Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

The highly strategic and innovative Captain Drake quickly grasped the unspoken meaning behind one of his employees' words.

It's better to offer help in times of need than to add flowers to brocade. Rather than joining the rebels in petty zero-dollar purchases, it's better to directly side with the Shogunate, go to the city's leader to "do business," and provide that general with high-quality security services.

Captain Drake, who had once served under the British and worked as their official black glove, was naturally very familiar with this task.

However, the price will definitely be a bit higher than usual.

After secretly sponsoring his good daughter Justestra, the dutiful old father, just in case, even acted as an intermediary, using his authority as the commander of the Shogunate's Heroic Spirits to sign a contract for cooperation between the two parties.

In fact, Samael's decision to bring the captain on board was not a spur-of-the-moment thing.

Of the three existing districts, Shinjuku's main force constitutes the shogunate army, which would inevitably have to be mobilized in full force for both entrapment operations and the extermination of the Tanbayama Hyakki-zumi.

Sama had little contact with the Heroic Spirits in the Tama district, only knowing about one, Momiji the Demoness, and was unable to determine whether the other Heroic Spirits had been corrupted.

Moreover, Chitose Manzuru, whose identity and purpose are questionable, also lives in Tama.

So, after much deliberation, the safest option left is to transfer troops from Akihabara.

Thus, thanks to the snake's excellent pyramid scheme capabilities, the specific employees gradually expanded from the initial Drake to the entire group of criminals in the Golden Deer Bar.

Even Florence Nightingale and Miss Crane were among those invited.

The result was a constellation of stars and outstanding achievements, with almost all the Heroic Spirits in Akihabara District mobilized on paper.

In this way, even if Samael's shogunate army is entangled by the Hyakki Yagyō of Mount Tanba, the order in Tokyo will not immediately collapse, and it will be enough to hold out until he returns.

Of course, being father and daughter of the same lineage, the snake also doesn't work for free.

He tampered with the collective bargaining agreement.

The price was paid by his good daughter, Justeisa, but the pirate army would have to work for him afterwards.

After all, it's a contract with the devil; there's no such thing as a free lunch.

As his thoughts returned, Samael clapped his hands, sat up straight, and his smile faded.

"Alright, I've answered your question. Now it's my turn to ask: Where are they?"

“They are safe here…”

After a moment of silence, Chitose Masuru slightly raised her hand, and the side bedroom door, engraved with a dark red magic circle, opened. Momiji the Demoness and Karin the Master were curled up in bed, fast asleep.

"Right now, there's no place more secure in all of Tokyo than here."

Samael neither confirmed nor denied this.

Now he roughly understood why the amulet he gave to Hua Lin hadn't been activated.

Most likely, they did not encounter any real threat.

However, upon confirming that it was real and not some illusion, Samael breathed a sigh of relief, his expression softening slightly.

"Well then, now that we've finished catching up, let's get down to business."

"What do you want to know?"

Shinzuru Chitose dusted off the cigarette ash and sat up straight.

Samael's gaze swept past the ruins of downtown Tokyo and the twisted, collapsed Tokyo Tower outside the window, then turned to look at the back of Chitose Manazuru's hand, which was etched with a bright red stigma, and spoke softly.

"If I'm not mistaken, you were the victor in that first war, weren't you, Grandma..."

Chitose Shinzuru stroked the stigmata on the back of his hand and fell silent.

Silence, sometimes, is also a form of response.

"For the sake of our past friendship, let's all be dignified. Whatever you want to do, stop here. You can't win."

Samael looked earnestly at the saint sitting on the sofa, offered sincere advice, and then got up to go outside.

However, Chitose, who had remained silent, stubbed out her cigarette again, then stood up and stood at the door.

"You can't leave until this is all over."

Samael sighed, rubbed his throbbing temples, and gazed intently at the silver-haired mature woman before him.

"Even now, do you still want to keep it a secret for her? Masuru..."

In an instant, Chitose's purple pupils contracted sharply, her face filled with disbelief, and she gasped in astonishment.

"Impossible, how could you..."

"photo……"

"what?"

"The child could be explained by his young age and lack of living with his parents, but why are there no photos of your son and daughter-in-law in your room?"

Samael no longer concealed himself; his deep gaze was like two pools of springs reflecting the secrets of the human heart, and his murmurs were full of meaning.

"They are all your beloved ones, Mother-in-law..."

Chitose Shinzuru turned her head and saw a bare wall and an empty table.

There was nothing else.

Careless.

Chitose Masuru suddenly realized, and a look of annoyance immediately filled her face.

Generally speaking, it is not uncommon for two generations of families to depend on each other for survival, so there is really no need to hide it.

Even a mother's home wouldn't be without a single photo of her son and daughter-in-law before their deaths.

unless……

She has neither a son nor a daughter-in-law.

Samael's eyes flickered, and the answer in his heart was self-evident.

“This eternal night doesn’t seem like something you could have caused, Mother-in-law.”

Having deciphered the final mystery from Shinzuru Chisatsu's reaction, the ancient serpent raised its head and looked earnestly at the saint.

"Tell me, where is she?"

Shinzuru Chitose shook his head quietly, remaining silent.

Having pieced together all the clues and solved all the mysteries, Samael waved his hand dismissively.

"Fine, I know even if you don't tell me, you're looking for the Greater Grail, right?"

Shinzuru Chitose trembled, his expression hardening, and a deep sense of apprehension crossed his eyes as he looked at Samael.

Standing before this man, she felt as if she were stripped naked, with almost no secrets left to her.

"You really think I came here just to catch up with you?"

The ancient snake narrowed its eyes and sneered.

"Now, judging by the time, the allied forces of Tambayama and the Shogunate have already arrived at the Gunpla Tower. With dozens of high-ranking Heroic Spirits and the true form of a Greek god, no matter what you do, you will not succeed."

Samael looked sadly at Shinzuru Chitose in front of him and gave his final advice.

"Turn back, this is your only chance."

The long silence lasted for almost three minutes.

"You are indeed very strong and intelligent, but you've guessed wrong about one thing..."

Shinzuru Chisei gazed at the four fading crimson holy marks on his arms and ankles, then slowly raised his head, his gaze meaningful.

"Do you really think that the heroic spirits who descended into this world were only summoned by the Holy Grail?"

Or do you really think this is just a corner of Tokyo in the real world?

In an instant, a thunderclap rang in Samael's mind, his pupils contracted sharply, and he turned to look out the window.

Boom——

Almost simultaneously, streaks of fierce lightning struck down from the fog-shrouded night sky, and the ether, exuding a chilling aura, formed a massive, pitch-black vortex that stretched across the heavens and earth.

Looking across the entire singularity, a thick, blood-red mist spread out, enveloping the entire area of ​​Tokyo, and an invisible chill seeped into the bones from the skin.

Bang bang bang!

The earth cracked open layer by layer, and dark red water seeped out from the fissures that led straight to the underworld, flooding houses and streets, gradually gathering into pools of all sizes. In the crimson mud, where ghostly blue phosphorescent flames floated, hundreds of pale skeletons crawled out of the soil, their empty eyes filled with a cold and violent aura.

The Gun Tower, which was once a landmark building, has completely changed its appearance.

A turbid flow of dark red and yellow liquid swirled and surged across the surface of that majestic building in a manner that defied the laws of physics.

Within the filthy river water, twisted and ferocious faces boiled and roared, as if suffering the torment of death.

Looking upwards, a massive, dark cocoon, its surface wrapped in chains of runes, hangs at the end of the river, atop the gun tower.

Meanwhile, nourished by the gray mist and blood, strange, leafless crimson flowers bloomed in the river, growing upwards from their roots along the chains. Their pale white tendrils gradually pierced the runic chains, and visible cracks spread rapidly.

not good!

The sudden turn of events made Samuel's gaze sharpen, and he rushed towards the door.

"I'm sorry, you can't leave until everything is over."

However, Chitose Masuru blocked the doorway again, glancing back at Momiji, Karin, and the man in front of her as they lay on their sides, and spoke softly.

"You are her last memento in this world."

"Well, then there's nothing we can do about it."

Samael sighed helplessly, but a subtle smile immediately appeared on his face.

"By the way, are you afraid of heights?"

"what?"

In the bewildered gaze of Shinzuru Chitose, twelve serpentine wings slowly unfurled in the night.

Meanwhile, the top floor of Gun Tower, the epicenter of global distortion, was in complete disarray.

Tomoe Gozen, Miyamoto Musashi, and other heroic spirits of the shogunate stood around the giant cocoon, their eyes red and empty, with red and black lines spreading across their skin, like clay sculptures or wooden statues.

Yustissa vomited a mouthful of blood, collapsed in the corner, and stared in disbelief at the figure that had appeared before her.

"It was you..."

"Don't worry, I won't kill you."

In a clear, cold voice, delicate jade feet, as smooth as white porcelain, slowly emerged from the cracked giant cocoon. A snow-white bowl was raised and reached out to grasp the metal hexahedron that had risen again from the magic circle.

The figure before the Great Grail had long, narrow phoenix eyes and a high, straight nose; his murderous aura was tinged with a chilling coldness.

Long, black hair reaching her waist danced in the wind, and a black feather armor covered her graceful body. Her pale, translucent skin revealed her blood and bones at a glance, like delicate and fragile glass.

The only flaw is the jarring wisp of cherry-red hair highlighting the forehead, which detracts from the overall sense of dignity.

"I just want to take back what was once mine..."

A cold, sullen murmur echoed around her. She took a step forward, but then stopped. Several golden chains, like venomous snakes, were tightly bound to her snow-white ankles.

"Crack!"

The black-haired goddess frowned slightly in disgust, then lifted her leg forward again. The taut rune chains shattered instantly, turning into scattered specks of light.

Her translucent, lotus-root-like arms stretched forward, her slender, white fingertips touching the ever-changing metallic hexahedron within the magic array.

After waiting for so long, I've finally found it—the Greater Grail…

"boom!"

However, just as it was about to touch the Greater Grail, a dull thud was heard, and the entire gun tower shook violently as if it had been hit by an earthquake.

The black-haired goddess paused slightly, stopped, and turned around.

As far as the eye could see, twelve pairs of jet-black, serpentine wings almost covered most of the sky. A hellish angel, with a body like a jewel, fluttered over and stood on the other side of the tower's top floor.

In his arms, he held the unconscious Chitose Masuru, Momiji the Demon Girl, and Rin Hana.

Samael put down the three people he was carrying, looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief, a smile of relief spreading across his face.

"Looks like I'm not too late after all?"

"Why...why did you have to stop me!"

However, upon seeing that face appear before her, the black-haired goddess was filled with rage, like a child who had suffered an injustice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to come either, but you've crossed the line, Eriyo."