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

After hearing Weber's words, everyone fell silent. Meanwhile, a thousand meters above them, a pair of eyes were looking down at the scenery below.

"Heh, Weber really knows people. Although he didn't guess my ultimate goal, he thoroughly uncovered the layers of ulterior motives that were covering up my ultimate goal."

At this time, Wang Chong came to conduct observations again. Unexpectedly, he overheard Weber talking about himself.

"He's truly a talented individual, both in teaching students and in devising strategies. It seems I'll have to keep him on this singularity. With him assisting Ritsuka, I might be able to worry less about this."

Wang Chong murmured, "Ten days have passed here, which translates to at least a month and a half in Terra. It's already harvest season. A major battle is about to break out there, and I won't be able to get away to help Ritsuka like I am now."

"However, after this test I set, I think Ritsuka should have no problem dealing with the third singularity. Plus, with my Servant providing physical assistance and Waver handling the strategic maneuvering, hmm, that should be enough."

Soon, Wang Chong had a preliminary plan in his mind for what would happen between Weber and Chaldea. However, just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly realized that someone was watching him.

"Hmm? Hmph... Emiya, let me see if you are better than your father."

Wang Chong immediately locked onto the guy with the hostile gaze, but after a few cold laughs, he turned into a cloud of black mist and disappeared into the sky, his whereabouts unknown.

Archer, who had been holding the bowstring, breathed a sigh of relief, relieved to have escaped unharmed. He hadn't expected the final boss of this singularity to suddenly appear over Rome; he had assumed the enemy was planning to unleash divine punishment prematurely to catch them off guard.

"What exactly is this guy doing here? He just glanced at us and left. Is he trying to find out our deployment in advance? These flying creatures are really hard to deal with. It's only because the sky isn't obscured by the black fog right now that we were able to spot him in time."

Archer said slowly, "I wonder where Ritsuka and the others are doing now. I didn't see them at the Servant gathering. Did Nero call them away?"

The perspective shifts to Ritsuka's side. After listening to Weber's explanation and considering the matter for a while, Ritsuka speaks up and says, "Mr. Weber, although your judgment is very convincing, we cannot gamble on it."

"I do not agree with entrusting the fate of Rome's destruction to others based on their likes or dislikes. Moreover, I have already witnessed the will of the Romans from His Majesty Nero. I do not wish to let that will be tarnished."

Ritsuka slowly said, "So, I will continue to fight. That will not change."

“Senior…” Mashu nodded as she looked at Ritsuka’s determination and said, “I will do whatever you tell me to do, senpai.”

“That’s spirited… In fact, I also believe we must continue fighting,” Weber said. “In any case, it’s an undeniable fact that Mr. Wang Chong destroyed the Singularity, and we must stop him… Secondly, I’m afraid you’ll have to protect that [Contractor] properly.”

"You mean protecting Mr. Archer?" Dr. Roman couldn't help but ask.

“Yes, he's thinking about achieving his ultimate goal. Since we're destined to clash with Alaya's forces, we must protect Mr. Archer. At least until we fully understand what they're up to. Otherwise... once Alaya loses its arm, what awaits us is probably the moment when Mr. Wang Chong completely overturns the table and leaves the scene.”

Weber said slowly, "No matter how you look at it, even if all of our power is combined, we might not be able to stop that guy. To defeat him, at the very least, we need to rely on this power from the world."

"There's another point. I'm afraid that the [Contractor] also knows some inside information that we don't know... Therefore, I think we need to bring that [Contractor] over and have an open and honest talk."

Chapter 156: Emiya

"Hmm, having a proper talk with Archer is indeed a good starting point. But it's also a fact that Alaya erased Ritsuka's memories before. As for that [Contractor], his position is really difficult to deal with."

"Dr. Roman said."

"I have a different opinion on Ritsuka's memory being erased." Waver pushed up his glasses and then said, "Was that memory really erased by Alaya? Could it have been a tactic of Wang Chong himself, designed to put you in opposition to the [Contractors] he wanted to deal with?"

“This…” Ritsuka frowned slightly, but then she shook her head and said, “Although I don’t have clear evidence, my intuition tells me that it might not be the case.”

If today's trial had not occurred, Ritsuka might have believed Waver's words, but after experiencing that dream not long ago and directly feeling the sensations that Alaya brought her, she became quite indifferent to the Alaya side.

"Intuition... well, I can see that you really hate memory manipulation, Ritsuka, and you have a preconceived notion about it, so it's really hard for me to persuade you on this matter."

Weber nodded with a very understanding expression, and then said, "But that doesn't stop us from being open and honest with that [Contractor]. In any case, we share the same stance, which is to stop Wang Chong's actions of destroying the Singularity."

"Therefore, speaking frankly is actually more beneficial for us to fight Wang Chong together. Otherwise, some problems will definitely be exposed in the final battle. Speaking of which, that archer still hasn't told you his real name, has he?"

After hearing Waver's explanation, Ritsuka and the others thought about it for a while, and finally nodded, saying, "Hmm...maybe we really should have a good talk with him."

At that moment, Ritsuka overheard Archer calling her through the Servant Contract, asking if they were there. Ritsuka then told Archer where they were and that she had something important to discuss with him.

……

“I see… You noticed it. No, I should say that guy made you notice my special qualities.”

Archer recently reunited with Ritsuka and the others, and soon learned why they had come to find him.

“Mr. Archer, I think there are some things we need to discuss openly. This is not only for your own sake, but also to better counter Wang Chong. You understand what we mean, right?” Weber said in a deep voice.

“Since it’s Lord El-Melloi’s idea, well, there are some things I do need to explain. Let’s start with real names.”

Archer nodded and slowly said:

“My name is Emiya Shirou, you can just call me Emiya. As you guessed, I am the ‘Contractor’ who made a contract with the Counter Force. However, rather than the so-called ‘Contractor’, we have a more standard name: ‘Guardians’.”

"Emiya... what is your relationship with Emiya Kiritsugu?" Waver asked, frowning.

"Before I became a Guardian, he was kind of my adoptive father," the Heroic Spirit Emiya said slowly. "However, my reason for dealing with that guy named Wang Chong is not because of any revenge for my father. After all, we are not from the same timeline."

"In my timeline, this person did not participate in the Fourth Holy Grail War, and the original Caster group was a bunch of murderers. I don't know why this timeline was replaced by him. But in the end, both humanity and the world accepted the continuation of this timeline."

“I see… a completely different timeline? On a slightly personal note, may I ask what the final outcome of that Holy Grail War was?” Waver asked in a deep voice.

“There were no winners… The Holy Grail was corrupted from the very beginning. On the final day, it was my adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya, who had the final showdown with that priest.”

"But in the end, the Holy Grail seemed to grant the priest's wish, which ultimately led to a great fire in Fuyuki that almost destroyed most of the area. It was in that fire that my adoptive father rescued the only survivor, me, and took me in as his adopted son."

The Heroic Spirit Emiya slowly said, "Also, if you want to ask about the outcome for your group, it's roughly the same as this timeline; they died at the hands of that Archer."

“Is that so… It seems he didn’t lie to me about this.” Weber sighed.

"Well, looking at it this way, I'm actually quite grateful to that guy named Wang Chong. At least he prevented the tragedy of Fuyuki from happening, and perhaps I had a better childhood in that world, a childhood with my father and mother by my side."

With his arms crossed, the Heroic Spirit Emiya objectively commented, "However, one thing at a time. I won't show him any favoritism because of this. What he's doing is truly heinous, and I must deal with him."

"So, what kind of task has the suppressor, or rather Alaya, assigned you? And why is it absolutely necessary to deal with Wang Chong?" Ritsuka asked at this moment.

"I can't go into details, but I can remind you of one word—beast [human evil]," Emiya said earnestly.

"What? It's actually the beast [human evil]?!" This time it was Dr. Roman's turn to be shocked.

"Doctor? What is [human evil]?" Ritsuka couldn't help but ask.

"The Beast of Original Sin, also known as 'Human Evil,' is a great calamity rejected by human history. It is a collective term for seven calamities that harm humanity, totaling seven major human evils."

“The term ‘human evil’ refers to various disasters that threaten human history and destroy humanity. They are born from human civilization and become more and more powerful with human development, but they destroy civilization from within, much like cancer cells in the human body.”

"Originally, the 'Summoning Ritual' was created as a magic technique to save the primate world and to fight against such a great calamity. Seven heroic spirits—Grand Servants—standing at the pinnacle of the seven attributes will appear and destroy the great calamity that is hindering the development of the primate world."

"However, for their own convenience, later generations of humans downgraded this magic into a summoning system, which is the Holy Grail War we know today."

Dr. Roman explained this knowledge to the public.

"So, Mr. Wang Chong's ultimate goal, no matter how roundabout it is, is still to destroy the world and humanity, isn't it?" Mashu said with a grim expression after hearing the explanation.

"Creating 'human evil' doesn't necessarily mean using it to destroy the world... but at least it's a sharp weapon aimed at Alaya and human reason, and only something like that can harm human reason itself to the greatest extent. Because it's a self-destructive catastrophe that can truly annihilate human reason." (Mei Ne Zai Zai Yong Kong Ni Lin Zai Zai Mei Ne...)

Weber pondered and said, “That makes sense. Whether it’s eliminating the influence of Alaya or needing a long period of time to cultivate this desperate environment, it’s all preparing for the complete invocation of ‘human evil.’”

"Whatever he intends to do with 'Human Evil,' summoning 'Human Evil' is itself a heinous crime. I've repeatedly ventured into the black mist to find that guy's whereabouts. I'm certain the spell to summon 'Human Evil' is in his hiding place."

The Heroic Spirit Emiya said earnestly:

"Fortunately, we now have a chance to get close to them."

"You mean the Black Mist Ring?" Ritsuka stretched out her hand. After bringing all the Romans to the capital of Rome, Jing Ke returned the Black Mist Ring to Ritsuka.

“Indeed, didn’t he say he could open a path directly to his lair? This might be our chance,” said Emiya. “I know it’s risky, but we have no other choice.”

"If tomorrow's final judgment is the last condition to complete the summoning of 'human evil', then we don't have much time left. We must completely destroy the summoning circle before the judgment is completed."

"That's not all... Based on my assessment of all of Wang Chong's Servants, if it's just a simple Servant battle, we're bound to lose. Therefore, we must concentrate our forces and target only Wang Chong!"

"Concentrate our forces?" Ritsuka couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, in terms of the total number of Servants, if we include the Emperor's combat power and Ritsuka's Shadow Servants, there are a total of 18 Servants. The opposing side has a total of 14 Servants who have appeared so far."

Emiya analyzed:

"In terms of sheer numbers, we far outnumber them. If all of their Servants appear tomorrow, and we let them stall for time in one-on-one battles without demanding victory, perhaps we can concentrate the power of four Servants to launch a surprise attack on their base."

"No, it doesn't have to be one-on-one. As long as eight Servants cooperate with me and lead the soldiers to form the Stone Formation under my command, I am confident that I can hold them off even if there are three times or more Servants. The remaining nine Servants can go with Ritsuka to challenge Wang Chong."

At this moment, Weber said seriously:

"I also believe that this strategy of dividing our forces is the best outcome. Wang Chong is too strong, and we need a sufficient number of Servants to deal with him. Moreover, we cannot guarantee that there might still be any Servants hidden in his stronghold that we are unaware of."

"So many followers, all going to eliminate Wang Chong? That's quite a grand undertaking," Dr. Roman couldn't help but remark.

"I think... those six emperors haven't reached a conclusion yet, probably because they understand the current situation. If we simply fight against those 14 Servants, the only outcome will be defeat and death. Therefore, dividing the battlefield and carrying out a decapitation strike is our only way to break the deadlock."

Waver said slowly, "Ritsuka, we need to intervene in the Emperors' meeting and bring these new findings to them. We don't need to mention anything about 'human evil,' just tell them about the plans to divide the battlefield and carry out the decapitation operation, and they should agree."

Chapter 157: Finalizing the Plan

At Waver's suggestion, Ritsuka pondered the matter and finally made her decision, heading to the meeting place of the Emperors with the plan. Meanwhile, the others began to approach other Servants, revealing the plan to them in order to prepare them mentally.

"Lord Ritsuka, the emperors are still in a meeting. Please wait outside the hall."

Two Roman soldiers guarding the temple gates blocked Ritsuka's way and said...

"I have important matters to discuss with you emperors. These concerns the final battle tomorrow, so please let me in," Ritsuka said earnestly.

"This..." Both Roman soldiers looked troubled. Clearly, they respected Ritsuka highly; otherwise, most people would have driven him away long ago.

"Let her in."

Just then, the door opened a crack, and there stood Nero.

"Yes, Your Majesty Nero!" After two soldiers opened the gate, Ritsuka followed Nero inside.

"Your Majesty Nero, why aren't you discussing this further inside? Why are you lingering near the entrance instead?" Ritsuka asked, puzzled, as she walked down the corridor with Nero.

"Don't even mention it. The emperors have been discussing for ages but haven't come up with an effective battle plan for tomorrow's decisive battle. They're still fighting their own battles... but that will only make things more chaotic."

Nero shook his head and said, "We need an overall military commander. Besides that, how to arrange those powerful foreign warriors is also an important issue. As the saying goes, soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals, the battle between the strong will determine the outcome of this war."

"Because they couldn't reach a clear conclusion, some of them even suggested a duel to make a final decision, which resulted in a fight breaking out inside. I couldn't take it anymore, so I came out to catch my breath."

"Is...is that so?" Ritsuka couldn't help but retort, thinking, "This local culture is really tough."

"By the way, Ritsuka, what brings you here all of a sudden? I just heard you say you had important news," Nero asked.

"Well, actually, we noticed you hadn't come to a conclusion for a long time, so we guessed that you weren't very confident about tomorrow's decisive battle. Therefore, I have a rather risky plan, which we came up with together with Mr. El-Melloi..."

Ritsuka then told Nero the plan in detail. Nero's eyes lit up as she listened, and she said with delight, "If that's the case, there's a high probability of success. It might really be our chance to win."

"The only thing we need to be careful about is how to persuade the other emperors. They still have many misunderstandings about Wang Chong, the divine messenger, especially after the three emperors in the third region witnessed the power of the God of War's sword. They are even more convinced that this is the punishment from the chief god Mars for us. It will probably be difficult to persuade them to fight against that divine messenger."

Upon hearing this, Ritsuka said, "It's alright. We still need eight strong people to guard the Stone Soldier Eight Formation to fight against those Divine Punishers and demonic beasts. If they don't want to carry out the decapitation operation, then let them fight against those Divine Punishers and demonic beasts."

“That’s a good idea. Alright, I’ll introduce you to them right away. They’ve probably been wanting to meet you, the legend who defeated the God of Punishment twice, for a long time.” Nero quickened his pace and led Ritsuka to the meeting place.

"Qiangqiang-"

The sound of metal clashing rang out one after another. Ritsuka swallowed hard. It seemed that Nero was right after all; a fight had already broken out here.

"Stop right there, all of you! Look who I've brought!"

Nero pushed open the door and made a loud declaration, at which point the sounds of fighting inside briefly ceased, and everyone looked in his direction. Ritsuka then saw that the familiar Caligula was locked in sword combat with an unfamiliar emperor.

"Hehe, this must be the nemesis of the Gods of Punishment—Miss Ritsuka, right?" At this moment, a chubby man in red sat down and asked with a smile.

“Yes…” Ritsuka nodded, and after she gave her affirmative answer, the other emperors also showed expressions of knowing that it was true.

"Alright, Uncle, and Emperor Titus, I have brought the one who can solve our problem. These unnecessary duels can be stopped."

Nero spoke slowly.

"You mean, this Ritsuka already knows how to arrange tomorrow's Servant battle and fight against divine punishment?" the fat man asked.

"Yes, Emperor Caesar, Ritsuka just told me that she and the strategist under the Divine Ancestor have jointly formulated tomorrow's battle plan. You should all be aware of their abilities and achievements; they are of great reference value."

Nero answered truthfully.

Ritsuka then realized that the fat man in front of her was actually the famous Julius Caesar, which was quite different from his historical image.

However, Ritsuka didn't dwell on the matter. After clearing her throat, she immediately reiterated the plan to the emperors before her, causing them all to fall into thought.

"As for the strategy itself, it is indeed excellent... We have received a lot of feedback and gains from the Divine Ancestor regarding that strategist's military formation over the past six days. We would feel very reassured if he were to command it."

Caesar nodded first, then looked at Ritsuka with a meaningful expression and asked, "But the problem is, who will be in charge of troop deployment? Who will accompany you on the decapitation mission? Do you have any suitable candidates?"

"Well... if I had to give my opinion, based on my assessment of that gentleman's Stone Formation, what he needs might be more than just powerful Servants. After all, he needs to command not only powerful warriors, but also the entire legion itself!"

Ritsuka began her analysis, saying, "Therefore, I believe that if those eight people assisting Mr. El-Melloi not only need to be physically capable, they must also be proficient in commanding legions. Only then can the power of the Stone Formation be better brought into play."

"And you emperors, you are all capable and skilled in warfare, and you are extremely familiar with your own troops, making you even more adept at commanding them. Therefore, I think you should all stay behind to be responsible for the layout of this Stone Army Formation."

"To actually order emperors to obey one person's command? You are truly audacious," a strange emperor said with a sinister smile.

"Ugh..." Faced with the emperor's imposing aura, Ritsuka wasn't exactly afraid, but she was clearly feeling quite pressured. Suddenly, Nero stepped in front of Ritsuka and said:

"I don't see any problem with it. In fact, this is exactly what we do best. Letting those who are good at it do what they are good at is the best way to maximize their potential, isn't it?"

“I agree with that. People should do what they are good at. Otherwise, even if I hand over the command of the army to someone else, can they manage it? We don’t want things to get delayed.”