"I didn't expect so many guests tonight. It's been a while since the Matou family has had such a lively gathering."
A low, hoarse voice echoed as a frail, emaciated figure slowly descended the stairs.
It was clear that the figure was an old man, incredibly aged, with withered skin, sunken eyes, and not a single hair left on his head. He leaned heavily on a cane, his frailty making him look as if he might collapse at any moment, yet his presence inexplicably instilled a sense of dread. His eyes, though ancient, glowed with a strange, sharp light.
"Zouken Matou..." Rin Tohsaka's expression immediately darkened at the sight. This was a dangerous figure who had been the head of the Matou family for an untold number of years. He was already old when her father was alive.
"Grandfather! Grandfather!" Matou Shinji, seeing Zouken, immediately latched onto him like a lifeline. Brightening up, he raised his bloodstained hand and shouted, "Tohsaka Rin is trying to kill me! Look at what she did to me!"
"Be quiet."
Zouken only gave him a cold glance and said those words calmly.
Though his voice wasn't loud, it was surprisingly effective. The previously arrogant Matou Shinji instantly flinched, silenced, and lowered his head, covering his face in submission.
Once Shinji stopped his whining, Zouken slowly continued down the stairs, surveying the destruction around him—the blown-apart door, the ruined kitchen, and the Servants standing in the room. His gaze finally settled on Rin.
"The little brat from the Tohsaka family, is it?" Zouken's tone was surprisingly calm. "Bringing two Servants to our home in the middle of the night... not only destroying our Matou family property but also injuring Shinji. In all my years, I've never seen such brazen behavior. Even your father, Tohsaka Tokiomi, wouldn't dare act so insolently in front of me."
"You—"
Rin opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Fang Mo interjected with a smirk, "Well, you're seeing it now!"
"Ha, your Servant, I presume?" Zouken glanced coldly at Fang Mo. "So this is what gives you confidence, Tohsaka brat."
"Can I just kill this old thing already?" Fang Mo turned to Rin, his face wrinkling in disgust. "He reeks of something nasty—I can't stand it."
"What big talk," Zouken's face darkened, his voice growing colder. "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
No sooner had he spoken than the room filled with a rustling noise. Instantly, countless insects crawled out from every corner. They resembled maggots with fangs and tails, slithering down the walls in a grotesque swarm, filling the space like a waterfall of vermin.
"What... what are these...?" Shirou Emiya, seeing the horrifying sight for the first time, turned pale.
"Shirou, get outside!" Saber shouted, concerned about fighting in a confined space and wanting to keep him safe. She began tactically retreating as well.
"Shinji," Zouken barked, making his intentions clear. He expected Shinji to give Rider the order to pursue the enemy.
Unfortunately, Zouken overestimated his grandson.
As soon as the battle started, Shinji's legs went weak with fear. Zouken frowned, his expression turning to one of deep disappointment. "Useless... Sakura!"
At the mention of her name, Matou Shinji flinched visibly, but no one noticed in the heat of the moment.
From upstairs came the sound of hurried footsteps as Matou Sakura descended. She reached the bottom just in time to see Shirou fleeing, terrified, surrounded by swarms of insects. She froze on the spot, her mind seemingly shutting down at the sight. "...Eh?"
"Why are you standing there like a fool?" Zouken's voice cracked like a whip. "Give the order! Tell Rider to kill the intruders!"
But Sakura didn't hear him. She stood motionless, as if dead, her face a mask of shock and emptiness.
Surrounded by the writhing mass of insects, she watched Shirou run from her, leaving her behind. In that moment, it felt as if her heart was bleeding. The truth she had hidden for so long was finally laid bare, and she couldn't help but wonder: Had her ugliness finally driven him away?
"Sakura..."
Rin, noticing her sister's expression, instinctively wanted to speak to her.
But the sheer number of bugs prevented that. Not only were there the usual Crest Worms, but also flying insects, their bodies armed with blades, each one looking just as deadly. Forced to fight back, Rin had no choice but to retreat while fending them off.
Seeing Sakura's inaction, Zouken frowned once again. But he was a seasoned magus, quick to adapt. He turned to Lancer and addressed him in a cold tone, "I don't know who your Master is, but if you want to work together, show me your sincerity!"
"Hmph, you don't need to tell me that." Lancer frowned but rushed into the fight without hesitation.
"R-Rider!" Finally snapping out of his stupor, Shinji realized he needed to act. Seeing that Sakura wasn't responding, he knew he had to impress his grandfather, so he hastily pulled out a book and ordered, "Hurry! Work with Lancer to take these intruders down!"
"Wait... cooperation?"
Saber, with her invisible sword in hand, now stood in Rider's path. Her expression was resolute and serious. "Rider, I will defeat you."
Her words were directed at both Rider and Fang Mo, signaling her intent for a one-on-one fight, in line with her knightly code.
"..."
Rider didn't reply, but her focus shifted to Saber. After all, she was in no mood to face Fang Mo again after her near-death experience.
"Archer!" Rin called out to Fang Mo. "Just focus on defeating Lancer. Don't harm Sakura. I still have questions for her."
"With the house blown up like that, she's probably dead already," Fang Mo shrugged.
"What!?"
Rin's eyes widened in horror, her body going weak with shock.
"Alright, alright, I'll check for you." Fang Mo sighed, pulling out a map from who knows where. After glancing at it, he feigned confusion. "Huh?"
"W-What's wrong?" Rin's heart skipped a beat.
"This map from Kleiber must be broken," Fang Mo said, tapping the map in frustration. "Why are there two Zouken Matous marked here?"
"Two Zouken Matous?"
Rin blinked in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"Exactly what it says." Fang Mo handed her the map. "Take a look yourself."
Rin took the map and was stunned. Indeed, there were two markers for Zouken Matou—one by itself and another overlapping with Sakura's. Both were moving toward the entrance.
"What the..."
Rin was dumbfounded.
"You didn't think you could kill me so easily, did you?" Zouken's voice echoed from within the flames as a swarm of burning insects emerged. The fire scattered, revealing Zouken Matou, his body writhing with moving flesh.
Beside him, Shinji Matou dragged a dazed and unresponsive Sakura by the hair.
"...?"
Rin frowned, confused. There was only one Zouken Matou before her, not two as the map had shown. Had the map been wrong?
But Fang Mo spoke up again, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"That doesn't seem right," Fang Mo mused. "Kleiber said this map shows icons based on souls. It shouldn't be wrong... Unless this old guy split his soul in two?"
"...What!?" Rin gasped, her mind reeling. "Wait, split soul? Sakura?!"
"Zouken Matou!" Rin, putting the pieces together, suddenly glared at Zouken with fierce rage. "You bastard! What have you done to Sakura!?"
"She's part of the Matou family. What I do with her is none of the Tohsaka family's concern."
Zouken's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected them to sense his soul manipulation. But he couldn't reveal his plans for immortality, so he responded coldly, "She is the heir to the Matou family. You have no right to interfere."
"Heir?"
Rin's fury only grew. She now fully understood. Zouken planned to possess Sakura to extend his life. If Sakura were truly the heir, Shinji wouldn't dare treat her so poorly.
Realizing the full extent of Sakura's torment, Rin was filled with guilt, self-blame, and rage. For the first time, she felt an overwhelming desire for vengeance.
"Archer!" Rin spun around, pointing at Zouken with fierce determination.
"...They're Jews!"