After sending Kirei and Assassin to intercept Ludwig, Tokiomi began treating Gilgamesh's wounds.
Though he had considered using a Command Spell, he felt that if Kirei and Assassin could buy even a moment's time, he could restore Gilgamesh to fighting shape through conventional means. Gilgamesh's treasury contained numerous healing artifacts; all Tokiomi needed to do was ensure a steady, uninterrupted supply of mana.
Simultaneously, he cast an anxious glance toward the Mion River, now shrouded in thick fog.
He had expected Ludwig to be formidable, but he had never imagined the youth would be powerful enough to trade blows with Gilgamesh while the King of Heroes wielded the Sword of Rupture, Ea.
Tokiomi couldn't help but wonder if his earlier hypothesis was correct: the boy using the name "Brunestud" hadn't just fabricated a title to intimidate them. He likely truly hailed from the Millennium Castle, Brunestud.
However, in order to keep the secrets of the Holy Grail ritual from leaking, Tokiomi had chosen to have Father Risei suppress the news. He had not reported the matter to the higher echelons of the Holy Church, let alone called in the Burial Agency to handle the situation.
Tokiomi silently resolved that, if necessary, he would no longer be stingy with his Command Spells. He would use another to bolster Gilgamesh's power and ensure Ludwig's certain death.
The shockwave from Ea had successfully eliminated Caster. According to the subjugation order issued by Father Risei, Tokiomi, as Archer's Master, perfectly met the criteria for the reward. With two Command Spells still remaining, Tokiomi felt he had nothing to fear for the remainder of the war.
Thinking of this, he looked in the direction Kirei had gone, hoping his disciple could buy just a little more time.
"...You have changed completely, Kariya Matou. To think that you, who once abandoned the path of magecraft, would return to the Matou house only to use an outsider's hand to destroy your own lineage."
Sensing someone approaching, Tokiomi turned back and spoke with a note of pity to Kariya, who was emerging from the dense fog.
By now, Gilgamesh's wounds were mostly healed. Although the Berserker currently launching a surprise attack was dangerous, Gilgamesh was more than capable of handling it alone. Tokiomi decided to seize the moment to strike Kariya down. Once the Master was gone, no matter how powerful Berserker might be, he would lose his anchor and be forced to exit the stage.
"This all happened because you handed Sakura over to Zouken," Kariya spat, staring at Tokiomi with pure hatred.
Zouken was dead, and Kariya's remaining vitality and mana were only enough to sustain one last battle. To ensure Berserker's movements didn't crush him under the strain, Kariya had already used one Command Spell. As for his own fight against Tokiomi, he harbored no grand expectations.
The Matou family was finished, and Sakura had been taken under the wing of the Great Magus Merlin, ensuring a better future. Kariya refused to consider whether the whole thing was a ruse; he had to believe in Ludwig and his companions. They were his final lifeline.
"You, who have already strayed from the path of magecraft, should have no further concern with these matters," Tokiomi sighed.
"So you're content to let Sakura rot in that place, suffering endless torture?" Kariya demanded.
"Torture? If the hardships required to pursue the Root seem like torture to you—someone who cannot comprehend the nobility of magecraft—then I suppose it is easier for you to understand it that way." Tokiomi gazed at Kariya, his tone insufferably condescending. "Think of it however you wish."
The fog was heavy, refusing to dissipate even after Caster's death. Tokiomi was forced to magically enhance his vision to see Kariya clearly, all while wondering where this unnatural mist had originated.
"...Nobility..." Kariya gritted his teeth.
He remembered Ludwig asking him once: Aside from looking the same and sharing basic biological functions, can magi and ordinary humans even be considered the same species?
Kariya hadn't been able to answer properly then, only offering a vague "probably." After all, the only example he had was Zouken, who was a complete aberration. Technically, Zouken was the Matou ancestor and Kariya's direct blood relation—his kin on paper. Yet Kariya didn't even know how many centuries the old man had lived, or what kind of monster he had truly become.
"One final question: where is Sakura?" Tokiomi frowned.
Hearing this, Kariya couldn't help but sneer back. "You, who threw Sakura to Zouken... what right do you have now to play the father and ask after her whereabouts?"
"I sent Sakura to the Matou family for the sake of her happiness. But now that the Matou house has fallen, it is naturally my duty to take her back and find a more suitable magus lineage for her." Tokiomi spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, his voice utterly devoid of warmth.
To Kariya's ears, there was no humanity in those words—only hypocrisy and self-proclaimed nobility.
"In other words, you'd rather keep passing Sakura around like a tool to strangers than let her return to Aoi and Rin?" Kariya asked.
Tokiomi didn't answer directly. Instead, he continued, "The Tohsaka family has distant relatives in Finland, a magus family known as the Edelfelts. This time, I will send her even further away—to a place you will never be able to reach."
"...Is that so?" Kariya suddenly understood, and he burst into laughter.
Although the Great Magus Merlin had been vague, she had mentioned Finland and the blood relation to the Tohsakas. Tokiomi thought he was making a clever, preemptive choice, but he was a full day behind.
"What is so funny?" Tokiomi did not understand Kariya's sudden surge of emotion.
"It has nothing to do with you." Kariya raised his right hand, pointing it at Tokiomi, his eyes sharp. "To be honest, I've already done what I set out to do. I have no lingering attachment to this Holy Grail War. However, I owe a massive debt of gratitude. This life of mine, which barely has a few breaths left, still has one final use."
In his youth, Kariya had been a somewhat idealistic boy, prone to flights of fancy. He had once imagined himself saying such dramatic, death-defying lines. Fate had come full circle, and this felt like a fitting place to meet his end.
"One delusional statement after another... even willing to throw your life away as a pawn. Taking responsibility for one's own actions is the first requirement of being human." Tokiomi had no interest in dissecting Kariya's words.
Their communication had always been like this—two parallel lines that would never meet.
"When you have enjoyed too many blessings, you must fulfill your obligations. I don't need a lecture from you, Tokiomi!" Behind Kariya, hundreds of Winged Blade Worms took flight, poised to strike. "Insects, devour him!"
The battle between magi on the riverbank began. Even if their power levels were mismatched, Kariya felt no fear.
Tokiomi understood the gap in their strength and the elemental compatibility of their magecraft. He raised his staff, and a magic circle instantly manifested from the gemstone, swirling with intense, scorching flames.
A defensive and offensive fire formation. Tokiomi was confident that this alone would be enough to defeat an amateur like Kariya, who had only begun practicing magecraft two years ago.
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Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey(80 Chapter - Ongoing)
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