When Alaric realized that the Holy Grail had begun selecting Masters and that preparations for the Fourth Holy Grail War were underway, a month had already passed. One day, upon visiting the church again, Alaric saw Kirei Kotomine and noticed the crimson markings on the soon-to-be priest's hand.
Those were the Command Seals, a secondary system provided by the Matou (Makiri) family to assist the Holy Grail system, granting Masters three absolute commands.
Command Seals only appear on those chosen as Masters—there is no other possibility.
However, Alaric was not anxious. Based on his observations of the Greater Grail, its magical energy was still far from reaching full capacity, requiring several more years to become complete.
If things progress smoothly, this timeframe should be sufficient for Alaric to analyze and dismantle the Holy Grail system.
It was a trivial matter, an insignificant detail in Alaric's eyes at the moment.
Even if Tohsaka Tokiomi, Kirei Kotomine, and more Masters were chosen, it would not affect Liye. Alaric sole concern was the Holy Grail itself.
Alaric lay leisurely on a beach chair, clad in a flamboyant Hawaiian shirt, legs crossed, sipping juice.
His white hair was tied into a ponytail, hanging down as he gazed at the Greater Grail with a relaxed demeanor, even showing it a gesture of respect.
Though slightly disappointed that the Holy Grail had not chosen him, Alaric accepted it within reason.
Losing the qualification of a Master was inconsequential—he could simply take one when the time came.
If his predictions were correct, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald in the Clock Tower and the Einzbern family's son-in-law, Kiritsugu Emiya, had likely already obtained their Master's qualifications.
Even so, several slots remained, enough for Alaric to manipulate. As long as he secured a Master qualification before summoning took place, summoning a Servant himself would allow him to participate in the Holy Grail War.
What truly concerned Alaric was the Holy Grail, or rather, what resided within it.
"Avenger, Angra Mainyu, huh?"
A concept from Zoroastrian dualism, Angra Mainyu was originally an ordinary young man, living in a village that followed Zoroastrianism. He had never encountered magic or mysteries in his life.
Then, one day, in an attempt to prove that all people possessed inherent goodness, the villagers sacrificed him as a symbol of All the World's Evil, forcing him to bear the sins of the world.
Simply put, all sin was cast upon him so that others could remain innocent.
An absurd method, but one that did save some people, thus turning him into the ultimate Anti-Hero.
Similar in nature to Medusa, yet fundamentally surpassing her—he was the oldest Avenger.
Due to being forcibly burdened with All the World's Evil, Angra Mainyu lacked an individual personality, existing solely as a conceptual entity.
Without an external persona to inhabit, Angra Mainyu could not take form or be drawn out from within the Grail.
Angra Mainyu itself was not the real problem—the concept of All the World's Evil was.
Merlin once said that human evil is human love, a disaster born from humanity's beastly nature. If Angra Mainyu carried all of the world's evil, then without a doubt, he possessed the qualifications of a Beast.
This was the primordial form of love. Though the young man had been sacrificed against his will, he had, in truth, become the vessel of All the World's Evil.
While Angra Mainyu could be summoned as a Servant, if he were to descend from within the Holy Grail with a suitable host, he could evolve into a Beast.
After a month of analyzing the Holy Grail, Alaric had made little significant progress, but he had confirmed its contents.
Angra Mainyu, bearing All the World's Evil, had been unlawfully summoned as an Avenger during the Third Holy Grail War by the Einzbern family, using foreign scriptures as a catalyst in place of Berserker.
However, Avenger turned out to be unexpectedly weak, and he was defeated and reclaimed by the Grail on the fourth day of the war.
Since his existence was a collective wish, he instinctively wished upon the Grail to corrupt it.
The once-pure power of the Holy Grail became tainted by this pure evil, turning into the Black Mud—ensuring that any wish granted by the Grail would manifest through evil.
This realization made Alaric understand that if he wished to utilize the Holy Grail for the Third Magic—Heaven's Feel, he would need to address All the World's Evil as part of his plan.
"Letting it out… might not be a bad idea."
The Holy Grail's corruption was already irreversible. As for its source, All the World's Evil—Angra Mainyu, Alaric had no feasible way to deal with it. Even after attempting to observe it through the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, he found their connection deeper than he had anticipated.
Even though Alaric possessed the ability to sever divine contracts, he could not use his Mystic Eyes to kill Angra Mainyu.
Or rather, All the World's Evil—Angra Mainyu had a different form of immortality—as long as humanity existed, his existence would be validated.
Although the Servant Angra Mainyu could be destroyed, his true form—which had merged with the Grail—had transformed. If he were to descend through the Third Magic—Heaven's Feel,
All the World's Evil—Angra Mainyu would become a true Humanity's Evil.
Moreover, this transformation meant not only the loss of his last remaining personality but also the loss of any method to eliminate him without damaging the Holy Grail.
Destroying Angra Mainyu at the cost of damaging the Holy Grail system was not an outcome Alaric desired. If no other solution was found, allowing Angra Mainyu to fully descend might be the best course of action.
From his discussions with Demon God King Goetia, Alaric had come to understand the key conditions for forming a Singularity. While the Holy Grail was indeed a catalyst for disrupting human history, the true factor was the extent of its impact.
Only when an event diverges from normal history, influencing the entire world, does it become a Singularity.
And the birth of Humanity's Evil would undoubtedly turn Fuyuki City into a Singularity.
Though Fuyuki was insignificant in modern historical development, something born within it possessed the potential to affect the world.
The conditions for creating a Singularity had already been met.
Yet that was secondary. What truly mattered to Alaric was whether he could obtain the Third Magic—Heaven's Feel. His ultimate goal was soul materialization.
Only Third Magic—Heaven's Feel could open the hole within his soul.
At the moment he had that thought, Alaric saw—
A crimson figure once again appeared in his vision, standing between him and Heaven's Feel, as if to prevent the impending disaster.
It was the Counter Guardian he had once encountered at the edge of the stars, within that inhuman abyss.
The familiar figure stood silently in the distance, her face obscured beneath a cloak, yet Alaric could feel cold, indifferent eyes gazing at him.
[Please stop.]
Unlike before, this was not a voice echoing from within his mind, but a clear, chilling plea reverberating through the void.
Glancing around, Alaric casually finished the rest of his juice in one gulp, then rose from his chair and approached the crimson figure.
As usual, she stepped back exactly as much as he advanced.
"Impressive. I just had a thought, and you appeared immediately."
Seeing that he still could not touch the Counter Guardian, Alaric curiously examined the petite figure before him.
After leaving Antarctica, he had assumed he would never see this Counter Guardian again.
Yet the moment he merely considered bringing forth All the World's Evil—Angra Mainyu to trigger the Third Magic, she appeared before him.
Was it some kind of system? A precognitive warning mechanism?
If anyone else had the same thought as Alaric, would they also receive this Counter Guardian's warning?
Alaric believed that it was impossible; doing so would be a pointless waste of resources. The so-called warning was only issued under the premise of a potential occurrence.
In other words, the Counter Guardian representing the Counter Force also believed that Alaric was capable of achieving this and could even pose a significant threat.
"Hmm, hmm, seems feasible."
Alaric, stroking his chin in thought, continued to size up the Guardian standing before him.
The Counter Force was an invisible vortex of power aimed at prolonging the current world. It would manifest at the moment a world-ending cause emerged, erasing that cause.
It was divided into two types: Alaya (Humanity) and Gaia (Planet).
Alaya: The prayer of humanity—to avert destruction.
Gaia: The prayer of the planet—to prolong its lifespan.
Regardless of which, their purpose was the continuation of the present world. They would emerge at the critical moment when a world-ending factor arose and erase it.
Since the Counter Force operated unconsciously, its intervention would not attract attention or be perceived by anyone.
As an intangible vortex of power, the Counter Force would manifest in varying scales depending on the target that needed to be eliminated. It would always appear in a form that ensured absolute victory over its target.
Typically, it utilized ordinary people as agents to eliminate catastrophic threats. As a result, these individuals were revered as heroes.
If Alaric's actions endangered either humanity or the planet, he would inevitably be targeted by the Counter Force.
However, Alaric was well aware that the world today belonged to humanity—the planet's influence had already lost its domain.
Without direct means of self-defense, the planet had once created the True Ancestors as a measure to restrain humanity.
The True Ancestors could be considered the planet's sensory extensions—though they possessed physical forms, they could also be regarded as manifestations of the Counter Force.
While the True Ancestors were adversaries of humanity, they also served as mediators between humanity and nature.
But all of this came to an end when Crimson Moon was eradicated by the Wizard Marshal Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.
The struggle between Gaia and humanity concluded with the flourishing of human civilization. The acknowledgment of Heroic Spirits marked the disappearance of the True Ancestors.
As a result, Alaric did not need to worry about being targeted by the Counter Force of the planet. The only force he had to be wary of was Alaya.
"I may fail, but I will never turn back."
Alaric, unwavering in his determination, gazed at the Counter Guardian. Though he would be targeted, that would only happen after he initiated action.
Counter Guardians existed precisely for such moments.
"Besides—"
Zzt!
A flicker of dark magical energy quietly bloomed. Since that fateful day when he traveled from Antarctica to Britain, Alaric had rarely pushed his magical power to its limits.
But that did not mean he had stopped improving!
Just as Kotomine Kirei had observed, Alaric's confident expression carried a slight smirk as he declared:
"Who wins and who loses is still undecided!"
His confidence in his strength gave Alaric great assurance that he could obtain the Third Magic. Unless a divine-level entity appeared on the surface of the 20th-century Earth, nothing could truly threaten him!
Now it was only a matter of seeing what measures the so-called Counter Force would take.
His declaration of assured victory had been made, yet no response came.
Apart from the initial request, the Counter Guardian had once again fallen into silence, leaving the highly motivated Alaric feeling somewhat frustrated.
It was like throwing a punch with all his strength—only to hit empty air.
Faced with the Counter Guardian's cold indifference, Alaric decisively turned and walked away.
However, the moment he turned, that small figure seemed to be imprinted in his vision, remaining firmly in front of him, unmoving.
Alaric, accustomed to this, simply ignored the Counter Guardian's presence. Skillfully bypassing the familiars outside the great hollow, he followed the road back into Fuyuki City.
It was still daytime. Due to the presence of All the World's Evil and the Counter Guardian, Alaric temporarily set aside his analysis of the Holy Grail.
He decided to give himself a day off to think about his next steps.
Because of All the World's Evil, obtaining a pure Third Magic was exceedingly difficult. If he forcibly activated the tainted Holy Grail, there was no telling what abnormalities might occur to himself.
As his thoughts drifted, Alaric aimlessly wandered into a park and sat alone on a bench, quietly waiting for time to pass.
This was something that had happened countless times before. This time, too, he was alone.
Or at least, that was how it was supposed to be.
Tap. Tap.
The crisp sound of small leather shoes making contact with the ground rang out, clear and distinct.
Just from the sound of the footsteps, one could imagine the light and nimble posture of the approaching individual.
Following the footsteps came a voice that felt strangely familiar to Alaric:
"Sakura, slow down."
The footsteps drew closer to Alaric, and the familiar magical energy fluctuation caused him to turn his head.
His gaze met that of a young girl.
A pure white blouse paired with a black skirt, and shoulder-length short hair exuding a different charm compared to her older sister.
Tohsaka Sakura, whom he had met once before, smiled brightly with eyes curved into crescents and cheerfully greeted him:
"Hello there, big brother!"