576 Regrets

"Wait, what worms?" asked Tohsaka.

"N-nothing," replied Sakura.

"Crest Worm: a shoddy form of dark magic that uses worms as an intermediary. After transplanting the worm into a host's body, you can control them by influencing their mind, emotions, and memories. You can pass down knowledge, which is how the Matou family has preserved their lineage for many years," explained Edward. "However, most people don't know that Zouken has been using this thing to absorb life energy from people to sustain his longevity."

"She has one of those inside her body?" asked Tohsaka, her eyes once again red with lust for murder.

"Unfortunately."

'Breath in and out, Rin,' thought Tohsaka, trying to calm down. A few seconds later, she looked at Edward, "You can remove it?"

"No problem."

"What about that bastard Zouken? Will he find out and run away?"

"Possibly, but I can track him to the world's end. Plus, if we hurry, we can catch him before he does so."

"Good. Let's move."

"No, no, you can't," pleaded Sakura.

"Don't worry; you'll be fine," reassured Tohsaka.

"No; you simply can't."

Tohsaka frowned before anger once again rushed into her head; he could not fathom how much trauma had been placed on his sister for her to be so afraid of that bastard Zouken. On top of everything, she also had to suffer at the hands of Shinji.

"Do you know who he is?" Tohsaka asked, pointing toward Edward, but Sakura did not respond. She only looked at the floor while her body would occasionally tremble.

"He's the legendary Arcane Emperor. I'm sure you've heard of it."

Sakura slowly raised her head, "Y-you're… telling the truth?" What magician has not heard of the Arcane Emperor? Who amongst them has never dreamed of living in that era considered the pinnacle of magic development?

"Why should I lie?" Sakura slowly looked at Edward, who put on his brightest smile. However, internally, he was rolling his eyes. He did not understand why Akasha gave him such a potent legend or backstory.

"You're really him?"

"The one and only," replied Edward.

"I imagine you much more handsome."

Edward's lips twitched, "I don't think I was known for my beauty."

"True, but some records said you were a womanizer with many queens. I figure someone like that would be extremely handsome," Sakura said softly.

"My charm is more from my personality and vast knowledge of many subjects."

"So, it's true — you were a womanizer."

"I decline to comment." Sakura chuckled at this comment.

"Let's begin, and you don't need to worry with me present," reassured Edward, and Sakura finally agreed to cooperate. Edward pointed his staff on her forehead, releasing a green light. A few seconds later, a worm was forced out of her brain, and a surge of energy rushed throughout Sakura's body, almost making her moan.

"This feeling!" she muttered.

"You have already lost a lot of life energy. So, I reversed the worm's effect and stole life energy from Zouken to replenish what you've lost and more. You're guaranteed to live to 110 unless something major or unexpected occurs."

"I don't know how to feel about this information," proclaimed Sakura. It's good to know she has a long life ahead of her, but it's also scary knowing the exact year she will die.

"We're wasting time. That bastard might be running away anytime," said Tohsaka.

"Alright, Ms. Diva. I'll teleport us to his location." Edward tapped his staff on the floor, and a magic circle enveloped him and the two sisters.

"Wait, I want to go too," yelled Shirour Emiya.

"No," Edward directly declined.

"Sakura is my friend, and I feel bad that I never knew her home life was so terrible. Now that I know, I want to be there as support and help in whatever ways I can."

"Shirou-senpai," muttered Sakura with a doting look in her eyes. "Please, let him come with us."

Edward groaned as she gave him puppy eyes, "You shouldn't even come given what he's done to you; it might be triggering."

"No, I have to face him; I must watch with my eyes," replied Sakura firmly, and Edward decided to change tactics.

"Fine, but we need someone to keep an eye on Shinji; Shirou is the best candidate."

"But he's unconscious, and I doubt he's waking up anytime soon."

"No, things are not so simple," countered Edward. "If I remember correctly, Sakura summoned Rider and gave control of him to Shinji. It did not come to rescue him because he ordered her to work with Caster. She will come to his rescue once she detects something is wrong."

"Is that true?" asked Tohsaka.

"Check his hands; you'll see the Command Seals." She checked on him and discovered makeup that covered the seals.

"Shirou, keep an eye on Shinji. Let's go."

The magic circle light, and the three disappeared from the room.

"Spatial Manipulation," muttered Tohsaka with shining eyes; she wanted to learn this spell immediately, but this was not the time. She looked around to see an extremely thin elderly man trying to walk down a secret tunnel. The latter had blood streaming down his nose and a look of shock at the sight of them suddenly materializing.

"You must be Zouken," said Tohsaka with gritted teeth.

"Rin Tohsaka? Sakura?" uttered Zouken. "Why are you here?"

"You know why we're here."

Zouken did not say anything and immediately exploded into a pile of thousands of worms, each running in different directions.

"It's pointless," said Edward. "I've already isolated this area. You guys only need to kill all the worms until only one last one remains."

Tohsaka did not have to be told twice. She immediately activated her Gem Magic and attacked everywhere. Sakura first hesitated, but after a few seconds, she followed, killing as many as those worms who were her childhood nightmare. The process was so satisfying, and after close to thirty minutes, only one worm remained, and it transformed into Zouken.

"You can't do this," he said in a feeble voice. "Sakura, I raised you like my own daughter. You can't do this to me."

"Daughter? You treated me like a pawn for your cursed ambition of immortality," cursed Sakura. "How dare you say you treated me like a daughter."

"B-but I raised you. Doesn't that count for anything?" persuaded Zouken. "All I'm asking for is a second chance. Just let me go; I promise I will never do it again. I will live my life in solitude until the end of my days. I'm begging you."

Sakura looked at the person who caused her nightmare for over a decade. As she saw his pathetic pleading, she discovered how ridiculous of her to be afraid of someone like that, someone with no honor or shred of dignity. Simultaneously, she also felt pity for his situation.

"He's lying," suddenly said Edward. "He has a few worms hidden worldwide and is counting on them to survive this ordeal. He's just putting on a show."

"You!" Zouken pointed his bony finger at him, his body trembling in anger.

"Damn bastard," roared Tohsaka, ready to end his miserable life.

"No," said Edward. "She has the right to dictate his end." Tohsaka stopped and looked at her sister. Sakura did not hesitate and used a projectile spell that blew Zouken's head off. Immediately afterward, she couched on the ground and began sobbing uncontrollably. She did not know why but only felt like crying nonstop. Tohsaka approached and hugged her.

Edward calmly looked at this. He went to all of this because of regrets. Back in Primordial Earth, he had watched many shows and had regrets about many characters. The three he felt most intense about were Nina from FullMetal Alchemist and the other was Sakura and Illya's fate.

Now that he had avenged her, he had this odd sensation that some of his regrets had been overcome.