Chapter 28

Late at night, at the Matou residence.

Watching Shinji being instantly engulfed by countless insects and the twisted space of the magic workshop created by Zouken, Sakura cried out in alarm.

"Brother! Grandfather!"

"Don't worry, my dear grandson, I will absorb all your secrets, fulfilling my ambitions."

"Really? If it's truly for your ambitions, I might even assist you, but..."

Shinji's voice echoed from the dark, twisted space, and an invisible shockwave shattered the entire space!

Countless vicious insects were crushed into powder, including Zouken!

Shinji stood there as if nothing had happened.

"It seems you've forgotten your true ambition."

"Hahaha, it doesn't matter. Insects are expendable. I have as many as I need."

Zouken's voice echoed throughout the basement. Moments later, a swarm of insects emerged from every corner, quickly reforming Zouken's body.

Standing atop countless insects, Zouken wore a grotesque smile.

"Is that so?" Shinji remained unfazed, calmly pulling his right hand from his pocket.

However...

Squelch!

Shinji looked down at the short sword that had pierced his chest from behind, stunned.

"No, it wasn't me, I didn't..."

Sakura, having snatched the short sword resembling one with chains from Rider and stabbed it into Shinji from behind, widened her eyes, desperately trying to explain.

"Hehehe, if you thought I was the only enemy, you were too naive, Shinji. You didn't pay enough attention to Sakura, and it cost you."

"Brother, it wasn't me..." Sakura's eyes filled with tears, which streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

"Seriously," Shinji said, scratching his head in exasperation. "You truly are a five-hundred-year-old mage. Even in such a dire situation, you can come up with such schemes. Quite unexpected, but whether it's effective is another matter."

As he spoke, Shinji took two steps forward, causing the blade to slowly slide out of his body.

Seeing the blood that came out with the blade, Sakura's world seemed to collapse bit by bit.

What a delightful surprise! Zouken, sensing the change in Sakura's state of mind, was ecstatic. He never expected his grandson to be the catalyst for activating Sakura's Holy Grail mechanism!

"Sakura, hey, calm down." Shinji spoke gently without turning around. "Don't underestimate your brother. Such an attack is nothing to me."

At that moment, Sakura noticed something—the wound on her brother's body was healing slowly!

"And don't blame yourself. That action was just due to Grandfather's suggestion. It wasn't your own will."

"Brother..." Sakura whispered, hearing her brother's gentle tone for the first time.

"You even have the ability to heal, Shinji. You've hidden quite a lot."

"Grandfather, I have no intention of killing you. As I said, I only want to give you salvation."

With that, Shinji began walking towards Zouken.

With each step, a portion of the insects in the chamber turned to powder due to the invisible shockwaves generated by his footsteps.

As Shinji's pace continued, the number of insects in the chamber visibly decreased.

Sensing danger, Zouken hurriedly shouted, "Sakura! Use a Command Seal! Order Rider to stop your brother!"

Hearing this, Shinji stopped and looked back at Sakura with a bit of concern.

At this moment, Sakura was filled with confusion. Why was her brother attacking their grandfather? Where did his power come from? Was her grandfather truly the origin of the Matou family—Makiri Zolgen? So many questions...

As Sakura was overwhelmed by her thoughts, Shinji's gentle voice brought her back to reality.

"Calm down, Sakura. I'll explain everything once this is over."

"Brother..."

Zouken, growing impatient, roared, "Sakura! Do it—"

But this time, Shinji truly made his move.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Countless swords materialized out of thin air and instantly flew towards Zouken, piercing him and pinning him to the wall!

"Wh-what is this...?"

Seeing the numerous glowing swords pinning him to the wall, Zouken initially thought of a certain former heroic spirit now known as the King of Heroes.

However, upon sensing the unfamiliar power emanating from the swords, he quickly realized this was neither magecraft nor magic!

"A barrier that can bind souls, and these swords that can solidify the third element (spirit) to imprison my body—what exactly is your power?"

"Remember now?" Shinji softly interrupted.

"What?"

"Your true ambition."

"My ambition has always been immortality. My experience tells me you can help me achieve that. I promise, if you help me, I will agree to any condition."

"Hah," Shinji sighed, rubbing his forehead, muttering to himself. "Really, do we have to go to the final step? Can't you remember your original ambition until the last moment? My task was simply to save you..."

Shinji looked up, his eyes clear as he stared at Zouken. "Sorry, Grandfather, but you're mistaken. I can't help you achieve such a twisted ambition. With your soul already corrupted and fragmented, I can't do anything. So, if you really can't remember, then I have no choice but to..."

Raising his right hand, Shinji made a motion, and the swords pinning Zouken began to glow intensely. In the blinding light, Zouken was reduced to dust and vanished...

Along with Zouken, the remaining insects in the chamber were simultaneously crushed into powder by the aura emanating from Shinji.

"Finally, it's time to wrap this up."

Shinji turned to see Sakura staring at him in disbelief.

Her brother had just killed their grandfather...

Sakura didn't know how to process her emotions. For the first time in ten years, she felt a complex mix of feelings.

As Shinji walked towards her, Rider instinctively moved to protect her Master, despite not fully understanding the situation.

"Calm down. If I intended to harm Sakura, I would have done so from the beginning. Don't add to her burden. Besides, I know your true identity—you're the youngest of the three sisters who reside on the invisible island of the far west."

"You know my true identity?"

"The blindfold and the snake-shaped mark on your forehead make it easy to guess," Shinji continued walking closer. "And don't remove the blindfold. Even if your petrifying eyes could affect me, I could fight you without looking at your eyes, relying on other cues from your body."

Rider: ...