The war-torn frontier city lay desolate

The situation reached a stalemate for a time.

It must be said that Kirei Kotomine's choice of hostages was quite good— Rin Tohsaka was weak, had relatively low vigilance towards him, was easy to track, and was easy to carry. Most importantly, she could be used to threaten almost everyone.

Tokiomi, Yanye, and Sakura go without saying, and Jizi certainly wouldn't disregard Rin's safety. Saber, Lancer, and Berserker are all Knight of high moral character and would also care about innocent children. As for Kiritsugu, he has no say in the current situation.

Time does not stand still because of the solidified atmosphere. The materialized Holy Grail becomes clearer and clearer, and soon, the Black Mud filled with destruction and devastation will overflow from it.

Without time for further ado, Jizi stepped forward and asked, "Why did you come back after withdrawing from the Holy Grail War?"

"Because the Holy Grail has chosen me again." The Father showed the back of his hand, where a new Command Seals had appeared.

"So," Jizi stepped forward again, "What wish would you make now that you have the Holy Grail?"

"I don't know, but the Holy Grail will give me the answer," Kirei replied. "Also, you shouldn't get any closer. I'm not confident I can kill Rin first at this distance, given my Servant speed."

"Tch," Jizi, having been seen through, had no choice but to retreat and activate Plan B. "So, if I give you the Holy Grail, how will you guarantee Rin's safety?"

"At a distance I approve of, we'll throw Rin and the Holy Grail at each other simultaneously. I think with your reflexes, catching a little girl shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Deal!" Jizi nodded, turned around and grabbed the Holy Grail.

"Caster!"

This action naturally drew gasps from the others, but they immediately saw the cruel smile on Jizi's face—

"Heh," she said in a voice Kirei couldn't hear, "This is just the right opportunity for you to witness firsthand the tip of the iceberg of All the World's Evils."

Tokiomi Tohsaka once thought he could see through everything.

But reality dealt him a heavy blow.

He thought the war was foolproof, but it was full of unexpected events from the very beginning; he thought the strongest Servant was completely unresponsive to orders; he thought the perfect plan was ruined before it could even be implemented; he thought he could easily defeat Yanye, but instead he ended up being brutally fucked in various positions.

Even now, the disciple he thought was his most trusted and capable assistant has betrayed him at the most crucial moment.

Why is that? Why isn't what he thinks true?

Was this series of miscalculations caused by focusing too much on the magic of the underworld and neglecting the important emotions that are human? But it wasn't like this before. Aoi, Rin, and Sakura all understood him.

--In a way, Tokiomi Tohsaka was a child who had always lived in a pampered environment. He must have accumulated a lot of good karma to have a wife like Aoi and a daughter like Rin. The tolerance and understanding of his closest people gradually made him feel that everyone in the world could treat him like that.

However, the reality is that no one has the right to tolerate or understand another person. If you encounter such a person in your life, your attitude should be one of gratitude and cherishing, and you should never take it for granted.

Having experienced so much in the Holy Grail War, Tokiomi must have changed somewhat.

Kirei Kotomine caught the Holy Grail that was thrown to him, held it in his palm, and played with it thoughtfully.

He didn't notice that after catching Lin steadily, Jizi called the others and retreated dozens of meters away.

"This is the Holy Grail... Why did you call upon me? What can you give me? And what do I ask for?"

Kirei, who was asking the question of what he held in his hand, naturally received no answer. Just as his patience was about to run out, the Holy Grail "moved."

It wasn't a physical "movement"; it remained perfectly still in Kirei's palm, without shifting or rotating. But everyone, including those who had already retreated to the side, felt it—a tremor that shook their souls and spirits.

"They've arrived."

As if to echo Jizi's words, something black began to flow from the Holy Grail, and Kirei, who was closest to it, was drenched in it.

"The 'hole' hasn't opened yet, so the concentration is still very low. Just take a look and feel it, but don't get any on yourself, or I won't be able to save you." In Jizi's eyes now, Kirei Kotomine is already a dead man. Even if he manages to survive the Black Mud, Jizi won't let him go.

"By the way, Lancer, come with me for a second, I need your help with something."

Flames engulfed the Tohsaka Residence, completely destroying the Garden Bounded Field that Tokiomi had painstakingly tried to save from Yanye. Moreover, the garden, overflowing with Black Mud, would likely have to be rebuilt afterward.

Fortunately, the Tohsaka Family is still quite wealthy.

Moreover, there was no Tokiomi to calculate the cost of the renovations; everyone's attention was focused on the Holy Grail and the aura it emitted.

Malice—pure malice, malice towards life, malice towards death, malice towards beauty, malice towards ugliness, malice towards construction, malice towards destruction, malice towards laughter, malice towards tears, malice towards the world, malice towards the individual... all these kinds of malice strongly impacted the minds of everyone present.

Is this... All the World's Evils?

It's thanks to the fact Jizi the Magecraft and servants here are all people of extraordinary willpower that they were able to face such beings and keep their minds clear. As for Sakura, Jizi had already told her to retreat to a safe area and also entrusted Rin to her care.

Remembering what Jizi had said earlier, this was just the tip of the iceberg, and everyone's expressions became serious.

However, there is one exception --

"Hahahaha... The Holy Grail? Is this what the Holy Grail has given me? Is this my wish, my pursuit? Hahahahahaha-- Evil is so intoxicating! Evil is so addictive! Evil is so... pleasurable!"

Standing in the center of the Black Mud, completely submerged from heels to calves, and covered from head to toe by this ominous substance, was none other than Kirei Kotomine, whom we shall still call human!

No one knows what he went through inside the Black Mud, but now this serious and earnest Father has completely changed.

"Ah, he's not dead after all," Jizi, who had been busy backstage, reappeared. "After all, Kirei Kotomine's essence is 'evil,' and everything associated with 'evil' brings him genuine pleasure. At this All the World's Evils is not poison to him, but rather the ultimate tonic."

"Ah, yes, I never imagined I'd never noticed—the screams of a dying child are so melodious, the expressions of humans when they lose something precious are so beautiful, the astonishment of being betrayed by someone you trust is so captivating, the light bursting forth when flames destroy a work of art is so dazzling and colorful..."

Hearing the conversation between Jizi and Kirei Kotomine, the others displayed a variety of expressions. The Servants were extremely surprised; even the great heroes of ancient times probably had never witnessed someone so captivated by "evil." Kiritsugu looked wary and hateful; after all, he was Hero of Justice, and certainly incompatible with Partner of Evil. Yanye, on the other hand, seemed indifferent; to him, Kirei was just a passerby, no matter what.

Of all the people present, Tokiomi's expression was the most interesting.

Is my apprentice really this kind of person? How come I didn't see through him after spending so much time with him? This means I've been in extreme danger the whole time, if only he hadn't failed to realize his true nature...

Tokiomi fell into thought.

"Well, it doesn't matter what kind of person you are," Jizi drew back the bow that the author had forgotten about because it hadn't appeared in so long. "You know why I don't mind giving you the Holy Grail, right?"

"As expected—your claim to know everything about the Holy Grail War isn't a lie after all." Kirei didn't give a direct answer.

"Heh, just when you've gotten what you wanted most, you're about to say goodbye to this world forever. How dramatic."

Jizi's arrow pierced Kirei's heart.

"This play is also rife with malice..."

After uttering his last words, this Tofu Priest Mapo tofu—cough cough, I mean, the Father loved to eat Mapo tofu—died in the evil he loved most.

As the Father's body sank into the Black Mud and gradually merged with those things, everyone sighed. At this moment, Jizi, who had been in complete control, suddenly became solemn.

The "hole" connecting to the Greater Grail is about to open, and the true evil of this moment is about to descend.

An immense aura of magic pressed outwards from the center of the Tohsaka Residence; to describe it, it felt like Mount Tai crushing down on the Magecraft and magical servants present.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Under Jizi's guidance, everyone adjusted their postures, but at this point, they also had a question:

"Caster, you say we must fight, but who is our enemy? If it's that Black Mud, there's nothing we can do."

"Leave the Black Mud to me," Jizi thought to himself, "My Lord God, the cheat you promised must work!" (①) "Your task is to deal with those guys!"

Following Jizi's finger, they saw countless figures struggling to emerge from the Black Mud. They all wore bone Mask and held short knives and daggers—these were the Assassins who had left earlier. Now, under the control of the All the World's Evil, their abilities had been amplified several times over, making them no longer as easily defeated as before.

However, these guys don't seem to be thinking rationally right now, so they probably aren't much of a threat—just as Saber and the others were thinking this, a familiar yet annoying voice suddenly rang out:

"Hahaha, is this the extent to which I'm being corrupted? It needs at least three times the amount!"

Although it rose from the Black Mud, the golden armor remained unstained, and though its crimson eyes, which looked down on all living beings, held arrogance, they were not insane.

The strongest Heroic Spirit — King of Heroes Gilgamesh— who can suppress the evil that is corrupting him with his own will, has reappeared!

--------------Notes--------------

① I guess everyone has forgotten... In the prologue, the World Administrator said that a mechanism was planted on Jizi, which would automatically activate and deal with the evil at this time when the Holy Grail descends... Come to think of it, I almost forgot too.

------------------ps---------------

P. S. I reread the prologue, and I realized how awful I was writing back then... While it's still not great now, at least I've improved... I guess.

P. S. 2. I've forgotten so many foreshadowing elements... Should I just leave them as they are, or try to fill them in?

P. S. 3. Hmm... Let's fill in the information along two lines. Fill in part of A Route and part of C Route... Also, there are actually a lot of spoilers in line B, but I guess most people won't notice...