For the Fourth Holy Grail War, Zouken Matou held little hope.
The Matou family, or rather the Zolgen family, had settled in Fuyuki City as outsiders.
But magic was deeply tied to the environment, and after centuries of change, the family faced adaptation issues.
Their magic circuits began to regress.
This was only natural.
After all, who could have foreseen that over hundreds of years, the Holy Grail ritual had never once been truly completed?
After such a long time, the family's magus bloodline was nearing extinction.
In the generation following Zouken's son, magic circuits were blocked from birth, preventing them from becoming magus.
Thus, for the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Matou family had no new pawns to field and couldn't participate.
However, unexpectedly, the Tohsaka family... another of the three founding magus families of the ritual... produced promising heirs.
Both of Tokiomi Tohsaka's daughters were highly talented magus.
Unfortunately, the Tohsaka family's magic crest could only be inherited by one.
To avoid wasting his daughter's potential, and with the Matou bloodline fading, Tokiomi sent his daughter Sakura to be adopted by Zouken Matou.
No, she was now Sakura Matou.
"Such fine blood, Sakura."
"If it's you, winning the Fifth Holy Grail War shouldn't be difficult, right?"
"Isn't that so, Sakura?"
The old man, his appearance twisted and grotesque, paused.
He looked down, scrutinizing the little girl beside him, satisfaction glinting in his eyes.
Due to this world's laws, mystery attracted mystery, and Sakura's exceptional talent meant she could never escape its grasp.
But as a young girl, Sakura couldn't comprehend this.
She could only follow Zouken fearfully, abandoned by her parents.
"Tch tch tch, don't be afraid, Sakura. From today, you're my granddaughter."
"You'll come to like your new name, Sakura Matou."
"It sounds much better than Sakura Tohsaka."
"But first, we need to perform a little ritual."
Zouken let out a creepy chuckle, pulling Sakura deeper into the Matou mansion.
At his words, Sakura's small frame trembled.
She shrank back instinctively, but her timid nature, coupled with overwhelming unease and fear, froze her in place, head bowed.
But did Zouken care about Sakura's feelings?
With his strong grip, painful enough to make her wince, he forced her to continue.
In the end, Sakura completed the journey.
Zouken's rough demeanor only heightened her anxiety.
"G-Grandfather, where are we going?"
"We're here, Sakura. No need to fear."
Zouken's eerie tone offered no comfort, only intensifying her dread.
When she saw the scene at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes widened, fear spilling over uncontrollably.
No explanation was needed... anyone who saw it could guess what was coming.
Thousands of worms.
All kinds... twisted, crawling, writhing... formed a pool so repulsive it defied human tolerance.
Disgusting?
It went beyond mere disgust.
A single glance could drive an ordinary person to madness.
"Go on, Sakura. Down you go."
What?
Sakura thought she'd misheard.
That place, those terrifying worms…
"No, no!"
"Waaah~~"
Unable to bear her fear, Sakura turned to flee toward the stairs.
But Zouken grabbed her hand.
"Heh tch tch tch~~"
Ignoring her cries, he dragged her toward the worm swarm. "It'll be over soon. If you have talent, tch tch tch…"
"No!!"
"Mommy~ Daddy~"
"I want to go home, waaah…"
As the worm pit drew closer, the girl, already lonely from abandonment, broke down, sobbing desperately, hoping someone... anyone... would appear.
Her parents, her sister, anyone!
Please, save me!!
Tap!
Tap tap tap!
Suddenly, the basement's sounds seemed muffled, as if veiled by a hazy curtain.
The worms' hissing, the old man's creepy laughter, the girl's cries... all fell silent.
The only clear sound was footsteps, growing louder from an unknown source.
"Looks like I'm not too late."
"What a nauseating sight."
An ethereal voice, as if from the heavens, echoed in the dim, cavernous basement.
"Hm?"
Wisps of cold air drifted through the room. Zouken's pupils narrowed as he looked down, realizing the girl he'd been holding was gone.
'What's happening?!'
'Magic?'
Zouken's mind raced as he turned to face a young man standing there.
Beside him was his newly adopted granddaughter, Sakura Matou.
'When?'
Silently, without him noticing, the youth had taken Sakura.
Unease stirred in Zouken, but he maintained a calm facade.
"It's over, Sakura."
A warm hand rested on the girl's head, gently stroking. Damien knelt, wiping the tears from her face.
"Waaah~~"
Sakura didn't know who Damien was, nor did she care.
All she knew was that in her moment of despair, this man appeared before her!
"There, there."
Damien pulled her into his arms, his gentle expression vanishing as he looked up, replaced by icy resolve. "Kill him, then destroy this place, Ice."
"You!"
Zouken hadn't expected such decisiveness. He tried to cast a spell.
But a terrifying chill seemed to freeze time and space in the basement.
His magic circuits stalled instantly, rendering him unable to use any magic.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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