Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Incidentally, the two bought tickets during the day, followed the crowd into the stadium, and watched the shows all day long.

Once the museum closed, they, who had been hiding in the shadows, returned to their seats in the audience, waiting for the evening's show.

Therefore, Ereshkigal and Rin Tohsaka were not in the sixth group to arrive, but rather in the last group.

Is this what you mean by stealth?

Realizing that the two had carefully infiltrated the area and become the amusement of everyone present, Rin Tohsaka rolled her eyes at Ereshkigal beside her.

Ai Lei awkwardly turned her head and decisively found a spot on the left, where she could observe how the situation would develop.

As the last group of contestants appeared, Kirei Kotomine, dressed in a black religious robe with a cross around his neck, walked from behind the curtain onto the stage, holding a Bible, and cleared his throat.

"Now that you've all arrived here tonight, you must have received the instructions from the Greater Grail, right?"

The seven groups of contestants, some exposed to the light and others hidden in the shadows, nodded in agreement.

The Kotomine Church has always been the mediator overseeing the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, so it's only natural that Kirei Kotomine would appear at the gymnasium.

At this moment, Kirei Kotomine looked around, opened the text, and began reading the opening remarks in a deep and magnetic voice, explaining the reason.

"Throughout history, the Holy Grail War has been a brutal trial, accompanied by betrayal, conspiracy, slaughter, and death. Only the sole victor is qualified to use this omnipotent wish-granting machine. The Third Law was supposed to be a compassionate wish to save humanity, but now it has become so bloody..."

As the priest pondered, he raised his hand and turned the pages of the Bible. The scattered light, against the pure white background, formed the figures of a woman and two men standing side by side.

"Humanity needs a miracle to eradicate all evil!"

The three chanted in unison, then looked at each other with devout and solemn gazes.

"If this world is beyond redemption, then as human beings, we cannot be separated from evil..."

"If the ideal world is one that humans cannot reach..."

"Then we shall pursue a form that transcends humanity, a completely new way of being..."

Two men and one woman raised their hands in turn, and then hesitated again.

"The Tohsaka family is responsible for providing the land and spiritual veins..."

"The Matou family is in charge of making the Command Seals..."

"The Einzbern family is responsible for providing the magic circuits needed for the ritual..."

With the contract concluded, the three made their final declaration and marched toward the end of their radiant journey.

"We hereby swear that we are willing to risk our lives to curb all evil in the world!"

Is this... the ceremony for the inauguration of the Holy Grail?

Gazing at the scene recreated between reality and illusion, the Masters participating in the Holy Grail War couldn't help but ponder, their hearts filled with turbulent emotions.

Humans are creatures easily influenced by emotions. Having witnessed firsthand the ancestors of the three starter families choose to burn brightly, even the darkest hearts cannot help but feel a sense of respect.

As members of the three starter families, Irisviel and Tokiomi Tohsaka undoubtedly felt the deepest emotions.

To achieve this long-cherished wish, countless people from the three demonic families died directly or indirectly for it.

Even the Matou family's magical bloodline was severed because of this.

To be fair, this path is indeed fraught with thorns and bloodshed.

But despite their feelings of感慨 (gǎn kǎi, deep emotion), the crowd's emotions quickly subsided.

The more precious something is, the greater the price that must be paid. Having chosen this path, they were prepared to sacrifice themselves for it.

On the platform, Kirei Kotomine opened his arms, and the Bible in front of him slowly floated in mid-air, turning with a rustling sound. Silent chanting quietly came from the priest's moving lips.

God is spirit, therefore those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

At the same time, streaks of light emerged from the dome, transforming into golden pillars of light that descended from the sky and landed in the center of the venue.

Immediately afterwards, the earth's spiritual particles surged, and the light dust flowing in the air coalesced into a phantom dressed in heavenly robes, holding a heavenly cup, with eyes full of loving tenderness.

At this moment, Kirei Kotomine changed the subject, his lips curving upwards in a pleased smile.

"However, that will be the final bloodshed in the Holy Grail War of Fuyuki City! Because the rules of the competition have changed! Whether you are a Servant or a Master, you will no longer need to die for this meaningless conflict!"

Amidst this impassioned declaration, Kirei Kotomine reached into the Heavenly Cup held by the beautiful, ethereal figure.

As the priest slowly opened his palm, a luminous stick he held in his hand instantly turned into scattered dust, which coalesced into three clear lines of text in front of the Masters.

Method: Eating contest

Instructions: Eat as much food as possible within the allotted time.

Winner: 1 Drop of the Holy Grail.

Immediately, everyone present looked at the Command Seals flashing on the back of their hands, then at the huge characters in mid-air, and exchanged bewildered glances.

Ereshkigal (Firepower Thug).jpg

Chapter 149 The Cats Want a Revolution! (3.4k views)

Competitive eating competition?

Are we really going to use this absurd game to decide the winner?

Also, what is the Holy Grail Drop? Shouldn't activating the Holy Grail involve filling it with the souls of seven Servants?

Inside the Fuyuki Grand Stadium, the Masters and Servants, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, were completely bewildered, their expressions strange.

But whether it's the genuine resonance of the Command Seals or the Holy Grail ritual that infuses the Heroic Spirits with modern basic knowledge, both clearly tell them that everything is real, not an absurd fantasy.

As gazes converged upon him, Kirei Kotomine placed his hands on the ground, facing the sorrowful figure in mid-air holding the Heavenly Cup. He bowed deeply, touched his chest, and then solemnly explained.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this change is due to the remaining compassion of the Winter Saintess Justeza. This was originally a product meant to save humanity, but countless people have fought and killed because of it. She can no longer bear to see more lives shed in the struggle for the Holy Grail."

Therefore, the Holy Grail prefers to determine who is more deserving of its use through a fair, open, and just competition, similar to the ancient Greek Olympic Games!

That's it!

Suddenly, everyone realized what was happening. Their gazes, filled with emotion, helplessness, or reverence, turned to the pure white phantom in mid-air that resembled the Virgin Mary. They then followed Kirei Kotomine's example and paid their respects to this noble person who had gone to their death.

Two hundred years ago, one of the three essential elements for the completion of the Holy Grail ritual—the magic circuit provided by the Einzbern family—actually required Justeza, who possessed the Third Law, to sacrifice herself, transforming her own flesh and blood and her own consciousness into the Great Grail on the altar, becoming a platform for later generations to pray for.

However, as everyone paid their respects to this compassionate saint, almost no one noticed that Kirei Kotomine, standing on the platform with his head bowed, had a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth, and his twitching facial muscles could hardly conceal the faint smile that was called "pleasure".

These people actually believed it?

A group of heroes from different eras, each with a distinguished reputation, and a group of outstanding magicians from the modern era, actually treated a fake dead man with the utmost respect, just as the person had said.

Furthermore, they will willingly accept being fooled, even with lofty ideals.

This is so dramatic, so absurd.

Indeed, it was quite a bit of fun.

On stage, Kirei Kotomine increasingly felt that this job, introduced by "Satan," seemed to offer endless fun and perfectly suited his taste. His eyes, lit up by interest, met and nodded subtly with the instigator in the shadows.

In fact, more than two hundred years ago, the Greater Grail was an automatically operating wish-granting machine, and the so-called remnant personality of the Winter Maiden simply did not exist.

Moreover, if Justeza's consciousness really existed within the Grail spell during Samael's modification, wouldn't there have been a scene of filial piety between father and daughter on the spot?

However, although the Winter Saintess is fast and well-hidden, she is most suitable to be used as a scapegoat to explain the changes in the rules of the Holy Grail War.

Samael, who had orchestrated everything, promptly conspired with his disciple Kirei Kotomine to pin the blame for this farce on a certain "merciful saint."

Wow, so many people are moved by her spirit and bowing in gratitude. I wonder if this counts as giving her a lavish funeral.

If she could see it, that would be even better.

Samael, lurking in the shadows, gazed at the pitch-black night around him and let out a wicked grin.

Just as the snake was muttering to itself, Kirei Kotomine, as a disciple of Satan, fulfilled his role as a priest perfectly and solemnly announced to the contestants.

"According to the rules, this eating contest will be a team of Masters and Servants, who will compete together. The final result will be calculated based on the total amount of food consumed by both sides. After that, the seven teams will be ranked together, and the champion will win the ultimate prize of the competition - 1 Holy Grail Drop."

Note that the use of Noble Phantasms is prohibited during the competition.

The group that first gathers all seven drops of the Holy Grail, having overcome numerous trials, will summon the Greater Grail and gain the power to make a wish.

As the deep, resonant explanation became clear, the Masters, who were aware of the dark side of the Holy Grail War, couldn't help but have their eyes flicker.

So, the Holy Grail Drops are special items that replace the souls of Servants and fill the Holy Grail.

If that's the case, they wouldn't need to hold back and be wary of their own followers.

This change seems to be a good thing...

Several Masters subconsciously turned to look at the Servants beside them, their eyes flashing with unreadable expressions.

At the same time, upon hearing that this was a bloodless "war," the Masters no longer looked at each other with such murderous intent.

"There is a 15-minute preparation time before the competition officially begins. Please take a short break."

After finishing his narration, Kirei Kotomine closed his Bible and walked down the steps.

However, at this moment, a clear voice rang out on the field.

"I have a question!"

Wearing a black hood and dressed like a ruthless bandit, Ai Lei raised her right hand and asked a question with a glint in her eyes.

"Can I do whatever I want during my break?"

"Apart from being prohibited from leaving the competition venue, all participants are free to do whatever they want."

Kirei Kotomine nodded and answered truthfully.

"I understand!"

Ai Lei nodded knowingly, and then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, walked solemnly to the center of the arena, assumed a fighting stance, and then…

I took off running!

"What are you doing?"

Rin Tohsaka, who was standing nearby, quickly grabbed Ereshkigal on the track, somewhat confused.

"Running, huh?"

Ai Lei looked completely at ease.

"At a time like this, you still have the mood to exercise?"

"Don't you know that exercise can increase energy consumption and enhance hunger? If we eliminate excess nutrients now, won't we eat even more when the war starts?"

"like……"

Rin Tohsaka frowned and pondered for a while before nodding solemnly.

"...That makes a lot of sense! Count me in!"

Immediately, Rin Tohsaka resolutely joined the warm-up exercises, preparing for the upcoming match.

Sure enough, he still likes to take things seriously as always.

They're a bit silly, but strangely kind of cute.

On the field, Samael, who had vaguely guessed the identities of the two masked bandits, couldn't help but chuckle, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

The familiar auras around him made him feel fortunate for his foresight in concealing his identity.

Otherwise, I might have to perform a live snake soup stew.

At this moment, Irisviel, standing on one side of the stands, glanced at the two figures speeding on the track and couldn't help but feel a little tempted. She then turned to look at Artoria beside her.

"Saber, how about we..."

"Effort should be made regularly; what we're doing now is just a death throes, futile and pointless!"

Artoria raised her chin, looking down contemptuously at the two who were trying to cheat on the field, and confidently declared.

"Don't worry, Alice, we're going to win this game."

Although this childish contest was not in accordance with chivalry.

But comparing appetites to dragons? Hmph, that's practically like putting the Holy Grail in her mouth...

No, put it in her stomach...

No, that's not right, it should be stuffed into her hand!

Since that's the case, I'll accept the first drop of the Holy Grail without hesitation.

At this moment, Iskandar, who was over two meters tall with bulging muscles and watching the show with great interest, noticed his Master's conflicted expression and patted his Master's thin shoulder, casually asking a question.