Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Just as the father and daughter, reunited after a long separation, were gazing at each other with deep affection and expressing their longing for one another in the Star Palace, a series of shattering sounds came from outside the main hall.

Looking around, cracks spread rapidly across the surface of the four elemental tablets.

boom!boom!boom!boom!

Immediately afterwards, the four-colored [foundation stones] that constituted the starry world shattered and turned into clumps of drifting crystal dust.

Four familiar figures broke free from their predicament.

Immediately after seeing Samael impaled in the chest and nailed to a stone pillar, the four instinctively headed towards the Star Palace.

At this moment, the ancient snake, sensing something was wrong, changed color upon seeing this situation, violently shook its chest, and roared a warning.

"do not come!"

However, it was too late.

Desperate to save lives, Kama and Attila rushed into the temple in an instant and ran toward Samael.

But at this moment, the witch standing in the center of the star palace turned around leisurely, her face beaming with a smile, like a singer taking the stage, her arms outstretched, her chest throbbing, her lips moving.

“Laaaa!”

In an instant, a ethereal and soaring hymn burst forth, causing gold and jade to shatter and stones to break apart!

Instantly, the alien key buried below and the remnant of the wandering star suspended in deep space began to hum and vibrate, and circles of blue and white light patterns spread out.

Attila and Kama, who were charging ahead, were instantly affected by the commotion, causing them to pause and their expressions to change.

The Hunnic king, who was at the forefront of the attack, immediately had the silver-gray star emblem on his skin flicker faintly. In his scarlet eyes, light patterns intertwined, revealing a cold undertone. He mechanically turned around to face Solomon and Alexander, slowly raising the colorful sword of the god of war in his hand. The chilling killing intent stirred up an ethereal storm in the starry sky.

The interlocking star rings resembled cannon muzzles that were focusing, their thunderous power poised to be unleashed.

The biting chill immediately set off alarm bells in the hearts of the two church heroes who followed behind. Their expressions changed, and they both stopped and assumed defensive stances.

It’s over, the sound of heaven is assimilated!

Samael watched helplessly as his two trump cards, whom he had just recruited and had barely gotten to know, were delivered to his doorstep and betrayed him again. He closed his eyes in melancholy, unable to bear to look at them.

"Boom!"

Moments later, the sky above the ruins of Ainsworth collapsed and twisted rapidly, and then a beam of colorful light ploughed through the dense thunderclouds, and the distorted spatial barrier shattered amidst a roar.

boom!boom!

Two figures flew backwards like falling stars, crashing heavily into the scorched woodland on the outskirts, raising clouds of dust.

Immediately afterwards, an open-air temple, shimmering with starlight, materialized from the clouds. Two goddesses, each with a star halo above their heads and blue and white light patterns floating on their bodies, stood guard on either side of the majestic building, each holding a sword and bow, their faces expressionless.

In the very center of the temple, a bewitching figure dressed in red and black heavenly robes, holding a cube of ink-like darkness, gazes down at the ravaged land with a smug smile on his lips.

The real game has begun!

Chapter 239 Open the door, the black cup brings warmth! (4.4k)

At this moment, amidst the devastated ruins of Ainsworth, Artoria, who had successfully dealt with the remnants of Caster Paracelsus and was fiercely slaying shadow followers, was drawn to the strange phenomenon in the clouds.

"Ellie!"

As his gaze fell upon the familiar face atop the palace, and the figure that seemed to have regained its health, the Knight King instinctively cried out in delight.

and many more……!

However, as her gaze shifted downwards, the inky blackness of the Heavenly Robe and the unfamiliarity emanating from her soul caused Artoria's expression to change drastically, and she coldly roared.

"No, you're not Alice! Who are you?!"

Pandora gracefully stepped to the edge of the Cloud Temple, overlooking the stalemate on the battlefield and the two factions of heroic spirits locked in fierce combat. A pleasant smile curved her lips as she spoke softly.

“My name is Justissa Rislesi von Einzbern, the one who established the Holy Grail ritual and will grant your wishes…”

The Holy Grail!

Immediately, with Pandora's public self-disclosure, the Masters and Servants, who were slow to realize what was happening, all looked surprised and their hearts were filled with turmoil.

Justeza, the head of the Einzbern family, one of the three families who, two hundred years ago, joined forces with Machiri Zolgen and Nagato Tohsaka in Fuyuki City to plan the First Holy Grail War. The Homunculus created by the Einzbern family later became the foundation of the Greater Grail, and she is known as the "Winter Saintess," a great magus.

She was not the kind of gentle, loving woman in the traditional sense, or a pure woman chosen by the gods. Rather, she was a saint who was willing to offer herself as a living sacrifice for the ideals she pursued.

A unique entity shrouded in mystery within the world of magic.

Legend has it that she was created by the Einzbern family of magicians through 900 years of effort, based on the missing Third Magician.

According to the idealists' vision, she was supposed to be the key to human salvation, leading the human species into a new era.

However, for various reasons, the Third Law engraved on her body is not perfect, and its use is extremely costly.

Simply put, Justisa's third magic is a near-intricate weaving technique, which takes years to save even one person. At this rate, it would be impossible to save all of humanity.

Thus, the Holy Grail Ritual came into being.

Putting aside all the secrets and rumors of the past, if she really is the first Winter Saintess, the dawn of salvation seems to be just around the corner.

But, is this true?

"The Holy Grail is now full. Cease this pointless strife. Offer your requests, for salvation shall begin here..."

Just as everyone was hesitant, the saintess dressed in heavenly robes spread her hands and spoke softly, exuding an air of compassion and empathy.

Meanwhile, Pandora used the same trick again, opening a red and black light hole in each of three places: the front of her crown, her chest, and her lower abdomen. The ground hummed and trembled, and Mount Enzo, the core altar of the Greater Grail, shook accordingly. Red and black light-like outlines, resembling human veins, rapidly spread across the ground.

That benevolent phantom, which was initially engraved within a kilometer of Mount Enzo, rapidly expanded, instantly covering the entire city's ley lines. Simultaneously, it opened its eyes, gazing compassionately at the starry sky, and stretched out its arms, embracing the entire Fuyuki City amidst turmoil and chaos.

hum!

With the final stroke, the red and black human silhouette drawn from the spiritual veins echoed the humanoid phantom formed by the stars in the sky, confirming what the Winter Saintess had said.

It's actually true!

The heroic spirits and their masters were all moved, the battle slowed down, and their gazes toward the Winter Saintess gradually became more intense.

Among them, the longing in the eyes of several traditional magicians, such as Tokiomi Tohsaka and Maris Billy, was particularly intense.

Fighting to the death is all for the sake of obtaining the Holy Grail and achieving what one desires.

Now that our wishes are within easy reach, why fight each other?

"Idiots, why would you believe anything she says? Don't be fooled by this wicked woman!"

Just as everyone was overwhelmed by this unexpected windfall and their hearts were pounding with excitement, a soft whisper came from high above, like a bucket of cold water poured over their overheated heads.

That cold questioning carried a familiar tone.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and were shocked to see a pioneer who had previously entered the star palace hanging on the central stone pillar, like a piece of cured meat swaying in the wind.

"Samael!"

Ereshkigal, Rin Tohsaka, Scáthach, Koyanskaya, and others exclaimed in shock. In their haste, they involuntarily called out the true name of the ancient serpent and instinctively tried to break through the surging black tide on the ground, as well as the dense array of Shadow Servants and several enemy Heroic Spirits blocking their way, to rush into the temple in the clouds and rescue their old friends.

Haiku: "Don't come any closer!"

Upon seeing this, Samael suddenly roared and quickly warned the group of old acquaintances.

This meticulously constructed temple has [Alien Keys] buried at its feet and [Remnants of Wandering Planets] hanging overhead. In addition, it is surrounded by a vast amount of [Magic Box Black Mud]. Without corresponding resistance, anyone who comes here is basically a sitting duck.

After all, special beings like him and Ti Ma, who can swim in the black mud without any problem and are directly immune to the pollution of the asteroids, are ultimately only a minority.

However, if one acts blindly and is corrupted by the power of the three things, it will only allow Pandora to control more and more cards.

Attila and Kama serve as cautionary tales.

Samael glanced at Attila and Kamo, who stood like gatekeepers on either side of the temple, and offered a subtle reminder using an example.

"Be careful, this woman isn't so easy to deal with!"

The fall of the two trump cards was partly due to the fact that the Great King was naturally less resistant to Yusei's will, and partly due to Sakura Tohsaka's immature mind as the host, but it was also due to the sinister hand that Pandora himself had left behind.

It's likely that the program that allowed Ainsworth and his group to bypass their Masters and directly control the Servants using the Greater Grail's authority was secretly written into them as soon as they summoned the Servants.

Otherwise, even if Attila and Kama were careless, they wouldn't have returned to Pandora's hands so quickly.

Similarly, Cú Chulainn, the Son of Light with his beastly instincts, Ramses II, the pharaoh of Egypt who was one of the nine pillars, and Paracelsus, the great sage who was not lacking in insight, all failed at Pandora's hands.

Naturally, there are reasons behind this.

Immediately, after Samael's reminder and seeing the apocalyptic scene around them, everyone realized that the "Saintess" before them was not as harmless as she appeared. Their expressions changed, and they subconsciously became wary and apprehensive, secretly putting some distance between themselves and the eerie temple.

Tch, so meddlesome!

At this moment, Pandora, who originally intended to take down this group of magicians and heroic spirits without bloodshed, saw the wary reaction of everyone, glared at a piece of dried meat that had fallen into her hand, and then showed a sadness of being misunderstood and pity for the fools on her face. She raised her hand and made a solemn promise.

"I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, I swear!"

At the same time, the compassionate Winter Saintess shook her head slightly and murmured sadly.

“You have answered the call of the Holy Grail and gathered here, naturally you have desires. Clearly, the blood that needed to be shed has been shed, and I have already promised to spare no effort to create a world where everyone is satisfied. Why are there still some who are not content and want to monopolize salvation…”

Although there was no explicit accusation in her words, merely a simple expression of her sorrow, every word hinted at something:

There are bad apples among the masses, and some people want to hog everything!

The reasoned and well-founded response made the magicians waver and a hint of suspicion arise in their hearts.

After all, the magicians have risked their lives and fortunes in this game, and now that the Holy Grail is within reach, it's unlikely they'll give up now.

“She is Yestesa, that’s fine; the Holy Grail is overflowing, that’s fine; and she can grant her wish, that’s fine too. But she didn’t say how she would achieve this result.”

Samael, perched on the pillar, looked down at Pandora, who was putting on a show below, using the opportunity to turn the tables and put him and the other magicians and heroic spirits on the opposite side, intending to divide the church's ranks, and sneered coldly.

"The most brilliant lie is to tell the truth, but only the part of the truth that is in your own interest...!"

"What do you mean?"

Marisbury, who was completely bewildered by the duel between the two masters but whose heart was set on the Holy Grail, couldn't help but ask a question first.

"Okay, to put it simply, you want to become rich and complete your research, right?"

Samael, who had almost never lost a verbal battle, looked meaningfully at the astronomical monarch, gave an example, and pointed out the problem incisively.

"She can give you a large sum of money to boost your wealth; or she can choose to help you eliminate everyone in the world who is richer than you, and then you can rank whatever you want on the Forbes list!"

Upon hearing this, Marisbury looked surprised and instinctively glanced at the Winter Saintess.

Pandora blinked and smiled without saying a word.

Immediately, the Celestial Sovereign, who had vaguely deciphered the answer from it, froze, his face turning ashen.

There seems to be something wrong with this Holy Grail!

At this moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was also unable to contain himself, couldn't help but press for an answer.

"What if you wish to reach the source?"

"Reaching the source?"

Samael rolled his eyes at his Master, who had been manipulated by Pandora and stabbed him three times, and replied irritably.

"All things originate from the source. If you are eliminated, your scattered spiritual particles will naturally return to the source of everything. Wouldn't that count as bringing you back to the source?"

Upon hearing this revolutionary answer, Tokiomi Tohsaka was struck dumb, instinctively shaking his head and muttering to himself.

"No way! What is this? Absolutely impossible!"

"Tokiomi, don't you understand? Although the Holy Grail Ritual has the power to grant wishes, it has long been corrupted. The process of granting wishes is often achieved through 'negative and distorted' means."

The ancient serpent gazed at its Master, who was disheveled in the wind, sighed softly, and pointed to the top of its head.

"Otherwise, you really expect this thing upstairs to deliver warmth properly? A clearance sale, seven portions at a time?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had spent his entire life preparing for the Holy Grail War, wanted to refute, but as he looked up at the overcast sky and the gradually opening, billowing mud pouring down onto the ground through the red and black "Heavenly Hole," he was speechless and his face turned ashen.

Samael simply shattered everyone's illusions, completely extinguishing any possibility they might harbor of defecting to the enemy.

"Anastasia wants to see her family. After so long, it's unrealistic for the dead to come back to life. If I make you a dead person, will your souls be reunited?"

"If Weber wants to gain the approval of everyone in the Clock Tower, he should kill all those who don't approve of him. Wouldn't that make him the most popular person?"

"Solomon wants to break free of his shackles. As a human being, the Holy Grail doesn't stipulate how many days you can live..."

Now it was the other Servants and Masters' turn; their faces darkened, and they fell silent.

"Similarly, the Einzbern family's even grander aspirations were no exception."

The ancient serpent paused, glanced discreetly at a certain spot, and then spoke again, briefly recounting the twisted ways in which everyone had achieved their demands.

"Human salvation? How do we define 'human'? What constitutes salvation? There are six billion people in the world, with diverse thoughts and desires that are impossible to unify! If we remove more than 59 billion of them, leaving only one or two, and then keep them as pets and satisfy their needs, does that mean 'humanity' has been saved?"