In this chaotic world, it all started when they found an elf girl

　One cannot lie before a god, Roy said calmly, “Goddess, please don’t worry about it.”

　Roy discovered that as long as he spoke with a serious expression, no matter how outrageous the content was, people would take it seriously; it was just serious nonsense.

　But this rule doesn't seem to apply much to the goddess Astraea.

　Faced with the rogue Roy, Astraea's deep blue eyes were filled with both shame and anger. She grabbed Roy's soft waist with her small hand and twisted it gently, not daring to use too much force for fear of hurting him.

　Roy, seemingly unfazed, revealed a wicked smile and continued his antics.

　"You, even with such serious injuries, you still won't behave."

　Astraea extended her slender, white finger and tapped Roy's forehead with a hint of annoyance.

　Roy chuckled.

　By day, he travels the world playing online games; by night, the goddess Astraea sleeps with him—he lives a blissful life.

Chapter 181 A Reward Falls from the Sky While Sitting at Home

　The next day.

　Roy slowly woke up, only to find that the goddess Astraea, who had been beside him, was gone again. The lingering, alluring fragrance on the sheets proved that she had slept there.

　Roy discovered that his serious injury had some advantages.

　The clan's chief deity and members treated him like a national treasure, a giant panda, taking great care of him.

　Sleeping alongside the goddess Astraea, occasionally teasing the shy and timid girls Daphne and Cassandra, he was living a blissful life. As the saying goes, those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune, and good news also arrived from the world of Fate/Zero.

　[Divine intervention: Kiritsugu Emiya successfully hunted down Diarmuid. Congratulations on obtaining 300 attribute points, the Demon-Slaying Crimson Rose, and the Inevitable Annihilation Yellow Rose!] Name: Demon-Slaying Crimson Rose

　Tier: Epic

　Special Effect (Demon Repeller): This spear, a "Noble Phantasm Killer," renders magical defenses ineffective, allowing only physical defense. Name: The Inevitable Yellow Rose

　Tier: Epic

　Special Effect (Severe Wound): Taking damage from this short gun will cause irreversible trauma.

　Roy was overjoyed when he saw the reward panel that popped up; he was sitting at home and rewards were falling from the sky.

　While he was sleeping with the goddess Astraea in his arms, Kiritsugu Emiya, that powerful tool, had already dealt with Kenneth and Diarmuid. Using "Divine Descent," Roy roughly understood what had happened. Just like in the original timeline, Kenneth, whose magic workshop had been destroyed, sought revenge and attacked the Einzbern family's castle with Diarmuid.

　Diarmuid was dealing with Artoria, while the arrogant and conceited Kenneth wanted to have a fair and square magician's duel with Kiritsugu Emiya. The outcome was as expected.

　Having reached LV. 4, Kiritsugu Emiya easily destroyed Kenneth's proud Mystic Code, "Moon Spirit Fluid," completely dominating him. Kiritsugu Emiya's methods were extremely ruthless.

　During the castle battle, he sent his assistant, Hisau Maiya, to kill Kenneth's fiancée, Sora, directly leading to Diarmuid's defeat. Kenneth, through his exceptional talent, modified the Holy Grail summoning system, allowing the magical energy of the Servants in the present world to be transferred to his fiancée, Sora. Both died simultaneously.

　Diarmuid was ultimately defeated.

　Knowing that his immense power came from a demon god, Kiritsugu Emiya remembered the matter of offering a soul. From 800 meters away, he fired a rocket, sending his opponent on their final journey.

　This also allowed Roy to receive a reward.

　Roy grinned from ear to ear, but unfortunately, "Divine Descent" could only select one target at a time and consumed too much mental energy. Otherwise, he would have liked to find hundreds of "tools" and the rewards he would have obtained could fill a warehouse.

　Roy couldn't help but praise, "Well done!"

　The voice in his mind echoed, and even Kiritsugu Emiya felt the joy of the "Demon God." It seemed that the soul of the Master or Servant did indeed play an important role in him. Even now, the shock in his heart had not disappeared; the power the other party had given him was too strong.

　It even allowed him to confront Servants head-on.

　Across the table, Artoria and her wife Irisviel looked at him as if he were a monster; his divine performance was too dazzling.

　Having handed over a group of Master and Servant souls, it's time to demand payment—the most important intelligence.

　"Demon God, what is the Holy Grail War?" Kiritsugu Emiya asked the question that concerned him most.

　The magician's desires!

　A small ceremony in the Far East!

　"source"!

　The demon's words from yesterday lingered in Kiritsugu Emiya's mind, and with the demon's prophecies and intelligence continuously coming true, he had no choice but to believe it. When Roy questioned Kiritsugu, he wasn't surprised. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he coughed twice, preparing to...tell the demon the truth! Roy briefly recalled the background of the "Holy Grail War," and asked, "Do you know about the Third Magic?"

　Emiya Kiritsugu frowned.

　How did we get onto the topic of the third magic? In the world of magic, almost everyone knows about magic.

　In this world, the difference between magic and sorcery is that the former can be performed using technology or human power. For example, a magician can summon flames with magic, but an ordinary person can also create flames with a lighter and a flamethrower, so it cannot be called sorcery.

　Magic refers to miracles that cannot be performed by technology or human power; there are only five types of magic currently in existence.

　But what exactly the five great spells are, is beyond Kiritsugu Emiya's knowledge. Judging from the "demon god's" words, is the Holy Grail War related to the Third Spell? Kiritsugu Emiya had a bad feeling and replied, "I know."

　Roy continued, "That makes things easier. The Third Magic is the materialization of the soul, granting immortality and endless magical power. The Einzbern family, who have entrusted you with the Holy Grail War, had an ancestor who was once a disciple of the Third Magician..."

　Emiya Kiritsugu's pupils contracted. Such a powerful background.

　Through Roy's narration, Kiritsugu Emiya gradually learned the truth about the Holy Grail War. A chilling coldness spread through his body, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. The Third Magic was undoubtedly a great miracle capable of saving all humanity, but long ago, the Third Magician suddenly disappeared without a trace. The disciples who wanted to save all humanity became disheartened and chose to leave, but the homunculi left behind continued this cause—the Einzbern family.

　It took the Homunculi nearly nine hundred years to create Justessa Risleich von Einzbern, a special Homunculus capable of wielding the Third Magic.

　But as time goes by.

　It was discovered that Justisa was a substandard product; she could use the third magic, but saving even one person would take years and consume enormous amounts of energy. She was utterly incapable of saving all of humanity!

　The key issue is that it's an accidental product, a lucky break, and it can't be improved or mass-produced.

　So they had another idea.

　By uniting the Tohsaka and Matou families, Justeza was dismantled and constructed into a magic circle. With the Tohsaka family providing the necessary assistance, this magic circle continuously absorbed the spiritual veins of Fuyuki City. This process lasted for sixty years. Once enough magical power was obtained, the seven heroes could be summoned from the Throne of Heroes within a limited time of one week.

　Next, defeat the Servants and then use the Lesser Grail to collect their souls.

　After accumulating a sufficient number of souls, they are released all at once, generating immense power enough to "pierce" the world. The end of this "hole" is the "root".

　Reaching the "Root" and achieving the Third Magic will no longer be difficult.

　However, since seven Servants' souls were needed, and the three starter families didn't have enough manpower, they resorted to deception, disguising the ritual as a Holy Grail War to attract mages from all over to participate.

　Upon hearing this, Kiritsugu Emiya's face turned extremely grim. So, even if he won the Holy Grail War, he couldn't save humanity. A deception, a hateful deception orchestrated by the three founding families!

　"You think this is the end?" Roy's lips curled into a malicious smile.

　Emiya Kiritsugu's eyes widened. Another expert?

　Roy continued to strip the three starter dogs bare.

　"In the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family's Servants were defeated early on. Those homunculi were very anxious. For over a hundred years, they gave up their precious Justessa, but gained nothing."

　Then they unexpectedly discovered that the Holy Grail could summon not only the seven regular Servants… but also the eighth class, Avenger. So they summoned Avenger Angra Mainyu. This Servant was extremely weak, but its soul was very special. After its defeat, its soul was absorbed into the Holy Grail. What do you think would happen?

　Even Kiritsugu Emiya's usually calm face twitched uncontrollably. Just how huge a hole had the predecessors left behind? "The Holy Grail has been corrupted by the soul of Angra Mainyu. All Servants have been defeated. As previously mentioned, a hole in the Holy Grail has been created, but that hole will flow with black mud that pollutes the world. No matter how you fight, no matter who the final victor is, the final result will be a great catastrophe."

　Roy didn't keep them in suspense for long; the complexity of the Holy Grail War added a touch of melancholy to his tone.

　Upon hearing this, Kiritsugu Emiya's heart sank completely.

Chapter 182 Speedrun of the Holy Grail War

　Roy simply told Kiritsugu Emiya the details of the Holy Grail War; he didn't intentionally guide him.

　Leave the rest to the other party to do.

　As expected, the highly proactive Kiritsugu Emiya did not completely believe him. Instead, he began to use his connections to investigate the three starter families. Through subtle clues, he corroborated the information about Roy, the "demon god," and the truth gradually came to light.

　Kiritsugu Emiya slumped back in his chair, a look of utter dejection on his face. His ideals of saving the world had been shattered, and they were engaged in a ritual that would destroy it. The shock was enough to break anyone.

　But Kiritsugu Emiya lived up to his reputation as a ruthless man who murdered his biological father as a child, bombarded his adoptive mother in his youth, and lost his wife in middle age. After taking a cold shower, he quickly cheered up.

　In the dimly lit room, he began to ponder how to stop the Holy Grail War and save the world...

　This was something Roy had anticipated.

　If other magicians knew the truth about the Holy Grail War, they would turn around and leave, regardless of the devastation. Only Kiritsugu Emiya would stay and fight even harder.

　The huge pitfall left by the predecessors is simply too outrageous. The Holy Grail War is bound to end in a great catastrophe. Emiya Kiritsugu, with his active mind, analyzed the intelligence and two ideas emerged in his mind.

　Firstly, dismantling the magic circle constructed by the three starter families, namely the "Great Grail," would end this war.

　Kiritsugu Emiya asked, "Demon God, where is the Greater Grail's magic circle?"

　“That’s another problem; it requires you to offer the soul of another servant,” Roy chuckled.

　Kiritsugu Emiya's expression darkened slightly. The Holy Grail War only lasted seven days, and he had already spent two days investigating the truth about the Holy Grail, leaving only about three or four days. Continuing the investigation was too late. Obtaining the location of the Greater Grail from the "Demon God" was the fastest shortcut, but the other party was clearly only after their own interests. Of course, Kiritsugu Emiya wasn't that naive; this led to another audacious idea of ​​his.

　Since the "hole" will appear and black mud will flow out when all the Servants' souls enter the Holy Grail, he can avoid this by handing over the Servants' souls to the "Demon God"!

　However, he could not give all his souls to the "Demon God," otherwise there would be unknown risks if the other party were to be fully resurrected. Kiritsugu Emiya always remained wary.

　Kiritsugu Emiya finally came to a conclusion.

　Fifty-fifty!

　The only two ways to prevent the Holy Grail War from causing a great catastrophe are to have half of the Servant's soul enter the Holy Grail and the other half be given to the "Demon God"!

　Roy, who had been eavesdropping on Kiritsugu Emiya's thoughts, was delighted. Kiritsugu had fallen into a trap; the other party had to personally kill half of the Servants, and Roy would be the direct beneficiary.

　The difficulty of outsmarting a smart person is not much greater than that of outsmarting a fool, because the other party will actively deduce all the seemingly "reasonable" conclusions. There's a saying that goes, "too clever by half," which perfectly describes Kiritsugu Emiya's current situation.

　Kiritsugu Emiya's first step was to sow discord!

　He sent the intelligence he possessed regarding the Holy Grail War to various factions, and not just one copy for each Master and Servant. The two antisocial lunatics of the Caster faction wouldn't care about such things, and Lancelot of the Berserker faction was irrational and meaningless. As for the Assassin's faction, even Hassan of the Hundred Faces couldn't resist Kirei Kotomine, this humanoid monster.

　The Rider and Archer factions reacted most strongly to the truth about the Holy Grail War.

　"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

　Iskandar finished reading the anonymous letter in his hand, and was so angry that he scratched his head and gulped down a large mouthful of strong liquor. He slammed the barrel down on the ground and let out an angry growl from deep in his throat.

　It's ridiculous that he was so excited, provoking all the participating heroes on the dock. Isn't that just being a complete clown?

　These damn magicians, they even fool the dead! Do they have any sense of public morality?!

　With his imposing physique and red hair, Iskandar resembled a raging lion.

　Waver dared not utter a word. He participated in the Holy Grail War to gain recognition, and did not have much desire for the Holy Grail.

　"Let's go, let's investigate!"

　Iskandar slapped Weber on the back, tossed him onto his chariot, and sped off to verify the contents of the letter. Meanwhile, on the other side…

　The Tosaka family residence.

　Gilgamesh lay on the sofa, sipping fine red wine while casually reading a letter sent to him by some insignificant ant, treating it as a form of entertainment. "Hahahahahahahaha!"

　After reading the first half of the letter, Gilgamesh couldn't help but burst into wild laughter, his voice echoing throughout the entire mansion. He laughed so hard he almost choked, his abs twitching. "They actually want to recreate the Third Magic? These fools are quite amusing." Gilgamesh rubbed his aching abs; with his magical skill, he could tell that the contents of the letter were mostly true.

　His royal treasury contains the original texts of all the treasures in the world, including the Holy Grail. He accepted the summons and ran down from the Throne of Heroes just to have fun, which added a new source of amusement to his life.

　Gilgamesh's smile vanished when he read the second half of the letter.

　This ritual requires all the Servants' souls to enter the Lesser Grail, meaning the Master's final Command Spell is used to force the Servants to commit suicide... "Tokiomi? How dare you!"

　Gilgamesh's tone became more sinister.

　"Your Majesty, please do not believe such rumors of dubious origin." Tokiomi Tohsaka said respectfully, but in reality, he was sweating profusely. Damn it, which bastard exposed the truth? This kind of person doesn't even need to be interrogated; he should be torn apart by five horses!

　Gilgamesh gave a forced smile, his blood-red eyes narrowed as he stared at the seemingly respectful and loyal subject before him, though in reality, he harbored malicious intentions.

　After finally managing to deal with Gilgamesh, Tokiomi Tohsaka summoned Kirei Kotomine.

　Kirei Kotomine asked, "Master, the Holy Grail War has been exposed. What should we do next?"

　To be honest, Tokiomi Tohsaka really wanted to find out who was behind this and skin that bastard alive!

　But this is just a powerless venting of anger.

　After a moment of contemplation, Tokiomi Tohsaka said, "The situation has changed. Contact the Matou and Einzbern families and kick out those outsiders first!" After many years of development, the three families parted ways due to different interests. The Tohsaka family wanted to reach the "Root," the Einzbern family wanted to realize the Third Magic, and the old man Matou longed for immortality.

　But at this moment they must unite.

　With the truth about the Holy Grail War revealed, it will be much harder to fool fools into participating in the future.

　Kirei Kotomine asked, "Master, could it be that the truth was revealed by someone from one of these two families?"

　Upon hearing this, Tokiomi Tohsaka's eyes turned icy. "I know, that's why I need to contact them!"

　Kirei Kotomine understood; it was called an alliance, but in reality, it was a test.

　Under the cover of night, the various parties began their strategic maneuvering.