Obviously, although Solomon had indeed helped explain things to Sakura, his words still concealed a landmine.
Of course, Solomon had not lied either. Sakura would indeed become Chaldea's opponent—or rather, "enemy"—in the future. Of course, Marisbury would already be "dead" by then.
After hearing Solomon admit that Sakura was not an enemy, Marisbury immediately lowered his guard against Sakura's group. However, he still firmly remembered the landmine hidden within Solomon's words.
Perhaps Sakura simply lacked enough experience, or perhaps she just did not have the right instincts to understand the deeper meaning behind Solomon's words.
A battle that might have shattered Einsbern Castle into pieces vanished just like that after a few brief exchanges...
Yet at that very moment, just as the powerful figures on the rooftop were getting along peacefully.
A thunderous boom rang out.
Einsbern Castle suddenly tilted amid the battle between the "father and son" in the courtyard.
Although Mordred's experiences within Solomon's Reality Marble felt somewhat unreal to her after she had recovered.
Artoria's "there is no why" that had pierced her heart remained deeply branded into Mordred's mind.
She looked at the castle beneath her feet, which kept trembling and might collapse if it tilted even a few more degrees. Then she looked at Zouken Matou in the courtyard, seemingly doing something around Berserker.
After glancing at King Hassan and Sakura beside Kurumi, she turned into a cloud of black mist and left the dangerous place.
At the same time, Marisbury and Solomon began to move as well.
Marisbury gently picked up Kischur Zelretch. Having planned to use the favor owed by Kischur Zelretch and the power of the El-Melloi Faction to accelerate his Chaldea Plan, he quickly vanished from the castle rooftop with him.
"Girl, go protect Sakura."
Kurumi glanced at the "old man" who had delivered her an enormous amount of time, leaving her utterly fulfilled now. Although she did not like King Hassan or his act of forcing Sakura into the Holy Grail War, just as before, she said nothing and directly sank into her own shadow to find Sakura.
As everyone on the castle rooftop departed.
Only the two Grand Servants and the "perpetually unlucky" Kiritsugu Emiya remained atop the precarious castle.
"Hassan, you should not have allowed Miss Sakura to become involved in this Holy Grail War. Being exposed to the world too early will only bring her trouble."
"I have my own plans."
King Hassan raised a hand and removed the skull mask from his face, revealing his aged features. Looking at Sakura, who had appeared in the castle garden, his eyes immediately softened with affection.
Seeing King Hassan's gaze, how could Solomon fail to understand what he intended?
"Hassan, do you also intend to join Miss Sakura's banner and change destiny alongside her?"
King Hassan put his mask back on and shook his head.
"I am merely tempering my junior in the spare moments between fulfilling Heaven's mandate."
"You truly are strict, Hassan. Since we have no conflict... you!"
Just as Solomon confirmed that King Hassan's goal would not clash with his own.
Solomon, no longer willing to waste time playing house in this Holy Grail War, had intended to claim Kiritsugu Emiya, who was near King Hassan, seize his Command Seals, and end the Holy Grail War tonight...
But... a savage greatsword directly shattered Solomon's plan.
Watching Kiritsugu Emiya be pierced through the chest by King Hassan's greatsword, a blade capable of killing all things, dying so thoroughly that even the Command Seals on his hand died with him, Solomon shook his head in slight disappointment.
"You... Hassan, that was rather unnecessary."
At King Hassan's act of killing Kiritsugu Emiya... Solomon suddenly froze.
He had never expected King Hassan, someone who looked so honest and upright, to lie to him.
King Hassan was not here to temper Sakura at all. He was clearly here to help Sakura change her fate.
According to his earlier Clairvoyance, Zouken Matou, whom Solomon had deliberately left for Sakura, would soon "die" at Sakura's hands once again—and in front of Shirou Chiko.
At the same time, after "killing" Zouken Matou, Sakura would directly "dig out Shirou Chiko's heart."
From that moment onward, Shirou Chiko, having misunderstood Sakura, would cause trouble for her for a long time. Several years later, he would even nearly truly kill her once.
But now, the outcome was completely different. With Kiritsugu Emiya and his Command Seals dead, Artoria, having lost her Master, immediately thought of the little one she wished to save—Shirou Chiko.
Wasn't that exactly what happened when Solomon called King Hassan's actions unnecessary?
No longer wishing to remain entangled with Mordred, Artoria found an opportunity and directly charged into the vast forest with the newly awakened Shirou Chiko.
In truth, Solomon had also intended to solve this trouble for Sakura. If he obtained Kiritsugu Emiya's Command Seals now, he would have created a similar situation...
That was why, in Solomon's eyes, King Hassan's actions seemed somewhat unnecessary.
Yet, "This sin shall fall upon me. And Solomon, I do not trust you." That was King Hassan's answer to Solomon.
Grandfather and Granddaughter...
In the garden before the castle, which had been reduced to ruins by the clash between Artoria and Mordred.
After several days, Sakura once again saw her "grandfather."
Sakura was quite delighted to see this "grandfather" she had not seen for many days.
After all... her "grandfather" was truly capable.
Emiya Shirou... no, Shirou Chiko. Sakura had indeed thought about finding him.
After all, if she could raise him from childhood, Shirou Chiko would become a far stronger helper than Shinji Matou. And if she started early enough, perhaps the future nuclear sword immortal could be raised into the person Sakura wanted him to become.
Of course, it was not that Giant Hero Shirou was bad... but Sakura found this whole justice thing rather awkward.
However, Shirou was not so easy to find.
Fuyuki City was neither too large nor too small, but it still had a population of several hundred thousand.
Furthermore, it was impossible to rule out the possibility that Shirou's family had only appeared in Fuyuki City due to migrant work, travel, visiting relatives, or other reasons.
Therefore, Sakura did not hold much hope of finding Shirou.
She had merely instructed Tsuruno Matou to investigate whenever he had time, while asking Orochimaru to keep an eye out for suspicious targets appearing on Fuyuki City's surveillance network.
Flowers planted with care refused to bloom, while willows planted without thought grew lush...
Sakura never imagined that the Shirou she had searched for so painstakingly would be found by Zouken Matou.
How could Sakura possibly not "thank" Zouken Matou, her dear "grandfather"?
However... Zouken Matou was not happy at all to see Sakura.
Ever since Sakura awakened that day, Zouken Matou had not enjoyed a single peaceful day.
Now, just as he had finally glimpsed the dawn of his dream coming true.
Zouken Matou first encountered Solomon, then saw Sakura, that "harbinger of disaster."
How could Zouken Matou possibly be happy?
He looked at Berserker beside him, still impossible to command in the slightest, then turned to look at Leonidas, who had suddenly left.
Facing Sakura alone, Zouken Matou felt utterly screwed.
"Tohsaka Sakura... so you really did join the Holy Grail War... Am I merely one of your pawns?"
Staring at the Command Seals on Sakura's hand, which she had openly displayed before him, Zouken Matou gripped his cane tightly. Veins bulged from his withered arm like pythons as he spoke through clenched teeth.
Clearly, Zouken Matou's hatred for Sakura had already reached the point where he could no longer conceal it.
Sakura participating in the Holy Grail War could be called a misunderstanding, since she truly had not wanted to participate in this Holy Grail War. However... Zouken Matou was not wrong at all when he called himself a pawn.
And now that Sakura herself had entered the Holy Grail War, she intended to retrieve Zouken Matou, the pawn she had originally released for this Holy Grail War, and put him to other uses.
Too lazy to speak with Zouken Matou at all, Sakura only wanted to finish things quickly, go home to rest, and get away from this battlefield where Servants clashed. The moment Zouken Matou spoke his last word, she silently swung her Magic Wand and attacked him.
As one spell after another was silently recited in Sakura's heart, Sakura continuously and effortlessly drew upon all sorts of emotions through the Yellow Court Scripture.
In the blink of an eye, she fired over a dozen spells at Zouken Matou.
Among them, the most conspicuous—and the one Zouken Matou feared most—was probably that sickly green "laser."
Countless grotesque insects flew from the sleeves of Zouken Matou's kimono, meeting Sakura's merciless attack.
From the moment Sakura appeared, Zouken Matou had been on guard against her. Naturally, he did not hesitate to strike back.
Perhaps because he feared that sickly green spell, or perhaps because he sensed that being struck by it meant certain "death."
Although Zouken Matou's counterattack looked fierce, it carried the feeling of defense outweighing offense.
The grotesque, varied swarms of insects flew wildly through the space before Sakura... while spells continued to fly from her Magic Wand with every flick of her wrist...
For a time, Zouken Matou and Sakura fought to a standstill.
But both of them knew that this was merely an initial test.
At some unknown point, insect chirping began to echo from the piles of rubble and cracks throughout the castle.
And at some unknown point, a mass of Azure Blue Fiendfyre had become roaring fire serpents coiling around Sakura.
With their testing complete and their preparations laid... the two were about to get serious.
From the disturbance in her shadow, Sakura knew Kurumi had already arrived beside her. She took a deep breath and readjusted the level at which her Mage Circuits operated.
As the Yellow Court Scripture silently circulated.
Sakura, radiating a cold and sinister aura, took the initiative once again.
Her arm swung broadly, and the killing intent in her eyes could no longer be concealed. With a cry of "Avada Kedavra"... the Killing Curse—Avada Kedavra—shot toward Zouken Matou, empowered by Sakura's murderous intent.
Seeing the sickly green beam as thick as an adult's arm, along with the countless insects turned to dust merely by being grazed by it, Zouken Matou had no doubt that he would be reduced to pieces if struck. He immediately scattered himself into a swarm of insects.
"Tch... turning into bugs again... Divine Fire Opening Path!"
Seeing Zouken Matou evade the single-target Killing Curse while also having to face the surging sea of insects, Sakura recalled and directed the Azure Blue Fiendfyre serpent to attack the swarm. At the same time, she swung her Magic Wand and cast Divine Fire Opening Path.
Blazing flames formed a vortex. With the swing of Sakura's Magic Wand, it surrounded her, burning the insects attacking from every direction into charcoal.
At the same time, Sakura continuously peered through gaps she had deliberately created, searching for the special insect that was the core of Zouken Matou's body. She quickly found it.
"Go!"
With a forceful swing of both hands, the fiery vortex formed from blazing flames swept toward the pile of rubble where the special insect was hiding under Sakura's control.
"Hehehe... Tohsaka Sakura, you fell for it!"
The flaming vortex charged straight at the special insect, and everything in its path was utterly fragile before the inferno.
Just as Sakura thought she could finish the battle, an insect as large as a wolfhound suddenly tore through the ground and emerged directly beneath her feet. Its grotesque mandibles snapped straight toward Sakura's soft, pale thighs.
Facing the giant insect's hideous mandibles, Sakura had no doubt that if her small body was caught in them, she would become meat on the chopping block.
But... would Sister Kurumi allow something so disgusting to touch her?
Just as Sakura's delicate skin faintly began to feel the sharp edge of the mandibles.
"Hehehe~ Seven Bullets!"
A gunshot rang out... Zouken Matou's time stopped.
"Father and Son" Saber and Shirou.
An Avada Kedavra cleanly and decisively killed the grotesque giant insect before her.
As the giant insect died, the sea of insects surging through the garden toward Sakura like waves also fell into deathly silence.
Sakura smiled and nodded at Kurumi, who rose from her shadow. Then another Sectumsempra shot from Sakura's Magic Wand, directly splitting the dead giant insect in two.
Naturally, Sakura had not done this to desecrate the corpse.
Although Sakura was not sure where Zouken Matou's true body was, she could tell that the giant insect before her was merely an avatar created from a portion of Zouken Matou's soul.
Suppressing the discomfort in her heart, she reached into the split insect corpse and felt around.
Her hand came away covered in sticky, green, foul-smelling fluid. Sakura directly pulled a book from the corpse, shaped like a thick dictionary and radiating obvious magical power.
She glanced at Berserker, who still stood in the garden covered in insect corpses, smoke, and scorch marks. Even without opening the book, Sakura knew its true identity—the Book of False Vassals.
But...
How had Zouken Matou created this Book of False Vassals?
After Sakura had "taken control" of the Matou Family, she had naturally examined the magical records related to creating the Book of False Vassals. According to those records and the memories of her other half, Sakura naturally knew that creating the Book of False Vassals required one Command Seal.
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