The Final Plan (6.5k Words) (cont.)

"A rare banquet invitation, isn't this great? It's just a gathering of Heroic Spirit, there's nothing wrong with letting them hold it."

As Rovey sat in his chair, playing Go with Matou Zouken, he spoke.

"So... you're almost certain of victory?"

Matou Zouken gave Rovey a strange look before speaking.

"Hmm... more or less. If we include Lancelot, we have the strength of four Servant, and each of them is a first-class or even exceptional individual. If we concentrate our forces, none of them in the Holy Grail War can withstand us."

Rovey placed a chess piece down and then continued speaking.

"Kill Archer first, then Saber, and only we'll be left. Then the outcome will be decided. Isn't that right?"

"That's true, but you were hiding your tracks quite well before. Neither the Einzbern nor Tohsaka knew you existed. What are you trying to do by deliberately exposing yourself now?"

Matou Zouken continued speaking.

"It was because they knew about the existence of the Assassin that they didn't want to be exposed for safety reasons. Now that the assassin is dead, there's no need to hide anymore, am I right?"

"Yes... you are absolutely right."

You've thought of everything for me, how could there be any mistakes?

Rovey inwardly complained, but outwardly remained calm and said...

Matou Zouken is naturally suspicious and tends to overthink things.

It was precisely because of this that he was too clever for his own good.

He could never have guessed that his so-called "hiding for safety" was actually a way of hiding in the Leyline beneath the Greater Grail, constantly drawing upon and purifying the Holy Grail's magic to perfect his Supreme Mystic Code.

Even more unimaginable is that this generation's Winter's Holy Maiden, Irisviel, was already taken by Aozaki Touko on the very first night.

Currently, they are being kept in the basement, comfortably serving as guinea pigs, to unravel the secrets between the Third Magic and the Holy Grail.

In other words...

At this point in the Holy Grail War, the outcome can basically be considered decided.

Apart from Gilgamesh, whose terrifying strength is difficult to fathom, the rest have all been clearly calculated.

All he needs to do next is trick Rider and Lancer into dying at Gilgamesh Tohsaka, Tokiomi will completely clear the game. All he needs to do is ensure that Scáthach wins against the remaining Gilgamesh and Artoria.

As for Lancelot?

It's definitely a roadside wreck; it'll probably be sent away and cleaned up this time too. And when Lancelot's story ends, this Old Worm's time to die will be up...

Rovey pondered calmly, but unknowingly, a hint of murderous intent crept into the depths of his eyes, which held a slight smile.

Clatter.

The chess piece was gently placed, and soon after, Rovey's old general had checkmated Matou Zouken's old king on the chessboard.

He smiled slightly at Matou Zouken, then calmly said, "... General."

"That's amazing! You actually managed to beat me at chess..."

"It seems I really am getting old."

Seeing that the game was already in checkmate by Rovey, Matou Zouken didn't say much, only nodded slightly.

"As long as you know what's going on, that's good."

Indeed, as Rovey said, the current situation is very good. Tokiomi Tohsaka has allied with the Einzbern Family, the original three riders have been reduced to two riders, and King Arthur is also seriously injured.

On his side, his cooperation with Rovey was a two-rider team, while Rovey's cooperation with El-Melloi and his apprentice resulted in a three-rider team, bringing the total to four top-tier combatants.

In other words, if they act together now, sweeping away the other two riders will be no problem at all. Once only the four of them are left, the situation will become completely clear.

Rovey cooperated with him and signed an agreement that they would not attack each other, nor would Queen Scáthach be allowed to attack Berserker. Therefore, his only enemies were Lancer and Rider.

If Lancer and Rider were to cooperate in good faith, it would indeed make things complicated.

However, it's not entirely hopeless.

He could also leave some options open when attacking Archer, allowing Lancelot to conserve his strength during the battle, and then have Berserker finish them off when Rider and Lancer have achieved a pyrrhic victory over Archer.

Since he hadn't signed any contract with El-Melloi and the others, even if Berserker finished them off, there would be no punishment whatsoever.

Then he could easily eliminate the other two riders, leaving Lancelot and Scáthach to defeat the remaining King Arthur.

Yes, it's a perfect plan.

But...

The only problem is that Matou Zouken did not accurately assess Gilgamesh's strength.

And the compatibility between Gilgamesh's and Iskandar's Noble Phantasm.

His plan was predicated on Gilgamesh achieving a pyrrhic victory over Fionn mac Cumhaill and Iskandar, or Iskandar and Fionn mac Cumhaill achieving a pyrrhic victory over Gilgamesh. If the balance of power was severely imbalanced, Lancelot's attempt to intervene would ultimately be futile.

Looking at Matou Zouken, who seemed lost in thought, Rovey closed his eyes slightly...

Given the current situation, it's obvious that Gilgamesh wouldn't be in the same nonchalant state he was in during his battle with Emiya Shirou in the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Facing Lancelot, Iskandar, and Fionn mac Cumhaill, these three heavyweight riders, he will definitely unleash his best skills.

In other words, this Gilgamesh must be the serious information that was passed down among the forum members in the previous life—a Gilgamesh Gilgamesh.

At this level, it's hard to say whether the three of them could win even if he didn't plan to let Scáthach participate, let alone with Lancelot holding back. Rovey could already foresee the fate of these three guys.

The only one capable of defeating Gilgamesh is his Scáthach.

Scáthach was quite frank about fighting Gilgamesh. Even if he had unlimited mana, and she used her trump card, she might not be able to win. After all, Ea was a perfect counter to her and Iskandar...

Rovey wasn't surprised by this, after all, reality isn't a game. A scenario like Scáthach using Noble Phantasm Gilgamesh to counter Gilgamesh's attacks and instantly kill him with a single shot is simply impossible.

In other words, to achieve a stable victory, what you have is not enough; you must have something that can withstand the Ea. And as luck would have it, there is indeed something in this Holy Grail War that can completely withstand the Ea.

If he could get that, not only would Artoria be completely no longer a threat, but he would also be absolutely confident that Scáthach could easily defeat Gilgamesh.

By then...

He is a true winner-takes-all.

After thinking it over, Rovey swept the chess pieces off the board, and they fell into the box under the table.

I already have the answer in my heart.

This banquet is a good opportunity for him to get to know Emiya Kiritsugu beforehand.

While that item was certainly valuable to Emiya Kiritsugu, don't forget that he currently held a bargaining chip that could force Emiya Kiritsugu to agree.

Moreover, the Holy Grail War is not only Master battle between Servant, but also a contest between Master.

In a battle between Master, Rovey was very confident that he would be invincible at this moment, and even if Kenneth- sensei came, he would not be his match.

If Emiya Kiritsugu really makes a choice that surprises him.

So...

If necessary, you could also try killing him and taking the treasure.

"Emiya Kiritsugu..."

Rovey remembered the man who blindly believed in justice and gradually fell into madness, constantly talking about saving the world and putting it into practice.

"Killing your biological father, murdering your adoptive mother, blindly pursuing your goals your whole life, only to end up with nothing. Your life is truly tragic, my Hero of Justice."

He uttered a remark that made Matou Zouken's expression freeze, and then Rovey stood up, ready to leave.

As he was leaving, he glanced one Matou Zouken, who was about to see him off, and a strange smile crept onto his lips.

'Oh, right... there's never just one person Hero of Justice. Isn't there another one here? It's just that he's long since fallen into depravity.'

Matou Zouken... You who pride yourself on your intelligence and ability to control everything, how will you feel when you discover that everything has shattered?

Thinking this, he even quickened his pace, and then left the gate under the watchful eyes of Matou Zouken.

"Victory... it's really within reach. Five hundred years have passed, and my long-cherished wish is finally about to be fulfilled..."

After Rovey left, Matou Zouken slowly closed his eyes and continued his beautiful dream.

"So, Master? Did the Berserker group agree to go?"

When Rovey returned to his base, the languid purple-haired beauty, who was lounging on a bench flipping through a fashion magazine, asked him a question. Rovey glanced at her, who was so bored that she was rolling around on the bench, and couldn't help but worry that she might suddenly fall off.

"Yes, I've convinced them. Matou Kariya will also be bringing Berserker to this banquet."

"That's really impressive, Master. You were even able to convince someone about something like this."

After hearing Rovey's answer, Scáthach couldn't help but praise him.

She never expected that Rovey would actually be able to persuade the Berserker's Master to allow him to attend the banquet.

"It's nothing, they just happened to want to gather information at this banquet."

Rovey shook his head, then walked up to Scáthach, extended his hand to her, helped her up from the bench, and looked into her eyes, speaking calmly.

"And coincidentally, I also have some things I want to do at this banquet, so I plan to accompany you there, Scáthach."

"Hmm? Msster, even you're going? That's quite surprising..." Scáthach asked curiously, "Is there no need to hide your tracks anymore?"

"No need. My Supreme Mystic Code is only a matter of time before it is completed. Everything is already set in stone, so even if my existence is exposed, it won't be a big problem."

Rovey nodded, then said with a hint of pleasure, "And I also want to see how the Tohsaka Patriarch will react when he sees me under these circumstances?"

"Tokiomi Tohsaka, Sakura's biological father?"

Scáthach shook her head after finishing. "If he saw that the enemy was actually you, he'd probably stomp his feet in anger, right? But..."

As she spoke, Scáthach, who had been sitting on the bench, stood up. Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly as she stared intently into Rovey's eyes. She calmly said, "Msster, I know very well that you are not such a bored person. You certainly wouldn't have shown up in person just to provoke Tokiomi Tohsaka. So... what exactly do you want to do?"

"Well... actually, I'm just trying to exchange some things with Saber's Master to ensure victory in a future battle."

As Scáthach suddenly moved closer, Rovey could vaguely smell the scent of her modern, expensive perfume. Coupled with the gaze of her crimson eyes, he knew that he couldn't fool the queen by lying.

Therefore, I had no choice but to tell the truth.

"Oh? A victory in a battle? You mean my victory against Archer?"

Scáthach was not stupid; she naturally understood what Rovey meant.

To this, Rovey nodded readily.

"I will help you obtain a treasure that can withstand the Ea, so that you can defeat Gilgamesh."

"A treasure capable of withstanding the Ea..."

Scáthach was somewhat surprised to hear what Rovey said.

"The reason I didn't tell you was to surprise you, and also because I was a little worried that you would resist this kind of thing," Rovey explained calmly.

"Would I resist? Hey, Master, if I were to refuse to use that treasure you mentioned and insist on a fair fight with Gilgamesh, what would you do?"

Speaking in a provocative tone, Scáthach narrowed her crimson eyes and looked at Rovey in front of her, asking, "Can you use Command Seal?"

"Won't."

To this, Rovey's answer was very straightforward, "Command Seal are the link between me and you, and they will only be used with your consent, that is, when you need them or when you are in danger. They are by no means a tool to control you."

"So even if you refuse, I will respect your decision. At that time, I will take the second option and personally confront Gilgamesh."

Rovey's tone was firm, and his words were filled with an undeniable determination.

It's clear that if things really come to that, he will personally step in as the last line of defense to engage in a final battle with the King of Heroes.

"You really are..."

Upon hearing Rovey's answer, even the usually calm and collected Scáthach couldn't help but be moved. She looked at Rovey in front of her and a smile appeared on her lips.

What's wrong with me?

"No, it's nothing. I'm just a little happy. It's really lucky for me to meet Master like you."

Scáthach shook her head, then looked at Rovey again, a hint of a smile in her eyes, and said earnestly, "But Master, please rest assured, the Holy Grail War is not just a contest of Servant's strength, the contest of Master is also an important part of their combat power. Since you have planned so much for me, how could I possibly disappoint you?"

"I see..."

Hearing Scáthach's reply, Rovey smiled with satisfaction. "Thank you, Scáthach. It's my good fortune to have met you. Let's give it our all from now on."

"At the end of this war, I will use all the achievements I have made to fulfill your wishes and give you a perfect answer."

"I believe in you, and I have no doubt about it."

Upon hearing this, Scáthach smiled brightly.