"This sword is for you!" A long sword emitting an ominous aura, as if it could bewitch one's heart—the huo xin sword—was casually tossed to Kariya Matou by Kanjuro.
Kariya Matou steadily caught the hilt, feeling the coldness and evil emanating from the blade. Step by step, he walked toward Tohsaka Tokiomi, who was trying to retreat in fear.
Meanwhile, Tohsaka Aoi had been picked up by Kanjuro around her waist. Their figures flickered a few times and disappeared into the depths of the dark, quiet woods nearby.
"Kariya... you must listen to what Kanjuro said, dismember him slow...ly... Mm... for about, an hour or so... I'm watching you!"
Tohsaka Aoi's voice came intermittently from the direction of the woods, mixed with an indistinguishable sob. It was unclear whether it was because her body was enduring the pain of some impact or because the lingering pain of her memories made her lose control of her emotions.
And Kanjuro's deep laughter, like background music, accompanied it faintly.
Kariya Matou was simple-minded and currently consumed by hatred. He could not imagine what kind of unspeakable transaction the woman he longed to protect was currently engaged in with another man in the nearby woods. He simply gripped the huo xin sword tightly, his eyes devoid of any pity.
He first used the tip of the sword to precisely cut off Tohsaka Tokiomi's tongue, making it impossible for him to utter any more arrogant words, leaving him only able to let out shrill and muffled wails.
Next, he took out a sharp short knife and began to methodically cut off Tohsaka Tokiomi's fingers.
His movements were extremely slow, as if he were completing a fine piece of craftsmanship, deliberately prolonging the agony.
"Just like a bug..." Kariya Matou muttered to himself. The desperate image of Sakura Matou being pushed into the worm pit surfaced in his mind again, and a wave of nausea and deeper hatred welled up in his heart.
He wanted Tohsaka Tokiomi to personally experience what true, slowly descending, agonizing despair felt like.
'Kanjuro, you absolute beast!'—
This vicious curse could only roar silently in Tohsaka Tokiomi's heart; his vocal cords were already unable to produce clear syllables.
He could only watch helplessly, feeling Kariya Matou act like a precise and cruel anatomist, meticulously following the principle of "slowly dismembering." Every cut carried deep-seated hatred, slowly slicing through his limbs and prolonging the pain to the extreme.
"Tell Kariya Matou to remember to take it slow, no rush."
Kanjuro's deep voice sounded in Tohsaka Aoi's ear, accompanied by his powerful movements.
"If the progress is too slow and it's really not working out, then go prepare a deep fryer. Not only will he be dismembered, but he'll also be fried in the oil pot." His words were like the most evil instructions, adding a new dimension to the torture.
Tohsaka Aoi's face was flushed and her eyes were dazed. Under the pleasure of revenge and the impact on her body, she had long since lost her former reason and gentleness.
She nodded vigorously, with only one frantic thought in her heart: she must make Tohsaka Tokiomi pay the most painful price for everything in that "future."
"Kariya..." Her voice was breathless and intermittent, yet it reached Kariya Matou's ears clearly.
"You're such a good person... but I think just dismembering isn't enough... we should also put him in an oil pot, cooking him in boiling hot oil... that way, when you dismember him, he'll be even more miserable... it can... it can prolong the time it takes for him to die..."
What came from that fragile voice was the most cruel suggestion in the world.
Hearing the instructions from the "goddess" in his heart, Kariya Matou felt as if he had received a sacred mission. His gaze became even more focused, and his movements became increasingly "refined" as he began to implement this inhumane, upgraded dismemberment plan.
Tohsaka Aoi gazed dizzily at the twitching, mangled body in the distance, watching Tohsaka Tokiomi writhe in extreme agony.
"How is it? Does it feel good?"
Kanjuro held her fair, flushed body and asked in a low voice, his tone carrying the laziness of one who controlled everything.
"Yes, it feels great..." she answered truthfully, her voice trembling.
"Then is it better when I make you feel good, or is it better watching Tohsaka Tokiomi die?" Kanjuro continued to press, making a comparison with malicious humor.
"Master Kanjuro... don't say such things..." Tohsaka Aoi suddenly looked back, her eyes shimmering with tears, unexpectedly revealing a misplaced deep affection. "I love you."
Kanjuro was silent for a moment, his eyes suddenly becoming cold as if he had been touched by something filthy.
"At a time like this, don't say such disgusting words." His tone was icy, devoid of any emotion.
"Because... because you helped me get revenge..." she sobbed, trying to explain. "I'm not lying to you."
Kanjuro sneered inwardly, too lazy to deal with a woman like Tohsaka Aoi, whom he saw as pretentious and hypocritical.
What a lowly woman. Love? Where in this world does true love exist?
He didn't need it at all.
All women were merely tools to fill the void in his heart.
He would never be moved in the slightest by a cheap "declaration of love."
He didn't even need to guess; the Eye of Truth had already clearly reflected Tohsaka Aoi's true thoughts at this moment:
[Tohsaka Aoi: Her heart is filled with gratitude toward Kanjuro. Within this gratitude is mixed a bit of love that she herself cannot clarify. This love is built on a strong physical dependence and attachment to Kanjuro, as well as a deep psychological identification with Kanjuro for avenging her and reversing her tragic fate.]
Time passed minute by minute in this scene where blood and desire were intertwined.
Tohsaka Tokiomi's eyeballs were gouged out, leaving two bloody black holes.
His hands were chopped to pieces, scattered on the ground.
His legs were thrown into a boiling oil pot, making a terrifying "sizzling" sound. The smell of charred meat mixed with the strong scent of blood filled the air, making one gag.
His entire body was covered with the foul-smelling Crest Worms unique to the Matou Family, sticking to the clotted blood and forming a hellish scene.
However, Kariya Matou didn't seem satisfied. As if remembering something, he turned and walked toward the depths of the Matou Family Mansion, specifically toward the room belonging to the head of the family.
Soon, Matou Zouken—the hunched, bald old man leaning on a cane—shuffled out.
Seeing the carnage in the courtyard, especially Tohsaka Tokiomi's mangled body, his withered face showed shock and anger: "Kariya! Are you insane?! How can you do such a thing to the head of the Tohsaka Family?!"
"Bullshit!" Kariya Matou rebelled fiercely against the man who had always suppressed him for the first time. His eyes were blood-red.
"Do I need you to teach me what I should do?!" His completely different attitude left Matou Zouken stunned for a moment, unable to understand what had changed him.
Kariya Matou no longer paid him any mind and walked straight toward the secret room filled with the damp, decaying smell where the Crest Worms were bred.
Soon, he came out holding a large pile of wriggling, horrifying Crest Worms.
"How do I activate the bloodlust of these Crest Worms?" he asked Matou Zouken in a raspy voice, his eyes wild.
"You... you've really gone mad!" Matou Zouken tried to stop him; this was completely beyond his cautious calculations.
Just then, Kanjuro's voice seemed to come from all directions, ringing clearly in everyone's ears:
"Tohsaka Tokiomi's death was destined. If you old man still harbor concerns about the so-called balance of power between Magician families and hesitate to finish him off, then you are gravely mistaken. Things have come to this; your Matou Family has no way back."
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