[71] The Subsequent Serialization

"So, you want me to continue drawing Fate/Zero..."

Kazuya fell silent for a moment and then glanced discreetly at Iwamoto Yu before saying, "No."

"I knew it..." Iwamoto Yu sighed. "Well, JUMP is willing to offer a portion of the profits if you continue drawing the continuation of Fate/Zero!"

"No, as I've said before, Fate/Zero is already a complete story; it doesn't need a sequel."

"So, during the serialization of Fate/Zero, you can continue to think about the continuation. After all, there's still more than half a year, and with your abilities, it should be doable, right?" Iwamoto Yu quickly waved his hand and continued, "As for the payment, we're willing to triple what was previously agreed upon! Not just for the continuation, but you can also swiftly change the contract for the ongoing Fate/Zero serialization."

In reality, what he was told by his Editor in Chief before coming was up to five times the original payment. However, negotiations required a process, and they couldn't reveal their highest offer right away.

"Though it's difficult for you, I have to say it's not about the payment; it's about the integrity of the manga. What I need is integrity, not suddenly adding more plot at the end. When it's time to finish, it should end immediately. That's what I need."

"What about quadruple the payment?" Iwamoto Yu ventured.

"No! Absolutely not," Kazuya said, calculating in his mind. Now it was quadruple; what was his bottom line? Five times? Six times... or had he already stated his bottom line as quadruple? Well, four times would suffice; after all, that wasn't his main concern.

"But, if you agree to one thing, I'll draw the continuation."

"Oh? What is it?" Iwamoto Yu asked excitedly.

Kazuya stood up and said, "Of course, it's about integrity. This time, let's forget it. But next time, regardless of when, what, or for which manga, if I want it to end, it must end immediately. No extensions for any reason. Plus, that fourfold payment. Agree to these two conditions, and I'll continue!"

...

"Let's see how things develop; then I'll make a decision." Shigeo Nishimura thought for a moment and decided to wait and see. JUMP had entered its golden age under his leadership, but he wasn't satisfied; he wanted JUMP to reach even greater heights!

At this point, Fate/Zero had already reached its third chapter in serialization. Different from other manga, it had a unique art style, attractive character designs, an impressive female King Arthur, and a story with some depth.

It attracted a large number of readers to JUMP.

In the past, JUMP primarily catered to teenagers. However, after the release of Fate/Zero, reader surveys revealed that many middle-aged readers had been drawn in. Compared to other manga, they seemed to prefer the depth this manga offered.

Although the feminine version of King Arthur was initially hard for those familiar with Arthurian legends to accept, they were soon captivated by the charismatic knight who seemed as youthful as ever.

And in the fourth chapter came the first true battle in Fate/Zero.

This chapter set off a sensation in the entire manga market.

With impeccable fight sequences, smooth storytelling, and intricate character interactions during combat, it gave readers an exhilarating experience.

While previous Fate/Zero releases had followed the one episode per chapter format like the anime, Kazuya now devoted more attention to it.

He had seen countless battles in his dreams, and he had indeed experienced some firsthand. Although it couldn't compare to the battles of these Heroic Spirits, he had a foundation for imagination, unlike those who had no experience and had to rely solely on their imaginations.

So...

Based on his understanding of battles, he depicted the battles in Fate/Zero with a focus on the abilities and tactics of the Heroic Spirits.

All of these individuals were famous figures in history.

They had already experienced countless battles.

So, here, it wasn't just warriors who used battle techniques. Even King Arthur, who had little actual combat experience, how could she not have encountered these tactics during battles? How could she be completely unprepared?

Then, after the release of the fifth chapter, Shigeo Nishimura made a decision when he saw JUMP's sales reach five million copies.

"Let's make a call..."

Some things couldn't be decided by him alone. He was JUMP's Editor in Chief, but that was it. Some matters required higher-ups to approve the new contract.

Not long after, he hung up the phone. He had managed to convince them.

"Agree to him! Agree to his terms. From now on, JUMP won't demand that he continue serialization for manga he doesn't want to continue. Whenever he wants it to end, it should end immediately. As for payment... we'll set it at five times the previous amount!"

Originally, they had agreed on four times the previous payment. However, for the sake of this mangaka's friendship, he decided to increase it to five times.

He knew when to be generous and when to be frugal.

According to the survey, among the new readers, about 60% had never read manga before. But they were still drawn to Fate/Zero, indicating its powerful ability to attract new fans.

Upon receiving the news, Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that JUMP had been selling well recently, but he didn't know to what extent.

During this entertainment-scarce era, amidst Japan's rapid development, they didn't care about such a small amount of money. This manga had brought them joy, a feeling entirely different from before.

"Uh... Kurokawa-sensei, did you already have this drawn in advance?" Iwamoto Yu flipped through the original manuscript Kazuya handed him, his mouth twitching.

"How could that be? I drew it after you agreed," Kazuya said, working on his new original manga. "Well, it's a storyline I had considered before, a simple one."

"So, you wanted to draw it from the beginning?" Iwamoto Yu sighed slightly.

The manga in his hands was divided into two parts.

One was the continuation of Fate/Zero, the epilogue, which roughly told the story of Waver Velvet returning to the Clock Tower after surviving the Holy Grail War. It was now one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower.

This section consisted of three chapters.

The other part was a manga called Fate/Stay Night, told from the perspective of a child saved by Emiya Kiritsugu during the Fuyuki City fire in Fate/Zero...

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