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...
Following Mellie and Mika's warnings, the group swiftly sprang into action, scouring the Matou residence for Kariya Matou and Sakura Matou.
Locating Kariya was relatively straightforward. His agonizing cries, caused by the death of the Crest Worms, served as a constant beacon, leading them directly to him.
Finding Sakura, however, proved to be more challenging. They eventually discovered her deep within the Matou mansion, hidden away in the depths of the worm-infested basement. She was surrounded by an endless sea of writhing insects.
...
"Is this Matou magecraft? It's utterly disgusting!"
Few people harbored affection for insects, let alone an overwhelming infestation.
Mellie's words echoed the sentiments of the group. As they observed Kariya and Sakura, who had been brought out of the basement and laid on the floor, Mika turned to Airmid, who was examining their condition.
"How are they, Airmid? Are they going to be alright?"
Airmid straightened up and responded with a serious expression. "Sakura should be fine. The worms primarily affected her Magic Circuits."
"However, Kariya's situation is critical. Many of his internal organs have been replaced by Crest Worms. With their death, he's suffering from severe organ failure."
"If this were the old me, I might have been helpless. But now, I believe there's a chance. However, we need to remove the dead worm carcasses from their bodies first."
"Leave that to Merlin. You can start preparing," Mika instructed.
"Ugh, me again? Fine."
His attempt to slack off once again thwarted, Merlin resigned himself to his task.
With a deft display of magecraft, he swiftly extracted the dead Crest Worms from Kariya and Sakura's bodies.
"Airmid, the rest is up to you!"
"Understood!"
Airmid clasped her hands together, her body radiating a surge of energy.
"Reinforcement!"
With a soft exclamation, a portion of Airmid's aura dissipated. Simultaneously, the intensity of her aura skyrocketed, emitting a palpable sense of danger.
This was Airmid's Nen ability, "Complete Reinforcement."
Through this ability, Airmid could expend her aura to infinitely enhance a specific ability.
The target of the enhancement could be strength, speed, physical attributes, weapons, or even skills. As long as Airmid willed it, she could amplify anything.
"Continuous Reinforcement!"
As Airmid's aura rapidly depleted, the power within her grew exponentially. She pushed her limits until her aura reached a critical threshold.
"Now!"
Airmid extended her hand towards Kariya and Sakura, who lay motionless on the floor.
"Healing drop, light tear, eternal sanctuary, call forth the light's melody. Three hundred and sixty-five melodies, the healing calendar will save all."
"Then, come forth, dispel the evil. Bury the wounds, banish the pain, send curses to the other side, deliver the light's core. In the name of the gods, I shall heal."
"Overlimit Dia Fratel!"
Amplified by her Nen ability, Airmid's Dia Fratel spell unleashed an unprecedented brilliance.
Bathed in its radiant glow, Kariya and Sakura's wounds rapidly closed.
Furthermore, their damaged internal organs were miraculously restored.
Under Airmid's magical ministrations, Kariya and Sakura's injuries visibly healed at an astonishing pace.
"After being enhanced by Nen, Airmid's magic can now regenerate organs? Does this mean she might be able to resurrect the dead in the future?"
Mellie whispered to Mika, awestruck by the healing magic.
"I think it's possible," Mika replied with a serious nod.
Thanks to Airmid's extraordinary healing magic, Kariya and Sakura were fully recovered in no time.
...
"Where am I?"
"Didn't I die with Zouken Matou?"
Opening his eyes and gazing at the familiar ceiling, Kariya Matou muttered to himself.
After the attack on the Matou residence, he had hidden in a corner upstairs, observing the events unfolding in the hall below. He had witnessed Zouken Matou's demise firsthand.
A wave of elation had washed over him.
He harbored no affection for his father, only hatred.
However, following the initial joy, a pang of regret had settled in his heart.
The moment Zouken Matou died, the Crest Worms within Kariya's body had perished as well.
He knew then that his own death was imminent.
He felt a deep sense of regret, lamenting the lost opportunity to confront Tokiomi Tohsaka and make him pay for his actions.
"You're awake?"
Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Kariya abruptly sat up.
He saw a handsome young man leaning back in a chair, engrossed in a grimoire.
"Are you the one who killed Zouken Matou?"
Looking at his hands, Kariya asked excitedly, "I'm not dead?"
"You were on the verge of death, but we saved you," Mika replied with a smile, closing the grimoire. "All of the Matou's assets now belong to us. We eliminated Zouken Matou because he refused to cooperate."
"We have no intention of harming the other members of the Matou family. Your brother has been sent away with some of the Matou's assets outside of Fuyuki City."
"You are the only remaining outsider in the Matou residence."
"Me?"
After a brief silence, Kariya blurted out, "Where's Sakura? Where did Sakura go?"
"You mean Sakura Matou?"
Seeing the concern etched on Kariya's face, Mika chuckled softly. "Due to Zouken Matou's dying wish, we've decided to allow Sakura Matou to inherit the Matou family. When she comes of age, everything here will belong to her. So, naturally, she won't be sent away."
"After all, Zouken Matou put her through unimaginable suffering to ensure she could inherit the Matou's Magic Crest. It wouldn't be fair to simply abandon the Matou legacy after everything she endured."
"Yes, if there's nothing left, then all the pain she endured would have been for nothing," Kariya mumbled, his eyes downcast.
He was referring not only to Sakura but also to himself.
He had endured a year of torment to become a Master, only to lose everything at the last moment.
All that remained were painful memories.
"What? Do you still want to participate in the Holy Grail War and seek revenge against Tohsaka Tokiomi?" Mika asked curiously.
"Yes!" Kariya admitted without hesitation. "My hatred for Tokiomi Tohsaka will never fade. I will never forget what he did to Sakura."
"That's quite… unhealthy," Mika shook his head.
Then, he suddenly said, "However, it's not entirely impossible."
Regardless of Kariya's other flaws, his willingness to endure a year of agonizing transformations and sacrifice his own life for Sakura's sake earned Mika's respect!
Therefore, Mika decided to offer him a chance.
"The Holy Grail War officially begins in two days. After I summon my Servant, I can lend him to you so you can confront Tokiomi Tohsaka. What do you say?"
Mika smiled at the stunned Kariya Matou.
---
After eliminating Zouken Matou, Mika and his companions meticulously examined the Matou family's various treasures.
Besides the grimoires containing a wealth of magical knowledge, the most intriguing items were the Matou's collection of Mystic Code relics.
Upon inspecting these relics, however, Mika couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment. The relic Sakura used to summon Medusa in the Fifth Holy Grail War was nowhere to be found. The most valuable relic among them was Lancelot's helmet.
After all, the rarer and more powerful the Mystic Code relic, the more difficult it was to acquire.
Possessing a multitude of ordinary relics was ultimately useless. In the Holy Grail War, each Master could only summon one Servant. Victory couldn't be achieved through sheer numbers; quality reigned supreme.
To obtain a truly valuable Mystic Code relic, both wealth and connections were indispensable.
After relocating to Fuyuki City, Zouken Matou's connections, which he had cultivated as Makiri Zolgen, had all but vanished. To acquire new relics, he needed money.
However, even the wealthiest family in this small town couldn't compare to the fortunes of true magnates.
Therefore, Zouken Matou wouldn't bother collecting useless relics. He sought only the best.
Due to the deterioration of the Matou's magical lineage, Zouken had abandoned the current Holy Grail War years ago, setting his sights on the Fifth Holy Grail War, which would take place sixty years later.
As a result, he hadn't invested much effort in acquiring relics for the present war, even when Kariya Matou expressed his desire to participate.
The relic Sakura used to summon Medusa in the Fifth Holy Grail War was likely a treasure he acquired sometime later.
In the Holy Grail War, seven mages commanded seven Servants of distinct classes to engage in a battle royale.
These seven classes were Saber, the Sword of Promised Victory; Archer, the Bow of Distant Triumph; Lancer, the Lance of Surging Might; Rider, the Mount of Distant Traversal; Berserker, the Mad Warrior; Assassin, the Silent Blade; and Caster, the Magus of the Fortress.
In this particular Holy Grail War, the presence of Artoria Pendragon, the King of Knights, guaranteed her claim to the Saber class. If they summoned Lancelot, he would inevitably manifest as a Berserker.
This held little appeal for Mika.
A Servant devoid of reason wouldn't be much of a partner in his schemes.
Therefore, Mika decided to participate in the Holy Grail War as a Caster.
He would entrust Lancelot to Kariya Matou, allowing him to wreak havoc as a formidable wildcard.
As for Mellie?
She was currently engrossed in the Matou's grimoires, wholeheartedly devoting herself to the study of magecraft.
"But with this arrangement, three of the seven Servants will hail from Britain! It's practically a reunion of old friends," Mika remarked with a chuckle, looking at Merlin, who was seated on the living room sofa.
"Hardly a reunion," Merlin retorted. "If Lancelot manifests as a Berserker, communication will be impossible."
"And as for myself, I'm not quite ready to face Artoria again."
Merlin harbored a deep sense of regret for Artoria's tragic fate.
"Then why not engage her in battle as her mentor and show her the true extent of your wisdom?" Mika suggested, recalling the confrontation between Achilles and Chiron in the Holy Grail War.
"Hmm, wouldn't that result in a scolding from Artoria?" Merlin mused, though the idea intrigued him.
Having decided to participate in the Holy Grail War, he was eager to make Artoria's path to victory more challenging.
After all, he knew the true nature of the Holy Grail and its corrupted wish-granting abilities.
"Only if she can defeat us," Mika replied with a mischievous grin.
"So, shall we proceed with this plan?"
"Indeed."
"Heh heh heh!"
Sharing a knowing glance, Mika and Merlin chuckled in unison.
...
After consolidating their control over the Matou household, Mika instructed Kariya Matou to issue a public announcement.
The announcement declared that Kariya Matou, with the aid of a Servant, had slain Zouken Matou and claimed the position of head of the Matou family. He would participate in the Holy Grail War as the rightful heir to the Matou legacy.
Mika's intention behind this announcement was to conceal the spectacle of Iskandar's arrival at the Matou residence and obfuscate their connection.
It was also a strategic move to deceive the other participants in the Holy Grail War.
As expected, upon receiving news of Kariya Matou's declaration, the other families familiar with the Matou were stunned.
The most outraged among them was Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Tokiomi Tohsaka's reasons for entrusting Sakura to the Matou family were multifaceted.
Besides his desire to prevent her talent from being wasted, he also harbored hopes that Sakura would inherit the Matou's legacy.
However, with Kariya Matou now in control of the Matou family, their inheritance would inevitably fall into his hands.
What would become of Sakura if Kariya's descendants exhibited a resurgence of the Matou's corrupted magical lineage?
The thought filled Tokiomi Tohsaka with fury.
He even penned a scathing letter to Kariya Matou, condemning his actions.
Upon reading the accusations and condemnations in the letter, Kariya Matou was ecstatic.
As sworn enemies, the more enraged Tokiomi Tohsaka became, the more delighted Kariya Matou felt.
His uproarious laughter could be heard throughout the mansion.
Glancing disapprovingly at Kariya Matou's room, Airmid gently stroked Sakura's head, who had been startled by the commotion, and offered her a piece of fruit from the table.
"Thank you, Sister Airmid!"
"You're welcome, Sakura. You're such a good girl!"
Airmid had developed a deep fondness for Sakura.
Whether as fellow patients or as sisters, Airmid cared for her deeply.
"Gabriel, how's the modification of the Matou's Magic Crest coming along?"
Since they had decided to entrust the future of the Matou family to Sakura, she would eventually need to inherit the Matou's Magic Crest.
Therefore, Gabriel decided to take the opportunity to modify the Magic Crest while researching Matou magecraft, making it more compatible with Sakura.
Hearing Airmid's inquiry, Gabriel, who was also enjoying a piece of fruit, replied, "I've been quite busy lately, researching magecraft and creating the Pseudo-Servant Grimoires. The modification of the Magic Crest will have to wait. It's not an urgent matter."
"Indeed, the Pseudo-Servant Grimoires are more important. After all, the Holy Grail War is about to begin," Mika chimed in, savoring his fruit.
"The Holy Grail War officially starts tonight, right?" Airmid asked.
She had been preoccupied with caring for Sakura and hadn't paid much attention to the details of the upcoming war.
"I believe Mika planned to summon his Servant tonight," Merlin added.
"That's right. Tonight is when it all truly begins," Mika said with a sly grin.
...
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