Sakura Matou Rewrites Destiny

One command seal on Shirou Chiko's hand suddenly dimmed.

Simultaneously releasing magecraft with Kischur Zelretch beside him, they severed the magical channel that had been lurking within the command seal... At this moment, staring at the crimson command seal on his hand, Marisbury's eyes showed a hint of contemplation.

'Command seals... This seems like a rather worthy subject for study...'

Armor shattered, expression entranced...

As Shirou Chiko, controlled by Zouken Matou, used a command seal that clearly surpassed ordinary ones in power.

At this moment, the Berserker, bare-chested, exuded an aura... like a demon god.

"ROOOAR!"

A massive roar erupted from his mouth. As his armor shattered under the command seal's effect on the Berserker, his face bristled with beard, eyes blood-red, he resembled a man-eating tiger.

With a crash, he kicked a large crater into the ground, then, like a meteor, his exposed muscles crushed every Noble Phantasm in his path, charging straight at Gilgamesh with his war blade raised high.

The massive tiger-head war blade came down in a vertical slash.

In Gilgamesh's astonished eyes... his blood, like a fountain, sprayed instantly from his right shoulder.

In reality, from Zouken Matou controlling Shirou Chiko to activate the command seal to the Berserker's slash landing.

Only a second had passed...

And in that brief second, relying on that specially crafted command seal, the Berserker had instantly turned the tables.

"Mongrel—This King will tear you limb from limb..."

One could only say, a Servant was a Servant... Even with his entire right shoulder nearly cleaved off by the war blade, Gilgamesh's cursing remained spirited.

However... at this distance, facing this Berserker, Gilgamesh chose not to retreat or create distance, but to 'trash-talk'—a grave mistake.

A mistake meant paying a price.

The Berserker raised his war blade in his right hand, while his left fist shot out like a battering ram... Gilgamesh's face seemed to cave in from the punch, and he flew like a cannonball into the forest beyond the battlefield.

And it didn't end there. The Berserker's right hand, still holding the war blade, flicked it... Along the trajectory of Gilgamesh's flight, the blade, like a guillotine, aimed at Gilgamesh's slender neck, flew after him.

Without interference... perhaps in the next second, this arrogant tyrant Gilgamesh would lose his head...

As Gilgamesh crashed heavily through a grove of massive trees, landing pathetically in a pile of rubble.

The pursuing war blade appeared directly before his furious eyes, its edge slicing straight for his neck...

In that moment of crisis...

The mysterious Servant who had sat opposite Gilgamesh last night suddenly appeared before him, and as easily as taking candy from a child, caught the Berserker's full-force thrown war blade with one hand.

"Arrogant, foolish, reckless... Gilgamesh... you are unsightly in this era."

"Shut up... Take This King back... This King will personally punish these mongrels..."

Saying no more to Gilgamesh, seeing Artoria and the Berserker about to arrive, the mysterious Servant flicked his cloak and vanished with Gilgamesh into the forest outside Einsbern Castle.

Leaving only the Berserker's war blade, stained with a king's blood...

Watching the mysterious Servant disappear with that Golden Flash, Artoria, who had arrived at the scene even before the Berserker, let out a sigh of relief.

If the pressure Gilgamesh had brought her was 100... then that mysterious Servant's presence far exceeded it...

32. Rin's Jealousy, Tokiomi's Backstab...

Very unhappy, Rin Tohsaka was very unhappy.

Again in that mountain villa, again in that room filled with equipment capable of monitoring most of Fuyuki City.

Watching that guy not far away, holding her little sister tightly in his arms, occasionally whispering in her ear and then letting out silver-bell-like laughter... Rin Tohsaka felt, for some reason, extremely, extremely annoyed!

'Where the hell did that Kurumi Tokisaki come from... Sakura is my little sister, she should be sitting beside me right now...'

With that thought, the more Rin looked at Kurumi, the more irritated she became.

If Aoi Tohsaka weren't sitting beside her right now, perhaps Rin, still quite straightforward and honest in temperament, would have already gone over to start a fight with Kurumi.

As for her sister's current thoughts, Sakura, who was exchanging whispers with Kurumi, didn't notice.

Even if she did, she wouldn't do or say anything.

After all, since that day she looked back at the Tohsaka family... she would never be Tohsaka Sakura again.

"Sister Kurumi..."

"Yes, Sakura?"

"That mysterious Servant who just appeared... something feels off. Based on the Servants that have shown up so far, he should just be an Assassin, but the presence he gave me was too strong..."

An Assassin too strong... This wasn't Sakura looking down on the Assassin class, nor did she think Assassin couldn't have powerful figures.

But honestly, as one of the seven Holy Grail War classes, theoretically ranking near the bottom in direct combat... the aura that Assassin just displayed was far too overwhelming.

'Could that guy be the 'Old Man'... Hah, how could it be? A Grand wouldn't appear in a Pseudo-Holy Grail War...'

Though Kurumi had already gotten a lot of intel about this world and the ongoing Holy Grail War from Sakura in bed last night.

But half a night was only enough for a rough overview, so the concept of an Assassin being 'too strong' didn't really register with Kurumi.

Still, since Sakura said so... then... "Too strong? Then Sakura, I'll go eliminate him for you right now."

"Wait... Sister Kurumi, don't be in a hurry. You don't have much time right now... For now, just stay by my side and protect me!"

Kurumi chuckled as she rubbed her cheek against Sakura's, then hugged the little girl in her arms a little tighter. Casually, she turned her head and shot a glance at Rin, who was glaring with undisguised jealousy. Then, while Sakura wasn't looking, a faint sneer curled at the corner of her lips.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, right after Kurumi's mischievous little tease aimed at Rin.

Immediately turning her head back, Kurumi pressed her face close to Sakura's ear and spoke in a voice that was both 'tender' and delighted.

"Sakura, I'll always stay by your side to protect you..."

"Mm... I welcome Sister Kurumi staying with me too. About that Assassin just now... Sister Kurumi, could you use your clone to notify Orochimaru and have him investigate?"

The shadows of Sakura and Kurumi, overlapping together, quivered faintly.

Then, a clone of Kurumi, radiating an icy aura and exuding the lofty air of a queen, stepped directly out from the shadow.

Looking at this... clone that was clearly born from her chuunibyou days... Kurumi's cheeks flushed slightly red at that moment, and then she closed her eyes in a kind of despair.

"Hmph... For such a trivial matter, you had to summon me, the Dark Queen... How utterly incompetent."

As for this scene unfolding beside Sakura, Shinji and Tsuruno, who were in the same room watching the Holy Grail War broadcast with Sakura, naturally didn't dare say a word. Aoi Tohsaka had no standing to comment either.

But Rin Tohsaka was different.

Glancing at the clone walking out of the room, then looking at Kurumi, who had buried her face in Sakura's shoulder, showing an expression of both shyness and embarrassment... Rin's face broke into a knowing smile.

While over at the Matou residence, a comedy of youth was playing out...

At the Tohsaka residence... a completely opposite drama was unfolding...

Letting out a weary breath... Tokiomi Tohsaka looked at his Servant, who had mostly recovered before him. Having expended a massive amount of magical energy to heal Gilgamesh, his heart was undoubtedly filled with anger and resentment.

Gilgamesh was indeed powerful. In theory, if he got serious, few Servants could stand against him.

But... in the eyes of Tokiomi Tohsaka, a traditional Magus... Servants were nothing more than familiars... tools to be used. Winning the Holy Grail War was what he should be doing, and it was his mission...

Yet this Gilgamesh...

"My King... I implore you to inform me and consult with me before your next action..."

"Tokiomi! Are you trying to bind your king with the name of a vassal?"

"...I wouldn't dare. I merely wish to avoid another accident like today's... After all, winning this Holy Grail War is what you, my King, should be considering!"

Gilgamesh looked at Tokiomi Tohsaka as if he were already a corpse.

If before, Gilgamesh had merely found Tokiomi Tohsaka boring and planned to use a few small tricks to make him a passable court jester...

If that jester Tokiomi had performed well, once Gilgamesh grew tired of playing, he wouldn't have been stingy with rewarding him with a worthless cup...

But now... Tokiomi Tohsaka had thoroughly disgusted Gilgamesh.

"Enough. Remember your place as a vassal!"

Seeing that Gilgamesh was still 'stubbornly unyielding,' Tokiomi Tohsaka, already furious at Gilgamesh's unauthorized actions, seemed to throw caution to the wind.

He raised the back of his hand, revealing the Command Seals, as if intending to threaten Gilgamesh with them...

"My King... If you..."

Just as Tokiomi Tohsaka was about to use the Command Seals to threaten Gilgamesh...

Suddenly, a mysterious Servant materialized directly between the two, cutting their conversation short.

"Hassan... Your appearance here... does it have something to do with Kirei... Huh... Is... Is Kirei... betraying... me?"

A ferocious greatsword pierced through his chest from behind. The man who, a second ago, had been using elegance to barely conceal his anger, now stared wide-eyed, blood spilling from his mouth, and fell to his knees on the thick carpet of the Tohsaka residence with an expression of utter disbelief.

He did not answer Tokiomi Tohsaka's final question.

Pulling out the ferocious greatsword, he let Tokiomi Tohsaka fall and close his eyes.

The Servant named Hassan turned his head to look at Gilgamesh, whose face now showed an expression of delight.

"That's enough. Tokiomi Tohsaka cannot die..."

Yes, Hassan's appearance was not to kill Tokiomi Tohsaka... but to save him!

33. Kirei Awakens... Experiencing 'Transgression'

Slowly walking over to Tokiomi Tohsaka, who seemed as good as dead...

He glanced at the towering Hassan. With a crack, Tokiomi Tohsaka's left hand, marked with the Command Seals, was crushed to powder under Gilgamesh's leather shoe, starting from the wrist...

As for Gilgamesh's torture of Tokiomi Tohsaka, Hassan, who had just stepped in to stop Gilgamesh from killing him, did not intervene. He stood there almost unmoved.

After all, he only wanted to keep Tokiomi Tohsaka from dying. Whether Tokiomi lost a hand or not was beyond his concern.

"Trash... Take this piece of garbage and get out. I don't want to see you again in this Holy Grail War."

Silently, Hassan hoisted the fallen Tokiomi Tohsaka with one hand. Since he had not descended in Fuyuki City for the Holy Grail in the first place, he paid no heed to Gilgamesh's insults.

Instead, as Gilgamesh wished, he vanished from before the King's eyes, carrying Tokiomi Tohsaka.

Not long after Hassan left the Tohsaka residence with Tokiomi Tohsaka, a thunderous BOOM erupted.

As if several tons of TNT had detonated... the Tohsaka residence, once worthy of being a tourist attraction, was reduced to a shattered courtyard and a crater resembling the aftermath of a naval bombardment.

The Tohsaka family's Western-style mansion, along with the few Command Seals lying on the ground, was utterly destroyed by Gilgamesh under his cold, indifferent gaze.

A Chinese restaurant tucked away in a certain alley of Fuyuki City.

Kirei Kotomine, completely unaware of what was happening at the Tohsaka residence, sat in this nearly empty little shop. Mechanically, spoonful by spoonful, he shoveled into his mouth a plate of Mapo Tofu as scorching and searing as molten lava.

Soon, in barely the time it took to smoke a cigarette, that hellish plate of Mapo Tofu—enough to send an ordinary person straight to the hospital—had been entirely consumed by Kirei Kotomine, spoonful after spoonful.

It was a sight that left one utterly speechless...

Yet the only other living soul in the shop, the owner, seemed entirely unfazed by it all.

"Father Kotomine, another round today?"

Pulling a handkerchief from his chest pocket to wipe his mouth, Kirei Kotomine—whose face was as expressionless as ever, save for a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead—shook his head. He pulled out a few yen notes, placed them on the table, and walked out of the shop without looking back.

Stepping out of the somewhat cluttered alley and back onto Fuyuki City's bustling main street, Kirei Kotomine—whether by fortune or misfortune—happened to stumble upon a car accident that had just occurred.

He stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling on the twisted, deformed vehicle now embedded in a lamppost. He looked at the driver's cabin, where the driver had become a bloody, mangled mess, and at the crowd of onlookers nearby, murmuring among themselves.

Feeling nothing at all in his heart, Kirei Kotomine was unaware that a faint, twisted smile had already crept unbidden onto his face...

"Kirei."

"What are you doing here?"

Dressed in casual clothes and, to avoid drawing attention from these 'ignorant masses,' using a certain Noble Phantasm to lower his presence, Gilgamesh smiled and clapped Kirei Kotomine on the shoulder.

"The king came looking for you."

"Looking for me? Does Master have some instructions?"

"Ha? Tokiomi... do you honestly think that fool Tokiomi could order the king around?"