Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

I... I survived?

But what exactly happened...?

Chapter 219 The Loot Named "Loli" (4.5k)

At the same time, just as the battles in various places were about to end and the scales of victory were irreversibly tipping in favor of the church, a sudden shout rang in everyone's ears.

"Everyone, come back!"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Rin Tohsaka, Ereshkigal, Scáthach, Attila, Koyanskaya, and the others instinctively stopped what they were doing.

"At this point, we must adopt a suppression strategy and not give the enemy even a moment to breathe. If we have any more time..."

At this moment, the Conqueror, who was locked in fierce combat with Charlemagne, hastily turned back and offered professional advice from a military perspective. At the same time, he steered his thunderous chariot and launched a relentless all-out offensive.

laugh!

A beam of pale silver light descended from the sky with lightning speed.

boom!

The devastating hammer of divine punishment fell, tearing the earth apart and splitting the stalemate battlefield in two.

"Stab!"

Iskandar tightened the reins, his hands bulging with muscles and veins, barely managing to bring the thunderous chariot to a stop. The wheels of the divine mighty chariot, which had been sliding sideways, hung precariously on the edge of the chasm. Several pieces of gravel slid from under the wheels into the dark abyss, and no echoes came for a long time.

"hiss……!"

The Conqueror King gasped, a deep sense of dread flashing in his eyes.

Unfathomable depths, immeasurable power!

"I said, stop!"

The cold, icy voice, when it reached Iskandar's ears, seemed strangely familiar.

This is……

Long-forgotten memories surged into his mind, and the Conqueror King subconsciously turned his head in astonishment, looking behind him with a visibly shaken expression.

It was him! It really was him!

Beneath the sky, clad in star armor, bearing golden wings, and wielding the Spear of the End, the figure surveying the entire scene from above no longer possessed the ambiguity of the past, revealing the true face hidden beneath the mist.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Iskandar rose from his chariot, pounded his chest with his right fist, and bowed his head in solemn contemplation.

"Your Majesty, I obey your decree..."

Immediately, to Master Waver's incredulous gaze, the historically arrogant and unruly King of Conquerors decisively steered his chariot, abandoned the fortress that was about to fall, and turned to withdraw from the battlefield.

However, at this moment, Marisbury gazed at the edge of the forest, at the enemy berserker and his own heroic spirit who had stopped the current head of the Ainsworth family, and frowned slightly, also hesitating.

"But……"

"Let them go!"

On the high ground not far away, the gaze was reiterated, cold and sharp.

this……!

Such an absurd answer left Maris Billy stunned and resentful.

"We were so close..."

"Didn't you understand?"

However, before the Celestial Monarch could refute, the Queen of the Shadow Kingdom strolled out from the shadows, her crimson magic spear swirling in her hand, its blade gleaming with light, its meaning self-evident.

"Bazette!"

Unable to contend with the Heroic Spirits, the Celestial Sovereign turned his gaze to the designated seal executor, who was also a colleague of the Clock Tower.

"These mass-produced mutant androids from the Ainsworth family will cause a lot of trouble if they roam the cities. I'll handle them!"

However, Bazett didn't respond, turned and went into the dense forest, where he righteously and sternly took over the finishing work.

Although she is straightforward, she is not stupid.

Moreover, he was not only her follower, but also her teacher.

Once a master makes a decision, almost no one can sway it.

Not only that, Assassin, Archer, and the enemy Saber, along with other Heroic Spirits, also had their magical energy surging within them, eyeing them menacingly.

"This is breaking an oath! You're all insane!"

Seeing that the Heroic Spirits were abandoning their favorable situation and seemed to be showing signs of rebelling and forcing the emperor to resign, Marisbury, unwilling to accept this, issued a serious warning. At the same time, he looked around, trying to find allies to curb the arrogance of these Servants.

But as his gaze swept over the area, the heart of this celestial monarch gradually sank to the bottom.

The head of the Tohsaka family is currently overworked and has fainted; he can no longer be counted on.

The foreign magician Ereshkigal is in cahoots with her servant; no need to ask, pass.

The princess looked indifferent, showing no interest in binding her servants.

Weber, the only one they could try to persuade, was about to speak when a fist the size of a sandbag smashed into his head, turning his words into low groans and muffled moans...

"you!"

The Celestial Sovereign, who was truly obsessed with the Holy Grail War, was speechless with frustration when he saw that he had no one to turn to for help.

rustle……

Just then, a slight sound came from the woods, and a priest who was chasing the enemy Master stepped out from the shadows.

Marisbury's eyes lit up, and a cold glint appeared on his tense face.

"Someone is forcibly interfering with the Holy Grail War. I strongly request the Church to intervene!"

"Oh, I see. No problem."

Upon hearing this, Kirei Kotomine nodded and took the lead, issuing the latest [Holy Grail] command, a pleased smile playing on his lips.

"From this moment forward, a ceasefire is declared! Any transgression will be considered a violation, and all heroic spirits may be unconditionally eliminated!"

"..."

The unexpected answer left Maris Billy speechless, his mind blank.

Are we on the same side? I haven't tried it yet...

The priest's dark eyes gazed at the Celestial Sovereign in front of him, a hint of hidden interest appearing on his face. Three black keys slid from his palms, radiating a chilling light.

But at this moment, Marisbury had no time to care about the malice hidden in the clergyman, because all the faint, eerie gazes from all directions were focused on him, making him feel like he was being pricked.

"Oh, I didn't know that. You should have said so earlier."

Several heroic spirits gathered together drew out their words meaningfully, nodded as if they understood something, and their eyes were full of malice.

"Caster, by a command spell, return!"

Upon seeing this, Marisbury's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he used a Command Spell to forcibly summon Solomon from afar, thus abruptly ending the operation.

Before that, it was still uncertain whether the remnants of Ainsworth could be eliminated in one fell swoop.

But in this situation, I'll definitely be the first to die!

Clearly, it was just a little bit more, just a little bit more!

Seeing that the survivors of the Ainsworth group had already withdrawn and were gradually moving away, the Celestial Sovereign, whose efforts had been in vain, was filled with despair.

Meanwhile, the group of traitorous teammates who had been blocking his path and eyeing him with hostility finally dispersed, satisfied. Some cleaned up the battlefield and erased the traces, while others rushed to the high ground to check the situation. The tense atmosphere that had just been palpable vanished instantly.

Watching everyone walk away triumphantly, Maris Billy began to question the meaning of life, a faint doubt creeping into his mind.

You guys aren't working together to mess with me, are you?

Meanwhile, on the high ground.

How is Alice?

Artoria, who rushed straight to the scene, saw her Master lying unconscious on the grass and anxiously ran forward, wanting to find out what was going on.

"Don't touch her!"

However, before the Knight King could get close, Samael, who was crouching in front of Irisviel and holding Irisviel's right wrist, immediately turned his head, raised his hand, and solemnly stopped him.

However, as its own energy fluctuated, the ancient snake's originally pale face turned bluish-purple as its blood surged upwards.

"you……"

Artoria stopped abruptly, her eyes filled with deep worry, yet she hesitated to speak.

"I am fine."

Samael raised his hand to wipe away a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, refocused on the surging magic within his body, and spoke softly.

"The Lesser Grail is about to overflow."

"What do you mean?"

Artoria was puzzled, but she vaguely sensed something was wrong, and she became anxious and pressed for answers.

"Alice is nearing her limit..."

Samael paused slightly, then pursed his lips and explained the reason.

According to the Einberlen family's plan, Irisviel, as the "Holy Grail Vessel," would gradually lose herself and become unable to act as she continuously absorbed the souls of fallen Servants, exceeding her own magical capacity. Eventually, she would disintegrate into the Lesser Grail, and with the help of the souls of seven Servants, open the Greater Grail to complete the final ritual.

This is what those people believe is the necessary sacrifice that must be made to save humanity.

However, with the change in the ritual of the Holy Grail War, the rule of directly offering the seven drops of the Holy Grail to the Greater Grail after collecting them should have bypassed the Lesser Grail.

However, the current situation is that the small Holy Grail inside Irisviel's body has inexplicably gathered a massive amount of magical power and is gradually overflowing.

Therefore, the Winter Saintess, as the "Holy Grail Vessel," was also on the verge of physical collapse under the onslaught of this massive amount of magic.

Once a new Heroic Spirit dies in battle and its soul is infused into it, the Lesser Grail will completely burst Irisviel's body, and then no one will be able to save her!

That is why this battle absolutely cannot continue.

Therefore, Samael was willing to let the tiger return to the mountain in order to urgently halt this battle of annihilation, which was almost without suspense.

"No! According to you, even if Alice's bodily functions were to stop, at least three Servant souls should have been sacrificed. But so far, neither side has lost a single Servant!"

After listening to Samael's story, Artoria pondered for a moment, but suddenly realized the logical flaws and couldn't help but frown and refute it.

"That's because Ainsworth has something that can replace the Servant's soul."

Samael pressed his lips together, his face gloomy.

"Five drops of the Holy Grail..."

Unexpectedly, the five drops of Holy Grail that Pandora stole during the battle of Mount Enzo were turned into sacrifices and flowed into Irisviel's body.

Immediately realizing the seriousness of the problem, Artoria's expression turned to one of shock.

"That Alice..."

At this moment, Samael released his grip on Irisviel's wrist with a sigh of relief and slowly exhaled the stale air from his chest.

"Fortunately, we arrived in time, and the situation is temporarily stable."

But before Artoria's tense mood could ease, the ancient serpent paused briefly, lowered its head to look at Irisviel lying on the grass like Sleeping Beauty, its gaze solemn.

"But it's only temporary..."

"Even you can't do anything?"

Artoria was startled, her eyes filled with astonishment.

"..."

Samael remained silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly with a gloomy expression.

In reality, the problem is more serious than he claims.

Because the power flowing into the Lesser Grail now is not just the Grail Drops; as the ley lines gradually become active, the spiritual particles scattered across this land are also being gathered into the Lesser Grail, becoming the contents of that ritual vessel.

In other words, even Surut's power was sacrificed.

The nearly overflowing Grail is like a volcano about to ignite; any improper handling would be like adding fuel to the fire, potentially triggering a series of chain reactions that could cause Irisviel to collapse prematurely.

Moreover, it seems that the Einzbern family planted a special instruction in the homunculus family at the beginning of their creation in order to prevent the homunculus from abandoning its mission. That is, once the Lesser Grail gathers the souls of the fallen Servants, the Grail vessel, as the host, will begin to gradually self-destruct according to a predetermined program.