In the secret insect pit room, despair and malice were like a thick substance, almost suffocating.
Kariya Matou's body, covered and reconstructed by countless Crest Worms, emitted ominous fluctuations of magical energy.
With every step he took forward, tiny insects rustled and fell from his body, only to be attracted back to his torso by an invisible force the next second. His face, which had originally retained a human form, was now blurred by the writhing of the insect swarm, leaving only those eyes still burning with pain, anger, and a lingering, almost humble plea for Sakura Matou.
"Sakura... don't be afraid... come to me... I will protect you..." His voice, mixed with the screeching of the insect swarm, had become hoarse and eerie. He reached out a hand to her, a hand whose original skin color was no longer visible, looking more like a mimicry formed by countless tiny, dense insects.
Sakura screamed in terror, clutching Matou Zouken's robes tightly and hiding her small body behind him, not even having the courage to take a single look.
Matou Zouken felt the trembling of his granddaughter behind him and sneered in his heart. On the surface, however, he put on a heartbroken and stern expression, shouting harshly, "Kariya! Look at yourself now! To pursue power, you have fallen so low as to merge with these filthy things! What face do you have left to claim you are protecting Sakura?! You are simply a disgrace to my Matou Family!"
He skillfully manipulated the narrative, twisting Kanjuro's framing into Kariya's own greed for power.
"You old beast!! It was you! You and Kanjuro conspired to harm me!!"
Kariya Matou let out a beast-like roar, and the Crest Worms around him boiled with his fury, burning on the surface of his body like black flames.
Beside him, Lancelot sensed his master's towering resentment and destructive impulse. His madness surged, and an ominous dark red light overflowed from the gaps in his pitch-black armor. The twisted weapon in his hand pointed directly at Matou Zouken, emitting a low, threatening growl that made the entire secret chamber tremble slightly under his aura.
"Stubborn and incorrigible!" Matou Zouken leaned on his cane, speaking with righteous indignation as if standing on the moral high ground. "Even at this point, you still try to slander others! Kariya, lay down your weapon! Justice will surely judge your crimes!"
Not far away, in the shadows, Kanjuro watched the drama he had personally orchestrated below with great interest.
He saw Kariya Matou's insect-like face distorted by despair and anger, and the corners of his mouth curled into a delighted arc.
Jeanne stood by his side, looking at the innocent girl shivering in fear, and then at Kariya Matou, who looked horrific yet seemed to still possess a sliver of a protective heart. She couldn't help but sigh softly, her cool voice carrying a trace of imperceptible emotion: "I thought you would let that child fall directly into the Worm Den to put on an even more exciting show."
Hearing this, Kanjuro shrugged, his tone as relaxed as if discussing tonight's supper. "Hmm, your suggestion sounds good. However..." He paused, a possessive grin appearing on his face.
"Even if I want to let her fall into the abyss, I must at least 'taste' her first and leave my mark on her. It would be a pity to destroy her now."
Jeanne frowned, looking at him with a hint of incomprehensible disgust. "She is your daughter, after all."
Kanjuro sneered, not bothering to respond to what he saw as a meaningless 'ethical question.' His attention was completely captivated by the 'wonderful' scene below.
In the center of the secret chamber, Sakura felt endless fear like a cold tide about to drown her.
She looked at the approaching 'Uncle Kariya' made of insects, and the sickening swarm of bugs flying around him, feeling a chill all over her body. She wanted to flee, but her feet retreated involuntarily.
"Don't come over... don't come over..." she pleaded with a sob.
Kariya Matou saw the pure fear and rejection in her eyes, and his footsteps abruptly stopped. He looked down at his filthy, hideous form, and a sense of deep-seated inferiority and disgust welled up in his heart.
Yes... in his current state, even he loathed himself, so how could he expect Sakura not to be afraid? His outstretched hand froze in mid-air, not daring to take another step forward.
Seeing him stop, Sakura instead summoned a bit of courage and, with all her strength, cried out toward the empty entrance, her voice shrill and full of dependence:
"Uncle Kanjuro! Where are you! Save me! Uncle Kanjuro—!!!"
These blood-weeping cries were like the sharpest icicles, ruthlessly piercing through Kariya Matou's last line of defense.
"Shut up!!!" He suddenly raised his head and let out a heart-wrenching roar, the insect swarm churning violently. "You know nothing at all!!! Kanjuro is not a good person! He is a demon! He is the mastermind behind all of this!!! Sakura, look at me! Only I! Only I am the one who truly cares for you!!!"
His voice was filled with endless grief, indignation, grievance, and a madness born from the verge of losing everything. However, this belated, distorted 'truth' only seemed more terrifying and unreasonable to Sakura, whose heart was already filled with fear and preconceived notions.
She looked at his roaring, inhuman face and was so scared she even forgot to cry. She just shook her head desperately, her small body curled into a ball, as if that could distance her from this incomprehensible, terrifying world and the 'monster' before her.
In the shadows, the smile on Kanjuro's face became even more brilliant and delighted.
He enjoyed this pleasure of toying with human hearts, watching 'goodwill' be twisted into 'malice' and 'protection' be misunderstood as 'harm.'
This was far more interesting than direct destruction.
When Sakura heard Kariya Matou's exhausted roar slandering the perfect 'Uncle Kanjuro' in her heart, she didn't feel the slightest doubt. Instead, she became even more afraid and repulsed because of this'slander.' Uncle Kanjuro's smile, his warm embrace, the carefree times he spent walking with her and her sister, and that sense of kinship from the depths of her blood that made her instinctively feel safe and attached—these formed an unshakable fortress in her heart. In contrast, the words of the insect-covered, maddened 'monster' before her only filled her with immense disappointment and... deep disgust.
The undisguised disgust and fear in her pure eyes were like the sharpest gaze, piercing Kariya Matou's heart. All his sacrifices, all his protection, and even the inhuman pain and injustice he was suffering now, became meaningless jokes under Sakura's disgusted glance. Boundless pain, like the biting of insects, gnawed at his soul.
"Aghhhhh—!!!"
Kariya Matou clutched his head and let out an inhuman wail; the string of his sanity snapped completely at this moment.
And the Berserker closely linked to his emotions—Lancelot—had only the most primitive and direct logic left in his chaotic will: master is in pain → Eliminate the source of the pain!
"Roar—!!!"
The pitch-black knight let out an ear-splitting war cry, and his berserk magical energy swept through the entire Worm Den like a hurricane! He no longer paid attention to Matou Zouken; his eyes, burning with crimson fury, locked onto the source of Sakura's fear and, more importantly, Kariya's pain—Sakura herself! The twisted weapon, carrying destructive power, turned into a black bolt of death. With speed exceeding visual perception, it thrust directly at Sakura, who was curled on the ground, almost unable to move from terror!
"No! Bsk! Stop!!!" Kariya Matou's eyes nearly burst as he frantically tried to retract the order and restrain his Servant. But the extreme emotional shock caused a momentary disturbance in his control over magical energy, and Lancelot's full-powered strike in anger was too fast!
Sakura only felt a suffocating killing intent rushing toward her face, and the shadow of death instantly loomed. She closed her eyes in despair, her small body frozen in place, having even forgotten how to cry.
In the shadows, the corners of Kanjuro's mouth almost reached his ears, and his eyes flashed with extremely excited light. He whispered to Jeanne beside him, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: "Jeanne, do you see? The climax of the drama! A hero... should make their entrance at a time like this!"
Jeanne looked at his almost sickly expression of delight and remained silent, finally offering a faint evaluation: "Twisting right and wrong, toying with human hearts in the palm of your hand, staining everything with the color of corruption... you really never tire of it. However, you seem to particularly enjoy this act of playing the'savior.'"
Kanjuro laughed out loud, his tone carrying a sense of nihilism and mockery that saw through the world: "In all things in the world, where is there absolute justice and evil? It is nothing more than an exchange of positions and interests. People always like to imagine others as too perfect, longing for heroes, longing for redemption... I am merely... catering to their tastes and satisfying their childish desires."
The moment his words fell—
Just an instant before Lancelot's destructive attack was about to touch Sakura!
A black shadow appeared like a teleportation, abruptly standing between Sakura and that deathly impact!
The hem of a black trench coat flapped loudly in the gale, and the newcomer's figure was tall and composed.
It was Kanjuro!
"Lord Ye Xiao! You've finally come!!" Matou Zouken timely let out a cry full of'surprise' and 'relief,' perfectly playing his role as a loyal supporting character.
Kanjuro was expressionless, as if he had only done a trivial little thing.
He held his hands out, and thick Black Magic energy instantly condensed and took shape in his palms—it was none other than imitations of the twin swords Diarmuid used, 'beag-alltach' and 'mor-alltach'! However, these demonic swords were pitch-black, wrapped in an ominous dark aura; they were Black Magic creations manifested through the authority of the 'Gospel of Matthew'!
Clang—!!!!!
The pitch-black demonic swords accurately parried Lancelot's berserk and matchless thrust!
The crimson, frantic magical energy and the deep dark energy collided violently, creating a shockwave that blew away the dust on the ground and the tiny Crest Worms!
Kanjuro's arms holding the swords were as steady as a rock. He stood in front of the terrified and limp Sakura, his back appearing to her like a towering mountain that could block out all wind, rain, and danger.
"It's alright, Sakura." He turned his head slightly and spoke softly to the person behind him, his tone so gentle it was completely out of place with the tense scene before them. "Uncle Kanjuro is here; no one can hurt you."
Lancelot, his strike blocked, became even more furious and let out an even more terrifying roar. The battle was on the verge of breaking out.
Clang—!
With another violent collision, Kanjuro's wrist gave a clever shake, and the dark magical energy contained within the twin swords suddenly erupted, forming a flexible yet powerful force that forcibly pushed the enraged Lancelot back several steps. Kanjuro himself, along with this collision, let out a suppressed muffled groan, his body swaying slightly, and a hint of paleness and 'pain' appeared perfectly on his face, as if he had paid a significant price to block this strike.
He immediately turned around, no longer looking at the berserk knight, but instead crouched down, his face filled with immense "concern" and "worry," his voice so gentle it could practically drip water: "Sakura, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
The shaken Sakura, looking at "Uncle Kanjuro" who was "injured to protect her," saw the tiny shred of doubt caused by his eerie smile earlier vanish instantly.
A massive sense of dependency and the grievances of surviving a disaster felt like a bursting dam; she let out a "wa" cry and lunged into Kanjuro's embrace, her small arms tightly circling his neck as if it were the safest harbor in the world.
"Uncle Kanjuro! Waaah... I'm so scared... You'll take me away, right? You'll take me away from here, right?" She lifted her tear-stained face, pleading through sobs.
Kanjuro gently patted her back with extreme tenderness. He lowered his head, gazing at her with deep eyes, his voice full of unquestionable "affection" and "determination": "Of course, Sakura. Even if Uncle Kanjuro has to risk his life, I will definitely protect you and take you away from this dangerous place."
He reached out, his fingertips gently brushing away the tears on Sakura's cheeks. His wickedly handsome face seemed to possess a bewitching magic in the dim light. He leaned in slightly, whispering at a volume only the two of them could hear, like a vow:
"Because... in this world, I like Sakura the most."
This blunt and possessive "confession," coupled with his current "hero saving the beauty" stance, made the young Sakura forget her fear for a moment. She felt her face flush and her heart race, a mixture of shyness, dependency, and an inexplicable joy surging in her heart.
She nodded vigorously, burying her face back into the crook of Kanjuro's neck, saying softly but firmly: "Mm! I believe in Uncle Kanjuro!"
At an angle she couldn't see, the corner of Kanjuro's mouth curled into a triumphant, fleeting sneer. He gently pushed Sakura back a bit and signaled to Matou Zouken: "Take Sakura to a safe place."
Matou Zouken immediately stepped forward, took Sakura's hand, and pulled her toward a corner, not forgetting to chime in: "Be a good girl, Sakura. Come with Grandpa. Don't interfere with Lord Ye Xiao dealing with that traitor and monster!"
Only then did Kanjuro slowly stand up, the gentleness on his face instantly replaced by bone-chilling "disappointment" and "anger."
His gaze was like a knife, shooting toward Kariya Matou, who was nearly swallowed by the swarm of insects and despair, his voice heavy and stern:
"Kariya Matou... you really have disappointed me! I thought you were just blinded by power, but I didn't expect you to be so depraved as to want to harm Sakura! She's just a child! You are simply unforgivable!"
"Shut up! You beast! Scum! Filth!!!" Kariya Matou let out a blood-curdling roar, the Crest Worms around him surging frantically due to his extreme rage. "You're still brainwashing her! You're twisting the facts! Shut up!!!"
Seeing the other's hysterical state, Kanjuro instead bowed his head "sadly," as if unable to bear the sight, his tone full of "heartbreak":
"Kariya, wake up! Think about Aoi! Think about Tohsaka Aoi! If she knew that the person she once trusted has now become a monster who wants to harm her daughter, how sad and painful would she be?! By doing this, are you worthy of the little trust she had in you? You ungrateful, shameless beast!"
"Aoi..."
This name was like the most vicious curse, instantly igniting all the old wounds and new hatred in Kariya Matou's heart! The woman he loved most, his unattainable white moonlight, was now being mentioned by this demon who had taken her and defiled her, in such a "righteous" tone, as if he were the one who was irredeemably sinful!
The string of reason snapped completely.
"Aaaah—!!!! Lancelot!!!!" Kariya Matou's eyes were blood-red, almost dripping blood. He no longer tried to control it, but instead, without reservation, resolutely poured the surging but painful mana brought by the Crest Worms into his maddened Servant!
"Kill him! Kill him for me!!! At all costs!!!!"
He pointed at Kanjuro and issued the final, suicidal command.
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