The Old House, Freedom, and Rebellion

Nine in the evening. For many elderly people, this is the time to rest and recover the energy expended throughout the day.

But for a certain yokai within the Matou Old House, resting or not made no difference. He had long forgotten what true rest felt like.

Perhaps only complete slumber could allow him to experience what that was like again.

"Why am I thinking about this?"

Matou Zouken found it strange that he would have such thoughts today, but he quickly dismissed them.

He heard the sound of the front door being pushed open.

He knew his clown-like descendant had returned.

Thinking of this guy, Zouken felt like laughing. The man who had abandoned his family and magic arts was now participating in the Holy Grail War that he himself wanted to abandon. What a laughable clown, sacrificing himself for others.

If that wasn't a clown, what was?

"Kariya, old man, I told you long ago that realizing dreams comes with a price."

Just like himself, his youthful dreams had been lost in the distant past. As for what he wanted from the Holy Grail now, perhaps it was an obsession etched into his very soul.

The door was pushed open, and Kariya, with his unsteady legs and white hair, walked in, followed by a black-haired young man.

This black and white combination made Zouken a little curious. What unexpected event had occurred for the clown to bring back a young man?

But his curiosity wasn't that great. Perhaps it was just some fool the clown had tricked.

"Kariya, you've returned. Do you have any good news to tell this old man?"

He didn't hold out much hope. Giving Kariya the power to participate in the Holy Grail War was merely for his own amusement, to watch the clown perform and find some entertainment.

But the way Kariya looked and his reply made Zouken realize that things had changed.

"Good news? For Sakura and me, it's good news."

"What!?"

Zouken, hunched over, looked up at his descendant, whose complexion, spirit, and demeanor seemed completely renewed. How had this clown gained so much courage?

"What did you say, Kariya?"

"I said, old man, the good news is that Sakura and I are finally free. And the bad news for you is that I'm going to kill you!"

Kariya's rage had been building for a long time. Born into this heartless household, he had constantly suppressed himself. He hadn't even dared to confess his feelings to the girl he once loved, nor had he wanted to bring her back.

He detested and hated everything about this house, both the magic and the old monster before him.

"Today, I will sever everything. I will achieve true freedom and return Sakura to where she belongs!!"

These words, reminiscent of a hot-blooded shonen manga, made Zouken blink. He then burst into laughter, almost dropping his cane.

"Kariya, are you trying to amuse me? If so, you've succeeded. However,"

Zouken's smile vanished, and he spoke with a cold expression, "Kariya, do you know the consequences of revealing yourself now? Not only will your life be extinguished, but Sakura, whom you care about, will also suffer even more agonizing torment. Have you considered any of this?"

An invisible will reverberated within the small room. The contingency plans that had long been prepared immediately took effect on Kariya's body.

The Crest Worms, losing control, instantly inflicted unbearable pain upon Kariya, causing his veins to bulge and his skin to crawl as if something was wriggling beneath it, making him look exceptionally hideous.

"Nngh!!!!"

The agony made Kariya collapse onto the carpet, his entire body trembling and drenched in cold sweat. Yet, he glared fiercely at Zouken.

As expected, the power and control he possessed were entirely in the hands of this old monster.

But fortunately, the Command Spells, which were a connection to the Greater Grail, and the Servant were not entirely under the old man's control. This provided a foundation for his plan with the young Shiki to succeed.

"Sakura, just wait a little longer. Uncle will end all of this soon!"

Such horrific torment, akin to steel bars being twisted inside his body, did not completely break Kariya, which perplexed Zouken.

"Kariya, you...!!"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a figure suddenly appear before him. Before he could react, his neck was seized by the figure. The powerful grip almost instantly snapped his neck, and a suffocating sensation immediately followed.

"!? When did that happen? Such speed!!!"

While Zouken didn't care much about the body he inhabited, he couldn't just discard it carelessly. If he were easily subdued and threatened, what face would he have?

In a flash, Zouken began communicating with the underlying vulnerabilities of the Greater Grail in his mind, using the authority of the Three Founding Families from hundreds of years ago who had constructed the Command Spell system for the Greater Grail. He intended to control the Command Spells in Kariya's hand.

"Servant Berserker, kill the intruder!"

This was no time for amusement. Eliminating the young man strangling him was the priority.

As one of the Three Founding Families, a veteran who had added the Command Spell system to the Greater Grail and personally presided over the summoning ritual of heroes, he possessed the ability and power to control Kariya and watch his spectacle.

The Servant, the ultimate power in the Holy Grail War, materialized from its spiritual form. Enveloped in dark mist, the towering Servant was the Heroic Spirit summoned as Berserker in this Holy Grail War.

The colossal Servant was about to act when its body stiffened, and it froze in place.

"!?"

Another astonishing phenomenon. Zouken managed to look down at Kariya, who had collapsed on the ground. Kariya glared at him, gritting his teeth.

"Old man, don't even think about controlling Berserker. Remember, I'm the one who signed the contract with Berserker. I am the true Master!!"

"!!!"

It was unexpected, truly unexpected, that the jester could resist me.

Before Zouken's anger could erupt, the young man gripping his neck used a slightly forceful dislocation technique, causing Zouken's head to fall off.

Shiki ignored the corpse that didn't bleed at all and quickly shouted to Kariya, "I've found the old monster's hiding place! We'll be free soon. Mr. Kariya, you have to hold on and don't let the Heroic Spirit become the enemy's asset!!"

This was truly excellent news, which invigorated Kariya. He suppressed the joy in his heart and gave Shiki an encouraging look.

"I understand. I definitely won't let the old man succeed. I can still hold on."

The rebellion of the Crest Worms, coupled with the struggle for Berserker's control against Zouken, had left him utterly exhausted. The pain was almost double what he had experienced before.

However, thinking of his dream about to be realized, Kariya gritted his teeth and focused his attention on controlling the materialized Berserker, preventing him from going berserk and attacking Shiki.

The price, though, was that of the three crimson Command Spells, only one remained.

Two Command Spells had been consumed in the struggle for control with Zouken just now, and for the last one, neither side was willing to yield in their willpower.

If either of them let their guard down, the Servant could very well become the very blade that would send them to their doom.

"Damn old man, I will definitely protect this last Command Spell!!"