The assassin 'Magus Killer' Kiritsgu Emiya has for years targeted Magi who stray from the path of the Mage's Association in return for bounties. As of now, he has been employed of the Einzbern family to win the Holy Grail War for them - for the sake his wife Irisviel, their daughter Illyasviel and Kiritsugu's own dream of a peaceful world he will utilise any means available to him and use anything - even those around him - as a tool to win the War. When he summons the more idealistic Saber (Artoria Pendragon) they repeatedly clash over the ethics of his methods.
As a part of his efforts to win the War, Kiritsugu has employed the use of Maiya Hisau, who had once rescued as a child. Despite a sexual relationship betwee the two of them he has no illusions of any actual connection between the two and she never shows any outward signs of emotions at all.
She is an inavulable source of help for him as well as supplying him with neccesary tools such as his weapons.
Of particular note are a specific gun and bullets.
The bullets in particular of more use than just being shot from a particularly powerful gun.
He also seems to have some degree of control over his internal time, essentially speeding him up or down in comparison to his outside environment, which remains unaffected.
As dark and cynical as Kiritsugu may be he is not some sort of machine. As much as he may try to pretend to be uncaring, he still is a loving husband to 'Iri' and father to 'Illya' - even if he feels he does not deserve this love to be returned.
He now says you cannot save everyone - to save one you must sacrifice another.
Just what could have changed such an idealistic young boy into the 'Magus Killer'?
How has become so accustomed to the use of people as tools?
And can such a man really achieve a peaceful world?
The son of the Overseer, Risei Kotomine and the apprentice of Tokiomi Tohsaka. Currently working for the two of them to help support Tokiomi and help him win the War.
Far from the self-aware sadist of Fate/Stay Night, Kirei Kotomine does not understand who he is and what he wants. Everything from his job as a Priest, to his alliance with Tokiomi seems to have been decided for him, with him just following along.
Seemingly, he has no desires of his own.
He has years of experience as an Executer - a hunter of heretics - despite his own use of magecraft and alliance with the Tohsakas. Having been in those role since a young age, Kotomine has more practical fighting experience than the man he is serving and is therefore more than qualified to do his dirty work.
Heavily skilled, highly professional and lacking in any goals of his own, Kirei seems the ideal lackey.
But a man who has nothing to wish for, should not have been chosen by the Grail.
For a man as hollow as Kirei, perhaps a fellow Master has the key to his desires. The one person who could possibly understand him.
A man named Kiritsugu Emiya...
The father of Rin and Sakura from Fate/Stay Night.
The Master of Archer.
The object of scorn of Kariya Matou.
The Mentor of Kirei Kotomine, who will kill him in this Holy Grail War.
Whilst here a man of wealth and taste and the 'ideal' Magus, Tokiomi is unknowignly a dead man walking.
As one of the heirs of the three families, Tokiomi is one of the few to know the true purpose of the Heaven's Feel ritual. But despite that, he seems to know very little about the truth of those around him
Although he is by no means unloving towards his family, Tokiomi is a Magus before he is a father or a husband, which has lead him to give Sakura to the Matous as the Tohsaka family can only have one heir. Under the belief that Sakura would thrive as a Magus and future combatant in the Grail War as the Matou heir, Tokiomi sent his daughter to a living hell.
He seemingly does not know or cannot understand therefore, the hatred Kariya Matou feels towards him and why.
Nor does he truelly understand his apprentice, Kirei, who he has written off as a man without any ambition.
Despite being closest to the truth of the ritual, Tokiomi is seemingly the farthest from the truth of anyone who surrounds him.
Although a powerful Magus in his own right, it is no suprise that he did not survive this war.
A Student at the Magus School known as the Clock Tower, studying under Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald (Lord El-Melloi).
Coming from an undistinguished lineage with a lacking Magic Circuit, Waver wrote a thesis about how knowledge and skill could make up for lack of inherited talent. Lord El-Melloi brutally rejected it as a delusion.
When given the task of delivering Lord El-Melloi's post, he stole the catalyst Lord El-Melloi was planning to use in the Grail War and decided to win the war himself - to prove his thesis to the world practically.
Waver then flew to Japan, where he brainwashed a couple into thinking he was their grandson and summoned his Servant.
He almost wet himself the moment he first saw him.
For an immature student who runs to a war in another country to chance to prove himself at the first chance available, he summoned the ideal headstrong and naive servant in Iskandar. However, he is twice as cowardly as he is headstrong. So the bravado of Iskandar should feel to him like the ramblings of an idiot. And in terms of personality, the mess of self-doubts that is Waver could not be more different than the almost unbelievable self-confidence of Iskandar.
As a result, this odd couple of a coward and a hero-king often find themselves butting heads as the mountain of a Servant pushes his tiny little Master around.
It seems that even his Servant can't quite understand Waver Velvet.
Or maybe his Servant understands what he needs more than him.
Well over his head, stuck with the brashest Servant of them and with far less idea what he's doing than he'll let on - this boy has basically no chance of coming out the victor.
The Master of Lancer, and Waver Velvet's lecturer in the Department of Spiritual Evocation at the Clock Tower, the Headquarters of the Mage's Association and a school for Magi.
A prodigy who reached the position of Lord of the Mineralogy Department at a young age.
Whilst Waver is one his students, the two do not seem to have interacted much with each other prior to the start of the war.
Other than him dismissing Waver's thesis on how knowledge and skill could exceed natural inherited ability as nonsense. Kayneth's interaction with one of his students, which he was unlikely to have thought much of at the time, unwillingly lead said student to steal his catylst and his place in the Grail War.
Not that it mattered much when Lord El-Melloi simply found another catylst and summoned another Servant.
As a prodigy born with natural talent, El-Melloi is arrogant and self-assured as well as thinking somewhat naively about the War, at least in comparison to someone like Kiritsugu Emiya.
Despite his elitism, he is not as unfeeling as some (Waver Velvet) may write him of as.
El-Melloi is deeply in love and devoted to his fiance, Sola-Ui, who has come with him to Fuyuki for the War.
While a loving fiance in his own right, El-Melloi is practical and callous when he feels the need to be, and plans to allow his Servant to do the majority of the fighting.
Although, its safe to say that he thinks that if he had to fight, he wouldn't lose to anyone. With his 'Volumen Hydrargyrum', a Mystic Code in the form of liquid mercury that he can control the flow of through his magic circuits.
Whilst the most by far the most 'powerful' Master in terms of convential magic power, it should be noted that Kayneth may be far too naive about the nature of war, and to elistist to see the threats that other competitors still pose.
Regarldess, within his own mind, El-Melloi is the clear favourite to win the Grail War.
The Master of Berserker, an old friend of Tokiomi's wife Aoi and Sakura's uncle by adoption.
Years ago he severed all ties with his family due to his disgust of them.
With his brother - Byakuya - and nephew - Shinji - ungifted in magic, that should have been the end of the Matou family's future as Magi. However, the family patriarch and Kariya's father Zouken Matou had Sakura Tohsaka adopted into the family as Byakuya's daughter.
When Sakura was given to the Matou, Zouken put her through torture by throwing her into the pit of parastic crest worms kept in the basement as a twisted form of 'training' for future use.
Upon learning of this from his old friend and Sakura's mother, Aoi, Kariya would return to the Matou family and agreed to fight in the War in exchange for Sakura's freedom.
As Kariya was a subpar Magus, the Crest Worms were directrly placed into his body by Zouken which while serving as a sort of artifical Magic Circle, ate away at it and are slowly killing him. Additionally, he was given an altered summoning ritual that would increase his Servant's power in exchange for driving it mad as Berserker class servant.
Deep down however, under all of Kariya's trappings as a good samitarian - is the basic fact that he despises and envies Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Just how seriously will he take this personal animosity?
Will his concern for Sakura and desire to save Sakura or hatred for Tokiomi win out?
Full of parastic worms, burning out their mana fueling Berserker and driven only by hatred for Tokiomi and a desire to save Sakura, Kariya is struggling against all odds simply to stay alive.
How could a man two-steps away from ever hope to win the Grail War?
A seral killer who targets children - he summoned Caster by complete chance and due to their shared interests. A completely deranged individual with no connection to the rest of the Grail War.
While the others all compete for victory, Ryunosuke is only here to have a good time with his new friend in the only way he knows how.
A man like him has no interest in the Grail it would first appear, but just what would a freak like him use it for?
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