Turned to Ashes
With a sharp "bang," sparks flew as a small figure was sent flying—Kaguya.
She skidded back seven or eight meters before finally coming to a halt.
"Oh?" Kaguya straightened herself, glancing at her torn sleeve before turning her gaze to the black, smoke-covered Berserker before her. She blinked in curiosity and remarked, "Is this the power of Mad Enhancement?"
In response, Berserker let out a deafening roar. His eyes glowed with an intense red light, and the black smoke surrounding him thickened, emitting an overwhelming, terrifying aura.
Mad Enhancement drastically increased Berserker's abilities, raising all his stats except luck and mana by one rank. In the original story, it allowed him to fight Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, on even ground for a short time. Without it, Berserker would never have been able to compete against such a powerful Servant.
However, the downside of Mad Enhancement was that it stripped away complex thought and speech. Not that it mattered for Berserker—he rarely spoke anyway.
"Cough, cough," Zouken Matou struggled to his feet, coughing a few times. A twisted smile appeared on his grotesque face. "If you think you can defeat me, you're sorely mistaken. Kill her, Kariya!"
For over five hundred years, Zouken had never been humiliated like this, especially by a mere little girl. The shame and rage nearly caused him to explode in fury.
"Kill her, Berserker," Kariya Matou said, his face expressionless as his arm, glowing with Command Seals, raised in the air.
Berserker let out a furious roar, his eyes glowing even more fiercely. His body began to emit a black aura, thick as ink, as a dangerous energy surged around him.
"And you think that by relying on Command Seals, you can defeat me?" Kaguya chuckled, her delicate face full of disdain.
Command Seals not only forced a Servant to obey their Master's commands but could also greatly enhance the Servant's capabilities in an instant, boosting their power significantly.
"Facing an enemy you cannot defeat isn't bravery—it's stupidity," Kaguya taunted.
"Heh heh, little girl, you're still acting tough?" Zouken sneered, his sinister eyes flashing. "I can see your magic reserves are running low. Otherwise, you wouldn't be fighting in such an exhausting way. As a Servant without a Master, you must be incredibly weak by now."
"I'm afraid you're wrong. I still have plenty of—" Kaguya suddenly paused, her expression shifting as if she had realized something. She frowned.
"What? Finally feeling scared?" Zouken misinterpreted her hesitation as fear and gave a menacing laugh. "But it's too late now. You dared to act so brazenly? It looks like I'll need to teach you a lesson. I wonder how a Servant will react when violated by Crest Worms."
Kaguya's eyes sharpened, and she chuckled softly. "Even if I'm defeated, why should I feel scared? I'm just a Servant. After I lose, I'll return to the Throne of Heroes". Her smirk grew wider. "Why are you acting like some third-rate, retarded villain?"
Suddenly, Kaguya smiled, her expression brightening. "I see now. Sakura isn't even here, is she? I almost fell for your trick."
Zouken's face froze, caught off guard by her words.
"What?" Kariya's eyes widened, and he turned to Zouken with fury. "You bastard, you've been lying to me all along!"
"How dare you speak to me like that?" Zouken quickly regained his composure, his voice cold and threatening. "I told you that the girl is in my hands. She's with me. Are you really going to believe some stranger's nonsense over my words? Or are you hoping that little girl won't survive?"
"I want to see her!" Kariya shouted angrily. "Just let me see her, and I'll—"
"Shut up!" Zouken slammed his cane into the ground, his voice booming. "Are you trying to negotiate with me? If you want to avoid seeing Sakura being devoured by worms, then you'll listen to my orders! Otherwise, you'll never see her again. Or better yet, I'll let you watch her bones get picked clean."
Zouken's face twisted with a cruel expression.
Suddenly, there was a round of clear applause.
"Impressive," Kaguya clapped her hands and walked forward. "To lie with such a straight face, you must have the thickest skin."
"I don't understand what you're saying, nor do I care," Zouken's eyes gleamed with malice. "But today, you will die. Kariya, kill this wretched girl. Once you do, I'll release Sakura immediately."
Kariya clenched his fists tightly, his internal struggle evident.
"Although I'd love to teach you both a lesson, I really don't have time to waste on you," Kaguya said, ignoring them. With a single step, she shot away like an arrow, speeding into the distance.
"You think you can escape?" Zouken sneered. "It's already too late."
Berserker let out a furious roar and sprinted after Kaguya with reckless abandon.
Moments later, a loud crash echoed from the distance.
A black figure came hurtling back like a cannonball, crashing through several towering trees before slamming into a rocky cliff, embedding itself deep into the stone. The rock shattered, spiderweb-like cracks spreading out from the impact site.
The figure embedded in the rock was Berserker.
"What...?" Kariya's eyes widened in disbelief.
Could Berserker, even with his Mad Enhancement and strengthened by the Command Seal, still not defeat her?
"Useless trash," Zouken spat angrily, his face twisted in frustration.
Suddenly, a flash of cold light shot through the air, piercing Zouken's body in an instant.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
"W-What..." Zouken looked down, horrified to see a pale white bone spike protruding from his chest.
It was All-Killing Ash Bones.
At that moment, a soft, melodic voice echoed from the distance.
"You're disgusting. After thinking it over, I've decided I should just kill you."
"You think you can kill me that easily?" Zouken sneered.
However, as he attempted to use his worms to escape, he realized with horror that a mysterious force was spreading through his body. It clung to him like a parasite, devouring everything in its path, leaving only decay and ashes behind.
What kind of power is this?
Zouken's pupils contracted, and a deep sense of fear gripped his heart.
What he didn't know was that All-Killing Ash Bones not only disintegrated the body but also attacked the soul, destroying it completely. This power, a new ability granted by Kaguya's Rinne Sharingan, directly countered Zouken's worm-based magic. With his soul destroyed, he had no way to transfer it to another host and regenerate.
Realizing he was doomed, Zouken's expression became crazed. His bloodshot eyes bulged as he snarled, "You dare do this to me? Even if I die, I'll make sure you suffer!"
With a final act of spite, he raised his hand and unleashed a burst of green magic toward Kariya.
"Arrrgghhh!" Kariya screamed in agony as the curse took hold. His veins bulged grotesquely, blood spraying from his body. Overcome with excruciating pain, he collapsed to the ground, writhing and screaming in torment.
Meanwhile, Zouken's body crumbled to the ground with a soft thud. With a final puff of dust, his remains disintegrated into ash, which the morning breeze carried away, dispersing into the dawn.
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