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

As Wang Chong spoke, he began to use the power of the black mist to envelop Sola. During the time they had been talking, the group had taken a break to rest and see if they could wait for Sola to wake up.

Unfortunately, Sora seemed to have suffered too much shock and remained unconscious. With no other option, Wang Chong used the power of his black mist to carry Sora, and then, together with the others, began to move towards the next room.

They hadn't walked far when, in the corridor leading to the next room, they saw an overturned wheelchair and a human body lying in a pool of blood. Upon closer inspection, they confirmed it was indeed Kenneth.

Seeing Kenneth's wide, bloodshot eyes, the hole in his forehead clearly the fatal blow, the sight of him dying with his eyes wide open almost made Leticia and Irisviel, who hadn't seen much gore, vomit.

Wang Chong immediately enveloped Kenneth in black mist, cleaned away the blood, and closed Kenneth's eyes. Kenneth's death seemed to be predetermined in the Type-Moon world, and Wang Chong had no interest in forcibly changing it; he only acted on those who interested him.

“I’ll take Kenneth’s body with me. It would be too tragic for him to die here. After he wakes up, I’ll give his body to Sora and let her take it back. Let Kenneth’s family handle their family affairs,” Wang Chong said slowly.

No one objected. Thus, Wang Chong used the black mist to carry Sora and Kenneth towards the next room. However, when they arrived at the next room, they found no trace of Emiya Kiritsugu and the others; instead, they saw many monster corpses on the ground.

"Wait... what's this mark?" Wang Chong frowned and walked over to the monster's corpse on the ground.

Chapter 269 Heroic Spirit's Heir

"Wait... what's this mark?" Wang Chong frowned and walked over to the monster's corpse on the ground.

The monster's corpse had many charred marks, many of which resembled lightning bolts. The nearby ground was covered with wheel tracks, indicating that some kind of war chariot had once traveled there.

So the answer is quite obvious: the one who caused the deaths of these monsters is none other than Iskandar.

"The King of Conquerors is actually in this room? But weren't we chasing after Kiritsugu Emiya and the others?" Artoria noticed the clue at a glance and couldn't help but say.

"Could it be... that the King of Conquerors has already clashed with Kiritsugu Emiya and the others?" Leticia couldn't help but worry.

“No, there are no other signs of battle here… it’s just that the Conqueror King possesses a unique protective barrier. Perhaps the battle has already taken place somewhere we are unaware of,” Wang Chong said, frowning.

"So what do we do now? Should we keep going forward, or stay here?" Irisviel couldn't help but ask.

"...Let's hurry and keep going. The King of Conquerors and the others are still ahead. If we catch up now, we might be able to reach them before Kiritsugu and the others attack the King of Conquerors and Waver, and stop them." Wang Chong acted swiftly and decisively, heading towards the next location without further ado. The others, knowing the urgency of the situation, followed without hesitation.

However, after a dozen minutes, Wang Chong and the others returned to the room.

"The next room turned out to be a trap room that had never been cracked before... But since we were able to return to our original room location, does that mean that we weren't teleported away, but rather that Kiritsugu Emiya and the others were successfully moved away?" Wang Chong shook his head and sighed.

“That’s not surprising. It seems they don’t want to meet us, so they’ve already teleported away and hidden somewhere else. But it’s also possible they used a back door and didn’t trigger those trap rooms, so they left immediately,” Artoria said.

“However, there is also the worst possibility: that Kiritsugu Emiya and the others have been dragged into the Reality Marble by the King of Conquerors. In that case, it would be a one-on-one duel between the King of Heroes and the King of Conquerors,” Leticia said.

"Mr. Wang Chong, Saber, come and take a look. The burn marks here seem a bit different." Just then, Irisviel, who had been carefully observing her surroundings, pointed to a monster corpse on the ground that had been burned to almost coal and said.

"These burn marks... don't look like the marks left by a lightning strike. They're more like pure flames burning them into a charred state. Among our batch of Servants, it seems none of them use fire," Leticia inquired.

“None of us have one... but the other side does have one. Leticia, you should remember her well,” Wang Chong said.

“! Another black Jeanne d'Arc.” Leticia remembered the woman who stood on the back of a dragon, laughing wildly and wielding flames, a completely different person from the Jeanne d'Arc possessing her.

"So it seems the King of Conquerors didn't actually encounter the King of Heroes and his group. He had already activated his Noble Phantasm and was currently fighting against the Another Servant, Jeanne d'Arc Alter," Wang Chong explained.

"Then what should we do? Are we just supposed to watch from here?" Leticia asked.

“We can’t enter the Reality Marble. We can only wait here for the outcome. The good news is that the Conqueror King and Jeanne Alter have always been evenly matched. Even if Jeanne Alter has some trump card up her sleeve and successfully breaks the marble, the Conqueror King might not necessarily die. With us here, even if the Conqueror King loses, we can still save him in time.” After Wang Chong finished speaking, he found a place to sit down and rest for the time being.

"Let's conserve our energy first. We might have to fight other Servants later, so we need to get our bodies into top condition as soon as possible," Wang Chong said with his eyes closed.

……

Meanwhile, not long after escaping, Kiritsugu Emiya was indeed teleported back into a new room. After dealing with the monsters in the room, Kiritsugu looked at a white-haired man and said, "Now that we're completely safe, don't you have anything to explain?"

The white-haired man, with his back to Kiritsugu Emiya, seemed to have been thinking for a long time before finally turning around. Although his face was half-covered, the features between his brows were strikingly similar to Kiritsugu Emiya's.

"What's the point of still covering half your face? I've seen your whole face. What is this all about? Why... why did I become a Servant?! Why did you respond to the Holy Grail and come here?! And what is your purpose in approaching me?!" Kiritsugu Emiya questioned coldly.

Indeed, the white-haired, gloomy man before them was the mysterious Servant from before. Due to the sudden attack by Artoria's Wind King's Hammer, his original cloak and many bandages wrapped around his face were completely blown away, revealing a face that was exactly the same as Kiritsugu Emiya's.

He was none other than the Heroic Spirit Emiya Kiritsugu, and the Servant sent by the Counter Force this time, specifically to kill Wang Chong.

"That's why I've been wearing a mask. It's because I know full well that you'll inevitably harbor unnecessary doubts about my identity," the Heroic Spirit Kiritsugu said coldly. "As for my purpose, I've stated it many times from the beginning. I'm here solely to kill Wang Chong. Whether the Holy Grail War ends or not, or even if you live or die, I don't care."

"I am you, but not entirely you. You should also know very well what Heroic Spirits or Servants are. In short, in a certain timeline of Emiya Kiritsugu, due to some special reasons, he ultimately became a Servant. And there is no absolute connection between you and me. In other words, your future may not necessarily be becoming me. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Believe it or not. Now that you know who I am, you should also know that I will eliminate anyone who stands in my way without hesitation in order to achieve my goal. Even you are no exception! You should be glad that you are on the opposite side of that guy named Wang Chong."

After speaking, Kiritsugu found a spot to rest. Although they were currently bound to Gilgamesh, he had no intention of intervening in killing magical beasts; they had to leave that to them. Therefore, after a battle, Kiritsugu needed time to recover. After all, he didn't have a Master and sufficient magical energy. He had to fend for himself.

"..." After listening, Kiritsugu Emiya understood what the other person meant. Just as the other person said, he was the one who knew him best. Therefore, Kiritsugu Emiya also knew that the other person was probably not lying when he said his goal was to kill Wang Chong. However, as for his statement that he didn't care about the Holy Grail War, he probably couldn't completely believe it. After all, this was Kiritsugu Emiya's goal, and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

"I thought Faker only had that guy Wang Chong. I didn't expect I had you two under my command. Heh, you've really given me some fun." Gilgamesh looked at the two of them staring at each other, and his contempt grew even stronger.

Gilgamesh knew very well what kind of being that Heroic Spirit Kiritsugu truly was—a dog of the Counter Force. He wasn't even a demon, just a mere tool of the Counter Force. Gilgamesh wouldn't even bother to glance at such a stupid thing.

Chapter 270 Receiving Kenneth's Inheritance

"Ding—Congratulations, host, for successfully eliminating a Master in the Holy Grail War as the mastermind behind the scenes. You have successfully used Kiritsugu Emiya as a weapon to eliminate your opponent. Therefore, you are rewarded with 2000 Villain Points, all of Kenneth's magical knowledge and theories, the Mystic Code Moon Essence Fluid, the Three Foundations of Magic Furnace, and Kenneth's Magic Circuits and Magic Crests. Your current Villain Points are: 5650 points."

"Ding—Because you ensured Kenneth's successful death, you complied with the Counter Force's ideas, reducing its binding force on you to a certain extent and gaining some favor from the world's fortune. Because you protected Sora's life and changed her fate, you gain 200 villain points. Your current villain points are: 5850."

"System notification: Your current luck value is the highest among all Masters in Fuyuki City. Also, due to the large amount of magic knowledge Kenneth possesses, it will be gradually introduced into the host's consciousness in batches to avoid impacting the host's mental state."

While waiting for Iskandar, Wang Chong checked the system notifications. The gains were considerable, essentially equivalent to inheriting Kenneth's entire legacy. Especially after experiencing the quality of Kenneth's magic circuits, Wang Chong couldn't help but marvel at how worthy they were of the Archibald family's magic circuits, passed down for nine generations; no wonder Kenneth was called a magical genius.

In terms of magic circuits, he has the most of any character I've ever seen. Well, this "most" excludes Illya, since she was taken away and didn't undergo any modifications. If it were the original storyline, Illya would definitely have the most magic circuits.

The quality is also excellent. Using Type-Moon's unique rating system, Kenneth's magic circuit quantity is rated as A+ and the quality as A+ (explosive).

At least conservatively speaking, given Kenneth's skill level, supporting the mana supply for two Servants shouldn't be a problem at all. In a way, Kenneth really did squander a winning hand.

A first-rate magician, a third-rate Master—this is perhaps the most apt assessment of Kenneth. After inheriting this legacy, Wang Chong gained a deeper understanding of the Type-Moon universe and finally no longer needed to rely solely on the Greater Grail.

As for magic crests... Wang Chong felt he didn't need them. He needed magic circuits not only for the convenience of using the power of this world and to avoid arousing suspicion, but also to support the supply of magic for heroic spirits.

After all, I rarely use Type-Moon magic. Type-Moon magic is nowhere near as useful as my own physical body and the power of destruction (laughs). However, it would be nice to be able to pass it on to other children with magical talent.

Finally, regarding luck, this is actually quite good news. If one's luck stat is already the highest among all Masters, it means that one's luck has surpassed that of Emiya Kiritsugu. Therefore, killing Emiya Kiritsugu will not only no longer be hindered, but will instead actually help one achieve unexpectedly good results.

Furthermore, the restraint on itself has decreased. While it doesn't necessarily mean that the people it has currently assigned will withdraw, it at least means that the restraint will no longer interfere in its efforts to stop it.

"Om-"

Just then, a slight ripple appeared in the space. With Wang Chong's combined Intuition A and Spider-Sense, he could naturally sense this spatial fluctuation. In an instant, Wang Chong stood up from his meditation and immediately said, "The barrier is about to open! Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Upon hearing Wang Chong's voice, Artoria, who had been sitting upright, also stood up, gripping her holy sword and aiming it at the target in the center. Irisviel and Leticia, carrying the still unconscious Sora, retreated backward, leaving only Kenneth's corpse untouched.

Not long after, a white light shone from the center of the space, and soon, the figure of a chariot appeared from it. Upon closer inspection, everyone saw that Iskandar's face was covered in blood and grime, and his robes had many burn marks.

"As expected of the Conqueror King who can conquer vast lands. If it weren't for those monster legions weakening you, I'm afraid even with my anti-army Noble Phantasm, I alone would have had a hard time getting the better of you. Hahaha... But unfortunately, you still lost, defeated by me and my legion." A loud laugh echoed in the room. Without even thinking, he knew it was his beloved wife, Jeanne d'Arc Alter.

After a slight smile, Wang Chong resumed his acting, saying in a deep voice, "Conqueror King, don't worry! We're here to support you!"

Having said that, Wang Chong, enveloped in a thick black mist, charged towards the spot where the white light was dissipating. The sound of metal clashing echoed, and as the light faded, Wang Chong's Ruined King's Blade collided with the tip of Jeanne d'Arc Alter's spear. In terms of strength, Wang Chong could now even gain the upper hand against Berserker, let alone Jeanne d'Arc Alter. Soon, a powerful strike sent Jeanne d'Arc Alter repelled.

"Oh! King of Ruined, I didn't expect you to be here too. Hahahahaha, it seems like it's not time for me to retreat yet. Boy, we successfully held on until the reinforcements arrived." Iskandar laughed out loud after seeing Wang Chong take action.

"...I really didn't expect that the reinforcements would actually show up. It's great, I feel like my legs have lost all feeling. For a moment, I really thought I was going to die here." Weber was also in a miserable state at this moment. The blood on his face made it impossible for him to open one of his eyes.

"Tch—it couldn't have been earlier or later, but it just so happened to arrive when I was about to achieve victory. What was Semiramis thinking, letting so many people in?" At this moment, Jeanne Alter looked displeased, glancing around at everyone in the room. Upon seeing Artoria and a face she particularly disliked, Jeanne Alter sneered and continued:

"Fine, even if they all come at me, what do I fear? I am Jeanne d'Arc the Avenger. My flames will incinerate every enemy before me! Feel my fury! Roar, my wrath!!"

Jeanne Alter immediately activated her Noble Phantasm, with countless red flames preparing to rise. Moreover, this attack had an extremely wide coverage, almost covering everyone in the room.

Naturally, this included Irisviel and her two companions. Sensing the impending attack, Jeanne d'Arc, who had been resting deep within Leticia's consciousness, instantly re-entered the body, taking Leticia's place. She immediately cried out, "I offer my prayers. Protect my friends, my companions. Luminosite Eternelle (My Lord is here)!!"

A protective barrier unfolded, enveloping Irisviel and the others, including Kenneth's corpse lying on the ground. The flames that subsequently rose were all blocked by Jeanne's Noble Phantasm.

"Jeanne d'Arc (Alter), surrender! Blade of Ruin!"

"Wind King's Iron Hammer!"

Wang Chong and Altria were seen simultaneously resisting Black Jeanne's Noble Phantasm. As long as they could survive this round, it would be their turn to counterattack.

"Jeanne d'Arc Alter, retreat. It's too much for you to fight all four of them right now." At this moment, Semiramis's voice rang out in the room.

"Ha! If it weren't for your mishap, things wouldn't have come to this. Hmph, consider this another stroke of luck for you all. Especially you, Saintess who likes to hide in your shell." After Jeanne Alter finished speaking, her body shone brightly.

"Oh no! She's about to be teleported away!" Wang Chong warned, but unfortunately, everyone present was unable to get close to Jeanne d'Arc Alter due to the effect of her Noble Phantasm, and could only watch helplessly as she was teleported away by the power of spatial teleportation.

With Jeanne Alter gone, the effect of her Noble Phantasm naturally ceased. And so, the battle abruptly ended.

"They actually escaped... What a pity. I was hoping to settle things once and for all this time. This method of teleportation is really shameless." Iskandar felt a little regretful after seeing his opponent leave. He had finally managed to turn the tide, but his opponent just walked away like that.

"It's already the best outcome that you're all alright... Now, for us, every extra bit of strength means an extra layer of security," Wang Chong said after sheathing his weapon.

"Hmm? What happened, King of Ruined King? From your tone, it seems like something bad has happened." Iskandar heard the hidden meaning in Wang Chong's words and asked.

“Well, actually…” Wang Chong began to tell the Iskandar group what had just happened and the intelligence they already knew.

Chapter 271 Decapitation Operation: Victory Over the Few

"What did you say?! Professor Kenneth... he actually! But he wasn't even in this war, was he? Why would he..."

After hearing the news from Wang Chong, Weber was filled with disbelief. Although Weber had previously been unhappy with Kenneth's insults, his primary motivation was to prove himself to Kenneth. Now, however, the news of Kenneth's death had deeply affected him.

“Kenneth’s body is right there… As for why Kenneth was here, I suspect that Kiritsugu Emiya and the others weren’t on the island from the beginning. Instead, they ambushed Kenneth, who was alone and unable to use magic due to his inability to move freely. After all, it was Kenneth, not Sora, who made the contract with Diarmuid.” Wang Chong pointed to the corpse on the floor behind him and said.

Weber quickly dismounted from the chariot and ran to Kenneth's body. Seeing Kenneth's wildly imaginative image, Weber couldn't help but cover his mouth, a strange sense of sorrow rising within him. Who could have imagined that Kenneth, who had just been scolding and insulting him, would now die such a tragic death?

"This is too much...it's just too much. Although I know the Holy Grail War could very well cost me my life, it's too tragic for Professor Kenneth to die under such a sneak attack." Waver lowered his hand and closed his eyes.

“Weber, since you know Kenneth, I’m afraid we’ll have to rely on you to help with his body disposal. Then we’ll wait for the El-Melloi family to come and take him away,” Wang Chong said.

"Uh, me?" Weber pointed to himself, sounding somewhat unsure.

“Well, there’s no one else but you. Sora… everyone can see that her heart isn’t with her fiancé Kenneth at all. If we manage to return victorious today, this matter will have to be handled by you,” Wang Chong said slowly.

"Can we really win? The head of the Tohsaka family is dead, the King of Heroes has fallen into the hands of Another Servant, and Diarmuid is dead... As a result, the enemy has nine Servants, while we only have Rider, Saber, Mr. Wang Chong, Assassin, Berserker, and Jeanne d'Arc left. Six against nine, the chances of winning seem slim no matter how you look at it... especially since we are fighting on their home turf."

Weber became increasingly insecure as he spoke, feeling that he and his companions were about to be defeated by the other side.

"Hey kid, the battle isn't over yet, don't give up now." Iskandar patted Waver on the back to encourage him. "We were just on the verge of defeat. All my soldiers were wiped out, and the barrier couldn't hold anymore. But we're still alive, aren't we? No one can say they've lost until the very end."

"Hmm...that's true. Maybe it was the teacher's death that affected me. I'm sorry, Rider." Waver let out a breath. After surviving several brushes with death, Waver's mentality had improved significantly.

"It's good that you can recover... So, what are your plans now, Ruin King, Knight King, and Jeanne?" Iskandar looked at Wang Chong, Artoria, and Jeanne and asked.

"Wait a minute, let me block the opponent's monitoring... Okay, first of all, the opponent has a strong home advantage. Once they use the power of space to separate us again, we will eventually be defeated one by one. Therefore, we must stick together now. This is the first point." After Wang Chong released the black mist to cover everyone, he began to speak to everyone.

"The second point is to get to the ground as soon as possible. Based on the pattern I discovered before, as long as we break through enough rooms before the other side teleports us, we can leave here quickly."

"Finally, the third point is that after reaching the surface, we must immediately gather all our forces to break through Semiramis's core area. Right now, there are many enemies and few of us. Even if we gather everyone together to fight them all, our chances of victory are slim. Especially now, it's very likely that other Servants are being attacked by those alien Servants. Their lives and the outcome are uncertain."

"In that case, why don't we form a team and become a sharp blade? While those Another Servants are out there trying to take down Assassin and Berserker, we can launch a surprise attack on Semiramis's stronghold. Only if we can take down Semiramis and deprive her of her home-field advantage will we have a chance to win this battle."

After Wang Chong finished speaking, he gestured for the others to offer their suggestions.

"...Yes, that analysis is indeed correct. At least the opponent has sent two or even three Servants to deal with Assassin and Berserker. So it's very likely to be a four-on-six situation. I'll use my Noble Phantasm to see if I can lock most of them up, leaving Semiramis for you... If you can take care of Semiramis and then come to help me, then we might have a chance to win."

At this moment, Iskandar also added good advice, using the advantages of his inherent barrier to reverse the original situation of fewer against more into more against fewer.

“It seems the Conqueror King understands what I mean. It’s like a military operation; when you have fewer people than the enemy, you have to do everything you can to leverage your advantages. On a macro level, we may be outnumbered, but on a micro level, we can create a situation where we have more than the enemy,” Wang Chong said.

“Indeed, given our current inferior strength, this is the only option we have. However… this might be very difficult for Hassan, Lancelot, and their Masters…” Artoria nodded, but still spoke with some reluctance.

"It's either total defeat or a gamble on the hope of winning. We have no other choice, Saber," Wang Chong said.

"Alright. Let's leave it at that." At this critical moment of life and death, Artoria didn't continue with her sentimentality. However, she still felt somewhat apologetic towards the two people, especially Lancelot.

"Alright! Cheer up! Let's march forward together! Victory is ours, hahahaha!" Iskandar laughed heartily, showing no sign of having just suffered a defeat. Perhaps it was precisely this kind of personal charisma that allowed so many heroes throughout history to fall for him.

"However, King of Conquerors, I still want to remind you of one thing. If you want to put someone in it, don't put Gilgamesh in it." At this time, Joan of Arc suddenly reminded.

"Hmm? Why is that?" Iskandar asked, puzzled.

"Please forgive me for not being able to reveal the specific reasons... but please remember, only in this way can we have a chance of victory." Due to her class, Jeanne was ultimately unable to reveal Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm in its entirety, and could only express it in this veiled way.

"I see, I understand. I'll do as you say." However, someone like Iskandar immediately understood the hidden meaning in Joan of Arc's words. He realized that Gilgamesh probably had a way to directly break through his own barrier.

"Furthermore, there are nine Servants... If we include Gilgamesh who just rebelled, we've already met seven of them... Now, only the Another Rider-class Servant remains unseen. It's a pity we haven't met it, so we haven't gathered any information about it. I'm worried that it might be one of their important trump cards, otherwise why hasn't it appeared yet?" Jeanne said with some concern.

“Even so, we have no other choice. We just need to be careful of them. Is there anything else? If not, let’s act immediately. Time is running out; we must break through the underground palace as soon as possible,” Wang Chong said.

After everyone nodded, Wang Chong immediately withdrew the black mist, and the group headed to the next room.

"Everyone get ready, we're about to enter the final stage... Semiramis, go and let Emiya Kiritsugu and the others experience our light cannon squad." While no one was paying attention, Wang Chong quietly contacted them through the black mist.

Chapter 272 Black Saber King vs. Gilgamesh

"Honestly, it's quite a commotion outside..." In a room deep inside the castle, Aozaki Touko was constantly using magic, designing Irisviel's new body according to Wang Chongti's requirements.