'So he is Berserker's Master?' Asuka's gaze narrowed.
Before Haruri could reply, Asuka materialized first, appearing in front of the truck.
"What are you doing blocking the way? Trying to take advantage of our situation?"
If he fought someone in his current state, he might not have the upper hand...
No, he definitely wouldn't have the upper hand.
The previous battle had consumed too much of his power. If he forced a fight, little Sumire would likely lose her life.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Kariya coughed violently, even coughing up a few pieces of blood-streaked rotting flesh.
After his breathing steadied, he offered a miserable smile and said, "Don't be so tense. I only came to invite you as guests."
"The Matou family has a place to temporarily house you and avoid trouble with the police. At least for tonight, you can have a place to rest."
Asuka looked at Kariya coldly. "I don't recall having any ties with the Matou family."
"You are also a participant in the Holy Grail War. Don't tell me this is pure goodwill."
"...Take a look at this first."
Kariya coughed dryly a few times, reached his bug-infested hand into his coat, and pulled an item from his inner pocket—
It was a scrap of black fabric with jagged edges, faintly retaining traces of some kind of spiritual power.
Asuka recognized it at a glance.
It was the corner of a Shihakusho.
"Where did this come from?" Asuka's voice turned exceptionally low.
'Is this the reason why that Soul Reaper descended here? But how did the Matou family obtain this thing?'
"This isn't exactly my invitation, but rather my father's—Zouken Matou's..."
Kariya held up the scrap of fabric, his voice hoarse yet firm. "He said that if you are willing to go to the Matou household, you might find the answers to certain things."
"Moreover... someone is already secretly forming alliances in this war. The Matou family also needs to find a temporary teammate."
Haruri and Sumire exchanged a glance.
As a mother, she instinctively did not want her daughter to take risks, but she also saw the flash of complexity in Asuka's eyes.
This man was currently their family's pillar of support, and that piece of fabric had clearly struck a chord with him.
She whispered to Sumire, "Sumire, what do you think? Mom will listen to you."
Sumire bit her lip and looked at Asuka. "Mr. Asuka... if you want to know, we will go."
Asuka remained silent for a moment, weighing the pros and cons.
'To be honest, do I even have the right to refuse right now?'
He looked at the terrifying, silent Soul Reaper standing behind Kariya.
'If I refuse, they probably won't just let it go.'
'From what he's saying, he wants an alliance?'
'Perhaps by using the so-called protection of the Matou family, I can let the kid rest peacefully for a couple of days...'
"Fine, we will go. But if anything seems off, I will fight to the death and strike immediately," he warned.
Kariya nodded and pointed at the truck. "Do you mind if I take the passenger seat?"
Guided by Kariya, the truck drove for about twenty minutes before arriving at an ancient manor on the outskirts of Fuyuki City.
It was an old Western-style mansion that looked completely out of place among modern architecture.
Nestled on a densely wooded hillside, it was surrounded by a lingering stench of rot, as if the entire estate had been built upon the corpse of some massive creature.
Yet, Asuka felt a sense of deja vu.
Pushing open the main doors, the interior was dimly lit, and a suffocating chill washed over them.
Asuka subconsciously tightened his grip on his Zanpakuto.
He could sense tens of thousands of minuscule magical energy reactions scattered throughout the area.
They lurked beneath the floorboards and within the crevices of the walls and ceiling, like greedy eyes peering at the intruders.
"Those are Crest Worms. You'll get used to them."
Seeing Asuka's reaction, Kariya offered a miserable smile, pointing at the squirming things beneath the skin of his own face before continuing to lead the way.
In the center of the spacious, dimly lit hall, a hunched figure sat in a chair, waiting for them.
He wore a dark, traditional kimono. His face was covered in wrinkles resembling dead tree bark, his eyes narrowed into slits, and he wore an eerie smile.
It was a madness and greed that transcended time.
Zouken Matou.
"Hehehehehehe..."
"Long time no see, Mr. Shop Clerk..."
"It's you!!" Asuka's expression changed drastically.
He had originally prepared many questions to ask the man.
Such as why the Matou family had a fragment of a Shihakusho, why they could summon a Soul Reaper as a Servant, and why they specifically showed this item to him.
But the moment he saw Zouken Matou, those questions were already answered.
He was the very Fullbringer that Kisuke Urahara had found for him back in the World of the Living's Fuyuki City!
"How is this possible! How could you have come here too!"
Seeing Asuka's reaction, everyone, including Kariya, was somewhat surprised.
But Zouken Matou had anticipated everything, calmly stating, "Ah, that... That truly was a bizarre journey..."
"Ageless Soul Reapers... true Magic... Just recalling it now makes my heart surge with excitement..."
Zouken squeezed an intoxicated expression onto his withered, wrinkled face, carefully savoring the memory of it all.
Under Kariya's shocked gaze, Asuka actually strode right over and grabbed Zouken by the collar.
Kariya wanted to have Berserker stop him, but Zouken raised a hand, signaling that it wasn't necessary.
"What the hell are you doing! Is this all your conspiracy?! Did you intentionally carve a cursed mark on me and drag me here?!"
Asuka was naturally furious.
Setting aside whether the [Colorless] Fullbring was actually useful or not, if it hadn't been for that thing merging with the malice of Fuyuki City, he wouldn't have been forcibly dragged into the Spacetime Crevice!
He had originally accepted that it was all a coincidence, purely his own bad luck.
But when the black-robed old man who had done all this appeared before him as Zouken Matou, how could he possibly accept it!
"Answer me! You old bastard!"
Faced with this monstrous fury, Zouken Matou did not show the slightest hint of panic.
On the contrary, his cloudy eyes, sunken deep in their sockets, stared straight at Asuka.
The corners of his mouth even curled up slightly, revealing an eerie smile mixed with trance and fanaticism. "Hehehe... Conspiracy? No, no, no... This is an absolute miracle..."
"Stop speaking in riddles! Talk straight!"
"Avenger... or rather, young man from another world..." Zouken raised his bony hand and gently patted the back of Asuka's hand, gesturing for him to calm down.
"That was a long time ago... No, perhaps it was just yesterday? Perhaps the flow of time is inherently meaningless between the two worlds."
"Nearly a century of time is but a few short days here..."
"To think that the Root of the world actually looks like that..."
"The Root?" Asuka furrowed his brows.
"Indeed, the Root."
Zouken Matou's gaze passed through Asuka, carrying a trace of nostalgia as it reached the world he had long yearned for:
"That miraculous journey to the Root was truly, for me... a fleeting dream..."