Abnormal Type-Moon

Resetting magecraft—that was the very first thing Roy needed to accomplish.

And it was difficult.

Incredibly difficult.

So difficult it could almost be called an impossible endeavor.

It was true that in reality, there existed examples like China's Philosophy Magecraft, and that Taoists, compared to magi, retained a stronger sense of humanity. But what was the microcosmic Root of China? It was something forged by the Celestial Immortals of China after countless years and untold efforts—a singular exception born from history.

There was no other like it anywhere in the world.

For Roy to reset magecraft, his first step would have to be erasing the very concept of magecraft from the world. That alone would pit him against every magus on Earth. He'd be openly declaring war against them all. The moment the magi caught wind of his intentions, they would never let him go—they'd stop at nothing to kill him.

And even then, it would require an eternity of painstaking effort, of relentless trial, construction, experimentation, and refinement to rebuild a new system of magecraft. That would be the most grueling part.

It was King Solomon, blessed by God's wisdom, who once established the current magecraft system.

Yet Roy intended not only to overturn that system single-handedly, but also to construct an entirely new one from scratch—one meant to compensate for humanity's inherent flaws. It sounded like the kind of impossible dream only a fool would pursue.

Even optimizing the existing system would be simpler by comparison.

But mere optimization wasn't enough. Unless the concept of magecraft was completely dismantled and consigned to oblivion—unless humanity forgot it ever existed—the tragedies born of magecraft could never be truly severed.

If the time came when it proved utterly impossible, perhaps then, he would settle for that lesser alternative and simply refine the current system.

Another option, letting all of humanity become magi, wasn't viable either.

After all, magecraft circuits were an innate trait. No matter how much external intervention attempted to compensate, disparities would always arise. The strong would command powerful mysteries, and the weak would be left with feeble ones. The strong would remain strong, the weak forever weak—and that inequality would persist unbroken.

It might shift the status quo somewhat, but the result would be little different. The oppressed would simply shift from ordinary people to weak magi.

As before, if he were left with no other path, Roy might choose those compromises.

But the ideal outcome was still without question—to create an entirely new system of magecraft.

A path so difficult it was like grasping the heavens.

But not entirely impossible.

In the end, magecraft was merely a concept—a phenomenon born from the accumulated history of humanity over thousands of years. If he could steer the world away from it, advance the era in a different direction, and discard the concept of magecraft into the trash heap of history, it would fade into obscurity—perhaps even disappear from the planet altogether.

Afterwards, he could reconstruct a new theoretical foundation for mysticism, referencing the precedent of Philosophy Magic. With the aid of his unprecedented Mystic Eyes, so similar to the Ten Commandments, while the success rate would approach zero, it would never truly become absolute zero.

At his core, Roy's goal wasn't to eliminate all tragedy born from humanity.

As long as humans remained what they were, tragedy would be inevitable, whether it stemmed from good intentions or malice. Even if Roy succeeded in creating a new system, new tragedies would surely follow.

But as Caster Limbo once said—Magecraft was just one karmic impurity among countless others birthed in the 4.6 billion-year history of Earth. If Roy succeeded in creating a new system, it too would eventually become another karmic burden for the planet.

And what of it?

What Roy could not tolerate was humanity continuing to be poisoned by this particular karmic impurity known as magecraft, allowing it to persist, flourish, and claim new victims.

Which is why, no matter what, he had to craft a system more efficient, more humane, more capable of supplementing humanity's inherent flaws.

What new karmic burdens might arise in the distant future—what new impurities might plague humanity—that would no longer be his concern.

If Roy were to win this Holy Grail War…

Then for the long years that followed, his life would be consumed by research.

He would seek out the means to achieve soul materialization, or similar mysteries, to extend his lifespan. And then pour centuries—even millennia of his life into the creation of this new system.

Until the day his soul itself perished.

That was what made Taigong Wang admire him.

Roy sought, by his own hand alone, to recreate something akin to China's Philosophy Magecraft Foundation—a new system born entirely from human thought. It wasn't merely his ambition that left Taigong Wang in awe, but his extraordinary spirit.

Though Roy had suffered greatly at the hands of humanity, he still sought to lead humanity out of its sea of suffering.

And so, Taigong Wang was willing to exhaust his existence as a Servant to help Roy realize that wish. He believed that his own mastery of Philosophy Magecraft might prove of use to Roy.

Of course, Taigong Wang was not blind to the malice buried deep within Roy's heart. He knew that if the day ever came when that malice was unleashed, it would spiral beyond control.

And if that day came—Taigong Wang would return from the other side of the world and destroy that evil within him.

But until then, he was willing to stand by Roy's side.

"So that's what this is about…"

Angra Mainyu stood alone in the shadows.

He had eavesdropped on Roy and Gilgamesh's conversation, grasping Roy's true wish.

And at last, he understood.

"Even deeper, heavier, and more sorrowful than kindness… is love."

Humanity, when weighed evenly between kindness and malice, would overwhelmingly lean toward malice. The malice to destroy the world could never be suppressed by the kindness that sought to save it.

The only thing capable of suppressing that malice… was love for humanity itself.

Through the lens of love, even humanity's evils could transform into disappointment at the tragedies humans brought upon themselves. Into frustration at their stubbornness. Into sorrow at their betrayals. Into pity at their hopelessness.

"Humans… what a complicated species."

At last, Angra Mainyu came to understand.

And with that understanding, he found peace.

He gave up.

The malice buried within Roy's heart wouldn't be so easily drawn out.

And besides… this love for humanity sounded rather interesting, didn't it?

"Mm…?"

Suddenly, Angra Mainyu's vision blurred. A fierce dizziness swept through his mind.

An overwhelming pull surged from behind him, so powerful he couldn't even begin to resist.

"What's happening?!"

Angra Mainyu cried out in shock.

He hurriedly searched for the source of the force—and was stunned to discover…

"The… Greater Grail…?!"

He stood frozen for a moment.

The world spun around him. His figure separated from his body, drawn toward the Greater Grail.

"So that's it… so that's how it is! Damn it—I've been had! Well played, Roy hahahaha!"

Angra Mainyu's soul was pulled into the Greater Grail.

And was utterly annihilated.

***

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