Elias didn't wait for the pile of worms to answer him.
He didn't have to.
He closed his eyes and completely trusted the heavy, sick feeling in his chest.
Dee's blessing guided him.
He felt a tiny, intense pulse of disgusting magic hiding in the dark corner of the basement ceiling.
Elias opened his eyes and looked up.
A single, ugly worm—the true Crest Worm—was desperately trying to crawl away into a crack in the stone.
"Found you,"
Elias said coldly.
Zouken panicked. The pile of bugs on the floor started screaming.
"No! Stop!"
Zouken yelled.
Elias held out his empty hand. He focused his magical energy, copying the exact flow of power he had felt from Archer earlier that day.
"Trace, on,"
Elias chanted clearly.
A bright flash of blue light sparked in his hand.
A sleek, black bow and a glowing red arrow instantly appeared in his grip.
In the shadows behind him, a golden spark flashed.
Archer appeared from his spirit form, completely crossing his arms and glaring at the boy.
"Hey!"
Archer complained loudly.
"That is my personal magic! You are literally stealing my moves now?!"
"It is a very useful move,"
Elias smirked, pulling the bowstring back.
He didn't even aim carefully. He just let the arrow fly.
*Whoosh!*
The glowing red arrow shot across the dark room and pinned the ugly Crest Worm directly to the stone wall.
"Gaaaaahhhh!"
Zouken's voice let out one final, horrible screech.
The Crest Worm burned into black ash.
The second it died, the pile of worms on the floor instantly stopped moving.
They quickly dried up and turned into a pile of grey dust.
Zouken Matou, the ancient, evil monster, was completely dead.
Elias lowered the bow and let it fade away.
But suddenly, he frowned. He felt a strange, heavy pressure on the back of his neck.
Someone, very far away, was watching him through a magical spyglass.
*The Clock Tower,*
Elias thought calmly.
*The leader of the human mages is looking at me.*
But the feeling only lasted for a few seconds before it completely vanished.
The watcher had retreated.
Elias turned to Archer.
"The old man is dead,"
Elias told the white-haired hero.
"Let's go upstairs and wait outside. The kidnappers are going to arrive with Sakura any minute now."
Archer sighed, still annoyed about the stolen bow.
"Fine,"
Archer grumbled.
"But you owe me for copyright infringement."
Upstairs, the Matou compound was completely quiet.
No one in the family had any idea that their powerful, terrifying ancestor had just been turned to ash in the basement.
Shinji Matou was pacing impatiently in the grand hallway.
He looked out the large front window and finally saw it.
A dark, unmarked car was slowly pulling into the hidden driveway.
"Finally!"
Shinji smiled wickedly, rubbing his hands together.
"They brought her!"
Invisible in the air next to him, a tall man in blue armor floated quietly.
It was Shinji's Servant, Lancer.
Lancer looked at Shinji with pure disgust.
"You are a coward, Master,"
Lancer growled in his spirit form.
"Using kidnappers to snatch a little girl in the dark. It is pathetic. A real man fights his enemies face-to-face."
"Shut up, Lancer!"
Shinji snapped back angrily.
"You are just my tool! You do exactly what I tell you to do! Now stay quiet and follow me."
Lancer clicked his tongue in anger, but he couldn't do anything.
The magical Command Seals forced him to obey his terrible Master.
Shinji proudly opened the side door and walked toward the secret garage where the kidnappers were supposed to deliver Sakura to his grandfather.
"Bring her out here!"
Shinji ordered loudly, walking into the dark garage.
"My grandfather is waiting!"
But when Shinji stepped inside, his wicked smile completely vanished.
The dark car was parked in the center.
The doors were open.
But the kidnappers were not holding Sakura.
They were all lying completely dead on the concrete floor.
Standing right in the middle of the corpses was a tall teenager with dark hair.
Elias had already rescued the sleeping little girl and placed her safely in the back seat.
Shinji's eyes went wide with pure terror.
"Wh-who are you?!"
Shinji screamed, stumbling backward.
"Lancer! Attack him! Kill him right now!"
A flash of bright blue light exploded in the garage.
Lancer instantly materialized, gripping his deadly red spear.
Lancer didn't have a choice. His Master gave a direct order.
He moved faster than a bullet, thrusting his spear straight toward Elias's chest with absolute, lethal force.
But Elias didn't panic. He simply reached out his hand, and his own weapon, Naginata, the Eclipse appeared in his grip.
*CLANG!*
Elias perfectly parried the attack, knocking Lancer's spear away with a swift, powerful twist of his wrist.
Lancer completely froze.
His fierce red eyes widened in absolute shock.
He stepped back and stared at Elias, completely ignoring Shinji's screaming.
"Wait a minute,"
Lancer said, his voice full of disbelief.
"That stance... that parry... I know those moves perfectly."
Lancer pointed his weapon at Elias.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Lancer demanded, completely confused.
"Why are you using my exact same spearmanship?!"
Elias rested the dark handle of his Naginata on his shoulder.
He looked at the blue-armored warrior with a calm, knowing expression.
"Are you Cu Chulainn?"
Elias asked directly.
Lancer didn't answer. His fierce red eyes just narrowed.
He kept his mouth completely shut, but his tense silence was more than enough to give Elias the correct answer.
Elias smirked. He knew exactly why their fighting styles were the same.
"It is a good thing I didn't kill your Master yet,"
Elias said softly.
He raised his free hand. A glowing red magic circle instantly appeared on the concrete floor of the garage.
"Come out, Scathach,"
Elias called out.
A blinding red light filled the dark room.
When the light faded, the tall, beautiful Queen of the Shadow Realm stood next to Elias.
She held her massive red spear, her long purple hair blowing in the magical wind.
Lancer's jaw dropped. His hands actually started to shake.
"Master...?"
Lancer whispered, completely stunned.
Scathach looked at the blue-armored warrior.
Slowly, a bright, genuine smile appeared on her beautiful face.
Lancer saw her smile, and he couldn't help but smile back.
His blood boiled with pure, warrior excitement.
They didn't say a single word to each other.
They didn't need to.
In the exact same second, both of them exploded forward.
Their red spears crashed together with a massive boom that shook the entire garage.
They immediately started fighting with incredible speed, perfectly matching each other's deadly strikes and completely ignoring everything else.
Standing by the wall, Shinji watched the two legendary monsters clash.
His face turned as white as a sheet of paper.
He was completely terrified.
"M-Monsters..."
Shinji stuttered, his legs shaking uncontrollably.
He quickly turned around, desperate to run away and escape back into the mansion.
But Elias stepped right in front of him, blocking the only exit.
"Where are you going?"
Elias asked, his voice completely cold and empty.
"Get out of my way!"
Shinji screamed, tears of fear running down his face.
Elias looked down at the pathetic boy.
"I only let you live this long for one reason,"
Elias explained calmly.
"I knew who your Servant was. I kept you alive just so Scathach could have a fun reunion with her favorite disciple. But your part is over now."
Shinji panicked.
He raised his right hand high into the air, revealing the glowing red Command Seals printed on his skin.
"By my Command Seal!"
Shinji yelled, trying to force his Servant to protect him.
"Lancer, come here and—"
*Tick.*
A heavy purple light instantly covered the garage.
Shinji froze mid-sentence, his mouth wide open.
Time completely stopped around him.
Elias didn't blink. He swung his Naginata in a fast, clean circle.
First, the sharp, dark blade smoothly chopped off Shinji's right arm, taking the Command Seals completely away.
Then, Elias raised his free hand. His fingers glowed with bright red human magecraft.
He quickly traced his glowing fingers over Shinji's frozen face.
Thick, magical black threads instantly pierced through Shinji's lips, tightly sewing his mouth completely shut.
Elias lowered his weapon.
*Tick.*
Time instantly started moving again.
"...!"
Shinji couldn't even scream. He fell to his knees in a pool of his own blood, grabbing the stump of his missing arm.
His eyes bulged in pure agony, but his mouth was tightly sealed by the dark magic.
He couldn't speak, he couldn't cast spells, and he could never force Lancer to do anything ever again.
Elias looked down at the crying boy, letting him suffer in complete silence.
Lancer fought with absolutely everything he had.
He pushed his body to the limit, his red spear striking like lightning.
But it was not enough. Scathach was simply too strong.
Even without extra help, she was already a legendary god-slayer.
But now, with Elias's Adaptivity power running through her veins, she was completely unstoppable.
She easily saw through his attacks and blocked every single one of Lancer's deadly strikes without breaking a sweat.
Lancer didn't stand a chance.
With a swift, beautiful movement, Scathach stepped past his guard.
She thrust her massive red spear directly through Lancer's chest.
Lancer froze.
His weapon slipped from his hands and clattered onto the concrete garage floor.
But he didn't look angry, and he didn't look afraid.
Instead, he looked at Scathach with pure respect and a peaceful, genuine smile.
It was a fitting end for a true warrior.
"You are as flawless as ever, Master,"
Lancer coughed quietly. His body began to softly glow with golden light.
"I was forced into this war by a pathetic coward. But dying in a real battle, by your hands... It is a prideful end. Thank you for this honor."
Scathach looked at her beloved disciple.
Her fierce red eyes softened. She pulled her spear back and gave him a deep, respectful nod.
"Rest well, Cu Chulainn,"
Scathach said softly.
Lancer smiled one last time before his body completely turned into golden dust.
He disappeared into the air, his soul finally returning to the Throne of Heroes.
Scathach lowered her weapon. A sudden wave of hot, fierce anger washed over her.
She was furious that her proud, brave student had been forced to obey such a terrible, weak human.
She turned around, her red eyes locking onto Shinji.
She fully intended to make the boy suffer for insulting a true warrior's pride.
But when she saw him, her anger instantly subsided.
Shinji was kneeling on the cold floor, completely broken.
His right arm was missing, and his mouth was tightly sewn shut with dark, terrifying magic.
He was crying and shivering in pure agony, unable to even scream.
Elias had already punished him perfectly.
Elias looked up and saw that Scathach was finished with her fight.
He didn't say a single word. He just casually stepped forward and swung his dark Naginata one last time.
*Swish.*
Shinji's head fell cleanly to the floor.
The cruel, arrogant boy was instantly dead.
Elias wiped his dark blade and let it vanish into thin air.
His face was completely calm and empty.
He didn't feel happy, and he didn't feel guilty.
To Elias, killing Shinji Matou didn't feel like taking a human life at all. It just felt like disposing of the trash.
Elias looked away from Shinji's lifeless body. He turned to face his Servant.
"Are you okay, Scathach?"
Elias asked calmly.
Scathach nodded, her red eyes looking very peaceful.
"I am fine, Master,"
Scathach smiled softly.
"Thank you for letting me see him one last time. It meant a lot to me. I will return to my spirit from now and rest."
With a soft glow of red light, the Queen of the Shadow Realm vanished into the air.
Elias walked over to the dark car.
He opened the back door and gently picked up the sleeping woman.
Sakura was very light.
Elias held her safely and carefully against his chest.
He didn't want to waste any more time in this horrible place.
He bent his knees and leaped high into the night sky, rushing back toward Kuoh Town.
The cool night wind blew through Sakura's dark purple hair.
Slowly, she began to wake up.
She blinked her eyes open.
Everything around her was moving very fast.
She looked up and saw a strange teenage boy carrying her high above the city.
Sakura instantly panicked. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest.
"No! Let me go!"
Sakura cried out in fear.
She squirmed and tried to push against his chest with her small, shaking hands.
She thought he was another one of Zouken's terrible kidnappers.
Elias slowed down his speed just a little bit so he wouldn't scare her even more.
He looked down at her with a warm, gentle smile.
"Hey, it is okay,"
Elias said softly.
"Please calm down. I am not going to hurt you."
"Who are you?!"
Sakura asked, tears forming in her eyes.
"Where are you taking me?!"
"Your older sister sent me,"
Elias explained kindly.
"Rin asked me to come and rescue you. I am taking you to my home right now. Rin is waiting for you there."
Sakura stopped pushing. Her big eyes went wide with surprise.
"Big sister Rin...?"
Sakura whispered.
She stopped struggling and looked closely at his face.
She saw his dark hair, his calm eyes, and his gentle, safe smile.
Suddenly, Sakura realized something.
"Wait,"
Sakura said softly, her fear slowly melting away.
"Are you... Elias?"
Elias raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Yes, I am,"
Elias answered.
"How do you know my name?"
A tiny, sweet smile finally appeared on Sakura's tired face.
"Nee-san talks about you all the time,"
Sakura giggled quietly.
"She told me about the strong boy with dark hair who lives in a giant mansion in Kuoh."
Sakura rested her head comfortably against his shoulder.
"She talks about you non-stop,"
Sakura continued, sounding very amused.
"She always tries to sound angry and bossy when she says your name, but her face turns totally red every single time. I am pretty sure she has a massive crush on you."
"I—Is that so?"
Elias smiled.
"I will definitely have to tease her about that later."
Sakura closed her eyes. The cold, terrible fear of the kidnappers and her scary grandfather was completely gone.
Being held in Elias's arms, she felt incredibly warm, safe, and protected.
She knew nothing bad could ever hurt her as long as he was there.
"Thank you, Elias-san,"
Sakura whispered sleepily, wrapping her small arms around his neck.
"Thank you for saving me."
"You are welcome,"
Elias replied gently.
"Let's go home."
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