Death of the Matou Family

The battle with the Heroic King was known to all remaining Masters and Servants, and Kurumi herself, the legendary "Goddess," was added to their list of forbidden figures.

Even if they did not want to provoke the "Goddess," that saintly girl, pure and divine as she appeared, would still eliminate them without hesitation!

There was no need for a reason, which was the most terrifying part!

Could it be that she, too, wanted the Holy Grail? They couldn't understand, but it seemed like the only plausible explanation.

They couldn't figure out what she needed.

Everyone became highly cautious, feeling that this strange Holy Grail War, which had been peculiar from the start, seemed to be reaching its end.

Kurumi was flipping through a book, finding the recorded magic quite interesting. She had stopped trying to comprehend the 'Gamma' runes, and her mental state had recovered from exhaustion to normal.

As dawn approached, Red Queen glanced at the still-sleeping Sakura Matou on the bed. "Master, everything is arranged."

"Thud~"

A pair of delicate hands closed the thick, ancient book tightly. Kurumi raised her eyes to look out the window, where the sun was already spreading its light over the land.

"What about Zouken Matou? Have you found all his clones?"

"Well..." Red Queen scratched her head awkwardly. "That old worm is cunning. Although I've identified many Crest Worms in Fuyuki City, I can't confirm if I've found all of them."

Kurumi closed her eyes, the light casting shadows on half her stunning face. Like little fans, her long eyelashes and enticing cherry lips constantly tugged at the heart.

Her cherry-red lips parted slightly. "Mark them first. After dealing with the old worm, send Berserker back to the Throne of Heroes."

"I understand, Master. Kariya Matou is resting at the Matou residence, but given his condition, he probably won't last a day."

Her wine-red eyes opened, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she looked at Sakura.

"People always have to pay the price for their desires. It's fitting that he joins Tokiomi Tohsaka."

"Shall we kill the Masters first? It would save a lot of time."

Setting the book aside, Kurumi stood up in her black dress. "Give him a dignified death. Can't 'Nightmare' manage that?"

"No! I promise to complete the task!"

Kurumi rolled her eyes. "Don't disturb Sakura; children need sleep to grow."

"Once night falls, it will all be over."

As night fell, a half-moon rose above the treetops.

"Boom!—"

The rising flames followed a loud explosion in the darkness! The fire grew more intense!

The residents of Fuyuki City had almost become numb to such events. First, there was the explosion at the port's underground gas line, then the anomaly at the bridge.

And just last night, the Fuyuki City bridge collapsed!

The authorities claimed it was due to substandard construction, placing all the blame on the construction company.

Fuyuki City's every inch of land seemed to exude eeriness. Having gathered some fragmented information, the wealthy fled, distancing themselves from this troubled city.

Now, even the powerful local Matou family was engulfed in flames. Someone called the fire department, but no news came. Various rumors, half-true and half-false, spread among the people, adding to the mystery.

Curiosity mingled with fear of the unknown.

"Roar!—"

A roar echoed from within the flames, and a tall, dark figure emerged, carrying a white-haired young man on his shoulder. However, the youth seemed to be in terrible condition.

Blood intermittently dripped from his mouth, his face covered in bulging veins, with Crest Worms of various sizes wriggling within, searching for anything they could consume.

After so many battles, Kariya Matou was already a wreck. Without these Crest Worms, he would die instantly. Without removing them, he would endure a slow, painful death.

He was already beyond saving, his mind dizzy. Kariya only knew that his nominal father, Zouken Matou, had brought him here and tossed him into the basement.

Earlier, if he hadn't summoned Berserker in time, he would have burned to ashes with the old mansion.

And the old worm? Kariya wanted to laugh but couldn't muster a sound. The Crest Worms had almost entirely taken over his body.

Without Berserker, without this "mad dog," he would be dead.

'But Sakura... Tokiomi...'

He thought of Aoi's face in his daze, but the subsequent explosion nearly deafened him!

Red Queen, piloting 'Nightmare,' wielded a heavy spear, attacking with full force. With sufficient energy from the reactor, she managed to suppress Berserker in muscle strength!

Berserker was at a disadvantage. His Master lacked the mana to support him, and he was carrying Kariya...

"Roar!—"

The black armor's mist surged violently. Red Queen could feel Berserker's muscle strength increasing significantly!

Her eyes narrowed, a mocking smile forming. Even if Berserker matched 'Nightmare' in strength, how long could he last?

Five minutes? Or ten?

Red Queen, moving deftly as if playing a real-life virtual fighting game, observed Berserker's muscle strength weakening over time.

Kariya was placed on the street by Berserker. Red Queen didn't attack him, but even without his Master's burden, Berserker couldn't defeat 'Nightmare'!

The battle seemed balanced from a bystander's perspective, with the armored figure surrounded by dark mist being pressured by the aggressive mech, but the reality was different.

Berserker struggled, his mana supply dwindling. He barely had the strength to swing his Noble Phantasms!

Lying on the roadside, Kariya occasionally coughed up blood, which splattered into the air before falling due to gravity, either to the ground or staining his clothes with blood blossoms.

His liver had been eaten, and the Crest Worms were dying in droves. When these worms were drained of mana, Kariya's death would follow.

His exposed corpse, found the next day, would be deemed a monster, his reputation ruined!

Or perhaps mercy would burn his tainted body to ashes, honoring the land.

Kariya's thoughts drifted aimlessly. Every thought slipped away as soon as it formed.

He still needed the Grail... to save Sakura and Tokiomi... to see...

His arm reached toward the night sky, the moonlight shining on him, his white hair spreading behind, looking oddly pure.

While Berserker fought 'Nightmare,' Kurumi had already locked onto the fleeing old worm.

With a blade imbued with lightning, she quickly sliced Zouken Matou's body in half!

A swarm of Crest Worms fell to the ground, charred and disgusting!

"Hehe, so this is the Goddess' true face? No wonder they call you 'Witch'!"

The repulsive voice of the old worm echoed around Kurumi as countless Crest Worms swarmed her, faking a last-ditch attack while many worms fled in the background.

Zouken knew that he wouldn't even have a chance to escape if she used the white flames!

Though he had other "clones" outside, he'd have nowhere to cry if this "Goddess" wiped them all out.

Tiny arcs of lightning danced on the blade. Kurumi created numerous spiritual clones, synchronizing with her energy and infusing it into Raikiri.

As the blade combined with this energy, Red Queen called it 'Honkai Energy,' and it burst forth!

'Spiritual Blade Defense' comprised three blades. These lightning blades surrounded the spiritual clones, turning the swarming Crest Worms into charred remains!

The earpiece on Kurumi's left ear extended a virtual screen, showing a mass of red dots marked by Red Queen as the old worm's clones.

Without a word, she drew her blade!

Flashes of electricity scattered; the Crest Worms fled in terror like they had seen a plague!

Everything has a survival instinct, and the old worm was no different, possessing wisdom accumulated over decades.

As for the centuries before? Who knew? Perhaps eaten by a dog, then excreted and merged into the earth.

With a small amount of spiritual power, Kurumi's hair tips turned white, her wine-red eyes flashing gold occasionally.

'Raikiri' was coated with a layer of divine flames. Each swing of the blade incinerated large swaths of Crest Worms!

No burnt smell lingered, for the worms instantly turned to ash at the divine flames' temperature!

The red dots on the virtual screen dwindled; many worms had escaped, but they remained locked on!

"Master, mission accomplished!"

"Hiss!"

The divine flames twisted strangely, clinging to 'Raikiri.'

The 'Spiritual Blade Defense' had expired, and the swarm consumed Kurumi's spiritual clones.

Pausing briefly, Kurumi chose the area with the most Crest Worms and charged!

"What about Kariya?"

"Him? He's dead. I burned him to ashes and put them in Tokiomi Tohsaka's jar, planning to send it to Aoi Tohsaka."

"You... whatever makes you happy."

The rush of wind from high-speed movement scattered Kurumi's long bangs, revealing her smooth forehead. The divine flames trailing 'Raikiri' created a striking scene under the night sky.

After Kurumi left, an ugly head of a worm peeked from the trash can.

"That girl is too meticul—"

"Hiss!~"

White sparks fell on the Crest Worm, which burst into a small flame that quickly extinguished as if it had never been there.

Sensing something, Kurumi glanced back and swung her blade, the divine flames on it instantly obliterating another batch of Crest Worms!

Zouken Matou was getting desperate. Even though he had numerous clones and was nearly impossible to kill, he couldn't just watch "himself" being consumed like this.

But his sheer terror towards the "Goddess" and her fearsome combat abilities made him panic.

'Run! Run away!'

This thought screamed in his soul. The white flames were his worst nightmare!

Now was not the time to mourn the loss of these Crest Worms. As long as he survived, he could rebuild over time!

Indeed, the "Goddess" wouldn't stay in Fuyuki forever. Like the other Servants, she might disappear once the Holy Grail descended.

Convincing himself, Zouken scattered his Crest Worms in all directions, knowing it would take too long to kill them all.

Seeing this, Kurumi slowed down and pulled out a string of black metal spheres from her spatial bag.

She tossed them into the swarm, and as soon as they landed, they altered the surrounding force field, trapping the Crest Worms within.

Moving swiftly, she swung 'Raikiri' through the force field, the divine flames unaffected, eradicating all the trapped Crest Worms in one sweep!

Meanwhile, Red Queen, observing through 'Nightmare's' electronic eyes, noted Kurumi's method for exterminating the Crest Worms.

She wanted to mimic it, but when she opened Nightmare's weapon storage, she was stunned.

She recalled that last night, 'Nightmare' was filled with those little devices, but after the 'Heaven's Chain battle,' she had used them all up.

Now...

Red Queen quickly adjusted 'Nightmare's' side armor, utilizing the energy reactor to spray fire from its hand!

However, by then, the Crest Worm swarm had already fled. They weren't about to wait around to be incinerated.

So Kurumi watched as 'Nightmare' accelerated, the flames indicating its position.

Kurumi shook her head in exasperation. Red Queen's playful nature often got out of hand once she deemed the threat negligible.

Tapping her left ear, Kurumi reactivated the virtual screen, marking distant red dots, each widely spaced apart.

"Tsk!"

To ensure Sakura's safety, she needed to put in extra effort.

Swinging her blade habitually, the divine flames burned a black mark on the ground where they struck.

Activating her speed rune, Kurumi dared not use too much spiritual power. The divine seed within would become restless if the spiritual vortex started spinning too fast.

If that happened... she would become divine again, her conscious mind pushed aside, only able to control her body under extreme emotional stimuli.

Maybe she would succeed one day, but for now, she just wanted to obtain 'All the World's Evils' and study how to eliminate the divine state!

Finding one escaping Crest Worm after another, each swing of 'Raikiri' with divine flames obliterated them.

Their deaths changed from being charred to being completely vaporized.

"Master, the target area is cleared!"

Red Queen's lively voice came through the earpiece. Kurumi looked at the virtual screen; only a few red dots remained, easily countable on one hand!

"Buzz~"

'Nightmare's' thrusters glowed as it stopped before Kurumi. Her black dress transformed into a tight combat suit, and with a flip of her hand, 'Raikiri' with its divine flames disappeared.

'Nightmare' closed its cockpit and sped off!

The red dots diminished one by one.