Following the information Father Kotomine Kirei gave to Emiya, he brought Saber to an ancient house.
As soon as Emiya Shirou entered the room, he noticed that it was crawling with countless insects.
No sooner had he entered than the door behind him was closed by Hassan.
"What they call a moth drawn to a flame, that's precisely you."
The insects coalesced into Zouken Matou's body. The old man, with his hands behind his back, sneered at Emiya Shirou.
Damn it, I fell for it!
This was the first thought that flashed through Emiya Shirou's mind.
Meanwhile, outside the door,
Hassan and Saber were engaged in an intense Servants duel.
But in reality, Hassan was merely a decoy. From an unseen corner, a black shadow crept up.
Black ribbons wrapped around Saber's leg.
As if cursed, numerous black splotches appeared on Saber's blue armor.
The black ribbons spread upwards from her feet, coiling around Saber's body. Any Servant that touched this substance would be corrupted and lose their sanity.
Saber screamed out in agony.
"Assassin! You bastard..."
That's right, this black substance was emanating from the black shadow Emiya and the others had seen earlier.
Hassan coldly stated, "This thing is irresistible to Servants, especially to a pure Servant like you. Just touching it will make you lose your sanity."
"However, before that, your heart, I shall claim it."
The opponent was not just the black shadow, but also the Assassin in front of them.
Saber's situation could be said to be quite perilous now.
Even Yamada Masaharu couldn't help but gasp.
During the battle, their dialogue alternated, and under the influence of the black shadow, Saber's health was continuously decreasing.
At this rate, she would probably be defeated sooner or later.
However, just as Hassan was about to use his Noble Phantasm to extract Saber's heart, Saber, relying on her powerful willpower, temporarily repelled the black shadows.
...
At the same time, inside the room, Shirou, who was fighting the insects controlled by Zouken Matou, also transferred the power of a Command Seal to Saber.
Saber's energy bar was full, and she could now use her ultimate move.
"Saber!" Emiya Shirou roared.
The red light of the Command Seal on his hand instantly exploded.
Saber raised her sword above her head, and a circle of silvery-white light emanated from her entire body.
"Hah!!!"
Saber's sword struck out rapidly, a powerful light, carrying an unparalleled force, directly overturned the entire area.
The power swept through like a storm, destroying everything it touched.
...
With this one sword, Saber almost annihilated everything.
However, it was a great pity that she failed to successfully kill Hassan, and Saber was also swallowed by the black shadow.
The wave swept over, and outside the damaged house, Hassan reappeared, merely letting out a sigh:
"Is this the strongest Servant?
She would rather confront the darkness within herself than let me take her heart."
At the same time, inside the house, due to the Servant's disappearance,
All of Shirou's Command Seals on his hand also vanished.
"As a Master, you must have felt it, right?" Zouken Matou said with a cackle in his old voice, "Your Servant has disappeared."
"You bastard!"
Emiya Shirou mustered all his strength, preparing to fight to the death.
However, the Assassin from outside had also returned to the house.
This meant Emiya Shirou would face attacks from two people.
And just as he was in a desperate situation, at the crucial moment, the one who came to save his life was surprisingly the Servant Rider.
That is, the Heroic Spirit with long purple hair and eyes always covered by a mask.
Huh?
A huge question surged in Yamada Masaharu's heart—
Isn't that Matou Shinji's Servant?
And she was clearly defeated by Saber before, so why is she here, and why is she saving Emiya?
With Rider's inclusion, Yamada Masaharu easily defeated Hassan.
Hassan was no match for Rider at all, and she was heavily flung away by her chains. The Assassin, falling to the ground, quickly concealed himself to survive.
After the battle ended, they discovered that Zouken Matou had already left at some unknown point.
After doing all this, Rider didn't say a single word to Shirou.
...
Only Emiya Shirou was left in the ancient mansion. He walked outside the house, wanting to find Saber, but he saw nothing except the strange black shadow standing in the courtyard.
However, when he walked over, the black shadow had already disappeared.
His smooth hand, devoid of Command Seals, indicated that he was no longer a Master.
Yamada Masaharu's heart skipped a beat.
Could Saber really be dead?
For some reason, now that he belatedly realized it, Yamada Masaharu felt a wave of sadness wash over him.
No way?
Is it real or fake?
Saber is just gone like that?
Good heavens, is this really not a script written by Gen Urobuchi?
Why does it give off such a strong, familiar vibe?
Damn it!
Nasu Kinoko!
...
After losing Saber, Emiya Shirou was like a soulless shell, dragging his injured body towards home.
Upon arriving home, Emiya Shirou received a call from Matou Shinji.
It turned out this despicable guy had actually kidnapped Sakura.
So Emiya Shirou, disregarding the pain of losing Saber, dragged his body to the school.
In the library, Matou Shinji was holding a knife to Sakura's neck.
He threatened Shirou to fight Rider.
He had long awaited this day, and seeing Emiya Shirou's miserable state of being thrashed by a Servant, Matou Shinji laughed exceptionally happily.
Matou Shinji was a guy with no magical talent. He used these methods to extract pleasure from others' pain, satisfying his twisted, jealous, and pathological psychology.
However, Rider clearly didn't want Shirou's life. Instead, using the opportunity of the battle, she threw Shirou towards Matou Shinji.
Shirou flipped in the air and punched Shinji, knocking him and the table over onto the floor.
When he stood up, Yamada Masaharu noticed that Emiya Shirou was holding the dagger used to harm Sakura.
Blood flowed down from the blade's edge.
Just then, Archer, who had arrived, jumped in through the window with Tohsaka Rin.
The two also joined the battle.
After defeating Matou Shinji and Rider.
Matou Shinji was incredibly furious.
"Toh... Tohsaka!?
Emiya, you despicable scoundrel, you didn't keep your promise! Didn't I tell you to come alone!"
Rin responded, "That's right. But didn't you say it wasn't a promise but an order, right?
Then there's no reason to call Emiya a despicable scoundrel."
"Are you satisfied? With you having taken Sakura, there's no reason for me to stand by, right? The price for luring Emiya out is that you've completely made an enemy of me."
"All of you, all you know is Sakura.
Sakura. Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, Sakura!
It's truly annoying!"
Hearing Sakura's name, Matou Shinji completely went mad.
He pulled out a book from his Pregnant, ordering the injured Rider to stand up, wanting to command the Servant to continue fighting, determined to crush Emiya and defeat these guys.
However, the current Rider, after being defeated, was clearly overburdened, almost unable to face another battle.
Finally, Sakura couldn't bear it anymore and shouted, "No!"
Just as she cried out "No," the book in Matou Shinji's hand quickly caught fire.
Only then did everyone realize that Sakura was the true Master, and Rider was actually her Servant.
The reason Matou Shinji could control Rider was entirely due to the Book of False Servants in his hand; it was through this book that Sakura had delegated her Master authority to him.
Transferring control to Matou Shinji had actually consumed Sakura's Command Seals.
Now that the Book of False Servants in his hand was burned, the Servant's control naturally returned to Sakura's hands.
Matou Shinji became completely deranged, desperately wanting to regain control of Rider from Sakura, screaming at Sakura to give Rider to him.
But Sakura now only had one Command Seal left. No matter how she transferred it to him, after using up the last Command Seal, Rider would also regain her freedom, making it impossible.
Matou Shinji then ordered Sakura to kill Emiya Shirou.
Sakura shook her head, "I won't. Brother, you broke your promise. You said you wouldn't kill Senpai, but you broke that promise.
So, I already..."
Sakura did not turn to face Shinji.
Shinji laughed, as if looking at someone else.
In the instant everyone felt an ominous chill.
"—Then fine. You can die here."
Matou Shinji grinned sinisterly, crushing the glass bottle in his hand, and at the same time, a glass bottle also shattered in the earring Sakura was wearing.
A crisp sound of breaking glass echoed.
"Ah, ugh—!"
Sakura clutched her chest and collapsed against the wall, her legs weakly squatting on the floor.
"Ha, goodbye, Sakura! If your body turns out like that, don't hate me, hate Grandpa.
Anyway, it was bound to be used eventually, isn't it happier to let you off easy now!"
Having said that, Shinji fled like a bird.
"Ah— Ha, ha—!"
Sakura painfully clawed at her chest.
—The ornament on her ear shattered, and from it, a medicine-like liquid dripped out.
"Ah—, no—...!"
Sakura let out a heart-wrenching scream.
Trembling violently, like a building collapsing from an earthquake, she fell down just like that.
...
Now, Sakura could not suppress the scattered magic within her body.
The uncontrolled magic would indiscriminately attack everyone present.
Sakura suppressed the magic about to go out of control within her, not wanting Rider to attack Senpai and the others.
But Rider still insisted that with Sakura's magic scattering, the most important thing was to kill Archer and Emiya. After devouring them, their power could be used to replenish Sakura's magic.
After persuasion proved fruitless.
So everyone began to fight against the out-of-control Sakura and Rider.
In this battle, Rider's strength was completely on a different level than before, and under such circumstances, Rider removed the blindfold from her face.
The blindfold sealed Rider's Mystic Eyes; anything seen by those eyes would turn to stone.
At the same time, this also revealed Rider's identity—
She was the legendary witch Medusa.
So every two rounds, Medusa would activate her Mystic Eyes, randomly freezing one of the three-person team.
Sakura's state was quite chaotic; sometimes she would be in a shutdown state, but as long as she launched an attack, she could cause great damage.
Not only did they face the dilemma of missing personnel every round, but they also had to prevent being instantly defeated by Sakura if their health was too low.
After a series of arduous battles, Yamada Masaharu finally defeated them.
...
But Sakura's magic had already gone wild.
The materialized magic exploded in the air, forming black spikes like a sea urchin.
Sakura herself could also be killed by it.
To protect Sakura, Shirou leaped forward, pushing Sakura aside.
He himself was pierced by the magic spikes and fell.
"—No"
Sakura painfully clutched her chest, staring dumbfounded at Emiya, who had rolled onto the floor.
"No— Ah ah ah ah...!"
Emiya, like a broken puppet, lay on the ground, looking at Sakura.
...
...
The screen suddenly went black.
At this point, the main perspective of the entire game shifted.
It became Sakura's perspective.
Sakura, I'm sorry, but I won't be able to stay by your side anymore. After going to the Matou, Sakura should have a good future.
A man's voice rang out.
It turned out to be a man named Tohsaka Shi Chen.
This guy is Tohsaka Rin's father.
He is also Sakura's father.
The child of the Matou is an ordinary person without magical talent. After going to the Matou, with your talent, Sakura, you will also become an excellent magus.
After the memories in the picture, Yamada Masaharu finally understood:
It turns out that Sakura and Rin are biological sisters, both daughters of Tohsaka Shi Chen, but Sakura was adopted by Tohsaka Shi Chen into the Matou, which led to Sakura becoming a member of the Matou.
Her father's big hand gently stroked Sakura's head, and she smiled happily.
...
The scene switched again.
It seemed like a dream, Sakura in the mirror looked very small.
She still had big eyes, purple hair, and a bow.
So cute, Yamada Masaharu thought.
She sat alone in the train carriage, and when she stood up, she saw the scene of the opposite train reflected in the window behind her:
In the opposite train, her father Tohsaka Shi Chen was chatting and laughing with her elder sister Tohsaka Rin.
But the train was pulling away.
The two trains were like two parallel lines, with no intersection between them, one going east and one going west.
And seeing her father and sister about to leave, Sakura fell into a panic, quickly stood up and chased after the fading sound of them.
"Dad!"
"Sister!"
The young Sakura let out a heartbreaking cry.
Then she ran, opening one carriage door after another, just not wanting to miss the chance to see her father and sister.
But...
It was futile; in an instant, they had disappeared from Sakura's sight.
Sakura also fell forward with a thud, her face and eyes showing a helpless expression.
At this moment, Sakura had been completely abandoned.
And at the same time, in front of her, on the ground, countless insects crawled densely.
The entire carriage was full of terrifying insects.
...
Rustling sounds.
The sound was quite familiar.
It was the sound of countless insects dragging their bodies, countless insects crawling on the walls.
This place was quite familiar.
A dark and damp secret room.
A spiritual temple built underground.
The first room given to her when she was brought to the Matou was this Diablo green.
In the center of that Diablo, there was a human shape.
Although it was confusing whether it could be called a human, its appearance was human.
Zouken Matou smiled.
"As a vessel, Sakura truly has great potential. If this continues, the Matou should have hope in the next Holy Grail War 60 years from now."
"Sakura, this girl cried and screamed for the first three days, but on the fourth day, she calmed down."
"This morning I put her in the insect warehouse to see how long she could last.
She was tormented by the insects for half a day, but she still hadn't died.
I have to say, this material from the Tohsaka family is really good."
The camera turned to a weak Matou Sakura buried in a pile of insects, with only her head remaining.
Seeing this scene, Yamada Masaharu felt a bit broken.
Damn it!!!
Zouken Matou is really not human, to do such cruel things to Sakura?!
Using the Crest Worms to completely destroy Matou Sakura's body and mind, and then transform her into the form Zouken Matou wanted, not only her magic circuits but also her thoughts had to obey him.
This was Zouken Matou's goal.
...
Fear, helplessness, powerlessness, resentment... all of these filled Matou Sakura's mind.
However, after a long period of torment, all the light in front of her eyes was extinguished.
This was a completely dark world.
She couldn't feel a single bit of warmth, it was cold, as if she herself no longer existed.
Sakura just stared with empty eyes, no different from a corpse.
It wasn't just despair; she was already numb.
Seeing this, Yamada felt a pang of heartache.
It's hard to imagine how Matou Sakura endured all these years?
Why did Tohsaka Shi Chen give Sakura to such a hateful demon!
...
For Matou Sakura, the world had always been dark; she had always felt inferior, believing she wasn't as good as Tohsaka Rin.
Whether in terms of physical condition or family circumstances, Matou Sakura believed she was unworthy of comparison with other girls.
Her sister was the one who was radiant, proud, and lived in the sunlight.
And I...
I'm just a tool corrupted and controlled by insects.
My whole life, I'm only meant to live in darkness.
Once upon a time, Sakura's heart was already a dark, stagnant pool, completely devoid of any light.
But...
She met Emiya.
Emiya Shirou's care made Matou Sakura feel a warmth she had never experienced before.
From the day she met Emiya, his concern for her, teaching her to cook hand-in-hand, standing up for her after she was slapped by her brother, protecting her, letting her stay in the Emiya...
All of this, at first, was like tiny, faint cracks, slowly chiseled open by someone, bringing trickles of wind and sound into her dark, enclosed world.
Then, those stubborn dark rock walls that had sealed her off began to crumble bit by bit.
Until Emiya appeared in her life.
A beam of light shone in, illuminating her entire world.
By this point, Sakura's eyes were filled with tears.
I've already grown accustomed to this darkness.
If I had never seen the light.
I could have endured it...
Matou Sakura sobbed silently.
...
The Holy Grail War began once again.
Zouken Matou called her forward and commanded: "It's not Matou Shinji, but you who must fight."
That was something she had already resolved herself to.
At least until two days ago, she had accepted it.
But now, she lacked the resolve.
From the moment she determined that Emiya Shirou was a Master, she lacked the will to fight.
She was sent to the Emiya to monitor him.
But Emiya Shirou had neither the aptitude of a Master nor knowledge of the Holy Grail War.
That could be determined immediately.
Therefore, there was no need to dispatch a monitor from the start.
She used the excuse of monitoring to continue being Emiya Shirou's junior.
There was no need to fight him, she thought.
Even if her true identity would be exposed one day, she still optimistically believed that the day they would fight each other would never come.
But—why did it turn out this way?
"Grandpa, do all Masters have to be killed?"
She already knew the old man's answer.
Because she knew, she had never asked such a question.
But the old man smiled.
"How about this? If you insist on asking, then making one or two people into toys for amusement is fine.
As long as we seize their Servants, it's enough.
The remaining Masters, whether you want to turn them into toys or puppets, is entirely up to you."
The old man's answer was slightly different from her expectation.
"Huh...?" Matou Sakura's eyes widened.
Zouken Matou looked at her with a sinister gaze, "Don't you understand? I said, there's no need to kill all the Masters.
Just dispose of those who pose a danger while alive.
As for those who can't cause an obstruction, you can let them go.
Because it's my cute granddaughter's request.
Although it's our family's long-cherished wish, we can make some allowances."
Zouken Matou's words dispelled Sakura's last remaining vigilance.
That old man occasionally had moments of inexplicable tenderness.
When carrying out the Matou's magical 'education', he was completely inhuman and as cruel as an insect beast.
But when he said this, he was like a kind grandfather, making her feel amiable.
So it was impossible to be deceived.
Whether this was a whim or a calculated tenderness, she couldn't know.
Because she had no choice; as long as Zouken Matou gave the order, she had to fight the other Masters, Shirou and Rin.
"What, are you still not satisfied? Really, such a troublesome girl. Because you're so timid, you can't get what you want.
Listen, isn't this a good opportunity?
If you want something, just take it by force.
Well, Sakura.
Do you want to remain in the position of a monitor forever?
If there's something you want, just seize it. Whether it's power or authority, don't you have it?"
"..."
She did not answer.
She never had anything she wanted.
Emiya was just an aspiration; Sakura never thought she would be accepted.
She was impure.
Completely unworthy of him.
So, the one who could sit beside him must be someone more suitable for him.
Before that time came, it would be good enough to stay by his side as she was now.
To seek further happiness would only lead to ruin.
"Grandpa. I cannot fight. Let Rider be given to my brother."
She said with a trembling voice.
She knew very well what attitude awaited her if she resisted here.
The terror of having her limbs broken and being thrown into a swarm of insects was something she could never get used to.
Her limit for maintaining sanity so far was two hours.
How many times more would it be today? No, just thinking about having to endure that until the Holy Grail War ended,
She would go crazy.
Sakura stood rooted to the spot, like a helpless child, not daring to move, just tightly clasping her hands.
Her hands and feet started to tremble.
The terror of re-education made her want to scream.
But what she feared was definitely not pain.
What she feared was only—
Not being able to endure the pain and becoming obedient to the old man's will.
"...Hmm. Then there's no choice. There's no reason to lose an important successor through unreasonable coercion. This time, just thoroughly observe from the sidelines."
Matou Sakura held her breath.
Although she didn't know if the old man was serious, he accepted her excuse.
The trembling throughout her body stopped, and a warm sense of relief spread through her chest.
—Her heart, which had become completely defenseless,
"But this is somewhat unsatisfactory.
Among the chosen ones this time, the young lady from the Tohsaka family is the most superior.
If even luck is on her side, perhaps what we seek can also be obtained by her."
The old man's voice, filled with genuine regret, seeped in.
—Sister, is it?
Just then, the demon entered.
She had a premonition.
If it was her sister, she would definitely win, right? She was that kind of person.
Always able to get everything she wanted,
And then, as if it were only natural, she would stride forward confidently.
Never looking back at her motionless self, taking everything she wanted.
Then—she would definitely win, right?
Inside, she turned cold as ice.
It didn't matter how it was.
She was already used to it.
She was already used to it.
She was already used to it.
—This kind of thing, she was already used to it.
Her sister could get everything.
No matter the endless hatred of the pain I endured, a brilliant future, and then, even the only person I could rely on,
Would gradually disappear from before my eyes—
Matou Sakura looked down at her feet, which twisted at the ankles.
Just doing that made her feel dizzy, and she let out a breath...
She only felt a sharp pain in her chest.
She gave a soft sob.
Her chest felt as if it had been pricked by a needle, assailed by a feeling of disgust.
And at this moment, it began to rain outside.
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