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

"Wait... Mr. Wang Chong, are you saying that you have many other Servants... even those Aberrant Servants are all your Servants?" At this moment, Irisviel looked at Wang Chong with a strange expression and asked.

“That’s right, that’s exactly it. In fact, I was the one who orchestrated this Hanging Gardens conspiracy, and I also deliberately let you in.” Wang Chong said with a rather proud attitude, “You have all fallen into my trap, and the victory in this Holy Grail War belongs to me alone.”

"Oh no! We can't let him continue." At this moment, the mysterious servant finally noticed something was amiss. The more Wang Chong admitted to these facts, the more the initial shock, confusion, and disappointment in Artoria and the others' eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by a look of utter disbelief, as if watching a monkey show.

"This guy admitted it too readily, and the content of his admission was too unbelievable. It's like hitting rock bottom and then rebounding. Now no one will believe that he is really Semiramis's Master and the mastermind behind it all." The mysterious Servant finally realized that he had been made a fool of.

"Shut up! All you need to do is admit that you are Semiramis's Master. Why are you saying all this nonsense?" the mysterious servant interrupted.

"What do you mean by 'nonsense'? Everything I said is true! What? You don't believe me?" Wang Chong looked unconvinced, then turned to Artoria and the other two, asking, "So, do you believe me or not?"

The three women exchanged glances, now certain that Wang Chong was simply playing a trick on the people opposite him.

"What do you mean? Don't you believe me either? Fine, since you don't believe me, I can prove it!" Wang Chong raised his finger and pointed to the ceiling, saying, "My Servant! Semiramis! I know you're watching. Now, I need you to prove that I am your Master. I know you can hear me, and you should be able to project your voice here. So, if I call your name now and you immediately agree, that will prove you are my Servant."

For a moment, everyone was confused about what Wang Chong was doing.

"Alright, I'll count to three, two, one, Semiramis!" Wang Chong shouted loudly.

"Get out!" Semiramis' voice echoed throughout the room.

Chapter 266 Surprise Attack! Rescuing the Hostages

After hearing the resounding "Get out!" that echoed throughout the room, the entire room fell silent for a moment.

"See? I've proven it. Regardless of her response, she did respond to me based on what I just said, which indirectly proves that she is my Servant." Wang Chong pointed to the sky and smiled at Emiya Kiritsugu and the others.

For a moment, the mysterious Servant fell silent, fully understanding the meaning behind Wang Chong's actions. Now, the other side had blocked his path to producing evidence proving Wang Chong was Semiramis's Master and the mastermind behind the Holy Grail War. After all, what evidence could be stronger than a confession from both sides?

However, because of Wang Chong's absurd behavior just now, coupled with the reputation and credibility he had accumulated, no one present who was not on their side believed that Wang Chong was really Semiramis's Master. They only regarded it as a joke or even a mockery of them.

And now, Wang Chong was making one thing clear to everyone: Even if you truly had so-called evidence, what would it matter? Everyone had already isolated you, and no one would trust you, those whose trust had been broken. So, don't harbor any more illusions about these tactics.

"Well, can you come up with any more evidence to prove that I am the Master of Semiramis? I'm quite looking forward to it... Don't all stay silent." Wang Chong spread his hands, smiling as if he had you completely under his thumb and there was nothing you could do about it.

"Heh, how interesting. Although I dislike Faker's mouth, his antics always bring me some amusement." Gilgamesh maintained his "the more the merrier" attitude. Even as Kiritsugu Emiya's Servant, Gilgamesh never acknowledged the "clown" who dared to command him with Command Spells from the start. Compared to his Tokiomi days, the current Gilgamesh is even more self-willed.

Meanwhile, Kiritsugu Emiya seemed somewhat agitated. For some reason, seeing Wang Chong now stirred up inexplicable anger within him. Logically, in a scheme where both sides have their victories and defeats, he had already witnessed far too many such underhanded tactics; there was no reason for him to be emotionally agitated again. Was it because of Irene that his mind was unsettled and his will wavering? Kiritsugu Emiya couldn't help but wonder.

"Wait... Come to think of it, ever since Wang Chong, the mastermind, appeared, it feels like I've forgotten something... Right! Weren't we dealing with Diarmuid's matter at the beginning?! How did these people get caught up in this mess as soon as they arrived! Oh no! Their distance!"

Suddenly, when Kiritsugu Emiya thought of the words "mindset" and "will," a flash of inspiration struck him. In an instant, he remembered his most pressing matter. But now he noticed that Wang Chong and Artoria, during their exaggerated and comical performance, had silently approached his group. They were now close enough to launch a surprise attack in an instant.

"Attack!" Seemingly noticing the change in Kiritsugu Emiya's expression, Wang Chong, who had been grinning, suddenly roared. Wang Chong charged towards Kiritsugu Emiya, while Artoria charged towards the mysterious Servant.

The mysterious Servant's eyes glared. He hadn't expected the other party to be so bold as to attack directly. Did he really think that at sprinting distance, the speed of a surprise attack would be faster than his own throat-slitting speed? Or did he think that he and his companions wouldn't dare to do anything to the hostages?

Without a word, the mysterious Servant immediately attacked, slashing Sora's neck. However, after the mysterious Servant had taken action, he realized that something was wrong with the dagger's feel as it cut Sora's throat. A faint black aura was emanating from Sora's neck, and the area that should have been cut was now intact.

"It's Wang Chong, it's his black mist! But how is that possible? When did his black mist arrive? How could I not have noticed? Is it because the amount was too small?" The mysterious follower saw the dissipating black mist and knew that this level of black mist could only withstand one of his attacks. But the amount created by blocking just one attack was enough for a charging lion.

"Wind King's Hammer!" Artoria released her Wind King's Barrier without hesitation, and a large amount of airflow was aimed directly at the mysterious Servant behind Sora.

"Whoosh—!" The high-energy impact swept the mysterious Servant away, separating her from Sora. If things continued like this, Sora would likely be snatched back by Artoria, significantly reducing the possibility of controlling Diarmuid.

"Khronos Rose (Gather ye rosebuds while ye may)!" The mysterious Servant's body suddenly accelerated, managing to withstand Artoria's Wind King's Hammer sweep, and even throwing three throwing knives in the blink of an eye, aiming at Sora's head, heart, and arm.

"Danger!" Artoria hadn't expected her opponent to be able to withstand her Wind King's Hammer and launch an attack on Sora. In an instant, Artoria slammed into Sora, causing her body to swerve, and deflected two throwing knives aimed at Sora's vitals with her sword.

Fortunately, the two most fatal blows to the head and heart were successfully deflected by Artoria's precise judgment. However, the blow to the arm could not be avoided, severing Sora's right hand as smoothly as cutting tofu. The hand bearing the Command Seal fell to the ground, and Sora naturally let out a sharp scream before fainting from the pain.

"Ugh!" The mysterious Servant's Noble Phantasm had also ended, and he was slammed into the wall behind him by the aftereffects of the Wind King's hammer, billowing smoke, his fate unknown.

"Lady Sora!" Artoria didn't give chase, but prioritized saving the wounded in front of her. She picked up Sora, gathered her severed hand, and rushed towards Irisviel. If there was enough time, she might be able to use healing magic to reattach the hand.

"Alice".

Altria came to Irisviel, laid Sora on the ground, and supported him. Without further ado, Irisviel began to tear the cloth and bind the arm to prevent further bleeding. Then, she quickly aligned the severed hand and limb, fine-tuning the position until it was perfectly aligned. She then used golden needle magic to sew it shut, and then began to use healing magic to heal.

Seeing that the healing magic was taking effect, Artoria felt a little relieved. She then turned to look in another direction, thinking that Wang Chong should have successfully rescued Kenneth as well, especially since Diarmuid was also cooperating with the operation.

Just moments before, as Wang Chong began his performance, he had secretly contacted Artoria, Jeanne d'Arc, Irisviel, and Diarmuid using the black mist, informing them of his plan to draw attention, approach stealthily, and then immediately rescue the hostages. He would also use the subtle power of the black mist to block the throat-slitting and head-blasting attacks, giving everyone ample time to save the hostages.

Therefore, from beginning to end, Artoria and the others never doubted Wang Chong's intentions. They were merely putting on a show of feigned surprise and anger, all for the sake of helping Diarmuid rescue people.

The final result was that Sora was successfully rescued. Artoria believed that with the cooperation of Diarmuid and Wang Chong, Kayneth could also be successfully rescued.

"The game is over. Wild Dog and Faker."

However, when Artoria turned around, she saw a scene completely different from what she had expected. Wang Chong and Diarmuid were somewhat disheveled, facing Gilgamesh and the Gate of Babylon behind him. Meanwhile, Kiritsugu Emiya and Maiya Hisau were fleeing towards the exit with Kenneth. Wang Chong and the others had only blocked the entrance, not the exit, and could only watch helplessly as Kiritsugu Emiya and the others disappeared at the exit.

"Hero King, what are you doing! Are you really going to become an accomplice to evil?!" Artoria shouted.

"Heh...Saber, it's still unknown who's aiding and abetting this. But your foolishness is certainly a rare moment of amusement for me." Gilgamesh finished speaking, and with a wave of his hand, countless Noble Phantasms rained down, crashing down on Diarmuid and Wang Chong.

"King of Heroes, I thought that as a king, you would have your contract stolen by Kiritsugu Emiya through trickery. Even if you didn't kill him, you would have stood by and watched Kiritsugu's death. But I never expected that you would actually save him. When did the King of Heroes learn to repay evil with good?" Wang Chong deflected the incoming Noble Phantasms with the Blade of the Ruined King and said with a faint sneer.

"Hmph, Faker, do I need your opinion on what I do? I do want that clown Emiya Kiritsugu to die. But not now, especially not at your hands. Your exaggerated performance might fool others, but it won't fool me," Gilgamesh sneered.

Chapter 267 Diarmuid: I curse Kiritsugu Emiya!

"What? Does the King of Heroes also believe in the rhetoric of Emiya Kiritsugu and his ilk?" Wang Chong said calmly.

"Ha, damn Faker, those two idiots did indeed give me a lot of logical deductions, and even presented their proofs. But I have never cared about other people's deductions or proofs."

After Gilgamesh finished speaking, he raised his head and looked down at Wang Chong arrogantly, saying, "From the moment I called you Faker, from the moment you exposed yourself as an imposter Caster, pretending to be some kind of Ruined King or First Emperor, I have seen through who you really are."

"I only trust my own judgment, so stop trying to amuse me with the same clown-like performance. My patience is very limited. And the only thing I admire about you is that you understand that only the winners and victors can write everything. Let me see just how much you're still hiding! And whether you're qualified to be the victor of this Holy Grail War."

With that, Gilgamesh unleashed a barrage of attacks from his Noble Phantasm. The entire room was affected, with rubble dripping down and signs of collapse looming ahead.

Wang Chong frowned deeply. In fact, he had sensed that something was wrong with Gilgamesh's gaze last night, but he didn't understand where he had revealed the flaw. But after hearing Gilgamesh's last words, he understood.

Indeed, looking at the bigger picture, it becomes clear that everyone has suffered losses to some extent in the ongoing battles against these different Servants. However, one person has consistently reaped the benefits, remaining a winner. And last night, this person revealed that they are not a Servant, but a Master.

It was precisely because of these combined factors that Gilgamesh immediately realized that he was the mastermind behind everything.

Ultimately, whatever the mastermind's schemes may be, their sole purpose is to win the Holy Grail War. Therefore, this mastermind can only be themselves, and only themselves.

Moreover, once the trust filter he has built is broken, not only Gilgamesh, but everyone will immediately suspect him.

But Wang Chong doesn't care anymore. He has already established his dominance, and the trust in the three women has been further strengthened by him, making it impossible to break. Moreover, the rhythm of the Holy Grail War has completely fallen into his hands, and now it's his turn to eliminate the Servants one by one.

"I'd love to test your skills against the Hero King on my own. But this isn't the time for a fight of pride... If you want to stop us from killing Emiya Kiritsugu, then let's see if you can withstand the attack of three Servants! Diarmuid, let's attack together and hold off Gilgamesh! Create an opportunity for Saber to kill you in one blow!"

Immediately after shouting, Wang Chong charged towards Gilgamesh, enveloped in a thick cloud of black mist. Hearing this from a distance, Artoria said to Leticia, "Leticia, help me support Lady Sora. I'm going to help Wang Chong and the others!"

Leticia immediately helped Sora up, while Artoria raised her holy sword, ready to settle both old and new scores this time.

"Liberate magic!" After Artoria shouted, the holy sword in her hand began to shine with golden light, and magic power began to gather. She was ready to control the strength and release the treasure to bombard Gilgamesh.

"Hmph, so what if they are three Servants? In front of me, they are still nothing but chickens and dogs!" Gilgamesh was already planning to use one of his trump cards to let the three of them know the power of the oldest hero king.

"I'll hold off those Noble Phantasms. Diarmuid, you get close and prevent Gilgamesh from focusing on unleashing his Noble Phantasms!" Wang Chong unleashed the black mist, and the ghosts within once again continuously resisted Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms.

"King of Heroes, cease your Noble Phantasm here!" At that moment, under the cover of the black mist of the King's Rage, Diarmuid successfully approached Gilgamesh, drew his red spear, and aimed directly at Gilgamesh's heart. Before the exorcising power of the Crimson Rose, even Gilgamesh's golden armor could not withstand its anti-magic effect.

Several small golden gates appeared around Gilgamesh. As soon as Diarmuid got close, Gilgamesh would bind Diarmuid with the Chains of Heaven and then deliver the most fatal blow.

“You barking wild dog, die!” Gilgamesh said, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Pfft-"

"Puwa..."

A sound like a weapon piercing flesh rang out, followed by the sound of blood being vomited. Gilgamesh's eyes were filled with icy coldness, and the golden gate behind him suddenly slammed shut.

"How...how could this be, Lancer..." In the distance, Artoria, who could see everything clearly, also had disbelief in her eyes, and the magic power that was gathering in her hands completely dissipated because of this distraction.

"Damn it... no, was it Kiritsugu Emiya who did this?" Gilgamesh sheathed his weapon, glanced calmly at Wang Chong who had withdrawn his black mist, and said softly, "Or... was this also part of your plan, Faker?"

After speaking, Gilgamesh coldly transformed into golden particles, instantly vanishing from everyone's sight. Artoria quickly ran to Wang Chong's side, staring in disbelief at the scene before her.

Diarmuid coughed up blood, his eyes filled with resentment and anger, and the red spear that should have been aimed at Gilgamesh was now deeply embedded in his own heart.

Diarmait committed suicide... No, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Diarmait was forced to commit suicide by the command seal.

“Diarmait…”

"That despicable guy... does he really want to win that badly, at any cost, to obtain the Holy Grail?!"

Artoria had just called out Diarmuid's name when Diarmuid's voice, filled with resentment, interrupted her. Diarmuid raised her head, as if looking up at the heavens, and roared, "...Even my only wish will be trampled upon. Emiya Kiritsugu—!! I, Diarmuid, will defile your wish with my blood and flesh!"

"I curse Emiya Kiritsugu! May his wish be followed by disaster! When he descends into hell, he will remember the wrath of Diarmait!" He spoke unwillingly, as if venting his final rage, roaring to the heavens. His body also began to disintegrate, nearing the stage of disappearance.

“Dirmuth…leave in peace, we will avenge you.” Wang Chong broke the silence at this moment and spoke up.

"...Mr. Wang Chong, King of Knights. I failed to protect my lord...Lady Sora, I...entrust her to...you..."

Diarmuid shed tears of blood, tears of resentment, before finally vanishing before the two of them. For a moment, the entire room felt eerily heavy with the weight of Diarmuid's passing.

“I am now completely convinced… Kiritsugu Emiya is undoubtedly a heretic. When they couldn’t subdue Diarmuid, they destroyed it! And in such a humiliating way… I actually felt a little sympathy for Irisviel after hearing her explanation, thinking that he was just pursuing justice and went to extremes.” Artoria spoke first, suppressing her anger, and said deeply.

“Obsessed to the point of demonic possession, they will never turn back until they see the tragedy they have created with their own hands. That is precisely why we must do everything in our power to stop them and must not sympathize with them in the slightest,” Wang Chong said.

Artoria nodded silently, mourned at the place where Diarmait last disappeared, and then followed Wang Chong towards Irisviel.

Chapter 268: The Fallen Servant and Irisviel's Strange Condition

Wang Chong and Artoria returned to Irisviel and Leticia's side. Seeing that Irisviel had stopped the magic, Wang Chong asked, "How was it?"

“The wrist has been successfully reattached, and it should be usable again soon. However, Sora seems to be in too much pain and fright to wake up anytime soon,” Irisviel explained to Wang Chong, looking up at him.

"Dirmuth...is he dead? What happened...why would Dirmuth commit suicide?" Leticia asked, puzzled.

"I think it's very likely that Kiritsugu Emiya and his group also mastered the method of stealing Command Seals. They then used this method to seize Kenneth's Command Seals and contract, and subsequently ordered Diarmuid to commit suicide. After all, I had heard before that Tokiomi Tohsaka was already dead. And given Gilgamesh's personality, he would never sign a contract with Kiritsugu Emiya. Considering what just happened to Diarmuid, it's not hard to draw this conclusion."

After listening to Wang Chong's explanation, Leticia sighed and said, "In that case, Diarmuid's Master, Kayneth, is in great danger..."

"I'm afraid Kenneth's situation will be even more cruel than you think. Kenneth has lost his value. From the moment Diarmuid decided to continue resisting us, Kiritsugu Emiya regarded Diarmuid and Kenneth as uncontrollable individuals."

"Therefore, he would rather reduce the number of such enemies than keep them by his side. In addition, given Kiritsugu Emiya's magical talent, he could not sustain the mana supply of two Servants for a long time, so after taking the Command Seals, he killed Diarmuid immediately."

"Without Diarmuid, Kenneth has lost his qualification for the Holy Grail War. However, given Kiritsugu Emiya's cautious nature, he would definitely choose to kill Kenneth to prevent him from contracting a new Servant to participate in the war again. This is probably why Diarmuid felt so resentful at the end; Diarmuid had already sensed Kenneth's death."

After Wang Chong finished speaking, everyone fell silent again.

"This is outrageous... This is absolutely outrageous... Mr. Wang Chong, if I remember correctly, you can control the power of souls, right? Could you turn Diarmuid back into his body so he can take revenge himself? Just like what you did with Rider's Noble Phantasm before." This was the first time Leticia had felt such indignation, and she couldn't help but say.

“No, the Servants who participate in the Holy Grail War are different from the Servants summoned by Rider. I was just trying to do it, but I discovered a strange rule that directly absorbs the wisp of the Servant's soul power into the ley lines. This must be the mechanism of the Holy Grail, and I can't stop it.”

Wang Chong shook his head, indicating that he was powerless.

“Let Diarmuid rest in peace underground… Out of respect for this warrior, let’s not let him live on with resentment, neither human nor ghost,” Wang Chong said.

“That’s right, we’ll take care of Diarmuid’s revenge,” Artoria said earnestly.

"Speaking of which, Irisviel, how are you feeling these days?" At this moment, Wang Chong suddenly looked at Irisviel and asked.

"Huh? What happened to Mrs. Irisviel? She shouldn't have been injured during the battle just now," Leticia asked, somewhat puzzled.

"As expected, I couldn't hide it from Mr. Wang Chong... Well, I'm just a little dizzy and weak, but I'll be fine if I continue." Irisviel said with a forced smile.

"Irisviel, what's wrong with you?" Artoria asked quickly after hearing Irisviel's reply.

“It’s the Holy Grail… Have you forgotten? Irisviel is the vessel for the Holy Grail in this Holy Grail War.” Wang Chong said slowly, “Just now, the first normal Servant in the Holy Grail War has died. And his soul power has been absorbed into the ley lines, and if I’m not mistaken, it should have returned to the Holy Grail. This means that Mrs. Irisviel is already transforming into the Holy Grail.”

"How could it be... If too many normal servants were killed or injured, wouldn't that mean..."

"Yes, it's just as you think. Mrs. Irisviel is very likely to completely become the Holy Grail."

Before Artoria could finish speaking, Wang Chong had already delivered the result for her. Irisviel, as if she had been prepared for this all along, said, "It's alright, Saber. From the moment I was born, I was prepared for this. So don't be sad for me."

"Irisviel..." As one crisis arose, Artoria felt a sense of sadness and loneliness in her heart when she learned that her master and friend in the real world was about to die.

“Um… Sister Saber, and Mrs. Alice, have you both forgotten that Mr. Wang Chong mentioned before that there was a way to save us? He’s been out all day today, isn’t it all about this?” At this moment, Leticia looked at the two of them strangely and asked in confusion.

"Huh? Has Mr. Wang Chong really found a solution? I noticed he came back so late and didn't mention it much, so I thought he had failed..."

Irisviel never expected Wang Chong's method to actually work; she simply took it as a consolation prize. As for the morning's measurements, it was mostly driven by Irisviel's own selfish motives; she even made those sounds to entice Wang Chong to touch her inappropriately. She felt that Wang Chong had already forgotten most of her physical data because of her, so she didn't take it seriously.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Alice. I've successfully commissioned the master I mentioned to you before. She will definitely create the most suitable body for you, Alice. Then you won't need to worry about the Holy Grail's transformation," Wang Chong said earnestly.

“That puts my mind at ease. I just don’t know if eliminating the Otherworldly Servants will have any impact on Alice. I also don’t know if there will be enough time to convert her,” Artoria said.

"Once we encounter anomalies, we'll try to take one down and see how it goes. However, even if the souls of those anomalies are absorbed by the ley lines like normal Servants and affect Mrs. Alice, I have a way to protect her soul by separating it from her body first, preventing it from being absorbed by the Holy Grail," Wang Chong said.

"Speaking of which, we haven't encountered any other Servants yet. It seems they've realized we're banding together and can't be easily dealt with, which is why they haven't confronted us head-on. Before the final battle even begins, we've already lost one Servant and lost another... Do we really still have a chance of winning?" Leticia said somewhat uncertainly.

"Even if the odds aren't very high, we must fight with all our might and not give up," Artoria said, encouraging everyone.

“That’s right. If even we give up, then we can forget about winning this Holy Grail War… And Sora, it seems she really won’t wake up anytime soon. We can’t stay here any longer. We need to hurry to the next location. Maybe we can catch up with Kiritsugu Emiya and the others who are trapped in the trap room ahead.”