Kill Matou Zouken

A few days later, Tohsaka Sakura was ultimately sent to the Matou family.

"Why?"

After Tohsaka Sakura had been sent away, Tohsaka Rin asked her mother in confusion, "Why did you still send Sakura there? Didn't Uncle Kariya say she shouldn't be sent there?"

Tohsaka Aoi painfully clutched at the hem of her skirt. "Tokiomi said Matou Zouken was not a problem. The Matou family's water magecraft is incomparably pure, with no trace whatsoever of Insect Magic. He concluded that Kariya was lying."

The only information Kariya had left them before his death, the only chance he had left them to change things, had ended like this. She still had changed nothing.

The Tohsaka family would continue to honor their agreement with their ancient allies, the Matou family. Tohsaka Sakura would inherit everything of the Matou family and be renamed Matou Sakura.

Kariya had clearly escaped the world of magi and returned to Fuyuki City. He had become a monster, and in the end, he had left behind his final words at the cost of his life—yet she had changed nothing...

Mo Li, hidden in the shadows, watched it all unfold. He watched Tohsaka Sakura arrive at Matou Family Castle and become Matou Sakura, while Matou Shinji, brought over by Matou Tsuruno to welcome her, stared at Matou Sakura with shining eyes.

To welcome the heir he had longed for to arrive, Matou Zouken held a grand reception.

After the welcoming banquet ended, Matou Zouken brought Matou Sakura to a clean room decorated like something out of a fairy tale.

"Sakura, this will be your room from now on. I hope you can live happily here. Be obedient and don't cause trouble." Matou Zouken smiled as he ushered Sakura into the room.

Sakura was still somewhat uneasy. Recalling Kariya Matou's words, she did not understand exactly what they meant, but she felt they were not good words. With a timid smile, she said, "Mm, Grandpa Zouken, Sakura will be obedient."

"Good girl~" Matou Zouken smiled amiably as he watched her for a while, then turned to leave. "Then Grandpa will go make the remaining preparations. There are still quite a few steps before you can inherit the Matou family's magecraft. Rest peacefully for the next few days."

"Okay~"

Click~

Matou Zouken closed the door as he left. Sakura immediately became anxious, not knowing what fate awaited her. Everything Uncle Kariya had said before his death returned to her mind once again.

Perhaps something bad would happen if she stayed with the Matou family, but Father had said she did not need to worry. The Matou family did not have any insect magecraft...

Matou Sakura hugged the stuffed bear on the bed, which was even larger than she was, and blankly stared out the window.

Creak~

An incongruous sound suddenly rang out in the silent room. Matou Sakura looked toward the door, where Matou Shinji, who had secretly opened it to peek at her, jumped in fright. He abruptly shut the door again and hurried away.

Seeing this, Sakura became even more uneasy. No one in this family seemed like a good person. What exactly did that boy—her older brother in name now—want to do...?

Matou Sakura fearfully hugged the stuffed bear tighter. "Mom, Rin, I want to go home..."

Deep underground in the Insect Pit of the Matou family.

Matou Zouken looked at the pool full of insects, and the corners of his mouth could not help but curl upward. "Soon. At last, there is hope that my long-cherished wish will be fulfilled..."

Three nights later, during a dinner for the four members of the Matou family.

Watching Matou Sakura eat all the special ingredients he had prepared, Matou Zouken muttered to himself, "She has finally been properly conditioned. After three consecutive days of cultivation, she can withstand the modification..."

Matou Zouken stood and said to the people beside him, "Tsuruno, you and Shinji clean up the dining table. I'll take Sakura to begin the inheritance ceremony."

Matou Tsuruno said respectfully, "Yes, Father."

Hearing this, Shinji looked at Matou Zouken in disbelief. In his heart, he was supposed to be the future heir of the Matou family, the one who would inherit its magecraft. So why had his grandfather chosen Matou Sakura, an outsider?

"Sakura, let's go."

"Okay, Grandpa." Matou Sakura wiped her mouth with a napkin, then left with Matou Zouken.

As Matou Shinji watched Matou Zouken lead Matou Sakura away, jealousy surged in his heart. Why?!

Why should this outsider girl take everything from him? Was it simply because he lacked talent?!

Matou Tsuruno said, "Shinji, stop staring. Finish eating, then help clean the table."

"...Yes, Dad."

In the underground bathroom of the Matou family.

Standing outside the door, Matou Zouken said, "Sakura, take your bath and complete the purification ritual. Then I will begin passing down the Matou family's magecraft to you."

"Mm..." Matou Sakura anxiously pinched the hem of her skirt. Watching Matou Zouken close the bathroom door without preparing any fresh clothes for her, she grew even more uneasy.

Half an hour later.

"Grandpa, um... where are the clean clothes?"

Matou Zouken, outside the door, replied, "You do not need them yet. You will be given clothes after the magecraft inheritance ritual is over. Come out once you are done washing."

"...Okay, Grandpa."

The innocent girl walked out of the bathroom, uneasy and afraid.

Matou Zouken headed deeper inside. "Sakura, follow me."

"Ah... o-okay." Listening to Matou Zouken's words, Matou Sakura felt as though his voice possessed some kind of magic that controlled her, leading her ever deeper into the darkness. She did not even feel the urge to run away.

At last, the two arrived at the Matou family's deepest secret place—the Insect Pit, which even Matou Tsuruno and Shinji did not know existed.

Hearing the constant writhing and crawling of arthropods, Matou Sakura was terrified beyond measure.

Matou Zouken said in a deep voice, "Good girl~ Go down. Enter there and receive your final baptism, and you will receive my inheritance. You will obtain everything of the Matou family!"

Seeing everything below, Matou Sakura was terrified. "No, no! Grandpa, I don't want to go down!"

"No, Matou Sakura. You came to the Matou family in order to inherit all this. You will go down." Matou Zouken let out a strange laugh. "You will not refuse any of this. Go down, Sakura."

"No!" Matou Sakura resisted, only to discover that her body was moving down the steps against her will.

Matou Sakura began to cry. "No! Someone, please save me!"

Listening to Matou Sakura's cries and watching her slowly walk toward the deepest darkness, Matou Zouken smiled. "Sakura, this is the land of salvation. You will fulfill this old man's long-cherished wish. Your voice cannot reach the outside world, so accept this fate!"

With only the last few steps remaining, Matou Sakura broke down and cried out in despair.

Just as she reached the final two steps, Matou Zouken's pupils contracted. Someone suddenly stepped in front of Matou Sakura.

Mo Li picked up Matou Sakura, who had nearly come into contact with the insects. Behind him, the insects suddenly began dying one after another before turning into ash.

Matou Zouken stared at Mo Li in disbelief. "Who are you?!"

"Die, you old worm!" Holding Matou Sakura with one arm, Mo Li threw the Heavenly Halberd with his other hand, piercing through Matou Zouken.

Matou Sakura could hardly believe the warmth radiating from Mo Li's body. She realized she could move again, and upon seeing his face, she wrapped her arms around his neck and burst into tears. "It's you, big brother... You came to save Sakura again..."

"Mm." Mo Li took a step forward, instantly bringing Sakura before Matou Zouken.

"You meddlesome bastard!" Matou Zouken glared at Mo Li venomously, trying to retaliate, only to discover in horror that his magical power would not obey him.

Mo Li grabbed the shaft of the Heavenly Halberd and pulled it free. "Matou Zouken, die like this."

"It won't be so easy to kill this old man!"

"Is that so?" Mo Li could not be bothered to waste words with him. Activating his ability, he extracted all of Matou Zouken's magical power before turning toward the Insect Pit. "Your true body is in there right now, isn't it? You were waiting for Matou Sakura's transformation to be completed before beginning the next stage of your plan."

Matou Zouken looked at him in terror. "My magical power... You actually know my plan? How is that possible?!"

"Enough nonsense. Die!" Mo Li swung the Heavenly Halberd downward through the air. The entire Insect Pit was instantly filled with an eerie pressure, and every insect exploded at once, spraying disgusting insect blood everywhere.

Matou Zouken watched this scene and collapsed helplessly to the ground. "This old man refuses to accept it... A five-hundred-year-long wish..."

Before he could finish speaking, Matou Zouken shattered into countless specks of ash and dispersed.

Mo Li extracted all the magical power from the Insect Pit and condensed it into a sphere for storage, preventing it from dispersing with Matou Zouken's death.

Recalling the Heavenly Halberd, Mo Li patted Matou Sakura's back before setting her down. "It's over."

Matou Sakura stood timidly beside Mo Li, wiping the tears from her face. "Big brother, Grandpa..."

Mo Li said, "He's dead. I killed him, and I destroyed his true body as well."

Just as Matou Zouken died, a notification rang out at the same time.

Completely killed Matou Zouken, greatly altering the fate of this world. Lottery draws +1, Fate Points +5000

"Sakura, have you thought about where you'll go from now on? Matou Zouken is dead. You can't stay with the Matou Family any longer."

Hearing Mo Li's words, Matou Sakura's eyes filled with confusion as she said sadly, "I don't know... I don't know. Dad and Mom didn't want me anymore. Grandpa wanted to do bad things to me, and Brother Shinji seems to be the same."

Matou Sakura seemed to think of something and looked at Mo Li uneasily. "Brother Mo Li, can you take me with you? Take me away from here..."

Mo Li rubbed Matou Sakura's head, took off his upper garment, and draped it over her. "All right, but wait a moment first."

"Mm..."

Matou Sakura watched Mo Li turn toward the place where Matou Zouken had just died, a cold smile inexplicably appearing on his face.

"Matou Zouken, leave your soul behind for me."

After saying that, Mo Li suddenly reached out and grabbed. To Matou Sakura, it looked as though he had truly caught someone.

Looking at the panicked Matou Zouken in his soul form, Mo Li sneered and absorbed him, completely devouring his memories. Like flipping through a book, he began reviewing the memories of the past several centuries.

Although Matou Zouken's memories spanned several centuries, Mo Li had still been a god before losing his authority over land. In a short time, he had thoroughly gone through all of them. Even trivial matters that Matou Zouken himself had not cared about were crystal clear to Mo Li. He understood the old worm better than the old worm understood himself.