Matou Residence.
Xia Yu looked at the eerie, dark ancient mansion before her and curled her lip.
"As expected of a place where a worm lives; even in broad daylight, it's this gloomy."
"Ho, such a critique from a guest..." A skeleton-like old man... no, an old thing, walked out from the doorway leaning on a cane. "This is hardly the way to behave as a guest."
"Who comes to someone's home just to pick it apart?"
"Guest? Who said I was a guest?" Xia Yu tilted her head. "How does that saying go? 'Fortune and disaster have no gates; they are invited by oneself.'"
"Old thing, I originally planned to leave you around for a few more days to let that naive guy see things clearly, but since you want to stir up trouble, I can't let you stay."
"Heh, you're the Einzbern's Berserker, aren't you?" Matou Zouken spoke with an air of complete confidence. "I truly couldn't tell; a girl like you actually has a connection to the Great Hero Heracles. However, this reckless attitude certainly fits a Berserker."
"In the end, a Servant is merely a Familiar," he said coldly. "A Familiar is, after all, a servant to a Magus. Do you really think you can run wild against the Matou Family's five-hundred-year-old Bounded Field?"
"If victory were so easily obtained, why do you think no one succeeded in the previous Holy Grail Wars?"
Although he looked perfectly composed, he was actually panicking internally.
His worms were parasitic within Matou Sakura's nerves, so he naturally knew everything Xia Yu had said to Sakura that night.
Thus, he knew that the person who caused such a massive commotion a month ago was this seemingly delicate young girl.
And on the other hand... as the local power, he naturally knew that the Gilgamesh from the last Holy Grail War had not returned to the Throne of Heroes...
The frail-looking girl in front of him was the existence who had sent that arrogant king straight back home. Matou Zouken was fully convinced that his family's Bounded Field could not stop her.
He could only bluff.
But as for Xia Yu...
"What are you blathering about?" She pulled out Shamash and snapped an Elden Ring onto it.
"Shamash..."
"Wait, let's talk this out!" Seeing this, Matou Zouken panicked. He hurriedly reached out and shouted, "It's daytime! The Holy Grail War has rules against making a scene during the day and exposing the world of Magi!"
"Fair point," Xia Yu nodded upon hearing this, then abandoned the idea of releasing the Might of An-Utu form.
But even if it wasn't the Might of An-Utu, the standard form of Shamash was no pushover!
"Heavenly Fire, Unsheathed!"
In an instant, boundless crimson flames enveloped him and the entire Matou Residence. The so-called Bounded Field accumulated over five hundred years lasted less than three seconds before being popped like a soap bubble.
"Such lawlessness!" Worms surged from nowhere to reform Matou Zouken's body. He shouted in exasperation, "Are you not afraid of sanctions from the Holy Church and the Mage's Association?"
"Let them come if they have the guts," Xia Yu said effortlessly. "At worst, I'll just go back to the Throne of Heroes. Can they chase me back to the Throne and bite me?"
"Then what about Einzbern? Do you not consider your Master?" Matou Zouken shouted again.
"Did you know? The first thing I did after being summoned was blast the Einzbern castle with a Noble Phantasm, killing Acht in the process." Xia Yu raised Shamash once more. "As a Homunculus, the people I hate most are those who use homunculi as mere tools!"
"And of course, I hate worms just as much!"
Having said that, she summoned Sam, wrapping herself tightly within it.
Those worms looked disgusting.
"Shamash, Uriel!"
Another powerful strike. This time, it completely leveled the buildings on the Matou grounds, killing the Old Worm once more in the process.
"If the Mage's Association holds Einzbern accountable, I'll have to say thank you to them!"
"Damn it, where is the Einzbern Master!" Matou Zouken's ash-burnt body was once again gathered by The Swarm. Having no other choice, he yelled, "Are you just going to watch your Servant act so willfully?"
"She's just a puppet Master," Xia Yu laughed happily amidst the fire. "As far as I'm concerned, I can handle her however I please."
With a slight wave of her hand, the Old Worm's newly restored body turned to ash again.
Then, Xia Yu walked toward the ruined residence with light steps.
"You—" The Old Worm gathered his body again, but before he could finish, he was sent flying by her sword.
Xia Yu walked through the raging flames and burning ruins, striking any piece of intact architecture she saw along the way.
She stopped when she reached a hidden basement.
"You!" Matou Zouken's body was reconstituted by worms rushing out of the basement. He put on a desperate front, summoning a sea of worms that briefly suppressed the surrounding flames.
"I will make you pay!"
But Xia Yu didn't even look at him. She simply raised Shamash and gifted him another Shamash Release.
The sea of worms was completely cleared.
Then, she kicked open the basement door.
Carrying the raging flames, she walked inside.
Matou Sakura's consciousness was blurred.
She had been called to the basement by her grandfather last night. She originally thought it was another session of modification, but this time was different.
Grandfather took out a strange fragment and implanted it into her body.
From that moment on, her consciousness became hazy. That black fragment... was eroding her sanity.
"You have no idea what is in her body right now!" In her trance, she seemed to see the worms forming her grandfather's body, though the numbers seemed somewhat pathetic.
"I don't care," a strange, unfamiliar voice rang out from opposite her grandfather.
Matou Sakura tried hard to lift her head, but she couldn't do anything.
"The thing inside her body, if it escapes the control of this old man, it's enough to destroy the world!" Matou Zouken shouted loudly. "You cannot control—"
"Noisy!" Xia Yu couldn't be bothered to listen to his chattering and completely cleared all the worms with a single swing.
"Tsk, looks like there's a big problem here." She came before Matou Sakura and sighed as she looked at the naked girl.
"Master," Medea emerged from the void. "Is it this child?"
"Yeah, poor thing," Xia Yu shook her head and looked at Medea. "It's up to you."
"Very well." Medea nodded and stepped forward, placing her hand on Matou Sakura's chest. Her Mana probed into the body... locking onto the location. She then pulled out a dagger and precisely cut between the girl's breasts. From within the bloodied organs, a pale figure was picked out by the dagger.
"Wait, how did you know..."
Before the voice could finish, it was crushed under Medea's foot.
"Disgusting thing," she muttered, rubbing her shoe on the ground in revulsion.
Seeing this, Xia Yu deactivated her armor and switched to Furina. With a lift of her hand, a water flower quietly bloomed. Amidst the gentle ripples, the fatal wound on Matou Sakura's body slowly stopped bleeding.
Medea also began to heal her using Magecraft.
After about ten minutes, the bloody wound was mostly healed.
"How miraculous, Master." After finishing her work, Medea began walking around Xia Yu. "I can't tell what kind of Magecraft this is at all. You're like two completely different people!"
"And this look is so cute—"
Hearing this, Xia Yu rolled her eyes and switched to Firefly.
"Mm, this look is very cute too," Medea commented with a smile.
"Do I need you to tell me if I'm cute or not?" Xia Yu shot her a look, then glanced at Matou Sakura. She remained silent for two seconds before turning back to Medea.
"Go get her some clothes."
"You're making things difficult for me, Master," Medea spread her hands. "Everything upstairs was burned to a crisp by you. Where am I supposed to find clothes?"
"Go buy some," Xia Yu said, pulling out some cash and handing it to her. "Spiritualization is so convenient anyway; make it quick."
"Fine, fine, I understand, Master." Medea happily took the money and vanished from the spot.
Xia Yu then turned back to Matou Sakura.
"...Miss... Firefly?" She was still in a daze.
"It's me." Xia Yu looked at her with a headache. "Alright, what should I do with you next..."
The Black Holy Grail... since things have already reached this point, I'll just have to find a way to make use of it.
"Sakura," she reached out to help Matou Sakura up. "You won't mind if I use you a little, right?"
"...Miss Firefly... whatever you wish..." Matou Sakura's vision was still blurry; she couldn't even see the face of the person in front of her.
But she remembered clearly that while she was trapped in this hell, this person had appeared before her bringing boundless flames.
Being used... of course, it was fine.
"Then I won't be polite." Xia Yu nodded and looked at her body.
Tsk, are you really this well-endowed, Sakura?
Even Firefly wasn't exactly lacking, but compared to Matou Sakura... she was still a bit behind.
You're much better than your older sister. I can't say Rin is a plain, but there aren't many undulations either.
Not like Sakura, who is so magnificent.
While thinking this, she picked Matou Sakura up.
"Miss... Firefly..." Matou Sakura's consciousness was still very hazy. "Can I... call you... Sister?"
Once upon a time, she had also hoped that her sister would appear like a goddess, breaking through the darkness for her and leading her away from this hell.
But she had waited ten years.
Her sister never came.
Instead, she had waited for someone else.
"Anything is fine," Xia Yu said softly. "If you like it, then call me that."
"Master," Medea was very fast. "I've bought the clothes."
"Alright, put them on her." Xia Yu took the clothes and quickly dressed Matou Sakura with Medea's help.
"Emmm." After dressing her, Xia Yu rubbed her chin as she looked at Matou Sakura. The size was perfect, and the coordination was flawless. She then looked at Medea.
"You're a dark horse, Medea."
"You flatter me." Medea smiled modestly and said, "This is merely a bit of insignificant experience."