Passing through a long tunnel, a rustling sound gradually reached Tohsaka Tokiomi's ears, as if countless insects were crawling over stone slabs. Gradually, a sliver of light appeared, and a massive underground space unfolded before his eyes.
However, seeing this scene, Tohsaka Tokiomi was rendered speechless.
In the tide of countless grotesque insects, a familiar figure lay stark naked. Her eyes were hollow, like a Doll's, and she remained unresponsive even as the bugs crawled over her and ravaged her.
"Sakura..."
Tap, tap, tap.
Footsteps approached from behind, and Matou Zouken's loathsome voice rang out.
"For the first three days, she cried out so loudly. From the fourth day on, she couldn't even make a sound."
That loathsome voice sounded as if it were discussing something pleasant, but after hearing the full sentence, a surge of anger suddenly welled up within Tohsaka Tokiomi.
"At dawn today, I threw her into the insect pit to see how long she could last. Hehe, despite being ravaged by the insects for most of the day, she hasn't breathed her last yet. The aptitude of the Tohsaka Family's second daughter is truly hard to part with."
"Even after seeing this, do you still want to save the Tohsaka Family's second daughter?"
Accompanied by anger were even greater feelings of regret and hatred. When regret reaches a certain point, it produces despair; when hatred becomes intense enough, it sublimates into killing intent.
Although Tohsaka Tokiomi believed Tohsaka Rin was more suited to inherit the Tohsaka Family's magecraft, he would never abuse Tohsaka Sakura because of it. In his view, Tohsaka Sakura had been adopted into the Matou Family as the successor to their magecraft, yet that fellow Matou Zouken treated her like this!
"Is there even a need to ask? I have no objections. Bring it on."
Matou Kariya's voice came from beside Matou Zouken.
Everything before him distorted instantly. Tohsaka Tokiomi opened his eyes to find himself standing outside Akatsuki's residence. The tightly closed door already signaled Akatsuki's attitude.
"..." Tohsaka Tokiomi opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. That True Ancestor must have already guessed his intention. Showing him these things was her way of telling him that an alliance was impossible. Realizing this fact, he could only leave dejectedly.
It was already the early hours of the morning by the time he returned to the Tohsaka residence. The things he had seen at Akatsuki's place and his physical exhaustion left him unable to care about anything else. He changed his shoes at the entrance and went straight to the living room to lie on the sofa.
If that True Ancestor hadn't come to Fuyuki City, or if she hadn't gone to cause trouble for the Matou Family, just what kind of abuse would his daughter Sakura have suffered at the Matou house?
He knew well that what Akatsuki had shown him was only the tip of the iceberg. Such things might happen every few days or even every day at the Matou house, yet he had known nothing about it.
When his father had him choose his path, Tohsaka Tokiomi thought he had long since prepared himself. He had thought so until tonight, but only just now did he realize that he might not be a qualified father.
Of course, such things would not make Tohsaka Tokiomi doubt the path he had chosen. On the contrary, he became even more determined in his goal to obtain the Holy Grail. Whether it was the foreign Magicians or the Einzberns, he would crush them all—not a single one would remain!
To him, if anything could compensate for his failings as a father, it could only be that legendary omnipotent wish-granting machine!
As the current head of the Tohsaka Family, he would always uphold the Tohsaka Family motto—be prepared at all times, and remain elegant and composed.
In short, "Elegance."
This motto had a profound influence on every member of the Tohsaka Family, especially the head, Tohsaka Tokiomi. Through his own refinement and effort, he had successfully changed the Tohsaka Family's image in the eyes of other Magicians from "country bumpkins" to a family of cultivation.
But tonight, and only tonight, Tohsaka Tokiomi just wanted some peace and quiet.
Perhaps because he fell asleep on the sofa, or perhaps because the matter of Matou Sakura had given him too great a shock, Tohsaka Tokiomi's brow furrowed shortly after he lay down tonight.
Nightmares seemed to have turned his dreams into their nest. No matter how many times he went back to sleep, Matou Sakura's hollow gaze would appear in his dreams.
As dawn approached, Tohsaka Tokiomi felt as if someone had grasped his hand. Only then did he escape the clutches of the nightmare and peacefully enter a deep sleep.
The next day.
The first thing Tohsaka Tokiomi saw when he opened his eyes was his wife, Aoi—the biological mother of Tohsaka Rin and Matou Sakura, and the person he loved most in this life.
Seemingly sensing that Tohsaka Tokiomi was awake, Tohsaka Aoi rubbed her eyes.
Thinking of the Matou Family, which had been wiped out by Akatsuki, Tohsaka Tokiomi looked at his wife and made a decision. Before Tohsaka Aoi could speak, he preemptively said, "Aoi, you and Rin should move to the house in Zenjou during the Holy Grail War."
Tohsaka Aoi was taken aback.
"Has it already come to this?"
Tohsaka Tokiomi took Tohsaka Aoi's hand. "The Matou Family has been destroyed. They will likely be struck from the records of the magecraft world, and their magical lineage has probably been severed."
Tohsaka Tokiomi could feel Tohsaka Aoi tremble upon hearing this news, but she quickly regained control of her emotions.
"What about Sakura?"
This name, which was once considered a taboo in the Tohsaka household, was mentioned once again, and by Tohsaka Aoi herself. But she could no longer care about that; as a mother, it was only natural to worry about her daughter at a time like this.
"Don't worry, Sakura is fine. She seems to have been adopted by someone else and will likely live a life far removed from magecraft."
Hearing this, Tohsaka Aoi breathed a sigh of relief.
Tohsaka Aoi fully understood Tohsaka Tokiomi's inhuman values, yet she still loved him blindly. To be honest, she thought she had already steeled her resolve when she married into the Tohsaka Family.
In fact, it was true; her way of handling things was always centered on the Tohsaka Family, never changing her mind due to personal feelings. This was evident when she agreed to let her second daughter, Tohsaka Sakura, be adopted by the Matou Family.
However, when she heard the news that her daughter Sakura might be in danger, she realized that all of that was just what she had assumed. When things actually happened, she wasn't sure what she would do.
Elsewhere.
Inside the Fuyuki Church.
"Caster and Berserker are already dead?"
Kirei Kotomine looked at his father, Risei Kotomine, in surprise. Only a few days had passed since the battle at the Fuyuki Docks, and two Servants had already retired. This speed was, by any measure, a bit too fast.
"That's correct."
Risei Kotomine nodded. "The Matou Family has been wiped out by that True Ancestor, and Caster's death seems to be related to her as well. However, Caster's death can be considered well-deserved. He treated the rules of the Holy Grail War as a joke and wantonly slaughtered the children of Fuyuki City. Even if that True Ancestor hadn't killed him, he would have been subjugated by other Servants sooner or later."
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