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

“No need. After all, these are extraordinary times, and we have set up many defensive spells in the house to protect against external enemies. So we have to lead you two inside.” Irisviel said, gesturing, “Please come in.”

Led by Irisviel, Wang Chong and Jeanne were quickly led to the conference room. There, Maiya stood silently in a corner, her hands full of weapons and equipment. On the table sat a large crystal ball, radiating light.

"What is this?" Joan of Arc looked at the glowing crystal ball with some curiosity and asked.

“I have constructed a magical array throughout the Magic Mirror Forest that allows for clairvoyance. This crystal ball can be used to observe the situation in the forest outside, and it was through it that I just saw the arrival of the two of you,” Irisviel said.

“No wonder I always felt a vague sense of being watched; it seems to have come from this thing. However, along the way, I found that your mansion has far too few counterattack, attack, and defense spells. These spells would be difficult to withstand, let alone deal with Servants, and even a slightly more powerful magician would probably struggle to defend against them,” Wang Chong said.

“There’s no way around it, this is the maximum I can construct in a day. Saber doesn’t have that ability either. So these spells can only buy time for now,” Irisviel sighed.

“If you two trust us, how about letting my Caster try out the setup? Although there’s not much that can be set up in a short time, it should be much better than the current situation. It will also buy you enough time and terrain to fight the enemy,” Joan of Arc said.

“Since the two of you have already come to our door to cooperate, how could we not trust you? Rather, Caster’s class skill, Territory Construction, can come in handy here,” Irisviel said, delighted upon hearing this.

“Caster.” Jeanne looked at Wang Chong. This was something she and Wang Chong had discussed beforehand. Now that they only had two Servants, it was a bit too much to deal with at least two enemies coming at them. They had to rely on some methods.

Wang Chong didn't hold back either, and said directly, "A vast expanse of scorched earth."

At this moment, a large amount of black mist rose from beneath Wang Chong's feet and began to surge outwards from the conference room in all directions of the castle.

“Don’t worry, my black mist is the best magic spell. As time goes by, once the entire black mist envelops the castle, any enemy who enters will have their vision restricted and will be constantly attacked by my ghostly spirits. It’s just a pity that time is limited, and I can only use a small amount, but it’s enough to delay those guys from attacking the castle. Who knows, I might even find an opportunity to successfully eliminate one or two Servants.” After Wang Chong finished speaking, he began to throw four streams of black mist at everyone present, including Wu Mi.

"What is this?" Artoria looked at Wang Chong in confusion as she saw the black mist flying in front of her.

"You are probably familiar with this black mist. The black mist given to the two Masters and that bodyguard is capable of withstanding a full-force attack from an ordinary Servant. As for you, Knight King, the black mist is an enhancement that can strengthen your own power," Wang Chong said.

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Pre-Battle Arrangements

"The black mist of Lord Ruined King is truly wondrous. It can be used to protect the Master, to build fortifications around the residence and create advantageous terrain, and even to increase strength. It is simply incredible."

After listening to Wang Chong's explanation, Artoria tried to touch the black mist. Once the black mist enveloped Artoria, she quickly felt changes in her body; her strength had indeed increased by a small level. Sensing the magic of the black mist, Artoria couldn't help but marvel.

"Just some minor tricks. Besides, with the black mist's blessing, your vision won't be obstructed. You could say the black mist environment inside Einzbern Castle is the perfect choice for hiding and stalling. It's more than enough to deal with those Masters' attacks," Wang Chong said.

"Master... Caster, do you mean that it's not just Servants who are attacking us, but even Masters will participate?" Irisviel keenly sensed the crucial information and asked.

"Just in case. In reality, the Black Mist can handle not only attacks from Masters, but even some assassin Servants. It's just a pity that my Black Mist is somewhat useless against Servants with Anti-Army Noble Phantasms. After all, Anti-Army Noble Phantasms, as the name suggests, can annihilate even an entire army in front of them. Their power is enough to shatter the entire Einzbernburg. Under such power, my little bit of Black Mist is naturally not enough to compete with it."

After hearing Wang Chong's explanation, the people present immediately understood that the upper limit of the black mist was not as powerful as they had imagined, but its wonderful use was enough to boost morale.

As Wang Chong watched the four people present come into contact with his black mist and absorb it into their bodies, a strange smile crept across his face. Wang Chong knew that if he were to directly use the black mist to forcibly brainwash them, they would inevitably encounter fierce resistance and struggle. However, if he were to use a slow and gentle approach, like boiling a frog in warm water, to gradually and imperceptibly erode their minds, it would naturally go unnoticed.

The more they used their black mist power, the deeper they were corrupted. In particular, one of the ladies, due to her connection with the Greater Grail, had far less resistance than the others, and therefore was affected by the black mist much more severely than the others.

[Eye of Depravity: Irisviel's current Depravity level: 20%...21%...]

"Chong-"

Suddenly, the crystal ball began to flash. Sensing something was wrong, Irisviel rushed to the crystal ball and said, "Someone has triggered the alarm again. I just don't know if it's friend or foe."

Irisviel adjusted the camera to the location where the alarm had just sounded, and soon a Servant wearing white and red armor and a horned helmet was walking slowly forward.

"Mordred..." Upon seeing the other party, Artoria instinctively wanted to grasp the hilt of her sword, but since Irisviel had not yet given the order, she naturally could not act rashly.

"So it really is Mordred, the latest to appear? Looks like your little brat is really persistent with you, Knight King," Wang Chong said half-jokingly.

"King of Ruin, please stop making fun of my family's affairs. However, I'm also curious to see if I can take her down now that my power has been amplified," Artoria said, clenching her right fist.

“I’m afraid that will be difficult, Knight King. Even if the black mist only slightly enhances your strength and speed to match your opponent’s, and even if your current strength or speed surpasses theirs, don’t forget that they still have the means to unleash their Noble Phantasm, while yours is sealed,” Wang Chong said.

"..." Artoria also fell silent. She had carelessly sealed her Noble Phantasm, which meant she couldn't unleash her full power and was at a disadvantage throughout the Holy Grail War.

“However, I do have a way to prevent Mordred from using the power of her Noble Phantasm. King Knight, please listen closely…” Wang Chong beckoned and whispered some words to Artoria.

Artoria frowned and said, "This isn't a good idea..."

“What’s wrong with it? Besides, this sounds just like something you’d say, King Knight. I’ve been very considerate of your personalities, which is why I came up with this ingenious plan. In any case, Mordred is just the vanguard. Who knows how many Servants will try to storm the castle after her. You can’t expect the two of us to run out together and deal with Mordred, can you? King Knight, she’s the only one who can hold her off,” Wang Chong said.

“But if Saber goes out of the city alone to fight the enemy, what if she is surrounded and killed by the other Servants together…” Irisviel expressed her concern.

"Don't worry, if anyone dares to try and kill the Knight King in front of Mordred, they'll probably be cleaved in two by Mordred's sword before they even get a chance to touch him. Hehehe, Mordred really values ​​this duel with you, Knight King. You could tell from her attitude on the first night that she absolutely won't allow anyone else to interfere in this contest," Wang Chong analyzed.

“Don’t worry, Irisviel, the Ruined King is right. Mordred won’t let anyone else interfere in my duel with her. In a sense, I’m facing the least pressure. I only need to deal with Mordred as my Servant,” Artoria said.

“Tonight will be very long, and I’m afraid those other Masters won’t let this opportunity pass by. They will definitely come out in full force. Our only way to break this deadlock is to wait for this battle to attract all the other Masters and stir up the entire battlefield. Only then will there be a chance for a turn of events. Therefore, today will definitely be a protracted battle,” Jeanne said in a deep voice.

"That's the only way, Saber. Mordred, who has the Noble Phantasm of Destruction, is in your hands. Make sure she doesn't get near the castle," Irisviel said.

"Yes!" Artoria nodded in agreement, then immediately transformed her suit back into her original knight's uniform for combat. She then left the room and headed straight for the outskirts of the city, leaving behind a parting remark:

"Ruined King, you guard the main camp and protect my Master. I will try to do as you say!"

"Madam, I'll go outside and patrol the area to see if there's anything I've overlooked." At this moment, Wu Mi suddenly suggested leaving the room.

“It’s very dangerous outside. The enemy has already arrived. Even with the cover of the black mist, it doesn’t mean the rest of the castle is safe.” Wang Chong looked at Wu Mi, his eyes narrowing slightly, and said.

“It’s alright. My responsibility is to eliminate all risks for you, Madam. Even if it costs me my life.” Maiya said calmly, then walked out of the room. At that moment, Irisviel called out to her, “Maiya!”

Mai stopped and looked at Irisviel.

"Be careful," Irisviel earnestly advised.

"Yes, Madam, I'll be right back." After saying that, Wu Mi opened the door and left.

“Ms. Irisviel, there’s no need to worry too much. So far, only Mordred has entered the Mirror Forest, and Miss Maiya should be fine in the castle. Let’s keep an eye out for anyone else who might enter the Mirror Forest. That way, we can notify Miss Maiya to come back in advance,” Jeanne reassured her.

"Hmm." Irisviel nodded, intently manipulating the crystal ball, sometimes staring at Mordred's image to observe her position, and sometimes checking the various guard posts in the Magic Mirror Forest to see if anything unusual was happening.

As for Wang Chong, he pretended to close his eyes and rest, but in reality, he was observing Wu Mi's condition with the black mist. Wu Mi seemed to be casually searching for the so-called risks and oversights she mentioned, but in fact, she was secretly tapping on a certain instrument in a strange and specific pattern.

"Heh, it seems that Maiya is sending a message to Kiritsugu Emiya, and so cautiously, even using a special code to encrypt the transmission. It seems he suspects my Black Mist and is trying to prevent me from eavesdropping." Wang Chong quickly understood what Maiya was doing. However, he wasn't worried, because everything was still under his control. Kiritsugu Emiya had no idea that everything he had done tonight was to present him with a great gift.

Chapter 100: The Second Night of the Holy Grail War - Prologue

Kiritsugu Emiya was currently running towards the Mirror Forest. According to the message Maiya had just sent him, the Other Masters and Other Servants had already begun their operations, and his Saber had made contact with them.

"Did those assassins really open their eyes and ears to lure me into their trap? This road leading to the Magic Mirror Forest was basically their spies and eyes before, but now there's not a single person in sight."

Kiritsugu Emiya was constantly aware of the unusual surroundings. It was clear that all the Hassans who had been keeping watch had disappeared.

"Right now, only Mordred is here... This is an open conspiracy. If I hadn't come, they would have simply surrounded her with several of their own and eliminated Saber, and might even have used Irisviel as a hostage. If I have come, I'm afraid they've already dug a pit for me... Are they going to label me an outcast Master?"

"I never expected that the clever plan of having Irisviel impersonate Saber's Master would backfire and be used against me. But... what kind of person could see through Saber's Master's true identity from the very beginning? Could it be that their Servant possesses a Noble Phantasm or some kind of ability to identify such things?"

"However, all of this is based on the premise that I do not meet and reunite with Irisviel. As long as I reunite with Irisviel and then declare myself Saber's true Master in the presence of many Masters, those people's schemes will naturally fall through."

According to information from Maiya along the way, the Caster group has indeed been helping them so far. Although Kiritsugu still harbors doubts about the black mist that can protect Masters and enhance Servant combat power, he has no choice but to rely on it for now.

Unfortunately, Kiritsugu Emiya felt a sense of unease at Caster's Master's gaze. He wasn't sure if the other had seen his face, but he had prepared for the worst. He didn't believe his words could dispel the misunderstanding that had almost led to a life-or-death situation.

Therefore, no matter how much the Caster group does, Kiritsugu Emiya will never consider them allies. They could break apart at any time if their identities are revealed.

"call out--"

"Huh?" Suddenly, Kiritsugu Emiya interrupted his thoughts, stopped abruptly, and dodged several black keys. He instantly raised his gun and fired a series of shots forward.

"Da da da……"

Gunshots rang out continuously, yet a figure charged towards Kiritsugu Emiya despite the bullets, deflecting them all with the black key in his hand before thrusting it towards Kiritsugu.

"So fast!" Kiritsugu Emiya was slightly surprised. His eyes narrowed, and he used the barrel of his Calico M950 to block Kurogi's attack. A tremendous force struck him, and Kiritsugu Emiya felt as if he were facing the impact of a car.

"Inherent time control!"

Seeing that he couldn't withstand the opponent's slash with one hand, Kiritsugu Emiya activated his Magic Crest once again, accelerating his entire body. While dodging the opponent's attack, he reached into his clothes with his left hand, pulled out his modified Thomson Rival, and fired at the opponent.

"boom--"

At such close range, the opponent had almost no chance of avoiding the shot. Moreover, this gun could be considered one of Kiritsugu Emiya's trump cards. Even in the original story, Kenneth's Moon Spirit Fluid could not withstand it when his magic circuits were not fully activated, and he was shot through the shoulder by Kiritsugu Emiya.

"clang--!"

As expected, the black key shattered. Just when Kiritsugu Emiya thought that his bullet would pierce the opponent's body and cause him to fall helplessly, a red light appeared. The shattered black key was not only repaired, but even became stronger, forcefully stopping the bullet.

"This is... a Command Seal?!" Kiritsugu Emiya hadn't expected the other party to be a Master, and even more unexpectedly, the other party had used a Command Seal on a weapon.

"boom!"

A piercing pain came from his left hand. After blocking the bullet with the black key, the opponent actually released the black key and clenched his fist, punching the left hand of the Thomson competitor directly.

Even with the acceleration provided by the inherent timing control, at such close range, the opponent's punch speed still kept up with his and hit his left hand.

"1.5x speed!" Left with no other choice, Kiritsugu Emiya could only push his body even further and continue to increase his speed. He threw away the Calico M950 in his right hand and used the opponent's own methods against him, punching him in the abdomen.

At 1.5x speed, the punching power was astonishing. After it hit, the opponent let out a muffled groan and then retreated to create distance.

Seeing that his opponent had retreated, Kiritsugu Emiya did not press his advantage. He also retreated and withdrew from his state of control.

"Ugh..." In the instant he withdrew, Kiritsugu Emiya felt a churning in his internal organs, and his throat was filled with the taste of rust. Enduring the pain, Kiritsugu Emiya stared intently at the face of the person who had moved away from him.

"Kirei Kotomine..." Kiritsugu Emiya slowly uttered the name of the person who had stopped him.

"Finally, we're meeting face to face for the first time... Emiya Kiritsugu." Kirei Kotomine clutched his stomach and straightened up.

"Hiss... Huff..." Kirei Kotomine used the internal energy of Bajiquan to perform a slow breathing exercise, and the pain from the bruises in his abdomen was temporarily suppressed.

Then, Kirei Kotomine once again assumed his stance, clenching his fists and flashing with excitement in his eyes, and said, "Kiritsugu Emiya, let me see for myself what kind of superiority your ideals and will can bring me."

……

Outside the Mirror Forest, two Masters engaged in their fateful duel. Meanwhile, within the forest, an equally fateful duel was unfolding.

"Clang—clang—"

"Clang clang clang—"

The clanging of metal echoed continuously, a howling wind swept through, and fierce gusts of wind snapped the surrounding trees in half. Two figures, one in blue and one in red, moved at high speed through the dense forest, clashing fiercely with their swords.

"Hahaha... Hahahaha!!!"

The red figure let out a wild laugh, his sword strikes as fierce as a storm, relentlessly slashing at the blue figure.

"That's right...that's right, King Arthur!" The red figure slashed the blue figure away with a sword, and the mask on its head was released at that moment, revealing a face full of madness—it was Mordred's smile.

"You've gotten much stronger again, King Arthur. Or is this your true strength?" Mordred said, pointing his sword at Artoria.

"Mordred, there's no need for so much probing between us. If you want war, then let's fight," Artoria said coldly, stopping in her tracks.

"Hmph, I hope your sword remains as hard as your mouth and your heart!"

Mordred snorted coldly, and the sword in her hand once again shone with its crimson light, signaling that Mordred was about to unleash her Noble Phantasm once more.

"Come on, unleash your full power! Clarent—Blood—Arthur (rebellion against my magnificent father)!!!"

Mordred once again raised the King's Sword high, and then slashed it towards Artoria.

This time, Artoria was in top form, and with the added benefit of the black mist, she immediately moved towards the best evasion route under the guidance of her intuition.

"boom!!!"

The crimson light obliterated everything in its path, revealing a deep and long tunnel of scorched earth.

"King Arthur, is all you know how to do is hide?" Mordred turned to Artoria, who was hiding in the ravine, and scolded her.

"Mordred, it's undeniable that your current power is no less than it was in life. If I were to face this attack now, I would probably die without a doubt," Artoria said abruptly.

Mordred was stunned upon hearing this, even somewhat incredulous. His father actually acknowledged his strength? Was he dreaming? The situation was so unusual that Mordred didn't experience the usual elation. He simply took a deep breath and, as if testing the waters, asked, "Is this your surrender? Your admission that you've lost to me?"

"Surrender? Admit defeat? You've got it all wrong, Mordred." Artoria shook her head, holding Excalibur, and said, "I only acknowledge the power of your Noble Phantasm after it's been unleashed. Mordred, you're not enough to make me surrender, to make me admit defeat."

“However, if I had to pick one, there is indeed someone in this Holy Grail War whom I can admit defeat to. But that person is definitely not you, Mordred.” Artoria said slowly, a hint of doubt creeping into her mind. “How did that King of Ruin know what Mordred would say? Does he have some kind of precognitive ability? Can he read people’s conversations so clearly just by looking at their personalities?”

The author says:

Author's note: I'm updating a little late today. I've been busy with funeral arrangements these past two days QAQ

Chapter 101 The Father-Son Game Begins Again

It turned out that the words spoken earlier were what Wang Chong had secretly instructed Artoria to say. Therefore, Artoria was simply repeating what he had taught her.

"Then... after saying that, Mordred would get angry, even laugh in her anger... Ah, she really laughed." Artoria recalled the content and, sure enough, heard Mordred's angry laughter.

"Hahaha, good, very good. Then I'd like to know what kind of guy you 'value' so much, King Arthur!" Mordred laughed angrily, emphasizing the word "value".

"So what if you know? Do you think that defeating that person will make me admit defeat?" Artoria said coldly.

"Isn't that right? The victor is king, the loser is villain; it's only natural," Mordred said. "Hmph, if you won't tell me, I'll just wipe out everyone in this Holy Grail War. Whether it's that golden-glowing guy, that black mist, or that giant's legion, I, Mordred, will cut them all down with a single sword strike!"

"So you'll always just have strength in name only, nothing more. Mordred." Artoria raised her sword and said. "No matter how powerful your Noble Phantasm is, no matter how extraordinary your strength is, I will fight to the very end. You will never gain my approval, Mordred."

"Heh heh heh... Your approval! As if I care so much about your approval! Heh... Well, look at the kind of guys you approve of, Lancelot, an unfaithful traitor who even defiled the king's queen. Gawain... If he had just put aside his pride and anger and not fought with Lancelot, perhaps the outcome on Sword Hill would have been truly uncertain." Mordred, in his rage, actually restrained his madness and spoke with a cold laugh, mocking him.