Mine! Mine! It's All Grandpa's! (Please Support the New Book!)

Late at night, Matou Residence.

"...Let each repetition be fivefold."

"--Aufang! (Set, begin)"

"--I hereby declare."

"Your body shall serve under me; my fate shall rest upon your sword;"

"Answer the Holy Grail's call. If you heed this will and submit to this reason, then answer!"

In the damp, dark basement filled with the stench of decay, the naked purple-haired girl stood within a special magic circle, her hands clasped before her chest, her eyes closed as she softly chanted the incantation.

With every verse she recited, the magic circle beneath her feet emitted an increasingly brilliant glow, bathing the entire basement in an eerie light.

Shinji and Zouken, who leaned on his cane with both hands, merely stood to one side. One wore sunglasses and had an indifferent expression, while the other looked mildly intrigued.

"I hereby swear—"

"I shall be the one who achieves all good in this world."

"I shall be the one who eradicates all evil in this world!"

"Wrapped in the seven heavens of the three great words of power,"

"Come forth from the Wheel of Restraint,"

"Guardian of the Scales!"

As her words fell, the magic circle's light shifted from green to blue before finally settling into red, reaching its brightest point with blinding speed!

That also fully explained why Shinji was wearing sunglasses.

Boom!

Following a muffled blast and the faint hissing of snakes, a woman appeared atop the magic circle as its light faded. She had purple hair that fell past her knees, a snake-shaped mark on her forehead, and a purple blindfold patterned like snake scales that completely covered her eyes. Dressed in a crisp black outfit and black knee-high boots, she possessed a bewitching aura and an exquisite figure.

At the same time, Sakura collapsed to the floor as though all strength had left her. Hugging her arms, she lowered her head and remained silent.

...In the end, Brother had seen her like this. Though she would surely become his woman someday, it was still too soon.

Shinji knew who the Servant emanating that cold, sinister aura was. Just like in the original story—Rider, Medusa.

"Servant Rider, I have answered your summons."

Rider spoke to Sakura.

"Are you my Master?"

Sakura did not answer. It was clear that she had no desire to participate in the Holy Grail War.

"Good grief," Zouken shook his head with a sigh. "Though you successfully summoned a Servant, you have no desire to take part? It seems that in this Holy Grail War, the Matou Family once again..."

"Grandpa, I..." Shinji interrupted Zouken after taking off his sunglasses, seeming to hesitate.

After glancing at Shinji, Zouken looked somewhat intrigued. Honestly, aside from lacking the talent to become a magus, this grandson of his had practically no flaws.

Over the past few years, Zouken had watched all of Shinji's actions. Compared to ordinary people, this grandson was far too outstanding. He could not even find his place among ordinary people, constantly trying one thing after another.

He would try, work hard, achieve results far beyond those of ordinary people, then discard them, repeating the process over and over. Zouken had assumed that his grandson wanted to find something that could replace the Magecraft he himself could never attain, but... he had failed to find it.

Because the success ordinary people pursued was simply too easy for his genius-like grandson to obtain!

And because of that, his grandson had always suffered. This anguish of never attaining what he sought, along with his twisted obsession, was precisely what pleased Zouken most about Shinji.

After all, watching his descendants suffer was one of Zouken's few pleasures!

And besides—it could be used!

Furthermore, although Sakura, whom he had transformed into the vessel of the Holy Grail, was still immature and had no desire to participate in this Holy Grail War, if his grandson, who was many times more exceptional than ordinary people, were to take part, then while he probably could not win, he should at least provide Zouken with plenty of amusement and keep him from getting too bored.

"Very well, Shinji. If you want to try, go ahead." Zouken then looked at Sakura. "Sakura, make a False Heroic Chronicle for your brother."

Hearing that, Sakura slowly rose to her feet with her head lowered. But just as she raised her hand, Shinji continued.

"No, Grandpa, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to ask where all the adult magazines I hid under my bed went. Did you confiscate them?"

Zouken: ...Had this grandson become so obsessed with Magecraft that his brain had stopped working?

No!

Zouken suddenly realized something. Shinji would never say something like that at a time like this! Nor would he ever give up an opportunity like this!

Something was definitely wrong!

"You noticed, Grandpa?" Shinji grinned, his eyes curving into a cheerful smile Zouken had never seen before. "But it's already too late. (Formation), bind!"

As his words fell, a pale cyan barrier covered in strange white runes appeared out of nowhere and enveloped the entire basement!

Caught off guard by the sudden change, Sakura did not know how to react.

Rider was equally confused, but uncertain whether this posed a threat to her Master, she quietly went on guard and positioned herself in front of Sakura.

After all, even she could sense that she seemed unable to break through this strange barrier unrelated to magical energy.

And it was a barrier designed specifically against spiritual bodies!

On the other hand, Zouken was not overly alarmed. He merely looked calmly at Shinji and smiled with ease. "This power, Shinji—where did you obtain it? And what do you intend to do?"

"I can't tell you the specific method, Grandpa, but simply put, I earned it through hard work. As for what I intend to do, I can tell you that." As he spoke, Shinji's expression softened slightly. "I intend to grant you salvation, Grandpa... no, Makiri Zolgen."

"When did you find out?" Zouken's expression became somewhat grave.

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. "Makiri Zolgen is the founder of the Matou family... Ah!!"

Swish!

The reason Sakura screamed was simple: her brother had chopped off their grandfather's head with a hand strike!

But...

The next moment, Zouken's headless body turned into countless insects and scattered apart.

"Though I do not know what you intend to do, my grandson, do not underestimate your grandfather."

Shinji shrugged. "No, I've never underestimated you. At least, I haven't underestimated you at any point over the past ten years, Grandpa."

"Are you trying to prove your strength to me?"

"No. I merely want to help an old man who has lived for five hundred years and forgotten his original heart sever his obsession and attain salvation."

As soon as he finished speaking, an incomparable pressure burst forth from Shinji's body. The shockwave stirred up by his aura blew away the debris and insects around him. Even Sakura had to force herself to stand firm to avoid being pushed back.

Rider nervously tightened her grip on her weapon. Though the man before her had shown no hostility toward her, her instincts told her otherwise.

If this man chose to attack her...

In midair, Zouken, whose body had been gathered from insects, stared greedily at Shinji, who had his hands in his coat pockets, his eyes curved and his expression relaxed.

He could feel it!

He could feel it!

A soul and body that seemed no different from usual, yet were countless times stronger than before!

So this grandson had been hiding his strength all along!

If he could obtain that body and soul, he would not need to change bodies again for decades... no, perhaps even a hundred years!

Not to mention, if he thoroughly studied it...

"What an unexpected delight, Shinji. You've truly given Grandpa a magnificent gift."

As he spoke, Zouken controlled countless insects once more and sent them rushing toward Shinji, whose aura had already subsided. At the same time, every defensive and offensive mechanism in the entire magecraft workshop activated...

"Grandpa will be taking that powerful body and soul of yours for himself!"