"Impossible! Impossible! What... what is happening?! Aaaah!!!" Matou Zouken collapsed to the ground, howling in furious defeat.
But his rage only earned him scornful laughter from the group across from him.
Yuto gazed up at Hestia, who was floating in the air.
He had anticipated the goddess's anger, but he never imagined she would be this furious.
The moment she arrived, Hestia unleashed her divine power.
With a wave of her hand, she unleashed an attack that destroyed the Matou Family mansion.
Yet even after this display of power, Hestia's expression remained grim.
Her fury ran far deeper!
"Is that him?" Yuto asked Sakura gently.
Sakura nodded blankly, the little girl still stunned by Hestia's overwhelming power.
"Tch, how disgusting," Yuto spat.
He gently embraced Sakura, still feeling the child's lingering fear.
Floating in the air, Hestia now possessed crimson hair and golden eyes, her fingertips radiating golden light.
Her aura was divine, as if she were the focal point of the world itself.
This was the manifestation of a deity... a defining characteristic of gods.
The current Hestia bore no resemblance to her usual soft and endearing self.
Though suspended in the air, she kept a watchful eye on Sakura.
The moment Sakura nodded, golden flames ignited in her pure gold eyes.
She raised her hand, and the earth rumbled, the air vibrated, and even the surrounding rain flew toward her palm.
Matou Zouken, who had collapsed amidst the ruins, was pinned down by an invisible force gripping his neck.
In the blink of an eye, he was dragged before the assembled group.
Yuto swiftly covered Sakura's eyes.
"Ugh... you... you're not human... This power... this power..." Matou Zouken struggled against the invisible grip choking him.
Now that death was imminent, he felt not only terror but also a strange exhilaration.
He had witnessed a power unlike anything in the human world!
In his centuries of existence, he had never encountered such a thing.
Not a magus! Not a Heroic Spirit! Something far more mysterious, unique, and noble!
A mad hypothesis surged through his mind.
A god!
The being before him was a god!
But he dared not believe it. The age of gods had ended millennia ago.
The deities had long since abandoned humanity!
No! Impossible! It couldn't be a god!
"Hmph, filthy scum. Let the annihilation of your decaying soul appease my wrath!"
The words Hestia spoke were divine, each words resonating with earth-shattering power!
With a single gesture, she crushed Zouken's physical body into nothingness.
In its place appeared a writhing, insect-like phantom—Matou Zouken's soul!
"How disgusting!"
Golden flames erupted in Hestia's eyes.
The insect-like soul of Matou Zouken instantly ignited with divine fire!
"Aaaaaahhhh!!!"
This was agony that pierced the very soul!
To be burned by divine fire was a torment a hundred, a thousand, even ten thousand times more excruciating than any mortal suffering!
Yuto thoughtfully covered Sakura's ears.
As he watched the scene unfold in the sky, he sighed with a hint of awe.
'Now that's what a god should be like!'
Just then—
"Someone's coming," Tohru whispered, alerting Yuto.
He turned to see an elegant man in a crimson suit approaching.
His face was full of terror and shock.
"It's Father," Sakura murmured.
As Yuto observed the newcomer, he relaxed his hand covering Sakura's eyes, allowing her to glimpse Tokiomi Tohsaka through the gaps between his fingers.
Hearing Sakura's words, Hestia fixed her gaze on Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Under the goddess's merciless stare, Tokiomi felt a tremor deep within his soul!
He felt as if he were walking a tightrope high in the sky—one wrong step would mean certain death!
Hestia's initial strike not only destroyed the Matou Family estate but also sent shockwaves through the magus community of Fuyuki City.
Even a casual blow from the goddess far surpassed the power of any magus alive!
Such overwhelming force naturally drew Tokiomi Tohsaka's attention.
Upon discovering that the source of the power originated from the Matou Family's direction, he rushed to the scene.
But when he arrived, he was overwhelmed by Hestia's presence.
He couldn't even move.
His heart raced with both excitement and terror as he stared at Hestia, his eyes burning with fervent intensity.
As a magus, he had dedicated his life to pursuing the mysteries of the world.
Hestia's appearance evoked both awe and dread in his heart.
"That's... Sakura!"
When Tokiomi saw Sakura in Yuto's arms, his expression shifted.
Before he could react, he found himself transported before the group.
Tokiomi's face was frozen in shock, devoid of any other emotion. He watched as Hestia descended from the sky and witnessed Matou Zouken's soul vanish.
A storm of emotions raged within him, making it impossible to regain his composure.
"Sakura, is hr your father?" Yuto asked gently, and the little girl nodded.
She seemed unsure whether to step forward.
If her father hadn't sent her to the Matou Family, none of this would have happened.
Her kind heart felt heavy with sorrow and disappointment.
Hestia had withdrawn her divine power. Matou Zouken had been incinerated by her flames, his soul reduced to nothingness.
Even the concept of an afterlife had been erased by the goddess.
Yet the fury in her heart remained unquenched.
As she glared at Tokiomi, her anger intensified.
This was the man who had pushed his own daughter into the abyss.
'Did such a person even deserve to be called a father?! It's all his fault!'
"Did you send Sakura away?" Hestia asked Tokiomi, her face cold and indifferent.
"Yes," Tokiomi replied, his expression respectful despite his inner turmoil.
Even in his panic, he knew he was no match for the being before him, hence his deference.
Hestia's icy demeanor deepened with fury at his confirmation.
Golden light flared around her once more, her intent to kill solidified.
Sensing his demise was about to come, Tokiomi drew his wand and gems.
Even knowing he was outmatched, he couldn't accept death without a fight.
Hestia scoffed at his preparations.
To her, his efforts were nothing more than a joke.
"Hestia, wait," Yuto interjected.
He understood Hestia's rage, but allowing her to act now would inflict psychological trauma on Sakura, who was still present.
Hestia's hair returned to its original state as she turned to look at Yuto, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Yuto glanced at Sakura, and a flicker of panic clouded the goddess's furious gaze.
Hestia's heart pounded with anxiety.
Overwhelmed by fury, she had forgotten that Sakura was still present. Without Yuto's reminder, Hestia couldn't imagine how Sakura would have viewed her if she had killed her father!
'But what should I do now?'
Her composure shattered, the once-majestic goddess reverted to her usual childlike demeanor.
She cast a pleading glance at Yuto, who understood her panic.
He nodded reassuringly and stepped forward.
"Allow me to handle this from here," he said.
Yuto's intervention brought a wave of relief to Hestia's heart.
Her gaze toward him was filled with gratitude and joy.
He handed Sakura to Tohru, who stood nearby, and strode forward to stand beside Hestia, facing Tokiomi just a few meters away.
"Tohsaka-san, I have a few questions for you."
Tokiomi relaxed at Yuto's words, but he maintained his guarded posture.
Hestia, still glaring fiercely at him from Yuto's side, kept him on edge.
"I will answer your questions truthfully," Tokiomi replied. He bowed respectfully and gracefully to Yuto.
Yuto nodded in acknowledgment. "When you sent Sakura away, did you ever consider her future or worry about her?"
"Sakura is my daughter, and I love her. But the traditions of magus families are what they are. I didn't want her to live a meaningless life. In the Tohsaka family, she was destined to never become the heir. So I hoped she could become the heir of the Matou Family. I believed that future would be best for Sakura..."
Tokiomi spoke with deep sincerity.
Hestia, who had been watching his heart the entire time, knew he wasn't lying.
Yuto sighed softly at this answer.
"Matou Zouken promised me he would nurture Sakura's talents with care and never let them go to waste," Tokiomi added.
"But do you know what he intends to do with Sakura?"
"That..." Tokiomi hesitated.
Every magus family kept their methods of magic inheritance secret, and he didn't know Matou Zouken's methods.
Seeing the confusion on Tokiomi's face, even Hestia's anger softened slightly.
It turned out that the Tohsaka family was unaware of Matou Zouken's plans, they too had been deceived.
"Matou Zouken intends to..." Yuto explained the situation to Tokiomi.
As he listened, Tokiomi's face twisted with fury and remorse.
"Matou! Zouken!" He spat out Zouken's name through clenched teeth, his eyes burning with rage and regret.
Seeing Tokiomi in such a state, Yuto sighed.
"Sakura, come here."
Yuto beckoned, and Tohru led Sakura forward.
Sakura hesitated, reluctant to approach her father.
Tokiomi watched his daughter's hesitant expression as she approached him.
He gave a bitter smile and collapsed to his knees.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... It's my fault... It's my fault... It's my fault..."
Rain mingled with tears streamed down his face, transforming the once-elegant man into a broken figure.
Sakura took a tentative step forward.
"Father... I'm okay..."
Tokiomi listened to Sakura's words, lifting his head but unable to meet her gaze.