"Excalibur!" Amidst a roar, a heaven-shattering pillar of light reappeared, carrying an irresistible momentum. That pillar of light pierced through time and space, and its dazzling divine light shattered the Holy Grail, which was laden with sin!
Golden dust drifted down with the wind, and Saber's body slowly dissipated within this dust. But before she vanished, she had no dissatisfaction or regret... "If there's a chance, let's fight side by side next time!" Saber said, looking in a certain direction. Ryougi Raku had, at some point, left the Holy Grail's space and arrived here.
Ryougi Raku smiled faintly, clearly conveying his meaning to Saber. Immediately after, her captivating figure gradually faded from Ryougi Raku's sight... At the same time, Ryougi Raku quietly watched the spot where Gilgamesh had just disappeared... Not long after, a man with the most perfect proportions in the world appeared there, accompanied by the last vestiges of the dissipating black mud. His body was flawless, with the most alluring proportions... Even the Evil of the World could not resist Gilgamesh's kingly path. The King of Heroes sneered as he looked at his newly regained physical body... But in the next instant, a longsword suddenly pierced through his body, entering near his lower spine and savagely exiting from the corner of his mouth at a forty-five-degree angle... "Ugh..." His newly acquired body had not yet allowed him full control, and this momentary sluggishness was enough to kill him... Although Gilgamesh had his back turned, he knew who had done it from the longsword... "Mongrel..." Even with his vocal cords pierced, the King of Heroes still rasped out these two words. His perfect face was so twisted, and the anger contained within his body was so intense, but Ryougi Raku gave him no chance. With a twist of the longsword in his hand, Gilgamesh vanished from the spot... "This is the price of having a body..." Ryougi Raku murmured. Heroic Spirits' bodies are composed of ether, and while they cannot exert their full power, that substance relatively greatly enhances their vitality. However, Heroic Spirits with physical bodies, though immensely powerful, are no longer immortal and are exactly like ordinary people; they can be easily slain with a direct hit... The King of Heroes, who was originally the final victor of the Holy Grail War, exited in the most unsightly manner of the entire conflict. Even upon returning to the Throne of Heroes, Gilgamesh would probably be driven mad by rage.
However, all of this no longer concerned Ryougi Raku, because only by killing the King of Heroes and preventing him from continuing to live could all of Ryougi Raku's previous plans succeed. Although the process was unexpectedly smooth, since it succeeded, there was no need to dwell on it... After this, Kirei Kotomine was saved by Ryougi Raku. Facing Kiritsugu Emiya, who had lost all will to fight and everything else, Kirei Kotomine had no interest in him anymore. At the same time, he understood what Ryougi Raku had said before; the two of them were indeed so different, their ways of life diametrically opposed... The entire area was engulfed in a massive fire, the world before them scorched black. The former town had been reduced to ruins, and countless people had died there... A man struggled through the ruins, diligently sifting through them, searching for something.
Suddenly, the man seemed to discover something. As if imbued with endless strength, he pushed aside a burnt stone and carefully dug out a small figure buried beneath... The man wept tears of joy, as if he had found the most precious treasure in the world... "Thank you, it's so good to have found you..." Tears streaming down his face, the man whispered. The joy on his face was so comforting.
Kiritsugu Emiya knew that if he didn't do something soon, this sole survivor he had found would likely die. He quickly took out the scabbard of the Holy Sword, which was hosted within his body. Just as he was about to transfer the scabbard into the boy's body, a hand suddenly reached out. Even Kiritsugu Emiya at his peak could not resist, let alone his current weakened state? The scabbard was snatched away by a hand as white as jade. Kiritsugu Emiya looked up blankly, seeing Ryougi Raku admiring the scabbard... "Give it to me..." Kiritsugu Emiya murmured... "What?" Ryougi Raku had, of course, heard Kiritsugu Emiya's words, but he still asked.
"I said... give it to me... please... please... give it to me..." Tears streamed down, and Kiritsugu Emiya knelt on the ground, hugging Ryougi Raku's leg.
Kiritsugu Emiya knew that he was powerless to resist Ryougi Raku. Now, as a mere shell of a man, all he could do was kneel and beg.
Ryougi Raku glanced at Kiritsugu Emiya, who was like a dead dog. He had once been so spirited, but now he had fallen to such a state... "Sigh..." With a sigh, Ryougi Raku pulled his foot back. Seeing Kiritsugu Emiya try to lunge forward again, he decisively kicked him to the ground.
Looking down at the man who had lost everything, Ryougi Raku suddenly lost interest in what he had originally intended to do. He glanced indifferently at the scorched child who looked like he could die at any moment. "All you want is for this child to live, right...?"
"I still have use for this scabbard, so I'll take it. However, I will grant your wish, your true wish right now..." Ryougi Raku looked deeply at Kiritsugu Emiya, who was unable to move at his feet. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a flame that enveloped the boy. Slowly, the boy's skin regenerated as the scorched skin fell away and new skin grew back. In the flames, the boy fell into a deep sleep... "This boy is fine now... As for you, Kiritsugu Emiya, take care of yourself..." Putting away the scabbard of the Holy Sword, Ryougi Raku took one last look at the battlefield, then left without looking back... The Holy Grail War was over, and Ryougi Raku knew that the biggest winner was actually himself. Feeling the black mud at the core of his body, which was connected to the Evil of the World, Ryougi Raku was content... A 'thank you' came from Kiritsugu Emiya, who was lying on the ground, but Ryougi Raku no longer cared about any of that...
---
The aftermath in Fuyuki City was no longer Ryougi Raku's concern; he was already on a plane heading to Europe.
As soon as the Holy Grail War ended, having lost his Servant, he was hunted by the Mage's Association. Regardless, the fact that a Clock Tower lecturer had died forced the Mage's Association to take some action.
At the end of the Holy Grail War, Ryougi Raku encountered several assassination attempts by mages, but these arrogant mages disdained using underhanded methods. Every single one of them challenged him openly, and, as expected, they were all cut down by Ryougi Raku.
However, the level of mages sent could only be described as mediocre. Ryougi Raku's performance in the Holy Grail War must have been known to the Mage's Association, yet they still sent mages of this caliber. Rather than revenge, it was more like sending them to their deaths... A brief thought made Ryougi Raku realize that these mages were probably sent because they had offended someone. Being sent without being informed of the enemy's terrifying strength, it was likely a way to use Ryougi Raku to eliminate them.
Although he was being used, Ryougi Raku didn't care. He would kill as many of these low-level beings as they sent, without any pressure.
Kenneth's death was both a big deal and a small one. It was a big deal because it was a slap in the face to the Mage's Association, but it was a small one because mages are a very realistic group of people. They would naturally not provoke a powerful enemy for the sake of a dead man. Of course, if the Holy Grail War hadn't made them aware of Ryougi Raku's power, they probably wouldn't have minded exerting some effort to get rid of him.
The Archibald family was destined to decline after Kenneth's death, unless something unexpected happened... For a fallen noble family and a deceased person, no one would stand up for them... However, Ryougi Raku always felt that things weren't that simple. Although he wasn't afraid, he had people he cared about in this life, and staying in the island nation might put them in danger. Therefore, he prepared to go to Europe, the center of the Mage's Association's power. There, Ryougi Raku would dare to go on a killing spree! And he could also have time to study the new things he had acquired...
With sufficient funds, Ryougi Raku indulged in extensive leisure in Europe. The research on the Evil of the World was very slow. Although he already understood its existence very well, how to use it to achieve his goals required a lot of time and effort.
However, the Mage's Association was strangely inactive in their territory, as if they were plotting something.
Ryougi Raku currently lacked the strength to launch an offensive and cut down the Mage's Association, so he could only react as events unfolded and see what happened.
'Strength is the most important thing!' Ryougi Raku thought to himself. If he had sufficiently powerful strength, why would the Mage's Association target him so much for a mere lecturer? They would probably be too busy avoiding him...
Ryougi Raku wasn't afraid of becoming a slave to power. For him, he controlled power, not the other way around. The idea of pursuing great power and becoming its slave, as seen in some novels, seemed so ridiculous to the current Ryougi Raku...
This was a small town in France. The town wasn't big; Ryougi Raku could see the entire town at a glance from a high vantage point.
Children played happily in the town, and the idyllic scenery surrounding the town deeply attracted Ryougi Raku. He found it incredibly rare that such a town, resembling an ancient European estate, could be preserved for so long.
Taking a deep breath, free from urban pollution, the strength in his body surged with excitement. In the afternoon sun, Ryougi Raku leisurely strolled through the town's streets.
Occasionally, he would encounter people who would offer him a kind smile. The local customs were simple and honest, Ryougi Raku thought. And although it was remote, it wasn't isolated; the villagers' attitudes showed that they weren't unfamiliar with outsiders.
Although eating was no longer necessary, habits were hard to break.
"Uncle, are there any local specialties or snacks in this town?" Ryougi Raku stopped an uncle who was passing by, asking in French with a gentle smile.
Ryougi Raku had once marveled at how quickly he learned languages in this life, almost effortlessly. Thinking back to his previous life, where his poor English led to a terrible college entrance exam score, he felt a sense of how much things had changed.
"Young man, are you a foreigner?" The uncle, not looking down on Ryougi Raku for his youthful appearance, said with kindness, patting Ryougi Raku's shoulder.
"Yes, I'm from the distant Far East. I was traveling, but I stumbled upon this place by chance, so I came to take a look..." Ryougi Raku felt more at ease with this kind of ordinary uncle.
"Oh, oh? You're quite impressive, young man. The Far East, that's truly far away. But are you traveling alone?" The uncle looked at Ryougi Raku with considerable surprise.