The Evil Betty Shaw had received a part of Zouken Matou's Inheritance.
Using it, he had converted himself into a wraith, his entire body turning into a swarm of worms.
Then, much later, he had gone even farther to secure his existence.
Just like Zouken Matou had done with Sakura, Evil Betty Shaw had housed a part of his already degraded soul in a worm before making it latch onto the original Betty Shaw's heart — without letting anyone know of it.
Two factors contributed to Evil Betty Shaw's deception of everyone with this ingenious use of Magecraft.
First, like Kai and Black, Betty Shaw and his evil counterpart's Source was the same.
Second, Evil Betty Shaw had divided his corrupt soul into many pieces, and every insect or worm that contained his soul could use Glitch.
With the worm next to the real Betty's heart constantly using the Glitch, it managed to avoid all eyes and skills that could find it.
Thus, when Evil Betty Shaw died at the beginning of the War, nobody questioned it otherwise because he had indeed ceased to exist.
To make the matter seem more real, Evil Betty Shaw had also returned all the Abilities, Skills, and Items he had stolen from his original body.
And it was all to take advantage of an opportunity like this.
With the Greater Grail lacking a Core, Evil Betty Shaw stood the greatest chance of benefiting through it.
Once Angra Mainyu fully incarnated, he could make a deal with the Timeline to stop being the Greater Grail's Core. In return, he would demand the Timeline to let him go as a Character, letting him resurrect in the Primordial Tower…
… as a Chaos' Contestant — with a Glitch!!!
…
An evil cackle echoed as the filthy worm flew toward the Greater Grail, the four eyes within widening with excitement.
Black became a stroke of the brush as he chased it, Kirei Kotomine appearing next to him like a cursed wraith.
A fist met a kick.
And a sonic boom deafened the ears.
From above, the hundreds-of-feet-tall Shadow Gorgon's eyes flickered with intelligence. All the surrounding snakes slithered toward Black's position and fired thick, purple beams of Mana.
Enormous mushroom clouds followed loud booms.
In the distance, carrying Sakura and Rin on his shoulders, Shirou jumped over a chasm before one of the blasts could hit him. As he landed, a massive boulder the size of a mansion fell over him.
Shirou threw the girls away from him and crossed his arms. With a muffled thud, the boulder struck and sent him flying, planting him deep into a chunk of earth.
Shirou coughed up blood, more and more tiny swords protruding out of his body.
If this kept going on, he would end up dying soon.
Pulling himself out of the stone, Shirou fumbled as he looked for the girls who had rolled away. Then, he looked toward Black, who was fighting Kirei and surviving Gorgon's blasts, all the while chasing after a tiny worm.
Shirou didn't know what the tiny worm represented. But he knew if Black was after it, then he also needed to be there, helping him.
However, if he went to Black, who would make sure Sakura and Rin survived a stray attack from Gorgon? That thing was enough to disintegrate even him on the spot…
"… Go…"
A chill ran down Shirou's spine, his head snapping to his left.
There, walking toward him, missing a leg and a hand, and covered in holes, was…
"… Rider?!!" Shirou's eyes widened to the extreme. "How…"
How was she even alive in that state?!! How did she survive Gorgon's attack, when it had ended Archer, Saber, and Ruler?!
"… Sakura…" Rider said, trying to smile. "Our connection is restored…"
With the good and the evil Sakura merging to become Dark Sakura, Rider had stopped getting Mana from her. The only reason she had managed to unleash Bellerophon was because of Enkidu's help.
With Shirou using Rule Breaker to sever Sakura's connection with the Greater Grail, Rider's original connection with her Master was restored. Not to mention, Sakura still held an enormous amount of Mana because of her earlier state.
Realizing this, Shirou nodded and blurred out of existence.
A creaking boom rang out as he reappeared between Black and Kirei, taking the Priest's punch.
"Go!" Shirou screamed. "I will handle him!!"
Black dug his feet into the ground and chased the worm.
The Priest smirked and chased Black, ignoring Shirou. But, in the next moment, cyan-colored lightning cracked in Shirou's palms, making the black-hearted Priest stop.
"… Have you gone insane?" Kirei asked. "Or… do you have a death wish?"
Shirou gritted his teeth as the tiny swords coming out of his body lengthened. "… I do not fear death… As long as… I am fighting for justice!"
Kirei's heart thumped, Kiritsugu's face flashing across his corrupt mind.
"… Come then, boy," he said, taking a stance. "Show me what that man taught you…"
Shirou and Kirei blurred, their fists landing on each other's faces, knocking out teeth.
In the distance, dozens of massive snakes rained over Black as he attacked the worm. Even if he dodged the snakes and their attacks, he failed to touch the worm, no matter how fast he was, though.
It was like… the worm didn't even exist in the same dimension.
"Look, dear audience!" Evil Betty Shaw cackled. "… Look… as I write my own myth…"
Yellow bolts of lightning cracked around Black, his black eyes becoming needles in reply.
For a moment, the worm lost a touch of its momentum, making Evil Betty Shaw gasp in shock.
However, in the very next moment, Shadow Gorgon's gaze fell upon Black.
As if someone had changed the very frame of Reality, Black became a statue, losing all signs of life.
"Hahaha!" The worm flew toward the Greater Grail uninterrupted. "Thank you, dear audience… I knew you were all sick bastards! Just like me! Hahaha!"
Then, with a squelch, the worm penetrated the outer shell of the Greater Grail…
… beginning Angra Mainyu's incarnation!
*****************
AN: Original Image of Evil Betty Shaw (the worm with Video Camera) near Greater Grail is available
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