Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Chapter 130 Today's troubles are paid for by Tokiomi (4.1k)

In the height of summer, Yuanzang Mountain is lush with vegetation, filled with the sounds of birds and insects. The branches and leaves of the trees sway in the wind, and the light reflects off them, creating a vibrant and lively scene.

Along the winding mountain path, occasionally a devout traveler would climb the steps toward Liudong Temple, which was built at the summit.

This temple is located outside the town of Fukayama and is built in the heart of Mount Enzo. In addition to providing regular funeral and prayer services for visitors, it also handles matters related to exorcism and warding off evil spirits.

Because of its supposedly efficacious reputation, Ryudo-ji Temple is quite well-known in Fuyuki City. It houses fifty monks, and the acting abbot, Ryudo Reikan, exudes a sense of security with his muscular physique that barely covers his robes.

Of course, because of the abundant energy and beautiful scenery of Mount Enzo, it is also a great place for leisure and sightseeing, in addition to visiting temples to pray. Along the way, you can see many Fuyuki residents dressed in kimonos and casual clothes, with their families, touring the mountain road.

On a relatively flat, gentle slope, a little girl with black twin ponytails tied with delicate headbands and wearing a red dress ran to a tree beside the mountain path. Her bright blue eyes gazed at the beetle shimmering with iridescent light on the branch, and she excitedly pointed it out to her younger sister behind her.

"Sakura, look! A rhinoceros beetle! It's a colorful rhinoceros beetle!"

Unlike her energetic and curious older sister, the younger sister, with her short black hair and dressed in a kimono, smiled sweetly and appeared unusually quiet.

"Don't let Mother find out. Wait, I'll catch it and give it to you right now!"

The little girl with pigtails glanced back and, confirming that her mother was talking to an acquaintance on the mountain path, her restless mind immediately stirred. Without saying a word, she hugged the tree trunk and began to climb upwards.

The younger sister, who was forced to stand guard, wanted to speak up and stop them, but her go-with-the-flow nature made her fall silent. She could only risk being scolded along with her older sister and board her sister's black ship.

"Hmph, trying to run away!"

At this moment, thanks to her excellent athletic ability, she successfully caught the rare, colorful rhinoceros beetle on the tree trunk.

"Crack!"

However, the little girl with pigtails hadn't been gloating for more than a few minutes when the branch she was hanging on with one hand snapped without warning, and her small body fell headfirst onto the grass amidst the howling wind.

Oops!

The younger sister, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, turned pale with fright at the sudden turn of events, her fists clenched tightly, and her pretty face filled with panic.

Whoosh!

Just as the little girl in the kimono was at a loss, a swift figure wearing a black and white sporty hoodie flashed past from the side of the mountain path. With his right hand outstretched, he precisely grabbed the little girl's collar, successfully saving her from a face-first fall and the tragic consequence of being "beaten by her mother."

"Shh..."

As the clumsy fellow being held by the collar was gently put down, the figure in the black and white tracksuit turned to face the little girl in the kimono, pointed behind her, and made a shushing gesture by raising his index finger to his lips.

The little girl in the kimono, realizing what was happening instantly, immediately covered her mouth and teeth, not daring to make a sound and disturb her mother behind her.

When her feet landed back on the soft grass, the little girl with pigtails, who had been shaken, gradually came to her senses and subconsciously stammered her thanks.

"Thank you... thank you..."

"Snapped!"

Before she could finish speaking, the little girl received a sharp rap on the forehead, followed by a gentle, slightly teasing whisper in her ear.

"Tsk, dropping the ball is truly a family tradition of yours. You'd better take it easy in the future, Rin."

Does he know me?

The little girl, clutching her head and groaning softly in pain, was somewhat taken aback. But when she looked up, she saw a tall, slender figure that seemed both familiar and unfamiliar, already waving goodbye to the two sisters and disappearing into the dense forest.

What a weirdo.

The little girl shook her slightly dizzy head to clear her mind of the jumbled thoughts, turned around, grabbed her sister's arm, and proudly handed over the treasure hidden in her palm.

"Sakura, this is for you!"

"..."

As the colorful rhinoceros beetle crawling in her palm came into view, Sakura's fair face stiffened slightly, and her entire arm trembled slightly.

In fact, she doesn't like insects; in fact, she's quite afraid of arthropods.

But this was a gift from my older sister...

The gentle little girl in the kimono, with no other choice, forced a smile despite her discomfort.

"Then, if you accept my gift, you can't tell Mom what just happened."

Immediately, the twin-tailed girl saw that the other side had received the stolen goods and boarded their own black boat. She couldn't help but reveal a devilish smile, and intimately leaned close to her sister's ear to whisper about the accomplices' conspiracy.

"Um……"

The little girl in the kimono endured the rustling of the insects crawling in her palm, nodding weakly like a little white rabbit that wouldn't fight back no matter how much it was bullied.

"Hehe, I like Sakura the most."

After receiving the promise, the twin-tailed little girl hugged her younger sister from behind, pressing her face close to the other's cheek, and they snuggled together happily. The two little girls looked very close.

At this moment, Zenshiro Aoi, the mother who had finished her conversation, looked at her daughters embracing affectionately on the grass, smiled slightly, and felt very gratified, secretly sighing in her heart.

I truly hope that these sisters will always love each other like this.

only……

Immediately, a sigh and a sense of reluctance surfaced from the depths of the woman's eyes.

As descendants of the Tohsaka family and of magician blood, they are probably destined not to be able to enjoy the simple pleasures of life like children from ordinary families, and will have to shoulder corresponding responsibilities.

The mission of the demonic clan is to master extraordinary power and reach the origin of the world.

To be honest, she felt very lucky and fulfilled to have given birth to a child with outstanding magical talent for her beloved husband, thus continuing his long-cherished wish.

But sometimes, luck is another kind of misfortune.

Both of her daughters, Rin and Sakura, are outstanding.

One of them possesses all elements and a five-fold composite attribute, while the other possesses a fictional element and an imaginary number attribute. Both sisters possess rare qualities equivalent to miracles.

But this goes beyond the scope of so-called talent and ability; it's almost equivalent to a spell.

Magic, when controlled, can create miracles; when out of control, it brings disaster.

Similarly, people with this kind of aptitude will easily attract the covetousness and prying of "abnormal" beings if bait with a special fragrance is found among a crowd. This is not something that they can control with their own will.

There is only one way to deal with this fate: consciously step outside your own logic and harness this power.

Therefore, their two daughters had no other way to deal with the demonic energy in their blood except to understand and cultivate the demonic path themselves.

However, the blessing of the Tohsaka family can only be bestowed upon one person, and according to tradition, Rin will be chosen as the successor.

The other, who did not become the heir, is likely to get caught up in all sorts of strange events because of their blood, and will get themselves into trouble.

If the Magic Association were to discover such a precious material, those guys would be delighted to preserve it in formalin as a specimen under the guise of protection.

This difficult situation tormented her and her husband for an unknown period of time.

However, not long ago, this matter seemed to have taken a new turn.

The Matou family, also a magical family in Fuyuki City, suffered from a change in environment and climate, causing their magical circuits to gradually die out. The head of the family, Zouken Matou, asked the Tohsaka family, who were allies, to adopt someone with magical circuits as their heir to continue their lineage.

The Matou family's request would undoubtedly allow both daughters of the Tohsaka family to inherit top-tier magic, free from the constraints of blood ties and karma, and to forge their own paths in life.

This news was like a blessing from heaven for the husband, who was in a dilemma, freeing him from the heavy burden of fatherhood.

However, as parents, sending one of their daughters to be fostered by another family is a decision that, no matter how rational, cannot be made lightly in a short time.

Besides, they are still too young.

But based on Zenjou Aoi's understanding of her husband, this hesitation was only temporary.

Perhaps the happy times the two sisters spend together won't last much longer.

The woman looked up at her daughters running and playing on the mountain path, her eyes filled with both tenderness and melancholy.

Although she felt reluctant, she believed that her beloved husband's decision was the right one.

Tokiomi, you are truly wicked.

Meanwhile, a figure standing in the dense forest, gazing into the distance, watched the mother and her two daughters on the mountain path gradually disappear into the distance, and secretly shook his head and complained.

What to say?

Blind self-confidence will always be your biggest flaw.

Knowing full well what kind of person a magician without moral constraints is, how could you still believe that the old insects of the Matou family, who eke out a living by devouring life, would treat your daughter well?

The man shook his head, took off his hood, revealing flowing black hair and his signature snake-like vertical pupils.

So, the fun is over, it's time to get down to business.

The ancient snake glanced sideways at the dense foliage on one side, then stretched its body and turned to walk down the mountain.

After a moment, the surrounding branches and leaves trembled slightly, making a soft rustling sound.

In the dense forest, Samael, lightly equipped, wandered through Yuanzang Mountain, occasionally observing his surroundings and confirming his direction before continuing on his way, as if he were just a tourist who was keen on outdoor adventures.

Finally, after several hours of trekking, the ancient snake stopped before a mountain hollow. Its dark eyes gleamed eerily as it looked at the rock face ahead. It then reached out and parted the dense vines around it.

Suddenly, a dark cave entrance leading into the mountainside came into view.

Samael smiled with satisfaction, then looked around to make sure no one was nearby before crouching down and slipping inside, moving forward in the darkness.

Soon, relying on its perception of the flow of magic, the ancient serpent made several turns, passing through dark tunnels and large caverns, and arrived at an ancient stone platform covered with special patterns and strange runes.

The red and black marks seemed to be the mottled bloodstains of the deceased.

Finally, I've found you... Heaven's Cup!

The ancient serpent curled its lips in delight as it walked step by step toward the central altar, its mind churning with related information.

About two hundred years ago, Justeza, the homunculus of the Einzbern family, along with Tohsaka Nagato, the ancestor of the Tohsaka family, and Machiri Zolgen, the founder of the Matou family, constructed the Holy Grail system in Fuyuki City, a suitable place for spirit summoning, in order to achieve the so-called "salvation of humanity".

In Christian mythology, the Holy Grail is a miraculous cup that can grant any wish. When the cup is full, it overflows with the glory of the Lord and fulfills the desires of mortals.

The Holy Grail system, jointly established by the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou families, also possesses the same theoretical function.

Unfortunately, even if all the magic power of Fuyuki City is absorbed to activate the ritual, the power of the Holy Grail can only satisfy the desire of one person.

Thus, what was originally cooperation turned into competition.

Perhaps due to some kind of curse, for more than two hundred years, most of the struggles for the Holy Grail in Fuyuki City have ended inconclusively.

Therefore, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the competition, the rules of this Holy Grail War were constantly improved, which eventually became what is now known as the Holy Grail War.

According to tradition, approximately every sixty years, the spiritual energy in the ley lines of Fuyuki City accumulates to a level sufficient to support the descent of the Holy Grail, and thus the Holy Grail, which possesses the power to instantly grant any wish, appears here.

At that time, seven corresponding magicians (Masters) and summoned Servants will participate in the competition for the Holy Grail, the omnipotent wish-granting machine. The victor who survives will ultimately obtain ownership of the Holy Grail.

In reality, however, it is still a massive ritual system planned and led by the Einzbern family, the Tohsaka family, and the Machiri family (Matou family) in order to reach the "Root".

As far as Samael knew, Mount Enzo was the gathering point of the Fuyuki Spirit Vein, and the large cavity inside the mountain was the site of the founding ceremony of the three Holy Grail families.

Before us, on the surface of this garlic-mortar-shaped rock, is drawn a massive and terrifying magic circle—the Great Grail, the true core of the Holy Grail War.

Alternative name: Heaven's Cup.

Now, the sixty-year cycle is approaching, the Holy Grail is full, and the competition in Fuyuki City is about to begin.

Some things, when the time is right, should be dealt with seriously.

The ancient serpent murmured softly, then began to walk towards the altar. Its drooping fingertips traced the intricate magical runes inch by inch, its keen senses beginning to analyze this so-called Holy Grail spell.

His purpose in coming here was certainly not simply to seize the Holy Grail.

To be honest, this so-called all-powerful wish-granting machine is only theoretically feasible. If it were truly without any problems, why would it fail time and time again?

Besides, as a former messiah and enemy of God, Old Ma had seen the genuine Holy Grail in his hands, let alone this man-made, imperfect creation.

However, some of these conjectures can be verified using the Holy Grail spell at hand.

As thoughts surged through his mind, and various new and old pieces of knowledge corroborated each other, Samael's understanding of the Heaven's Feel gradually deepened.

Half an hour later, a pair of pitch-black snake eyes opened silently in the dim cave, their gazes thoughtful.

The materialization of the soul?

I see……

Egypt's solar boat, Greece's Paradise Island, the Nordic Valhalla, Mesopotamia's lost paradise, and that so-called heaven...

I must say, my dear daughter, you really are a good student.

Chapter 131 God Forgave You (4.2k)

Pandora means "one who possesses all gifts".