I am a Type-Moon comic artist!

He had already read all the contents of Fate/Zero that Kurokawa Kazuya had sent him.

So naturally, he didn't ask Kirei Kotomine to inquire about Kazuya Kurokawa's whereabouts. He wanted to go there himself... but now, because of Zouken Matou, he couldn't even leave home.

Even her daughter, Rin Tohsaka, who should have been in school, was kept at home and forbidden from going out.

The barrier around the Tohsaka residence is open 24/7. Even some things can only be done by Kirei Kotomine going around to buy things for them.

He was also racking his brains about how to educate his disciple.

After all, he couldn't possibly punish or even kill this disciple because of a baseless comic... However, everything that had been confirmed in Fate/Zero so far was true. He couldn't afford not to be wary of him.

However... he didn't want to kill someone just because they might go down a bad path in the future. In his view, there was still a possibility of correcting Kirei Kotomine's ways. After all, he was feeling empty right now, and as long as the right approach was found, everything would be fine.

However, what troubled him the most was Matou Zouken.

That old bug.

Previously, after the people from the Mage's Association and the Holy Church arrived, they confirmed that Zouken Matou met the conditions for the designated seal. However, that old bug is indeed a person who has lived for hundreds of years. According to subsequent investigations, he may have existed before the Holy Grail War. Further investigation is needed to determine exactly how long he has lived.

The current situation is... initially, both the Magic Association and the Church believed that the old bug had been killed.

Inside the insect cellar, and within the Matou residence, there was no trace of life. The Matou residence itself was reduced to nothing in the fire.

But—the old bug still didn't die; instead, it escaped.

They even attacked Rin Tohsaka, who was still in school!

Then something happened that even Tokiomi Tohsaka couldn't understand... According to Kirei Kotomine, who arrived later, he saw an arrow that looked like a shooting star streaking across the sky.

Then, just before Zouken Matou was about to make another move, he protected Rin Tohsaka and brought him back.

In other words...

Kirei Kotomine saved Rin Tohsaka.

This makes it even less likely for him to act rashly against his disciple.

The Tohsaka family are gentlemen and nobles.

As a nobleman, one should naturally maintain noble manners. If Kirei Kotomine had expressed hostility towards him, then even if he saved Rin Tohsaka, he wouldn't have allowed her to continue living.

However, this was not the case in reality; Kirei Kotomine still maintained respect for him and treated him with the courtesy due to a disciple.

In that case, he'd be even less likely to make a move...

Moreover... if he's being watched by Zouken Matou like this, he won't be able to do anything for a while and can only watch JUMC and Fate continue to be released.

This comic will become known to more and more people...

It's alright for now; the Fourth Holy Grail War is still a year away... Even if someone cares, it probably won't be a big problem.

But...if the prediction is correct...

This should be the last Holy Grail War, which is currently being led by the three founding families.

After this Holy Grail War ends, the Mage's Association will probably find out that the Holy Grail can reach the Root... At that time, I should be able to barely protect my family by relying on my connections.

Of course, this is all on the premise that you won't die.

This, especially now... he can say he has absolutely no confidence.

"One year left... I'll leave the Tohsaka family's magic crest to Rin before the Holy Grail War..." He shouldn't need much of his power as the Master during the actual Holy Grail War.

So, just in case, let's stay.

And then, as expected, the last annoying thing... was still Sakura's.

The road to the Matou family's residence is blocked. What should we do next?

Then, setting aside family matters, since this might very well be the Tohsaka family's last Holy Grail War, they had to fight with all their might. To resolve everything...

And one very important point about this Holy Grail War is...

How do we get rid of that black sludge? If we don't solve it... can we really reach the root cause?

......

On the other side—

With mixed feelings, Iwamoto Yu arrived in Morioh once again. Unlike before, this time he came with a purpose from the upper echelons of JUMC... His purpose was simple: to get Kurokawa Kazuya to continue drawing the later parts of the Fate storyline.

JUMC is now very popular because of this.

If JoJo attracts die-hard fans, then Fate/Zero, an ensemble drama, attracts a broad audience of people who don't usually read manga.

Countless people were drawn in by this comic, but it will definitely take time for them to become loyal JUMC readers.

But before that... the Fate series couldn't be interrupted like this.

This was an order from above that put him, the editor, in a very difficult position...

The serialization following Chapter 71

"I see, so you want me to continue drawing Fate/Zero...?"

Kurokawa Kazuya was silent for a moment, then glanced quietly at Iwamoto Yu, who seemed a little restless, and said, "No."

"It's not going to work after all..." Yu Iwamoto sighed. "Well, JUMC is willing to give up some of their profits, as long as you continue drawing the later parts of Fate/Zero!"

"No, as I've already said before, Fate/Zero is already a complete story, and there's no need for a sequel."

"So, during the time Fate/Zero is being serialized, you can continue to think about the later plot. After all, there are still more than half a year left. With Kurokawa-sensei's abilities, it shouldn't be a problem, right?" Iwamoto Yu quickly waved his hand and said, "As for the royalties, we are willing to offer three times the previous amount! Not only for the later parts, but we can also quickly revise the contract for Fate/Zero, which is currently being serialized."

In fact, the editor-in-chief told him before he came that it would be up to five times the amount.

However, bargaining takes time; it's impossible to say it outright from the beginning.

"Although it's difficult for you, I still have to say that this isn't about the royalties, but about the integrity of the comic. What I need is completeness. Not suddenly adding a plot point at the end. It should end immediately when it's time to end. That's what I need."

"What about the four times the royalties?" Yu Iwamoto asked tentatively.

"No! Absolutely not." Kurokawa Kazuya said, doing a quick mental calculation... It's already four times, so what's the bottom line? Five times? Six times... Or has he already stated his bottom line as four times... Well, four times is enough, after all, this isn't his main objective.

"However, I will draw the rest if you can grant me one request."

"Huh? What's up?" Iwamoto Yu asked in surprise.

Kurokawa Kazuya stood up and said, "Of course, it's about completeness. This time it's fine, but next time—no matter when, what, or what manga I want to finish, I'll finish it immediately. I can't let any reason make me extend the serialization! This—plus that four times the royalties, if you agree to these two, I'll continue drawing!"

......

"I'll see how things go before making a decision," Shigeo Nishimura said after some thought. JUMC had entered its golden age under his leadership, but he wasn't satisfied; he wanted to take JUMC to even greater heights!

At this point, Fate/Zero had already reached its third chapter.

Unlike other comics, it features a unique art style, beautiful characters, a spirited female King Arthur, and a story with considerable depth.

This attracted a large number of readers to JUMC.

Previously, JUMC primarily targeted teenagers, but after the release of Fate/Zero, reader surveys revealed that it attracted a significant number of middle-aged readers... Compared to other comics, they preferred this kind of profound comic.

Although the female version of King Arthur was initially hard for those familiar with the history of King Arthur to accept, they were quickly drawn to the dashing, youthful knight.

Episode 4 is the first real battle in Fate/Zero.

This chapter alone ignited the entire comic book market—

The outstanding fight scenes are unmatched, the smooth plot, and the scheming and intrigue among the characters during battles create a thrilling experience.

Previous installments of "Fate/Zero" were one episode per story, just like the anime, but here, Kazuya Kurokawa has given it a more detailed portrayal.

I've witnessed so many battles in my dreams, and I've actually experienced some of them firsthand, though they certainly can't compare to the battles fought by these heroic spirits. But at least they have a foundation in fantasy, instead of nothing at all, just relying on my mind to imagine.

so...

Based on his own understanding of combat, and through refinement, he focused on depicting the battles in the later stages of "Fate/Zero," highlighting the combat power of the Servants and their combat skills.

These are all historically renowned figures.

They have already experienced countless battles.

and so--

Here, it's not just the spearmen who know how to use combat skills. As a seasoned warrior who has almost risen from nothing, how could King Arthur not have encountered these tricks in battle? How could he have been completely unprepared?

Then—right after the release of episode five.

Shigeo Nishimura made his decision after seeing JUMC's sales of five million units.

"Let's make a phone call first..."

Some things cannot be decided by him alone. He is the editor-in-chief of JUMC, but he is only the editor-in-chief of JUMC... Some things still require the words of the person above to sign this new contract.

Not long after, he hung up the phone... The person above was convinced by him.

"Agree to him! Agree to his request. JUMC will no longer require him to serialize comics he doesn't want to serialize. He can finish whenever he wants, and the royalties... will be five times the previous amount!"

The original agreement was for four times the amount, but for the sake of the cartoonist's friendship, he decided to increase it to five times.

He knows when to be generous and when to be stingy.

According to the survey, about 60% of these new readers had never read manga before. However, they were still drawn in by "Fate/Zero," meaning that this manga has a strong ability to attract new readers.

Upon receiving the news, Kurokawa Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that JUMC had been selling very well recently, but he didn't know the extent of the sales.

I don't know, but during this period, JUMC (Junior Universe Count) was rising rapidly but only reached 400 million. Now, because of Fate/Zero, it has increased to 500 million.

It's fair to say that, although it sounds exaggerated, it is indeed the reality.

This was an era of limited entertainment, but also an era of rapid development for Japan.

They didn't care about the small amount of money, but the comic brought them joy, a feeling completely different from anything they had experienced before.

"Um... Kurokawa-sensei, you already finished drawing this a long time ago, right?" Iwamoto Yu asked, flipping through the original manuscript that Kurokawa Kazuya had handed him, his lips twitching slightly.

"How could that be? I only drew it after you all agreed." Kurokawa Kazuya said while drawing his new original manga, "Well, it's a plot I had already thought about, so it's a very simple thing."

"So... you were planning to draw it all along, right?" Yu Iwamoto sighed softly.

The comic in his hand is divided into two parts.

One is the epilogue of the later part of Fate/Zero, which tells the story of Waver Wilhelm, a survivor of the Holy Grail War, after returning to the Clock Tower and becoming one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower.

It is divided into three parts.