protection from the gods
The terrified screams of the little girl echoed in the basement, followed by the sound of countless crawling insects.
"Rustle~"
Countless black insects advanced in succession, completely indifferent to their own kind. The sole target in their eyes was clear!
The delicious prey in front of them made their desires peak. All they wanted was to find a hole to crawl into her body and then act wantonly!
Zouken Tohsaka closed his eyes, his aged face expressing enjoyment. It seemed like he took pleasure in the desperate sounds of this tender life.
"Crackle~"
The sparse eyebrows on the aged face furrowed. Despite the unattractive appearance of those thin eyebrows, the emotions of the old monster were evident.
Opening his eyes, there was no trace of emotion in the cloudy pupils. This increased Sakura's despair as she looked at him.
'Who... who can come and save me?'
'Who... who can come and save me? Sister... sister? Where are you? Didn't we promise to protect each other for a lifetime?'
"Woo~"
This seemingly strong and tender child was ultimately frightened out of her wits. She had almost no way to retreat, and her steps involuntarily moved back a few more, coincidentally twisting her heel on the insect exit!
"Thud~"
The terrified Sakura did not notice that the imprint bugs, seemingly eager to devour her, quickly turned away when they touched her body, as if threatened by a mortal enemy!
Curling up her body, Sakura hugged her shoulders with her arms, burying her little head inside, her body shuddering.
Endless sorrow surged in her heart, but Sakura didn't understand these feelings. She only felt like an abandoned puppy.
"Hmph!"
Zouken Tohsaka lightly tapped his cane on the ground. Although he didn't use much force, the sound echoed in the basement.
"Which friend is playing a joke on me? The Tohsaka family is conducting an inheritance, so please leave if you're unrelated!"
"Rustle~"
Apart from the sounds of insects crawling and Sakura's faint sobbing, there was nothing unusual.
"It seems that someone thinks they can easily bully this old man. The Tohsaka family is conducting a transmission. I ask unrelated persons to leave!"
"Crackle~"
A large amount of magical power gathered within Zouken Tohsaka, and one imprint bug after another provided him with magical energy.
He didn't want to confront this mysterious figure unless absolutely necessary because every time he used magic, a small portion of the imprint bugs in his body would die.
He still had to hold on for another sixty years to fulfill his lifelong wish of immortality!
Spiritual probing yielded no results. Zouken Tohsaka squinted his eyes, feeling that this matter was extremely tricky.
'Retreat?'
The thought flashed in his mind, and Zouken Tohsaka looked at Sakura...
"Boom!"
A huge magical power fireball formed in an instant!
He didn't believe that the mysterious person wouldn't make a move to save Sakura!
What on earth was happening? Countless speculations flashed through Zouken Tohsaka's mind. In Eastwood City, someone who could evade his detection... could it be a Heroic Spirit?
The summoning of a Servant had taken place in the last few days, but he hadn't sensed the birth of any Servant.
Then... who could it be?
The fireball gradually approached Sakura, and the imprint bugs, upon sensing the high temperature, quickly scattered, running back to the nearest openings.
Sakura raised her head, her eyes shining brightly in the firelight, which were teardrops.
Zouken Tohsaka also didn't like bright light, but this fireball spell was cast immediately because the imprint bugs had no effect on her.
Recalling what he knew from five hundred years ago, he wondered what else he used to know. There seemed to be quite a few good things? Why was he only playing with bugs now?
Zouken Tohsaka's furrowed eyebrows never relaxed. The fireball was getting closer to Sakura, but the mysterious figure had never appeared.
The bald old man squinted his eyes, carefully observing everything around him, unwilling to let go of any magic fluctuations!
Finally, the fireball hit Sakura!
There was nothing... Besides the sound of the exploding fireball, not even Sakura's cries reached the scene.
As the fireball slowly dissipated, Sakura continued to tremble in place. However, a faint golden film appeared on her body!
Zouken Tohsaka had a faint sense of unease in his heart. Upon seeing his "granddaughter" equally puzzled, a large number of imprint bugs surged within his body!
Magical interference spread throughout the entire basement, and countless imprint bugs advanced relentlessly!
Driven by Zouken Tohsaka's consciousness, the pitch-black imprint bugs, unafraid of death, crawled onto Sakura one after another!
In no time, the imprint bugs enveloped the little girl, but Zouken Tohsaka's face did not show the slightest hint of satisfaction.
Squinting his eyes, the lump of imprint bugs in the corner of the basement gradually fell, and a light golden radiance swept through!
Taking a step back, Zouken Tohsaka's face looked rather unpleasant.
Having lived for over five hundred years, Zouken Tohsaka's survival methods were evident.
Continuously scanning his granddaughter with magical power, the light film prevented the intrusion!
"Heh~"
In Zouken Tohsaka's cloudy eyes, Sakura's chest hung a small object.
A pocket watch.
However, it didn't have a cover, and that damn thing reminded Zouken Tohsaka of Big Ben in Britain!
"Is it you causing trouble?"
Zouken Tohsaka sinisterly laughed twice. If he guessed correctly, that thing should be a 'Holy Relic,' and judging from the preserved power, its owner must have been extraordinarily powerful during their lifetime!
Perhaps... he didn't have to wait another sixty years.
The bald old man had a hypocritical smile on his face, slowly walking to the little girl. "Sakura, can you show Grandpa the pocket watch on your chest?"
The tender girl lifted her small head, fear evident in her eyes. But in an instant, her eyes became confused.
"Okay, Grandpa."
Her small hand grabbed the pocket watch, slowly taking it down from her fair neck.
In the excited gaze of the old man, she was about to hand it to him!
"Buzz!——"
The palm full of wrinkles had just received the chain when a light golden glow instantly burst out in front of Zouken Tohsaka's eyes!
It was full of holiness and incredibly powerful!
Black tears streamed from Zouken Tohsaka's eyes. The power restraining him had already killed all the imprint bugs on his face!
He couldn't stay here!
He would definitely die!
The old monster who had lived for over five hundred years panicked for the first time, feeling that things were no longer under his control.
"Boom!"
A tremendous force shook the old bug to the other side of the basement! The chest area exploded into black bugs!
Then, those bugs quickly entwined together. After coughing a few times, Zouken Tohsaka slowly stood up.
The sacred divine power made him want to vomit. Reluctantly, he erected a magical barrier in front of him, feeling somewhat relieved.
"This... this is summoning a Servant?!"
The old bug was full of shock, unaware that the various forces that had just arrived in Eastwood City were also horrified!
One of the local dignitaries in Eastwood City, the location of the Tohsaka family. Wearing a red suit, Tohsaka Toki stood up, looking towards the direction of the Tohsaka family.
Underneath the seat were broken glass fragments and red wine that looked like blood.
The man behind him, dressed in a church outfit, also had a serious expression. "That is..."
"Quinone, it seems that this Holy Grail War won't be so easy this time..."
"The Tohsaka family summoned a deity?!"
"Not necessarily. It could also be a Servant with the power of a god."