shift the blame onto someone else

In the murky yellow eyes of the old man, there was no trace of light. Yanye Matou could vaguely see many distorted worms in them!

This scene made him nauseous, and acid surged in his stomach. Even if he sprayed it on the "father's" face, Yanye Matou would still feel disgusted!

With a hoarse sound in his throat, like an old leather bellows, Yanye Matou frowned.

"Come with me, I hope you won't regret it."

The old man turned around, tremblingly walked out of the dim room, and Yanye Matou tightened his fists. The black blood still flowed on the back of his hand, but he didn't care.

When he learned from his crush that Sakura had been adopted into the Matou family, Yanye knew that things were going to be bad.

No one knew better than him, the head of the Matou family, his nominal father, what kind of person he really was.

Stupid and silly Tohsaka Tokiomi!

Having been "friendly" with the Matou family for so many years... Didn't he understand what kind of place this was?!

Yanye Matou clenched his teeth, various thoughts flashed through his mind, and his heart raced uncontrollably.

He would soon see Sakura; he wanted to take her away from this filthy place!

And then... where to go?

To the Tohsaka family? No, no, no!

To the rented room? That wouldn't work either!

Only... only away from Fuyuki City! But where could he get the money? Go find his big brother?

Maybe... it should work.

The "father" wobbled in front, tapping the ground with his cane. Every step he took was solid, and only then would he take the next step.

His heart seemed to be gripped by a big hand!

They moved away from the bedroom, but where exactly was Sakura?

"Ka!~"

The iron door leading to the basement was opened, and the sound instantly woke up Yanye Matou!

His throat was itchy, and Yanye spat out a mouthful of saliva. His lips turned pale and trembled slightly. "No way?"

"Hmm?"

The old man half-turned around. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing... nothing." Yanye Matou suddenly realized and exclaimed, "You've locked Sakura in the basement! Don't you know she's afraid of the dark?!"

"Yanye! Watch your words!"

Yanye Matou took a deep breath, enduring the impulse to punch the old man in front of him.

Because he knew that doing so would be futile, except for being sucked on by those disgusting worms again, it would be of no use.

The two entered the pitch-dark basement.

Yanye Matou was an ordinary person, completely ignorant of magical perception. However, he could clearly feel... the temperature inside was much different from outside!

It was too hot here!

A trace of haze flashed in the old man's eyes. The residual divine power around him made him very uncomfortable, and the high temperature seemed to burn away all the moisture.

He didn't like this place.

"Sakura! Where are you? Don't be afraid, Uncle Yanye is here to find you. Uncle will take you home soon, back to your mom..."

"Sakura? Sakura? Sakura?!"

"Drip, drip, drip!~"

Yanye Matou's steps quickened a bit. The basement was pitch-dark, and he could only roughly judge the direction based on his childhood memories.

"Bang!~"

"Damn it!"

Yanye Matou struggled to climb up. He had stepped on empty space just now and fell down from the stone steps!

Facial swelling, and before long, he would feel a throbbing pain.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he called out for Sakura in the dark.

After a while... besides echoes, there was nothing else.

Just as he was about to question his "father," the old man lightly tapped the ground with his cane, and green flames ignited on the high walls around.

The dim firelight allowed his pupils to adapt in an instant.

Even though Yanye Matou didn't understand magic, he could see from the marks on the ground that this place had experienced a battle!

The complex patterns at the central altar were violently erased, and many of those 'wormholes' around were shattered.

Sweat soaked his clothes, and Yanye Matou looked up at the old man. "Where's Sakura? Where is she? Tell me!"

"Do you want to know?"

"Matou Zangyuan, don't force me! Let Sakura leave this place! I'll help you retrieve the Holy Grail!"

"Just you?" The disdain in the old man's tone was evident. "What qualifications do you have to compete with the elites of the magic world?"

"Let Sakura leave, and I'm willing to implant magical worms into my own body."

"Are you insane?!"

The old man's voice raised a notch, seemingly surprised by Yanye Matou's determination.

The mummified hand moved slightly at the tip of the cane, and Matou Zangyuan seemed lost in thought.

With a flash of light in his eyes, he said, "She has already left this place. Let me personally send her away."

The old man didn't say anything. Several magical worms pushed a crystal ball out of the "discharge port" and rolled to Yanye Matou's feet.

Faint magical power flashed, and a scene was played.

The girl named 'Sakura,' floating in a sea of worms, lifeless, like a ragdoll played with too much.

Covered with magical worms, her tight clothing was torn, revealing a lot of fair skin. The lecherous worms kept wriggling on her.

Black and white intertwined, creating an artistic scene, but it ignited Yanye Matou's anger!

"You... you..."

"Do you want to know the reason?"

The old man's words carried a confusing tone, and a small amount of magic easily put this weakling into a hypnotic state.

"It's her, the source of everything. A demon who steals divine power! She took Sakura away! Forced her to participate in the Holy Grail War!"

"Kek kek kek, Yanye, think about the cruelty of the Holy Grail War. Can a little girl ultimately survive?

"I... " A struggling expression flashed across Yanye Matou's face. He looked dumbfounded. "What should I do?"

"Desire it from the depths of your heart. Implant the magical worms into your body. Become the master of this Holy Grail War, and you might have a chance to protect Sakura from the 'demon.'"

Seeing the young man bewildered, Matou Zangyuan was quite satisfied with the situation.

Even if the hypnotic effect wasn't very strong and would soon wear off, he believed this waste would participate in the Holy Grail War to protect someone!

For the sake of a woman, this kind of waste would never amount to anything!

This time, would he have the opportunity to live forever?

Tomorrow, let the summoning of Heroic Spirits begin.

...

"Based on the continuous blockade of residential areas by the police, it seems that there is an extremely mentally disturbed murderer in Fuyuki City! The crime scenes are erratic and numerous! The killers mostly choose to break into homes and, after killing the homeowners, create some kind of religious ritual pattern using blood."

"Here, the police urge the public to reduce outdoor activities during the night and to close doors and windows. If you have any clues, please report immediately..."

In the hotel room, the television was broadcasting the morning news. The Crimson Princess had left with the 'Nightmare' since last night, and now, nobody knew where she was causing trouble.

"Big... big sister?"

"Hmm?" Kyouka turned her gaze away from the screen, her face showing a faint smile. "Are you awake?"

"Uh... yeah."

Although Sakura was curious about how her glamorous big sister from last night had changed her appearance, she would never mistake that gentle voice!

"What would you like for breakfast?"

"An... anything is fine."