Matou Kariya was utterly stunned. While he had guessed Zuke was a Servant, he hadn't expected his power to be on such a terrifying level.
By the time Kariya realized what was happening, Zuke had already finished his work—Matou Kariya's Berserker, Lancelot, was completely annihilated.
Unseen by Kariya, a dark bird snatched up Lancelot's remnants and consumed them into the shadows.
The Noble Phantasm Lancelot wielded as Berserker, For Someone's Glory, also fell into the bird's possession.
If Zuke desired, he could even summon Lancelot's weapon, Arondight, the Unfading Light of the Lake.
"Consider it dessert," Zuke remarked after letting the bird consume Lancelot's power. Though these abilities didn't significantly enhance his current strength, they could prove useful in unforeseen circumstances.
Normally, specializing in one skill is better than scattering focus. However, since acquiring these abilities required no effort from Zuke, the more, the merrier.
If obtaining these powers had required his precious time, Zuke would not have bothered.
His main course, however, was still Gilgamesh, the Archer—a target that carried the most weight in this mission world besides the Berserker class.
At least Gate of Babylon's countless treasures would solve many problems brute force couldn't.
"Wait! Please, wait!"
Seeing Zuke easily defeat Lancelot and dispose of the remnants with an unknown method, Matou Kariya panicked.
Noticing Zuke preparing to leave, Kariya lunged forward desperately, clutching Zuke's leg.
But given Kariya's frail body, the very act of sprinting was impressive. Dragging Zuke to a stop? Impossible.
Unbothered, Zuke walked several steps, dragging Kariya along like dead weight, causing him to fall face-first into the ground.
When Kariya showed no signs of letting go, Zuke finally stopped, glaring at the pitiful man clinging to his leg.
"What do you want now? Are you in that much of a hurry to die?"
Zuke hadn't killed Kariya yet, partly to avoid dirtying his hands and partly because the man wouldn't live much longer anyway.
Already weakened by crest worms devouring his life force, Kariya's lifespan had been drastically shortened. With Zouken Matou dead, the crest worms in his body had become even more erratic.
At this rate, Kariya would soon die as the worms ate him alive.
Even crushing Kariya's body disgusted Zuke, as it would scatter those vile insects everywhere. So, he'd chosen to let Kariya die on his own. Unexpectedly, Kariya had clung to him instead.
"Sakura… What about Sakura? Where is she? Is she safe?"
Kariya's voice trembled as he looked up at Zuke, asking the question that had haunted him.
Despite his jealousy and bitterness, Kariya genuinely cared for Tohsaka Aoi and her daughters. His concern was genuine.
"…You care so much? Fine, I'll take you to see her."
Zuke stroked his chin thoughtfully before grabbing Kariya by the collar like a dead dog and flying toward the Hyatt Hotel.
The Hyatt Hotel was in chaos.
The commotion caused by Zuke smashing through the top-floor suite's walls had drawn attention. Many people noticed something was wrong at the top floor.
However, anyone who tried to investigate was stopped by the bounded field Kenneth had set up for his mage workshop.
Even after Kenneth's death, the magic furnace he constructed maintained the barrier, effectively preventing anyone from discovering his demise.
What was meant to keep enemies out had now become an obstacle to revealing his death. One could only imagine Kenneth's reaction in the afterlife.
With his fiancée Sola still out, news of Kenneth's death wouldn't spread for some time.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Matou Sakura. Though she was also at the Hyatt, her room was far from the top-floor suite.
To stretch the money he'd taken from some street thugs, Zuke had booked the cheapest room for Sakura on the third floor.
As a result, Kenneth's death brought little disruption to Sakura's life aside from some noise outside.
Despite the late hour, Sakura hadn't gone to bed. She sat reading a magic book, one of many Zuke had taken from the Matou household during their escape.
Sakura used the books to pass the time, hoping to quickly become a capable mage.
She aimed to summon Zuke for the next Holy Grail War, so magic proficiency was essential.
As she flipped through the book, a sound from the window caught her attention.
Her expression immediately tensed as she turned toward the noise, raising a hand in preparation to unleash a spell against any intruder.
However, upon seeing the figure climbing through the window, her face broke into a radiant smile.
"Big brother!"
The visitor was none other than Zuke, who entered the room casually while tossing Kariya aside like a sack of garbage.
Sakura instantly jumped into his arms.
"Big brother! I've been studying magic hard! You have to answer my summon in the next Holy Grail War!"
"Sure, sure," Zuke replied, ruffling her hair absentmindedly.
Terrified by the Matou household's worm pit, Sakura had grown deeply attached to Zuke, her savior.
If she'd had a phone or Zuke's contact info, she would've bombarded him with messages daily.
As for only responding to Sakura's summon… that wasn't certain.
After all, there was no guarantee the next mission world would be the Fifth Holy Grail War, let alone that Zuke could control his assigned identity.
"S-Sakura!"
Kariya, tossed aside, finally found his voice.
Seeing Sakura so dependent on Zuke, his jealousy and bitterness flared as he called out, trying to catch her attention.
Sakura finally turned toward him, her expression curious.
"Uncle Kariya…?"
To be continued…
Hoi Ningen, FBI is after you after going through your search history. Hand over your Power Stones to me so I can bribe them for you winks.
Advance 50 Chapters(60 for 2-3 days, though) are up on my Patreon!
pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus