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Without giving Fan Yu any chance to express her gratitude, Medea's voice completely disappeared.

at the same time.

In the hall of the Matou residence late at night, a ray of moonlight shines through.

A hunchbacked old man stood in front of the windowsill, with his hands behind his back, staring at the traces outside the window. The buildings in the backyard of the broken mansion had turned into ruins, and at the end of the road, a figure slowly walked into the forest.

"The young are really to be feared!" Matou Zouken sighed.

Whether it was the fighting power displayed by Fan Yu, or the admiration for the growth of humans rather than heroic spirits.

“I didn’t expect that the young man who had a conflict with Tōsaka Tokiomi would set his sights here.

And that Heroic Spirit beside him, Caster, who chanted magic so quickly during the battle with Berserker, was probably chanting something from history called "High-Speed ​​Divine Words"? She's probably a Heroic Spirit who lived during the Age of Gods.

Having said this, Matou Zouken glanced back at the shadows in the hall: "Kariya, they're coming. Can you handle this? If not, we'll have to replace them."

In the shadows, a young man with a deeply tired face stood there with difficulty. His face was filled with a look of pain. Half of his face was normal, while the other half was distorted as if it had been disfigured. It was covered with dense blood vessels and residual lines left after being burned by magic, looking hideous and terrifying.

And under the skin of his face, it seemed as if something was wriggling. Occasionally, a creature the size of a glass bead could be seen rolling from under the facial tissue to his throat, causing a bulge, and then drilling into his clothes.

Matou Kariya covered his arm, which was shining with emerald green fluorescence. The bright red Command Seal on the back of his hand, symbolizing the Berserker class, gleamed in the moonlight, but a stroke was missing from it.

"Berserker, you can rest now." Matou Kariya whispered.

The figure of Hercules roared unwillingly behind him. However, upon seeing Matou Kariya's attitude, his only pair of eyes finally chose to obey the command.

Hercules glanced in the direction of the downstairs in the room, said nothing, and disappeared into a ball of particles.

Matou Kariya breathed a sigh of relief, no longer having to maintain the prana that Hercules continuously supplied to the present world.

His figure suddenly collapsed to the ground, and his true face was revealed from the shadows.

Beneath the blue and white tracksuit, a head of dry white hair was visible. A glowing artificial magic circuit emerged from his right arm, continuously converting life force into magic power by absorbing it.

This is the price he, as an ordinary person, has to pay for wanting to enter the world of monsters.

"There's no time for you to rest now. The man who took away Tōsaka Tokiomi's wife and daughter is walking towards the mansion." Matou Zouken said playfully.

Matou Kariya said in a low voice, "I will use Berserker's two remaining Command Seals to deal that fellow a fatal blow. And you have to agree to my terms. As long as I kill him, Sakura won't have to participate in this boring magician war."

When Matou Zouken heard this, he felt as if he was watching a child making a bold statement.

However, as the founder of the Holy Grail War, Machiri Zolgen, who had hidden his real name and lived in the Far East for five hundred years under the pseudonym 'Matou Zouken', he had long been able to accept anything.

He didn't care about his grandson's boastful words and said calmly, "I managed to get the Berserker's summoning relic from the turmoil in foreign countries.

To command this mythical hero, you might have a chance if you could utilize Tōsaka Tokiomi's heroic spirit. But your vitality won't sustain a few more battles against Heracles.

Not to mention that because of your recklessness, he has been killed twice by the Caster group outside.

Next, can you still do it?"

Chapter 37 Helpers and Allies

"Shut up!"

Matou Kariya let out an excited growl, and as the magic circuits on his hands activated, the room lit up.

The hidden figure of Hercules reappeared, and under the command of Matou Kariya, he came directly in front of Matou Zouken: "Since I am participating in the Holy Grail War, I can do whatever I want. It is none of your business."

Matou Zouken looked at his lost grandson, showing no fear of Hercules at all. He wore a smile on his wrinkled face and didn't care at all: "Well, you still have two Command Seals, maybe you can do it."

Only then did Matou Kariya remain silent.

He looked out the window, a resolute look in his eyes: "It's all Tokiomi's fault... He was so incompetent that he actually let Aoi be captured by such a despicable guy."

"So, what are you going to do? Your magic power has been almost exhausted tonight. Even with the two remaining Command Seals, the Caster team's Noble Phantasm cannot be released. If you fail, there will be no chance of recovery.

"The life force devoured by the Crest Worms within your body, and the converted prana, isn't enough to sustain you long enough to unleash Hercules' Noble Phantasm and die ten times, Kariya," Matou Zouken asked suggestively.

Matou Kariya stared gloomily outside the door, the murderous intent in his eyes gradually fading: "I will reunite Sakura and Aoi..."

"..." Matou Zouken gave an old man's tolerant smile.

No matter how incompetent his offspring was, and even the talent to become a magus needed to be implanted in him using Crest Bugs, at least Kariya's steadfast persistence was worthy of praise.

However, his skinny body paused, and suddenly his pupils froze as if he had discovered something.

At this moment, a series of light footsteps suddenly sounded from the room downstairs in the Matou residence, gradually approaching.

The grandfather and grandson in the room looked towards the stairs at the same time.

A little girl wearing small leather shoes and a red headband walked in. She looked at the two of them with innocent eyes: "Grandpa, Uncle Kariya. Are you guys arguing?"

The little girl seemed to have adapted to the gloomy atmosphere on her own and was not afraid of the surrounding situation at all.

When Matou Kariya saw her, his expression tightened: "Ying, why didn't you go to the underground workshop? Hurry and hide somewhere safe."

cherry:"?"

"Kanye, leave Sakura to me for the time being. If you need a helper, grandpa will contact them for you." Matou Zouken picked up his crutch and stuck it on the ground, revealing an intriguing look.

Matou Kariya looked hesitant, he knew that his grandfather was not someone who would take the initiative to help.

However, he seemed to have no choice at the moment.

He tried his best not to think about the helper his grandfather would look for: "Is it...Tōsaka Tokiomi?"

Matou Zouken smiled and said, "No, I know how much you hate Tōsaka Tokiomi, but I still don't want to provoke you in this regard. It's just that an ambitious kid in the Clock Tower somehow knew that 'Machiri Zorgen' was connected to the Matou clan and came to visit. I had no choice but to deal with it."

After hearing these words, Matou Kariya's expression became better.

Given the Matou family's connections, it would undoubtedly be easier to connect with the Tōsaka clan, who were also in Fuyuki. On the contrary, it was the people who arrived from the Clock Tower that made Matou Kariya feel strange.

However, he did not choose to ask too much. It was enough for him to know that it was not Tōsaka Tokiomi.

"However, you have to be careful. Although it is a cooperative relationship, alliance itself is a very fragile alliance in a fierce battle like the Holy Grail War where only one person can survive in the end." Matou Zouken reminded.

Matou Kariya nodded, then turned to Sakura beside him and said gently, "It will be soon, the day when you and Aoi will be reunited. I will save you..."

Sakura's little face showed a confused look.

What is this person suddenly saying?

"Sakura, come with me." said Matou Zouken.

Sakura Matou nodded her head, and under the guidance of Zouken Matou, she silently followed Zouken Matou out of the hall.

Matou Kariya, who stayed where he was, watched this scene and then stared at the direction they were coming from.

Just as his gloomy grandfather, Matou Zouken, had said, he could use up his two remaining Command Seals in a fierce battle, but the result would inevitably come at a heavy price. Matou Kariya himself was unsure whether that would fulfill his promise to Sakura.

ally……

He doesn't trust anyone, including his grandfather.

Or just leave like this? But then... Sakura's safety wouldn't be guaranteed.

Matou Kariya looked at Hercules, the great hero summoned by the holy relic of the Age of Gods that he had obtained from his grandfather.

With a mixture of struggle and complicated emotions, he silently walked towards the window leading to the forest in front of him.

Soon after……

Matou residence.

Tuk-tuk-tuk!

There was a knock on the door.

In the quiet hall, after the previous battle, there was naturally no response at all.

boom!

With a powerful kick, the door of Matou's mansion was kicked open.

Fan Yu and the particles floating around him walked into the gate of the Matou residence together.

"Strange, for a magician's territory, there's no sign of any defense!" Medea whispered in Fan Yu's ear.

Fan Yu also had an experience in this regard. The last time he broke into Toshiomi Toosaka's magic workshop, the little girl Tosaka Rin tried to use the magic techniques left by her father in the magic workshop to defeat him, but ended up getting himself into a mess.

In general——

The magicians of this world are naturally aloof, maintaining a unique sense of secrecy regarding the fields of magic they study. Furthermore, to prevent others from observing, they will proactively leave traps and mechanisms in their magic workshops, leaving unsuspecting intruders to suffer.

"Retreat... or leave behind a more secret ambush?" Fan Yu looked at the empty hall in front of him, his expression paused slightly.

Medea warned: "Magicians generally don't abandon their workshops for such a short while. Don't be fooled by the surroundings. It could be underground, or it could be overhead!"

That being said, this understanding is based on some basic common sense from the Age of Gods and the modern era. Considering that Berserker's Master was so decisive in ordering Heracles to retreat, perhaps it's actually possible to abandon it.

but……

Just as Medea was thinking about this, she saw the stairs leading downstairs in front of the hall.

A human-shaped shadow slowly walked out from the darkness. Wearing sportswear, Matou Kariya stared at Fan Yu with his eyes fixed.

Chapter 38 It’s All Tokiomi’s Fault

His hair was silver, his face was covered with wrinkles, and there were even faint traces of disgusting bugs crawling under his skin.

Judging from his appearance and attire, he looks like a young man in his 20s, but at this moment he looks like an old man with a candle in the wind.

Especially those eyes, which were fixed on Fan Yu, as if Fan Yu and him had some deep hatred.

"Caster's Master, right?" Matou Kariya said in a deep voice.

Fan Yu nodded, and said with some surprise, "So you are the Master of Hercules? It seems that Heroic Spirits of the Berserker class are indeed difficult to control."

Matou Kariya showed no sign of surprise at this person revealing the true name of the Heroic Spirit he had summoned. Given the various methods the other party had displayed, and the fact that Caster, possibly from the same mythological era as Heracles, completely concealing the information about the Heroic Spirit would be impossible if the two sides engaged in a confrontation.

However, Matou Kariya had no intention of paying any attention to the other party's tentativeness. He glanced at the empty space next to Fan Yu. Although he could not see the figure of Caster, it did not prevent him from understanding the current situation.

"Your Caster is right next to you, right?" Matou Kariya whispered.

Fan Yu hummed: "Of course, isn't your Bersereker here with you?"

As the two sides spoke, their respective Heroic Spirits released their spiritual forms, and as a cloud of blue particles emerged, the colossal figures of Hercules and Medea simultaneously appeared before their respective Masters.

Obviously, neither Fan Yu nor Matou Kariya would be foolish enough to face a hostile Servant Master alone. That would be the same as giving up for nothing.

Even so, Fan Yu was still surprised that Matou Kariya and Hercules dared to station here without any preparation. He must have seen the battle between Hercules and them.

Although Medea, a Caster-class character, was relatively weak against Berserker-class monsters like Heracles, in a two-on-one situation, both sides managed to defeat Heracles twice. Her Vanquish completely compensated for Medea's fragile spell casting time, and Medea also provided shields, defense, and limited enemy Heroic Spirits during combat.

The existence of the two is a match that no longer exists even under the iron rule of [Servant > Master] in the Holy Grail War.

And how could Matou Kariya, a candle in the wind, dare to appear alone?

Fan Yu wasn't sure if he was there out of nostalgia for his hometown or for some other purpose. He arrived and asked bluntly, "The Tosaka family adopted a daughter named Sakura and brought her here. Do you know her?"

"Ying?" Matou Kariya was startled, then asked warily, "What do you want from Ying?"

Fan Yu calmly took out the necklace from his pocket and said, "Miss Kui asked me to come and help pass this on to her daughter."

Matou Kariya looked down at the item in Fan Yu's hand, his expression dazed. Although he hadn't given the necklace to her, he knew it was something his childhood sweetheart had worn before she married Tōsaka Tokiomi.

[The other party showed up at the Matou residence with this. Perhaps Aoi also took the initiative to express her desire for my help?] — Matou Kariya thought to himself.

Gujiguji!

The sound of insects gnawing came from inside his body, and the severe pain in his nerves made Matou Kariya subconsciously cover his head and let out a painful groan.

Fan Yu looked at this scene and thought it was a good opportunity.

However, just as he was about to act, Hercules's massive body directly blocked Matou Kariya's way. As a Berserker, he was still able to retain some sanity and act to protect his Master, which was truly astonishing.

However, only Hercules himself knew that the man in front of him was a pitiful fellow, and his response was not protection, but pity.

It took Matou Kariya a long time to recover from the pain.

He gasped for breath, "Haa...Haa," echoing through the quiet hall as he slowly rose from the ground. Immediately afterwards, Matou Kariya changed his tone, "I know why you're here. What's your relationship with Aoi?"

"Miss Aoi?" Fan Yu was stunned. He didn't bother to hide anything. "At first, I just used her to threaten Tōsaka Tokiomi, but Tōsaka Tokiomi didn't fall for it at all. And Miss Aoi was also very well-behaved, so I stayed with her for the time being."

Matou Kariya listened in a daze as the other person said "well-behaved". Thinking of his childhood sweetheart, Zenjo Aoi, even having the necklace she had been carrying for several years taken off, several dark images emerged in his mind, which he quickly shook his head to dispel.

When Zenjo Aoi married Tohsaka Tokiomi, he would also imagine such a scene, which made him feel distressed every time he was abroad.

Now, he no longer wants to think about those unbearable things.

"As you said, Tōsaka Tokiomi, did you abandon your wife and daughter?" Matou Kariya said in a deep voice.