The little girl looked to be only five or six years old. Wearing a thin nightgown, her eyes were hollow and lifeless, like a puppet that had lost its soul.
Those disgusting bugs crawled all over her body, burrowing into her clothes and under her skin.
But the girl seemed to have no reaction.
There was no screaming or crying, not even a tremble.
She just sat there quietly hugging her knees, as if she were already dead.
"Sakura..." Kariya gripped the cold iron bars, his voice weak and trembling.
"I'm sorry... Uncle failed... I couldn't kill Tokiomi's Servant..." He choked on his words, and it was hard to tell whether it was sweat or tears sliding down his disfigured cheek.
"Just endure it a little longer... Soon... I'll be able to get the Holy Grail soon..."
"When that time comes, I'll take you away from here... take you to find Rin, to find... and we'll go to the amusement park together again..."
"..."
As he spoke, Kariya broke into another violent coughing fit, vomiting a puddle of blood mixed with wriggling worms.
The girl amidst the swarm of bugs seemed to hear his voice.
She slowly raised her head. In those eyes that should have been full of childhood innocence, there was now only a bleak emptiness.
"...Uncle Kariya?" Her voice was so soft it was barely audible.
"I don't hurt... Sakura is already used to it... So, Uncle, please don't get hurt for Sakura anymore..."
Hearing these words felt like a thousand arrows piercing Kariya's heart. He collapsed to his knees in agony, letting out suppressed, ragged gasps.
Asuka hovered quietly at the entrance, watching this scene unfold.
His fists clenched without him even realizing it.
So this was the reason this man insisted on participating in this war, even when he was on the verge of death.
He saw it.
Through his Spiritual Sight, he could see countless thin black threads inside the girl's body—the traces left by the Crest Worms.
They were not just gnawing at her flesh, but also slowly devouring her soul, converting her life force into magical energy.
Using a living human child as a vessel to breed venomous insects?
This was a magus? This was the miracle Zouken Matou sought?
What a vile method... It was even more disgusting than Muzan!
"Kariya, you are still as weak as ever."
An old, sinister voice rang out abruptly.
Zouken Matou had appeared behind Kariya at some point, his cane tapping lightly against the ground.
He looked at his son kneeling on the floor, his eyes full of mockery as he spoke, "It is precisely because of your weakness that this child must endure this suffering. If you had inherited the family estate earlier, if you had even the slightest bit of resolve as the heir to the Matou family, why would she have needed to be adopted into the Matou family?"
Kariya whipped his head around, the flames of hatred burning in his eyes as he roared, "It was you! It was you and Tokiomi Tohsaka who tricked her into coming here! You are the ones who turned her into this!"
"Indeed, that was a necessary sacrifice in the pursuit of truth," Zouken said coldly. "Besides, the aptitude of this body is truly excellent, a hundred times better than your useless older brother."
"In just a few more years, she will be able to birth the most perfect next generation, or... become the most perfect vessel."
"You maniac!!" Kariya roared, trying to stand up, but the Crest Worms inside his body suddenly rioted under Zouken's control.
"Gaaahhh!!" Kariya screamed miserably, crashing back to the ground and twitching in agony.
Zouken looked down at him from above, his eyes devoid of any familial affection as he sneered, "Make no mistake, you were the one who came to me on your own accord. I did not force you onto the battlefield."
"Now that we have the help of two Soul Reapers, the Holy Grail is surely within our grasp. I hope you won't throw a childish tantrum at a time like this, my foolish son."
Zouken let out a harsh, eerie cackle and prepared to turn away.
He noticed Asuka at the basement entrance and waved at him amiably, while Nugata at Asuka's waist vibrated almost uncontrollably.
'It's not time yet, Nugata,' he told it silently.
Asuka glanced at Kariya, who was still convulsing on the ground, and turned away, unable to bear looking at the little girl's tragic state any longer.
'Not now.'
Phasing through the wall, he left the suffocating basement.
This so-called alliance, built on lies and exploitation from the very beginning, was already full of cracks before it even started operating.
Meanwhile, in Fuyuki City, at the Holy Church.
A black luxury sedan pulled up silently in front of the church.
The car door opened, and Tokiomi Tohsaka stepped out with elegant, unhurried strides, holding his ruby-topped cane.
In principle, as the head of the Tohsaka family, he would never allow himself to show even the slightest hint of disarray in front of others.
But the unexpected events of the past few days had occurred one after another, making him so anxious that he no longer cared if his secret alliance with the Church was exposed.
"Tokiomi, you've arrived." Father Risei Kotomine had been waiting for a long time and welcomed his old friend into the church's inner chambers.
Kirei Kotomine stood silently behind his father like a shadow, watching everything with an expressionless face.
Inside the room, candlelight flickered.
Tokiomi sat in a high-backed chair, politely declining the red wine Risei offered as he said, "Risei, the situation is worse than we anticipated."
He got straight to the point, stating, "The fact that Avenger can interfere with the King of Heroes' cognitive perception is alarming enough, but his performance tonight was even more unsettling."
"Tonight, he severely injured Kayneth, who possesses a top-tier Mystic Code, in a head-on clash. If left unchecked, he will likely become the biggest disruptor in this Holy Grail War."
Father Risei nodded, his expression grave as he replied, "The Church has also detected anomalies. That Avenger's magical energy reaction is faint, yet the destructive power he displays completely defies logic."
"More importantly..." Kirei Kotomine suddenly spoke up. "According to the intelligence Assassin just relayed, Avenger and his Master have taken residence in the Matou estate."
"What?!" Tokiomi paused his movements, a trace of astonishment appearing on his face. "Are you saying... that Avenger has formed an alliance with Zouken Matou?"
"That appears to be the case for now."
Kirei reported, "Zouken Matou personally received them, and there were no signs of any battle occurring. Considering that the Matou family summoned Berserker this time, if these two factions join forces..."
"This is troublesome." Tokiomi's brows furrowed tightly.
Although that old monster Makiri's mind had rotted away, his magecraft could not be underestimated.
A powerful Servant who didn't play by the rules, a bottomless old worm, and a Berserker with the Madness Enhancement attribute.
The danger level of this combination increased exponentially.
"We must break this alliance before they can firmly establish their footing."
Tokiomi tapped his fingers lightly against the table, his mind racing as he searched for a way to break the deadlock.
Although the King of Heroes was powerful, his personality was far too arrogant, making it difficult to fully command him to carry out targeted strikes.
Furthermore, Avenger's abilities might act as a counter to the King of Heroes, making a rash attack too risky.
He needed more allies.
Or rather, more cannon fodder.