Buzz—! Buzz—! Buzz—!
Before the Holy Grail could deliver its judgment, the sounds of countless beating wings filled the air surrounding the Church.
"That's the presence of Magecraft!"
Kairi Sisigou, the only magician present who truly had extensive experience in magical combat, immediately sensed the abnormal surge of magical energy around the Church.
Even now, despite their apparent victory being within grasp, Sisigou hadn't dropped his vigilance, continuing to scan the perimeter with his Magecraft.
At that moment, a single floating eyeball hovered outside the Church, a familiar he'd sent out for reconnaissance.
"Why are there so many insects…?"
Sisigou reloaded his shotgun, calmly lighting a cigarette, preparing himself for the battle ahead.
With this many insects swarming around, an attack could come from any direction.
The floating eyeball he'd used for observation had already been crushed by the insects buzzing through the skies.
"Servants are approaching quickly—!"
Jeanne swiftly sensed two Servants rapidly closing in on the Church.
Their speed was blinding—like shooting stars.
In this Holy Grail War, there was only one Servant capable of such astonishing speed———
Boom—!
"[Dromeus Komētēs: Comet Form]—!!!"
In the next instant, the tightly sealed doors of the Church were violently blown open, and a flood of insects surged in through the shattered entrance.
As a magical workshop established by Shirou Kotomine, Shakespeare, and Semiramis, the defensive enchantments of this Church could not be breached by ordinary mages.
The insects themselves were unable to damage it at all; they could only follow Achilles's charge inside. After all, the walls had withstood even Semiramis's mana blasts; mere insects stood no chance.
Yet Achilles wore no look of excitement—only endless rage.
Brandishing his spear, he charged straight at Jeanne, roaring at the top of his lungs.
"Ruler—! Use your [Command Spells]!"
Achilles, a Heroic Spirit who lived by his own principles and beliefs, would never willingly obey Zouken Matou's commands.
Rather, if not for his Noble Phantasm's release during the fight with Chiron, Achilles would've immediately sought out and killed his new Master rather than continue battling Chiron.
In the original timeline, Achilles was deeply resentful toward Shirou Kotomine for hiding the identity of his true Master, openly declaring his intention to kill Kotomine after the contract was transferred.
Even his battle with Chiron had been hindered by this anxiety, constantly worried about his unknown Master's safety.
Had it not been for the fated duel with Chiron, coupled with interference from Karna and Semiramis—and Karna's explicit protection of the Masters—Achilles might have attacked Kotomine directly.
But now, his battle with Chiron had ended. Achilles saw no reason to tolerate the mage who had forcibly stolen his Master and [Command Spells].
After pinpointing Zouken Matou's location, Achilles had charged forward without pause, intending to kill the usurper.
But reality betrayed him.
Currently, Zouken Matou held eighteen [Command Spells], amassed from six Servants: Assassin of Black, Lancer, Rider, Archer, Berserker of Red, and Hassan-i Sabbah.
Although Zouken didn't possess all eighteen perfectly—having spent one [Command Spell] during Atalanta's battle with Emiya, another rescuing Jack the Ripper, and two more activating Karna's and Achilles's Noble Phantasms—he still had a formidable fourteen left.
Achilles, whose [Magical Resistance] ranked merely at C, couldn't possibly resist the weight of that many [Command Spells].
The Holy Grail War's core system was formed from the Tohsaka family providing leylines, the Einzbern family crafting the Grail, and the Matou family developing Command Spells to bind Servants.
The Matou (formerly Makiri) were experts in familiars. Designing the Servants themselves and inventing [Command Spells] to control them was precisely Zouken's legendary contribution.
Thus, Zouken Matou was perhaps the world's greatest expert on [Command Spells].
He could easily command his Servants to steal the [Command Spells] and contracts of other Masters, enabling him to wield [Command Spells] with unmatched efficiency.
Unlike Jeanne's [Command Spells], Zouken's fourteen could all target a single Servant simultaneously—a truly terrifying capability.
Achilles had been forcibly restrained before he even reached Zouken. Zouken knew full well that if Achilles managed to get close, he'd never have the chance to use even a single [Command Spell].
Even though Zouken could easily form new bodies, Achilles's immense speed could make using [Command Spells] completely impossible.
And currently, the Crest Worm hidden within Sakura's heart wasn't even present here.
Since Zouken had already planned on restraining Achilles, he had no intention of conserving his [Command Spells].
Moreover, as their creator, Zouken could make each [Command Spell]'s effect surpass its usual limits. Restraining Achilles for an entire day required merely two [Command Spells].
Now Achilles had become little more than a puppet, controlled entirely by [Command Spells]. He had no choice but to suppress his will and attack Jeanne. If Achilles's Noble Phantasm [Diatrekhōn Astēr Lonkhē] didn't have critical restrictions—such as being unusable against women and requiring mutual agreement for duels—Zouken would undoubtedly have forced him to trap Jeanne within it.
After all, Jeanne was currently the only one capable of fighting a Servant head-on and sensing Hassan-i Sabbah's hidden presence.
If Jeanne was eliminated first, Zouken could effortlessly kill everyone else present.
Astolfo, though no longer in immediate danger of fading away, lay powerless on the ground, unable to resist at all.
This was the ideal moment for Zouken Matou to claim the Holy Grail.
If eternal life could be mine, who cares if it's in another world?
Zouken had absolute faith that this Greater Grail could grant him immortality.
As for Zouken's body in the original world—
He couldn't sustain multiple consciousnesses at once. Only one body could be actively controlled by Zouken's main consciousness; the others would remain mindless automatons.
Since following Shirou Emiya into this world, Zouken's original body had remained disconnected, governed only by the worms' basic instincts and his final orders.
Whether he fulfilled his wish here or in the original world ultimately made no difference.
After all, besides immortality, Zouken Matou had no other desires left.
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T/N: oooooh okay so he trahnsferred his conscisouicsnes