[FGO]: 172

Without a second thought, Ryou fiercely channeled the golden energy into his heart.

[Desperate Counterattack] activated instantly, fully healing all his injuries and granting him a double attribute boost.

A golden radiance enveloped him like armor made of sunlight, blocking all of Matou Sakura's subsequent attacks.

In that brief moment, the clock formed by the power of time finally fully materialized.

Ryou shouted.

"Bite the Dust!"

He pressed his finger hard against the clock's surface and gave it a forceful twist.

In an instant, time began to flow in reverse.

The destroyed ground from the previous battle restored itself as the soil and stones filled the craters, and the broken trees returned to their original state.

Even the silver-haired girl who had been killed—her blood absorbed by the demon god's summoning circle—had her life restored. Blood flowed back into her body, her skin regained its color, her wounds healed, and her heart began to beat again.

Shockingly, the demon god in the passageway could still move. It roared and bellowed, its countless scarlet eyes emitting terrifying light, while its octopus-like tentacles pounded furiously at the edges of the passage.

However, even the demon god couldn't resist the power of the [Root Gem].

Despite its immense fury and resistance, the demon god was forced back by the overwhelming might of the [Root Gem].

Amid its reluctant and enraged roars, the passageway closed.

It was as if everything had been rewound.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations to the host for repelling the demon god.]

[The host has earned one "Ten-Gacha" reward.]

A Ten-Gacha for repelling it? If I had killed it, would I have gotten a Super Ten-Gacha reward?

Ryou couldn't help but think of the vast array of EX-rank items and even divine artifacts in the Super Ten-Gacha.

At that moment, the strange dagger in Matou Sakura's hand suddenly became covered in rust and, with a loud crack, shattered into dust.

With that final threat gone, Ryou finally felt a sense of relief.

However, just as he was about to relax, the Time Gem, now depleted of energy, suddenly flared with unprecedented brilliance.

A swirling silver vortex formed in front of him, spinning rapidly as a terrifying suction force emerged from within.

Despite his current strength, Ryou couldn't resist the pull and was easily sucked in.

At that moment, a figure leaped into the vortex on its own and grabbed his wrist.

Without a moment's hesitation, Medea had followed him into the vortex.

After pulling the two of them in, the vortex spun faster and faster, shrinking continuously until it finally disappeared completely.

All that was left behind was Matou Sakura, her face dark with anger, and the resurrected silver-haired girl.

"Nguyen Ryou! Just you wait! No matter where you go, even to the ends of the earth, I will find you and kill you!!!"

Her scream, filled with murderous intent, echoed through the sky.

But clearly, Ryou could no longer hear her.

Ryou felt as though he had been tossed into a washing machine, spun around endlessly in every direction. He soon lost all sense of orientation.

Aside from the soft, warm sensation in his palm, he completely lost his sense of touch.

His head felt dizzy and heavy.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but suddenly, there was a flash of light, and they were spat out of the vortex.

Thud!

With a soft sound, Ryou landed on his back, while Medea fell on top of him.

"Ouch~"

Medea rubbed her head as she sat up, clearly disoriented, shaking her groggy head.

Her small body squirmed slightly on top of him, and he could distinctly feel her warmth and smooth skin.

At that moment, Medea realized the awkward position they were in.

"Ah!"

She let out a cute, girlish squeal and quickly jumped off him.

Her face flushed red as she turned away, clutching the hem of her clothes, too embarrassed to look at him.

But Ryou wasn't the type of dense anime protagonist who passively waits for moments like these.

He was an experienced driver, skilled enough to handle the situation with confidence.

Opportunities like this were meant to be seized.

Casually dusting off the dirt from his clothes, Ryou stood up and, with a dominant force, turned Medea back around to face him.

Medea, overwhelmed by the sudden intimacy, had her head clouded with confusion. Her large eyes lost focus, turning into spirals, and her pale face flushed a deep red.

With a soft chuckle, Ryou gently kissed her on the forehead.

"Thank you."

He had seen Medea's unwavering decision to jump into the vortex after him without hesitation.

In times of adversity, true feelings are revealed. For this reason, though he showed little on the surface, he was deeply moved.

It was because of these adorable contract servants that he felt the need to reach the highest peak, to protect them from any future storms.

This was a man's responsibility.

As Medea stood there, dazed and dizzy, he began to survey their surroundings.

The landscape seemed somewhat familiar, and Ryou's eyes narrowed as he scanned the area.

His gaze landed on a pine tree, over ten meters tall.

With his B+ level agility, he easily leaped up the vertical trunk, lightly tapping it a few times with his toes before landing effortlessly at the top.

After a glance around, he immediately noticed a traditional temple to the southwest, exuding a distinctly Japanese aesthetic.

Ryou's pupils narrowed slightly.

The mountain gate on the stone steps, the green-black glazed tiles, the architecture...

This was unmistakably Ryuudou Temple before it had been destroyed in the great battle!

A parallel world?

No, he and Medea had been swept here by the out-of-control Time Gem.

The possibility of this being a parallel world was almost zero. It was more likely that they had been transported to either the past or future Fuyuki City.

Considering the extreme hostility from Illya, Rin Tohsaka, and Sakura, this was very likely...

"The Fuyuki City of ten years ago..."

Ryou muttered to himself.

For now, it was just a guess. He still needed to explore further to confirm it.

Just then, the system's notification sound rang out.

Ryou checked his surroundings to ensure they were safe before hurriedly opening the information panel.

With clues from the system, he could more quickly grasp his situation.

[Ding!]

[Current World: Fourth Holy Grail War (World Corruption Value > 50%)]

[Due to the influence of an unknown Root Gem, the world the host is in is a convergence zone of multiple parallel spaces. Please proceed with caution!]

[Mission Objective Released:]

[Seize the Location-Root Gem from within the Greater Grail.]

[Only by disqualifying the other six Servants participating in the Holy Grail War and obtaining the "Key" can the shell of the Greater Grail be opened, allowing access to the Root Gem at the core.]

[Master dies. Servant dies. Servant voluntarily leaves this world.

Any of the above conditions will result in the loss of qualification to participate in the Holy Grail War.]

[Key: Lesser Grail.]

As soon as Ryou accepted the mission, a sharp pain suddenly flared on the back of his hand. A crimson Command Seal, resembling a scale, appeared on his skin.

There was no doubt—by accepting the mission, he had automatically become a participant in this Holy Grail War. At the same time, the system's message hinted at something significant:

He and Medea had returned to ten years ago!

The Fourth Holy Grail War, with a corruption value greater than 50%—a completely altered version of the Fourth Holy Grail War!

Ryou finally understood why Salter had looked at him with such deep resentment.

To complete the mission and obtain the [Root Gem] at the core of the Greater Grail, he had to acquire the Lesser Grail.

And what was the Lesser Grail? It was Mrs. Irisviel's heart!

Before Ryou's journey through time, people on the internet had already speculated that Artoria and Irisviel had a yuri relationship, with plenty of evidence to support it: Artoria's poor relationship with Kiritsugu, Irisviel's indifference to Kiritsugu's infidelity because her heart belonged to someone else, Artoria's heightened reactions when Irisviel was injured or kidnapped, and so on.

Artoria had been a Yuri character even before becoming a Servant. And Irisviel, still in her youth, had to choose between a bearded old man and a princely, cross-dressing knight on a white horse. Who would she choose? The answer was obvious.

So, of course, you can't just rip out someone's wife's heart and not expect them to go dark and come after you with a sword.

As for Rin, Sakura, and Illyasviel's hatred toward him, that was even more self-explanatory.

To make the Greater Grail manifest and complete the mission, Ryou had to deal with the other six Master-Servant pairs.

And the system had already provided a method.

The easiest option, of course, was to go after the Master.

Judging by what happened ten years in the future, he had indeed succeeded.

However, as a consequence, he had taken Kiritsugu's place as the winner, bearing all the associated burdens.

All of it for the sake of victory.

This burden I carry is not in vain.

Now that everything pointed him in the right direction, Ryou just needed to follow through.

He glanced at the still, peaceful Ryuudou Temple, then leaped down from the tree.

"Let's go, Medea-chan."

He called out and, without hesitation, began walking down the mountain.

"Ah... yes!"

Medea snapped out of her daze and hurried to catch up with him.

Since Medea's attire was rather odd for this period, Ryou had her turn invisible and follow him closely.

He casually picked up a newspaper, and the bold headline confirmed it: the date was indeed during the Fourth Holy Grail War in 1994.

With everything now clear in his mind, he started wandering the streets of Fuyuki City.

Since it wasn't possible to obtain the core of the Greater Grail immediately, there was no point in occupying Ryuudou Temple as before.

Besides, the last time he had stayed at Ryuudou Temple, he hadn't had the chance to explore Fuyuki City—a place beloved by anime fans.

Ryou felt a bit of regret over that, so this time, he decided to take the opportunity to survey the area while enjoying a bit of sightseeing.

But just ten minutes after he left the street, a luxury car with a Mercedes-Benz emblem approached from the other direction.

Inside the car sat an elderly bald man whose skin was wrinkled like a mummy's. A filthy, cold aura emanated from his body, accompanied by a faint stench. The man resembled a maggot that had hidden in the sewers for years.

For some reason, the old man wore a smile, as if something good had happened. It was clear he was in an excellent mood, though his appearance and demeanor were so unsettling that his smile could easily scare a child to tears.

Seated next to him was a small girl with black hair and an adorable face. Her delicate features hinted at the stunning beauty she would grow into, a true beauty in the making.

She wore a nervous expression, huddled on the far side of the seat, too scared to even glance at the old man beside her—like a frightened little rabbit.

Eek!

The Mercedes came to a smooth stop in front of a Western-style mansion.

It was a three-story building in the typical European style, with red brick walls, protruding columns, towering chimneys, and a sharply pointed roof.

The driver hurriedly got out and opened the door for the elderly man, and at the same time, two maids in revealing outfits opened the mansion's large doors.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice that neither the driver nor the maids had any focus in their eyes. They looked like soulless dolls. From their necklines, vein-like protrusions occasionally squirmed under their skin.

"Sakura, we've arrived."

The old man got out of the car and gave the anxious girl a kindly smile.

But given his appearance and presence, the smile only made him look even creepier.

"Yes..."

The young Sakura didn't dare resist. She obediently got out of the car and followed the old man into the mansion.

Whether it was due to the decor or some other factor, even though the sun was shining brightly, the luxurious mansion felt eerily dark.

From afar, it looked as though Sakura was being swallowed by a monster's lair.

Time passed, and the sun soon dipped below the horizon.

Shrouded in the darkness of night, the mansion appeared even more sinister, like a slumbering beast stirring awake.

After dinner, the young Sakura—now renamed Matou Sakura—carefully stepped out of the dining room.

The terrifying grandfather from earlier seemed to have completely forgotten about her. He hadn't bothered with her all day, as though she didn't exist.

Sakura was relieved to lock herself in her room.

Suddenly being given away by her father had been a shock to her. But thanks to her good manners and gentle personality, she had quietly accepted her father's decision without throwing a tantrum.

However, that didn't mean she wasn't harboring the emotions typical of a child her age.

She resented her parents and even felt a tinge of jealousy and bitterness toward her older sister.

Why was I abandoned?

Why not my sister?

This small seed of resentment, mixed with the unease of being in a new environment, began to take root and grow in Sakura's young heart.

As Sakura quietly tiptoed past the bend in the staircase, just a few steps away from her room, the old man's voice came from the shadows.

"Sakura, so there you are. I've been looking for you."

"Grandfather."

Sakura's body trembled.

"Alright, come with me now."

The old man, hidden in the shadows, had completely shed the kind facade he wore during the day. His smile now appeared eerie and sinister, and the aura around him had lost all traces of life, resembling a corpse that had been rotting in a tomb for centuries.

"Yes, Grandfather."

Sakura did not dare resist. She obediently followed the old man, Matou Zouken.

And then, she saw hell.