Heroic Spirits are beings made of magical energy; their existence and magical energy consumption are directly related.
In spirit form, magical energy consumption is minimized.
In physical form, a Master must provide enough magical energy to sustain them.
Especially in combat, magical energy consumption increases exponentially.
Berserker, in his Mad Enhancement state, will relentlessly drain his Master's magical energy, even at the cost of his Master's physical condition.
The presence of Crest Worms allows Berserker to continuously receive magical energy during combat, but this also brings immense pain.
Whenever Berserker fights, the Crest Worms in his body awaken, begin to squirm, and erode his flesh, crush his bones, and convert his vitality into magical energy for Berserker to the maximum extent possible.
“Ugh… ugh… ugh!!”
Matou Kariya desperately suppressed his cries in the room.
He didn't understand why Berserker, as if sensing an approaching enemy, suddenly materialized and rushed out of the room to engage Saber in a fight on the street.
But the intense pain from the magical energy supply still made him let out a sound, startling Sakura nearby.
This was also the first time he had shown himself in such a dishevelled state in front of Sakura.
Noticing the Crest Worms in his body going wild again, Matou Kariya quickly chose to forcibly cut off the magical energy supply to Berserker, then swallowed the vitality crystal bestowed by Chen Yu.
He felt the crazed worms in his body, sensing the aura of new vitality, decisively gave up continuing to gnaw on his flesh and bones, and instead chose the vitality crystal, which was easier to convert.
Matou Kariya then stopped moaning and breathed a sigh of relief.
Although vitality crystals can replace flesh and blood for the Crest Worms to devour, this is still a temporary solution, not a fundamental cure.
It can only alleviate physical pain, but cannot eliminate the damage caused by the Crest Worms ravaging the body.
Even with vitality replenished, his left eye remained necrotic.
Although there was some color in his face, his entire left face was like wearing a mask; his eyelids and eyebrows still had no sensation.
“How is your physical condition? Sakura just told me that the Crest Worms in your body acted up again.”
As Chen Yu and Sakura arrived on the first floor, they saw Matou Kariya looking somewhat listless and curled up on the sofa, with a small puddle of blood on the floor, no wonder Sakura was scared.
“Kariya… Uncle, are you alright?”
Sakura, worried again, ran to Matou Kariya's side and gently patted his back with her small hand, hoping it would make him feel better.
“Thank you, Sakura, I feel much better.”
Matou Kariya shook his head, taking some time to steady his breathing.
But his voice was still a little hoarse: “Sakura, you go back to watching cartoons, Chen Yu Brother and I have something to do in the yard.”
With that, he stood up from the sofa.
When the two reached the entrance, Matou Kariya, feeling that Sakura's attention was no longer on him, couldn't help but cough: “Cough, cough… Compared to the endless agony of worms tearing at me inside, the current situation is something I couldn't even imagine before. It's because I'm a self-taught Magus; these are all just consequences… At least, before the vitality crystals you bestowed run out, I don't have to constantly endure the pain of my body being torn by Crest Worms, nor do I have to worry about my body being completely consumed by them.”
“But… Berserker sometimes still doesn't obey my commands, especially when facing Saber. I can feel his resentment, his anger; he's like an incredibly bloodthirsty beast. If I hadn't forcibly cut off the magical energy supply to Berserker just now, causing him to lose the magical energy needed to maintain his form in the real world, the battle with Saber would have continued indefinitely.”
“I can feel that Berserker seems to have a special hatred for Saber. If I let go, Berserker would directly choose Saber as his primary target. What is their relationship? Even after death, they still have such a strong obsession…”
“Their grievances and entanglements cannot be explained in a word or two. If you're interested, I'll tell you when I have time.”
Chen Yu waved his wand, and a Purification Spell cleaned up the small puddle of blood Matou Kariya had spat on the floor, and also removed the bloodstains on Matou Kariya's clothes.
Matou Kariya watched with some curiosity as the bloodstains on his clothes instantly vanished, and his clothes became impeccably clean.
In his impression, magic was never a good thing; influenced by Zouken Matou, his evaluation of magic was basically negative.
This was the first time he encountered such a refreshing “cleaning” magic, and looking at his newly clean clothes, he was momentarily lost in thought.
Chen Yu looked at the somewhat dazed Matou Kariya and said helplessly: “Saber and her Master are about to arrive. Do you plan to temporarily avoid them, or are you going to stay and welcome them with me?”
Originally, Chen Yu intended to deal with Kiritsugu Emiya and his party together with Matou Kariya.
After all, Matou Kariya was also one of the seven Masters.
He could at least add some weight to his words.
But seeing Matou Kariya in such an out-of-sorts state, if the cooperation with Kiritsugu Emiya failed and a conflict arose, he might very well be directly killed by the other party.
After all, Matou Kariya's physical strength was indeed too weak, completely incomparable to other Magi.
After hearing Chen Yu's words, Matou Kariya did not leave, but silently walked behind Chen Yu, preparing to welcome Kiritsugu Emiya and his party together.
“Darling, Nyarlathotep brought them all! Nyarlathotep did a good job, didn't she?”
As soon as she entered the door, Nyarlathotep happily trotted to Chen Yu, bringing her head close, like a child who had helped the teacher and wanted a reward, with an expectant expression.
“Well done, Nyarlathotep, you worked hard.”
Chen Yu patted Nyarlathotep's little head as a reward.
Her pure white hair was like silk, incredibly smooth to the touch, making one linger and reluctant to let go.
But Chen Yu knew this was not the time for enjoyment; as soon as he put his hand down, he saw Kiritsugu Emiya and his party stepping through the Matou Residence's gate.
Unlike Nyarlathotep's joyful steps, Kiritsugu Emiya's and Saber's footsteps were very cautious.
The moment they saw Chen Yu and Matou Kariya, Kiritsugu Emiya and Saber immediately exchanged a wary look, instantly shielding Irisviel behind them.
They both understood that the Matou Residence might be a trap, especially since Maiya was still in the opponent's hands.
Although the other party expressed an intention to ally, Kiritsugu Emiya also understood the principle of never being too fair in war.
Even if Irisviel left here unharmed, Kiritsugu Emiya still couldn't completely believe that the other party had no ill intentions.
If it weren't for the urgency, Kiritsugu Emiya would rather negotiate with the other party in a desolate wilderness or an abandoned factory than come to the Matou Residence to talk.
After all, this was the opponent's home ground, and once a conflict occurred, it would be easy to be at a disadvantage.
Especially after seeing the Command Spells on Chen Yu's and Matou Kariya's backs, not hidden at all, they realized there was more than one Master in the Matou Residence, and their minds immediately became tense.
Chen Yu's face immediately broke into a brilliant smile upon seeing the arrival of Kiritsugu Emiya and the others, also letting Kiritsugu Emiya and Saber know who was now the decision-maker of the Matou Family.
“Welcome to the Matou Residence, Mr. Kiritsugu Emiya, and the two esteemed ladies.”
Facing Chen Yu's warm greeting, Kiritsugu Emiya did not underestimate Chen Yu because of his youthful appearance; instead, he stared at Chen Yu very seriously: “Irisviel told me. Thank you for protecting Irisviel and Maiya. We came here, firstly, to thank you for your help, and secondly, to discuss alliance matters in the upcoming Holy Grail War. I hope this will be beneficial to both of us.”
“That is natural.”
Seeing the other party's stance, Chen Yu smiled and nodded.