A Person Arrives in Type-Moon, Now Lost Contact

"So beautiful," the young man praised with a smile. "It's been a year, and Old Man Matou's tea ceremony skills have only gotten more refined. I am truly impressed."

"As one gets older, they become more interested in these time-consuming arts," the withered old man, dry as firewood, replied with a smile to his guest's praise. "It seems the effort I've poured into them hasn't been in vain."

His voice was hoarse and raspy, like rusty iron scraping against the floor. His smile, due to the state of his face, was sinister and terrifying, a far cry from the kindly old grandfathers in stories. He was like an evil spirit tethered to the human world.

No, this fellow is inherently a ghost bound to the human world, a monster out of time. the guest thought.

Zouken Matou, the first head of the Matou family six generations ago, a great mage who had lived for five hundred years. The Bug Master. One of the creators of the Holy Grail War, the inventor of the Command Spells system, a man whose prime was comparable to Heroic Spirits.

Unfortunately, that was his past. Now, he was merely a fiend steeped in evil.

At this moment, this former hero, now villain, sighed, "If only my descendants had even a tenth of your talent, Li Zihan, I could finally rest."

This was a lie. Zouken Matou, no, Matou Zouken's obsession was eternal life, even if it meant living like a slug in dark, damp earth, or parasitically clinging to others like a leech.

"The decline of your Magic Circuits doesn't mean the end of your lineage. Please, cheer up and don't give up hope," the young man said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "As long as you return to your ancestral land or form a marriage alliance with a local family, reactivating your sealed Magic Circuits won't be difficult."

"That may be so, but it's a long process," the old man said, shaking his head and scoffing at his descendant. "The children of these past few generations can no longer bear the Matou name. They don't even qualify to participate in the Holy Grail War."

"Perhaps the Matou family no longer has the qualifications for this feast of Mages," Matou Zouken complained, his eyes fixed on the young man before him, a sharp glint in his sunken sockets.

"Old Man Matou, isn't that why I've come? To resolve your worries?" Li Zihan smiled, taking off the glove on his left hand. Three scarlet lines were casually drawn, depicting the roaring head of a mighty lion.

"It is truly an honor for the Matou family to receive your help, Li Zihan," the old man managed a stiff, unnatural smile, like a reanimated corpse, sinister and terrifying.

The old worm's body is at its limit. He'll need to switch bodies soon. Li Zihan judged, smelling a stronger scent of decay on the old man than during their last meeting.

"I should be the one thanking you," Li Zihan said, putting his glove back on. "If it weren't for you gifting me your Magic Crest, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"It's far better to leave a Crest to a talented junior than to an untalented descendant," the old worm said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "When you achieve victory, I am willing to bestow my remaining Magic Crests upon you as a congratulatory gift."

"Then, I thank you again, Old Man Matou," Li Zihan said, finishing his matcha. He then stood up. "It's getting late. I need to prepare for the upcoming battle."

"Aren't you going to see Sakura?" the old man asked, propping himself up with his cane. "She's been mentioning you often lately."

"There's no need. There will be plenty of time in the future. No need to rush," Li Zihan replied, a hint of melancholy in his expression before he sighed. "There are more important matters to attend to now."

"Are you preparing for the upcoming battle?" the old worm tapped his wooden staff. "If you have any issues with the Command Spells system, you can ask me. Although the Matou family has fallen, we still possess the most basic foundations."

"If I have any questions, I will naturally consult you, sir," the young man smiled. "I'm just going to clear out a future threat, eliminate an enemy in advance."

"It seems I have underestimated you, Li Zihan. I am truly ashamed," the old worm coughed, the smell of decay on his body becoming more pronounced. It was clear this body was nearing its end.

"If you are feeling unwell, sir, you should rest," Li Zihan suggested, noticing Matou Zouken's condition.

"You saw through me, Li Zihan." Matou Zouken didn't try to hide it, frankly admitting his poor state. "Then, I shall take my leave."

The strange old man walked stiffly towards the shadowy area. This body, composed of insects, shared their habits, such as disliking sunlight and preferring darkness.

Watching the old worm leave and his figure gradually disappear from view, Li Zihan brought the case he was carrying onto the table and opened it to inspect his weapons. Complex parts were inscribed with mysterious and strange runes, and as the owner assembled them, their original forms began to appear.

Li Zihan and the old worm didn't actually have much of a relationship. Although they always addressed each other as senior and junior, their relationship was superficial, a friendship forged by mutual benefit.

About a year ago, Li Zihan passed through Fuyuki and, on a whim, decided to try the main quest for Type-Moon transmigrators: kill the old worm and save Sakura. Then, using his interest in the Matou family's Magic Crests as an excuse, he, led by the Matou family's biggest traitor, Kariya Matou, fought his way into the Matou household.

Then, Li Zihan awkwardly discovered that the old worm was incredibly resilient, with countless clones and his true body nowhere to be found. He could be fought, but not killed.

Li Zihan wasn't a holder of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, so he couldn't grab a clone and kill the main body. Nor could he expect any divine equipment as a beginner's gift from a System that had trouble even booting up.