"Indeed, everyone fears death, but your twisted evil, dragging countless others down because of your own fear of death, is something I can't accept."
"Tell me, where did you get this power?"
Zouken ignored Shinji's words, his tone urgent due to his desperate desire to survive.
"And what price do you have to pay for such power?"
Shinji responded, "As I said before, this is just the power I've accumulated secretly over the past ten years, separate from magecraft. As for the cost, it was probably paid when I was born into this world.
Perhaps you don't know, Grandfather, but in a sense, I am a unique existence in this world—the Dreamless One, one who never dreams. I was deprived of a basic human function: the ability to dream. Maybe the power I command is related to that."
"The Dreamless One..." Sakura's eyes widened, her pupils trembling.
"Actually, it might be more accurate to call me someone who eternally observes reality," Shinji turned to Sakura with an indifferent smile. "Because in my world, there are no dreams."
Rider then questioned, "But you don't seem like someone who has never slept."
Can't you just let me show off a bit? Aren't you supposed to be the quiet type? Shinji complained internally.
"Ah, yes, my situation is a bit special. My body and soul can rest, but the only thing missing is the basic human instinct to dream."
"If this continues, one day your mind will break, my grandson."
"No, it won't."
Shinji shook his head, his expression serious. "No matter the reality, my mind won't break. Ten years, twenty years, a hundred years, or even longer—I will always live in reality. Unlike you, I will never pursue something illusory, like the pathetic and disgusting mages clinging to the past."
"You!"
"Wait, don't be so quick to speak. It's almost over. I have another question for you. My father died because of you, didn't he? I knew him—he hated magecraft and had a weak constitution. He might have been indulgent at times, but he wouldn't have done that. You used the Y-worm on him, didn't you? What was your purpose in killing my father?"
"Haha, you even figured that out? Truly a genius."
Zouken chuckled, answering leisurely. "Of course, it was because you weren't growing as I had expected. Although in some aspects you showed a strong obsession with magecraft and had a twisted sense of pride, your attitude towards Sakura was always lacking. In my original plan, your jealousy and abuse would be a crucial element in activating Sakura's function as a Holy Grail. But you never went to that extent."
Shinji, stroking his chin, continued, "So you killed my father to make me feel completely worthless in this family, to play with my twisted pride. Meanwhile, Sakura, who replaced me as the Matou heir, would suffer."
Zouken praised him, "You're indeed smart, but I miscalculated. I never expected that you were acting for ten years, that your jealousy towards Sakura, your obsession with magecraft, and your twisted pride were all a facade. In a way, you truly are my grandson."
"This is the first time I've felt unhappy about being praised." Shinji sighed lightly, his tone calm. "You know, Grandfather, despite my deep hatred for magecraft, there's one thing about mages that I respect—the concept of magic crests.
Parents pass them on to their children, and children to their descendants, continuing a legacy like a dream passed down through generations. This is something I don't entirely dislike. I even think it's the one thing in magecraft that feels warm and meaningful. But you rejected all that, keeping your dreams and ambitions selfishly to yourself, unwilling to share or pass them on.
That might be why you gradually became corrupted. Corrupting your descendants, corrupting the world, dragging everything down with you. You should have been more generous, passing on your ideals like a true mage. Aren't you a mage? Then do something that a mage should do!"
"You do have a way with words." Zouken snorted.
"Ah, I've given up. Trying to make you recall your original ideals in this state is futile."
As he spoke, Shinji released his right hand. At the same time, a micro sealing formation filled with blue runes appeared, imprisoning Zouken's true form in mid-air.
"Shinji! What are you doing?" Zouken's voice was tinged with panic.
"I once hoped that I could make you remember your forgotten ideals and end your own life without shedding your blood, but it's impossible.
In that case, your sins will end with me, the true bloodline of the Matou family. I hope you can remember your true ambitions in your final moments."
As Shinji's right hand began to close, his face showed a hint of reluctance. After all, he did have Makiri's genes.
And... those sixty thousand points were gone just like that!
"St-stop..."
Zouken's voice grew increasingly frantic as his true form began to disintegrate from the tail up into light particles.
"I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die." Zouken's voice grew more desperate.
But Shinji did not relent, continuing to crush Zouken's true form with his mental power.
"Remember, Grandfather. What was the source of your desire to reach a miracle through the Holy Grail? What was it that made you strive to reach the unreachable as a human?"
"I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die..."
"And where did this desire to live come from?"
As he spoke, a rolled-up painting appeared in Shinji's left hand. Unrolling it revealed a lifelike image of a beautiful woman with white hair and red eyes, dressed in the garment of heaven.
"Grandfather, I found this in a dusty corner of the study."
Looking at the woman in the painting—Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the Winter Saint—Zouken's long-forgotten or sealed memories began to resurface.
Certain Kaleidoscope: "To eradicate all evil, you need a miracle."
Certain Tohsaka Ancestor: "If this world is beyond saving, then humans cannot separate themselves from evil."
Makiri: "If the ideal land is beyond human intellect."
Justeaze: "Then we must pursue a new form beyond humanity."
Three Fools: "That's right! To restrain all the world's evil, we are willing to bet our lives on this wish!"
As the memories faded, Zouken, now reduced to half a worm's head, spoke with a sense of relief, "Five hundred years... In hindsight, this ambition was but a fleeting moment."
Reflecting on Shinji's earlier words about being more generous and passing on his ideals, Zouken let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Haha, you're right. I was too selfish. Shinji, I'll leave the future to you. Pass it on, just like you said. My outstanding grandson who discovered everything on his own. And... I'm sorry, Sakura."
With that, Zouken completely disintegrated, vanishing along with his decayed soul.