Desire insects were special creatures mutated from the power of the Beast of Desire.
The "Crest Worms" bred by Matou Zouken in the past were one branch of "Bug Magecraft," or rather, a kind of secret technique.
Crest worms could expand magic circuits in a short time, alter magic attributes, and even directly drain life force to produce magical energy.
Anyone implanted with crest worms would become the caster's puppet.
Back when Zouken Matou died, the crest worms were altered through Sakura, or rather, through the magical power of the "Beast of Desire", and became the current "desire worms."
Compared to the old crest worms, the current desire worms were clearly far more unusual. Anyone who touched the fluid secreted by the desire worms would uncontrollably kneel before the caster and develop the urge to submit willingly.
Besides that, the desire worms possessed another extremely special power.
To absorb the "love" between couples, take in that emotion, and convert it into the caster's strength.
When ten thousand desire worms swarmed out from the Matou residence, pink crystal formations quietly rose from the ground in every corner of Fuyuki City.
Those were crystals of lust formed from collected love. When the desire worms stopped above the pink crystals, Sakura raised her hand and lightly snapped her fingers.
Inside her body, magical energy rapidly flowed through her magic circuits, and thorn-like red patterns quickly spread across her body.
At that moment, every desire worm lit up across its abdomen.
A barrier surrounding the entirety of Fuyuki suddenly unfolded.
"Master…"
Rider silently watched the scene, then glanced at the current "Sakura," looking like she wanted to speak but stopped herself.
Compared to the frail girl from before, both her temperament and appearance seemed to have changed greatly.
Patterns called "Beast" covered her fair, delicate skin. Her full chest stretched the fabric of her clothes, and red markings were slowly climbing upward across her chest as well.
She had lost some of her former coldness, replaced instead by a mature and seductive charm.
"If you want to say something, just say it, Rider."
Sakura turned to look at the Servant beside her.
Rider hesitated slightly before finally voicing her concern, "Don't you think this is a little too… rushed, Master?"
"I know… but I can't wait anymore."
Sakura slowly walked to the window and looked outside.
The deep night in Fuyuki was especially quiet. Heavy snow fell soundlessly, wrapping even the streetlights in silver.
"I don't want to keep waiting."
Actually, if she had successfully summoned Alvin, Sakura probably would not have directly activated this barrier covering the entire city.
But whether it was fate or some cruel joke from heaven, even after switching the catalyst she got from her sister, she still failed.
Instead, Rin still managed to summon Alvin despite the catalyst being swapped. It really made people feel that perhaps "good luck" truly existed in this world.
If Rin had stats, her Luck would at least be A+.
"I know what you're worried about."
At that moment, Sakura's lips curved into a gentle smile.
"Don't worry, Rider… I never planned to hurt the people in this city from the beginning."
"The desire worms will only let them follow their true feelings, then they'll carry those emotions into the Greater Grail as nourishment for me."
"This nourishment should already be enough for me to use."
'At that time, whether it is Merlin or Senpai, there will no longer be anyone in this city who can go against me.'
If she wished, even turning Alvin into her Servant would be effortless.
As long as tonight passed, everything would be over.
Thinking of this, Sakura's gaze shifted toward the mirror on the table.
Reflected in the mirror was a face beautiful beyond description.
If Sakura's original appearance was already top-tier, then at this moment, she was enough to bring down a nation.
Her once low-key black hair had become long purple hair, flowing brilliantly like a starry night. Her weak appearance was gone, replaced by the bearing of a goddess looking down from above.
The clothes on her body had also been replaced by dazzling "crystals." Her outfit and appearance were completely opposite from her usual self, stunning and alluring.
'Is this really still me?', Sakura stared blankly at herself in the mirror and couldn't help thinking that.
At that moment, within her beautiful eyes fixed on the mirror, the figure of an incomparably graceful woman seemed to faintly appear.
Her voice was deeply seductive as she softly tempted her.
["Am I not simply another personality of yours?"]
["I can help you obtain everything you desire… as long as tonight we turn all the 'desires' in this city into our own power."]
["This is all for the sake of obtaining your beloved Senpai~"]
For a brief moment, Sakura's eyes seemed unfocused.
Slowly, her gaze softened. One hand silently rested over her chest, as if feeling the heartbeat there.
Rider quietly stood in the corner watching this scene, her brows drawing together slightly.
———
[Tohsaka Residence]
Feeling the warmth from the boy tightly hugging her, Rin's body stiffened slightly, unsure what to do.
"Alvin?"
After freezing for who knew how long, Rin's heartbeat sped up on its own. Once she came back to herself, she almost instinctively tried to push Alvin away.
But for some reason, the moment her fingers touched the boy's shoulder, her body suddenly lost strength.
Actually, Rin's feelings toward Alvin were extremely complicated.
At first, when she learned that her younger sister had become obsessed with a certain Servant, what she mostly felt was disdain. It was more like, 'What's so special about this guy? Why does Sakura spend all day distracted because of him?'
Later, after traveling to Britain, she personally witnessed the terrifying power of this Night Watcher of Britain, and she couldn't help feeling a bit more respect toward him.
But after that, Alvin introduced her to the royal palace and asked Morgan to teach her… from that point onward, the distance between them had actually grown much smaller.
But no matter how close they became, it shouldn't have become this close, right?
"If you hate it, then just push me away," Alvin looked at her gently.
Rin didn't say anything. Instead, she silently lowered her head.
Her small hand hidden behind her back unconsciously tightened, and a complicated look appeared on her face.
"Have you calmed down a little, Rin?"
Alvin released the girl in his arms and sighed helplessly.
"You might not believe this… but my relationship with Sakura is much more complicated than you think."
"Aren't you two a couple?"
Rin asked without thinking.
"If we really were a couple, I would've told you when we confirmed the relationship."
Alvin took a deep breath. After a brief hesitation, he finally made up his mind.
"Rin, if one day Sakura stood against you, would you become enemies with her?"
'Become enemies… with Sakura?'
Rin tilted her head. Confusion first appeared in her blue eyes, then moments later, she opened them wide as realization finally hit her.
"W-wait! What are you suddenly talking about, Alvin?"
"Leaving aside whether I'd become enemies with Sakura… do you really think that girl would stand against me?"
In Rin's mind, Sakura had always been a well-behaved and sensible girl. At school, she had always seemed like a weak and helpless little rabbit.
And now Alvin was suddenly asking such a strange question… it really left her unable to make sense of it.
But as expected of Rin, after a brief storm of thoughts, her mind quickly calmed down. She stared at Alvin and said, "Do you know some kind of secret?"
As the two talked, pink pillars of light shot into the sky from every corner of Fuyuki, silently covering the city almost instantly.
Rin's eyes briefly lost focus. She rubbed her eyes, feeling her consciousness becoming hazy.
At that moment, Alvin also seemed to have made up his mind. He took a deep breath and said, "Actually, I suspect Rider's Master might be connected to Sakura…"
Ever since visiting the worm pit not long ago, Alvin had vaguely felt that way. And just now, on top of Mount Enzou, Merlin's "hint" had already been extremely obvious.
Sakura was the greatest "abnormality" in this Holy Grail War.
If she was allowed to do as she pleased, it might even affect all of human history, which was also why Merlin had accepted Illya's summoning through a "clone" this time.
After saying that, Alvin noticed that Rin still hadn't spoken.
It wasn't surprising. After all, in this world line, Sakura had already been "saved" and had not been polluted by crest worms. Logically speaking, she should have been pure and spotless.
But unexpectedly, inside, she was still black.
"Rider's Master… is Sakura?"
Rin unconsciously looked up at Alvin, her eyes full of disbelief.
"Then does that mean the attack at Mount Enzou was also her?"
But how was that possible? At the time, Rider had faced multiple Servants at once without falling behind and had even retreated unharmed, was that really something Sakura could do?
But if it truly was her, then everything made sense.
Calling her to the school through the phone, then staging the "attack" herself, was actually done to confirm whether the White Dragon had been summoned by her.
Seeing that Rin's expression was still full of disbelief, Alvin remained silent.
The amount of information in this revelation was explosive. Even Alvin himself had found it hard to believe when he first learned about it.
As Sakura's sister, Rin had spent nearly ten years with her, hearing this was probably even harder for her to accept.
Actually, telling Rin about this was something Alvin had carefully considered.
Originally, because Rin had caught him being "intimate" with Sakura, some distance might already have formed between them.
For a Master and Servant in the Holy Grail War, that kind of distance could become fatal at a critical moment.
At a time like this, the quickest way to repair the relationship was through an important "incident" they could deal with together.
In the end, Alvin never planned to hide Sakura's situation forever. He just needed to find the right timing.
And now, while this wasn't the best timing, if he delayed any longer, he might lose the chance to tell her.
Alvin originally thought that after hearing this, Rin might impulsively go question Sakura, or doubt what he said.
But long after he finished speaking, the girl in front of him still made no movement.
The moment he lowered his head to look at her, he saw Rin suddenly step forward and gently hug him.
The winter night was freezing, yet the girl's soft body was especially warm. As she held him tightly, every place where their bodies touched seemed able to feel the other's temperature.
That warmth, mixed with a faint fragrance, made Alvin forget to pull away for a moment.
As a result, only the sound of wind and snow battering the glass windows remained in the empty hall, as though the entire world had become a kingdom of snow.
Feeling the burning warmth of the soft body in his arms, the expression on Alvin's face gradually shifted from confusion to something much harder to describe.
"Rin?"
———
[Matou Residence]
Sakura tightly closed her eyes. Across her full chest, the purple markings became increasingly alluring as they continuously absorbed "love."
Rider quietly looked at the girl and softly said, "Once Beast completes its final evolution, you might no longer be yourself. Do you really not regret it?"
Sakura slowly opened her eyes, carrying a trace of self-mockery, "Even if I regret it now, it's already too late, right?"
Her fingertips lightly touched the flower-shaped marking on her chest.
"After all, the thing inside my body woke up a long time ago."
Actually, ever since running away from home ten years ago, Sakura could no longer truly be considered the real Sakura.
Over the years, the other "consciousness" inside her body had continuously influenced her will. By now, the two already existed in complete symbiosis.
Rider opened her mouth, about to speak.
Buzz!
At that moment, she suddenly heard an incomparably clear and pleasant voice beside her ear.
"So that's why an ordinary Holy Grail War would summon a Ruler for no reason. It turns out this Holy Grail War has developed an abnormality?"
"You're that heretic, aren't you… Miss Sakura?"
———
[NEW FANFIC: "Marvel: My First Template is Minato"
Hope you all will add it to your collection and give it a try. Let me know your thoughts in the review. Try to put it up in the rankings guys~😉 Have a great day~]