In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

"That's right, it is indeed me, and you should have already met my unworthy descendant who has already escaped, Matou Kariya, right?"

"It seems that the death of that brat Tokiomi Tohsaka dealt him a heavy blow, so he actually ran away not long ago and took back control of Berserker. What a useless thing."

Zouken Matou couldn't help but get angry whenever he mentioned that good-for-nothing Kariya Matou. Last night, when he saw the Tohsaka residence set on fire and Tohsaka Tokiomi was probably in grave danger, he had a vague feeling that something bad was going to happen to Kariya Matou.

And that good-for-nothing has never disappointed him in the very area where he has disappointed him.

When he received news from Lo Wei and prepared to come and check on the situation, he found Lancelot already at his doorstep with the letter of a false vassal, along with a handwritten letter about Matou Kariya, the contents of which were roughly...

[Old bug, Tokiomi Tohsaka is dead, so this Holy Grail War means nothing to me anymore.]

So you can play by yourself, I'm going to continue my journey far away.

—Your grandfather, don't worry.

When Zouken Matou saw the letter, he was already furious with that brat.

He couldn't wait to capture Matou Kariya and teach him a lesson, to show him who the grandfather and the grandson really were.

However, considering that the meeting time was approaching, and that the kid had returned Berserker and Command Seals, it was undoubtedly not worthwhile to continue wasting effort on him. Therefore, Matou Zouken came here directly to meet with his remaining two allies, Kenneth and Waver, for the first time.

Furthermore, in order to gain their trust to the greatest extent possible, he deliberately revealed a lot of information that was very exciting to them, including Berserker's real name, Lancelot.

It seems to be working quite well.

"The head of the Matou family is actually Marich Zorgne, that's quite surprising news. And Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake, who's behind you, is also a good ally..."

Unlike Weber, who was still in shock, the well-informed Kenneth quickly recovered.

He looked at Zouken Matou in front of him, then nodded slightly, having gained a new understanding of his own situation.

In short, a monarch accompanied by two magicians, plus an ancient monster who has lived for five hundred years, and with four Servants under the buff of almost infinite magic power, this combination is not just strong, but invincible. It is a terrifying force that can completely disrupt the balance of the Holy Grail War.

In other words, if the four of them form an alliance, there's nothing to fear in this Holy Grail War, and the annihilation of the remaining two will be as easy as turning one's hand...

With the other two outsiders removed, only Loewy and Waver's two students remain. In other words, the victory of this Holy Grail War is now 100% in the hands of the El-Melloi school.

Therefore, he naturally had no reason to refuse. Even if he knew that the other party was an old monster who had lived for five hundred years, what could he do?

Kenneth was second to none throughout his life! His unparalleled talent would be impeccable in any era, so what if the other party really was Machiri Zorgne?

Putting aside whether my magical skills are comparable to his, the Holy Grail War isn't just about magical prowess; it also involves the Servants...

His side undoubtedly has an absolute advantage in both quality and quantity of Servants, and no matter who he is, he cannot change this predetermined outcome.

"In other words, the four of us and the four riders will form a united front against the enemy," Kenneth said knowingly. "Therefore, there is no reason to disagree."

"..."

Everyone tacitly agreed.

"Very well, then let's confirm tonight's tactics again."

"As always, three of you will attack Gilgamesh, and the other will hold off King Arthur. Is there anything wrong with any of you?"

"No." Everyone nodded.

"So, Kenneth-sensei, Waver and Matou-okiji will take care of Gilgamesh and Kirei Kotomine, and I'll hold Saber off, how about that?"

"Are you going to hold off Saber? That's a reasonable assignment, considering that Queen Scáthach fought King Arthur once and gained a decisive advantage that time."

Kenneth couldn't find anything wrong with this arrangement.

If possible, he wanted to team up with Rowe and Waver to take down Gilgamesh, then turn the tables and eliminate the other two as well.

However, after learning that Berserker's real name was Lancelot, he promptly dismissed this absurd idea. After all, it was Lancelot who suddenly went mad and stopped Scáthach from delivering the final blow to King Arthur last time.

Therefore, it is clear that Lancelot's compatibility with King Arthur is exceptionally poor, and sending him there might even cause unnecessary trouble.

Thinking of this, Kenneth glanced warily at Zouken Matou again.

While he could take Finn with him, he couldn't rest easy letting this 500-year-old monster travel with his student. Webber and Lowe were both too young, and even he himself was only a fraction of the other's age.

Magicians are like that; the older they get, the more cunning they become. He couldn't guarantee that his two students wouldn't be tricked by the other party while he was away, so he had to personally keep an eye on things.

As expected, the task of holding Saber back was naturally handed over to Loewy.

The plan was simple and effective, and Kenneth couldn't find any fault with it.

However, the Tohsaka family has already been destroyed by fire, so where can the attackers find Kirei Kotomine and Gilgamesh?

However, Lo Wei had anticipated this problem.

"If things go as expected, they'll probably be in this area tonight. Professor Kenneth, all you need to do is prepare for the battle beforehand."

He took out the map he had prepared beforehand and then drew a circle around the location of the church on the outskirts of Fuyuki City with a paintbrush.

"Oh, the church in Fuyuki City?"

Kenneth looked thoughtfully at the location on the map. "Indeed, as a clergyman of the church, that's the most likely place for Kirei Kotomine after the destruction of the Tohsaka family. Moreover, that location is very remote, which is perfect for the Heroic Spirits to show their skills."

"Hehe... So the plan is settled then."

Zouken Matou gave a strange smile and then said with a chuckle, "In that case, Lord El-Melloi, I hope you will take good care of me in the upcoming battle."

"nature."

Kenneth frowned at the twisted smile, but he was more concerned about Rowe's situation.

"You, be careful, that magician assassin's methods are not simple."

Kenneth reminded Rowe.

"Well, don't worry so much, Professor Kenneth. I'm a top student of the El-Melloi school, so don't worry, I certainly won't tarnish your reputation."

Seeing Kenneth's concern, Lowe smiled, then picked up the trench coat on the table, put it on, and turned to leave, saying, "Let's go, Scáthach."

"ha--!"

Scáthach, who had been waiting outside the door for quite some time, yawned.

"Hmm? It's over already? Then let's set off immediately!"

When Scáthach saw Rowe come out, she was tired of playing along with these idiots. Her eyes lit up and she couldn't wait to ask him a question.

Are we going to fight Saber?

Hearing Scáthach's excited tone when she mentioned fighting Saber, Lovi couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Artoria.

King Arthur, who is clearly quite strong, has been stuck with a troublesome Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, and now he is almost getting beaten down every time.

However, this is good, because after Finn, Lancelot, and Scáthach, it's my turn to be with her next.

When he heard the online scammer's request that he personally fight Saber and counsel her, Luo Wei was stunned for a long time, pointed to himself, and asked.

"I'm going to fight Artoria, really?"

And the result was obviously true; trying to enlighten that blockhead simply through words was definitely not enough.

You can wake Sleeping Beauty with a kiss.

But if you want to wake up a knight king who is pretending to be asleep, only fists can speak the truth.

After figuring it out, Rowe didn't hesitate and prepared to leave with Scáthach, heading towards the Einzbern residence.

however……

"and many more!"

Kenneth, as if he had just thought of something, suddenly called out to him from behind.

While Luo Wei was still in a daze, he unhesitatingly took off the two layers of thick police bulletproof vests he was wearing under his coat, and put them on along with a bulletproof helmet that appeared out of nowhere.

"Since you're going to cause trouble for Saber and Kiritsugu Emiya, then bring all of these with you."

"Huh?"

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Let Enkidu Come! (5,500 words)

"You mean to take the initiative tonight?"

Kirei Kotomine looked at Gilgamesh with some surprise.

"Yes, after all, the trump card we originally planned is gone, and the information about the current situation has probably been leaked... no, it has already been leaked. I naturally understand the principle of not fighting a battle unprepared. Therefore, we should start making some preparations in advance. In this way, even if the information is leaked, we can still gain some advantage."

Inside the church, looking at Kirei Kotomine's severed right arm and the blood on the ground, and recalling how his father had been sent to the hospital due to excessive blood loss, the filial son Kirei Kotomine felt a pang of regret.

Originally, he planned to kill Tokiomi Tohsaka and then return here to kill his own father, trying to recapture the joy that filled his heart, and then take back the trump card he had prepared for Tokiomi Tohsaka.

Unfortunately, when he returned, he saw his father, Kotomine Risei, lying in a pool of blood, and the ambulance that was responsible for transporting him to the hospital.

Seeing his father's severed arm and the Command Seals that had all disappeared from it, Kirei Kotomine guessed what had happened. It seemed that it wasn't just him and Tokiomi Tohsaka; someone else had known about the agreement between Tokiomi and his father beforehand, knew about the Command Seals of past Masters, and had preemptively stolen them.

This development left Kirei Kotomine feeling somewhat frustrated, but his strongest emotion was regret.

He regretted not coming back sooner to kill his father. Now, the other party has been taken away by an ambulance and the police station, protected, treated, and given a statement. His injury has been attributed to a vicious robbery in a church, making it difficult for Kirei Kotomine to take action against him and even more difficult to understand what happened.

Having stolen the Command Seals and knowing about his father's deal with Tokiomi Tohsaka, he didn't kill him. He merely cut off an arm, took the Command Seals, and that was it. Moreover, he even called an ambulance instead of leaving his father to die in a pool of blood.

This behavior seemed to be deliberately protecting him, as if he had foreseen what he would do in advance, and thus used this method to give his father a way out.

Kirei Kotomine frowned, his mind wandering in that direction. He vaguely guessed the answer and felt a chill run down his spine.

If it's really as I think, then what exactly is this other being? His motives for doing this seem more like punishing someone who has committed a sin…

Who does he think he is? A high and mighty god? To simultaneously bestow punishment and salvation!!

Kirei Kotomine was lost in thought as he gradually came to the true answer, but upon realizing the result, he couldn't help but waver.

It's unbelievable that such a thing exists.

Now that I've risen up, doesn't that mean my actions were predicted in advance?

Even pleasure and betrayal, and even things one wants to do but hasn't had time to do, are within the other person's prediction.

In an instant, Kirei Kotomine felt a sense of unease. He felt as if he were inside a transparent glass dome, with a pair of eyes watching him intently in the darkness, which sent a chill down his spine.

"What's wrong, Kirei?"

Noticing Kirei Kotomine's unease, Gilgamesh, who was also deep in thought about the situation while sitting on the bench, asked a question.

"No, there's no King of Heroes. I was just wondering who could have predicted our plans in advance, and even knew that I might kill Tokiomi Tohsaka, thus taking away what we had ordered ahead of time..."

"Oh? So that's what you were thinking about..."

Upon hearing Kirei Kotomine's thoughts, Gilgamesh nodded. He then turned to look at his surroundings and detected the unique magical power, composed of divinity and alchemical magic, that resembled a scorching flame. He already had his answer.

"Hmph, just as I expected, it's that brat again."