A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

[Laughable, it's like I've lived in Bengbu... and now you've turned it into the birthplace of civilization? Where's your shame? Ancient Egypt hasn't even spoken yet, and you're already talking about origins?]

"I understand! You're deliberately picking a fight, aren't you! Very well! I'll let you filthy creatures witness the power of the prototype of all human intelligence that I possess!"

As he spoke, Gilgamesh wanted to unleash his Royal Treasury, but in his anger, he forgot that he was on someone else's territory and couldn't mobilize any magic power, let alone unleash his Noble Phantasm.

See, you're getting anxious again. Doesn't your anxiety just mean I'm right? All that talk about carrying the world on your shoulders… it was just bragging all along.

"You damned bastard!!!"

Upon arriving, Wang Chong heard Gilgamesh's mad roar and knew he was yet another poor soul driven insane by the "Six Arts" of the online forum. Sigh, "All the Evils of This World" is too naive. For truly chaotic evil, look to the forum; the custodian walks in standing up in the morning and is carried out on a stretcher by two people in the afternoon.

"Let's go check on Emiya Kiritsugu in the distance. I wonder what's going on over there."

Ignoring Black Alice's skillful use of the forum's best techniques to constantly greet Gilgamesh, Wang Chong first entered his own consciousness illusion to check on Emiya Kiritsugu's movements.

Soon, Wang Chong found Kirei Kotomine and Kiritsugu Emiya. Wang Chong patted Kirei Kotomine on the shoulder and asked, "How's it going? What's the status of this guy? Or is it over already?"

"My lord, he is currently questioning the choice he made and is desperately questioning the Holy Grail," Kirei Kotomine said, pointing to Kiritsugu Emiya standing on a container in the Illusion Harbor.

"You would indeed choose to sacrifice the minority to save the majority, wouldn't you? Kiritsugu Emiya." A voice echoed around Kiritsugu Emiya.

You have been personally sacrificing the lives of the few who failed to tip the scales in your favor. Even if it resulted in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the number of lives saved is far more precious.

"Is this... what you wanted to show me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kiritsugu Emiya found himself back on that beach. He couldn't see Wang Chong and Kirei Kotomine watching him from behind. All he wanted now was an answer.

[Yes, this is your truth, Kiritsugu Emiya's answer. In other words, this is what the Holy Grail, as a wish-granting machine, should do.]

“No! I don’t hope for that! I hope there’s another way. That’s why… I can only pin my hopes on a miracle.” Kiritsugu Emiya gritted his teeth and answered the voice in the void.

You cannot include methods you don't even know in your wishes. If you hope to save the world, your wishes can only be fulfilled through the means you already know.

"Don't be ridiculous! This is hardly... a miracle!"

[It's a miracle, of course. This is a grand ambition you once made, but ultimately couldn't achieve on your own. The Holy Grail can accomplish it for you on a scale beyond human capability. What else could it be but a miracle?]

As soon as he finished speaking, the scenes shifted rapidly, showing Kiritsugu Emiya watching helplessly as he killed his former father, and then Natalia, whom he had once regarded as his mother and teacher. Ultimately, he too would face that final choice.

[Emiya Kiritsugu, you are the true Angra Mainyu... the best candidate to bear all the evil of this world. So, one last question: there are still 3 people left...]

The scene shifts, and Hisa, Irisviel, and Illya appear in Kiritsugu Emiya's line of sight. These are the three most important people in his life. Even though Irisviel betrayed Kiritsugu Emiya, it is undeniable that she still held feelings for him.

So, should we save both people, or choose to save only one?

Chapter 342 Taunt

So, should we save both people, or choose to save only one?

When human lives are placed on a scale, a final choice must be made. In terms of emotional weight, Irisviel and her daughter combined naturally carry more weight than Hisau Maiya. And in terms of weighing priorities, the number of people involved is greater than the number of people involved; it's safe to say the choice that follows is almost predictable.

Just like in the original story, without any changes, Kiritsugu Emiya will choose two people, and then, in order to save those who might be killed by the Holy Grail in the future, he will personally choose to kill his own "wish," killing Irisviel and her daughter. Irisviel and her daughter are not only the most important people in Kiritsugu Emiya's heart, but also represent Kiritsugu Emiya's obsession, his obsession with wishing for a miracle from the Holy Grail.

Kiritsugu Emiya's expression was already somewhat numb. He raised his gun, aimed it at Maiya Hisau, and pulled the trigger. After Maiya Hisau fell, all that remained were those final, seductive words.

"So you finally understand? This is how the Holy Grail grants your wish."

The remaining "Irisviel" began to speak, and the scene shifted to a room in the Snow City.

"All you need to do next is make this wish. Wish for your wife to be resurrected and to return to you, and wish to take your daughter back," Irisviel said with a smile.

“We… can no longer find Kurumi.” Kiritsugu Emiya glanced out the window. Once a wish is made, the outside world will fall into eternal darkness, and this place will become a prison that looks like a gentle haven but is actually no different from a tomb.

"It's alright, it's okay, Illya. As long as I can be with Kiritsugu and Mom, that's all that matters." "Illya" was also offering comforting words. He knew she was a manifestation of the Holy Grail's will deceiving him, but he still treated her like a daughter. Because Illya would say the same things to him.

That's why the final decision was so heartbreaking. "Thank you, Illya. Daddy loves Illya too... I swear this is absolutely true..." Stroking the illusory "Illya," Kiritsugu Emiya felt as if he were truly talking to his daughter whom he hadn't seen for many days. And he was about to make the same decision he had always made.

For the world—kill the father

To save more lives—kill "Mother"

And now, for the sake of 60 billion people, for the sake of the whole world, and for the sake of his own "justice"—he kills his daughter and wife.

"boom!"

The gunshot rang out, and Kiritsugu Emiya felt as if he had shot not Illya, but his own heart. The pain was excruciating, so intense that it felt like he could hardly breathe, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Is it worth it?" A man's voice suddenly rang out from behind Kiritsugu Emiya.

"Compared to 60 billion humans... two family members... I, I will kill them... to save the world." Kiritsugu Emiya said, as if answering a question from the person behind him, or as if stating it himself.

"Ha, so should I applaud you? The hero who saved the world?" the man's voice behind him continued to mock.

"What do you know?!" Kiritsugu Emiya picked up his gun, turned it around, and continued to roar, "Do you think I wouldn't feel pain killing them?! Do you think I wanted to sacrifice them?! I had no other choice! I could only do..."

Suddenly, Kiritsugu Emiya's voice stopped abruptly, and the gun in his hand involuntarily lowered slightly. Because he saw that "Illya," who shouldn't have died by his gun, was not dead. Instead, she was looking at Kiritsugu Emiya with a terrified expression, hiding behind the man.

"Speak up? Why don't you continue? Tell your beloved daughter in person why you made that choice!" the man said with a sneer.

The one protecting "Ilya" was none other than Wang Chong, who had grown tired of watching the drama unfold. He personally intervened, manipulating the illusion to bring "Ilya" behind him, saving her from being shot.

“Emiya Kiritsugu… I’ve seen everything that just happened. I’ve read through your decision, as well as your past decisions and experiences. Admittedly, your willpower and your determination to sacrifice the small for the greater good are indeed admirable. But if we’re just talking about the facts, in my eyes you’re nothing more than a stubborn and arrogant guy,” Wang Chong said coldly.

"..." Kiritsugu Emiya remained silent, because he had heard similar arguments and evaluations from Wang Chong countless times over the years, and had never taken them to heart. He had always walked his own path, and whether it was obsession or slander, he didn't care.

"You seem quite resentful, don't you? Oh, I should say you've never cared at all. That's what I mean by stubbornness and arrogance. You never think you've done anything wrong, and you don't even bother to defend yourself, always going your own way. Ha, that's precisely why even your wife, who was so devoted to you, eventually turned against you and went to be with me. Tell me, you can't even keep your own wife, so what right do you have to say you can protect humanity and save the world?"

Wang Chong directly mocked him, and he really didn't believe that a man could tolerate such an insult without saying a word.

"Da da da da da!"

"Clang clang clang clang—"

As expected, Kiritsugu Emiya was equally unable to remain calm in the face of the hatred of having his wife stolen, especially since his mind was already in turmoil due to the Holy Grail incident. How could he possibly hold back? However, Kiritsugu Emiya was more inclined to take action than to speak, unleashing a barrage of bullets at Wang Chong.

However, how could mere bullets possibly harm Wang Chong now? With a casual wave of his hand, Wang Chong knocked the bullets away, then flicked his finger, and a wisp of mist struck Kiritsugu Emiya's palm, instantly crippling his ability to fire.

"Hey, hey, hey, your daughter is right here. Even if it's an illusion, you treated her like a real daughter. And then you fired in this direction? Ha, no one forced you to make a choice this time, right? Or have you already had the urge to kill once, so it's no longer difficult for you to have the urge to kill again?"

The words, each one a piercing blow, were uttered by Wang Chong, causing Emiya Kiritsugu, already in excruciating pain and mental turmoil, to cough up blood several times, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Ha, I'm too lazy to bully you anymore. I'll cripple one of your hands to stop you from causing any more trouble and dirtying my eyes. To be honest, you and your ideals make me laugh. You're even willing to gamble with the future of your wife and daughter for your ridiculous ideals. What's the difference between you and those gamblers who abandon their wives and daughters and sell themselves into servitude to win money?"

After Wang Chong finished speaking, he turned away from Kiritsugu Emiya and, with "Illya" in tow, prepared to leave the illusion. He then said to an empty space to the side, "Illya, help me send her out. Also, don't use little Illya as a test for the illusion. I can't stand the killing of children."

"Wait a minute!" Just then, Kiritsugu Emiya, enduring the pain in his hand, called out.

"Is there anything else, Emiya Kiritsugu?" Wang Chong asked, not even turning his head, looking completely unfriendly.

"You can insult me, you can insult my methods... but I will never allow you to insult my ideals!" Kiritsugu Emiya walked forward with difficulty, like an ascetic, holding fast to the path in his heart, the ideal that constantly sustained him to live.

"The world needs to be saved... Humanity is constantly fighting and killing each other, it's ugly, and lives that shouldn't be lost are dying every moment... This is my wish: that people will no longer fight and kill each other, and that everyone in the world will be happy and free from sorrow. What right do you have to say this ideal is ridiculous? What right do you have to insult this ideal?! You bastard who pinned all the blame on me and deceived Alice with conspiracies and tricks..."

Emiya Kiritsugu roared, venting the pain he had just experienced and the frustration he had felt over the past few days.

He was inexplicably hunted down, inexplicably branded as an Another Master, and without knowing anything, suddenly lost his beloved wife, Irisviel. How could he not hate, how could he not resent? He had been suffering from mental torment for so long; if it weren't for his ideals, he would have collapsed long ago.

Therefore, Kiritsugu Emiya would never allow his ideals to be denied... Even if he lost the option of realizing his ideals through the Holy Grail, as long as it wasn't the last resort, there would definitely be other ways to reach the other side of his ideals.

"I cannot admit defeat... I cannot admit defeat here..." This was the final roar that Kiritsugu Emiya could utter.

Huh? Why do I say "last"? Because Wang Chong turned around again, his face sneer and his eyes filled with disdain, and swept over this pitiful man who could only roar in anger at this point.

Chapter 343 A Ridiculous Ideal

"Why do you think I have the right to call this ideal ridiculous? Why do you think I have the right to insult this ideal?"

Wang Chong sneered twice. First, he waved his hand, and Black Alice appeared, then disappeared from their sight with "Illya". Then, Wang Chong waved his hand again, and the entire space began to spin. Emiya Kiritsugu was startled and felt his feet suddenly give way, falling towards the abyss.

"Now I'll tell you just how ridiculous your ideal is!"

As soon as Wang Chong finished speaking, an incredibly blinding white light illuminated the entire world, engulfing Kiritsugu Emiya. When Kiritsugu felt the intense light dissipate, he found himself suddenly standing on a bustling street, teeming with people.

Kiritsugu Emiya was momentarily confused, unsure of what was happening or why Wang Chong had brought him to such a place. While he was still bewildered, he suddenly felt something bump into him. Turning around, he saw an old man lying on the ground.

Kiritsugu Emiya quickly reached out to help the old man up and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Hehe, it's nothing, nothing, just a little fall." The old man smiled, seemingly completely unharmed. Although Kiritsugu Emiya was puzzled, he helped the old man up. The old man patted his backside and walked directly towards the zebra crossing to cross the street. Only then did Kiritsugu Emiya notice that one of the old man's legs was dangling, clearly a sprained ankle. Why had the old man walked away without a word, just smiling?

However, what happened next was even more terrifying. Due to a sprained ankle, the elderly man fell again after crossing the road not far. This time, he collided with a speeding car. How could flesh and blood collide with steel? In an instant, an otherwise ordinary traffic accident unfolded before our eyes.

But what truly horrified Kiritsugu Emiya was that even after being hit and killed by the car, the old man showed no sign of ferocity or panic; instead, he wore a blissful smile.

However, the matter didn't end there. The perpetrator didn't flee; he immediately got out of the car, made a phone call, and confessed everything. But, like the old man, he wore a happy smile throughout the entire process. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he seemed completely unafraid, maintaining that blissful smile even as the police arrived and took him away.

Not only the two people involved, but also the traffic police on duty and the surrounding spectators maintained excited smiles, as if they had all lost all emotions except "happiness".

“Could it be…” Kiritsugu Emiya murmured, as if he had realized something.

"It seems you've already realized it. That's right, this is a vision of the future that I've specially prepared for you. If the Holy Grail is truly a wish-granting machine that can grant miracles, and if your wish is truly fulfilled, then what will the world, society, and humanity become? Now I'll lay the answer before you."

Wang Chong's voice rang out behind Kiritsugu Emiya once more. Kiritsugu turned around, but instead of seeing Wang Chong, the scenery around him transformed into a different place. This was a funeral home, a place for cremating corpses or for keeping vigil. However, Kiritsugu saw that the families who were bidding farewell to the dead, despite performing funeral rites, still wore cheerful expressions on their faces; one might mistake them for celebrating a wedding.

Especially those who should have been mourning were now bursting into laughter instead of wailing, creating a very eerie scene. Emiya Kiritsugu, watching this bizarre sight, felt deeply unsettled, while the voice behind him continued:

"A world where everyone is happy and never sad... Hah, how ridiculous. Life is inherently a mix of joy and sorrow, happiness and sadness. By making everyone happy, you are depriving them of other emotions. Yes, they won't fight over other emotions, but they also won't experience those emotions from birth to death, not even the feeling of weeping for the dead. Is this the kind of bizarre world you want, Kiritsugu Emiya?"

“No! I never said I wanted to strip them of their emotions. I just didn’t want any more misfortunes to happen in the world!” Kiritsugu Emiya quickly turned around again and said.

"Heh, foolish! What's the difference between the two? Preventing unfortunate things from happening again is also preventing them from feeling the emotions brought about by those misfortunes, isn't it? If something can make people feel unfortunate and sad, should that be defined as a happy thing?" Wang Chong retorted directly.

"I..." For a moment, Kiritsugu Emiya really had no way to retort, because logically speaking, that was indeed the case.

"Moreover, if it were to be realized in your way, the whole world would only become more chaotic. First of all, there are the three great misfortunes of old age, sickness, and death. Does that mean that everyone will become immortal and free from pain and disaster because of your wish? Not to mention the population explosion that the whole earth can't contain them, if they really live forever, is that really a kind of happiness?" Wang Chong asked bluntly.

"Besides, who defines unhappiness? To what extent? The feeling of unhappiness is relative between people. Take the simplest example. Alice was your wife before, but I prefer Alice. If I don't let me have sex with Alice, I will feel unhappy. But if I have sex with Alice, you will feel unhappy. So the question is, if we could fulfill our wish and make the world free of unhappiness, would Alice let me have sex with her or not?"

This sentence was so awful that it nearly made Kiritsugu Emiya so angry he almost vomited blood. They were having a perfectly good conversation, so how did it suddenly escalate to Irisviel, and in such a disgusting way?

"You...you're being completely sophistical!" After struggling for a while, Kiritsugu Emiya could only utter this one sentence. However, he wasn't entirely wrong; equating unhappiness with misfortune was, in a sense, a fallacy of equivocation.

Wang Chong shrugged noncommittally and continued, "Heh, but you should also understand that you can't possibly satisfy everyone's definition of misfortune. Rather than achieving it your way, mine is at least feasible. The wish you just mentioned is like making two wishes to the Holy Grail: one wish is to create an unliftable stone, while the other is to lift that stone. Contradictory wishes are impossible to fulfill, and miracles can't be performed."

“Since that’s the case… then let’s do it this way… even if it looks a bit strange, at least they can stay in a happy state.”

"That's why I said your ideal is utterly ridiculous. You're stripping them of all their other emotions and making them lose the will to fight. Essentially, you're stripping them of their desires! Leaving them without any wants, only withered joy... But without the backdrop of other emotions, can joy still be defined as joy? In the end, your so-called saving of humanity is nothing more than turning them into a bunch of emotionless, empty shells, walking corpses."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Chong struck Kiritsugu Emiya with a palm strike. Kiritsugu felt a sharp pain in his internal organs, and the surrounding scene spun around him again. When he regained his footing, he found himself back on the street. To Kiritsugu's surprise, all the buildings around him were dilapidated, and the people around him wore similar smiling expressions, walking forward in a strange, zombie-like queue.

Without purpose or direction, my heart is already filled with happiness, so what is there to pursue?

"Hehe, this is exactly the state I heard from a certain monk: neither sad nor happy, all is emptiness. I remember him saying: the suffering of sentient beings is mostly due to not keeping the precepts and indulging in desires. Hehehe..."

Wang Chong chuckled twice, then said nonchalantly, "If you ask me, that's bullshit."

Chapter 344 Obsession, Arrogance, Incompetence, Compromise

"If you ask me... that's bullshit."

After Wang Chong slowly exhaled, the entire illusory space began to undergo drastic changes, and all aspects of life were displayed before Emiya Kiritsugu.

"Do not kill, for hatred will never cease. Do not steal, for the strong and the weak are no different from me. Do not commit adultery, for all sentient beings are sins. Do not lie, for dreams are illusions, bubbles, and emptiness. Do not crave alcohol, for fear and worry are impermanent. Do not indulge in pleasure, for youth is but a fleeting moment. Do not be greedy for sleep, for suffering will not bring liberation. Do not indulge in lust, for all actions are devoid of life."

Under Wang Chong's spell-like words, Kiritsugu Emiya clutched his head... In just a single sentence, Kiritsugu felt a massive torrent of information flood his mind. He saw scenes of bloodshed for momentary revenge, of superiors exploiting inferiors to satisfy their own vanity, and of this vanity becoming the goal that inferiors would pursue their entire lives. He also saw the sordid affairs between men and women, the pursuit of pleasure, the instant agreement. He saw far too much...

But he saw more than just evil… In a moment of laziness, he accidentally created a tool that freed his hands. In order to vent his pent-up anger, he accidentally fired the first shot that broke the corrupt system. In the struggle to compete with each other and to be as strong as possible as other countries, he accidentally propelled the civilization of humanity forward through constant competition and struggle.

The myriad aspects of life, and even the path of human civilization, all depend on the pursuit of human desires and the struggles between people. Whether it is suffering or happiness, it all comes down to this.

At this moment, Wang Chong stood before Kiritsugu Emiya once again and said, "Throughout the ages, from eating raw meat and drinking blood, to slash-and-burn agriculture, to the coexistence of humans and gods, and finally to this era, the pursuit of desires and mutual struggle have always been the nature of humanity. It can destroy everyone, or it can make everyone. This is the choice that everyone must make, the choice that all of humanity makes together."

"Emiya Kiritsugu, do you know what's most ridiculous about you? It's not your naive dream, but your stubbornness, arrogance, incompetence, and compromise! You stubbornly believe that everything you've done is right because you've seen the cruelest and darkest places in the world, so you use what you've seen and known to conclude that everyone in this world needs saving. How are you any different from that frog in the well?"

"You are arrogant, arrogantly measuring life with your own method of killing fewer to save more. The series of questions the Holy Grail gave you is the greatest mockery of your method! You do not realize that your actions are actually denying human rights, simply weighing life on a scale, without recognizing that human rights are equal. Even if you are killing fewer to save more, it is still a contempt for rights."

"You're incompetent. While it may sound unfair to the weak, what grand ambitions do you have? Saving the world? Saving everyone? Ask yourself honestly, do you even have the ability to do all of that? You don't have the ability, yet you're worrying about it. To put it nicely, you're being a worrier; to put it bluntly, it's none of your business! Since you want to do it but don't have the skills, you're ultimately forced to make choices you don't want to make, and then you comfort yourself with the excuse of killing a few to save many, only to regret it later."

"Your incompetence doesn't stop there. What did your father's lesson and your teacher's lesson teach you? Did they only teach you to be ruthless, to use any means necessary, and to bear everything? Did they not teach you where to use that ruthlessness and that willingness to use any means necessary? You only think about how to resolve conflicts more efficiently, but you don't even have the heart to strengthen yourself."

After Wang Chong finished speaking, he paused, then continued, "If I were you... after experiencing those two times, do you know what I hate most? I don't hate the injustice of the world, I don't hate the excessive fighting, I hate that I don't have enough power! I hate that I don't have enough power to bring the dead back to life! I hate that I don't have enough power to protect those I want to protect! If I had enough power, I would definitely make those who bully me die, and those who harm my loved ones die! If there is injustice in the world, I will use these fists to shake it down! If the world is constantly waging war, I will use these fists to suppress that endless war!"

“Power…power…” Kiritsugu Emiya murmured to himself.

"This is also what I want to say last: you compromised. You compromised because you were incompetent, because you couldn't achieve your grand ambitions, so you gave up on realizing your ideals with your own hands, placing all your hopes on the Holy Grail and on miracles. But you didn't know that external things are always external things, and miracles are never given to those who give up. Kiritsugu Emiya, from the moment you compromised until now, witnessing firsthand what the Holy Grail really is and watching your ideals shatter, this is the ending you were destined for."

After Wang Chong finished speaking, the illusions around him vanished completely, revealing only black mud filling the air, radiating boundless malice. Pointing to his surroundings, Wang Chong said calmly, "Take a good look. Memorize everything around you. This is the miracle you sought, this is the true form of the Holy Grail you prayed for! If I weren't there, if you had truly won this Holy Grail War and touched the Grail in a place with so many people… what would have happened to Fuyuki City? What would have happened to all of humanity?"

"!!" At first, Kiritsugu Emiya was shocked by the boundless malice and stinging sensation before him, but Wang Chong's words made Kiritsugu Emiya tremble even more.

“But I… I will…” Emiya Kiritsugu hesitated, but Wang Chong, seemingly too lazy to listen to Kiritsugu’s explanation, interrupted, “Destroy it? With your Origin Bullet that targets mages, or your firepower weapons? Or Gilgamesh? I almost forgot to tell you, your Gilgamesh is also soaking in this black mud right now, unable to use any of his abilities.”

"If you try to destroy the Holy Grail with brute force, it will actually cause the entire Greater Grail's magical power to be released. It'll be like a volcanic eruption, boom... You know how history describes the scene of Pompeii being buried alive, right?"