Under the moonlight, the steel factory stood like a giant mechanical beast on the land.
The factory's chimneys soared into the clouds, like a giant's fingers, pointing straight at the sky.
Inside the factory, roads crisscrossed, giant steel pipes spread throughout, and old factory buildings were connected one after another.
Even though the workers had stopped for the night, the air was still filled with a pungent smell.
“Hmph hmph hmph... Hahahaha...”
In a shadowy corner inside the factory, Matou Kariya, wearing a black assault jacket, hid his face in his hood, his eyes bloodshot with hatred, letting out an arrogant laugh in the silent, deserted factory.
When Tokiomi Tohsaka realized that Archer's dozens of consecutive noble phantasm shots couldn't take down Berserker, the steady Tokiomi Tohsaka chose to forcefully make Archer withdraw from the battlefield using a Command Seal.
Although Archer wasn't defeated, Tokiomi Tohsaka realized the battle was not going well and chose to retreat.
But in Matou Kariya's eyes, to make Archer, who possessed overwhelming magical power, retreat, and for the magic of the Tohsaka Family, refined through generations of bloodline, to be matched by his own magic, hastily learned in just one year, was enough to make him happy.
Although he was inferior to Tokiomi Tohsaka in every aspect, whether it was family background, magic, or even appearance, he was completely outmatched by Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Even the person he had loved since childhood, his childhood sweetheart, chose Tokiomi Tohsaka.
But the long-awaited moment had finally arrived; after a year of wailing in hell, he had finally made Tokiomi Tohsaka suffer a setback.
He was no longer a stray dog, nor an ant that could be crushed anywhere.
Now, I can contend with you, make you fear, make you feel troublesome and terrified.
Matou Kariya had already imagined the scene of Tokiomi Tohsaka panicking and having no choice but to order his Archer to retreat.
The sinner who trampled on the mother and daughter's happiness.
He possessed everything he desired, yet he disdained and did not cherish it.
Tokiomi Tohsaka, your delusions, your arrogance will ultimately be shattered by me.
“He actually ran away with his tail between his legs from my Berserker, I shamed that arrogant fellow!”
“Tokiomi, I really want to see your mournful face with my own eyes, hahahaha!”
Even hidden in his hood, the night could not conceal Matou Kariya's excitement and smugness.
But this smugness didn't last long. Matou Kariya coughed as he laughed, then knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his hands, and a mouthful of blood, accompanied by seven or eight squirming, disgusting Crest Worms, gushed from his mouth and dripped onto the ground.
Originally, Matou Kariya had no magical foundation, but to become a Master, he had coexisted with worms for the past year, using worm magic to operate his magic circuits.
Although the hellish worm nest transformation not only turned his hair white and damaged various bodily functions, but also left him with only one month to live.
Originally, a Servant not only needed magical power to maintain its physical form, but also consumed magical power with every move.
Especially during combat, the magical power consumed increased exponentially.
And to maintain Berserker's magical power supply, Matou Kariya's body was being desperately eroded by Crest Worms, extracting his life force and converting it into magical power.
The Crest Worms were not only gnawing at his flesh but also draining his bone marrow.
This put him in agony, a state worse than death.
“Ugh...! Ugh...!”
Hidden in the darkness, Matou Kariya covered his mouth to suppress his wailing, blood continuing to slip down his hand.
After Archer's departure, Berserker unexpectedly lost control and charged towards the unrelated Saber on the battlefield.
Berserker's excitement created a demand for magical power, which in turn stimulated the Crest Worms in his body, making them continue to squeeze Matou Kariya's body.
It wasn't until Nyarlathotep once again used her spatial-temporal magnetic field to restrain the berserk Berserker that the Berserker, finding its attack fruitless, chose to spiritualize and flee.
The spiritualized Berserker's demand for the Master's magical power dropped to its lowest, which finally calmed the Crest Worms within Matou Kariya.
“That Berserker actually lost control against Saber...”
Matou Kariya stomped on the worms he had spat out, then tremblingly stared at his blood-stained hand, muttering as he looked at the Command Seal on the back of his hand.
“But as long as I can continue to control it... as long as my body can hold on... Sakura, wait for me...”
Matou Kariya's stamina had been drained by the Crest Worms, and to leave, he had to lean on the wall and move with difficulty.
Just as Matou Kariya stumbled forward, leaving the range of his concealment magic, he heard a slightly childish voice from the darkness ahead.
“Do you really believe that old worm will keep his word?”
Hearing the voice from ahead, Matou Kariya vigilantly raised his head, widening his eyes to try and discern the figure in the darkness, but was forced to squint by a bright light.
A figure in metal armor was slowly approaching.
It was entirely silver-white, covered in steel, with a strange glowing device on its chest.
The figure didn't look like a Magus; instead, it resembled a warrior from a future technological era.
With a “clank, clank” of metal, the figure walked up to Matou Kariya.
Looking at the metallic person, who resembled a warrior from the future, Matou Kariya sharply and alertly asked, “Who are you? What is your purpose? What do you know?!!!”
“My name is Chen Yu, and it's normal that you don't know me. You can think of me as a wizard.”
Looking at the highly cautious Matou Kariya, Chen Yu helplessly explained his identity, lifting his visor to reveal a slightly childish face.
Seeing that the operator of the metal armor was a boy only six or seven years older than Sakura, Matou Kariya also took off his hood, revealing his pale hair and a ghastly white face.
“A wizard? Not a Magus? And your attire doesn't look like a wizard's.”
Matou Kariya looked at Chen Yu's appearance in astonishment.
A boy wearing futuristic battle armor claiming to be a wizard.
This was as ridiculous as the Big Bad Wolf putting on a headscarf and claiming to be Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother.
Chen Yu took something from his backpack and tossed it to Matou Kariya.
“Bite this apple; it can restore a good amount of your vitality. This will make your body, drained by the Crest Worms, feel a bit better.”
One apple could only restore 300 HP.
An ordinary person's life force was only around 100, while a wizard's was about 400-500.
The body of a typical Magus was not as resilient as a wizard's life force; an apple from Teyvat was enough to replenish Matou Kariya's vitality, and there might even be some left over.
Looking at the apple Chen Yu threw over, he hesitated for a moment.
“You know about Crest Worms? Why are you helping me? I don't believe there are good people in this world who selflessly help others.”
Chen Yu smiled: “Because of Sakura. I don't want Sakura to be trapped in suffering, to let a good girl continue to be ruined by those worms.”
Matou Kariya frowned, pondering the relationship between Sakura and the boy in front of him.
Was he Sakura's senior? Or her good friend? Or a relative like her cousin?
He had never heard Sakura mention knowing any boys.
“You might not understand what my relationship with Sakura is as a young boy... The answer is simple: no relationship at all.”
“I just simply can't stand the actions of your family's old worm.”
“You can see me as a passing righteous knight who, upon seeing something filthy, naturally wants to clean it up.”
“Don't you want to end the darkness that has continued for hundreds of years within your family?”
Hearing the other party's explanation, Matou Kariya endured the pain brought by the Crest Worms in his body and said forcefully, “Who you are has nothing to do with me. I joined the Holy Grail War to kill that bastard Tokiomi Tohsaka. As long as I can win the Holy Grail War, Sakura will be saved! There's no need for an outsider to interfere!”
Chen Yu stared into Matou Kariya's eyes: “How can you be sure that Zouken Matou will definitely abide by your agreement and give up Sakura? With your current dilapidated body, even if the old worm agreed to your request at the time, after you die, Sakura will still fall into his hands!”
Matou Kariya stumbled back two steps, flustered, and argued, “No, he promised me that as long as I can obtain the Holy Grail and fulfill his long-cherished wish, Sakura will be useless and will be sent back to Aoi's side. That way, Sakura can return to a normal life!”
Hearing Matou Kariya's defense, Chen Yu sneered and explained, “Let Sakura return to a normal life? You're too naive. Rin and Sakura are both geniuses. One has all elements, five-fold composite attributes, and the other has imaginary elements, void attributes.”
“These two sisters both possess rare aptitudes equivalent to miracles. This has already exceeded the scope of so-called talent and is almost equivalent to a spell.”
“You must know that magical nature will also attract magical nature, just as a prominent person who deviates from the norm will inevitably attract equally abnormal experiences, which is beyond their own will to control.”
“Do you know about the Clock Tower's Seal Designation?”
Facing Chen Yu's aggressive questions, Matou Kariya was somewhat confused.
“Seal Designation?”
Matou Kariya heard this name for the first time. In the past year, besides staying in the hellish worm nest to undergo Crest Worm modification and practicing controlling worms, Zouken Matou had not taught him much common knowledge about the magical world.
Even if he knew that the Clock Tower was a behemoth in the magical world, he didn't understand what Seal Designation meant.
“You haven't heard of it? Then let me explain. The so-called Seal Designation is a trick played by those Magi at the Clock Tower.”
“To put it nicely, it's under the name of 'protection,' to detain and capture Magi with rare talents or those who violate taboos, and imprison them for life. To put it harshly, it's to turn them into living specimens, to be subjects of research.”
“Guess why Tokiomi would give his daughter to someone else? The reason is simple: the Tohsaka Family's protection can only be given to one of them. The Tohsaka Family's Magic Crest can only be passed to either Rin or Sakura, and the other person cannot embark on the path of magic.”
“But once the Mage's Association discovers that the Tohsaka Family has two daughters with rare aptitudes, but can only pass it to one person. Those guys will certainly be delighted to, under the guise of protection, preserve the other girl as a specimen in formaldehyde.”
“Because of this, when Tokiomi Tohsaka learned that the Matou Family wanted Sakura as an adopted daughter, it was nothing short of a divine blessing to him. It allowed both beloved daughters to inherit top-tier magecraft, free from the constraints of bloodline karma, and to forge their own paths in life.”
“You should know, in Tokiomi Tohsaka's eyes, the Matou Family used elegant magic like a butterfly's metamorphosis; he had no idea that the worm magic currently used by the Matou Family was so disgusting.”
“Impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! You're lying to me! Berser—!!! Mmm mmm mmm...”
Matou Kariya heard the news about the Seal Designation from the Mage's Association for the first time, like a bolt from the blue.
He couldn't believe that he had staked his life only to find that everything was in vain.
Even if he obtained the Holy Grail and returned Sakura to the Tohsaka Family, she would still not escape a tragic fate.
In his mental confusion, he intended to summon Berserker, first capture the boy in metal armor in front of him, and then verify everything he had said.
“Tongue-Tying Curse!”
Chen Yu immediately cast a Tongue-Tying Curse, making Matou Kariya's tongue stick to his palate, which prevented him from issuing clear commands with his Command Seals.
Looking at Matou Kariya, who was constantly trying to shake off the effects of the Tongue-Tying Curse, Chen Yu said helplessly, “Don't rush to summon Berserker. Even if you summon him, he won't be able to catch me, after all, I am Caster's Master.”
Hearing that Chen Yu was also Caster's Master, Matou Kariya struggled even harder.
“Don't get so agitated. Actually, Sakura has another way to live, which is to inherit your Matou Family's worm magic, of course, not that disgusting worm magic, but the elegant magic like a butterfly's metamorphosis.”
“As long as Zouken Matou is eliminated, won't the entire Matou Family only have you to be the head? At that time, whatever life Sakura wants to live will be up to you, won't it? Don't you want Sakura to call you 'Daddy'?”
“Although I don't have a way to extend your life for now, your body has only been depleted by the worms. As long as you replenish your life force, you should still have more than ten years to live. Don't you want to watch Sakura grow up little by little with your own eyes?”
“And I know a memory-erasing spell, you know? I can erase Sakura's painful memories, allowing her to grow up like a normal person...”
Chen Yu's words were like a devil's temptation, and Matou Kariya's struggles grew weaker and weaker.
Seeing Matou Kariya no longer struggling, Chen Yu also lifted the effect of the Tongue-Tying Curse.
Matou Kariya rubbed his jaw, which was almost dislocated; he had been almost convinced by Chen Yu's words.
So he asked, “If I agree to get rid of Zouken Matou, what do you want me to do?”
“Nothing at all, just when I ambush the old worm, you and your Berserker don't come and interfere, causing the old worm to escape.”
Hearing that Chen Yu's request was so simple, Matou Kariya instead gave a bitter smile: “Ever since the Crest Worms were implanted in my body, I became Zouken's puppet. I can no longer disobey his will...”
Looking at the bitter-smiling Matou Kariya, Chen Yu shook the wand in his hand: “Well, if that's the case, then I'll have to offend you first.”
“Astral Projection!”