These words were like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through the chaotic fog in Kariya's heart.
He stared blankly at Asuka, his lips trembling.
He seemed to want to retort, but couldn't find any words.
Survive...?
He had long since abandoned such an extravagant hope the moment he decided to step into the Worm Space.
But now, hearing it from the mouth of this Heroic Spirit from another world, his long-withered heart actually felt a trace of inexplicable stirring.
"Can I... really still survive?" Kariya asked, his voice faint and airy.
"As long as you want to, it's possible."
Asuka stood up and patted Kariya on the shoulder.
In this world full of malice and despair, if one even gave up the conviction to live, then everything truly would be over.
"I... will assist you as much as possible."
He walked back and sat down opposite Berserker, saying no more.
The room fell into silence once again, but this time, the oppressive atmosphere seemed to have dissipated a little.
Kariya lowered his head, looking at the cup of completely cold tea in his hands.
A faint glimmer of light vaguely flickered in his murky eyes.
Later, in the library.
Zouken Matou's hunched frame was sunken into the shadows. He stared intently at the young girl before him with his deep, pitch-black eyes that occasionally flashed with an eerie light.
"Do not try to feel it with your internal organs, Kamado girl. Magic Circuits are pseudo-nerves that exist within the soul."
Opposite him, Sumire Kamado sat upright and attentive, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on her forehead.
"What you must do is flip that switch, extract your life force, and pour it into the pathways that already exist," Zouken instructed, his voice hoarse and serious, carrying a rare trace of enthusiasm.
It had been hundreds of years since he felt such a surge of excitement while instructing a youth in the knowledge of magecraft.
In the shadows of a nearby bookshelf, Asuka's gaze did not leave Sumire Kamado for even a second.
Since yesterday, Zouken had displayed an astonishing amount of patience.
He had not utilized those nauseating Crest Worms, nor had he attempted to forcibly modify the young girl's body.
The old man's teachings consisted of extremely orthodox, perhaps even rigid, fundamental theories of magecraft. Although this surprised Asuka somewhat, he would not completely trust him just because of it.
He had to constantly ensure that the old man wouldn't do anything strange to his Master.
"Concentrate. Imagine a red-hot iron rod piercing through your spine," Zouken continued to guide her. "The process of manipulating Magic Circuits is never gentle. It is a painful journey of forcibly dragging the abnormal into the normal."
"If you cannot endure this illusion of your nerves being scorched, your entire life will be nothing more than that of an ordinary person who possesses a treasure trove but lacks the key."
Sumire Kamado let out a soft groan. She felt as if countless tiny gears within her body had begun to turn dryly.
Following Zouken's description, she could feel the magical energy boiling within her, causing her entire body to ache with an unbearable, burning heat.
"Excellent... That is exactly the scorching sensation." Zouken's withered fingers traced the air, a trace of uncomfortable magical fluctuation spilling from his fingertips.
"Now, feel your connection with the atmosphere... For a beginner like you, simply practicing the circulation is enough."
"Be extremely careful. If you cannot control the output flow, your Magic Circuits will burn out like overloaded wires."
Zouken Matou's patience was beyond imagination. It was likely that not even Kariya and his brother had ever seen such an amiable side of him.
A faint, unstable blue light began to spill from Sumire Kamado's fingertips, signifying that she was slowly grasping the application of magical energy.
Seeing the young girl's progress, Zouken let out a grating laugh. "Hehehe... Not bad. Your aptitude is quite rare. It truly is a pity for you to remain an ordinary person."
"If you are willing, I could make you an adopted daughter of the Matou Family. How about under Kariya's name? I would put my heart into cultivating you into a powerful magus."
"Eh? I think I'll pass, but thank you, Grandpa Bug."
"Hehehe... No matter. Come, let us continue."
Seeing him act like this, Asuka rubbed his nose, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it.
'It seems this damn old man really wants to win...'
Shortly after Sumire finished her training for the day and resumed practicing the Reishi Breathing Style with Asuka...
Meanwhile, in the basement of the Matou Manor.
The air here was much more damp and putrid than above, making it difficult for an ordinary person to endure.
The intertwining sounds of countless chirping bugs formed a hair-raising symphony.
Zouken Matou stood before a workbench, tinkering with various bottles and jars that emitted an eerie glow.
"A rare guest..."
Zouken did not turn around, letting out a hoarse chuckle. "To think you would come to a place like this on your own initiative, Ms. Kamado."
From the shadows behind him, Haruri Kamado slowly stepped forward.
She was still wearing her somewhat worn-out work clothes, but the expression on her face was exceptionally resolute.
That special right eye of hers emitted a faint silver glow in the darkness.
"I have a favor to ask of you," Haruri said, getting straight to the point.
"Ask a favor of me?"
Zouken turned around, looking Haruri up and down with the gaze of a predator eyeing its prey. "Hehe... Now this is novel. Didn't that Soul Reaper brat say he would protect you? What, don't trust him?"
"It's not that I don't trust him."
Haruri shook her head firmly. "Mr. Asuka is very strong, but he is only one person after all, and..."
She recalled her daughter's pale face from last night, remembering the agonizing look she had after overdrawing her magical energy.
"I am a mother. I must protect my family."
Though her voice trembled slightly, it was filled with strength. "I cannot just watch her suffer and be powerless to help... I want to become stronger."
She took a step forward, looking directly into Zouken's murky old eyes.
"I want to possess the power to truly be of help, rather than just some half-baked parlor tricks that can only move furniture or block stones."
"Since you are a magus, and since you can teach Sumire magecraft, you must have a way to help me too, right?"
"Even if..." Haruri gritted her teeth, seemingly having made some sort of resolution. "Even if it means transplanting this eye of mine into Sumire! As long as it can make her stronger and give her more confidence to face those monsters, that's all that matters!"
"Transplant your Mystic Eye?" Zouken paused for a moment before letting out a sinister laugh. "Hoho... Now this is interesting."
"Willing to sacrifice your own eye for your daughter? What profound maternal love!"
"But what a pity, Madam."
Zouken stopped laughing, a vicious sneer appearing on his face. "Although your Mystic Eye is rare, it might not be compatible with that little girl's body. Forcibly transplanting it might turn both of you into cripples."
Haruri's face paled, the light in her eyes instantly dimming.
"However..."
Zouken changed the subject, a seductive gleam flickering in his old eyes. "If you truly wish to become stronger, even if it is just to provide magical energy for your daughter, I do have another method..."
He turned around and took down a sealed glass jar from the shelf behind him.
Inside the jar was a fleshy, blood-red worm covered in tiny tentacles.