The night had deepened, yet the fierce battle raged on.
"Aaah… aaah…"
"Damn you, Kirei Kotomine, how dare you treat me this way… I won't let you go, I swear I won't…"
"No, it's fading… my life force is slipping away…"
"If this continues, I'll die… No, I can't… My dream isn't fulfilled… I must live, no matter what… I must live…!"
Before the gates of death, a broken soul roared, cursing, venting its unwillingness.
Clinging to a fragile thread of hope, it writhed in its shattered form.
…
At the Matou residence.
On the empty steps, a wriggling, fleshy worm crawled arduously toward the worm chamber below.
I can't fall, not yet…
There's a lifeline in the chamber. If I can just reach it…
I'll live!!
The wretched soul, trapped in a pitiful worm, screamed in madness.
But the door to survival had already opened before it arrived.
A young man sat there, coldly watching the crawling worm, having waited for some time.
"How pathetic, Matou patriarch… this disgusting form is no longer human."
He gazed at the crawling worm, his voice cold. "I had planned to send you off myself."
"Aaah… Roy, Lord Roy! Save me, I must live… I can't die… I need to live… forever…"
A hoarse, crazed voice erupted from the worm.
Seeing Roy, it grasped at hope, crying for rescue, pleading for aid.
"Oh? Completely lost to madness now? No, more like drowned in your shallow desires. Truly pitiful…"
Roy grabbed the worm, his expression blank, his fingers tightening. The sharp pain drew a heart-wrenching wail, briefly snapping the frenzied voice to clarity.
It screamed, "Aaah… what are you doing, Roy? What do you want?!"
"What do I want? Isn't it obvious? To do what you always wanted but never had the chance to."
Roy watched its struggle, hearing Zouken Matou's crazed voice, his expression unchanged. "Old worm, did you think you were the only clever one? That I never saw through your little schemes? Hmph… Whether it was letting Lancelot hold back or planning to ambush Master Kayneth, I knew it all… I just didn't call you out."
"Let me explain… I was wrong, I know I was wrong, Lord Roy… I did it for our final victory… Save me…"
Hearing Roy expose his plans, Zouken's frenzied voice turned panicked, groveling for forgiveness despite his state.
"I don't want to die… I need the Grail… to live forever… Roy…"
"Live forever? No, that's impossible for you. Because…"
Hearing Zouken's wails, Roy's lips curved into a subtle smile. His gaze remained cold, his resolve unshaken.
"I never intended to let you live. And… when Kirei Kotomine purified you, I deliberately let you die."
"What… did you say?!"
Roy's words shattered Zouken's last shred of hope, his soul crying out in despair and terror.
"Cooperation requires equality, mutual benefit. But you, Zouken Matou—no, Makiri Zolgen…"
"Think back on what you've done lately. Have you contributed anything? You're no longer the just, brave, talented partner of justice from five hundred years ago… You're blind, your heart decayed… You failed to see the full picture."
"You thought I was a naive kid, easily used. But you were the one trapped in my game."
Roy spoke with pity, gazing at the fallen partner of justice, feeling a pang of empathy.
Time is the world's most unfathomable force…
No one, nothing, can withstand its erosion.
Even the purest heart, the grandest spirit, crumbles under endless years, becoming this decayed worm…
A partner of justice?
That's past tense. Now, he's pitiful, lamentable.
"No, you can't kill me! We have a contract! If you or Lancer kill me, you'll face its backlash, and your fate won't be better than mine!!"
Sensing Roy's killing intent, Zouken recalled their contract, shouting desperately to deter him.
He believed Roy valued his magical crest over killing a now-harmless rival. Violating the contract would incur the Root's punishment, crippling his chance at the Grail. Without a blood feud, this was his last chance to survive.
But Roy had anticipated this and never planned to act himself.
"Threatening me with the contract? Hmph, you're quick on your feet at death's door… You're right, I can't kill you directly because of it, but…"
Ignoring Zouken's wails, Roy tightened his grip. "Someone else can, and he's waited for this moment a long time. Isn't that right?"
"Kariya Matou…"
Roy spoke softly, glancing at the door.
Scáthach, sent to fetch Kariya, returned with him. They exchanged a smile.
"It's yours now."
Seeing the right person, Roy rose from the sofa, placing the worm before Kariya, adding a gravity spell to pin it to the floor, ensuring Kariya could act.
"This… is?"
Kariya, just dragged back, stared at the writhing worm, a visceral disgust rising within.
Moments ago, he was searching for the injured Tokiomi Tohsaka, who'd fled the hospital. Scáthach appeared, dragging him home without explanation.
Now, seeing Roy offer him an worm, Kariya felt dazed.
But gazing at the struggling, grotesque worm, a strange familiarity stirred, as if he'd seen it before…
worms, worms, old worm…
Could it be?!
"Is this… Zouken Matou, that old worm? How did he end up like this?"
Realizing something, Kariya turned to Roy, seeking answers.
"Yes, this worm is indeed the pitiful old worm, Zouken Matou…"
"As for why he's like this, it's a long story, but it's his own doing. This fate is his just deserts."
Roy nodded casually, then patted Kariya's shoulder. "Kariya Matou, most of your life's suffering came from the Matou family, from this old worm's hands."
"Remember? I promised you, if you cooperated, I'd give you a chance for revenge. Now's the time to settle your grudges, to bid farewell to your years of pain. Are you ready?"
"Settle my grudges…"
Kariya's eyes widened, his fists clenching at Roy's words.
Roy's figure vanished from the empty mansion, leaving Kariya alone with the frantically struggling old worm.
The mansion fell silent, the atmosphere heavy.
Kariya didn't notice Roy's departure.
His vision held only the worm named Zouken Matou, the culprit who ruined his life, his happiness.
Once, he dreamed of killing this enemy now before him, reduced to this state. Tears welled in Kariya's eyes, his lips twisting into a smile even Gilgamesh would envy.
A smile of ultimate joy, madness, near-insanity—
"Hahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Twenty years of pain erupted. Kariya covered his face, gazing at the worm that tormented him, laughing with unprecedented freedom.
"Old worm, you never thought you'd see this day, did you?!"
Laughing maniacally, Kariya ignored Zouken's struggles, smashing a glass frame on the wall with a fist.
Bang—!!
Amid shattered glass and dripping blood, Kariya grabbed an ancient decorative axe, aiming it at the defenseless worm.
"Are you ready?"
He smiled, asking, "My dear foster father…"
"Wait, Kariya… I can't die… I haven't seen the Grail… I haven't gained immortality…"
Seeing the raised axe, Zouken, bound by Roy, couldn't escape, writhing and screaming.
"Hold on, calm down… Kariya, don't kill me! I admit I was harsh, but I raised you! Tokiomi's dead, so… let me live, and I'll make you the Matou patriarch… I'll help you take back Tokiomi's wife, the woman you love!!"
"Have you said enough?"
Unmoved by Zouken's promises, Kariya's expression didn't waver.
He paused the axe, calmly asking, "Anything else?"
"Please, don't kill me…"
Thinking he'd escaped, Zouken exhaled, ready to manipulate Kariya into reviving him in the worm chamber. But Kariya's calm voice cut through.
"Done? Did you hear another voice?"
"Hear… what?" Zouken stammered.
"It says, time's up."
"What?!"
Before Zouken could react, Kariya's axe slammed down, ignoring the worm's cries. He spoke slowly:
"Farewell, Father. Farewell, my cowardice."
Bang—!!
The axe crushed the worm into fragments.
…
[At some point in the past, three like-minded souls gathered—
An elderly man in a black robe spoke: "To eradicate all evil, you need a miracle."
A man with black hair stood, hypothesizing: "If this world is beyond saving, we humans cannot separate from evil."
A blue-haired man added: "If the ideal land lies beyond human reach."
A white-haired girl concluded: "Then we must seek a human form transcending humanity, reaching a new realm."
The elder gazed at the trio, asking: "This path is fraught with hardship and impossibility. Are you prepared to walk it?"
"Yes."
The three nodded, clasping hands, swearing before the Second Magic's wielder:
"To end all evil, we'll sacrifice everything, even our lives."
Thus, it all began.]
Perhaps in a final flash of life, at death's edge, Zouken saw past shadows.
He remembered his original wish, the Holy Grail War's purpose…
…Ah, Nagato Tohsaka, Justeaze…
Unknowingly, I strayed from our oath.
In my final moments, it's you I think of…
With a last lament, the decayed soul perished with the worm's husk, vanishing from the world.
Thus, Berserker Lancelot's Master, Zouken Matou, the partner of justice Makiri Zolgen, met his end.
Aged five hundred years.
…
"Sure enough, you went straight for it… Quite the filial scene…"
From the Matou mansion's roof, Roy watched the drama unfold, seeing the worm turn to ash, marking Makiri Zolgen's final erasure.
Twenty years of resentment exploded in one axe, ending his foster father and giving Kariya a somewhat complete closure.
Zouken likely never imagined, in his five hundred years, dying by the hand of Kariya, whom he never truly regarded.
Even Roy applauded this spectacle.
After a brief mockery, he opened a bottle from the Matou cellar, pouring it into a prepared glass, toasting Zouken's death and spilling it into the soil.
"Well done, Zouken Matou… Goodnight, Makiri Zolgen."
Roy murmured, bidding farewell to the once-great soul. Scáthach, intrigued, snatched his glass, poured herself a drink, and sipped under the moon.
After Roy's lament, she swung her legs, saying, "Master, another opponent down. With Zouken dead, Berserker, without a Master's mana, should soon fade, right?"
Scáthach foresaw Lancelot's weakening without mana.
But a question lingered.
"Why not let Kariya replace Zouken to control Lancelot? He lacks mana, but with life force and Command Spells, he could sustain Lancelot for this final fight. With your Command Spells, it'd only cost a few years…"
Before she finished, Roy stood.
He gazed at the moon, downed his wine, and shook his head. "No need."
"No matter the fight, unless Gilgamesh falters, Iskandar, Finn, and Lancelot are doomed, even with Command Spells… Wasting life on futility isn't my style, even if it's someone else's."
"I targeted the old worm because his actions disgusted me, his fall was pitiful. That's why I sent him off this way. As for Kariya…"
Roy looked down at Kariya, ecstatic from killing his enemy, a faint smile on his face.
"He's a pitiful man, manipulated by fate, lost in confusion. This is his best ending. Honestly, since he saved Tokiomi, my view of him shifted. I considered guiding him, finding him work. But now, I see it was unnecessary…"
"After all this, he's no longer fate's pawn. He deserves his own life, his own path. So, let it end here."
"Kariya Matou, may your life ahead be smooth."
Watching Kariya search for gasoline to burn the Matou mansion and worm pit, Roy smiled wryly, silently wishing him well before vanishing from the roof.
Scáthach, hearing his words, smiled thoughtfully.
She gave Roy an odd look, prompting him to ask, "Something on my face?"
"No, just surprised."
Scáthach crossed her arms, looking at him earnestly. "I didn't expect you to be so gentle, Master."
"Gentle?"
Roy smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying, then shook his head, his expression calm again.
"Not gentle, just humane… I'm human, after all."
"Are you ready for the next fight, Scáthach? It's time to wrap this up."
"Finally? Great! You've all been fighting, and I've been itching to join."
Scáthach's tone sparked with excitement, having been a bystander all night.
As a warrior queen, missing the battle was torture.
Hearing her chance, her mood soared.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Scáthach. But don't underestimate this. It's likely the last Servant battle, and Gilgamesh's strength is beyond imagination. Take this, and I'll support if needed."
Roy reached into his body, handing Scáthach the scabbard of the legendary sword embedded within him.
Feeling its weight, Scáthach dropped her playful demeanor, nodding solemnly.
"Rest assured, Master. I won't fail."
***
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