On the other side, in the basement of the Matou residence filled with various types of insects, the air felt damp, rotten, and suffocating.
The old stone walls were covered with disturbing small movements.
The sound of crawling insect legs was almost the only noise filling the room.
In the darkness stood a hunched old man.
His skin was wrinkled like a corpse left to decay for too long, while his pale white irises contrasted sharply with his pitch-black sclera, making him appear even further from human.
Zouken Matou, one of the three founders of the Holy Grail War system in Fuyuki.
Through his Crest Worms spread across various parts of the city, he silently observed the chaos around the church.
Golden flashes filled his vision.
Thousands of Noble Phantasms clashed in the night sky.
Explosion after explosion shook the area.
Asphalt cracked.
Buildings collapsed.
And in the middle of it all—two Gate of Babylon clashed against each other.
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
Even the insects around Zouken seemed to stop moving.
"Heh…"
His laughter was low and raspy.
Not amused.
More like something too old to be truly surprised, yet still disturbed by what it saw.
"So it's true…"
His empty gaze narrowed slightly.
He watched Kuro's golden portals continuously opening one after another, matching Gilgamesh's numbers.
Even exceeding them.
More stable.
More orderly.
Zouken's wrinkled fingers slowly moved over his cane.
"Not a Servant," he muttered, "yet carrying a Mystery that should not be touched by modern humans."
He paused.
His mind immediately began recalculating.
The entire war scenario.
All pieces.
All possibilities.
And in the end, one name stood out most clearly in his mind.
Sakura.
Zouken's expression turned slightly colder.
Not fear.
But clearly dissatisfaction.
"A foreign variable…"
His ancient voice sounded thin.
"…unnecessary."
For Zouken, Shinji barely even registered in his thoughts.
The boy was merely a tool.
A half-broken pawn still useful as long as it had not completely shattered.
If he died, he could be discarded.
Nothing more.
But Sakura was different.
Her body was a vessel.
The core of his obsession for decades.
An investment that must not be touched by anyone.
Especially not by an unknown monster like Kuro.
Zouken slowly raised one hand.
Immediately, several Crest Worms along the walls began to move more actively.
Crawling out of the dark cracks like living, disgusting liquid.
"Tighten surveillance."
His command was flat.
"Watch Sakura."
He paused.
His hollow gaze remained fixed on the battlefield.
And for the first time that night, his voice became slightly more serious.
"And that boy."
No further explanation was needed.
It was obvious who he meant.
Kuro.
Not a command to attack.
Not yet.
Too risky.
Zouken was not foolish enough to touch something that even made Gilgamesh resort to total annihilation-level attacks.
What he needed was information—data, weaknesses, habits, connections.
Everything that could be exploited.
"Heh…"
His small laugh returned.
Dry.
Empty.
"Let the monsters devour each other first."
He then turned slowly, his old robe brushing against the stone floor.
But before leaving completely, he issued one more order.
"Make sure Shinji does not do anything foolish."
His tone sounded almost irritated.
Because if there was one thing most likely to ruin this fragile situation in the most absurd way—it was Shinji.
***
Meanwhile, in one of the upstairs rooms of the Matou residence, the night felt far quieter.
A small desk lamp still glowed dimly, casting a soft warm light across the room. Sakura Matou sat at the edge of her bed, both hands resting on her lap.
She should have been asleep.
At least, that was what she had been trying to do for the past several minutes.
But for some reason, an uncomfortable feeling kept disturbing her. Her chest felt slightly tight, and her heartbeat was faster than usual—as if her body instinctively sensed something was wrong.
Sakura slowly raised one hand, lightly pressing her chest.
"…Senpai."
Her whisper was extremely soft, almost swallowed by the silence of the room.
A few days ago, she had seen something she shouldn't have seen.
Shirou's hand.
More precisely, the strange red pattern that appeared on the back of his left hand.
Three lines resembling a seal.
Command Spell.
Sakura did not know all the details of the Holy Grail War, but she knew enough to understand one simple thing: that mark was not normal.
And its appearance at this time was clearly not a coincidence.
There was only one meaning: Shirou had been dragged into something dangerous.
Something that should not involve him.
Sakura lowered her head slightly. The unease in her chest grew heavier.
Tonight felt different.
The air felt colder and more oppressive, as if something was moving in the shadows of the city—and for some reason, she did not like that feeling at all.
"…I hope Senpai is okay."
The words came out almost like a prayer.
At that moment, the air in the corner of the room changed.
The previously stable silence was slightly disturbed.
Sakura froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
From the corner of the room, a tall woman with long purple hair slowly appeared. Her body was clad in tight black clothing, while a dark blindfold covered part of her face.
Her presence was almost silent.
As if she had been born directly from the shadows.
Sakura's Servant.
Rider.
Sakura exhaled softly in relief.
"…Rider."
The woman stood still for a few seconds before speaking.
"Master."
Her tone was low and calm, but there was a faint tension hidden within it.
"There is a major disturbance in the church area."
Sakura's body tensed slightly. Her fingers instinctively gripped the fabric of her skirt tighter.
"…Does that have anything to do with Senpai?"
The question came too quickly.
Almost reflexively.
Rider paused for a moment, then answered honestly.
"I cannot confirm that yet."
A safe answer.
Rational.
But far from comforting.
Sakura bit her lower lip lightly, her gaze dropping. Clearly uneasy.
Rider observed her expression for a moment, then stepped slightly closer.
"If you are concerned," Rider said calmly, "I can go and investigate."
Sakura fell silent.
She knew it was the most reasonable decision.
But hesitation remained.
There was always risk.
After a few seconds, Sakura finally gave a small nod.
"…Please."
Her voice was soft.
Almost fragile.
"Make sure Senpai is okay."
Rider nodded briefly.
"Understood."
In the next moment, her body dissolved back into the shadows, disappearing without a sound.
Leaving Sakura alone again in the room, which now felt even quieter than before.
But this time, the silence felt heavier.
Sakura slowly turned her gaze toward the window.
The Fuyuki night sky looked the same as always.
Dark.
Calm.
Peaceful.
Almost deceptive.
It was hard to believe that beneath that calm surface, something was moving and slowly pulling everyone deeper into it.
Sakura stared at the sky for a while.
Her expression slightly downcast.
For the first time in a long while, she truly hoped Shirou would not be too kind to keep involving himself in other people's problems.
Because this time, her instincts told her that this situation was far worse than usual.
***
Almost at the same time, in the area around the church that normally served as the base of the Holy Grail War overseers, the battle continued.
Blue flames continued to light up the night sky. Several Prototype Noble Phantasms remained embedded in various structures—cracked asphalt, pierced fences, broken sidewalks, and the remains of nearby buildings looked as if they had been struck by a rain of ancient artifacts.
On top of the partially destroyed church roof, Gilgamesh's brow furrowed deeper.
His expression still carried his usual arrogance, but now it was clearly overshadowed by growing irritation.
For him, the fact that a human replica could survive this long was already an insult. And that insult only grew with every passing second.
"Disgusting," Gilgamesh said coldly, his tone full of contempt. "How much longer do you intend to defile the King's treasures with your cheap imitations, zashu?"
On the other side, Kuro's grin only grew sharper.
For him, this was already enough.
There was no longer any reason to stay defensive.
He raised his right hand, palm facing forward.
"Alright," he said casually. "I thought that's enough."
He paused briefly, then added in an equally relaxed tone.
"Let's end this and stop playing around."
His Sharingan narrowed. The three tomoe in his eye slowly rotated.
"Enkidu."
In an instant, dozens of golden chains shot out from his Gate of Babylon.
The chains moved like hunting serpents, tearing through the night air at high speed.
SHWOOOSH—!
Gilgamesh's eyes immediately widened.
For the first time since the battle began, his expression truly changed.
"…What?"
Chain of Heaven.
His own treasure.
Coming out of the faker's Gate.
But its target was not him.
Instead, the golden chains shot toward the thousands of Gate of Babylon portals in the night sky.
One by one, Enkidu pierced the golden gates.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
The chains tightened, sealing the space around each portal.
Enkidu did not only bind physical targets—it disrupted spatial stability itself.
As a result, Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon began to malfunction.
The golden portals in the sky trembled slightly.
Some even flickered unstably.
______
Author's Note:
Creating something, even a fanfic, is not easy! Please support me! Leave comments, reviews, and some (or all) of your Power Stones! 😎
Hei. Don't ignore meh! Plz notice me senpai~