Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

After the ceremony, the villagers, their faces etched with sorrow, supported one another as they left this place of grief.

The night was cold and the dew was heavy. Many people were homeless because many houses had been destroyed.

However, those lucky villagers generously offered spare rooms in their homes to shelter their neighbors who had suffered nearby misfortunes.

Those who couldn't find accommodation either brought out extra bedding from their homes, brought hot meals, or cleared weeds from the open space to set up tents for the remaining people...

Even the infected individuals under surveillance received food delivered by the villagers.

Although they still dared not approach, they left hastily after putting down food and bedding, but the kindness and change they showed were already evident.

Standing in front of the church, Amakusa Shiro watched as the barriers between people gradually broke down, encouraging each other to move forward together amidst disaster and misfortune, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"When they're mad, they're like demons; when they're loving, they're like angels. Humans are so contradictory sometimes. So, even if you stand in the sunlight, on the moral high ground, and criticize the evil in them, at the same time, you also need to affirm the good in them."

Samael emerged from the shadows behind the church amidst a low murmur of contemplation, patted Amakusa Shiro on the shoulder, and shook his head with a sigh as he gazed at the harmonious scene before him.

"Perhaps they are not perfect, but it is precisely this imperfection that drives them to continuously improve and opens up endless possibilities..."

Infinite...possibilities?

Amakusa Shiro gazed at the fair hands, his eyes flickering with emotion.

That's all I have to say. The choice you make is up to you.

On a whim, after chatting for a few minutes with this living saint of the church, Samael stretched and looked at the sky gradually turning a pale white before getting up and walking into the woods.

However, before they had gone far, a menacing old man suddenly appeared from one side of the church.

"Didn't you say you wanted to relocate these corrupt ones? Why haven't you taken any action yet! Take these defiled people away immediately, and don't interfere with our sermon this morning!"

Kotomine Risuke spoke in a cold and hard tone, her sharp eyes scrutinizing the man before her, her words overflowing with displeasure and hostility.

The Actors' general rule of action when dealing with Dead Apostles is to kill without mercy, so they naturally don't have a good attitude towards heretics who harbor these vampires.

Especially this guy in front of me, who, through some unknown method, bewitched his adopted son, Amakusa Shiro, a living saint secretly cultivated by the church, forcing him to remain on this small island as a rural priest.

Although they have obtained Emiya Norikaze's forbidden research data before the Mage Association, they have indirectly lost a living saint, which seems like a bad deal.

Looking at Kotomine Risei, who was clearly taking his anger out on him and had come to interrogate him, Samael raised his hand and lightly touched the bridge of his nose, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"What? Instead of stopping Arcueid and Arcturus, you come here to cause trouble for me? Do you think I'm such a pushover?"

"Your Excellency, I now have reason to doubt whether you are truly qualified to represent the will of Parliament!"

Kotomine Ryougi remained unmoved, maintaining a businesslike attitude, and continued to question him coldly, appearing aggressive.

Ta-ta-ta!

Just then, the roar of propellers came from overhead, and a strong wind blew all around, whipping up clumps of dead leaves and weeds.

Kotomine Ryougi and the agents behind her subconsciously looked up and were shocked to see dozens of military green armed helicopters and transport helicopters appearing in the sky, quickly descending and landing on the open ground in the center of the village.

boom!

At the same time, a lithe purple figure pulled open the heavy hatch with his bare hands, without even carrying a parachute, and jumped directly from a height of 100 meters. With a muffled explosion, he landed on the ground with his knees bent, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Immediately afterwards, a figure with purple hair flowing down his shoulders and wearing a high-tech red and white dragon scale armor emerged from the billowing smoke and dust. His azure eyes gazed at the church's representative, and he casually pulled back the bolt of his gun. His cold voice almost froze the surrounding area.

"He's not qualified. Do you think I am?"

Sky Swirling.jpg

Chapter Fifty: All Support Except for Assistance

Sensing the almost suffocating spiritual pressure before him, Kotomine Risuke's pupils contracted sharply, and his expression froze.

Martha, the "Saint" and the twelfth seat of the Dark Round Table!

Bang bang bang!

At the same time, accompanied by the roar of propellers, white parachutes bloomed in the dawn sky, and nearly a hundred fully armed soldiers in black armor skillfully cut ropes to complete their parachute descent and dispersed around the village to set up control.

Guns loaded with special spell bullets emerged from various locations, their muzzles menacingly aimed at the church members present, making these agents feel as if they were sitting on pins and needles.

Regarding technology, the Holy Church and the Magic Association, which wield mysterious powers, have always maintained a sense of reserve and arrogance, and their compatibility is not exactly harmonious.

On the contrary, the heretics of the Dark Council highly admired the power of these strange and ingenious techniques. They not only devoted themselves to combining magic with modern weapons, but also secretly built a sizable special force.

This special unit, equipped with powerful firepower, has operated on various battlefields as international mercenaries.

Therefore, they are not only experienced in combat, but also have complete suppression techniques against magicians and priests. Countless transgressing fantasy species and fallen beings have fallen under their guns and blades, so these people are quite dangerous.

"Now, my men are going to take over this place. You have no objections, right?"

Martha glanced at the church's representative; though it was an inquiry, it carried an air of unquestionable authority.

Yan Fengli hesitated for a moment, then bowed slightly and nodded stiffly, completely losing the arrogance he had shown earlier.

It should be understood that there are differences between saints.

The man he relied on, Amakusa Shiro, was hailed as a "living saint," but this was more of a self-proclaimed title in Japan than an object of orthodox church recognition.

This Saint Martha was one of the twelve saints recorded in the papacy, and she was a true disciple who served that person!

"How did you come?"

Hearing the commotion, Natalia, who had come running, was somewhat surprised to see the purple-haired saintess before her.

Martha glanced meaningfully at the person who had quietly retreated and disappeared into the shadows, then familiarly opened her arms and gently embraced Natalia, who was walking towards her, while giving a light, annoyed snort.

"If I didn't come, could you have kept these charlatans in check?"

Natalia looked around, and after a moment's thought, she guessed the general outline of the matter from the traces left at the scene and the reactions of Kotomine Risei and the others. She couldn't help but frown and look at them with disdain.

These moral guardians are truly incorrigible, always finding new ways to cause trouble.

Therefore, only the upper echelons of the parliament could intervene to take over these “filthy things” that the agents wanted to get rid of intact from their hands.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Martha led her team to take over the scene in an orderly manner, putting protective suits on the semi-conscious infected individuals, stuffing them into containment pods, and sending them onto transport planes, without even glancing at the guy who was trying to downplay his presence.

At this moment, with nothing to do, Natalia glanced at the frustrated Kotomine Ryougi and the businesslike Martha, then approached Samael behind the tree, nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, and teased him playfully.

"Boss, it seems you don't have enough influence."

"Yes, it's fortunate that you're on this island, otherwise, I might not have been able to persuade our Holy Maiden to come."

Samael blinked and nodded in agreement.

You're lying again. Can't you do something productive?

Martha glanced at her boss, who was engrossed in role-playing and lying without batting an eye, and her lips twitched slightly as she silently grumbled.

"That's right, we've known each other for a long time!"

However, Natalia, completely unaware of Samael's flattery, was quite pleased and proudly raised her smooth chin.

Saint Martha not only holds a seat on the Dark Round Table, but is also in charge of managing the bounty hunter community and the Council's garrison forces.

As fellow martial arts enthusiasts who enjoy hand-to-hand combat and often feel an itch to fight, Natalia and her boss sparred many times. Over time, they became friends who respected each other and developed a good relationship.

However, true to her nature, Natalia's eyes flashed with a glint of malice. She then affectionately hooked her left arm around Samael's neck, while secretly rubbing her thumb and forefinger together with her right hand, revealing her true intentions.

"So, about the commission..."

Samael glanced disdainfully at the greedy succubus hybrid and rolled his eyes.

"No way! Even if you were Marda's friend, or even her own mother, the higher-ups wouldn't acknowledge you! Besides, the income and expenditure of mission funds are managed by Lady Holo. If you have any objections, raise them with her yourself. I can't help you with this kind of thing."

"Tch, that stingy she-wolf..."

Upon hearing this, Natalia immediately deflated, secretly muttering about that cunning beast guarding the council's treasury.

"Not only are they stingy, but they also love to exploit their employees' benefits, force them to work, and in the end, they even deducted my salary. Those damn capitalists, they'll be hanging from the streetlights sooner or later!"

Samael wholeheartedly agreed and immediately joined Natalia in their indignation, vehemently denouncing the "inhuman" behavior of those above.

Who exactly is it that has been deceiving us into working for free for over 600 years without paying us a single penny?

Who exactly is slacking off all day long, yet still advocating "dedication"?

Who exactly cut off my hard-earned vacation and made me clean up their mess?

Finally, they even used the travel money we saved from working overtime all day to buy all the figurines and merchandise on the street.

Lord, please have some compassion!

Martha, having heard all these slanders, stood with her back to someone, veins throbbing on her forehead, internally ranting and raving.

Sensing a resentful gaze from behind, Samael, feeling guilty, shrank back and immediately fell silent, pulling Natalia along to join the mission of transferring the infected.

Soon, dozens of villagers at risk of becoming zombies were crammed into the transport plane in batches.

Meanwhile, Eltrauge, the current princess of the Millennium City, boarded the plane to accompany the new member to his destination.

Watching the helicopter carrying Arcueid disappear from sight, Samael quietly let go of Arcueid, who was foolishly trying to follow, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Soon, amidst the roar of the last few helicopters, the three appeared at a port, blended into the crowd, and boarded a... luxury cruise ship together.

Seeing that the cruise ship was heading in the opposite direction from the helicopter, Arcueid on the deck couldn't help but feel confused.

"Aren't we supposed to go to the Thousand-Year City to resettle those villagers...?"

"When did I say I was going to the City of a Thousand Years?"

Samael, leaning against the railing, looked up at the azure sky, then turned his head with a mocking expression.

Are you kidding me? I just offended the Black Princess of the Thousand-Year City. Should I run away before she realizes what's happening? Or should I go out of my way to deliver takeout to her door?

Besides, I only promised the association that I could help, but I didn't specify who would be in charge of the handover.

A certain unscrupulous boss, comfortably enjoying the moist sea breeze and bright sunshine, casually picked up a glass of brandy from the cruise ship waiter's tray, took a leisurely sip, and then silently made the sign of the cross on his chest.

My dear believer, my devout saint, go in peace, I will give you all support except help.

May the Lord be with you, Amen...

————————————Plot Break————————

The luxury cruise ship sailed smoothly on the vast blue sea, with white seagulls soaring overhead and layers of waves crashing against the sides of the ship, leaving behind shattered bubbles.

On the deck, gently caressed by a breeze, Arcueid sat under a parasol, gazing absently in a certain direction, a hint of unease on his face.

"What are you thinking about?"

Samael, carrying a tray, bent down and sat down across the table, handing a cup of hot cocoa to Arcueid and asking him with concern.

"I wonder how Eltrucci and that child are doing now..."

"What's there to worry about? Your older sister is Zhu Yue's personally created successor, the genuine King of the Dead Apostles, with thousands of years of experience. Managing the Thousand-Year City and those transformed Dead Apostles will be a piece of cake for her."

Samael took a sip of his chilled dark beer, chuckled comfortingly, and at the same time made a solemn promise.

"Don't worry, the council isn't just dumping those infected people in Millennium City and then abandoning them. In fact, those heading to the destination aren't just the villagers and mercenaries; professional medical and magical teams will gradually arrive and cooperate with Altruchi."

Observing the transformation process of Dead Apostles, assessing their rationality and level of danger at different stages, and how to suppress vampiric urges... all of these fall within Martha and her team's scope of mission.

"Will the Altruic allow you humans to settle here?"

"In exchange, we can help build a blood bank in the area to provide fresh blood regularly and some necessary living and entertainment facilities so that the remaining dead in the Thousand-Year City will not have to suffer from hunger and emptiness."

Samael blinked, smiled, and patiently explained. Arcueid listened attentively, nodding frequently, clearly agreeing with the cooperation.

After all, for immortal beings like the Dead Apostles and True Ancestors, these are often the two things that cause them the most distress.

One is the well-worn bloodlust, a flaw that exists from the very beginning of their existence. Even Arcueid, who harbors the consciousness of the progenitor Zhu Yue, is not immune to it, not to mention the other Dead Apostles and True Ancestors.

But as a self-proclaimed noble and intelligent race, this feeling of being driven by instinct is terrible.

Moreover, according to the orders of their ancestor Zhu Yue and the agreement with humans, they are not allowed to hunt and eat humans at will. Once they succumb to this desire, their reason will be gradually eroded by impulse, and they will not be far from falling into depravity.

Therefore, in order to suppress their hunger, the surviving Dead Apostles and True Ancestors of the Thousand-Year City often choose to hibernate to reduce their losses.

This is why vampires often sleep for a hundred years at a time.

In addition, the closed nature of Millennium City, and the fact that Arcueid almost wiped out the top combat force of Millennium City when he went berserk, made blood-drinking a rather troublesome problem.

However, the fact that the council is now willing to provide fresh blood regularly is a godsend for the ancient city.

On the other hand, long-lived species, due to their long lifespan, will inevitably suffer wear and tear over time.

Having something real to pass the time and distract them greatly reduces the probability of those deadbeats going on a mental breakdown.

Furthermore, given the parliament's consistently friendly attitude towards special creatures, there is great potential for cooperation between the two sides.

As long as Altrudge isn't stupid, as the weakest of the four major powers, she would definitely be happy to maintain a relatively good relationship with the Dark Council.