Einzbern Castle.
"This is really troublesome… Taking the initiative isn't an option, but not acting at all is basically just waiting to die… Just how are we supposed to deal with that Greater Grail?"
At this moment, Merlin, who had just returned to the castle, was feeling an intense headache.
Leaning on his staff, he sat down on the staircase paved with red carpet, covering his forehead as he fell into prolonged contemplation.
"What's wrong, Caster? Why do you look so awful after going out for just one trip?"
At the end of the staircase, a silver-haired girl tilted her head slightly, examining the white-haired mage with a puzzled look.
"Did you run into some Servant that even you can't handle?"
"The thing giving me a headache is indeed related to this Holy Grail War, but it's not because of a Servant…"
Merlin let out a light sigh.
"If the 'black mud' inside the Greater Grail isn't dealt with, whether this Holy Grail War can even proceed smoothly is already questionable."
"All the evils of this world, huh…"
Illya murmured to herself, then suddenly said, "You ran into big brother tonight, didn't you?"
"How did you know?" Merlin looked up in surprise, staring at the silver-haired girl in disbelief.
"I can more or less guess…
After all, he was the Servant who survived until the very end in the last Holy Grail War. He understands the danger of the black mud better than anyone. It's only natural that he'd want to deal with whatever's inside."
"But with Rin's Magic Circuits, she probably can't let him fully display his best performance either."
As she finished speaking, Illya seemed to sigh softly, a hint of regret in her tone.
Seeing this, Merlin smiled wryly.
"My apologies for taking up such a precious summoning slot… but let me at least say this, big brother Merlin here isn't inferior to Alvin, you know?"
As a Grand-class candidate, being summoned this time only to be repeatedly looked down on was admittedly a little disheartening.
Even if Merlin lacked a heart, that didn't mean he couldn't feel a sense of frustration.
Just what had Alvin done to his Master in the previous Holy Grail War?
In this one, all four Masters seemed to harbor an inexplicable fixation on that White Dragon.
If it weren't for the potential threat of a Beast looming in the background, Merlin had no doubt that this Holy Grail War might have already turned into a full-blown competition over Alvin.
"And even if you were to approach Alvin now, he wouldn't agree to become your Servant anyway—"
Merlin continued.
"I know. But if I really wanted to… it's not as if there's absolutely no way."
Illya let out a soft snort and took out a thin, lightweight book from her bosom.
Merlin's gaze sharpened slightly, and he almost blurted out instinctively,
"The Book of False Attendant…?"
…
Matou residence.
Like a ghost, Sakura Matou silently returned to her room.
Recalling everything that had happened tonight, the girl let out a quiet sigh.
"It seems I'll have to speed things up…"
In the past, in order to allow the Beast of Desire to complete its "evolution", she had hidden in the shadows.
While sabotaging the purification barriers, she had also continuously gathered the "emotions" of the people in this city as nourishment.
But now, the secret of the Greater Grail had already been discovered by Merlin and Alvin.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before they started suspecting her, would it?
If he were to learn her true nature… he would probably be disappointed, wouldn't he?
She had to be completely reborn before that happened…
After hesitating for a long time, Sakura Matou finally raised her fingertips.
Buzz…
Faintly, the sound of insects beating their wings echoed through the air.
If one looked closely, they would notice that in the snowy night, countless flying insects were pouring out of the worm pits in a mad rush, scattering toward every corner of Fuyuki City.
Ten thousand desire worms…
they would add "another spark" to the couples of this city.
.
.
.
Desire worms were special creatures mutated by the power of the Beast of Desire.
In the past, the "crest worms" cultivated by Zouken Matou were one branch of "worm magecraft," or rather, they could be considered a kind of forbidden secret art.
Crest Worms were capable of forcibly expanding a person's Magic Circuits in a short period of time, altering their magical attributes, or even directly draining life force to convert it into Mana.
Anyone implanted with Crest Worms would inevitably become a puppet of the caster.
After Zouken Matou's death, the Crest Worms were further altered through Matou Sakura's... or rather, the Beast of Lust's, magical energy, eventually transforming into what they were now known as: Desire Worms.
Compared to the Crest Worms of the past, the current Desire Worms were clearly far more abnormal.
Anyone who came into contact with the fluid secreted by a Desire Worm would lose control and instinctively kneel before the caster, giving rise to a powerful urge of voluntary submission.
Beyond that, Desire Worms possessed an extremely special authority.
— They siphoned the "love" shared between couples, absorbing that affection and converting it directly into the caster's power.
The moment ten thousand Desire Worms swarmed out of the Matou residence, pink crystalline formations silently rose from the ground in every corner of Fuyuki City.
These were Lust Crystals, condensed from vast quantities of accumulated affection.
When the Desire Worms hovered above the pink crystals, Matou Sakura raised her hand and lightly snapped her fingers.
Within her body, Mana surged rapidly through her Magic Circuits.
Immediately afterward, thorn-like crimson markings spread swiftly across her entire form.
At that instant, light flared within the abdomens of every Desire Worm.
A bounded field enveloping the entirety of Fuyuki City snapped open!
"Master…"
Rider silently observed the scene, then glanced at the current "Matou Sakura," clearly hesitating, as if she wanted to speak but could not bring herself to do so.
After all...compared to the gentle and fragile girl she usually was, the girl in front of her was truly different.
At this moment, her temperament, even her appearance, had changed dramatically.
Her snow-white, delicate skin was now overlaid with markings belonging to a Beast.
Her full, shapely chest strained against her clothing, while crimson patterns slowly crept upward across her bosom.
There was less of her usual cool restraint, replaced instead by a mature, bewitching allure.
"If you have something to say, just say it, Rider."
Matou Sakura turned her head toward the Servant beside her.
The latter hesitated slightly, but in the end voiced her concern.
"Don't you think you're being a bit… too hasty, Master?"
"I know… but I can't wait any longer."
Sakura slowly walked over to the window and lifted her gaze outside.
The depths of Fuyuki's night were eerily quiet.
Heavy snow fell soundlessly, wrapping the streetlights in layers of silvery white.
"…I don't want to keep waiting anymore."
If she had been able to successfully summon Alvin, Matou Sakura likely would not have immediately activated a bounded field covering the entire city.
But whether it was fate, or simply the heavens playing a cruel joke… even after swapping the relic with her sister, she still failed.
Instead, Tohsaka Rin, despite having her relic switched, successfully summoned Alvin regardless.
Thinking about this, one could not help but marvel at the existence of something like "Luck" in this world.
If Tohsaka Rin had parameters, let's not talk about strength, but her Luck would easily be ranked at A+.
"I know what you're worried about."
At this moment, the corner of Matou Sakura's lips curved into a gentle smile as she spoke.
"Don't worry, Rider… from the very beginning, I never intended to harm the people of this city."
"The Desire Worms will only allow them to follow their own hearts… and then, they will carry those feelings into the Greater Grail, where they will become a nourishment for me."
"That nourishment… should already be more than enough."
When the time came, whether it was Merlin or her beloved senpai… there would no longer be anyone in this city capable of defying her.
If she wished, even turning Alvin into her Servant would be effortless.
As long as tonight passed, everything would come to an end…
With that thought in her mind, Matou Sakura's gaze unconsciously shifted toward the mirror on the desk.
Reflected within it was a face so beautiful it bordered on the unreal.
If Sakura's original appearance could already be called top-tier, then her current self was truly one that could topple cities.
Her once modest black hair had been replaced by long, flowing violet locks, cascading like a brilliant starry night.
The fragile demeanor she once carried was gone, replaced by a bearing lofty and divine, like that of a goddess looking down upon the world.
The clothes she wore had likewise transformed, replaced by dazzling crystalline adornments.
Her attire and presence were completely different from the Matou Sakura of everyday life, her beauty now vivid, seductive, and overwhelmingly captivating.
…Is this really me?
Matou Sakura stared blankly at her reflection, unable to stop herself from thinking so.
At that moment, within her beautiful eyes fixed upon the mirror, the faint image of an exceptionally slender woman seemed to emerge.
Her voice was irresistibly alluring, gentle yet persuasive.
"Am I not simply another aspect of you?"
"Everything you desire, I can help you achieve… as long as tonight, we turn this city's 'desire' into our own."
"This is all for the sake of the senpai you love, you know～"
For an instant, Matou Sakura's gaze wavered and slowly, her eyes softened.
She silently rested one of her hand against her chest, as if feeling the rhythm of her own heartbeat.
Senpai...
Rider stood quietly in the corner, watching the scene unfold, her brows unconsciously knitting together ever so slightly.
...