the distant church.
<><><><>
Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the rest!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
There is 9 Exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon!