That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

The basement fell silent. Shinji Matou took out a worn notebook from his pocket and placed it at the center of the summoning ritual. It was a gift from von Hohenheim Paracelsus to his old friend, Machiri Zorgen.

"Let's begin."

Shinji Matou closed his eyes, held out his hand to the ritual summoning circle, and suddenly opened his eyes. His right pupil turned silver-white, radiating an eerie light. A large amount of magical power poured from his right hand into the ritual summoning circle in front of him. Shinji Matou chanted an incantation in a childish voice: "Declare! Your body obeys my command, my destiny is entrusted to your sword. If you follow the destiny of the Holy Grail, and obey this will, then respond!"

Summoning Servants doesn't actually require complicated incantations. Incantations are simply spoken to the Servants. Even without chanting, those who are meant to respond will respond, and those who aren't meant to respond won't respond even with relics. Therefore, different Masters will use different incantations.

As the incantation was finished, Shinji Matou felt his magical power surge forth, and the ritual summoning circle shone brightly, engulfing Shinji Matou's location.

The view quickly returned, and Matou Shinji was no longer in the basement of the Matou family's house. This was a world of doors, with two stone doors, one large and one small, standing there. In addition to Matou Shinji, there was another guest who had visited this space.

"We succeeded!" Shinji Matou exclaimed with joy.

The guest was a handsome young man with long hair, dressed in a white robe. He looked around with a puzzled expression, then fixed his gaze on Shinji Matou and asked curiously, "Excuse me, did you summon me?"

“Of course.” Shinji Matou replied with a smile, “I tampered with the summoning circle, that’s why we’re here, von Hohenheim Paracelsus.”

“Master, your youth is beyond my expectations. Servant von Hohenheim Paracelsus answers your call. Please be sure to become my friend.”

"Of course, my friend, I would like to ask you for a favor."

"You are my master, my friend. Please feel free to ask me anything."

Shinji Matou solemnly asked, "Do you know what possession summoning is?"

This is a pointless question. Paracelsus von Hohenheim was the greatest alchemist, and he would have gained some knowledge from the Holy Grail when he was summoned. It's impossible that he didn't know.

Von Hohenheim Paracelsus stroked his chin thoughtfully, then said with realization, "I see. You want to borrow my power, not for me to become your servant."

“Yes, the situation is not optimistic. Words cannot explain my current predicament, nor is there time to explain. I can share a portion of my memories, which you can review before making a decision.” Shinji Matou extended his right hand to Paracelsus von Hohenheim.

He was quite surprised, hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Shinji Matou, knelt down, and bowed, saying, "Your determination has taken me by surprise, but a hasty decision will only put both of us in a bad situation, so please allow me to feel your determination with respect."

Von Hohenheim Paracelsus grasped Matou Shinji's right hand and, through Matou Shinji's consciousness, accessed the memories that Matou Shinji had allowed him to view.

This includes the truth about the Holy Grail War, the corruption of the Holy Grail, his former friend's transformation into a monster who can only survive by eating people, some events that would happen in the normal timeline, and the things that Shinji Matou wants to do, etc.

Shinji Matou did not reveal his identity as a transmigrator, and sharing memories was more like bringing von Hohenheim Paracelsus into the audience's seats as well.

"how?"

Paracelsus von Hohenheim stared blankly for a long time, his face contorted with bitterness: "Is reality always this painful...?"

He took a step back, then relaxed slightly: "Your suggestion is not a bad thing for me. I have committed an unforgivable sin. If it can help you in this way... No, it's nothing. That's another world, a dreamlike, illusory memory."

He bowed to Shinji Matou and said, "I offer you my blessing of ether, my Master. May you save all things, and may the world be filled with blessings, no matter when or where."

Shinji Matou bowed deeply: "Hohenheim, thank you very much for your assistance."

Within the world of the gate, von Hohenheim Paracelsus's body vanished in a flash of light.

------------------

The box for the author's message is missing; it can only be said in the main text.

It's time to enter the Fourth Holy Grail War.

The protagonist's state is similar to that of Zhuge Liang in FGO, possessing absolute control over his consciousness and being able to use the power of Servants.

Chapter Twenty-One: Insect Control

For the past year, Shinji Matou has been preparing for today's summons, and this is the result he has been seeking.

Possession summoning allows a Servant to be summoned using a human body as a vessel. Usually, the Servant holds the dominant consciousness, but there are exceptions, such as when the possessing Servant voluntarily relinquishes their dominant consciousness.

Shinji Matou only knew of one case involving Zhuge Liang. It is estimated that the great strategist had already foreseen that he would have to work overtime, so in order not to die from overwork, he simply let El-Melloi II take control of his consciousness.

Possession summoning is a very common magic in spirit summoning. It is theoretically impossible to rise to the level of a Servant. However, it is not the Master who summons the Servant, but the Holy Grail system. The Master only needs to provide the Servant with the minimum amount of magic power required to maintain the Servant's spirit body. This gave Shinji Matou room to exploit the loophole.

Shinji Matou tampered with the ritual summoning circle, connecting it to his Silver Eye. The summoned Servants would not appear directly; their spirits would be absorbed by the Silver Eye and negotiated within Shinji Matou's mental world, the world of the Gate.

This is one of the reasons why Shinji Matou insisted on summoning von Hohenheim Paracelsus. Shinji Matou had a certain understanding of this Servant, not only his abilities, but also his personality, his attitude towards the Holy Grail War, his attitude towards mages, and so on.

Von Hohenheim Paracelsus dislikes fighting and is a typical scholar-magician with a human and emotional personality. Not having to personally participate in battles is a good decision for him.

Judging from his remarks, Shinji Matou believes that he may even have retained memories of another Holy Grail War.

These are not the main points. There is a fundamental difference between possessing and summoning von Hohenheim Paracelsus and possessing and summoning other Servants. Von Hohenheim Paracelsus is a modern magician. After possessing and summoning him, Matou Shinji can obtain all of his abilities, including the magical knowledge of exploring the Root. This is the greatest treasure that Matou Shinji craves.

The ritual ended, the glow in the basement dissipated, the magical mist vanished, and the Servant was nowhere to be seen on the summoning circle.

"what?"

Zouken Matou looked at the center of the summoning circle with a strange expression, tapped the floor tiles with his cane in his right hand, and sneered nonchalantly: "As expected, it failed."

Zouken Matou didn't hear Shinji Matou's reply and looked at him in confusion. Just as he was about to speak up, his insect-like eyes trembled violently, and he demanded in a low voice, "Shinji!? What did you do?"

The insect that replaced his eyes was a very special kind of insect that could see a spectrum invisible to the human eye and also had a keen sense of magic.

Now, Zouken Matou sees a strong spiritual fluctuation in Shinji Matou's body, a characteristic of a Servant.

Shinji Matou silently reached out. Without needing to chant, the moisture in the air coalesced into three ice spears, which pierced through Zouken Matou's thin, hunched body with lightning speed, pinning him to the wall.

"Goo~"

Pinned to the wall in a disheveled state, Zouken Matou stared at Shinji Matou with suspicion and disbelief. Beneath his aged face, a fleshy growth writhed, startling the worms that had replaced his body parts. He hissed angrily, "Shinji! Are you insane?"

“I’m perfectly normal. You should have noticed by now that the summoning ritual was successful.” Shinji Matou turned around and calmly met Zouken Matou’s gaze, his silver left eye shimmering with light.

"Shinji, you...you're planning to betray the Matou family like Kariya did? No, you've been planning this from the beginning!"

Shinji Matou shook his head and sighed, "Grandpa, Zouken Matou, or should I call you Machiri Zorgen, can't you recall the original intention of establishing the Matou family when you hear this name? Who is the one who betrayed the Matou family?"

"You bastard... what do you know?"

Shinji Matou coldly scrutinized the old man's ugly body: "Zouken, you have forgotten the original intention of the Matou family and yourself in creating the Holy Grail War. Now you are nothing but a parasite that feeds on the lives of others and does anything to obtain immortality."

Sensing the disdain in Shinji Matou's eyes, Zouken Matou seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and he cursed, "You bastard! Who do you think taught you magic! Do you want to repay kindness with enmity?"

Shinji Matou remained unmoved: "I am grateful for that. You have no value in continuing to live. In exchange, I will fulfill the Matou family's obsession."

"You think you can kill me?" Zouken Matou sneered. His body, pierced by the ice spear, transformed into countless insects that crawled out. At the same time, strange noises echoed throughout the basement. The insects' cries were sharper and more intense than a year ago, like waves of the sea.

The sound of insects has a strong psychological suggestive effect; an ordinary person in this basement would be terrified and die on the spot.

Shinji Matou and his Servant are one, making him directly immune to the effects of low-level magic.

"Shhh~"

Shinji Matou glanced around and saw the swarm of insects spreading from the dark corners of the basement. There were no fewer than a hundred species, and Shinji recognized more than twenty of them, including blade-winged insects, fire-resistant insects, earth-devouring insects, and magic-storing insects.

"Disgusting," Shinji Matou muttered in disgust.

Shinji Matou casually set up a defensive barrier, ignoring the surging swarm of insects. His silver eyes remained fixed on Zouken Matou, who was pinned to the wall by the ice wall. Silver fragments flowed from his pupils, shining like a glittering gem in the dark basement.

The Mystic Eyes can see into Zouken Matou's body and analyze his insect manipulation technique by observing the movement of magical energy. They can see subtle magical energy returning to a certain place along a certain channel.

Zouken Matou's body is entirely composed of insects, so no matter how many times you kill him, he can always find a replacement body.

Shinji Matou's goal is to find the insect that has fused with Zouken Matou's soul. It is similar to a lich's life box. Only by killing that insect can Zouken Matou die completely.

The Mystic Eyes keenly detected extremely subtle magical energy movements; Shinji Matou before he possessed the body and summoned it certainly wouldn't have been able to do such a thing.

Neither the flaws in the Mystic Eyes' abilities nor the magical power possessed by Shinji Matou was sufficient to support the full activation of the Mystic Eyes.

After being possessed and summoned, von Hohenheim Paracelsus's abilities as a Servant compensated for the lack of Mystic Eyes, and now Shinji Matou's abilities are comparable to those of the Servant von Hohenheim Paracelsus.

Because it is a possession summon, Shinji Matou is both the Master and the Servant, thus avoiding the need for magic power to maintain the Servant's presence.

Killing a mage is as easy for a Servant as crushing an insect, let alone a Caster-class Servant who is naturally superior to mages.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Attributes

The surging swarm of insects was blocked by a transparent red barrier within half a meter of Matou Shinji.

Within the Mystic Eyes, fragments of light flickered, and Shinji Matou saw the flow path of magical energy. Starting from Zouken Matou's body, he transcended the limitations of space to find the end of the path.

"Here!"

Shinji Matou's Mystic Eyes sharpened, and based on the coordinates where the magical power would ultimately flow, he directly activated a spatial transfer magic.

Swish!

The space in front of Shinji Matou distorted, and a worm the size of a thumb, shaped like a tadpole with a long tail, appeared out of thin air. It was firmly fixed in the alternate dimension.

This insect was originally cultivated by Zouken Matou to parasitize Sakura Matou's heart.

"Wh...what! Impossible!"

On the basement wall, a swarm of insects gathered to form the old man's head, emitting panicked screams.

The old man's trump card was completely exposed by Shinji Matou, making it impossible for him to remain calm.

"Wait! Shinji, wait! Wait! Wait a minute! I can give you anything you want, all the secret magic of the Matou family, that brat from the Tohsaka family, I'll give it all to you! I only want the glory of the Matou family, wait, wait a minute!" The dirty and ugly old man shouted in a panic, with insects constantly falling from his head, his panic making it impossible for him to concentrate and control the swarm of insects.

Faced with death, Zouken Matou showed an even stronger will to survive, abandoning all dignity and begging for mercy, which is his consistent way of doing things.

The longer one lives, the deeper one's obsessions become, and the greater one's fear of death.

The wriggling swarm of insects filled Shinji Matou with utter disgust. He sighed softly, "Zouken, do you have any last words?"

"Don't talk nonsense! I'm your grandfather! Do you want to kill your own family member with your own hands?"

"You haven't left anything for the Matou family in five hundred years. Do you know how many times your body has been replaced? Do you still have the bloodline of the Matou family?"

Zouken Matou screamed at the top of his lungs, "This is all to fulfill the Matou family's wish and bring glory to the Matou family!"

The swarm of insects attacked Matou Shinji even more frantically, and several magically-specialized blade-winged insects pierced the barrier with their wings.

"Perhaps it was before, but now the Matou family is just a pawn in your pursuit of immortality."

"Wait! Don't kill me, Shinji. For the sake of us both bearing the name of Matou, spare me."

“Machiri Zorgen, stop struggling. It’s pathetic. You’ve been trying to reach that level day after day, year after year for five hundred years. You must be tired. It’s time for your decaying soul to rest in peace.”

"you···"

"Click~"

Shinji Matou loosely clenched his right hand, and the powerful force he exerted on the alternate dimension crushed the insect that carried Zouken Matou's soul.

In an instant, the basement fell silent. The out-of-control insects went berserk, killing each other without Matou Shinji even lifting a finger. Matou Shinji waved his hand, unleashing a burst of cold air that froze the basement. The magical power within the basement wiped out all the insects.

After killing Zouken Matou, Shinji Matou had mixed feelings. As a magician, Zouken Matou was not evil, and he treated his family well. There was nothing wrong with pursuing immortality.