Ever since the battle that night and bringing the Kamado mother and daughter back to the Matou Manor, Asuka had not seen this guy materialize.
Right now, under Asuka's strong insistence, Kariya Matou had reluctantly ordered Berserker to appear before him, even if it was just to sit quietly.
The two of them had been sitting face-to-face like this for a full hour.
Neither side said a word.
Asuka was observing him.
From the texture of the Shihakusho and the Zanpakuto resting on his knees, to the white bone mask that seemed to be grinning silently.
This was undoubtedly a Soul Reaper.
The sensation of the Spiritual Pressure radiating from the other party, that rhythm of a Zanpakuto connected to a soul—Asuka could never mistake it.
But why?
Why would a Soul Reaper turn into something like this? Why would he lose his mind and become a beast that only knew slaughter?
And again, judging from his combat style, shouldn't he be a Spearman or something?
"Hey."
Asuka finally broke the silence.
He leaned forward, staring directly into Berserker's glowing red eyes. "Do you really... remember nothing at all?"
There was no response.
Berserker was like a statue, lacking even the rise and fall of breathing.
"I saw the number on your back. You're from the Tenth Division?"
Refusing to give up, Asuka continued his questioning. "What is the name of your Zanpakuto? Do you know Isshin Shiba? Kisuke Urahara? Or... Sosuke Aizen?"
At the mention of the surname Shiba, Berserker's body suddenly trembled ever so slightly.
The movement was so minute that if Asuka hadn't been staring at him intently, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
'An acquaintance of the old man?' he thought.
But immediately after, that tremor was masked by an even more violent surge of dark energy.
Berserker let out a low, guttural roar, as if resisting something, or perhaps enduring immense pain.
"..."
"...It's no use."
A weak voice came from the doorway.
Kariya Matou leaned against the doorframe, his face deathly pale. The worm-like veins on his face writhed continuously, making him look exceptionally hideous.
Carrying a few cups of hot tea, he staggered inside. After placing the teacups on the table, he collapsed heavily into another chair.
"Over the past few days, I've also tried to communicate with him countless times."
Kariya looked at the silent Berserker, a trace of sympathetic sorrow revealing itself in his eyes. "But he has never given me any response."
"Aside from his roars during battle, he is like a mute, not uttering a single word."
"I don't even know his true name. I can only call him Berserker."
Asuka turned his head, looking at the man who seemed like he could draw his last breath at any moment. "You don't know his identity either?"
"I don't," Kariya shook his head, offering a bitter smile. "The old man just gave me a torn piece of cloth and told me to use it as a medium for the summoning."
"His name, his origins, his abilities—I know absolutely nothing."
Asuka fell silent.
If Zouken wasn't lying, that fragment of the Shihakusho must have been picked up by him that night in the alternate Fuyuki City.
In other words, this Berserker had been injured, and it was highly likely that he had already 'died' back then.
"What a tragic guy..."
Asuka looked at Berserker, his tone losing some of its hostility.
As a fellow stranger in a strange land, another soul mocked by fate, he could feel the sorrow within Berserker, as heavy and deep as the ocean.
"..."
"...What about you?"
Asuka suddenly turned his head to look at Kariya. "Are you about to die too?"
The question was incredibly blunt, even somewhat cruel.
Kariya froze for a moment. Whether he choked on his tea or the worms were biting at his body again, he broke into a violent fit of coughing.
He covered his mouth, dark red blood seeping through his fingers, yet a completely indifferent expression appeared on his face.
After calming his breathing, he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. "You saw right through me... Then again, looking the way I do now, even demons would take a detour to avoid me."
"My body... has long been hollowed out by those worms."
He pointed at his own chest, his tone as flat as if he were talking about someone else. "My Magic Circuits were forcibly altered, and my life force is being burned as fuel... According to the old man, I probably have about a month left to live? Maybe even less."
"But that doesn't matter."
A chilling, obsessive glint suddenly erupted in Kariya's eyes.
"As long as I can hold on until the war ends... As long as I can obtain the Holy Grail..."
"Even if it's just to make that bastard Tokiomi Tohsaka pay, to make him kneel on the ground and repent..."
"Even if I were to go straight to hell right now, it would be worth it."
His voice was weak, every word seemingly squeezed through his gritted teeth.
Such intense hatred. Asuka remained silent.
To some extent, he could understand Kariya's feelings.
In the beginning, he too had thirsted for any kind of power to exact his revenge, even if it meant damaging his own body, even if it was just to drag his enemy down with him.
But after experiencing so much, his mindset had gradually changed.
"I don't agree with your way of thinking."
Asuka spoke coldly. "Throwing your own life away just to get back at an enemy? Even going so far as to turn yourself into this half-human, half-ghost monstrosity?"
"It's completely worthless."
Kariya snapped his head around, glaring fiercely at Asuka, a flash of anger in his eyes. "What do you know! You have no idea what Tokiomi did!"
"He pushed Sakura... he pushed that child into a pit of fire! He is the main culprit!"
"I know," Asuka interrupted him. "I saw it in the basement last night."
Hearing those words, Kariya's aggressive posture instantly deflated.
"Since you saw it... then you should understand why I have to do this."
Kariya clutched his head in agony. "Only by winning the Holy Grail can I save Sakura. And to win the Holy Grail, I have to become like this..."
Asuka stood up, walked over to Kariya, and looked down at him.
"There are many ways to get revenge, but turning yourself into a disposable pawn is the stupidest one."
"You say you want to save that little girl named Sakura, that you want her to be happy."
"But what if you die?"
"If you die in the process of getting your revenge, or even if you win the Holy Grail but die right in front of that little girl because your life force is exhausted..."
"Do you think she'll be happy?"
These words weren't just meant for Kariya; Asuka was also saying them to himself.
"That child... I've seen the look in her eyes." Asuka's voice softened slightly. "Even though they are like a pool of stagnant water, there was still a ripple of emotion when she saw you."
"She sees you as her only support, her only family."
Asuka crouched down, looking directly into Kariya's cloudy eye. "If you die and leave her all alone in this man-eating worm pit..."
"That would be true despair."
"You want revenge? You want to make your enemy suffer? I support that."
"But by that same token, you have to survive."
"Only by surviving, living better than your enemy, and being more tenacious than anyone else, can you truly bring happiness to the person you want to protect."
"Trading your life for the other party's remorse? Don't make me laugh. That kind of person won't feel any remorse; he'll only be glad to be rid of a nuisance."
"Only when you are holding that little girl's hand, standing in the sunlight, watching that man named Tokiomi fall into the mud with absolutely nothing left... only then is it true revenge."
Asuka thought of Aizen's face and couldn't help but spit in his mind.