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

Just as everyone's attention was focused on the fortress in the sky, a figure lying on the ground flickered and then stood up. It was Wang Chong, in his Caster identity. He had switched back once again.

"Is this the power of the Sword of Promised Victory? Without using the power of destruction to resist, I can't defend myself completely with my flesh and blood. If I wasn't worried about the flaw being seen, I could only use a golden body that matches this golden light. Speaking of which, this is my first time using Bard's blessing, and the effect is really good. It feels like my soul has been purified." Wang Chong felt the feeling of using Bard's blessing before. It was as if there was a rhythm tuning his body. A breath of life emanated from the inside out, giving Wang Chong a very comfortable feeling.

"Hmm? You've succeeded and are preparing to escape? Hehehe, although I know that accidentally taking Kiritsugu Emiya away was inevitable. But if I let you take him away so easily, it would make me look too cheap. Za Warudo—!" Wang Chong suddenly looked in a certain direction, the corners of his mouth slightly curved, and then his Stand World appeared behind him, once again unfolding a golden filter, causing time in the entire world to stop.

Then Wang Chong appeared in a flash at the edge of the forest. Several Hassans had just died there, with bowl-sized holes in their heads and bodies, and one even had his throat sealed.

"What a disgrace, Hassan. He actually lost to a modern person in the art of assassination." Wang Chong shook his head and continued walking forward. Just as he entered the edge of the forest, he saw a masked figure carrying the unconscious Emiya Kiritsugu away from this dangerous place.

"The two Emiyas have gone together. Heh, that's quite amusing." Wang Chong approached the two, then opened his system inventory and said, "Since you helped me so much by averting those two unexpected events, I should reciprocate with a gift as a token of my gratitude. I'm a very materialistic person; I don't have much else, but I have a lot of gold."

Wang Chong took out the Rhine gold, broke off a piece of it, and used his strength to twist it into golden silk thread. He cut it into several pieces and sewed them into the clothes of the two people, hiding them well.

"Hmm? How come the time stop time, which was originally halfway through, suddenly decreased by a large portion? World, you suddenly lost your form? Tsk, this Rhine Gold really brings bad luck the moment you touch it. I hope you two protagonists are lucky enough to enjoy it. Hmph, let's see if the Rhine curse is more powerful, or if your luck is just right, Emiya Kiritsugu." Wang Chong threw the Rhine Gold back into the system space, then used purification on himself to cleanse the curse from his body. Immediately before the time stop ended, he quickly returned to his original position.

The moment you take your place, time begins to flow slowly. No one knows what you are doing in this frozen time; they are only concerned with how long this game will continue.

“Semiramis, this is enough. Take the castle and ascend into the clouds. Use the clouds to conceal our position, and make sure the ordinary people don’t see us,” Wang Chong said slowly.

"The King of Britain, Artoria Pendragon, is that right?" Not long after Wang Chong finished speaking, Semiramis used her magical powers to transmit her voice to everyone below.

"Yes, what is it? Queen of Assyria, if you wish to fight, then continue the fight." Artoria took a deep breath. Judging from the current situation, the enemy's fortress had likely suffered some irreversible damage. At this moment, she absolutely could not let the enemy see her weakness. As long as she gave the impression that she could still unleash Excalibur, those people would have no choice but to retreat without a fight today.

"Hmph, as expected of the legendary King Arthur. I've truly experienced the power of the Holy Sword today. But, can you really continue fighting?" Semiramis's voice rang out again, but Artoria sensed the probing intent and decisively replied, "Heh, enough nonsense. Since this one sword strike isn't enough to defeat you, then I'll unleash a second, a third! Until I utterly destroy this city!"

"...Alright, King Arthur, I'll consider you the victor this time. I never expected that Lancer would actually sacrifice his Noble Phantasm to help you. For that alone, you deserve to win this Holy Grail War tonight. Enjoy this hard-won victory and survival, everyone. Tomorrow, my garden will once again descend upon you, and that will be the time to end all of this." After Semiramis uttered these harsh words, the entire castle began to rise until it disappeared back into the clouds, vanishing from everyone's sight.

At this moment, all the Servants who were in poor condition and their corresponding Masters breathed a sigh of relief. Only Artoria dared not be careless in the slightest, and continued to hold on, lest the other party notice something was wrong and return.

It wasn't until someone came up behind her and patted her on the shoulder that she hurriedly turned around, almost falling over because she used the wrong force.

"That's enough, King Knight. You've done very well." Wang Chong came to Artoria's side, helping her up as she almost fell, and said, "That castle has probably experienced some terrible anomaly. I can feel it getting further and further away from us, and it will never return. This time we have won, thanks to your Noble Phantasm release, King Knight."

"Really...that's really too..." Upon hearing Wang Chong's words, Artoria could no longer hold on and collapsed into his arms. Already exhausted, she had to force herself to stay upright, and coupled with the excessive mental strain she had previously expended, she finally fainted in Wang Chong's embrace.

Wang Chong then brought Artoria to Jeanne's side and said to her, "We finally made it through the night, but I'm afraid it's not over yet... Your identity has been revealed, and they're probably going to find out about my situation too. Now it seems they're about to start the reckoning."

"I understand. Haven't we already made preparations? It just so happens that some things should be settled." Jeanne looked in the direction of Tōsaka Tokiomi, and a hint of disappointment inevitably appeared in her eyes.

Chapter 178 Liquidation

"Are you kidding me?" Even the usually composed Tokiomi Tohsaka was ashen-faced. The reason, of course, was that the two men before him were trying to seize control of the Holy Grail War.

"Tokiomi Tohsaka, this is one of the principles of the Holy Grail War. When a Ruler-class Servant responds to the summons, the supervisor of the Holy Grail War should rightfully be that Ruler Servant. Jeanne d'Arc has given you opportunities these past few days, but do you really think everyone is unaware of your sordid dealings with the Church?" Wang Chong said sternly.

"If it were just that, it would be fine. But just now, the head of the Tōsaka family had a good plan. He let us fight those alien servants in a decisive battle, while he himself stayed away. He should have tried his best to disintegrate the alien servants, but he did this. Could it be that he still wanted to take this opportunity to directly win the Holy Grail War with naive ideas? I can tell you mercilessly that if Saber had not forced those people to retreat today, when we were all killed, you would have been alone facing the siege of so many skilled Servants, and in the end you would have missed the Holy Grail. Even the inheritance of your Tōsaka family would have been cut off because of this!"

Wang Chong's words were extremely sharp, directly confronting Tokiomi Tohsaka as if tearing off a mask. This made Tokiomi Tohsaka's already ashen face even more unsightly.

While these Masters were engaged in their heated discussion, Iskandar and Gilgamesh sat together, continuing to drink and chat about random topics. When he saw Wang Chong sharply criticizing Tohsaka Tokiomi, Iskandar also felt a sense of satisfaction and looked at Gilgamesh beside him, asking, "What? Aren't you going to help your Master? He's going to get verbally abused to death by that Caster kid."

"Hmph, that short-sighted idiot, he brought this upon himself, and I haven't settled the score with him yet. Let that Faker bite him to death." Gilgamesh said with a cold snort.

"Faker... to be honest, who would have known that kid was actually fused with Caster? Even I misjudged him. Hahahaha, but don't you think this kid has the makings of a king? His potential is quite good." Iskandar laughed and said.

Just recently, Wang Chong frankly revealed his identity to everyone and explained that in order to conceal Jeanne d'Arc as his trump card and deal with the Heretic Servants, he and Jeanne d'Arc formed the identities of a fake Master and a fake Servant, hoping to lure out those Heretic Servants and have Jeanne d'Arc deliver a fatal blow to them at the most crucial moment.

"Hmph, he didn't become king after all. Those who deceive me always have to pay the price... Besides, hehe..." Gilgamesh wanted to say something, but in the end he only chuckled coldly twice and didn't continue.

“What? You’re really boring. But in that case, our battle will have to wait until we deal with these other Servants,” Iskandar said.

“Hmph, what a boring charade. To be honest, there aren’t many things in this Holy Grail War that interest me, only three and a half,” Gilgashmere said.

“Three and a half, hehe, I’d like to know which three and a half things could interest you, the King of Uruk,” Iskandar chuckled.

“…” Gilgamesh did not answer directly, but his gaze swept over Iskandar, Artoria, Wang Chong and Kirei Kotomine one by one.

"Mr. Wang Chong, it's rather ungrateful of you to say that now. If my master hadn't used that contract to drive away that powerful enemy, how would Saber have had the opportunity to unleash her Noble Phantasm and force the enemy back? You should be glad that the True Ancestor didn't intervene, otherwise, if this had continued, we would have truly perished," Kirei Kotomine said.

"Heh, is that so? Then let's hear what Lady Joan of Arc has to say. Lady Joan of Arc, how do you think this duel should be decided? If we fight the enemy with all our might, who will win and who will lose?" Wang Chong looked at Joan of Arc and said.

"Masters Kirei Kotomine and Tokiomi Tohsaka, the Holy Grail granted me the Ruler class, and naturally, it also granted me many privileges. One of these is called True Name Recognition. Under normal circumstances, I can see through the true names, stats, and Noble Phantasms of your Servants at a glance. Therefore, I know very well that with the protection of my Noble Phantasm, blocking the strange power of that True Ancestor, we possess a Noble Phantasm release weapon powerful enough to overturn this battle. Even if the opponent is a True Ancestor, they will perish under such a weapon. I think I have said enough. This can be considered a punishment for your selfishness."

Jeanne d'Arc's decision not to directly expose Gilgamesh's Ea was already more than merciful. Even so, Tokiomi Tohsaka's already ashen face paled upon hearing this. He knew this Ruler wasn't lying; this was the necessary ability the Holy Grail granted to this class—to expose true information and punish Servants who violated the rules.

"Archer actually possesses a Noble Phantasm even more terrifying than Saber's? If I remember correctly, Iskandar even made some kind of duel with him. Honestly, always causing trouble. I need to remind Iskandar." Waver immediately noted down this information upon hearing it. After resolving the issue with the Another Servant, it would be time for the normal Holy Grail War. He couldn't let Iskandar be defeated like this.

"But ultimately this is just a prediction. We shouldn't punish a predetermined outcome when there is no result yet. In fact, the teacher deserves credit for the current situation. If we punish the teacher for this, is this the fair way for the arbiter?" Kirei Kotomine said.

"Kirei Kotomine, you still dare to speak? You've almost forgotten who lost Kiritsugu Emiya, a living, breathing person? This was supposed to be the key to our victory tomorrow, but now you're telling us that your Servant is dead and that you even lost Kiritsugu Emiya? What is your crime in this situation?" Wang Chong said.

"That's because..." Kirei Kotomine wanted to say a few more words in his defense, but at that moment a woman's voice interrupted the endless argument: "That's enough, is this the time to argue about these things?"

Everyone turned around and realized that the speaker was none other than Irisviel, the Master of Artoria, who had led the war to victory. Irisviel looked somewhat haggard, but her eyes remained resolute as she looked at Tokiomi Tohsaka and said, "Master Tohsaka, I have only one question. When you summoned us here today, was it not simply to have us deal with those Heretic Servants? Was it more about dealing with that guy called the True Ancestor? From the moment you learned of the Einzbern family's destruction, you were prepared to possibly encounter the True Ancestor?"

“…Ah, yes.” Now that things had come to this, Tokiomi Tohsaka could only admit it and said.

"As expected... If you hadn't encountered an invincible opponent, why would you have thought of forming an alliance?" Irisviel's tone was slightly sarcastic, but she didn't continue to criticize her excessively. After she finished speaking, she looked at all the Masters present and said, "Since it was my Servant Saber who saved everyone this time, I have a favor to ask, and I wonder if you all can agree to it."

“Mrs. Irisviel, please speak,” Joan of Arc nodded and said.

"I hope that tomorrow night, everyone will join me in fighting against those Another Servants and Another Masters, especially that self-proclaimed True Ancestor and... Kiritsugu Emiya. I hope that everyone can give their all this time, without any reservations, to advance and retreat together, without scheming against each other and forming contracts based on this. This is not only an invitation from the victors of this war, but also a mother's request to everyone." Irisviel bowed and said.

"What are you talking about, Mrs. Irisviel?" Joan of Arc was somewhat taken aback, not expecting Irisviel to speak with such seriousness.

“Actually, I’ve had several faint connections with my daughter Illya just now. I can sense that my child is on the castle. She didn’t die in the Einzbern family’s purge. After all, even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs… Since it was Kiritsugu Emiya who sent that Progenitor, even if he killed everyone, he wouldn’t let that Progenitor kill Illya without direct conflict. So… I implore everyone, please help me. Save my daughter.” Irisviel bowed again and said.

Chapter 179 The Method to Deal with the True Ancestor

Hearing Irisviel's words, everyone had different feelings. Wang Chong was the first to speak, saying, "I agree to help. In fact, I've always had a good relationship with Mrs. Irisviel. I will naturally help her with her matter."

“I share the same view. For both public and private reasons, we must work together to deal with those heretical Servants next time,” Jeanne d'Arc said.

"I...I agree too." Weber had also seen the general trend, so he stood on Irisviel's side without hesitation.

Sora glanced furtively at Diarmuid beside her, only to see Diarmuid nod slightly. Sora then said, "Since Ruler and Saber saved everyone this time, I naturally have to do them a favor. Besides, I also need to avenge Kiritsugu Emiya for injuring El-Melloi. Therefore, I agree."

“If you don’t mind my Servants rioting, I agree.” Matou Kariya naturally followed Wang Chong’s arrangement and chose to follow without hesitation.

So now, only Tokiomi Tohsaka and his apprentice remain on the surface. But Wang Chong already understands that Tokiomi Tohsaka has no choice but to compromise. His previous act of signing a non-interference agreement with the other party has already put him in a bad light in front of everyone. If he were to further defy the will of the masses, he would likely be the first to be eliminated. Moreover, even if Tokiomi Tohsaka were to act rashly, there's still the traitor Kirei Kotomine whispering in his ear.

As expected, Tokiomi Tohsaka eventually had to acknowledge this reality and agree, intending to use a self-mandatory certificate to have everyone sign the contract. However, Wang Chong stopped him, saying, "Let's not rush the contract. I want Ruler Jeanne to design the specific content and details of the contract to avoid any loopholes that could be exploited. How about we gather at the Church tomorrow evening at 7 PM and sign it under the supervision of the Overseer and Jeanne?"

Everyone nodded in agreement when Wang Chong said this, believing it was indeed a very suitable option. Tōsaka Tokiomi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the contract offered some time to settle. As for why Wang Chong wanted to call a halt to this matter, the reason was simple: he didn't want to sign a contract that would restrict his actions when playing the villain.

"Now that the internal issues have been resolved, we should talk about the external matters. How should we deal with those heretical Servants and that terrifying True Ancestor?" After the internal issues were temporarily settled, Wang Chong quickly moved on to the most important topic.

“Those otherworldly Servants are actually not too difficult to deal with. Our Servants have already fought several times, and they know each other well. In addition, Saber has now recovered her full strength, so I think facing them again won't be as difficult as before,” Waver said, analyzing the situation.

"There are only two problems that need to be solved. One is that sky fortress. That fortress is actually too overpowered. Not only are its magic cannons and magic bullets powerful, but they also have extremely strong defensive capabilities. Even though Saber has broken through them, the enemy still has the ability to take off and maneuver. If the enemy avoids battle, we have no way to deal with it. The only way to get close to that castle now is through Archer, Caster Wangchong, and my Servants."

"Secondly, there's that guy called the True Ancestor. We still don't know what his power is. If we don't figure that out, there's no way to stop him." Waver presented the two most important questions to everyone, and everyone fell into deep thought.

"Mr. Wang Chong, is there any way you could create a flying device like the enemy's Caster did, and carry everyone to the fortress?" Irisviel asked, looking at Wang Chong. After all, the Noble Phantasm that severed Altria and Emiya Kiritsugu's connection was created by Wang Chong with his bare hands.

"Perhaps it's possible, but something produced under such time constraints will likely lack defensive capabilities. If we're not careful, we could be wiped out in one fell swoop," Wang Chong said, shaking his head.

"It's a pity that my chariot can't carry too many people. However, we can take another Servant. If all else fails, we can take Saber and have her break down the enemy's defensive spells first, and then we'll figure out a way to get the people in," Waver sighed.

"But this is just a small problem. With Saber here, it would only take a few more sword strikes to deal with that broken fortress. But the key to the problem lies in that monster. He can get close to us in an instant and then cause us heavy damage with inexplicable means. If Jeanne d'Arc hadn't activated her Noble Phantasm for defense, our servants probably wouldn't even have the chance to release their Noble Phantasms." said Matou Kariya.

"Head of the Tohsaka family, didn't you say that the Holy Church and the Mage's Association obtained the footage of that True Ancestor destroying the Einzbern family? You should also have that record, right?" Irisviel suddenly looked at Tohsaka Tokiomi and said.

"Mrs. Ellie, isn't this too much of a stretch?" Joan of Arc asked worriedly.

“It’s alright… Only by understanding the enemy’s true nature can we be confident in dealing with him.” Irisviel shook her head, revealing a forced smile, then fixed her gaze on Tokiomi Tohsaka with a determined look.

“Yes, Kirei, go to the basement. Although the mansion was destroyed, the magic workshop below wasn’t damaged too much,” Tokiomi Tohsaka said to Kirei Kotomine.

……

Not long after, Kirei Kotomine brought the Recording Magic Stone and projected the scene inside. Everyone saw how the "True Ancestor" slaughtered the entire Einzbern family. When Irisviel saw the patriarch, Ahad, suddenly die, a trace of pity flashed in her eyes. Although Irisviel felt more of a sense of responsibility towards the Einzbern family than much familial affection, seeing the entire Einzbern family being slaughtered still filled her with a sense of desolation, as if a part of her pillar had been ripped out.

As for the others, witnessing the carnage brought them more distress and a touch of fear. Faced with such a strange and unpredictable power, they were utterly powerless to resist.

“If I’m not mistaken, that True Ancestor’s power should be related to speed.” After observing many times, Jeanne quickly noticed something and said, “The opponent has unparalleled speed, a speed that not only exceeds that of ordinary people but also exceeds the understanding of heroes. That’s why he can kill people instantly without them noticing, or toy with me and Archer.”

“Besides that, he also has an invisible attack method, or rather, he controls invisible humanoids to attack. The range is about 10 meters. When we first met, he slowly walked over while maintaining a distance of more than 10 meters. Then, as soon as he reached the 10-meter range, I was attacked. From the continuous exchanges, I could sense that it was a humanoid that was hiding its form and fighting against me. However, I used various methods but could not see through its invisibility,” Jeanne said.

“Fortunately, both the extreme speed and this invisible humanoid form require his conscious control to activate. Faced with this kind of tactic, the only thing we can do is, as before, activate my Noble Phantasm to protect ourselves before it attacks. However, this is not a long-term solution, as none of us can capture it.” Jeanne shook her head and said.

“It’s not that there’s no way out.” At this moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka spoke up, “Actually, as long as we get through today, that True Ancestor’s threat won’t be that great.”

"Why is that?" Joan of Arc asked, somewhat curiously.

"That True Ancestor has caused quite a stir in Europe, attracting the attention of the Holy Church and the Mage's Association. It's said that the Holy Church has already begun to handle the matter," Tokiomi Tohsaka said with some confidence. "There are some secrets of the mystical world that you might not know. True Ancestors are subject to certain constraints and cannot act recklessly. Otherwise, if they go too far and are judged as Fallen Ones, they will be punished, and a powerful being will hunt them down. Since he dares to appear here so openly now, as long as we inform the Holy Church of his whereabouts, that powerful being will arrive in Fuyuki City soon. Then there will be no need to worry."

"So that's how it is... Is this why you had the audacity to sign that contract? Heh, since you've pinned your hopes on her, just wait and see." A fierce glint flashed in Wang Chong's eyes, but he concealed it well, and no one noticed.

Chapter 180 All Chefs Wang

Arcueid Brunestud, the lord of the Millennium Castle and a princess of the True Ancestor royal family, is revered as the White Princess by those who know her. The powerful being mentioned by Tokiomi Tohsaka refers to this very person. The White Princess was a special True Ancestor born specifically to hunt "fallen True Ancestors." Therefore, once she determines that a fallen True Ancestor has appeared in this world, she will not hesitate to activate her assigned weapon duty.

However, in the original Tsukihime timeline, she was sealed in the Millennium Castle because of Roja. She would only awaken when hunting Roja's reincarnation. But in the Fate timeline, due to the strength of humanity and the existence of the Heroic Spirit summoning system, Crimson Moon was completely defeated and no Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles were produced. Therefore, there was no subsequent incident of Roja tricking the princess into drinking his blood. Thus, in a sense, the White Princess in the current Fate timeline is a free person and is not slumbering in the Millennium Castle.

Therefore, if Elquet suddenly appeared near him, Wang Chong felt it was entirely possible, perhaps the planet's will was behind it. However, Wang Chong did intend to meet the princess. Honestly, aside from a certain Gumpika who had gotten serious, he didn't really feel threatened by anyone else in the Holy Grail War. This time, he planned to face the princess head-on to see how far his strength had come.

Therefore, Wang Chong did not interfere with Tohsaka Tokiomi's plan. On the contrary, after finishing up the matter for tonight, he was already eager to meet the True Ancestor Princess.

Once the two most important issues had been resolved to some extent, the entire strategic meeting began to veer into trivial matters. Occasionally, one could hear Matou Kariya and Tohsaka Tokiomi exchanging sarcastic remarks about their past and Sakura's situation. Jeanne d'Arc seemed to realize that the meeting had largely gone off track, so she decisively ended it.

Tokiomi Tohsaka naturally went to the Holy Church with Kirei Kotomine for temporary refuge and rest. Diarmuid took Sora away directly, as there was still a paralyzed lord to care for at home. Waver and Iskandar rushed back to heal their wounds. This time, Iskandar's injury was basically the second most serious among them. The feeling of the barrier being torn apart was not pleasant. According to Iskandar, he probably wouldn't be able to use his strongest Noble Phantasm, Army of the King, tomorrow night.

As for who is the first level? It's undoubtedly Lancelot, the one who was pierced by several arrows, struck by several swords from the idiot king, and ultimately became Gilgamesh's meat cushion. Since being smashed by Gilgamesh, he has been unconscious, carried around by Kariya Matou. It must be said that after being modified by the Black Mist, Kariya Matou is not as weak as someone using insect magic; on the contrary, while his magical aptitude has been enhanced, his physique has also increased significantly. At least, being carried back by an armored Lancelot is no problem for him.

"Lancelot..." At this time, Artoria had already woken up from her coma. Watching Lancelot leave, a trace of sadness rose in her heart again. At this time, Wang Chong appeared beside Artoria, patted her shoulder, and said, "Saber."

“Caster… oh no, I should say Mr. Wang Chong.” Artoria said with a hint of gratitude after seeing Wang Chong, “I heard from Alice and Jeanne that it was because you spent the whole day researching that you were able to create the item that severed my contract with Kiritsugu. Thank you very much.”

"It's no trouble at all, just a small favor. Also, feel free to call me whatever you want, just call me as before. Anyway, I'm probably the most special one in the entire Holy Grail War, being both a Master and a Servant. Doing two things at once is incredibly tiring and exhausting. I just finished a battle, and now I have to deal with those Masters scheming against each other, it's so annoying." Wang Chong complained to Artoria.

Artoria chuckled twice, her mood improved considerably by Wang Chong's words. Seeing Artoria's faint smile, Wang Chong also coughed twice, looked in the direction Lancelot had left, and said, "That's why I admire you so much, King of Knights."

"Eh? You admire me?" Artoria was slightly taken aback, but in the blink of an eye, her light smile turned into a wry smile, and she said, "Mr. Wang Chong, please don't make fun of me."

"No, I truly admire you, King Knight," Wang Chong said slowly. "Back then, you faced countless problems, far more serious and difficult to handle than any of us are facing now. Yet, you handled these matters flawlessly, and punished the enemy in war without bias. It was as if you were on a scale precise to several decimal places, calculating the balance of gains and losses. You did everything you could, didn't you?"

“But I am a loser, Mr. Wang Chong. Even my knights will not find peace in death. Mordred is like that, Lancelot is like that. I failed to meet their expectations, I let them down. I am ultimately not qualified to be a king, and that is why I must change all of this.” Artoria shook her head slightly, a trace of sadness flashing in her eyes again, and said.

"Do you remember what I said before, Knight King?" Wang Chong suddenly said at this moment, "Although this is the story of the Caster I merged with, didn't you really gain any inspiration from his story?"

"Inspiration?"

"Although the Qin Dynasty only lasted two generations, everything that king did was not meaningless. As long as what he established is passed down from generation to generation, then his Qin Dynasty will never truly perish, and his rule will continue forever." Wang Chong slightly modified the words, repeating them again, and continued, "Artoria, what does the Kingdom of Britain mean to you? Is it that immortal city? Or is it the rule that will never fall and belongs only to you, or perhaps the Knights of the Round Table? Do you still remember what you are fighting for?"

"Why do we fight... why do we fight..." For a moment, a few glints flashed in Artoria's eyes, and she continued, "I want to continue the kingdom, I want to protect those people..."

“Artoria, you should look into the history. Admittedly, the Saxons you resisted eventually conquered much of Britain, but the Britons you led were not exterminated. After you left, they continued to sing your name, continued to survive in the cracks. Eventually, they reclaimed a land and multiplied even more, continuing to sing your legend.” Wang Chong said slowly, “Therefore, the Kingdom of Britain was never truly ended. Your story is still recorded, your deeds are still sung, and the people of your country continue to multiply in later generations. The land of Britain… sprouts and grows crops once more. Isn’t that enough?”

"...Me." For a moment, Artoria was stunned and remained silent.

"This is the ending you created, Artoria. No one in your position could have done this. And your knights, I think, feel the same way you do. They, like you, are torturing themselves. The Conqueror King says you've been saving your subjects without providing guidance. That's wrong. You've actually guided them with your actions. Just like your adherence to the code of chivalry, just like your desperate efforts to protect the people of Britain. It's these actions that have made them follow you so closely, that their character has become like yours, and that they've even become like you, taking responsibility for the destruction of Britain upon themselves."

"Do you trust my judgment of people? Whether it's that berserk Lancelot or that twisted Mordred on the enemy side, they actually both, to some extent, crave your reprimand. Only you, as the King of Britain, have the right to reprimand them and judge their sins. That's their unanimous thought. That's how much they respect and love you, Artoria." After Wang Chong finished speaking, he added, "That's why I admire you, Artoria. Think carefully about what I just said."

Chapter 181 Merlin, You Were Spying on Me, Weren't You?

After leaving those words, Wang Chong gave Artoria time to think. He also took the opportunity to switch places with his clone and return to the Hanging Gardens. As for the matters to be discussed with Jeanne d'Arc and Irisviel, he could easily leave those to his clone.

After returning to the fortress, Wang Chong walked towards the core area while recalling his recent conversation with Altria. During that conversation, Wang Chong still felt a sense of disharmony, but this time, Wang Chong finally understood where it came from.

This was all thanks to his previous contact with Jeanne d'Arc using the "Beyond Heaven" technique, which modified and distorted her starting point. In fact, Wang Chong had already discovered that Jeanne d'Arc's mind had been distorted to a certain extent. And that source was none other than human reason, or rather, the suppressor force. Since then, Wang Chong had clearly marked the frequency of the suppressor force's distortion. Therefore, he easily sensed the same distorting force from Artoria.

"Heh, no wonder Artoria had those thoughts. She had already prepared herself for that despair, she knew the end of Britain... and she didn't even glance at the future development of her own country. In the end, as long as Artoria continues to have the idea of ​​changing the past and remains steadfast in this idea, she will be forever bound by the Counter Force, constantly responding to the Heroic Spirit War and fighting on."

Wang Chong understood perfectly well that there was a fundamental difference between the Servants of the Throne of Heroes and those who signed contracts with the physical body to become laborers of the Counter Force. For the heroes who returned to the Throne of Heroes, their lives ended abruptly at the moment of death, with no further growth potential. Therefore, each summons was a clone separated from the Throne of Heroes, carrying no memories of the previous war. Even their personalities and ways of handling things would differ depending on the age stage they exhibited at the time of the summoning. Thus, the Heroic Spirits of the Throne were very free; the Holy Grail War was merely a performance for them. They could go if they wanted, and not go if they didn't.

But the physical body is different. Not only does it retain the memories of the previous war, but it also experiences a kind of alternative immortality, continuing to fight. The Holy Grail War becomes a twisted continuation of their lives, which should have ended in death. At the same time, signing a contract with the Counter Force is like signing a contract of servitude; the Counter Force makes you go, and you have no choice but to go, even your own will is distorted to some extent, turning you into the best kind of laborer. Truly, they are slaves under capitalist manipulation.

"So, what do you think, Merlin?" Suddenly, Wang Chong covered his face, turned around inexplicably, pointed behind him, and said, "Merlin, you're looking at me, aren't you!"

Of course, Wang Chong made sure no one from his faction saw him while performing this maneuver. He deliberately entered a secluded location, hoping to provoke out a certain spy. He also fully activated his villainous savior aura, unleashing his aura and power to the maximum.

However, after a short while, nothing happened in front of him. But Wang Chong was not discouraged. Instead, he activated his magic and took out a blue-skinned sword sheath treasure from his body: the Distant Ideal Land - also known as Avalon.

Originally, this was meant to summon Artoria. However, Kiritsugu Emiya didn't want to return it to Artoria; instead, he placed it inside Irisviel's body to protect her. As for why it's now in Wang Chong's hands, it's because Wang Chong recently used his Time Stop and Overwrite abilities to easily extract Avalon from Irisviel's body, and also used the power of Time Stop and Overwrite to tamper with Irisviel.

For example, Irisviel's ability to sense Ilya's presence in the castle was actually a result of Wang Chong deliberately using his power beyond Heaven to induce her.

"Hmph, unwilling to come out? Then I'd like to try. If I throw Avalon into that Holy Grail, let's see if I can completely corrupt it with its vast magical power. Perhaps, I can even obtain a way to go to Avalon. Then I'll personally come to its door." Wang Chong spoke again.