Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Thus, what was supposed to be an ambush turned into a battle of annihilation between the two, and the final battle ended amidst their glaring eyes and shouting.

Fortunately, children's tempers come and go quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the two victorious returnees were immersed in the joy of drinking cola and tearing apart chicken wings.

Overwhelmed by maternal instincts, Liu Daolingxia knelt down, took a wet wipe, and carefully wiped the filth from her daughter's face, which was stained with traces of blood.

However, the blood appeared to be an unusual bluish-green color.

And they came from the bodies of those artificial life forms on the ground, with pale muscle blocks, degenerated facial features, and only three empty black holes.

"How come the Yggdrasil family's artificial human army is like this?"

Samael looked at the inhuman, deformed corpse before him with astonishment.

"They used to hunt me down"

Ours is the same, that's right..."

Liu Daolingxia nodded in response, somewhat puzzled.

The ancient snake gestured for a while and then asked the question that had been bothering it.

"Shouldn't they look more like humans?"

"These artificial beings can mimic a simple appearance and blend into the crowd, but once they enter combat mode, their true nature will be revealed."

Liu Daolingxia answered truthfully, then thought for a moment and added.

"I had previously seen a general record of the Chikyu family's development of artificial life in Sagara Hyoma's collection of books."

Initially, they planned to learn from the Einzbern family, who stood at the pinnacle of the field of artificial life, and create perfect artificial life forms that mimicked human appearance as much as possible, and put them into use.

But a few years ago, the Einzbern family was wiped out overnight, supposedly due to an artificial life riot.

They were so human-like and so perfect that they developed a strong sense of self and rebelled against their creator.

Therefore, this alerted the Yggdrasil family. They believed that man-made objects should be distinguished from their creators and that they could choose to enhance the functionality of these man-made objects rather than excessively pursuing their resemblance to the human body in appearance.

Therefore, the artificial bodies that the Yggdrasil family is currently mass-producing are basically all of this model..."

After listening to Liu Daolingxia's detailed account from beginning to end, Samael looked at the inhuman-looking remains of artificial life forms scattered on the ground, and his expression became somewhat subtle.

To be honest, he didn't know that leveling Einzbernburg would bring about a series of chain reactions.

However, it's also good to distinguish between artificial beings and humans, just like the cloning technology that is prohibited from being misused, so that it won't cause too many ethical and moral problems.

After briefly sorting out his thoughts, Samael shook his head slightly and turned to wave to the three people behind him.

"Are you full? Let's go."

The two brats, who had been at loggerheads just moments before, exchanged a glance, their eyes sparkling, and simultaneously raised their hands to make their demands.

"Takeout!"

“Eat on the road!”

Looking at the two little ones who had unknowingly conspired together, Samael couldn't help but chuckle. He pretended to hesitate for a moment before reluctantly agreeing to their request under their eager gazes.

As the fog dissipated, the fully loaded off-road vehicles roared to life and resumed their journey.

The remains of earthen and stone puppets and artificial life on the streets turned into sand and white fluff, drifting away with the wind and eventually leaving no trace.

Meanwhile, in Tulipas, at the castle of Yogdomirenia.

The Yggdrasil family, commonly known as the "Thousand World Tree," originated from a lineage of magicians in Northern Europe. Their defining characteristic is the extreme rarity, or rather, the near absence, of their magical crests. Generally, crests are something passed down through generations of magicians as proof of their lineage. While there are instances of fragmented crests, this is almost exclusively done by close relatives.

However, as its name suggests, the World Tree, over the long years, has become increasingly thin and its roots have expanded—meaning it has lost most of the functions of its imprints—and thus chose the path of increasing the number of bloodline members known as the 'World Tree'. Most importantly, these imprints can be easily transplanted onto anyone, whether they are completely unrelated or have already inherited other imprints, just like applying a sticker.

This imprint possesses only a faint concept of synchronization and the ability to distinguish whether someone is a vampire of the 'Thousand Worlds Tree'. The loss of all individuality, leaving only the last vestige of universality, is precisely why the Thousand Worlds Tree race can proliferate abnormally.

A clan whose magic circuits were gradually declining, a clan that lost its inscription due to an accident, and a clan that was defeated in political struggles—all these clans gathered together, a clan that was about to be excluded from the world of magicians, and thus the Yggdrasil grew stronger.

Of course, even if someone among them completes the magic or reaches the source, no one will praise the Yggdrasil race—but if they achieve it only for the selfish desire of "leaving a name," they might be called the vampire of the Yggdrasil.

Regardless, the Yggdrasil family, relying on its "quantity" rather than the "quality" that magicians pride themselves on, has continuously gathered and assimilated a vast number of magicians in the world, building a huge family lineage.

This is why they were able to fight against the behemoth that is the Clock Tower with the strength of their entire race and the territory of Tulipas.

However, at this very moment, the patriarch of the Yggdrasil clan in the castle's study, who had just defeated the Mage's Association's expeditionary force, showed no joy on his face. Instead, he stared at the crystal ball shrouded in a hazy mist on the velvet cushion in front of him, his face gloomy and his expression unpleasant.

"The three additional squads we sent out were wiped out without a sound. To this day, we don't even know if the other side is male or female! What kind of monster did that idiot Sagara Hyoma mess with?!"

The man was tall with purple eyes, long dark green hair tied back with a black ribbon, and wore a black and white uniform of the "Thousand World Tree" clan. He was also wearing a white cloak and holding a cane. He looked like a young man of only twenty-six or thirty years old, but his real age was ninety-seven.

In fact, Danic's main area of ​​magic is related to the soul. Through continuous experimentation, he developed a magic that can turn the souls of others into his own sustenance, thereby allowing him to regain his youth and prolong his life.

However, this is a spell that is infinitely close to being forbidden.

It wasn't an ethical issue; Danic would do anything to save his own life, even smashing an infant's skull.

He didn't resign. Rather, it was because this magic was far too dangerous. The slightest mishap would result in instant death. In the past sixty years, he had only consumed souls three times. All three times, the rituals were performed under the most perfect conditions he could conceive, yet even then, the adaptation rate of body and soul was already below 60%.

If this continues, sooner or later, his diluted soul will gradually lose the personality of "Dannick".

That is why the patriarch of the Thousand World Tree was willing to turn against the Clock Tower in order to seize that faint opportunity to step into the source.

As for family and consequences, in the game of power, these are nothing more than the victor taking all.

As a power-wielding being known for "deception" and treating betrayal as commonplace, he doesn't care about such things at all; the Holy Grail and the Root are probably his only goals right now.

However, even after decades of preparation and countless efforts and hardships, before a full-scale war with the Magic Association could even begin, the Yggdrasil family was already facing numerous internal problems, which greatly annoyed Danic.

According to the plan, he first obtained a large number of high-priced and valuable 800-year-old gems and parchment, as well as many precious relics, from the Magic Association through clever fraud. The Magic Association did not even realize that something was wrong before receiving the declaration of war.

Subsequently, he swiftly eliminated the spies and assassins of the Magic Association, extending the influence of the Thousand World Tree family to the entire Tulipas.

Everything went surprisingly smoothly.

Next, as long as we gather the crowd and summon the seven riders step by step, we can take full control of the situation.

However, things took an unexpected turn.

One of the chosen Masters, Hyoma Sagara, acted on his own initiative and blindly summoned the creature without any preparation.

As a result, the idiot was not only killed by the summoned Servant, but also lost his Command Seals.

In an effort to mitigate the losses as much as possible, Danic dispatched several groups of androids and his subordinate magicians in hopes of regaining his Assassin.

However, the intercepting teams failed one after another, which even angered the enemy, causing them to head towards Romania.

Before the game even started, the planned seven riders were already missing one member. Magicians, artificial beings, and puppets had also suffered considerable losses, and an unknown nemesis had been added to the mix. The Yggdrasil family had suffered heavy losses.

That bastard is a complete failure, good for nothing!

Enraged, Danic gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath, wishing he could drag out the long-dead Sagara Hyoma and whip his corpse a hundred times.

If I had known, I should have treated him as a Jew and sent him to a concentration camp so he could experience the gas chambers!

A former war criminal who participated in the Third Holy Grail War decades ago and joined the Nazis wished he could unleash all the malice in his mind on the insect that ruined his plans.

Finally, Danic hesitated for a moment, his eyes flashed, and he picked up the phone, speaking coldly into the other end.

"Summon Gold and Saber..."

Chapter Thirty-Six: You Have Big Breasts, You Call the Boss! (4k)

During the autumn harvest season, the boundless fields are a golden expanse.

The ripe wheat ears have become full and golden. The warm air blows by, creating waves of golden wheat and carrying the aroma of wheat grains.

Everything was so tranquil and beautiful.

"Take away the food from these lowly people, burn down their houses, and see if they dare to tip them off again!"

However, with the intrusion of a group of outsiders, all the peace and beauty vanished like shattered bubbles.

This is France in 1424, in a small town called Domrémy.

Although it still aspires to the royal family, it is already surrounded by Burgundian territory.

As the front lines of the battlefield, darkness and chaos are the true colors of this era.

War and smoke, bloodshed and death, cries and wailing were almost everywhere you looked.

The wind howled fiercely, the fire raged, and rows of houses quickly burst into flames as the demons laughed and whistled as they moved further away.

A blonde girl with a headscarf and a ponytail clumsily squeezed into the fence, clutching the lamb she had raised herself. Before she could even catch her breath, the crackling sound of burning wood reached her ears.

Looking back, the road we came from was already completely red.

As the fire spread, choking smoke filled the air, constantly flooding the girl's nostrils, and her consciousness became increasingly blurred.

At the same time, misfortune struck again. The burned-out fences began to fall and tilt, and the girl trapped inside was about to be crushed by the burning logs and die on the spot.

"boom!"

Unexpectedly, the massive, sinking tree was repelled by an invisible force, and the sparks and flames that flew up gathered in mid-air to form a humanoid silhouette with crimson angel wings.

This was the last thing the girl saw before she fell into a coma.

After that, all she remembered was that embrace—it was warm, soft, and reassuring.

When she woke up, she was lying on the nearby grass, holding a lamb, and miraculously unharmed.

Clearly, the Holy Spirit in the flames saved her.

But not everyone is as lucky as her.

Looking around, the former home has been reduced to a pile of black rubble in this fire.

Losing their home and their food

People who have lost loved ones and hope sat numbly on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, their eyes devoid of life.

"Lord, have you forsaken France, have you forsaken us?"

On the parched fields, the girl gazed at the devastated village, her eyes filled with confusion and pain.

"No, He is with you."

A saint with long, loose purple hair, dazzling like a flame, stood in the wind, answering quietly.

The girl held the lamb in her arms, pursed her lips, and her dark little face was full of resentment.

"Then why doesn't He come to save us? Why does He let us be bullied?"

"Your ancestors, the Frankish Kingdom, also once conquered the Burgundians. At that time, their country was still an independent kingdom. Later, they went from independence to vassalage and became subordinate to France."

The purple-haired saint smiled dismissively, shook his head, and asked in return.

"You kill the Burgundians, and the Burgundians kill you. If the Burgundians also pray for the Lord's favor, then who should truly be the one to be destroyed?"

Those deep eyes seemed to hold the rolling waves of time.

The girl was speechless and fell silent. Then she looked at him with a pout, feeling somewhat aggrieved.

"He must still be angry with us."

The girl thought of the village priest, and how he described how the first humans were expelled from the Garden of Eden for committing original sin, and were no longer able to enjoy God's blessings, but could only suffer on earth. His heartbroken expression made her feel a little lost as she looked at the ruins and desolation before her.

"So, are we born to bear the sin of being expelled from Eden?"

"No, He has already cleansed you of the sins that need to be redeemed, and what He has given you is only the most beautiful gift."

The purple-haired saint touched the compassionate human figure on the wooden cross pendant on his chest with his fingertips and shook his head slightly.

The girl looked up blankly, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Gift?"

"Closing Eden means letting you out of your cradle; ending the age of gods also means that human history will be written by you yourselves."

"He withdrew His gifts, but He also loosened the shackles of human destiny... That is the greatest gift."

The purple-haired saint stroked the girl's head and murmured meaningfully.

The girl seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to.

"If you want to receive guidance from the Lord, listen attentively, and you will know what to do."

The purple-haired saint took off a wooden cross from his neck and hung it around the girl's neck.

That is His grace.

From that moment on, the girl heard the voice of God:

He said he wanted to save the people of the world.