"What... happened?"
The scene before him struck Kiritsugu like a bolt of lightning.
His mind nearly shut down.
Anger.
Sorrow.
Guilt.
Heartbreak.
And the crushing despair of utter helplessness—
They surged over his young heart like a tidal wave.
"Sob... I... I wanted to prove it..."
Shirley struggled to speak through broken sobs.
"I wanted to prove Professor's research..."
"But..."
"It... failed..."
"AAAGHHHHHH!"
Human reason and a beast's bloodthirsty instinct fought violently for control of her body.
Shirley repeatedly slammed her forehead into the ground.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Behind her—where Kiritsugu couldn't see—her fingers dug deep into the wire mesh of the chicken coop.
With a sudden twist—
Snap!
She tore the steel wire apart with her bare hands.
The strength she displayed was far beyond anything a normal human should possess.
"Shirley..."
Kiritsugu stood frozen outside the coop.
He didn't know what to do.
Clang.
A silver dagger suddenly landed at his feet.
It had slipped free from its sheath on Shirley's inner thigh while she desperately clawed at her own throat in an attempt to restrain herself.
"Kill me..."
"Sob..."
"Use... that..."
"Kelly..."
"Please..."
"Kill me..."
"While..."
"There's still time—!"
"AAAGH!"
Bloody tears streamed from Shirley's glowing crimson eyes as she pleaded for death in a hoarse, beastlike voice.
Kiritsugu staggered back two steps.
"No..."
"There has to be another way."
"I'll find Father..."
"Please..."
"I'm... losing control..."
"Before I can't stop myself anymore..."
"Hurry..."
Shirley's body began twisting unnaturally.
Then she started tearing into her own flesh.
Kiritsugu's pupils shook violently.
Two and a half seconds later...
Head lowered, he silently picked up the silver dagger.
Under Shirley's relieved gaze, he slowly walked forward.
But instead of killing her...
He dragged over a heavy wooden plank and wedged it across the entrance to the chicken coop, barricading her inside.
Then he turned—
—and ran.
As though he had made an irreversible decision.
"KELLY!!"
"WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?!"
Shirley's furious roar echoed like that of a wounded beast.
"I'm sorry, Shirley..."
"I can't do it..."
Holding the silver dagger tightly against his chest, Kiritsugu ran while wiping away tears.
He believed Shirley could still be saved.
Even if there was only the slightest possibility...
He had to try.
But...
Whether at the stilt house atop the mountain...
...or throughout the village below...
Kiritsugu couldn't find Norikata Emiya anywhere.
It was as though his father had vanished from the face of the earth.
With every passing second...
The boy's hope slipped further away.
Left with no other choice, Kiritsugu ran to find Father Simon, the only person besides his father who might still know how to save Shirley.
By then...
The sun had completely disappeared.
Only the last traces of twilight remained as a cold darkness slowly enveloped the island.
When Kiritsugu hurried back to the chicken coop with Father Simon...
He froze.
"W-What happened...?!"
The steel wire of the coop had been ripped apart as though by some gigantic beast.
Around it lay over a dozen blood-soaked white hens.
Most had been devoured until little more than feathers remained.
"Did..."
"Did Shirley really do this?"
Father Simon swept his flashlight across the horrific scene.
Cold sweat immediately formed on his forehead.
The two searched around Shirley's house.
She was nowhere to be found.
With no other options, they reluctantly returned to the church.
Because Norikata Emiya had become highly suspicious, Father Simon refused to let Kiritsugu return home alone—
—even if the man in question was Kiritsugu's own father.
Sitting alone in Father Simon's bedroom, Kiritsugu buried his face in his hands.
In the darkness behind his closed eyes...
The image of Shirley desperately fighting herself replayed over and over.
"Why..."
"Why did this happen...?"
"Where did everything go wrong...?"
A profound sense of powerlessness consumed him.
He wanted to cry.
But there were no tears left.
"Kelly."
"Stay here."
"Don't go anywhere."
"Lock the doors and windows."
"I'll notify the rest of the village."
Father Simon gently patted him on the shoulder before picking up his flashlight and leaving.
"...Okay."
Kiritsugu answered weakly.
Watching through the bedroom window, he anxiously followed the priest's retreating figure with his eyes.
Then—
Not long after Father Simon walked away...
Kiritsugu noticed one of the villagers approaching him.
Something about the man's gait looked horribly wrong.
A terrible sense of dread gripped his heart.
He opened his mouth to warn him—
But it was already too late.
The strange figure casually swung one arm.
Crack.
Father Simon's neck snapped instantly.
"—!!"
Kiritsugu's pupils contracted.
He clamped both hands over his mouth.
Yet despite himself...
A tiny gasp escaped.
"Raaagh—"
The twisted figure immediately tilted its head toward the church.
Its crimson eyes—
Exactly like Shirley's—
Locked onto Kiritsugu's trembling black ones.
Then, as though spotting prey...
It charged straight toward the church with a feral roar.
No...!
Panic overwhelmed Kiritsugu.
He stumbled backward, falling off his chair.
BOOM!
A thunderous crash shook the building.
The church's weathered front doors couldn't withstand even a single impact.
They collapsed instantly.
Since Father Simon had left the bedroom door open, moonlight poured into the room.
For the first time, Kiritsugu saw the monster clearly.
It was one of the villagers.
He couldn't remember the man's name...
Only his face.
His clothes were shredded.
His entire body was covered in wounds that looked as though a wild animal had torn into him.
"RAAAAGH!"
The ghoul-like villager spotted Kiritsugu sprawled on the floor and lunged at him.
Suppressing his terror, Kiritsugu scrambled to his feet.
He slammed the bedroom door shut—
—and dropped the wooden bar into place.
BANG!
The bedroom door shuddered violently.
Unlike the church's front entrance, however, it held.
Perhaps because it had remained sheltered indoors for years instead of enduring the relentless sea wind and weather.
Kiritsugu curled into the corner of the room.
He hugged himself tightly.
One hand covered his mouth.
The other pinched his nose shut.
He didn't dare make a sound.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Knowing its prey was inside, the ghoul continued hurling itself against the door.
It wouldn't be long before the barrier gave way.
Then—
Thrust!
A slender silver blade suddenly pierced straight through the wooden door.
Its razor-sharp tip emerged into the room.
Fresh crimson blood dripped slowly from its edge.
When the blade was withdrawn...
The pounding outside ceased.
Outside the room—
Several figures clad in black robes moved through the church like silent executioners.
Their faces were hidden beneath deep hoods.
Around each neck hung an identical silver cross.
With effortless precision, they cut down the humanoid monsters one after another using black blades with distinctive T-shaped hilts.
These were Black Keys—
high-grade Mystic Codes wielded by elite members and Executors of the Holy Church.
Their identities...
...were now unmistakable.
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