Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

There are too many variables surrounding this guy; there's no room for hesitation.

As for the reversal of the Lesser Grail's magic, the answer is within reach and no more time is needed.

Samael's face was cold and stern. With a flick of his wrist, a few drops of crimson blood fell from the tip of his spear. He looked up at the jade throne in the center of the twelve Greek-style columns.

"Pan..."

However, the moment the ancient serpent's gaze focused, its dark vertical pupils suddenly contracted.

empty? !

Indeed, the magnificent and vast palace was completely empty, devoid of any human presence.

If Pandora runs away again, then Alice will be...

Impossible! The activation of the Magic Box and the Four Elements Tablets requires support, and she must be nearby!

Samael's thoughts raced, and he immediately found the answer, sweeping away the gloom in his heart. He subconsciously turned his head to look back.

"Alice, we..."

"puff!"

However, the ancient serpent's surprise froze on its face, its head drooping stiffly as it looked at its chest in disbelief.

An irregular blue-white crystal dagger plunged into his heart, and an overwhelming chill and numbness instantly swept through his body.

That is an endless void, a predator that can devour all life and celestial bodies.

Samael collapsed to the ground, and even though he tried to lean on his gun to maintain a half-kneeling posture, he no longer had the strength to move a single finger.

"Snapped!"

The crisp snap of fingers echoed in the empty temple. Her beautiful head drooped, her ruby-red eyes blinked playfully with a smile, and her cherry lips curved into a pleased arc, as if making a triumphant declaration.

"Checkmate (General)!"

Samael looked up in astonishment, his dark pupils reflecting the silver-white, crimson-eyed figure before him, instantly turning crimson. His pale, handsome face twisted into a ferocious grimace, and a roar like that of a wounded beast emanated from his trembling body.

Pandora!

"Yes, I'm listening. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

The silver-haired figure squatted on the ground, rested her chin on her hand, nodded earnestly, and tilted her ear as if listening intently. She had completely changed from her previous alluring and charming demeanor to that of a docile and gentle obedient child, her eyes full of smiles.

"—Father?"

Chapter 236 Dad, Love Me Again

Samael's clenched steel teeth cut into his lower lip, leaving a bloody mark, his voice low and menacing.

"When did you sneak in?"

"Well, I'd say the one with Ensworth."

The silver-haired beauty thought for a moment, then answered casually with a smile.

Samael slowly raised his head to look at the stunningly beautiful face that was approaching, his expression cold and gloomy.

"You really didn't die..."

"No, no, strictly speaking, I have indeed died once, in the last Battle of Ainsworth."

The silver-haired beauty raised her index finger and swayed it slightly in rebuttal. Her taut, pretty face was very serious, but her bright eyes revealed a sincere admiration.

"I never expected that you would actually turn my hard-earned trump card against me, letting her stab me in the back. I must say, Father, you are still so adept at finding gaps and undermining your opponents from within..."

Immediately, seemingly recalling some unpleasant memory, the silver-haired beauty frowned, her eyes filled with reproach as she protested.

"But it really hurts..."

"So, you invaded Alice's consciousness and lay in wait, all for this moment!"

Samael's teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound, his gaze chilling.

"How is Alice?!"

However, faced with the caregiver's barely concealed anger, the silver-haired beauty before her only frowned slightly, her face filled with disappointment.

"Don't you understand yet, Sir Knight?"

The sudden pause caused the twisted expression on Samael's face to freeze abruptly. He looked up blankly at the silver-haired beauty with a gentle smile and an innocent demeanor before him.

"I am your Alice."

Her exquisitely beautiful face revealed a smile as lovely as a flower, utterly gentle yet also utterly wicked.

The unexpected answer struck Samael like a thunderbolt. A mix of emotions—confusion, resistance, anger, disbelief, and more—gradually solidified into a stubborn determination on his silent, taut face.

"You are not her..."

"Father, do you truly not understand, or are you simply unwilling to believe it?"

The silver-haired beauty smiled as she observed the complex expressions on the man's face and the last vestige of his resolve. She squatted down, rested her chin on her hand, and asked a meaningful question.

"Why is Irisviel the only child in the Einberlen family in a thousand years to produce a product of both intellect and emotion? Why did she have a natural affinity for you the moment you first met on the plane? Why are we so alike, almost without any difference? Haven't you ever thought about these things, Father?"

Yes, why...

In a daze, Samael looked up at that stunningly beautiful face that could express both joy and anger, a blend of allure and sanctity. After a long silence, he moved his lips and asked the question that had been bothering him.

"How did you do that..."

"I took the best, purest part of myself, and the part of my heart that longs for you, and put it into a blank body, never interfering with her actions, never touching her thoughts."

The silver-haired beauty blinked, rested her chin on her hand, and smiled in response, her eyes filled with reminiscence.

"In fact, just in case, I even imposed a prohibition, so that none of us would know of each other's existence. And so, a perfect, pure white princess was born in the castle!"

"Irisviel von Einzbern..."

The answer flashed through Samael's mind, and he murmured it with difficulty.

"That's right, this is the gift I've prepared for you for a thousand years, another version of myself..."

Her ruby-red eyes lowered, and she smiled as she looked at the frozen face before her. She leaned close to the man's ear and whispered teasingly.

"Do you like it, Father?"

Samael remained silent, sorting through the jumbled thoughts in his mind for a moment. As his confusion gradually cleared, he couldn't help but ask the crucial question.

"So, in the battle of Mount Enzang, you disrupted the Holy Grail ritual and took the remaining five drops of the Holy Grail, deliberately leading me to Enzwasburg?"

"That's right, but I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."

The silver-haired beauty nodded, then her eyes filled with resentment.

"Moreover, they ruthlessly colluded with outsiders to stab me in the back. That's outrageous!"

"Didn't you dodge either?"

Samael sneered coldly, slowly closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, then opened them again, seemingly lost in thought.

"Could it be that you weren't confident of defeating me last time? Did you deliberately let the Linglong Pavilion father and daughter escape? The Lesser Holy Grail is overflowing, its outer shell is on the verge of shattering, and just at that moment, a turning point appeared. Everything you did was to lure me into the Star Palace alone..."

"Clap clap clap!"

Upon hearing this, the silver-haired beauty immediately clapped her hands with a smile, expressing her heartfelt admiration.

"The power to defeat Yuxing and destroy the giant god, the closest rank to the supreme god among the nine generations of gods, and the unparalleled wisdom to see the big picture from small details—all these elements combined are simply perfect. Even in the modern era where mystery has faded, it would be almost impossible to defeat you head-on."

But then, Pandora looked sadly at the caretaker who was lying on the ground, and changed the subject.

"Unfortunately, you still have a fatal weakness."

"..."

"Emotions can make you blind and lose your judgment."

The silver-haired beauty gently lifted the man's cheek, her expression a mixture of pity and mockery.

Pandora pondered for many years how to exploit this weakness before finally finding the answer.

She wanted to make her father fall in love with her.

The ancient serpent gazed at that exquisite face, then looked away and fell silent.

This was not a perfect plan; there were many times along the way when I could have noticed something amiss and taken precautions.

For example, the appearance of the father and daughter at Linglong Pavilion was too coincidental;

For example, how does the constellation function when no one is in charge?

For example, why do the Four Elementalists look exactly like Alice, and even wear the Heavenly Garment as a model...?

However, Irisviel's symptoms threw him into a panic. Desperate to save her life, he eventually stepped into a trap she had set up.

They even ignored the danger coming from behind.

"So, it was all your plan. Only when you, as Pandora, died in front of everyone would your consciousness return, and Irisviel would be replaced by a new Pandora, making it easier for you to hide in the shadows again and deliver this blow to me..."

"To correct you, it's not about replacement, but about restoring yourself to your original state."

Pandora, the Witch of Calamity, or perhaps Irisviel, the Winter Saintess, gently cupped the man's face in her hands, gazing quietly into his dark eyes. A hint of reminiscence crossed her face, and she couldn't help but recall the moonlit night on that island.

"Do you remember what you called me when I was first born?"

Samael paused for a moment, his voice hesitant.

"Irisviel von Einzbern..."

"That's right, this is the name you first gave me!"

Pandora nodded in satisfaction, then huffed and complained.

"Later they insisted I change it to something like 'Yestesa Risleich von Einzbern,' and I had to write it a thousand times! That name is too long and hard to remember, I don't want it!"

Pandora was merely a name bestowed by the Greek gods, while Irisviel was the true beginning for both of them...

So that's how it is. All the coincidences are also inevitable.

This ill-fated relationship, this answer, may have been foreshadowed a thousand years ago.

Looking at her once high and mighty caregiver, now fallen into the dust, the silver-haired beauty squatted down, poked his handsome cheek, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at him with expectant eyes, like a good student longing for praise from her teacher.

"Well, Father, am I entitled to reclaim my former name?"

"You're not Alice..."

Samael took a deep breath, his gaze flickering for only a moment before regaining its resolve.

"At least, it's not the Alice I know..."

The silver-haired beauty's expression grew cold as she looked down at the former king of gods.

"You seem to have no idea about your situation..."

"is it?"

Samael sighed, and as he asked a low question, petal-shaped cross-shaped light patterns appeared on the opening and closing vertical pupils, and a great sound reverberated within his body.

"Puff puff!"

Immediately afterwards, the ancient serpent sprang up, its body instantly exploding into clouds of blood mist. Following it was a spearhead as swift as lightning, with a blazing white stream of ethereal light, unstoppable.

Chapter 237 What kind of bends haven't I seen? (4.2k)

A chilling, powerful light surged and swept across the surrounding starry sky, tearing it apart and revealing the truth hidden beneath the darkness. Yet, a slender, pale fingertip defied the tide, miraculously resisting the cold spearhead.

"Ding……!"

In an instant, the invincible Holy Spear Rungomminiad was stuck in a quagmire, unable to advance an inch.

"The divine power has abandoned its flow through the spiritual circuits, bypassing the seal, and instead bursts forth directly from the flesh and blood. Tsk tsk, you are as decisive as ever, Father."

Pandora gazed at the blood-soaked figure before her, her ruby-like eyes revealing deep approval.

But this situation has an indescribable irony.

how come!

The powerful resistance left Samael somewhat incredulous.

hum!