It was the early hours of the morning.
Matou Kariya dragged his broken and battered body back to the Matou estate step by step. However, he froze the moment he reached the entrance. For some reason, a building that bore no resemblance to his memories now stood on the land that originally belonged to the Matou Family.
He certainly didn't believe that Matou Zouken, that Old Maggot, had suddenly wanted a change of pace and decided to switch architectural styles. Even if he had wanted to, such a renovation would take time and extensive preparation. How could it possibly be completed in a single night?
"Ah, you've finally arrived."
A pleasant voice rang in Matou Kariya's ear. Startled, he immediately turned his head and met Akatsuki's crimson eyes.
It was her?!
The woman who had brazenly provoked several Servants at the Fuyuki Docks before mysteriously vanishing!
"Are you... a Servant?! What business do you have with the Matou Family!"
Filled with wariness, Matou Kariya immediately summoned Berserker to stand between himself and Akatsuki, fearing she might suddenly attack.
"Hmm?"
Looking at his body, which had been tortured into a half-human, half-ghost state by the Magic Crest Worms, Akatsuki frowned. An invisible pressure instantly pinned Berserker, who was radiating black aura, to the ground.
—!
Berserker let out a beast-like roar, attempting to resist Akatsuki's pressure. However, no matter how terrifying his roars were, his strength appeared far too weak before her.
With a "bang," the struggling Berserker was instantly reduced to a mist of blood. As specks of light flickered, the blood mist vanished completely.
Berserker has been eliminated!
"How... is this possible..."
Matou Kariya watched as Berserker, crushed into a pulp, vanished before his eyes. It was as if his own spine had been removed; he collapsed to his knees. The command spells on the back of his hand faded away, and his mind went blank.
I can't save Sakura anymore.
The moment the command spells vanished, only this single thought remained in Matou Kariya's mind. His resentment toward Matou Zouken and Tohsaka Tokiomi was momentarily forgotten. He had failed; he could no longer fulfill his agreement with Matou Zouken.
"Who exactly are you! Why are you doing this?"
Matou Kariya questioned Akatsuki in despair.
Akatsuki looked toward the rising sun and met Matou Kariya's eyes. "Matou Zouken is dead."
"Zouken... is dead?"
The progenitor of the Matou bloodline, a monster who had lived for five hundred years, an ancestor of one of the Three Founding Families of the Holy Grail War, the man who used magecraft to forcibly extend his own life—Matou Zouken was dead?
"What about Sakura! How is Sakura?! Did you see a little girl about this tall? She should have been in the Matou household too!"
In an instant, Matou Kariya was filled with hope again. If what this woman said was true and Matou Zouken was dead, then it must have been this incredibly powerful woman who killed him! She must also be the one who tore down the Matou house and rebuilt it overnight!
Everything started to make sense. This woman was likely an enemy of Matou Zouken. After all, it would be strange if someone like him hadn't made enemies in five hundred years. Matou Kariya didn't want to get involved in the feuds between Magicians; he only prayed that Akatsuki wouldn't take her anger out on a child only a few years old.
Akatsuki watched Matou Kariya quietly. Only after he had completely calmed down did she speak slowly. "Sakura belongs to me. Even if Matou Zouken is dead, it doesn't mean you can save her."
The heart Matou Kariya had just let down tightened once more.
"Why! She's just an ordinary little girl! Why won't Matou Zouken or even you just let her go! Is it just because she was born into the Tohsaka Family?!"
Agitated, Matou Kariya roared at Akatsuki, ignoring the Magic Crest Worms that were beginning to spiral out of control inside his body.
"Her aptitude is too great. Even without me or the Matou Family, and even if Tohsaka Tokiomi hadn't sent her away, she could never have been an ordinary child." Akatsuki's voice was cold and detached, as if she were discussing something completely unrelated to herself. "Mystical natures attract one another. Even without the Matou and Tohsaka families, the filth of this world and the Mages Association would never have allowed an existence like Matou Sakura to live an ordinary life."
"Matou Kariya, you are not part of the moonlit world; you don't understand the complexities involved. To you, you are saving Matou Sakura, but without the protection of a magus family, Matou Sakura would eventually end up as nothing more than a specimen preserved in formalin within the Mages Association."
"How... cough...!" Matou Kariya suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Within the blood were several grotesquely shaped insects that lost their vitality after a few struggles. "And you? Why are you taking Sakura away?"
"No, I am not taking Matou Sakura away. For her, there was never a choice to begin with. As for me, I need Sakura. It is as simple as that."
"Need?"
"That's right." Mentioning this, a hint of reminiscence appeared in Akatsuki's eyes. "To put it simply, I am enchanted by the Sakura of this moment. I am very curious to see what form this cherry blossom will take when facing the future under my tutelage."
The worms crawled beneath Matou Kariya's skin, torturing him frantically as if trying to squeeze out the last drop of their host's life force.
"Cough, cough, cough... Although I don't understand what you're saying, you probably won't do anything to Sakura... vomit!!!"
"Rest assured. The lover I require is not a disposable consumable."
"Thank you."
After saying those words, Matou Kariya breathed his last. Sensing their host's death, the Magic Crest Worms ceased their life-sustaining functions and instead frantically tried to burrow out of his body.
..."
Akatsuki said nothing. A shroud of blue flames instantly enveloped Matou Kariya's body, incinerating him along with those grotesque Magic Crest Worms.
Matou Kariya was beyond saving. Over the past year, under Matou Zouken's arrangements, his body had completely become a culture medium for the Magic Crest Worms, which in turn granted him the qualification to participate in the Holy Grail War.
Even if Akatsuki had done nothing, Matou Kariya wouldn't have lived much longer. Furthermore, with Matou Zouken dead, there was no one left to suppress the worms for him, so he would only have died sooner.
Rather than letting the agony continue, it was better to end it here.
Fortunately, Matou Zouken had not treated Matou Sakura as a short-term disposable item. Although his method of altering her magical alignment was far too crude, it had only been a little over a year. It would not be too difficult for Akatsuki to safely remove the Magic Crest Worms from Matou Sakura's body.
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