I loved using Cybaster and Valsione in every game—clearing mobs, dishing out huge damage against bosses, firing map-wide attacks that could distinguish friend from foe. Not to mention Valsione's utterly enchanting design, and Cybaster's adorable little black and white mascots. Of course, my true favorites were still Gothic Knight and Weissritter.
—An inexplicable epigraph
Matou Residence, just before dawn.
"You finally came back, Yanye."
The moment he stepped into the courtyard, he heard a voice like a violin bow scraping across an old shoe. Yet the speaker was nowhere to be seen.
"With your performance tonight, dreaming of claiming the Holy Grail is nothing but a fool's fantasy."
As the second sentence rang out, something in the courtyard began to gather, like bees drawn to their queen. The one who made such a bizarre entrance was undoubtedly Zouken Matou.
"I don't need you meddling. Take me to Sakura." The man whose face was hidden beneath the hood of his sweatshirt ignored Zouken's words and stated his demand directly.
"Sakura is currently undergoing modification in the basement..."
"You bastard! We had an agreement..."
"Our agreement was to trade for the Holy Grail, wasn't it? Do you really think you can win? Rather than count on a worthless failure like you, I might as well make preparations for the next war myself."
"Then at least wait until it's certain that I've failed before... Cough, cough..." Overwhelmed by emotion, Yanye began coughing up blood before he could even finish shouting a full sentence.
"Worthless trash. You don't get to tell me what to do! Sakura's talent is unparalleled. The children born from her modified body will surely restore the Matou family to its former glory!"
"You're worse than an animal. Sakura is only a child..."
"There's nothing more to say to you. Go down there and keep struggling on in your miserable existence!"
"You... Cough, cough, cough... Urgh... Cough, cough..."
As he watched this descendant who had once rebelled against him and fled, only to return now for the sake of a woman, Zouken felt a rare and subtle shift in his emotions, which had long since become nearly flat from living too long. He had originally intended not to pursue the matter, considering how miserable Yanye's life had been. But the heroic self-sacrifice in him, so utterly at odds with the Matou creed, had truly angered him. That was probably why he was treating him so cruelly... That coughing was really annoying. Fine. He was still his own bloodline, so he would help him... Hmm?
As a great magus who had lived for five hundred years, even though both his body and soul were on the verge of decay, Zouken's perception of Mana remained exceptionally sharp. The aura that had flared up for that instant just now was definitely not something a human could possess. That meant it could only be a Servant. But Berserker was clearly behind Yanye! Could it be...
"That old man is right about one thing, Yanye." At the entrance to the house, the materialized Jizi held a little girl whose hair was an in-between shade shifting from black to purple and sneered. "The Master once said that among any three people walking together, one can be my teacher. No matter how much you dislike this old fart, you can still learn from him when he has a point. There's no need to waste words on someone like this. Running him over head-on is the proper way!"
"Caster, when did you..."
"Obviously while he was mocking Yanye. Do you know how many villains died because they couldn't keep their mouths shut? Yanye, do it!"
"Berserker, kill him!" Yanye, who had been kneeling on the ground coughing blood with an expression of utter despair just moments ago, had already risen to his feet while Zouken was stunned. Pointing at the old magus who was both his father and the target of his hatred, he gave his Servant the order to attack. Berserker did not disappoint him. He used an anti-Japanese secret art developed by the soldiers of the great Celestial Empire during the War of Resistance—barehanded demon-ripping—and tore the decrepit-looking body in two.
"Heh heh, do you think you can defy me like this? Who gave you your power? Don't tell me you've forgotten... What is this? Why are there no Crest Worms inside you?"
Destroying just one body naturally could not kill Zouken. It was the same as how casually killing a few Hydralisks or Mutalisks would not cause Kerrigan any real loss. After all, the Overmind was the key when dealing with creatures like them. But the voice emerging from some unknown place no longer carried the same air of having everything under control.
"This?" Jizi answered. She took out a white-glowing blade and waved it casually. "It's called Stripe, a blade that can only slay demons and will never harm humans. I already dealt with those disgusting things inside Yanye. His condition is still terrible, but at least you can't influence him anymore."
"And another thing, old man. Did you think I wouldn't find you just because you hid inside Sakura's body?" Without waiting for Zouken to respond, Jizi placed the blade against the little girl's neck. "It's one thing if someone got tricked into it like I did, but you're a grown-ass man who voluntarily shoved his consciousness into a girl's body. I seriously can't stand that."
Sakura, who had been unconscious, opened her eyes at that moment. Even the whites of her eyes were the same ominous black as her pupils. Completely ignoring the weapon at her throat, she said, "Then can you bring yourself to kill me? Sakura's modification is not yet complete. If you forcibly interrupt the transformation with violence, this child will..."
"Who said I was going to use violence? Don't you understand that violence can't solve everything?"
A mask was placed over Sakura's face. In an instant, red web-like patterns spread across her entire body. Yanye, watching anxiously from the side, showed a worried expression, but Jizi gave him a reassuring look.
"She'll be fine. I'm just gently melting the worms inside her, then drawing them all out along with the Matou Mana. It just looks a little scary. This can't guarantee that there won't be any lingering effects at all, but it's already the best method. If she recuperates properly afterward, she'll be completely fine in two or three years."
As if confirming Jizi's words, something seemed to flash along the web-like patterns, as though it were being transported from Sakura's body into the mask through those channels. As the process deepened, the color gradually faded from Sakura's eyes, and the purple tint in her hair disappeared, returning it to the black it should originally have been.
"All done. And I got quite a feast out of it too. No wonder Bear Grylls praised it as food. The protein—Mana content of worms is six times that of ordinary humans. Those two little sprites from tonight and the injuries Yanye beat into me have completely recovered."
"Haha, I thought you were an enemy back then, so naturally I hit pretty hard..." With Sakura's problem resolved, the relaxed Jizi began chatting idly with Yanye.
However...
"As expected of a Heroic Spirit, but even so, you cannot kill this old man." The ill-timed voice rang out again. "Even if you possess heaven-reaching abilities, you can only remain in this world for two weeks. Once you return to the Throne of Heroes, how will you protect this unfilial son and that little girl?"
Jizi waved a hand dismissively. "No need for you to worry about that, old man. They say that a man's words are kind when he is about to die. Why can't an old thing at death's door like you say something nice?"
"Little girl," Zouken said. Since the mask was on Sakura's face, he had naturally seen Jizi's true appearance. "Judging by your appearance, you must have died young in the prime of your life. Then let me teach you youngsters a lesson. A magus like me, with centuries of experience, is not so easily killed even by a Servant."
"Heh heh... I didn't erase every last one of your worms directly because I was worried about the few inside Sakura! Don't get so full of yourself! Fine, you won't believe me no matter how much I explain. So next, I'll let you witness a miracle firsthand. Don't blink!"
She raised a hand to her head and stroked her flowing, silky hair. The pleasant feel of it made Jizi reluctant to let go. Ah, as expected of me... Forget it, this was not the time to admire herself. Her hand continued upward until it touched the tuft of ahoge that stuck up in defiance of the rest, which cascaded down like a waterfall. She separated one strand from it and yanked it out with force.
"Ow! Damn old woman, why did you stick it on so tightly?!"
She frowned from the pain, but her movements were not affected in the slightest. She pressed the energy-filled ahoge between her palms, and with that motion, a pure white radiance began to shine from beneath her feet—bright and warm, yet not the least bit dazzling.
"Fairy Tail guild master's secret technique—Fairy Flash... No, wrong. Fairy Law!"
Milky-white light spread outward, filling the entire night sky.
Before you continue