31 Depletion Garden

The following morning after Kiritsugu's attack on the hotel, all is lively in the Chat Group. And by lively, it should be dead.

[Advocate of Gender Equality has died]

Advocate of Gender Equality: "It's Aqua's fault."

Yokai Supreme Commander: "Kid, ain't you supposed to be dead? How are you still talking?"

Advocate of Gender Equality: "I am dead. I'm in the afterlife place I guess. It looks similar to where I met Aqua the first time I died, but there isn't anyone here."

Advocate of Gender Equality: "Wait, I take that back, someone calling herself Eris just showed up."

Advocate of Gender Equality: "She's a million times better than Aqua. It feels like she's sincerely mourning my death. She's even telling me I can reincarnate back into my original world."

Having opened a live stream, the entire Chat Group is watching the conversation between the Goddess Eris and Kazuma as he complains about his party, only to shed a tear as he reminisces about them.

Great Teacher Onizuka: "Despite all your gripes about them, you probably care for your friends in that world more than you think."

As Eris prepares to reincarnate Kazuma wipes his tears and says, "Yeah, I've got loads of complaints about them, but I think I'm gonna miss them."

However, the scene is quickly interrupted by the sound of Aqua's voice, "Now return to us, Kazuma!"

"Huh!?"

Kazuma and Eris look up in surprise.

"How could you get killed off so easily!? It's too early for you to die!" Aqua says.

Black Star: "And the touching scene is ruined. But let's be honest, most of us knew this was coming right? I'm more surprised Kazuma didn't know, did you not watch your anime or read your novel?"

Advocate of Gender Equality: "I only saw a few episodes and stopped because I didn't want spoilers on my life."

Quickly responding to Han Xiao's question, Kazuma turns his attention to Aqua who has been dissing Eris and reveals a certain secret about Eris.

Great Teacher Onizuka: "So it's padded, huh…"

Yokai Supreme Commander: "A shame."

Lightning Archpriestess: "These guys…"

As the scene gradually shifts and Kazuma returns to the world of the living, Kazuma quickly shuts off the stream as its view shifts to him laying in Aqua's lap as Megumin and Darkness hug him.

Great Teacher Onizuka: "I'm so envious."

Yokai Supreme Commander: "I'm so envious."

Mr Fool: "I admit I'm also envious."

Black Star: "I'm not. Women will affect the speed of drawing the sword."

Konakona: "You don't use a sword though."

Black Star: "Don't worry about it, it's just a saying. The idea is the same."

Lightning Archpriestess: "Don't you get married to the Dragon Emperor Ames in the future."

Black Star: "An exception."

Lightning Archpriestess: "Hypocrite."

Black Star: "So anyway, where is the little Emperor? She hasn't joined the conversation today. And neither has Satsuki."

Teriri: "I'm not sure, she took Satsuki out in the early morning and I haven't heard from them since."

Sacchin: "We're outside someone's house right now."

Retired Loli Sovereign: "The Matou residence."

Advocate of Gender Equality: "Ok. I completely understand what's going on."

Great Teacher Onizuka: "What?"

Konakona: "The other night I showed Lulu the first few episodes of Fate/Zero. I also asked her to try and save Sakura. I mean, who goes to the Fourth Grail War and doesn't try to save her?"

Black Star: "She's not doing it for free, is she? What's she getting out of it?"

Konakona: "I told her I would give her a copy of all the Nasuverse stuff if she succeeded in taking Sakura away. She said she was going to have someone turn it into an anime in her world."

Advocate of Gender Equality: "Copywriting, eh?"

Retired Loli Sovereign: "So anyone else feel like it's been a few weeks since we've spoken to each other?"

Konakona: "She's trying to change the subject."

Teriri: "We literally spoke in person just this morning and Satsuki is right next to you."

Retired Loli Sovereign: "It's just a feeling I had. Don't take it too seriously."

Huang Luan turns her attention to Satsuki, "Alright, here's the plan. You're gonna walk in."

Satsuki just looks at Huang Luan with a confused expression, "Why just me? And you haven't even told me what we're doing here?"

"Weren't you paying attention to the Chat?" Huang Luan looks at Satsuki with a clear expression that is asking if she's an idiot.

"I saw that. Something about saving a girl called Sakura. But who is she? And why not take Miss Theresa with us?"

"Sakura's an unfortunate little girl. As for Theresa, someone needs to stay and watch the fort while we're gone. What if another Servant tries to invade," Huang Luan says, throwing out a flimsy excuse.

"But… well, I guess that sounds right," Satsuki says, unsure of her own words, "Then what's the rest of the plan?"

"Huang Luan looks confused, "What do you mean? I already told you the plan. You just need to walk in."

"Eh!? That's it!? But what are you going to do!? And What am I supposed to do!?"

"I have the most important job," Huang Luan pauses for a moment, "And that job is to watch the fun. Of course you're job is to deal with the enitre thing by yourself."

"What the hell!" Satsuki shouts, nearly dropping her umbrella.

"Careful there, it wouldn't be good for you to be exposed to the sun."

"Can't you do something about that?" Satsuki asks.

"I could, but I won't. It's very interesting to watch you struggle with it," Huang Luan says. "Now get moving, the child ain't about to save herself."

"Can't you come with me?" Satsuki pleads.

"I could, but I won't," Huang Luan says before grabbing Satsuki's waist and lifting her above her head.

"Wait, you're not going to throw me like you did Miss Theresa, are you!?" Satsuki panics.

Huang Luan merely smirks, causing Satsuki to panic even more.

"I suggest you hold on tight to that umbrella of yours," Huang Luan says before throwing Satsuki at a window in the Matou residence, not giving her a chance to respond.

"Aaaaaaaahhh!"

With the sound of shattered glass echoing throught the manor, Satsuki has "safely" landed within the Matou residence.

As Satsuki stands up, she instinctively positions herself away from the sunlight while small bits of blood drip onto the floor, her skin having been scratched by the shards of glass, but such minor wounds are quickly healed under her physique as a Dead Apostle. Satsuki quickly looks around the room she crashed into and finds a young girl with purple hair and what appear to be dead eyes looking at her silently.

Unsure of what to say, Satsuki simply grreets the young girl, "Uhmm, hello. Sorry about your window," but there isn't any response from the young girl, but Satsuki quickly remembers that she's supposed to save a girl named Sakura, "Is your name Sakura by any chance?"

The girl nods and replies in a soft spoken voice, "I'm Toh… Matou Sakura."

Before Satsuki can continue, the door to Sakura's room opens and a decrepit hunched over old man walks in. The old man quickly identifies Satsuki, "What's a Dead Apostle doing invading my home."

Observing the situation from afar, Huang Luan has mentioned in the chat how Satsuki has just encountered Zouken. And only a few seconds later, the melon eaters in the chat are pestering Satsuki to turn of her live stream. But Satsuki isn't paying much attention as she quickly scrunches her nose upon Zouken's appearance.

"You smell," Satsuki says unintentionally, "Oops, I didn't mean to say that aloud."

Ignoring her rude remmarks, Zouken's eyes are drawn to the command spells on the back of Satsuki's hand, "Kariya and is Servant aren't here."

Satsuki is left confused hearing Zouken's words, not knowing who Kariya is, but soons works out that he is probably a Master in the Grail War who lived here.

"I'm not here for him. I was told to bring out little Sakura."

Zouken's cold glare sharpens, sending a shiver down Satsuki's spine. Without any more exchanges of words, Zouken release a swarm of familiars towards Satsuki, Blade Wing Worms, carnivorous flying insects with sharp teeth, bladed tails and legs and completely covered in armor. Although he doesn't expect them to accomplish much it gives him some extra time to prepare other ways to attack.

Unknown to the three originally in Sakura's room, an extra fourth person has snuck in to watch the fun. Huang Luan who has hidden herself of the eyes of others is sitting on the bed behind Sakura and has open the live stream for the others to watch.

Lightning Archpriestess: "He is aware that Satsuki's a Vampire right? Should the first thing he should try is to bring her out into the sunlight. This Zouken guy doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would try and preserve his house in a fight."

Konakona: "But Zouken also has a weakness to sunlight. His body is entirely made up of Blood Worms which also have a weakness against sunlight."

Advocate of Gender Equality: "Shouldn't you help her?"

Retired Loli Sovereign: "She's fine, doesn't she have that reality thingy."

Konakona: "Reality Marble."

Retired Loli Sovereign: "Yeah, that."

Meanwhile Satsuki had transformed her hands into vampirc claws and has been slashing at the swarm of insects. Zouken on the other hand has taken a few steps back, remaining cautious of the situation. He has already identified Satsuki as a Master, and as a Master she should have a Servant around somewhere. Zouken is one of the few humans who can contend with Servants, he doesn't dare underestimate them, although, in his current state he hardly qualifies as human.

Finally, after clearing enough of the insects to get some breathing room, Satsuki glances at the chat in the corner of her view. Seeing the discussion on her Reality Marble, Satsuki finally remembers, she has a Reality Marble. For a moment, Satsuki held a silly expression, wondering if she really is an idiot, but she quickly wipes this off her face as she thinks, 'Thankfully the other in the chat are watching.'' But unfortunately, she failed to notice that Huang Luan is streaming the entire ordeal and is even in the same room.

Over the course of her fight with the insects, Satsuki has gradually been pushed back into a position where she is exposed to the sunlight from the window, accelerating the degernartion of her body. Swiping her claws infornt of her to create an opening, Satsuki immediately prepares to open her Reality Marble.

"Depletion Garden!"

Dragging the entire Matou residence into its area of control, within Satsuki's Depletion Garden, all mana begins to dissipate. The insects which had been surrounding Satsuki quickly slow down before completely stopping as the break down and die without mana to sustain them. Similiarly, Zouken has trouble keeping his body together and is face reveals a rare expression of fear. He hadn't thought this young Dead Apostle would have such a trump card, such a Reality Marble is the complete nemesis of all Magi and any lifeform reliant on mana. More important than anything to the old man is his life and quickly retreats, abandoning the manor and Sakura with it.

Unwilling to chase after him, Satsuki turns her attention back to Sakura, she find that the young girl is under a great deal of pain as the crest worms in her body are trying to devour Sakura from the inside, clinging to life without any mana to sustain them.

As Satsuki panics, unsure of what to do, Huang Luan says, "For starters, you should turn off your Reality Marble."