Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Don't be too happy yet. As far as I know, we're not the only ones who have discovered this secret."

Ai Lei gave a light snort, interrupting the twins' daydreams, and turned her head to glance in the direction of the shopping street, her gaze serious.

“I saw Scáthach on the way just now.”

"Surely Skadi isn't still around?"

"No, they don't have a natural anchor point like we do in the real world. It's already quite an accident that one of them managed to break out."

"Then there's no problem! With the two of us working together, what's there to be afraid of?"

Ishtar, her back slightly hunched, stood confidently upright as she grabbed Ereshkigal's arm, radiating confidence.

"You've remembered me now?"

Ereshkigal rolled her eyes at Ishtar, her gaze filled with disdain.

"We are two sides of the same coin; what's yours is me, and what's mine is still mine..."

"Ok?"

"Ahem, what's mine is yours too..."

Ishtar, who had inadvertently spoken her true feelings, gave an embarrassed smile and quickly corrected herself.

This Queen of the Shadow Kingdom is the only remaining strategic nuclear weapon of the Irish lineage. During the Covenant War, she temporarily established the Humanity Front of the Tenth Sequence based on the Shadow Kingdom, personally overseeing its defense and becoming the last shield protecting Avalon. Her strength is beyond doubt.

Moreover, this woman possesses special abilities against divinity, as well as a natural class advantage of spear over bow. To be honest, Ishtar would be quite intimidated if she faced her alone.

However, with Ai Lei added to the mix, they would definitely win a fair two-on-one battle.

At this moment, Ai Lei realized that her twin sister was harboring a lot of bad intentions, and couldn't help but snort mockingly.

"What about Chen back then? Didn't you say he'd always been very good to you?"

"That's right!"

Ishtar nodded, her eyes darting around, and then gave a confident explanation.

"However, since winning the Holy Grail is the long-cherished wish of the Tohsaka family, then I, a descendant of the Tohsaka family, also have the obligation to shoulder this responsibility, which can be considered as sharing the burden with my father."

"...You are such a thoughtful and good daughter..."

After a moment of silence, Ai Lei spoke softly, her eyes revealing deep disdain.

This guy even came up with a reason in advance; he clearly had planned to go in and cause trouble all along.

"Likewise, my half-sister..."

Ishtar rested her raised elbow on Ereshkigal's shoulder, making a few sarcastic remarks, and then extended her hand with a smile.

"Then, happy working together."

"Hmph, just don't let me down at the crucial moment."

Eresh nodded, gave a soft hum of reminder, and extended her right hand to shake hands with her ally.

Soon, the two sisters whispered among themselves and reached a preliminary consensus.

As is widely known, the Holy Grail War is conducted in secret.

The safest approach is to conceal one's identity, patiently wait for the right opportunity, and become the hunter in the dark.

Therefore, the two decided to separate temporarily and focus on playing their original roles well.

After the plan was finalized, Ishtar picked up her backpack, snapped her fingers, and the overflowing divine power gradually subsided. Her swollen body also shrank back to its original size, transforming her back into a harmless little elementary school girl.

"By the way, just to be on the safe side, and to keep our identities hidden, let's change how we address each other. You can call me by my current name—Rin, Rin Tohsaka..."

The little girl with black hair and twin ponytails, while slinging a backpack over her shoulder, turned to her Master behind her and smiled sweetly, her delicate face filled with warmth.

Clearly, she enjoys her current life and likes who she is now.

Ereshkigal nodded, thought for a moment, and then smiled and spoke.

"My name abroad is... Ereshkigal..."

After agreeing on a new way of addressing each other, Ereshkigal reached into her handbag and pulled out a small, exquisite cell phone, which she tossed to Rin Tohsaka.

"If you need anything, contact me using this; it contains my phone number."

With that, Ereshkigal waved her hand, dispelling the magical barrier. Mikizuka nimbly jumped over the wall, mounted her little motorcycle, and sped away.

Rin Tohsaka stared at the new technological product in her hand, lost in thought, her brows furrowing and her face contorted in distress.

By the way, how do you use this thing?

Incidentally, besides their inherited tendency to mess things up, the Tohsaka family also has a talent—being terrible at electrical appliances.

Tokiomi Tohsaka is keen on upholding the pride of a magician and is not particularly interested in new technological things.

As the daughter, Rin Tohsaka became even more incompetent under this kind of family education. She was not good at any electronic devices and would not understand anything if there were more than ten buttons.

However, Ereshkigal, who also has the bloodline of the Tohsaka family but was born in Western Europe, is an exception.

Having been cooped up underground for so long, Ereshkigal is filled with curiosity about new things after entering human society. She is not only proficient in operating various electronic instruments, but also a skilled computer hacker.

Therefore, in a sense, she is the "Rin" who is least like the Tohsaka bloodline.

At this moment, Rin Tohsaka, who had been fiddling with the device for a while without even being able to turn it on, suddenly felt a headache coming on. Helpless, she could only throw the thing she couldn't figure out into her bag and wait to study it slowly later.

As Rin Tohsaka walked out of the alley and started her journey home, she turned and looked back at the dark alleyway, which gave her a feeling of being in another world.

Amidst her reflections, new questions also welled up in Rin Tohsaka's mind.

Strange, who summoned the phantom to attack her?

Could it be that they came for my father?

Forget about that for now. Let Ereshkigal investigate first. She's been away for so long; if she doesn't come home soon, Tokiomi and Aoi will worry.

Having no clue what to do for the time being, Rin Tohsaka shook her head, got up and walked towards the Tohsaka residence.

As the petite figure receded into the distance in the alley, several hundred meters away, a few crows perched on power lines, their eyes flashing red, took flight from the flock.

"Pullingleng..."

Inside a dark, nameless cave, accompanied by the dull flapping of wings, several swooping crows transformed into several shimmering, eerie feathers, which gently drifted down into an outstretched palm.

As the few black feathers in her hand turned into specks of light and dust, a pair of orange eyes slowly opened.

"My lord, the seventh Servant has already appeared, but due to the obstruction of the magical barrier, the familiars I released were unable to detect any valid identity information."

A handsome man, dressed in a white academic gown, with long black hair cascading down his shoulders, exuding an air of elegance and intellect, stepped forward and bowed slightly in reverence towards the deep darkness of the cave.

"You did a great job. Stealth is the first principle we must follow."

A beam of light flickered and illuminated her stunningly beautiful face with silver hair and red eyes. A languid, nasal tone of praise escaped from her slightly parted cherry lips.

"It seems that the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City is about to begin."

Then, her ruby-like eyes sparkled with a playful glint, and her exquisite face radiated a mixture of anticipation and mischievousness.

"Now that all the actors have arrived, we should take our seats. After all, how can such a fun game be complete without an audience?"

Under this ray of light, figures emerged from the darkness and looked up one after another.

Their gazes, whether indifferent, disdainful, reverent, or humble, were focused on the silver-haired elf who had gathered them on the high platform.

Heroic spirits, they really are all unruly fellows.

They would be even more difficult to control if not for the Master's restraint.

Even the sharpest sword is only a perfect weapon when it is in your own hands.

The silver-haired elf on the high platform raised her head slightly, her eyes sweeping over the group of heroic spirits standing arrogantly beside their respective masters, her gaze finally landing on the two figures, one large and one small, standing silently at the exit of the passageway, like exquisite dolls.

On the left is a short, rude little girl with golden eyes and red hair, dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion, her outfit mostly red and black, carrying a lace-trimmed parasol.

On the right is a tall, slender girl with long, golden hair tied back, empty, cold blue eyes, wearing golden armor on her lower body and only underwear on her upper body, her skin covered in red markings, and her pupils indifferent and aloof.

Immediately afterwards, the silver-haired elf turned her gaze to a blonde, blue-eyed girl on the field, dressed in an indigo princess dress, with a bright and harmless smile, and a happy smile appeared on her lips.

It seems I have quite a bit of influence, Father.

A sea of ​​trees, Eindzbernburg.

The silver-haired beauty standing by the window, gazing into the distance, had a furrowed brow, her former innocent and carefree spirit completely gone.

"What's wrong, Alice?"

Wearing hot pants and a sweatshirt, Artoria, who is increasingly integrated into modern society, stepped forward, patted her Master who was in a bad mood, and asked with concern.

"The Holy Grail War seems to be about to begin..."

Irisviel opened her lips and murmured, her gaze wistful, her fingers unconsciously clenching tightly a jet-black scale hanging in front of her chest.

Artoria glanced at her Master, whose thoughts were practically written all over her face, and gave a light snort of annoyance.

"Are you still bothered by that guy rejecting you before?"

"Not at all……"

Irisviel, her secret exposed, gave an awkward smile, then lightly bit her cherry lips, her gaze lost.

"There are just some things I can't figure out."

If you can't figure it out, don't think about it.

Artoria offered her advice earnestly, then solemnly reminded her.

"Alice, this competition is about to begin. It would be very dangerous for you to enter the battlefield in your current state."

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Artoria..."

Irisviel gently cupped the knight's hand, her face flushed with embarrassment. The intimate touch and the pure face before her made Artoria blush. She stiffened her neck, turned her head, and hummed softly.

"What I'm worried about is the Holy Grail!"

"Yes, I know."

Irisviel was not annoyed at all; instead, she smiled radiantly, making the knight protecting the princess even more embarrassed.

Just as the aloof and icy Knight King was beginning to falter at the princess's innocent charm, Irisviel seemed to remember something, turned to her servant, and asked earnestly.

"Artoria, if you obtained the Holy Grail, what would you want to do?"

"Of course, it's to rebuild Britain! Let my kingdom descend!"

The Knight King instinctively opened his mouth to respond, his tone becoming solemn and impassioned.

As Irisviel's gaze fell upon the intense heat and longing emanating from those golden eyes, she paused slightly, then took Artoria's hands, nodded emphatically, and revealed a radiant smile.

"Okay, it's settled then. I'll do my best to help you achieve this wish."

The sudden announcement startled Artoria for a moment before she recovered and nodded seriously.

"Okay, let's work together to achieve our goal!"

Irisviel nodded, smiling without saying a word.

What Artoria didn't know was that there was only one Holy Grail, and only one wish.

As Servants, they are destined to sacrifice themselves to fulfill their Master's wishes, becoming offerings for the summoning of the Holy Grail.

Irisviel's promise was, in effect, a transfer of this power to her servant.

Having made her decision, the silver-haired beauty inexplicably felt much lighter. Her ruby-like eyes gazed at Fuyuki City, where she had been, and murmured silently.

You rejected the Einzbern family's ideals; perhaps, it was truly a mistake.

In that case, let's give this wish to the person who truly needs it.

I just want to know if, when we meet again, you will share this wish, accept my invitation, and fight alongside me.

After a moment of silence, Irisviel smiled, her thoughts turning back. She turned to look at the Knight King beside her and asked curiously.

"Artoria, can you tell me what Britain was like before?"

"it is good!"

In high spirits, the knight king nodded subconsciously and began to happily recount his dream kingdom.

The streams flow gently, the trees are lush and green, the produce is plentiful, and the people live in peace and contentment—everything is so beautiful.

It seemed to be without flaws or filth.

As Irisviel listened attentively, her doubts grew deeper and deeper until she finally couldn't help but ask.