Luring Out the Worms (Continued)

In the dimly lit room, a handsome man with long hair knelt on the ground, his face contorted in pain, wailing and howling. His face was now filled with madness.

All my previous impulsive actions, all my previous recklessness, everything I did before...

After learning what he had done, his once strong heart completely collapsed.

He killed his comrades; he betrayed his king.

He, he even... destroyed the entire Knights of the Round Table... destroyed the very country he fought for...

At this very moment, the queen, whom he had gone to such lengths to save from the flames, was also on the verge of death, her life hanging by a thread.

The man held Guinevere's delicate body tightly and then shouted in a low voice.

"Don't die! Don't die! You can't die, Empress!!"

The beautiful woman collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Lancelot ... I'm sorry, we were wrong, we were so wrong... You shouldn't have come to save me... Now, everything is beyond repair..."

"We are the ones who ruined Britannia... We are the ones who killed King Arthur. It's all because of me that you killed Artoria..."

Guinevere had anticipated that Lancelot would try to force his way to her execution to save her, so in order not to implicate him, she took the poison Merlin had given her beforehand, hoping to dissuade Lancelot and make him back down.

However, Lancelot, who was blinded by anger at the time, didn't care about anything else and didn't listen to anything she said.

Wielding his longsword, he slaughtered his way through the Knights of the Round Table, carving a bloody path until he committed an unforgivable mistake. Only then did he realize that everything was too late to change anything...

Breaking free from Lancelot's embrace, Guinevere stumbled to her feet, then with her last strength rushed out the door, her gaze fixed on Britannia, her eyes filled with tears. Her body then began to fall uncontrollably toward the place where she had lived for so many years, as if atoning for the country and land she had wronged.

But at this moment, it was all too late.

She closed her eyes forever.

"No, no... Your Majesty!!"

Seeing Guinevere die before his eyes in the end, it became the last straw that broke Lancelot's heart.

He roared furiously, in agony, cursing the sins he had committed.

"I am guilty! I am guilty!! The fault clearly does not lie with you, it is with me! It is I, this damned beast!! I caused the king's death, I defiled you, I not only betrayed the Knights of the Round Table, I also killed my comrades, I abandoned my responsibilities for personal feelings! If it weren't for me, if I were still alive, how could Mordred have started a war!!"

"I am unworthy to be called a knight, I am unworthy to live in this world. I should be executed by that king himself, subjected to the most severe punishment. But even that cannot atone for the betrayal I caused her, nor can it atone for the suffering I brought upon the people of Britannia, nor can it repay the harm I caused to Gawain, Agravaine, and Gareth! A bastard like me should forever fall into the deepest hell, but, but..."

"Now I have nothing left, not even the person who executed me! How can I face my son, Galahad, like this?!"

Looking at the queen who had died before him, Lancelot's mind was filled with vivid images of the sins he had committed during his madness.

First, he accidentally killed Agravaine, and later, in a fit of rage, he killed the unarmed Gareth.

The sister of the Sir Gawain, the knight who admired him most in all of Britannia, remained unarmed until the very last moment before he killed her, and even as she lay in a pool of blood, she did not show any resentment towards him.

What have I done?!

In a daze, Lancelot seemed to see the figure of the king in the silver armor before him. She appeared before him and Guinevere, coldly proclaiming the countless sins he had committed.

"Lancelot, Knight of the Lake, you are guilty, and so is Guinevere. For your own selfish desires and happiness, you have ruined the entire country, murdered all the Knights of the Round Table, and allowed the flames of war to spread throughout Britannia... From this day forward, you are no longer my knight, and I will never forgive you."

She spoke silently, then turned and walked away into the flames of war, until her figure vanished into nothingness.

"Wait! Your Majesty!!"

Lancelot suddenly scrambled to his feet and tried to touch it, but his hand passed through nothing but an illusion. His fingers touched nothing at all; clearly, the figure of the king was just a figment of his imagination.

That king who sacrificed his gender and love to protect the country and its people, and who dedicated his life to the nation, has already caused his own death. What face does he have left to continue living in this world?!

Following the king's shadow, Lancelot fearlessly leaped into the flames of war, until his body was completely consumed by fire...

"No, that's not me!!"

Even though it was already daytime, Matou Zouken, who was taking a nap on a wooden chair in the Matou Family, suddenly opened his eyes and shouted at the empty room, even overturning the tea set next to him.

"... Was that the dream Lancelot experienced?"

Matou Zouken reached out and unconsciously touched the corner of his eye. His fingertips were even more moist, which surprised him.

"I... I actually cried?"

Looking at the two lines of tears streaming down his aged eyes in the mirror, and recalling his decaying heart that had been devoid of sorrow for centuries, Matou Zouken's heart was far from calm.

"Heh, you can still shed tears... It seems I'm still not beyond the realm of humanity. I thought I had long since ceased to be one."

He gave a self-deprecating laugh in a hoarse voice, gradually snapping out of his dream.

After Master signs a contract with Servant, the Master will receive some of the Servant's memories from their Servant life due to the spiritual connection. What you just saw was naturally Lancelot's memories.

Matou Zouken frowned; to be honest, he was also somewhat moved by the scene before him.

However, in a daze, he seemed to understand why he was able to summon Lancelot so easily...

They do indeed share some very similar characteristics.

In a daze, that memory, which should have been long forgotten, resurfaced in his mind.

Matou Zouken paused, suddenly remembering the white-haired woman he had met on a snowy winter day a hundred years ago—that was the very beginning of it all...

The legendary Winter's Holy Maiden, Justessa Justeaze von Einzbern, a beautiful woman who touched her own heart and dedicated herself to her ideals.

She willingly sacrificed herself to become the nexus of the Greater Grail, completing the Magecraft ritual he sought, known as the Holy Grail War. The original purpose of the Holy Grail War was to use the souls of deceased Servant to infuse the Greater Grail, thereby completing the Third Magic. Because of the nature of the Third Magic, coupled with the immense magical power gathered from it, it possessed a terrifying ability to grant almost any wish. Therefore, the omnipotent wish-granting machine mentioned in the Holy Grail War has always been true.

The Third Magic, immortality, the Soul Materialization... it can grant any wish.

It's truly remarkable; they've dedicated a full century to this ceremony.

But what exactly was my original wish?

In his confusion, Matou Zouken had forgotten his original wish.

At this moment, his only wish is to use the Holy Grail to regain his youth, to restore his broken soul and decaying body to wholeness, and to remind him of his original desire.

Lancelot committed a heinous crime for love and happiness, and in the end, filled with remorse, he chose to be buried in Britannia soil.

And what about him...?

What will be his fate?

What kind of ending would be most suitable for a rotten monster like himself?

To be honest, even though he signed the essay contest agreement, Matou Zouken still couldn't fully trust Rovey.

His wish was to regain his youth and become immortal, but he never understood what Rovey really wanted to do.

This is a bad omen. A true transaction should be based on equality between the two parties, but he has been constantly led by the other party. Even his several attempts to make a move during the Holy Grail War have been completely thwarted by the other party. The current situation is unclear for him.

Even so, he knew that he had no other choice at this moment.

Not joining means destruction. The strength of Rovey's side is too great. If they resist, they will undoubtedly be crushed by absolute power. As for the Golden King, the situation is even worse. Even if they want to seek cooperation, the final outcome will only be execution.

Not to mention the fire at the Tohsaka Residence and the news of Tokiomi Tohsaka's death that came last night...

'Heh, now I have no room to retreat.'

That brat Tokiomi Tohsaka is probably dead by now, but who did it? He doesn't know. Right now, he can't even find a trace of Matou Kariya, which makes him somewhat worried.

"Well..."

He sighed deeply, and then Matou Zouken's expression became even more distorted. He prepared to go out and find that unworthy descendant Matou Kariya.

The final act was approaching, and he needed to reclaim control of Lancelot. Just as Matou Zouken was about to act, a black raven suddenly flew to his window—

"What's wrong, Crowley Patriarch?"

Upon seeing the familiar raven, Matou Zouken immediately recognized it as the familiar of his collaborator, because only the other party knew how to pass through his blockade without any obstacles to reach the window.

The moment has come, and his presence means he already has a plan.

He opened the window and let it in.

"Good morning, Zouken Matou. This morning I went to investigate the Tohsaka Family mansion and found out some important information."

From among the crows came Rovey's voice, his tone now deliberately solemn.

"The Tohsaka Family?"

Upon hearing this name, and recalling the breaking news from last night, Matou Zouken probably already knew the answer.

"Is Tokiomi Tohsaka?"

He asked directly.

"That's a very direct question. It seems you know some inside information. In that case, I'll just state the conclusion... Tokiomi Tohsaka is indeed dead."

"Really."

Matou Zouken was not particularly surprised by this answer.

After all, the entire mansion, along with the workshop and accumulated wealth, had been burned down. These were the foundation and lifeblood of Magus. If he didn't die after all that, it would be rather impolite.

"Was it you who did it? Or was it El-Melloi? Or perhaps... Matou Kariya?"

Matou Zouken was somewhat surprised and his heart wavered. He tentatively asked Rovey a question.

"No, none of them... it was his apprentice Kirei Kotomine."

At this critical juncture, Rovey didn't keep him in suspense but directly gave the answer he had expected.

"Kirei Kotomine? That disciple of Tokiomi Tohsaka?"

Upon hearing this somewhat unfamiliar name, Matou Zouken pondered for a moment before asking Rovey in a grave tone, "He actually killed his own teacher?"

"Hmm, it's probably him."

"No one else had the opportunity to commit the crime except him."

"So, Tokiomi Tohsaka, and Archer should also have been forced to leave the scene due to the mana supply issue. Is that good news for us?"

Matou Zouken frowned, pondering the pros and cons of the news. To be honest, even if he had predicted it beforehand, hearing it with his own ears and confirming it was still incredibly astonishing.

"No, the King of Heroes has not left the stage."

However, Rovey ruthlessly shattered his hopes.

"Tokiomi Tohsaka isn't a fool; he'll never completely let his guard down. And his greatest asset is Archer. As long as Gilgamesh continues to exist, he'll inevitably need Archer and will have to save him. Since Gilgamesh didn't save him this time, it means..."

"Gilgamesh had already chosen another Magus to sign a contract with, and the Magus he has now chosen is very likely Kirei Kotomine!"

Matou Zouken wasn't stupid; he immediately figured out the answer.

Although he didn't know, Gilgamesh's chosen Magus was not Kirei Kotomine, but Rovey.

However, he didn't need to make this clear to the other party. He just needed to tell him the specific situation and lure the Old Worm out so that he could catch them all at once.

"That's right. Archer's Master is now Kirei Kotomine, and their previous alliance is now null and void."

Rovey knew that, unlike Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was eager for victory, Kirei Kotomine had no reason to ally with the Einzbern, and Emiya Kiritsugu, who had just returned the Lesser Grail, had no reason to participate in the battle. He only needed to wait for the other Servants to finish fighting, and then he would take the Lesser Grail to welcome Holy Grail arrival and make his wish.

The Holy Grail only requires collecting enough souls and then making a wish; there's no need for life-or-death struggles. This is also the last trump card that Emiya Kiritsugu possesses.

Upon receiving this information, Matou Zouken's head buzzed, and he was momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information.

However, thanks to his experience and knowledge gained over hundreds of years, these events did not shock him for long. He quickly composed himself and asked Rovey for his opinion.

"So what's the next plan? We'll still take the initiative, right?"

"That's right."

Upon hearing Matou Zouken's question, a satisfied voice came from among the Rovey.

"The plan is simple. Kenneth, Weber, Fionn mac Cumhaill, Iskandar, and Lancelot will take the initiative to attack Gilgamesh. I will take Scáthach and Einzbern to hold off King Arthur, and then come to help me deal with the enemy after you finish your task."

"This should be fine, right? What do you think Zouken Matou?"

Upon hearing Rovey's simple and direct attack plan, Matou Zouken nodded slightly, having no objection to it.

Restraining King Arthur's actions couldn't be entrusted to Lancelot, who loses himself whenever he sees King Arthur, and Rider's Reality Marble is a powerful tool for group battles, making it inconvenient for him to attack alone. Therefore, only Fionn mac Cumhaill and Scáthach were suitable.

Therefore, Rovey was in charge of this task, and he had no objections.

In the current situation, the simplest tactic is to gather all available forces and push forward in one fell swoop.

When three top-tier Heroic Spirit— Lancer, Rider, and Berserker—attack simultaneously, even the King of Heroes would find it difficult to escape death.

This three-on-one situation was a certain death for Gilgamesh.

With Rider's Reality Marble sealing off the field, Lancer's Godslayer ability countering it, and Berserker's overwhelming firepower, Matou Zouken had absolutely no idea how Gilgamesh could win.

His only concern was that their victory was too easy, leaving Lancer and Rider with too much fighting strength, making it difficult for Berserker to launch a surprise attack. Therefore, he decided to have Lancelot withdraw from the battlefield in tonight's fight, or at least take advantage of the chaos to weaken Rider and Lancer to the greatest extent possible.