There Are Risks to Competing

Shirou looked back and forth between the three of them, then let out a helpless sigh.

After his reincarnation in his previous life, Aoi Tohsaka had already become a vegetable.

Therefore, although Shirou had visited the Tohsaka family many times, he had never spoken with her.

But now, it seemed she was simply a woman with no mind of her own.

"Sakura, are you going to..."

Before Shirou could finish speaking, a new projection suddenly appeared in the sky.

In the projection, Kariya Matou, leaning on a red cane, was glaring furiously at Tokiomi Tohsaka several meters away.

Unlike Kariya Matou's anger, Tokiomi Tohsaka appeared calm and composed, carrying himself with considerable elegance.

Though their voices could not be heard, it was clear they had been talking for quite some time.

Then Nero's highly recognizable voice rang out:

"Registration for the Master Tournament has ended. As of this moment, six Masters have registered."

"I hereby declare that the first match of the Master Tournament, Kariya Matou versus Tokiomi Tohsaka, shall now officially begin!"

This sudden development instantly drew everyone's attention.

Shirou looked up at the two men in the projection, his heart filled with astonishment.

Didn't Sakura and I just leave the Imperial Palace? It's only been ten minutes or so. How did the Master Tournament start so quickly?

All six Masters besides me actually entered? What are they trying to pull?

Leaving Kariya aside, someone like Kiritsugu Emiya was actually willing to compete? Instead of hiding somewhere and ambushing people?

At the same time, the pedestrians on the streets sprang into action.

Some stopped by the roadside and looked up to watch the match, but even more began running, rushing to register for the Citizen Tournament.

"It's starting already? Registration for the Citizen Tournament shouldn't be over yet, right?"

"Damn it! I have to make it in time! For a supernatural event unlike anything anyone has ever heard of, I'm definitely taking first place and claiming those two prizes!"

"Hurry, hurry... I have to get the prizes! This is a chance to become young again, and there's a whole meal of gold!"

The rushing crowd startled Aoi Tohsaka. She hurriedly pulled the three children to the roadside to keep them from being knocked over by pedestrians.

The stream of people continued for nearly a minute before finally disappearing.

In the blink of an eye, the streets became nearly deserted.

Meanwhile, the two men displayed in the projection overhead had already begun fighting.

"Why are my father and Uncle Kariya fighting?" Rin Tohsaka hesitated for a moment before shouting, "Go, father! Beat Uncle Kariya!"

Sakura turned to glance at her and said quietly:

"Uncle Kariya will win. He made a promise with me."

Is Sakura angry at her father? That makes sense. I'd blame my father for years too.

Realizing this was an opportunity, Rin Tohsaka moved closer to Sakura and smiled.

"Then, want to make a bet with me? If my father wins, Sakura has to play with me like she used to."

"I'm sorry. We can't go back to how things were."

"Th-then... does Sakura hate me?"

"Yeah."

"Huh...?"

Not expecting her to admit it so honestly, Rin Tohsaka froze in place, unable to recover for a long while.

In her memory, she had never done anything that would make Sakura hate her.

But on second thought, perhaps it was precisely because she had done nothing that Sakura hated her?

Inside the Colosseum.

Kariya Matou let the flame magecraft unleashed by Tokiomi Tohsaka strike his body as he limped forward step by step.

Though he staggered with every step, his gaze was incomparably resolute.

"Tokiomi! I despise you from the bottom of my heart. Today, I'm going to beat the hell out of you."

"Oh...? If you can manage it."

"You personally pushed Sakura into hell without feeling the slightest regret. Even if you didn't know the truth, it doesn't erase your sins."

"It was for Sakura's own good. You only became a mage recently, so I doubt you could possibly understand."

"Is that so?"

Kariya Matou's expression darkened. Though he still limped, his pace continued to accelerate.

Tokiomi Tohsaka raised his cane horizontally and fired three consecutive flame spells, each more powerful than the last.

However, as the flames neared Kariya Matou's body, every one of them vanished without a trace.

"A magecraft Noble Phantasm related to flames? It seems to be that red cane in your hand."

Tokiomi Tohsaka slowly lowered his cane, took out two gems, and launched them with a peculiar technique.

The gems exploded the instant they flew out, creating a cloud of smoke.

An opening!

The cane in Kariya Matou's hand instantly transformed into a giant Red Shield, protecting him within it.

Immediately afterward, the shield changed into a Red Booster and fused perfectly with his back.

As the smoke gradually thinned, before Tokiomi Tohsaka could react, Kariya Matou suddenly lunged at him with the help of the booster behind him.

Bang!

Both men fell to the ground at the same time.

Kariya Matou pressed his knee against Tokiomi Tohsaka's chest, while the red booster on his back suddenly transformed into chains, pinning Tokiomi Tohsaka firmly to the ground.

At that moment, the victor had been decided.

"I won, Tokiomi!"

Kariya Matou raised his fist and smashed it viciously into Tokiomi Tohsaka's cheek.

After that punch, Tokiomi Tohsaka's cheek immediately swelled up.

No one could maintain an elegant posture in such a situation, and Tokiomi Tohsaka was naturally no exception.

"That's enough! Kariya Matou, you've already won. There's no need to humiliate me further."

"Enough? Not even close!"

Kariya Matou's eyes widened as he gritted his teeth and said:

"You think I'm doing this just to vent my anger? You think I'm taking revenge on you for Aoi? You think I'm humiliating you?"

"No! I'm standing up for Sakura."

"You personally pushed Sakura into hell. A man like you doesn't deserve to be a father."

"That's enough! You don't understand anything." Tokiomi Tohsaka was equally furious. "I did it for Sakura's sake. Her aptitude for magecraft is extraordinary. If she had remained with our Tohsaka family, it would only have gone to waste. Besides, she would have attracted the covetous attention of other magi."

"You're the one who doesn't understand anything!"

Kariya Matou raised his fist again and punched Tokiomi Tohsaka's other cheek. In an exceedingly gloomy voice, he said:

"What do you think the Matou family's inherited magecraft is? Water magecraft? Don't make me laugh! The Matou family has passed down Insect Magecraft from generation to generation."

"Do you know what Insect Magecraft is? Worms are forced into the body to alter the magic circuits before the next stage can even begin."

"What do you think Zouken Matou is? The current head of the family? Don't make me laugh! He's an old monster who has dragged out his miserable existence for five hundred years."

"Magic crests? How could he possibly pass something like that on to anyone else?"

"There was only one fate awaiting Sakura when she entered the Matou family: spending every day in the Insect Pit. Once her body had been altered, she would serve as a womb to bear the next generation with magical aptitude."

"What do you think Sakura went through this past year? Do you think..."

"Stop talking!" Tokiomi Tohsaka suddenly interrupted Kariya Matou.

For the first time, regret appeared on his face.

"How is Sakura... now?"

"She's fine now. Thanks to... a Servant's help, Zouken Matou is dead, and Sakura is safe now."

"That's good. In that case, the Matou family's magic crest—"

Bang!

Kariya Matou punched him again, striking Tokiomi Tohsaka squarely in the left eye.

"Bastard! There's no such thing! The magic crest disappeared with Zouken Matou's corpse long ago."

"And do you want Sakura to spend the rest of her life dealing with a pile of worms?"

Silence.

Tokiomi Tohsaka wanted to argue, but in the end, he could not say a word.

When all was said and done, it really was his fault for sending Sakura away so rashly without investigating the Matou family properly.

"Tell Sakura I'm sorry."

"Say it to her yourself!"

Kariya Matou stood up and looked down at Tokiomi Tohsaka. What he felt now was more confusion than anything else.

Defeating Tokiomi Tohsaka had been his most cherished dream.

But after truly accomplishing it, all he felt was emptiness. For a moment, he could not even remember what he was supposed to do next.

Kariya Matou staggered out of the Colosseum. Because of his injured legs, he walked very, very slowly.

Tokiomi Tohsaka, meanwhile, remained lying on the ground, a black eye on his face as he silently watched the azure sky.

Nero's commentary sounded at the same time:

"I hereby declare that the winner of the first Master Tournament match of this Nero Festival is—Kariya Matou."

"Next, the second Master Tournament match will begin: Kiritsugu Emiya versus Kayneth."

The projection stage automatically shifted to the second match.

Kiritsugu Emiya, holding modern firearms, faced off against Kayneth, whose body was concealed by the magecraft Noble Phantasm Moon Cell Liquefaction, inside the Colosseum.

On a street in the city.

"Sakura, let's go play together!" Rin Tohsaka said excitedly.

"No. I won the bet."

"That's right, you won, so let's go play together."

"Why?"

"Wasn't that what we agreed on? If I won, Sakura would have to play with me like before. Naturally, it works the other way around too. Since I lost, I'll play with Sakura."

Sakura froze for a moment, took half a step back, and hid behind Shirou again.

Seeing that, Rin Tohsaka looked at Shirou with some irritation, silently asking with her eyes:

What did you do to Sakura? Why is she ignoring me?

Though she did not say it aloud, Shirou somehow understood what she meant.

Still, Shirou did not think he was capable of speaking with his eyes.