These words resonated in Matou Zouken's heart.
His cloudy eyes flickered several times.
Kanjuro was right. Since they had already acted, and with such cruel methods, they were already at a point of no return with the Tohsaka Family.
At this moment, still thinking of leaving a way out would be true stupidity.
Having thought this through, a trace of ruthlessness flashed across Matou Zouken's withered face.
He no longer stopped him, instead pointing his cane at Kariya Matou and saying raspily, "Use your blood... with the caster's blood as a catalyst, you can best stimulate their ferocity."
Kariya Matou did not hesitate to cut his palm with the knife, letting the crimson blood drip onto the wriggling Crest Worms.
As if injected with a violent soul, the Crest Worms instantly became more agitated, their bodies glowing with an ominous red light. Like a pack of sharks scenting blood, they frantically swarmed toward Tohsaka Tokiomi, who was left with only a head and half a torso!
With his limbs already severed and his eyeballs gone, the mangled body fell into the bubbling oil pot... In the air, Tohsaka Tokiomi's already incoherent, heart-wrenching screams became even more shrill. It was a despairing wail that transcended physical pain, originating from his soul being gnawed away, like enduring the agony of ten thousand insects devouring his heart.
Not far away, Kanjuro and Tohsaka Aoi had already tidied their clothes and walked out of the small woods together, watching this wonderful and cruel scene with indifference, as if admiring a brilliant play.
Even the originally gentle Tohsaka Aoi showed no sign of disgust or discomfort. Instead, she had a strange flush and excitement on her face, especially as she watched Tohsaka Tokiomi's life force being stripped away bit by bit, extremely slowly.
Finally, there was not a single intact piece of flesh left on Tohsaka Tokiomi's body. Stark white bones and charred internal organs were exposed, with Crest Worms wriggling and gnawing upon them. Only that solitary head was still slightly heaving, letting out the labored breathing sounds of a broken bellows.
"Why... why... haven't you... killed... me yet!!"
Tohsaka Tokiomi used the last of his remaining strength to squeeze out a raspy, blurred, yet still discernible question of despair from his nearly shattered vocal cords.
This endless torture was ten million times more terrifying than death.
In the darkness, Kanjuro held Tohsaka Aoi's hand and stepped forward slowly.
Kariya Matou respectfully stepped aside, his gaze sweeping over the pair who were rosy-cheeked and intimate. He had already guessed what they had just done.
However, there was no anger in his heart, only a deep gratitude toward Kanjuro for helping him "see the truth."
He was deeply grateful for the assistance in his revenge.
Since even Aoi had no objection to this and was even willing, he naturally wouldn't have any opinion.
Kanjuro walked expressionlessly to the remaining head that carried Tohsaka Tokiomi's last consciousness and pain, and stopped.
He didn't even bend over; he just casually raised his foot and then—stomped down hard!
Bang!
A muffled sound, like a ripe watermelon bursting.
That head, which once symbolized the glory and elegance of the Tohsaka Family head, instantly collapsed and shattered under Kanjuro's foot, turning into a pool of thick blood mixed with bone fragments and brain matter, splashing onto the cold ground.
The final scream of pain came to an abrupt end.
Everything seemed to have truly ended.
A cool night breeze blew by, carrying away the scattered scent of blood from the ground.
Tohsaka Aoi stood alone in place, her clothes fluttering slightly in the wind, her eyes somewhat hollow as she gazed into the distance, as if she hadn't yet fully recovered from the bloody and cruel scene.
Kariya Matou also stood silently to the side, his chest heaving violently before gradually calming down. A sense of relief, mixed with the pleasure of revenge and deep fatigue, enveloped him.
The gazes of both, coincidentally, were cast with unspeakable awe toward the man in the center who seemed like the incarnation of the abyss—Kanjuro.
He was too vicious, ruthless, and acted without any bottom line, like a demon crawling out of hell.
However, it was such a terrifying existence that did not inflict that cruelty upon them. On the contrary... Tohsaka Aoi's heart was filled with complex emotions.
She had indeed resented Kanjuro's initial crude possession, but at this moment, that resentment had long been covered by another stronger emotion—it was Kanjuro,
who let her "see" that desperate, predetermined future;
it was Kanjuro who gave her the strength and opportunity to take revenge on Tohsaka Tokiomi.
This twisted "kindness," along with his irresistible, eerie charm and power, made her develop a strong dependence that even she found startling, beyond just fear.
Kariya Matou looked at Tohsaka Aoi, his lips moving a few times as if he wanted to say something, his eyes carrying residual concern and a trace of undetectable loss.
Aoi keenly noticed his gaze and shook her head slightly, her voice gentle: "Kariya, all along, I have regarded you as my best and most important friend. My relationship with Kanjuro... you should be very clear about it now, right? I hope, and request, that you can continue to maintain this precious friendship between us."
She deliberately emphasized the words "friend" and "friendship."
"...I will," Kariya Matou murmured in a low voice, like a promise, or perhaps like saying it to himself, completely sealing away that deep-seated emotion in his heart.
Meanwhile, Kanjuro's gaze fell upon Tohsaka Aoi. "Let's go."
He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and turned to Kariya Matou. "By the way, Kariya, if one day that child named 'Sakura' is born... I think it would be a good choice for you to be her adoptive father."
"Lord Kanjuro!" Kariya Matou's body shook violently, his eyes instantly bursting with a fervent light of disbelief and extreme gratitude, as tears welled up uncontrollably.
With a "thud," he knelt on both knees without hesitation, kowtowing deeply toward Kanjuro, his voice trembling with excitement: "I... I, Kariya Matou, am willing to pledge my life to your service! No matter what the future holds, this resolve will never change!"
"It's nothing."
A faint, imperceptible cold sneer curled at the corner of Kanjuro's mouth.
In his eyes, someone like Kariya Matou was undoubtedly the most useful subordinate—capable of protecting those he loved, knowing how to repay kindness, and possessing a character with an almost paranoid persistence.
Moreover, Tohsaka Aoi, the greatest "shackle," was still firmly in his hands.
A loyal "simp" with decent strength and requiring no cost at all was truly an amusing tool. Kanjuro loathed most simps in the world, but for those who could be used for his own benefit, he didn't mind accepting them.
The deep curtain of night completely enveloped the earth, and the bloodiness and clamor in front of the Tohsaka Mansion seemed to gradually quiet down and dissipate along with the heavy darkness.
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