"I see. I guess it was Caster's mistake for drawing in a guy like you."
Kuzuki does not change his tone even in front of a betrayer.
He still has the will to fight.
He is not a magus and he has lost Caster, but he has the will to continue fighting.
...He readies himself.
As Caster is gone, Kuzuki's strength must have dropped substantially.
His "snake" is still there, but Caster's strengthening that made his fists into steel is gone.
But still, Kuzuki faces Archer like before.
"I see. I will not stop you if you want to continue."
Archer readies his twin swords.
Their duel has begun.
"Wha――――"
Is that all right?
Kuzuki said he has no interest in the Holy Grail.
A Master in name only, he merely went along with Caster.
Then there's no reason for him to fight now that Caster's gone.
"―――Hold on. Why are you continuing, Kuzuki? You were only doing as Caster told you. Caster's gone now, so there's no reason for you to fight anymore."
I glare at them, gritting my teeth against the pain.
"――――――――"
Kuzuki narrows his eyes a bit.
"Right. I do not have a reason to fight. Like you, I had no interest in the Holy Grail."
"Then..."
"But this is something I have started. I cannot stop midway."
That's it.
That's all the reason he has.
――――The battle starts.
The battle should end in one blow.
Even if Kuzuki has superhuman fighting abilities, he's fighting a Servant.
He can't be a match just by being "superhuman".
Even though this is called a battle, it is actually just disposal of the loser.
The fate of the loser...
It is the battle between Masters to kill and be killed, and that is the end they have to be ready for. One shouldn't fight at all if he can't accept that.
But still――――
At that instant.
Kuzuki moves.
"Wha――――"
Kuzuki must have taken my voice as a signal, as he rushes Archer in a flash and lashes out at his temple.
Any ordinary man would have his skull crushed, but Archer does not dodge it.
His head moves from the impact.
The knight in red takes Kuzuki's blow,
and pierces Kuzuki Souichirou's chest at the same time.
Kuzuki does not want any help and has not admitted defeat.
The man in front of me will only stop in death.
―――So.
How can I, a Master, stop them?
...And after a moment's confrontation, Kuzuki moves.
Kuzuki's fists haven't weakened at all.
They reach out like snakes to smash Archer's temple.
Archer dodges it by a hair and pierces Kuzuki Souichirou's chest as if to silence him.
There's only silence.
Nobody says anything, and I have nothing to say in any case.
Kuzuki Souichirou died.
He was silent until the very end, and he died on the path he chose without showing regret or hope.
