Zouken Matou was cunning and cruel.
He possessed an abnormal obsession with survival—a beast in human skin who would exploit and sacrifice others without hesitation to prolong his own life.
He used honeyed words to manipulate those around him, gradually drawing closer to his goal.
Though he had once been an ambitious magus, that ideal had long since vanished from Zouken Matou's mind.
That had been several centuries ago.
Back when Makiri Zolgen was still at the Clock Tower, his department had been affiliated with the Department of Botany and the Department of Curses.
His thesis, Boundary Record Belt, was one of Makiri Zolgen's academic achievements.
The result that thesis sought to achieve was the realization of Heroic Spirit summoning.
Heroic Spirit summoning.
In other words, summoning recorded manifestations of the past—summoning so-called Heroic Spirits from history.
Heroic Spirit summoning itself was magecraft of the Clock Tower, but the academic world believed it could not be realized.
Yet Makiri Zolgen never gave up.
During the course of his research, the Einzbern family entered Makiri Zolgen's sights.
The Einzberns were descendants of alchemists who had once successfully materialized the soul. Makiri believed that with the Einzbern Holy Grail, he could achieve the supposedly impossible feat of summoning Heroic Spirits. That was how it began.
For the sake of an impossible ideal, Makiri Zolgen visited the artificial workshop built by the disciples of the Third Magician, clinging to his last shred of hope.
Filled with ideals, Makiri patiently negotiated with the Einzberns, and in the end, they agreed to his plan.
Makiri Zolgen, who wished to remove humanity's evil nature.
The Tohsaka Family, who had an interest in Western magecraft and sympathized with Makiri Zolgen's passion.
The Einzberns, who wished to recreate Heaven's Feel.
These three factions united because their ultimate interests