Farewell, Father. Farewell, My Cowardice

The Matou Family.

On the only path leading to the insect nest, an insect is struggling to crawl.

The tightly closed door had already been opened before it arrived, and a young man was sitting there coldly watching the crawling worm. He had obviously been waiting there for a long time.

Chapter Seventy-Seven: Goodbye Father, Goodbye My Cowardice

The night was deep, but the fierce battle continued.

"Ahhh... Ahhhh..."

"Damn Kirei Kotomine, how dare you... how dare you treat me like this! I will not let you get away with this, I will definitely not let you get away with this..."

"No, I'm about to die, the life force in my body is rapidly draining away..."

"If this continues, I'll really die... No... I can't do that! My long-cherished wish hasn't been fulfilled yet! I... I must live... No matter what, I must live! Ahhhhhh..."

The mutilated spirits before the gates of hell roared and cursed, venting their resentment.

He writhed and struggled with his broken body, desperately clinging to the last glimmer of hope for survival.

At this very moment, at the Matou Family.

Above the empty steps, a wriggling, flesh-colored worm was struggling to crawl, its target the Worm Chamber below the Matou Family.

No, I can't fall down, I still can't fall down...

There's a backup plan to replenish my life force below the Worm Chamber, so as long as I can reach that place, as long as I can reach it...

I'm sure I'll survive!

The wretched spirits, imprisoned within the pitiful fleshy worms, screamed madly.

At that very moment, the door to survival had already been opened long before it arrived.

A young man sat there, coldly watching the crawling worm; he had clearly been waiting for some time.

"How pathetic... Matou Patriarch, you look so disgusting that you're no longer human."

He looked at the worms crawling on the ground and said indifferently, "Actually, I originally wanted to send you on your way myself."

"Ahhh... Crowley, Crowley Patriarch! Please save me, I want to live... I can't die... I want to live... to live forever..."

All that could be heard coming from the insects was an old and frantic voice.

When he saw Rovey, it was as if he saw a glimmer of hope for life. He shouted for help, hoping that Rovey would lend him a hand.

"Huh? Has he completely lost his mind now? No, it should be said that he's completely intoxicated by his shallow desires. How pathetic..."

Rovey expressionlessly grabbed the worm in front of him, then slightly tightened his fingers. The intense pain caused the worm on his fingertip to let out a heart-wrenching howl, and its previously frantic voice suddenly became much more sober.

He screamed at the top of his lungs, "Aaaaah... What do you want to do? Crowley, what do you want to do?!"

"Hehe, what do I want to do? Do I even need to think about it? Of course, I want to do what you've always wanted to do but never had the chance to."

Rovey watched its struggles and listened to Matou Zouken, his expression remaining unchanged. He coldly said, "Old Worm, do you think you're the only smart one? Do you think I've never been able to guess your little schemes? Heh... Whether you're planning to have Lancelot hold back or want to take the opportunity to ambush Kenneth- sensei and the others, I know very well... I just haven't called you out on it."

"Let me explain... I was wrong, I know I was wrong, Crowley Patriarch... I did this so that we could achieve final victory... So, please save me..."

Upon hearing Rovey expose his plan to his face, Matou Sōken's originally frantic voice suddenly turned panicked. He disregarded his own condition and humbly begged Rovey for his forgiveness.

"I don't want to die... I want the Holy Grail... I want to live forever... Crowley..."

"To live forever... No, that's impossible for you. Because..."

As he listened to Matou Zouken's wailing, a meaningful smile slowly appeared on Rovey's lips. His gaze toward the worm remained cold, and his thoughts had not changed at all.

"I never intended for you to live, and... when you were being purified by Kirei Kotomine, I deliberately chose not to save you."

"What... what did you say...?!"

Rovey's words shattered the last shred of hope in Matou Zouken's heart, and his soul let out a desperate and terrified cry.

"So-called cooperation should be based on equality between the two parties, that is, mutual benefit. But you... Matou Zouken, no, it should be Machiri Zolgen Makiri."

"Now you should really think back on what you've done during this time. Have you played any role? You are no longer the righteous, brave, and talented partner of justice you were five hundred years ago... Now you are not only old and blind, but also corrupt at heart... That's why you haven't seen the whole picture."

"The naive kid you thought you were, the easily manipulated Crowley, never existed. You were the one who was trapped in the whole thing."

"I feel a pang of pity," said Rovey, looking at the righteous ally who had fallen to such a state, and he couldn't help but feel a little empathetic.

Time truly is the most unpredictable thing in the world...

It is difficult for anyone or anything to withstand the erosion of time.

Even the purest heart and lofty spirit, worn down by endless years, will eventually decay and collapse, ultimately becoming like this rotting worm before us...

Hero of Justice?

That's all in the past. Now he is pathetic, pitiful, and lamentable.

"No, you can't kill me! Don't forget we're bound by a contract; you can't kill me! If you or Lancer kill me, you'll suffer the backlash of the contract, and at that time... your fate won't be any better than mine!!"

Realizing that Rovey's murderous intent had not diminished at all, in his final moments, Matou Zouken recalled the original contract and screamed wildly, trying to use it as leverage to force Rovey to stop.

He believed that Rovey's Magic Crest was more important than killing him, a competitor who was now no longer a threat. If he broke the contract, he would also be punished by the Witness's the Root, and he would be severely injured and lose his ability to compete for the Holy Grail.

Unless Rovey is insane, he wouldn't be able to kill him against the constraints of the Root. At most, they are scheming against each other; there is no life-or-death feud between them, and this is his last chance to survive.

Unfortunately, Rovey had already guessed his thoughts and never intended to take action himself.

"So you're using a contract to threaten me... Heh, your mind's certainly sharp before you die. But... you're not wrong, with that contract with me, I can't kill you outright, but..."

Rovey tightened his grip slightly, completely ignoring Matou Zouken's wails, and said indifferently, "But there are others who can, and he has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, am I right?"

"Matou Kariya..."

Rovey spoke silently, then looked towards the door.

Scáthach, who had just been sent out to find Matou Kariya, had returned with her men, and the two exchanged a smile.

"Then it's up to you now."

Seeing the right person appear here, Rovey smiled and slowly sat up from the sofa. He then placed the worm in his hand in front of Matou Kariya and shook his finger to cast a gravity Magus impossible for him to leave the floor, thus making it easier for Matou Kariya to make his move.

"What... what is this?"

At this moment, Matou Kariya had just been captured, looked completely bewildered. He stared at the wriggling worm in front of him and felt an involuntary sense of disgust.

Not long ago, he was searching the streets for Tokiomi Tohsaka had escaped from the hospital with serious injuries, when suddenly Scáthach appeared directly beside him from the sky and dragged him back to her home without saying a word.

Now, as soon as he returned, he saw Rovey handing him a worm, which left Matou Kariya feeling somewhat bewildered.

But when he saw the horrifying, writhing worm on the ground, Matou Kariya felt a strange sensation. He vaguely felt that the worm looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before...

Bugs, bugs, Old Worm...

Could this thing be?!

"Is this that Old Worm, Matou Senken? How did he turn into this?"

For a moment, Matou Kariya seemed to have thought of something. He hurriedly turned his head to look at Rovey beside him and began to seek the answer.

"Yes, this fleshy worm is indeed that pathetic Old Worm Matou Zouken..."

"As for why he became like this, it would be very complicated to explain in detail, but it's all his own doing. His current predicament is entirely his own fault,"

Rovey nodded slightly, then spoke casually, and gently patted Matou Kariya's shoulder before slowly saying, "Matou Kariya, most of the pain in your life comes from the Matou Family, that is, from the hand of this Old Worm."

"Remember? I promised you before that as long as you cooperated with me, I would give you a chance to take revenge in the end. Now is the time for you to settle your score. Are you ready to personally end this grudge and say goodbye to the suffering you have endured over the years?"

"Settling scores, huh...?"

Matou Kariya's eyes widened, especially when he heard the words that Rovey had left in his ear; his fists clenched involuntarily.

At this moment, Rovey's figure had already disappeared into the empty mansion, leaving only Matou Kariya standing there, and the Old Worm struggling wildly in front of him.

For a moment, the mansion was completely silent, the atmosphere extremely heavy.

Matou Kariya paid no attention to or noticed Rovey's disappearance.

Because at this moment, all he could see was this Old Worm named Matou Zouken, the culprit who had destroyed his entire life and his happiness.

Once upon a time, the enemy he had dreamed of killing was now right before his eyes, and had fallen to such a state. For a moment, tears welled up in Matou Kariya's eyes, and a smile that even Gilgamesh would be ashamed of appeared on his lips.

That was a smile of extreme joy, a wild smile, a smile bordering on madness—

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

The suffering accumulated over twenty years erupted completely at this moment. Matou Kariya covered his face, looked down at the Old Worm that had tormented him for over twenty years, and let out the most joyful laugh of his life.

"Old Worm, you never thought you'd end up like this, did you?!"

Matou Kariya laughed wildly, shouting madly, and then, completely ignoring Matou Sōken's struggles below, he punched and shattered a glass frame hanging on the wall.

Bang--!!

Amidst shattered glass and a few drops of blood sliding from her fingertips, Matou Kariya then retrieved an ancient axe used for collection and decoration, and pointed it directly at the Old Worm in front of her, which had completely lost its ability to resist.

Are you... ready?

He smiled and asked, "My dear adoptive father..."

"Wait, Kariya... I... I can't die yet... I... I haven't witnessed the Holy Grail's descent... I... I haven't achieved immortality yet..."

Seeing that Matou Kariya had already raised the axe high above his head, Matou Zouken, who was bound to the spot by Rovey, had no way to escape and could only writhe and let out a shrill scream.

"Wait, wait a minute, calm down... Kariya, don't kill me! I admit I was too harsh on you in the past, but... I'm still the one who raised you! Anyway, that brat Tokiomi Tohsaka is dead. As long as... as long as you spare me, I'll promise you I'll let you inherit the Matou Family headship... I, I can even help you get Tokiomi Tohsaka's wife back, the woman you love!!"

"Are you finished speaking?"

Despite listening to Matou Zouken's dying promise, Matou Kariya's expression remained unchanged, and his heart remained unmoved.

He stopped bringing the axe down and calmly asked, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Think about it, but please, please don't kill me..."

Seeing the sharp axe gradually stop above his head, Matou Zouken had escaped death, breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to continue to coax Matou Kariya into taking him to the Worm Chamber to revive him when he suddenly heard Matou Kariya speak calmly.

"Have you finished speaking? Oh, in that case, did you hear any other sounds?"

"H-what did you hear?" Matou Sōken asked, sounding bewildered.

"It said, 'You can go now.'"

"What?!"

Before he could react, the axe gripped tightly in Matou Kariya's hand slammed down onto the ground, completely ignoring the Old Worm's wails. He slowly said:

Goodbye, Father, goodbye, my cowardice.

Bang--!!

With the heavy slam of the axe blade, his entire body was smashed into pieces under the terrifying pressure.

At some point in the past, three like-minded people gathered in a certain place—

Before them stood a tall, elderly man draped in a black robe, who said, "You need miracles to eradicate all evil from this world."

Then, the man with long black hair stood up and made the following assumption:

"If this world is truly beyond saving, then we, as human beings, cannot be separated from evil."

Another blue-haired man continued:

"If the Avalon (Utopia) is located in a place inaccessible to human power."

The last white-haired girl spoke like this:

"Then we must pursue a human form that can transcend humanity itself and reach a completely new realm."

The old man looked at the three of them gathered there and asked one last question, "In my view, this will be a road full of difficulties, dangers, and impossibilities. Are you prepared to embark on it?"

"Um."

The three people nodded in unison, then looked at each other, took each other's hands, and made their final oath before the Second Magic User:

"Yes, in order to end all evil in this world, we are willing to give everything for this wish and sacrifice our lives."