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The wishes of Medea and Medusa are easy to realize, and even their desires have changed over time. When Medusa was summoned, she had no interest in the Holy Grail. She was only drawn here because of her connection to Sakura.

The others are generally more content. Matou Sakura is quite satisfied with the current state of things. After the Holy Grail War ends, and Kain uses the Great Holy Grail to pierce through the world, Sakura will have nothing left to worry about.

Illya once wished to reach the Root due to the mission imposed on her by the Einzbern family. But after becoming human—or rather, a magical girl—her interests gradually shifted elsewhere. Though she remains obsessed with the Holy Grail, it's mostly due to her family's expectations.

Tohsaka Rin, the clingy one, was perhaps the most eager to witness the Holy Grail. Ironically, she wasn't Kain's ally in the beginning but his enemy.

After Kain explained the true purpose behind the Holy Grail War and shared a final meal at the Matou household, they officially parted ways.

Medea and Medusa returned to the Lesser Holy Grail. At this point, the vessel has been filled with the souls of fourteen servants. Kain has already used it to connect to Fuyuki City's underground spiritual vein.

The Great Holy Grail can now be summoned at any time to pierce through the boundary of the world.

Zero Tail has also benefited from the filling of the Lesser Grail. The energy of "All the World's Evil" overflows and grows endlessly, though its size remains under Kain's control. The tails have grown even larger.

Currently, Zero Tail acts as a purifier for the Lesser Grail—absorbing the worst cursed energy it contains without limit.

"The Lesser Holy Grail still needs refining, and the underground spiritual veins of Fuyuki City can be further expanded. It would be better if the process of piercing the world took a bit more time."

Kain reflected on his plan, double-checked for any gaps, and made final adjustments. Once everything was confirmed, he would use the Great Grail to open a path to the outside world.

The first step was to transform his servant body into a small Holy Grail and attempt to communicate with his original body. Kain had tried this many times, but the trading system seemed inactive. Perhaps the only way to reach his true self was to exit this world entirely.

As for the little Holy Grail body, he would leave it behind as a control anchor or positioning point—allowing him to manage or eventually assimilate this world.

Since the Root is completely harmless and the origin of all things, it should be simple enough to fulfill his wish.

While Kain was researching and modifying the Little Grail, Tohsaka Rin suddenly burst in, flustered.

"Something bad's happened—really bad! You won't believe how serious it is."

Kain calmly pushed Rin's forehead back and asked helplessly,

"Even if the sky were falling, it wouldn't be a big deal for me. So? What kind of trouble did you run into this time?"

"What? You bastard! It's not my fault this time! You caused this mess, and now I'm the one dealing with the consequences! Hmph!"

Rin huffed but still explained what she knew:

"The Magic Association has arrived in Fuyuki City. The Holy Grail War caused too much noise—they're here to hold someone accountable. And those ordinary people you let use magic? They've taken notice."

"Stop, stop!" Kain interrupted halfway through, then asked,

"That's it?"

"That's right! They're already here in Fuyuki. And apparently, this time they've sent someone from the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower."

Kain smiled faintly.

"Tohsaka, who do you think is more dangerous—Gilgamesh or the people from the Magic Association?"

Rin blinked, confused by the sudden question. After a moment, she answered:

"Probably Gilgamesh. After all, he's a legendary hero. But I guess the Clock Tower people might be on his level?"

"Not even close. Honestly, you've never seen them firsthand—your view of their power is based purely on imagination.

If Medea were to fight seriously, not a single magician from the Association could match her.

As for Gilgamesh—he doesn't even need the Holy Grail to wipe out humanity. Using it would just make things faster."

Afterwards, Kain raised a finger and pointed at himself. With a soft snort, he said to Tohsaka Rin:

"Here's the real question—if I'm stronger than Gilgamesh, why should I care about the noise made by a few weaklings? They only bully the powerless, like you. But once I destroy the Clock Tower with a Tailed Beast Bomb, they'll be kneeling and begging for mercy."

"Put it away! Put it away!"

Seeing the Tailed Beast Bomb forming in Kain's hand, Rin Tohsaka waved her arms frantically and pleaded for him to put it away. She hadn't forgotten how he once nearly detonated a nuclear bomb above Fuyuki City.

Especially now—Kain was connected to the underground spiritual vein of Fuyuki. His mana was essentially infinite. If he really wanted to, he could wipe out human civilization.

After Kain finally dispelled the Tailed Beast Bomb, Rin wiped imaginary sweat from her brow and said:

"I get it. I'll deal with them."

"Be firm. For now, you represent me to some extent. Matou Sakura and Illya aren't suited for this—neither has the personality. If you show weakness, I'll step in and handle them myself."

"Also, there's one more task—start collecting underground spiritual veins from other cities. Expand the network across all of Japan."

After saying that, Kain placed a faceless, long serpent into Rin's hands.

"This is Zero Tail. If they start running their mouths, give them two slaps and let Zero Tail eat them."

"Eat them!? You're way too violent!"

Rin sighed and shook her head.

"Fine, leave it to me. I'll handle it. As for the underground spiritual veins, the Tohsaka family probably has records—I'll check them later."

She covered her face in exasperation. Fortunately, she had come alone to ask first. If she had actually brought the people from the Clock Tower with her, they'd be the ones getting devoured. She'd grown up with modern education and hadn't experienced the kind of madness Kain was accustomed to.

Even though she knew the Clock Tower mages weren't exactly noble, she still preferred to resolve things through negotiation. Kain's solutions were far too aggressive—she couldn't even consider them.

The underground spiritual veins were tied to the Great Holy Grail. The Tohsaka family was involved in its creation from the beginning.

Initially, only Fuyuki City's spiritual vein had been tapped, as its magical energy was sufficient to support the Lesser Grail in piercing a hole in the world.

But Kain had a bigger vision. Fuyuki alone was no longer enough. He was expanding the magical infrastructure while continuing to refine the Little Holy Grail.

"I shouldn't have let Medea return so soon. If she were still here, she could handle transforming the spiritual veins with ease."

Kain shook his head. While Rin could technically do it—thanks to the Tohsaka family's archived knowledge—her magical capacity was far too limited for such a massive task.

After a month of work, Kain had gradually reshaped his servant body into a new form—a human-shaped Holy Grail. Unlike Illya, whose heart was a Grail, Kain retained full consciousness and autonomy in this transformed state.

This transformation was necessary. To reach the Root beyond the world and connect this realm to the Marvel universe, his current body was just a tool—a vessel that could be discarded later.

"What's going on with the underground spiritual veins? That girl Tohsaka hasn't reported back in a month."

Kain frowned, having completed the transformation of the Little Holy Grail. The next step was to channel the magical energy from the collected spiritual veins into the Great Grail. That would allow them to pierce the dimensional barrier and establish a stable link.

If not, they'd lose all connection to this world once they entered the Root.

Impatient, Kain used Apparition and instantly appeared in the living room of the Tohsaka household.

"Tohsaka? I'm here. About what I told you last time—"

But before he could finish, he noticed something was off. Rin's expression was strange, and he sensed the presence of several unfamiliar people behind her.

He turned to look.

"Who are these people, Tohsaka?"

"They're—"

Tohsaka Rin smiled awkwardly, covered her face, and quickly tried to come up with an excuse to gloss things over.

But before she could say anything, a man sitting on the sofa opposite her spoke up:

"We are representatives from the Clock Tower of the Mage's Association. This time, we're here to deliver the orders of the Twelve Lords. Tohsaka Rin, you've kept us waiting for an entire month."

"A month? Tohsaka, you've spent that long dealing with these guys?"

Kain's eyebrow twitched slightly as he looked at Rin. He knew she had a soft heart, but he didn't expect her to drag this out so long. He suspected she hadn't even used the Zero Tail he gave her—it was probably being treated like some pet loach.

Rin turned to him with a sheepish look and muttered,

"I was almost done…"

"Doesn't look like it to me."

Kain casually waved his hand, and the three Clock Tower representatives were instantly blasted through the wall of the Tohsaka house by a surge of magic. They flew backward over 30 meters and tumbled down the hillside.

Right after, Kain used magic to restore the broken wall of the house, as if nothing had happened.

"There's clearly a faster, easier way to handle things. Why even bother negotiating with them? They parade around under the banner of justice, but underneath it all, they're driven by personal interest. If you even share the underground spiritual veins of the Tohsaka family, you'll be treated like a criminal—even if you didn't take part in the Holy Grail War."

Without waiting for Rin's response, Kain continued:

"Let's deal with the underground spiritual veins first. Don't worry about the Clock Tower—I'll handle them. I'll even send a clone to help you with the rest."

"I really don't get why you're in such a hurry," Rin muttered, but stood up and started handling the task according to Kain's instructions.

Over the past few days, she had nearly finished her research and had already sent people to negotiate purchases of key sites. Now, she and Kain just needed to connect the various spiritual veins across Japan.

Only three people had come to the Tohsaka residence, but the total number of Clock Tower mages dispatched to Fuyuki City was twenty-five. These were some of the more combat-oriented individuals from the Association.

The Mage's Association mainly focused on magical research. Combatants like Lord El-Melloi II (Kenneth) were rare. But even those who had fighting prowess were no match for Kain. All 25 were defeated—completely disabled by his hand.

The Clock Tower, known for its rigid power structure and political maneuvering, noticed immediately—but only oneperson understood the gravity of the situation: Kishua Zelretch Schweinorg.

Kishua had no intention of provoking Kain. Even if he had the power to fight a Servant, he wouldn't dare challenge thisServant—especially not one who had defeated Gilgamesh.

When the Clock Tower realized their twenty-five elite had not only been neutralized, but also transported to a hidden, secure location without a trace, it sent a wave of fear through the higher-ups.

Some monarchs with hidden ambitions immediately abandoned any schemes they had been plotting. Magdaniel, in particular, was quick to erase any thoughts of retaliation. Even the most greedy among the Twelve Lords knew not to escalate things to this level.

Fuyuki City returned to a quiet calm. While some countries might still be curious about the disturbances, there was no trace of Kain left behind to investigate.

With no further interference, Tohsaka Rin and Kain successfully gathered nearly all of Japan's underground spiritual veins into Fuyuki City. As a result, the Great Holy Grail system's magical capacity increased tenfold, and the duration of its connection to the Root was extended by the same factor.

"Alright. Everything's ready. Prepare yourselves to witness the Root. It'll be a great boon for you—and who knows, maybe you'll become the number one magus."

At the foot of Mt. Enzō, Kain stood within the newly transformed Great Holy Grail circle. Everything was in place. He looked down from the center of the circle toward Tohsaka Rin, Illya, and Matou Sakura.

The first two were curious and desired to witness the Root.

Matou Sakura, however, had to go. She was Kain's designated anchor—his point of origin—in this world.

Illya didn't say anything—she just clenched her small fists and silently cheered Kain on.

At this point, she could be considered the representative of the Einzbern family in winning the Holy Grail War, but she knew she only won thanks to Kain.

Sakura Matou quietly murmured,

"Come on, Mr. Kain,"

then stepped into the magic circle Kain had prepared in advance.

"Who would want to be a magician? You… you never even gave a proper goodbye. As a Servant, once you reach the Root… will you—will you come back?"

Rin Tohsaka's voice grew softer and softer. She turned her head away, pretending to admire a nearby wall like it held some priceless masterpiece.

"You'll find out soon enough. Don't you hate me, Tohsaka? I remember you said I was too long-winded the other day."

"You are noisy! You're always treating me like a servant. Of course I think you're long-winded! Hmph!"

She turned away sharply, but just seconds later, she couldn't help sneaking another glance at the Great Holy Grail's magic circle.

Kain then focused his attention on the circle. At this point, he had already become the Holy Grail and contained the souls of fourteen Servants within him.

By using the Holy Grail's rules, Kain could clearly perceive the presence of thirteen Servant souls that were ready to return to the Throne of Heroes beyond the world. As their souls prepared to ascend, Kain activated the Great Holy Grail system.

Boom!

A tremendous tremor surged through the area as a massive amount of magical energy was drawn into the magic circle. All of Japan's underground spiritual veins were being mobilized.

The scale of the ritual was so vast that even the distant Clock Tower detected the magical surge. The fluctuations in Japan's magical leylines began to resonate across the entire planet.

Within the circle, the overwhelming magical power—combined with the Servants' departing souls—tore open a massive rift in the spiritual fabric. A tunnel large enough for three people emerged above the magic circle. Magical energy surged wildly through it, anchoring the tunnel in place.

"This… is this the Root he was talking about?"

Rin Tohsaka was stunned. As the portal to the Root opened, traces of its energy spilled into the world. In Rin and Illya's eyes, this energy transformed into streams of magical knowledge they could comprehend—and even beyond that, it became pure magic.

It was the essence that magi pursued their entire lives. A single glimpse could grant them understanding of all the world's mysteries. It was the power to surpass even someone like Medea.

"So this is the Root… This is what Father and the others were chasing after all along?"

Illya murmured. Then she shook her head.

"The Einzbern family was wrong from the very beginning."

The Great Holy Grail's magic circle had been specially modified by Kain. Even if Rin and Illya remained exposed to the Root's energies for an entire day, they wouldn't be harmed by the overflow from beyond the world.

"It's time."

Kain looked at the Root's energy dancing in his hand. Though he was still technically a Servant, his body—reconstructed as a Lesser Holy Grail—was unique. It could persist even outside the boundaries of the world.

Without hesitation, Kain leapt into the tunnel—into the Root.

Rin Tohsaka's eyes widened in alarm. She instinctively wanted to scream for him to stop, but it was already too late.

The world beyond was like a void—formless, formlessness itself. Yet it was also the origin of all things.

"System,"

Kain called out silently in his mind.

A glowing system panel instantly appeared before his eyes. In that moment, his consciousness detached from his Holy Grail-form body. As he glanced at the system interface, he noticed the world coordinate field:

[Bound World Coordinates: Active]

"Hah… finally succeeded!"

In the next moment, everything around Kain shifted.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back—in his original body, inside the villa at his manor.

…

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