It is Said the Protagonist Walked Further and Further Down Tokiomi's Path

A colossal monster was about to crash down from the sky. Among the people directly in its path, only Jizi, with her exceptional agility, had a chance of escaping the impact zone. The others, both Masters and Servants, wouldn't be able to evade it in time.

Could it be that this feast fit for kings would end with three kings perishing here? What a cruel irony.

How could the honor of Heroic Spirits tolerate such an end? But what could be done? Both the King of Heroes and the King of Knights possessed Holy Swords capable of vaporizing the monster in a single blow, but there was no time to prepare them now.

Unless—

"Saber! Unleash your Noble Phantasm at full power!"

Unless there was another transcendent power that could bypass the circumstances and force a Servant's Noble Phantasm to activate—like the Master's three Command Seals, the power of the Command Spells.

In this critical moment, Kiritsugu Emiya, who had been ignoring Saber, finally couldn't sit still. He used his first Command Spell, allowing Saber to draw her city-destroying Holy Sword without preparation. The immense magical energy gathered on the blade met the descending Eva-01 head-on. The A.T. Field instantly shattered into fragments, and its main body, caught in the high-intensity magical flow, lasted only a few moments before vanishing into thin air, leaving not even a speck of ash.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"Saber's Holy Sword has this much power? Even Archer's sword is no match for it in terms of destructive force," Tokiomi said, listening to Kirei's live commentary, his expression once again filled with surprise. The Heroic Spirits summoned in this Holy Grail War seemed to be outliers. His initial thought of being invincible with Archer now seemed rather foolish.

Fortunately, they had two Servants. If they could effectively utilize Assassin's abilities, the Tohsaka Family had the highest chance of winning.

"Ah, this is so annoying."

Jizi was currently navigating the sewers of Fuyuki City, enduring the pungent stench and being careful not to touch anything dirty. Such conditions were bound to elicit complaints.

"Why do I have to be here~"

The feast of kings was interrupted by "Caster's summoned Familiar," and it ended in a disorderly fashion. Saber hadn't yet stated her ideals. While it was a bit regrettable, it also saved her from being mocked by Rider and teased by Archer. It was hard to say if it was good or bad, but the outcome was as described.

After returning, Jizi was summoned by Tokiomi Tohsaka. To her surprise, Tokiomi's attitude towards her had become considerably friendlier. Besides inquiring about the details of the various Masters and Servants, he even asked for her strategic advice. Previously, she would report to Kirei, who would then inform Tokiomi. While she could offer suggestions on action plans, Tokiomi had never actively consulted her before.

The feeling of being flattered lasted only a moment. Jizi quickly realized that the strength displayed by Rider, Saber, and even "Caster" had instilled a sense of crisis in Tokiomi. He no longer felt that summoning Archer meant everything was settled. For his victory, Assassin's value increased significantly, making it necessary to maintain a good relationship with her.

Even though her status was merely that of an assassin, she was still a Heroic Spirit recognized by the world, someone worthy of the proper courtesies from the head of the Tohsaka Family.

And so, in Tokiomi's basement, a place he usually shared exclusively with Kirei, Jizi spent a very pleasant time with the source of all trouble. Tokiomi, despite his emphasis on etiquette—or perhaps his pretentiousness—had a high level of dignity that wasn't off-putting. Infected by his demeanor, Jizi, uncharacteristically, offered him a few pieces of advice.

For instance, there seemed to be some strange interactions between Archer and Kirei. Of course, she didn't say much more. After all, it was best not to interfere too much. As long as Kirei didn't actually make a move to stab him, Tokiomi wouldn't believe that his Servant and disciple were plotting a betrayal.

Afterward, relying on her knowledge of the original work, Jizi provided Tokiomi with detailed information about the other participants and their helpers, even offering slight spoilers—which she presented as her own deductions. Caster seemed to be planning something big, Rider appeared to be staying with an ordinary family, and Berserker seemed to belong to the same mythological system as Saber and Lancer.

This was the extent of what she could do. Saying too much would only arouse suspicion and destroy the little trust that had been built. In any case, considering Tokiomi's good attitude, she'd find a way to save his life later, thus upholding her promise to Rin.

Speaking of Rin, she should give her a call later to chat. Jizi, who was daydreaming as she emerged from the basement, was suddenly called away by Kirei. He ordered her to track Caster and, if possible, assassinate his Master directly. Due to the EVA incident last night, Caster had become a major threat to everyone, and his whereabouts were elusive, making Assassin the most suitable person to deal with him.

Thus, Jizi had to abandon her pleasant pursuit of teasing a loli and dive into Fuyuki City's sewer system.

Because she was already very familiar with Caster's magical aura, Jizi found the Caster duo, who were holed up in an underground reservoir, without much effort.

While in stealth mode, as long as she didn't expose herself, she couldn't be detected at all. So, even though this was Caster's own workshop, he had no idea an uninvited guest had arrived.

However, looking at his current state, it was unlikely anyone would notice him, even if it wasn't Jizi.

"Ryunosuke. You still haven't understood the true ugliness hidden deep within the human soul, so your sorrow is understandable... You must know, Ryunosuke, that only a very small portion of humanity can truly understand beauty and harmony. As for the common folk, when they encounter sacred objects with artistic merit, they are driven by jealousy and become beastly. To these people, beautiful things are merely objects for destruction."

Not long ago, Weber had analyzed the residual magic in the river to find Caster's lair and had thoroughly cleaned up the so-called "artworks" piled there. This had caused great sorrow to the two lunatics, and Caster was currently using his unique theory of art appreciation to enlighten Ryunosuke's emotions.

"You must understand, the creation of our art is often destroyed by ignorant fools... Because of this, we cannot develop too deep an emotional attachment to our creations. Works that are created are destined to face destruction eventually. Therefore, for us creators, the only joy we should experience is in the process of creation."

"You mean, even if it's destroyed, it can just be recreated?"

"Precisely! Ryunosuke, your keen understanding is truly your greatest strength!"

After being enlightened by the cheerfully laughing Caster, Ryunosuke wiped the tears from his eyes, sighed deeply, and looked around, muttering.

Because we pursued our own pleasure too much—is this divine retribution?"

Hearing Ryunosuke's words, Caster's attitude suddenly changed.

He forcefully grabbed Ryunosuke's shoulders, turned him towards himself, and stared intently at Ryunosuke's expression with sharp light flashing in his eyes, saying.

"I will only say this once, Ryunosuke... Gods never punish humans. Gods merely toy with them."

Caster's eyes seemed to be burning, but his face was completely devoid of expression. This was a stark contrast to the agitated emotions he had displayed before, as if he were two different people.

"M-Master?"

"I once committed what was perhaps the most wicked and grievous act of blasphemy possible in this world. Ryunosuke, the wickedness you have committed is like child's play compared to mine.

But no matter how much I killed or how much I desecrated, I received no punishment from the gods—by the time I realized it, I had already been pursuing the path of evil for eight years. The cries and screams of thousands of young children all vanished into the dark void!"

"..."

"In the end, it wasn't God who destroyed me, but humans with desires as infinite as my own. The Church and the King arresting and executing me was merely a scheme born from their desire for my wealth and territory, wanting to claim it as their own...

Their actions were less about punishing my evil and more about naked plunder!"

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"Hey, what do you think, Master? Should I make a move now?" While listening to the madman's confession, Jizi contacted Kirei. "I have a hundred percent certainty of killing that Master with a single blow, and then you can just use a Command Spell to recall me. After that, we just have to wait for Caster to disappear on his own."

"Not yet, continue monitoring," came the instruction from the other end of the mental channel. Jizi understood that Caster and Ryunosuke had piqued Kirei Kotomine's interest. Rather than eliminating them, Kirei was more interested in understanding the motives behind their actions.

"I will follow your orders."

Jizi put away her scythe and found a better vantage point to observe, hiding herself as she enjoyed the confessions of these two artists.

"But, Master... even so, there still exists a god, right?"

Hearing Ryunosuke's quiet whisper, Caster couldn't help but hold his breath, carefully watching the expression of this simple and loyal Master.

"...Why, Ryunosuke? You have no faith, and you don't know if miracles exist, so why do you think this?"

"Because this world seems to be nothing but boring everywhere... So I kept searching, but the more I searched, the more I found many interesting and strange things."

As Ryunosuke spoke, he spread his arms as if to embrace everything between heaven and earth.

"I've thought this way for a long time. This world, filled with so much joy, is truly too extravagant for us as individuals. If you just change your perspective slightly, you'll find it's full of countless foreshadowing. If you want to pursue true happiness, I don't think anything is more exciting than conquering this world.

Someone must be writing it. Writing the script for this world. Someone must be writing this long novel with fifty billion characters... This person, perhaps, can be called God."

Caster blinked speechlessly, as if pondering Ryunosuke's words, staring blankly into the void. After a moment, Caster looked back at his Master and asked in a low, serious tone.

"Then, Ryunosuke. Do you believe God loves humanity?"

"Of course, with all my heart."

Without hesitation, the serial killer replied cheerfully.

"A God who can continue writing the script of this world for thousands, tens of thousands of years without stopping must truly love humanity. Yes, I think God must be working very hard on it. At the same time, He is also immersed in the joy of creating His own work. Moved by the love and courage in His work, He also sheds tears in sad parts, and is terrified by the horror and despair."

Ryunosuke paused as if to confirm what he had said, then added his new conclusion.

"While God loves human anthems like courage and hope, He also loves the screams and despair of blood splashing. Otherwise... the hymn of life would not have such vibrant colors.

So, Master. This world must be full of God's love."

Caster listened to Ryunosuke's words with the piety of a devout believer praying before a sacred painting. Then, he slowly raised his head, his face filled with an overflowing sense of happiness.

"In this era, the people have lost faith, and the government has long abandoned divine will. I thought this was a world on the verge of destruction... But to have a new believer like you appear at such a time is truly convincing. Ryunosuke, my Master!"

"Oh, stop it. You'll make me embarrassed if you say that."

Although he didn't quite understand, Ryunosuke knew Caster was praising him and politely declined.

"But— if we look at it from your religious perspective, my blasphemous acts are nothing more than trivial tricks."

"No. Everything you have done can be called a first-class performance. Your beautiful tsukkomi will surely be loved by the gods, and the gods will happily play the boke for you."

Hearing Ryunosuke's words, "Bluebeard" burst into laughter as if he were overjoyed.

"Blasphemy or praise! To you, they are all the same form of worship to God, aren't they? Ah, Ryunosuke! You truly have very profound philosophical thoughts.

A God who plays with countless humans in the world like toys, is He Himself just a comedic character... I see! Then this kind of dark humor is understandable."

After laughing for a while, a desolate look returned to Caster's eyes. It was like the emotions of someone driven mad by art, just before reaching the climax of their frenzy.

"Very well. Then let us dye the heavenly court with brilliant colors using even more vivid despair and wailing. I will let those divine actors in the heavens know that they are not the only ones who know true entertainment."

"Do you have another brilliant idea, Master!"

Looking at "Bluebeard," who displayed unprecedented excitement, Ryunosuke also showed a hint of anticipation.

"Since it's decided, let's have a celebration. Ryunosuke, today's banquet will be special, starting with the new faith you advocate."

"Understood. I will do my best to make it the coolest!"

"Oh my, as a religious figure, Master, what are your thoughts on their perception of God?" Jizi asked Kirei with a deliberately mischievous tone.

"Follow them, and everything will be under control." The father's voice was calm and steady, revealing no emotion.

"As you wish."

Ps1. This is an update for next week, released early because the account has been having strange issues, working intermittently. I'm releasing it now while I can still use it.

Ps2. The Qidian customer service said they would resolve it within two business days... I reported the issue on Thursday. Well, Saturday and Sunday aren't business days, so does that mean I have to wait until Monday? I always thought that for internet companies, every day of the week was a business day...

Ps3. Should I continue updating as I please, or should I focus all my efforts on finishing one storyline first?