Elias landed softly in the front yard of the Kuoh mansion.
Before he could even walk up the steps, the heavy front doors flew open.
Rin ran outside, her blue eyes wide with pure, desperate hope.
When she saw the girl in Elias's arms, Rin burst into tears.
"Sakura!"
Rin cried out, running down the steps.
Sakura opened her eyes and smiled tiredly.
"Nee-san,"
Sakura whispered, reaching her small hand out.
Elias gently set Sakura down on her feet.
Rin instantly pulled her little sister into a tight, desperate hug, burying her face in Sakura's dark hair.
She cried happily, refusing to let go.
After a few moments of holding her sister, Rin looked up at Elias.
"Elias,"
Rin sniffled, wiping her eyes.
"What happened back there? What is going on?"
Elias looked at her calmly. His voice was quiet, but it carried a deep, absolute finality.
"You do not have to worry about the Matou family ever again,"
Elias answered simply.
"You also don't have to worry about the Himejima clan either. Zouken, Shinji, and the Himejima leader are all dead. I disposed of them."
Rin's breath hitched. She stared at him in complete shock.
She knew Elias was strong, but to completely wipe out the leaders of two ancient, terrifying families in just one hour?
It was unbelievable.
But looking into his honest, dark eyes, she knew he was telling the exact truth.
The nightmare was finally over.
"Thank you,"
Rin whispered, her voice full of a deep, heavy gratitude she couldn't fully express.
"You saved her from a terrible fate."
At that moment, the rest of the girls walked out onto the porch.
Asia smiled warmly and walked down the steps.
"Hello, Sakura-san,"
Asia said with her sweet, gentle voice.
"My name is Asia. You must be very tired and scared from your trip. Please, come inside. I will show you to a nice, warm room. We will take very good care of you."
Sakura looked at Rin for approval. Rin nodded happily.
"Go with her, Sakura,"
Rin smiled.
"You are completely safe here."
Sakura took Asia's hand, and the two girls walked inside the grand mansion together.
With Sakura finally safe and settled in, the heavy tension in the air shifted.
The rescue mission was over, but the real battle was just beginning.
Luvia walked out onto the porch, carrying a small travel bag. She looked at Rin, and then at Elias.
"Well,"
Luvia said, her proud, competitive spark returning to her eyes.
"The Matou family is out of the picture. But there are still other Masters. The Holy Grail War waits for no one."
Rin stood up straight and brushed the dust off her skirt.
She was no longer a crying sister; she was a proud Tohsaka mage ready for battle.
"She is right,"
Rin said firmly, looking at Elias.
"Are you ready to go back to Fuyuki City? It is time to officially join the war."
Elias turned to Rias, Akeno, and the rest of the girls standing on the porch.
"I am heading out,"
Elias said warmly.
"Take good care of Sakura and keep the house safe while I am gone."
"You do not need to worry about us,"
Rias smiled, stepping forward to give him a gentle, encouraging hug.
"We will protect Kuoh. Just focus on the war, Elias."
Elias nodded. He turned to Rin and Luvia.
"Let's go,"
Elias said.
With a quick, silent flash of magic, they traveled back to Fuyuki City.
They stood on top of a tall, quiet building, looking down at the dark, sleeping city below them.
The air felt heavy with hidden magical energy.
Rin crossed her arms. She looked at Elias very seriously.
"Okay, Elias,"
Rin said, her voice focused.
"We are officially in enemy territory now. Do you have a plan for the Holy Grail yet?"
Elias looked out at the city lights and shrugged easily.
"Not really,"
Elias answered honestly.
"I don't need a complicated plan. I just want to find them and fight."
Rin let out a long, tired sigh. She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"You are impossible,"
Rin mumbled. She turned her head and called out.
"Archer! Go up to the highest points of the city. Start scouting right now. We need to find the other Masters and Servants before they lay traps for us."
A golden spark flashed in the air, and Archer appeared on the roof.
But he didn't move to follow Rin's order.
He just stood completely still, staring at Elias with wide, cautious eyes.
"Archer?"
Rin asked, looking confused.
"What are you doing? I gave you an order."
"I don't need to go anywhere, Rin,"
Archer said. His voice was incredibly tense.
"There is absolutely no need for me to scout the city."
"Why not?"
Luvia asked, stepping closer and raising an eyebrow.
"Because he is already doing it,"
Archer said, pointing a finger at Elias.
"His magical perception is massive. It is expanding right now. He isn't just looking at the street... his senses are completely covering the entire city."
Elias stood perfectly still at the edge of the roof.
He simply closed his eyes.
Archer was right.
Elias could feel everything. His senses reached out like an invisible net over all of Fuyuki.
He could instantly feel the heavy, ancient energy of every single Servant hiding in the city.
Without moving a muscle, he securely locked onto all of them and their human Masters.
But his search was not a secret.
All over the city, in dark alleys, hidden temples, and quiet houses, every single Servant suddenly stopped what they were doing.
They gripped their weapons tightly.
A cold, terrifying shiver ran down their spines.
They could all feel it.
They knew that someone incredibly powerful was looking directly at them from above.
On the roof, Elias slowly opened his eyes.
But something was very different.
Because Elias had just killed Zouken—a monster who had cheated death for hundreds of years—Dee's blessing inside of him had reacted violently.
His deep, personal connection to Lady Death had grown much stronger.
Rin gasped loudly and took a step back.
"Elias... your eyes,"
Rin whispered in pure shock.
Elias blinked.
He looked down at his own hands, and then he looked out at the city below.
He saw something he had never seen before in his life.
Everything in the world—the concrete roof, the streetlights, even the air itself—was covered in faint, dark lines.
He intuitively understood exactly what they were.
They were the absolute flaws in everything.
They were the lines of mortality.
If he cut those dark lines, whatever he touched would instantly break and die, no matter how strong or immortal it was.
He had gained the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
"I can see the death of all things,"
Elias whispered softly, a calm, confident smile forming on his face.
He turned to Rin and Luvia.
"I found them. Let's go."
Miles away from the dark, dangerous streets of Fuyuki City, the Kuoh mansion was completely peaceful.
Dee was sitting quietly on the wooden porch, happily swinging her pale legs in the cool night air.
But suddenly, she stopped.
A sudden, sharp shiver ran straight down her spine.
Dee gasped softly.
Her endless dark eyes widened in pure surprise.
She touched her pale neck with her small hands.
She was Lady Death.
She had existed since the very beginning of time.
She was the absolute end of all things.
She never felt cold, and she definitely never shivered.
But this new feeling was not from the cold night wind.
It came from deep inside her very existence.
She closed her eyes and focused on the strange feeling.
Instantly, she felt a powerful, burning warmth.
It was Elias.
Because Elias had just awakened the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, their existence had suddenly slammed together.
The magical link between them had become incredibly deep and completely permanent.
Dee smiled. It was not her usual playful, mysterious smile.
It was a very real, very happy smile.
A soft, warm blush actually appeared on her pale cheeks.
"You really are amazing, Eli,"
Dee whispered to the quiet night sky, her voice full of absolute love.
She could feel exactly what his soul was doing across the distance.
He wasn't just borrowing her power anymore.
His strong, adaptive soul was actively reaching back out to her.
He was pulling her out of her endless, lonely void.
"You are trying to make me yours,"
Dee giggled softly, feeling her heart flutter in a way it never had before.
She placed her cold hand over her own chest, feeling a brand new, comforting warmth glowing inside of her.
It was a beautiful trade.
"I left my mark on your eyes,"
Dee whispered happily, knowing he could now see the death of all things perfectly.
"And you... you left your mark right here on my heart."
For the first time in all of eternity she did not feel like an empty, lonely concept.
Thanks to the mark he left on her soul, she felt real.
She finally belonged to someone.
She belonged entirely to Elias.
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