Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

She is both a witch of plague and a rare genius.

Samael looked down, raised his hand to touch the patterns on the surface of the stone base, and his dark eyes gleamed.

The Winter Saintess—Yestisa? The Third Law to Save Humanity?

Haha, if I remember correctly, he was the one who came up with this name.

It seems that during his days wandering the human world, his good daughter not only inherited his skill in deception, but also learned a lot of useful things.

The Holy Grail system before us, bearing numerous traces of technology from the Age of Gods, is probably one of its masterpieces.

So, should we just dismantle it?

It seems that this would solve many problems.

Having gleaned the general information, Samael withdrew his fingers from the stone platform, rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, and then gently shook his head.

Even if the Holy Grail War is over in Fuyuki City, there's still Tokyo, there's still Romania, there's still Snowfield City...

As long as humanity exists, their pursuit of desires will never cease.

Since there's no way to solve this once and for all...

Why don't you try this...

With a certain plan in mind, the ancient serpent curled its lips in a pleased smile, bent down, and squatted in front of the ancient altar. It bent its fingers and traced lines on the mottled rock surface, and the thin, continuous blood lines seeped into the intricate magic array.

The original runes and spells are quietly changing as they are imbued with holy blood.

The Holy Grail system is undoubtedly a huge and complex project. Just as Samael was making "minor" adjustments to the magic circle diagram in front of him according to his idea, accompanied by a rustling sound, a black shadow resembling a sewer rat darted through the cracks in the rocks with lightning speed, rapidly approaching the target in front of the altar.

However, just as the creature in the darkness opened its sharp jaws and was about to bite its target, a size 40 sneaker suddenly stepped down, and the explosive pressure instantly crushed the thing.

"puff!"

Black blood and purplish-brown bits of flesh splattered everywhere, staining the ground with patches of mottled color.

coming……

Having resolved this unexpected anomaly, the ancient serpent continued modifying the Holy Grail spell with a playful smile on its face.

"You bastard! What are you doing to [her]!"

At that moment, a dull tapping sound of a wooden cane came from the dark passageway behind, accompanied by a hoarse and gloomy roar, mixed with uncontrollable irritability and indignation.

At the same time, a bald old man with limbs as thin as a mummy, deep-set eyes that gleamed with a sharp light, wearing a kimono in blue and dark gray, holding a wooden cane, hunchbacked and short, walked out of the darkness with gritted teeth. A foul, putrid smell spread with the flow of air.

Samael paused, a pleased smile playing on his lips in the darkness.

"Go away!"

The gaunt old man, whose appearance and behavior were both unusual, slammed his cane down in a fit of rage.

"Buzz..."

Suddenly, a cloud of black mist, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing, surged toward the figure in front of the altar with lightning speed.

Through the fluorite radiating a faint glow from the surrounding stone walls, one could vaguely see that the black mist spreading from the cave entrance was filled with tiny, fist-sized insects resembling flying mosquitoes.

Wherever the swarm of insects passed, the stalagmites that grew haphazardly and diagonally on the rock walls along the way were instantly devoured and turned into dust that fell to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, the sharp teeth and blade-like wings create a ferocious appearance and terrifying lethality, sending chills down one's spine.

"Snapped!"

But with a crisp snap of the fingers, several runes symbolizing "fire" and "light" appeared around the man, instantly rising with the wind to form a spiral pillar of fire that enveloped him, burning away the black mist that flew in.

The crackling sound of arthropods bursting open echoed all around, and a strong, acrid smell filled the air.

how come!

In the firelight, the gaunt old man stared at the unharmed figure amidst the flames. His pupils contracted sharply, and his mind, which had suddenly calmed down, sensed something was wrong. He asked in a hoarse voice, "I don't know."

"who are you?"

"Who I am is not important. What's important is that I've been waiting for you for a long time, Zouken Matou..."

The man before the altar slowly turned around, the curve of his lips growing increasingly pleased, as he murmured meaningfully, his dark, snake-like vertical pupils opening and closing silently.

"Or should I call you—Machiri Zorgen?"

A somewhat familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar title echoed in his ears. After a moment of disorientation, the withered old man looked up in surprise at the man in front of the altar.

Machiri Zorgen, that was his original name, and it seems that no one has called him that for over two hundred years.

Because most of those who were familiar with this past have turned to dust with the passage of time.

How could he know?

The moment their eyes met, the withered old man felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, as if he were a mouse being targeted by a venomous snake. The bone-chilling cold swept over him, making his parched soul feel as if it were about to be frozen.

trap!

In an instant, realizing that he was the one being hunted, the old man decisively threw down his cane and, with an agility disproportionate to his physique and age, turned and ran wildly toward the cave entrance.

Heh, trying to run away?

Samael's eyes flashed with a cold light, a sneer appeared on his lips, and he slightly raised his hand, his fingertips hovering in mid-air, outlining dozens of runes.

In an instant, runes rained down like meteors, bombarding Zouken Matou as he fled towards the large void.

Damn!

Sensing a terrifying crisis from behind, the old man cursed under his breath, and his body instantly collapsed like a sandcastle. Countless flying insects broke through his shriveled skin and scattered in all directions.

Tsk tsk tsk!

However, dozens of runes, trailing long streaks of flame, swept across the sky like burning meteors, incinerating all the insects flying through the tunnel into ashes.

Accompanied by occasional crackling and popping, insects emitting squealing sounds like rodents twisted and charred in the flames, then fell to the ground with a rustling sound.

As the swarm of insects suffered a devastating blow, beneath a shriveled leather bag draped in a bluish-gray kimono on the ground, a slender, purplish-black shadow, like a damp slug, cautiously crawled toward the cave entrance.

Finally, after a difficult trek that lasted nearly half an hour, the light source outside the cave was within reach.

They escaped? They really escaped!

As long as he can return to his insect chamber at home, and as long as he can find a fresh body, his life can continue!

The joy of surviving the ordeal instantly filled the insect's mind, and a pair of transparent, thin wings extended from its soft back.

"Snapped!"

However, just as the insect spread its wings and was about to burst out of the hole, a hand reached out from the darkness and effortlessly pinched it between its fingertips.

"Since we're already here, why leave?"

The Demon King murmured softly, his black, serpentine pupils looking down at the strange larvae struggling and wailing before him, his eyes filled with a desolate and chilling emptiness.

Even as he made contact with the Tohsaka mother and her two daughters on the mountain path, he sensed that something was secretly watching the sisters.

It didn't take much effort for the ancient snake to confirm that it was the old insect from the Matou family.

Considering that this old guy was very afraid of his life and was a master at escaping, Samael decided to play along. While tampering with the Holy Grail spell of Mount Enzo, he also managed to lure out this cancerous tumor hiding in Fuyuki City.

As one of the creators of the Fuyuki Holy Grail, this legendary magician's obsession with the Holy Grail was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Similarly, the Holy Grail spell itself also holds special significance for him.

Therefore, Zouken Matou would never stand idly by and watch others covet the Greater Grail.

Just as expected, the old bug couldn't stand the stimulation and jumped into the pit on its own.

Under the divine might of the prison god, the larva held between the fingertips trembled violently, constantly emitting mental fluctuations filled with pleading.

"Let me go! What do you want? Money! Your fortune! Magic! I'll give you anything!"

An aged voice, filled with fear, threw out various chips.

"What about the third law to save humanity?"

Samael glanced back at the altar covered in inscriptions in the center of the large void, and murmured softly, his voice full of profound meaning.

"..."

The strangely familiar words, along with the hazy, fragmented memories in my mind, caused a moment of hesitation.

But in just a moment, the strong will to survive took over its mind again, and the insect in its desperate situation nodded its head busily, like a lapdog wagging its tail and begging for mercy in front of a butcher.

"Yours is yours! And mine too!"

Regardless of how humble or lowly their posture was, the old man did not hesitate in the slightest when he pleaded.

Dignity, power, and wealth are all insignificant to life.

Only by living could he have the chance to realize that wish;

Only by living can he live up to that trust.

Only by living can he be worthy of that... sacrifice...

Intense obsession creates a twisted, burning passion.

He wanted to live!

"You've lived long enough..."

However, the soft whispers echoed in the darkness, and the clenched fingers suddenly tightened.

"puff!"

In an instant, the struggling insect burst out in puffs of blood mist and turned into a pool of scattered flesh.

The severed head and neck of the insect fell to the ground, and its compound eyes, amidst the spinning motion, took in the still-faded red and black mottled altar.

In a daze, a silver-haired, red-eyed saintess dressed in a pure white gown lay on the ground, choosing to sacrifice herself and die a noble death, and appeared before the insect's unfocused eyes.

Faced with this scene, the three beams of light in front of the altar were one anticipating and one witnessing.

The last one, with blue hair and purple eyes, was filled with sorrow.

He wanted to stop it, but ultimately remained silent.

Because this is a necessary sacrifice to save humanity...

There once was a man with lofty ambitions who longed to use the miracle of the Law to eradicate the evil in humanity and participated in the construction of the Fuyuki Holy Grail.

But as time passed and he failed time and time again, he realized that he could no longer fulfill his wish. So he established a family called Matou and decided to use magic to prolong his life so that his descendants would feel the will to never give up their wishes no matter how difficult it was.

However, the passage of time has transformed everything about the man into something alien.

Whether it's appearance, soul, or ambition.

Over time, the soul gradually deteriorates, and under the ensuing pain, will and memory are forgotten or corrupted.

Gradually, he reversed the means and the ends, inhabiting his body and consciousness with filthy insects to devour life and prolong his own, becoming a villain who sought immortality.

— Desperately concealing and resisting, that was the entirety of Zouken Matou's life.

No matter how glorious the goal, the dragon slayer with ideals in mind will eventually fall and become the dragon himself.

Honestly, what have I been doing all these years...?

The insect's head, fallen into the dust, murmurs softly amidst shattered memories. Its vision, gradually losing focus, is completely enveloped by eternal darkness.

Machiri Zorgen, a promising young man with ideals, what a pity.

Samael looked down at the dying, trembling insect head on the ground, sighed, and then…

He stepped on it, carefully crushing and turning the still-active corpse into a puddle of mud with no chance of resurrection.

Throughout the entire process, the ancient snake's expression remained completely unchanged.

He understands the other party's predicament, but that doesn't mean he will forgive the crimes of this former "partner of justice."

The road ahead is rugged; how can things always go as planned?

In this life, who hasn't experienced hardships and difficulties?

As the judge of hell, he sympathizes with this malignant tumor that has lived for five hundred years. Who sympathizes with the hundreds or thousands of lives that died directly or indirectly at his hands?

Well then, rest in peace, old bug.

The demon that punished the souls of the sinners glanced at the remains and scraps of flesh on the ground, waved its hand, and murmured softly.

Of course, if I have time in the future, I wouldn't mind going to your funeral, lighting incense, and paying my respects.

After all, God has forgiven you now.