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

So Wang Chong continued reading, going through about three pages of the composition of air, six pages of chemical reaction formulas for gases, and nearly fifty pages of experimental procedures for generating gases, before finally finding the correct cultivation formula and method. Instantly, Wang Chong felt golden light enter his mind, and a profound and mysterious feeling arose within him.

Chapter 185 Mordred Untangles His Heart

"This is really ridiculous... I flipped through almost 70 pages before I finally found the real cultivation method. Is this thing really filtering out those with a destined connection?" Wang Chong couldn't help but complain.

However, after learning this thing, Wang Chong could indeed see things like luck. For example, the luck of Artoria [Alter] and Jeanne d'Arc Alter next to him was only at the blue level, which was two levels better than the ordinary white level.

Even beneath Jeanne d'Arc Alter's blue aura, one could faintly discern a hint of darkness, indicating occasional bad luck. Wang Chong pondered this carefully, concluding that it might be because Jeanne d'Arc Alter was inherently unlucky (E), being a member of the Avengers class and naturally disliked by the world's will. Her transformation into blue was likely due to his own actions.

"It's a pity that I can only see other people's aura, not my own. But it's enough, though. It will be convenient for me to see how much the luck of the chosen one will diminish before I can resolve the situation," Wang Chong thought.

"System, now that I have all seven riders, have you forgotten something?" Wang Chong suddenly said.

"Host, please don't worry. The system hasn't forgotten. It's just that once you bring Rider to the other Servants and gather them all before you, a miracle will happen," the system's voice reminded you.

"Oh? Are you going to give me some special effects or something? Interesting." Wang Chong was getting excited. However, if he were to gather all the Servants, it seemed there was one person whose problem still needed to be addressed.

……

"Eh! Eh!!!? Father?? Two fathers??!" Mordred looked at Artoria [Alter], whom her Master had brought back, with a shocked expression. At first, she thought that her father had been captured and brought back by her Master. She was about to make sarcastic remarks, but the other party said something so wrong that she broke her composure: "Go away, little kid, don't disturb my good time with your stepmother."

"???" Mordred's brain almost crashed at that moment.

It wasn't until Wang Chong explained everything that had just happened and the true nature of Altria's (Alter's) reversal to Mordred that Mordred began to understand that the father before her was somewhat different from the father she knew.

But that would be weird too! Hey!

"So... you just met with Merlin. And you've already figured out the future that Father envisioned? And this... Black Father, is he the one you summoned based on that future? And he has all the memories of this Fourth Shinobi World War? Then wouldn't it be better if we just followed what Black Father said?" Mordred asked curiously after calming down.

“No, you’re oversimplifying things, you little brat,” Artoria said.

"Little...little brat?" Mordred was furious when he heard this. Although his black-clad father had directly acknowledged his offspring's identity, giving Mordred a strange sense of goodwill, the tone and the way he addressed him still made Mordred furious.

"Fate is something that cannot be easily revealed without the corresponding power. Moreover, the future is always subject to change. Even a small alteration caused by my words could cause my original future to cease to exist or directly replace the old memories with new ones. Therefore, any opinions I have about your future are worthless to you. I can only discuss what has already happened, not what hasn't. You should focus on building your own futures. I'm only responsible for filling my stomach and fighting," Artoria [Alter] said with a light laugh.

“I see. No wonder you kept dodging the question when I tried to ask about the future,” Wang Chong said.

"Master, just do what you want to do. Even if another version of me tries to stop me, I will not hesitate to eliminate it if you give the order." As she spoke, a hint of madness and excitement flashed in Artoria's eyes, and her aura began to rise at this moment.

"Wow... this black-clad father... he seems kind of handsome?" Mordred thought to himself after sensing the other's aura.

“Alright, Artoria [Alter], calm down. Speaking of which, Mordred, have you finally put something behind you?” Wang Chong patted Artoria [Alter] on the shoulder, then suddenly looked at Mordred and said.

"Ah? Oh...you mean that matter?" Mordred recalled the scene from before, and then, after learning from Wang Chong that her father had calmly accepted his fate and was no longer obsessed with that future, she did feel a strange weight lifted off her shoulders.

"Tch, I really am incompetent in every sense of the word, Master. I always make you worry about my trivial matters... But still, thank you." Mordred seemed a little embarrassed to say it out loud, raised her hand to scratch her face, and turned her head to say.

"It's good that you've figured it out. So what are your wishes? Do you have any plans now?" Wang Chong asked with a light laugh.

"I've stopped dreaming of the Sword of Choice. Not because I've given up, but because I've realized there's no need." Mordred shrugged. Despite having let go of her dream, she now seemed unexpectedly refreshed. Wang Chong was thus certain that she no longer harbored any attachment to that dream.

"Rather than giving up, it's more accurate to say I've finally come to my senses. I'd probably be happy just picking up what fell from the king's hands. Well, of course, it would be a lie to say I have absolutely no resentment towards my father." Mordred recalled the root of her previous anger and slowly began to speak:

"It was because of tonight's confrontation, because of what my father asked, that I finally understood. It was the king I hated, not my father. It was that country and that era that burdened my father with everything, forced upon him by the mere title of 'king.' He was forced to stand in aloofness simply because he was the king. He was hated even though he was definitely not someone to be hated, and it was because of his status as king. Everyone, without any consideration, placed their dreams, hopes, and aspirations on him. I resent this, and I also want to correct it. Because my father was not someone who deserved to be hated."

“Every time I close my eyes, I dream. I always dream of challenging the chosen sword but being unable to. So, I thought that something must be missing, something necessary to become king. But, that's not it, that's not it. It's not that there's anything lacking, but that my starting point is completely different from my father's. To make a complete stranger smile—just for that purpose, my father aspired to become king.”

“So, I don’t care anymore. Even if this explanation is wrong, I don’t care. Even if it’s just my misunderstanding, it doesn’t matter. Because I’ve already accepted this explanation, so that’s fine.” After Mordred finished speaking, she exhaled a breath of stale air. She felt a sense of relief she had never experienced before, as if the breath she had been holding in her heart had completely dissipated.

"Really? That's good." Wang Chong smiled and patted Mordred on the shoulder to encourage her, which made Mordred, who had been relaxed, suddenly feel a little uncomfortable.

"Hehe, now that you've had your fill of that long-lost 'motherly love,' little brat, can I say a few words?" At that moment, a voice carrying a hint of danger came from beside Mordred, and a claw firmly gripped Mordred's other shoulder.

Mordred looked over and saw Artoria [Alter] with a dangerous smile, exuding an undeniable aura of authority and power, saying, "Although I am somewhat different from your father, you are quite bold to say these things to me, Lord Mordred."

"Huh?" Mordred only then realized that she had been so caught up in the emotional turmoil caused by her Master that she had vomited it all at once, forgetting that her real father was still standing there. An ominous feeling began to grow in Mordred's heart.

“Come, Lord Mordred, aren’t you resentful? Aren’t you already happy just picking up what fell from the King’s hands? Come, let me give you a good lesson today and let you be ‘happy’ for once.” After saying that, Artoria [Alter] looked at Wang Chong and said, “Master, can I have some private time? Don’t worry, it won’t be long.”

Mordred looked at Wang Chong with pleading eyes, but Wang Chong just nodded, gave Mordred a thumbs up to encourage her, and then quickly entered the core area, leaving behind a bewildered Mordred and Artoria [Alter] who was about to enter berserk mode.

Chapter 186 What I give you is truly yours.

On the red carpet of the main hall, all the Servants had appeared before him, all in their places. Illya, who was originally here, had been taken by Semiramis to befriend Matou Sakura and Ryougi Shiki.

At this moment, Mordred and Altria (Alter), the "father and son" duo, also arrived. They followed Wang Chong in almost as soon as he arrived. Wang Chong was puzzled, wondering how the conflict had been resolved so quickly.

Seeing Mordred looking so dejected and seemingly somewhat submissive to Altria (Alter), Wang Chong was somewhat surprised. Mordred didn't look like she had been beaten or injured anywhere, so how could she have been tamed so easily and in such a short time? You know, this was something that a certain blue-haired ahoge (a type of ahoge) had never been able to do.

Therefore, Wang Chong used the power of the black mist to transmit his voice to Mordred: "Mordred, are you alright? Your black-haired father didn't do anything to you, did he?"

After the words were spoken, Mordred gave him a slightly resentful look before returning to normal. This startled Wang Chong. Holy crap, could Mordred, with her personality, really give him that look? What on earth did Artoria [Alter] do to her?

Meanwhile, Mordred was still reeling from Artoria's (Alter's) actions. Not long after Wang Chong left, seeing Artoria's increasingly dangerous and oppressive aura, Mordred finally couldn't hold back any longer. She tried to push her away, saying, "Stop pretending! I'm only refraining from arguing with you because of my Master! Don't push your luck..."

"You... you slept with him, didn't you?" Artoria [Alter] suddenly revealed a contemptuous smile. Not only was she not pushed away by Mordred, but she also dropped a bombshell on Mordred with her words, which greatly surprised Mordred.

"Right here in this fortress, in some dark, inescapable little room, am I right?"

"You...you!" Mordred stammered, unsure what to say. How would her father know such a secret? Could it be that her Master told her? But why?

"Don't be nervous, you brat. I left you behind alone so you'll remember the mistakes you made." Artoria [Alter] pulled Mordred close by the shoulder and whispered in his ear:

"Remember these two things well: First, your Master is your mother, she was, she is, and she will be. Second, of all things in the world, what I give you is yours. If I don't give it to you, you can't take it from me."

"???" At this moment, Mordred felt a deep shock. It turned out that what came to him was not necessarily fatherly love, but also "patriarchy".

……

In short, after being subjected to a series of forceful manipulations, Mordred suddenly realized that her former father hadn't been so bad after all. Aside from disowning her as his "son," he hadn't done anything truly wrong to her. Even when Lancelot cheated on her, her father seemed unconcerned. Did that mean she could be too…?

"Wait! Shouldn't the key question be when Master will also take down Father?!" Mordred finally realized.

"Ahem, everyone's here, right?" Wang Chong said at this moment. Looking at the three Gorgon sisters, the British father and son, and the Fa trio in a sense, there were a total of seven riders plus one Avenger. Including himself, that's equivalent to nine combatants. Let alone the Holy Grail War, they could probably even take down a singularity.

"System, are you done yet? All seven riders have arrived. You should give me my reward and the miracle you mentioned before, right?" Wang Chong said.

"Okay, loading complete! Host, get ready!" The system notification sounded immediately.

A halo suddenly appeared around each of the eight Servants, and each of them was somewhat surprised, wondering what had happened.

"Don't be nervous, this is one of my abilities. From now on, everyone's combat power panel will increase by one level compared to before, up to the maximum EX level. Even the lowest E attribute will be raised to D level," Wang Chong explained.

Upon hearing Wang Chong's words, the Servants refrained from further rash actions, calmly accepting the power he spoke of. Then, each of the eight halos emitted a beam of light, connecting with Wang Chong. For a moment, Wang Chong felt a strange connection between himself and the Servants.

"Look, what's behind Master?!" Mordred exclaimed.

"That's...us?" Jeanne Alter frowned slightly upon seeing it and said.

After hearing Mordred and Jeanne Alter's words, Wang Chong looked behind him and saw that there were indeed phantom images behind him, which were the figures of the Servants he had summoned.

"Wait... Could this be the effect of the Seven Masters?" Wang Chong suddenly remembered that the Seven Masters' passive ability, besides increasing the stats of his Servants and reducing MP consumption, also allowed him to choose any Servant and gain all of their stats, skills, and Noble Phantasm? Could this be the so-called "choose a Servant and gain their power"?

Wang Chong tried selecting Artoria [Alter], and in an instant, Artoria [Alter]'s black armor appeared on his body, and he was holding the black holy sword in his hand.

"What... what's going on? How come Master suddenly has Father's armor and sword?" Mordred was extremely surprised to see this, while Artoria [Alter] seemed to be deep in thought, as if she remembered something.

"Damn it, he's got curry sticks now!" Wang Chong chuckled after brandishing his holy sword a couple of times. He then deactivated the mode, returning to normal. He then switched back to Jeanne d'Arc Alter, and Jeanne d'Arc Alter's stylish armor, now masculine, appeared on Wang Chong, along with her sword and banner.

"It's mine again this time. Heh, Master always manages to create some interesting surprises." Jeanne Alter chuckled upon seeing it.

"...This feeling...why does it feel a bit like Illya's magical girl transformation?" It was only then that Wang Chong realized something was amiss. However, in terms of wielding his power, Wang Chong felt excellent, so he didn't dwell on it and deactivated his transformation.

"Ding—Congratulations, host, on completing the secondary objective of the main quest, [Collect Seven Riders]: Reward: 1000 Villain Points, Passive Aura: [Seven Rider Masters]. [Seven Rider Masters] Passive Effect: The stats of the Servants you command increase by one level, up to a maximum of EX rank, and their mana consumption is reduced; the mana consumption of 7 Servants is equivalent to that of 1. You can choose any Servant and gain all of its stats, skills, and Noble Phantasm. You can switch Servants at any time. Your current Villain Points: 15440."

"Ding—Because the host exceeded the target, an additional reward has been obtained. The passive effect of [Seven Masters] will no longer be limited to the seven collected Servants. As long as they belong to the Master, they can receive the boost and be selected as targets to obtain their power. In addition, due to the establishment of a new bond with the host, all Servants' affinity with the host will increase by an additional 5 points."

"Ding—The current favorability of the eight Servants is as follows: Artoria [Alter] 100+5 points (to be added later), Atalanta 100+5 points (to be added later), the Gorgon sisters 100 points, Semiramis 95 points, Mordred 95 points, Jeanne Alter 95 points."

"Ding—Congratulations, host. Artoria [Alter] and the three Gorgon sisters have all reached 100 points of favorability. When fighting together with the host, they will receive a 6% increase in all attributes, and 3% of their power will be given back to the host."

"So that's why Black Jeanne was included; it turns out it's an extra reward later. Not bad, not bad at all. This system has great potential," Wang Chong couldn't help but praise with a smile. At the same time, Wang Chong also received power feedback from Little Medusa, Stheno, Euryale, and Artoria (Alter), further enhancing his strength. In addition, with the burden of magic power greatly reduced, Wang Chong could use his black mist power more freely.

Wang Chong now only wants to find a stronger opponent to test what level of powerhouse he can fight without relying on his time-stopping ability.

Chapter 187 The Threads of Fate

"What amazing power! I can clearly feel that some of my thoughts have become much clearer." Semiramis carefully experienced her own aptitude and understanding of magic. Her magic power, which was originally at the A level, had now reached the A+ level. She felt that she could do more things with magic, and her effort was much greater than before. And this was just in one aspect; Semiramis could clearly feel that her improvement was all-round.

"Hmph, as expected of a man who can enjoy the glory of a goddess, he's truly captivating. I feel even more beautiful and charming now. You feel the same way, don't you, Stheno?" Euryale chuckled and said.

“That’s right, that’s why we have to reward our Master. We need to make him understand that only by serving and dedicating himself to the goddess will he receive the rewards he deserves.” Stheno licked her lips slightly, her burning eyes sending flirtatious glances, trying to arouse Wang Chong’s primal desires.

"Sister, there are still so many people here..."

"Oh dear, little Medusa, it's very rude of you to interrupt your older sister's fun. Do you want to experience the punishment you had last time again?"

"Ugh..." Little Medusa immediately fell silent.

"Master! I feel like I can do anything. Let's end this war tomorrow." Looking at Mordred's excited appearance, Wang Chong thought to himself, "I guess she's still a child at heart? She was so listless just a second ago, and now she's all excited again. But could you please not set that flag?"

"Don't worry, the Holy Grail War won't last much longer. With our current strength, defeating them shouldn't be difficult. As for whether we should wipe them out completely tomorrow and solidify the war situation, or proceed cautiously... I'll have to complete a few tasks before I can make a further judgment," Wang Chong replied.

"Uh... Master, aren't you being overly cautious? You displayed incredible power today, defeating all those Servants, and they couldn't even figure out how you beat them. It's no exaggeration to say that you could have taken them down today, Master..." Mordred asked, puzzled.

“Yes, Master, you are already an unparalleled hero. Even in my time, the only one who could rival your physical combat prowess was the great hero Hercules. Not to mention your bizarre teleportation power… it is terrifying. I still can’t figure out what kind of power it is. To say it’s speed doesn’t quite feel right,” Atalanta said.

“You…should know about fate, right?” Wang Chong suddenly said.

"Fate..." Upon hearing this word, apart from Mordred, who was completely oblivious, and Jeanne d'Arc Alter, whose life was entirely fabricated, all the other Servants revealed a profound expression.

“You have all more or less felt or even come into contact with that kind of interference. The stronger you are, the more you can sense this blockage, and the stronger the interference becomes. Just like today, even with Joan of Arc's protection, could I really be stopped by that thing? But I can guarantee that if I forcefully break through and completely drive them to a dead end, that hanging blade of fate will descend upon my head. A power or figure far more terrifying than these people will descend instantly,” Wang Chong said with his eyes closed.

“As beings from the Greek Age of Gods, you should have a deeper understanding of fate. The threads of fate weave everyone into the river of destiny, making individual strength seem so insignificant. Even the gods could not resist it. The extinction of the Age of Gods—isn't that the best proof of the torrent of fate? Even the gods were powerless to change all of this, let alone a single mortal whose strength is far inferior to theirs?” Wang Chong said slowly.

"..." For a moment, the three Gorgon sisters and Atalanta fell into silence, clearly acknowledging Wang Chong's point of view.

"So, Master, you mean that the importance of this Holy Grail War will directly affect the overall trajectory of the world?" Semiramis asked, frowning.

“I think I’ve already told you, or you’ve heard Jeanne Alter mention it. I’m an outsider, a time traveler. In the timeline of my world, let alone the Fourth Holy Grail War, there has already been a Fifth Holy Grail War. I can say with certainty that this Holy Grail War is indeed related to the future direction of the entire world, and among those predetermined destinies, Kiritsugu Emiya winning this Holy Grail War is the most important path,” Wang Chong said.

Afterwards, Wang Chong gave the Servants present a briefing on the course and outcome of the Holy Grail War in a world where he was not involved.

“I see. So that’s why you’re targeting Kiritsugu Emiya so much… To change the fate of those people, prevent the deaths of innocents, and reverse the fate of some in the Holy Grail War, you must defeat him and seize the Holy Grail. And Kiritsugu is the one chosen by fate. If you try to kill him, there will probably be many unexpected events, right?” Semiramis quickly understood the relationship and said.

“I’ve already resolved the issue of the Holy Grail, and you all know that. But those people will never hand it over to me, especially Kiritsugu. He only believes himself and won’t believe what I say. Only by witnessing the tragedy he created will he realize the mistakes he made. From the moment I resolved the issue of the Holy Grail and seized it ahead of time, we were destined to be enemies,” Wang Chong said.

"But ultimately, it's because I was about to touch the root and was suppressed by the restraining force. I know you've always had doubts, and this increase in strength has given you unprecedented confidence. It's inevitable that you'd question my decisions. That's why I need to make it clear: our opponents are not just those in front of us," Wang Chong said solemnly.

"Then the things Master just mentioned needing to accomplish... could it be...?" Semiramis asked, frowning slightly.

"Of course, we need to eliminate those hidden dangers, at least the ones I've already discovered." After saying this, Wang Chong looked at each follower and said, "Tomorrow, you should remain inactive. I need to go to a few locations to handle some matters, so I'll leave the family affairs to you. Also, during the day, familiarize yourselves with the powers you just acquired, so that they can be put to use in the formal battle tomorrow night. And familiarize yourselves with the terrain and characteristics of this fortress. If nothing unexpected happens, tomorrow will probably not be a siege battle, but rather street fighting."

……

After giving each Servant a detailed explanation and assigning them tasks, Wang Chong let them roam freely. He then used the black mist and his clones to discuss the contract with Jeanne d'Arc while contacting Kirei Kotomine to inform him of tomorrow's arrangements and the matter of Kiritsugu Emiya being rescued by a mysterious person.

"In this way, everything is foolproof." Wang Chong closed the storybook, watched as Ilya fell asleep while listening to the magical girl story, and then quietly left the room.

Illya's situation was relatively stable. Semiramis was well aware of her own thoughts, so she only showed Illya images of her mother, Irene, and father, Kiritsugu, in "heroic" battle, omitting the scenes of herself confronting her mother. However, even if she saw them, it wouldn't matter. Even when Illya first met her, she only saw her deliberately revealed true appearance; she had never seen Dio's true form.

Of course, the negotiation footage defending her mother was shown to Ilya, and according to Semiramis, Ilya even wanted to rush into the screen and pluck the red-clothed villain's hair.

"Sometimes I feel quite guilty," Wang Chong shook his head, knowing he could only make it up to the mother and daughter later. He then headed to his room, intending to rest for the night. However, recalling the three Gorgon sisters' words, he wondered if they would launch a night attack on him again once he opened the door. Wang Chong chuckled helplessly and opened the door.

"Huh? Jeanne d'Arc Alter?" When Wang Chong opened the room again, he initially thought it was the Gorgon sisters from the daily night raid group waiting for him, but he didn't expect that sitting on the bed was Jeanne d'Arc Alter with her long, flowing white hair, her back to him.

Chapter 188 Do you like Jeanne d'Arc Alter? I do!

The scene before him almost made Wang Chong think he had come to the wrong room, but the layout was indeed in his room's style. So Wang Chong closed the door and walked in, sitting directly next to Jeanne d'Arc Alter, and asked, "What's wrong, Jeanne d'Arc Alter? Why did you come to my room?"

"Can't I come to your room? Don't you like it?" A sense of hostility rushed into Wang Chong's nose. Wang Chong immediately realized that Jeanne d'Arc Alter was probably still angry about what happened with Artoria [Alter] before.

"..." Wang Chong chuckled lightly, without saying a word, but instead stretched out his left arm and hugged Black Jeanne's fragrant shoulder, letting her lean against his chest.

"Let go! Humph!" Jeanne Alter struggled stubbornly, but how could she break free from Wang Chong's embrace? Besides, deep down, Jeanne Alter was already very attached to Wang Chong; she was just throwing a tantrum and being affectionate. In the end, she was half-heartedly pulled into Wang Chong's arms and stopped struggling. Her slightly flushed face was hard to tell whether it was from embarrassment or anger.

"Now, tell me, do you like it or not?" Wang Chong said with a smile.

“Liar…” Black Jeanne buried her face in Wang Chong’s chest and muttered softly.

"I didn't lie to you." Wang Chong placed his hand on Jeanne d'Arc's head, stroking it and smoothing her smooth white hair as if he were grooming a white cat with its fur standing on end.

"You said you liked me the most... but that's not true at all... you're just lying to me." Black Jeanne pinched Wang Chong's stomach, as if venting her anger.

"How could that be? You've always been my most special servant. Look, haven't I always been on your side?" Wang Chong deliberately relaxed his physical strength so that Jeanne Alter could squeeze his soft flesh. Wang Chong smiled helplessly and continued to coax him.

"Then why... then why are you unwilling to do that kind of thing to me now!?" Jeanne d'Arc Alter raised her head, looked directly at Wang Chong, and said with an angry expression.

"What..." Wang Chong was taken aback when he heard Jeanne d'Arc Alter's words, but he quickly realized what she was referring to.