Thus, he spent a great deal of time saving Matou Kariya's life.
Kotomine Kirei's healing magecraft was highly advanced. Although it required significant time and effort, pulling Kariya back from the brink of death was not difficult for him.
It was not until around midnight that Kariya was fully revived.
Kirei then carried him on his shoulder and returned him to the entrance of the Matou residence.
He tossed Kariya onto the ground at the gate and left without another glance.
Bring me more entertainment…
That was what Kirei thought to himself.
…
As soon as Kotomine Kirei left, Haruka Kasugano and Circe, who had been lying in ambush nearby, stepped out.
"Look, Berserker's Master is unconscious now. Doesn't that mean we can do whatever we want?" Haruka Kasugano said with a grin.
"Oh! Are we going to take this chance to kill Berserker's Master?" Circe asked with a smile.
"No, no. He's not really a bad person—just a pitiful one. I'm not interested in attacking someone like him. I'm going to use the fact that Berserker has lost combat capability to rush in and snatch someone," Haruka Kasugano replied.
"Snatch someone?" Circe looked even more confused.
She truly couldn't understand how Haruka Kasugano's mind worked.
Next, Haruka Kasugano had Circe set up a barrier around the unconscious Matou Kariya, preventing him from suddenly waking up and interfering.
Then Circe broke through the Matou family's protective barrier and stormed in.
Circe was responsible for causing chaos and drawing Matou Zouken's attention, while Haruka Kasugano used Presence Concealment to move through the Matou residence, searching for Sakura's location.
The reason Haruka Kasugano waited until now to act was simple: Kariya, despite having Berserker's immense power, obeyed Zouken completely. If Haruka Kasugano had tried to take Sakura earlier, Kariya would certainly have stopped him.
Whether due to the Crest Worms controlling him or because he wouldn't trust someone else with Sakura, Kariya would have blocked him without question.
For things to go smoothly, attacking while Kariya was incapacitated was the best option.
And Zouken alone couldn't possibly stop Circe.
As soon as she entered, Circe unleashed magical projectiles, bombarding the Matou residence relentlessly.
Caught off guard, Zouken had no time to relocate the household's resources and could only respond hastily.
"Wretch, Kariya! Get up and fight!" Zouken roared.
But the unconscious Kariya, trapped inside the barrier, gave no response.
Zouken had no choice but to confront Circe himself.
But how could a mere human stand against a Servant?
While Circe battled Zouken, Haruka Kasugano searched every room in the mansion.
He found Sakura sleeping quietly in her bedroom.
"Little girl~ Time to go see your mother~," Haruka Kasugano said with a grin.
The difference between Age of Gods magecraft and modern magecraft was like heaven and earth.
Modern magecraft, born from Paracelsus only about five hundred years ago, is an independent and relatively recent system.
Age of Gods magecraft, on the other hand, was more like divine authority itself—a mysterious contract with the gods allowing one to wield supreme divine power.
Modern magecraft is more akin to a carefully constructed deception—tricking the world for a brief moment to produce miracles.
Simply put, even a casual Age of Gods spell rivals modern magic in power.
Medea could be considered a magus of the Age of Gods, comparable to a Magician. As her teacher and a demigod, Circe was even stronger.
Bang—
Under Circe's relentless bombardment, Zouken was powerless. No matter how many crest worms he sent, they were obliterated by her meteor-like magical barrage.
Once she used fire magecraft, the thousands of worms were nothing more than fuel.
Zouken activated the numerous powerful barriers the Matou family had constructed over centuries to resist her.
But to Circe, they were child's play.
With High-Speed Divine Words, complex grand magecraft was effortless for her.
Under her counterattacks, the Matou household's defenses were easily destroyed.
With no other option, Zouken chose to retreat.
He transformed into a swarm of insects and vanished.
Circe had no intention of letting him escape.
Since joining this Holy Grail War, she had mostly been causing minor disturbances. She hadn't truly killed anyone yet.
Failing against other heroic spirits was one thing—but how could she lose to this disgusting old man?
Escape?
Not a chance.
She prepared to use her Noble Phantasm.
Although her mana had been drained earlier, Haruka Kasugano now possessed many Command Seals. With a single Command Seal, he instantly restored Circe's mana.
Circe deployed her Noble Phantasm: Forbidden Feast.
A massive magical whirlwind engulfed the entire Matou residence.
The surroundings transformed.
It was a Reality Marble, similar to Iskandar's Ionioi Hetairoi, forcibly dragging targets into her domain.
But Circe's Reality Marble was a banquet—everyone had to sit and eat.
Zouken, Shinji, and Byakuya were forced to sit at a lavish banquet table.
If they refused to eat, the summoned monsters would maul them.
Zouken was stunned. He hadn't expected Caster's Noble Phantasm to be like this. Escape was impossible.
With his vast knowledge, he immediately realized Caster's true name—
Circe, the Witch Goddess.
If they didn't eat, the monsters would attack.
If they ate, the food would curse them into pigs.
It was a death sentence either way.
For humans, resistance was impossible.
At that moment, Haruka Kasugano walked over holding the sleeping Sakura.
"Good work," he said with a smile.
Circe glanced at the little girl in his arms, increasingly unable to understand him.
Didn't he prefer married women?
Why was he now interested in a child?
Was he some kind of degenerate?
Circe nervously bit her thumb, feeling a strange sense of urgency.
Zouken had no choice but to eat within the Reality Marble, watching helplessly as Haruka Kasugano carried Sakura away.
Eventually, even the Crest Worm that served as Zouken's true body was forced to take a seat at the banquet.
Soon, Byakuya and Shinji were transformed into animals.
As Zouken's own body began to change, he finally yielded.
He turned into a grotesque rat.
Circe lost interest and asked Haruka Kasugano, "Well? They're human. Should we spare them?"
"They're not good people. They've bullied Sakura enough. Kill them," Haruka Kasugano said, stroking Sakura's head.
"Alright~ I thought it would be harder. Humans really are weak," Circe shrugged.
With a flick of her hand, the monsters devoured the transformed animals.
Zouken raged helplessly, "My grand ambition… my path to immortality… no—!"
Once everyone was dead, Circe withdrew her Noble Phantasm.
As they left, Haruka Kasugano glanced at the unconscious Kariya outside.
"Don't tell me you're interested in men too?" Circe teased.
"Watch your mouth!" Haruka Kasugano snapped.
He actually wanted to take a photograph of Kariya, but cameras in this era were expensive and used film—far beyond his means as a young teacher.
"Do you have something like a recording stone?" he asked.
"A recording stone? Easy," Circe said, picking up a roadside stone and enchanting it.
"What do you want to record?"
"His face," Haruka Kasugano replied.
"Ugh… his face is practically rotting. Didn't expect you to like that," she teased again.
"Behave."
Soon, the recording was complete.
Haruka Kasugano held the stone up and confirmed Kariya's face was clearly captured.
"Let's go have breakfast," he smiled.
"I can cook breakfast! I love making porridge! How about—"
"Stop. Next time."
"Tch."
Dawn was breaking.
Meanwhile, Kirei returned to the Church and found Kotomine Risei's corpse cold.
He stared at his father.
He felt sorrow—but sorrow that someone else had killed his father before he could.
He soon noticed the code his father left behind.
He understood it immediately—the Gospel of John was second nature to him.
He began reciting the incantation.
…
…
But after a long time, nothing happened.
Panicking, he lifted his father's arm—
The Command Seals were gone.
"Damn it! What happened?!" Kirei was utterly stunned.
"Who stole my Command Seals?!"