FATE: Target of Grand Master

Knowing he could not escape, the Heroic Spirit Emiya stood still, projecting Gan Jiang and Mo Xie into his hands, assuming a close-combat stance.

"Hmm? You're an archer, yet you insist on melee combat? And you have quite a few strange and unusual items. Just who are you?"

The masked servant also stood still, not in a hurry to attack.

Seeing the other party's calm and composed demeanor, the Heroic Spirit Emiya didn't mind getting more information out of him.

"I am just an unknown nobody, incomparable to the great hero Hercules of Greek mythology. I simply cannot understand how you, originally a Berserker, could regain your sanity and change your class."

"Archer, if you don't want to die right now, stop calling me by that name."

The masked servant exuded an aura of anger and hatred, which the Heroic Spirit Emiya keenly sensed.

"This aura of hatred... could you be the Avenger?"

The masked servant remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

After carefully considering his form of address, Emiya spoke, "Avenger, what exactly happened to you after Saber took you from Einzbern Castle?"

The masked servant replied, "Archer, you really know how to rub salt in the wound. However, I also hate my Master, Matou Ryouken, and I can tell you. Matou Ryouken corrupted me, who was originally a Berserker, with black mud, then forcibly changed the contract, used a three-stroke Command Spell to resummon me, then used another three-stroke Command Spell to force me to remember my life as a human, and finally used a one-stroke Command Spell to command me not to commit suicide."

The Heroic Spirit Emiya finally understood why Kirei Kotomine died. It turned out that Ryokon Matou wanted a whole arm of Command Seals from him to modify Hercules. That old bug really thought of every step.

"Hehehe, Alcides, you should feel honored. I used seven Command Seals for you in one go, and the Command Seals transplanted from that fake priest only have three left."

Matou Ryouken, who looked like a blue-haired youth, appeared next to Alcides and was punched to pieces by Alcides.

"Hehehe, you still have such a temper. But it's alright. As long as you're willing to help me solve this problem, I don't mind letting you vent your anger."

The figure of Matou Zangyan has reformed and taken shape again.

"Hmph. Don't let me catch you out of your way, or I'll send you to hell," Alcides threatened, having no hope to begin with.

"Hehehe, I will remember that. Now, it's time for your work. Take down this Servant."

Alcides stepped forward and said to the Heroic Spirit Emiya, "You heard that too, didn't you? Will you fight bravely and be killed by me from the front, or will you turn and run away and be killed by me from behind?"

The Heroic Spirit Emiya's lips curled slightly. He knew that whether he fought or fled, he would not escape death. So, he put away his weapon and decisively raised his hands.

"There's no other way. I'll die no matter which option I choose, so I choose to surrender. Don't let my appearance fool you; I also have a wish I want to fulfill. However, this wish doesn't require the Holy Grail. All I need is an opportunity to fight Shirou Emiya. I have some personal grudges with him."

While these weren't entirely excuses, the more important thing was that he needed to find out Matou Reiken's true strength and pass on the information; he couldn't die now.

"Archer, I really misjudged you. I never expected you to choose the most boring option: surrender."

Alcides refused to accept Emiya's surrender and prepared to kill him with a single blow.

"Wait, Alcides."

Matou Ryouken seems to have a different idea.

"Since there are combatants willing to give away for free, I am naturally willing to accept them. However, I modify all my Servants, and you will be no exception."

Faced with Matou Ryouken's threatening statement, the Heroic Spirit Emiya broke out in a cold sweat.

"It doesn't matter, as long as my wish is fulfilled."

"Hehehe, that's easy. I will eventually fight those young men, and I'll make arrangements for you separately then. Since we've reached an agreement, come with me."

"Boring."

Alcides vanished in spirit form without any hesitation.

Emiya followed Matou Reiken all the way into the Great Hollow.

Under Artoria Alter's watchful eye, Matou Ryouken released black mud that attached itself to the Heroic Spirit Emiya.

As the black mud seeped deeper into his body, the Heroic Spirit Emiya saw a future that was both familiar and drastically different from his own.

That's a possibility that only arises when someone encounters a woman disguised as a savior.

Which is more important, outcome justice or procedural justice?

For Emiya, justice is always the top priority, and he is willing to accept being misunderstood or even subjected to dirty methods.

But everything has its limits.

Although the value of life cannot be simply measured by numbers, the act of killing a hundred people to save tens of thousands can still deceive oneself and prevent the soul from being broken.

But what if you have to slaughter hundreds of people just to kill one person?

This is the situation that Emiya might encounter.

When he discovered that a massive cult had emerged in the world and that many people had committed suicide because of it, everything seemed to be predetermined.

Although it is a cult, almost none of its members are evil, except for the woman who is the leader—Sesshouin Kiara.

Sesshouin possesses unparalleled beauty and benevolent compassion, and she will fairly fulfill everyone's wishes.

But only Emiya knew that this woman was rotten to the core. She only saw herself as a human being and loved only him. However, she possessed an unparalleled charm that made those around her dependent on her, as if they were addicted to drugs.

When she gets tired of her, she will ruthlessly abandon her followers who have become deeply infatuated with her, and many followers who suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms choose to commit suicide.

This organization is essentially like a rotten apple; to remove the core, you have to cut open the flesh. What's worse, all the followers are blocking Emiya's way, including Fujimura Taiga from that world who became a follower to save his son.

Although Emiya eventually destroyed Sesshouin, the massacre of countless innocent people in the process caused him to completely lose his belief in his ideals.

As the Heroic Spirit Emiya watched himself constantly transform into this possible version of Emiya, he felt that this was even more worthy of being used as a negative example for Emiya Shirou.

Drowning in one's ideals or collapsing from them are both dead ends; the only right thing to do is to give up on one's ideals from the very beginning.

Because the Heroic Spirit Emiya accepted this transformation from the bottom of his heart, the transformation of him by the Black Mud went exceptionally smoothly.

His skin turned dark, his hair became a buzz cut, and metal rings resembling shackles appeared on his wrists. The Heroic Spirit Emiya was transformed into Emiya ALTER.

Matou Ryouken was also quite surprised by the cooperation of the Heroic Spirit Emiya, and showed a satisfied smile.

"Very good. In that case, you will be my servant."

boom!

Suddenly, a deafening explosion came from above their heads.

Keep in mind that the two were inside a large cavern in the mountains. The fact that they could penetrate such a thick mountain structure and still make such a sound meant that an earth-shattering battle was taking place outside the mountain.