The Limit of Endurance

"Wow! Amazing! So cool! This is just too awesome!"

A voice full of excitement suddenly broke the silence in an empty room.

An orange-haired youth was jumping around, waving his arms wildly. In his hand, he held something unusual. Upon closer inspection, it was a severed head—a bloodied human head.

The head appeared to belong to a child, its pale face frozen in terror, eyes wide open in fear. Blood still dripped from the severed neck, splattering onto the floor, table, and even the orange-haired youth's body. But the youth seemed completely unfazed. In fact, he was overjoyed, as if he had just found a new toy to play with.

This young man was none other than Uryuu Ryuunosuke, the Master of Caster.

"The thing about fear is that it has an expiration date," Ryuunosuke said enthusiastically. "If someone keeps getting scared over and over again, eventually, that emotion fades. Fear will rot, decay, and become meaningless."

From the shadows emerged a strange figure—a man with an unnerving appearance. His eyes were unnaturally large, bulging like those of a cow, with pitch-black pupils that made one feel uncomfortable just by looking at him. He was clad in a long, wide robe adorned with numerous precious metals and jewels, though the outfit looked bizarre, more like a costume worn by a circus clown than something grand.

This was Gilles de Rais, Ryuunosuke's Servant, Caster.

"True fear isn't static," Gilles said, his eerie smile spreading wider. "It's found in the shift from hope to despair—that fleeting moment of transformation." He turned his head, his grin widening. "How does the fresh taste of fear and death feel?"

"You're amazing!" Ryuunosuke exclaimed, tossing the severed head aside.

The head hit the floor with a wet thud, blood splattering everywhere.

Ryuunosuke ran over, grabbed Gilles' hand, and, brimming with excitement, urged, "Let's keep going! Let's kill in even cooler ways! I can't wait anymore!"

"It's my greatest fortune to have a Master who understands me so well," Gilles said, gripping Ryuunosuke's hand firmly. His eyes narrowed as he continued, "At last, I can fulfill my most cherished wish."

"You're both so eager to die, aren't you?"

Suddenly, a voice as gentle and smooth as flowing water filled the room.

"Who's there?" Gilles turned sharply, his expression shifting as he stared in the direction of the voice.

A silver-haired girl stepped out of the shadows. Her hair cascaded like a waterfall, parted into two strands that framed her delicate face. Her eyebrows were as finely shaped as autumn leaves, her eyes like serene pools, with lashes fluttering slightly.

She was none other than Kaguya.

"Oh?" Gilles' eyes lit up as his gaze locked onto Kaguya. His bulging eyes were glued to her as he remarked, "What a perfect specimen. Truly exquisite. With someone like her, I could craft the most magnificent piece of murderous art."

"This person..." Ryuunosuke frowned, scratching his head. "I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."

"Seen her?" Gilles turned toward him. "Is she someone you know?"

"I don't think so. How could I know such a cute girl? I'd definitely remember someone like her," Ryuunosuke replied, still looking puzzled. "Where have I seen her before?"

He was certain he had seen this adorable girl somewhere, but for some reason, he just couldn't recall exactly when or where.

"Ah, so it's you!" Kaguya clapped her hands, her face lighting up in sudden realization. "No wonder you seemed familiar."

This was the same yellow-haired guy she had encountered when she first arrived in this world. If she remembered correctly, she had even stolen money from him back then.

"It's you, that damned thief!" Ryuunosuke's expression changed as he finally recognized her. He gritted his teeth and exclaimed, "You're the one who stole my money! That was my hard-earned salary for a whole month! You're despicable!"

"Huh? Your monthly salary was that little?" Kaguya gave him a sidelong glance, her tone filled with disdain. "How embarrassing. If I earned that little, I'd just go kill myself."

"Hey! You spent my money and now you insult me like that? That's too much!" Ryuunosuke shouted, clenching his fists in frustration.

"Actually, this is perfect," Gilles interjected with a smile, his sinister grin widening. "Being killed by someone familiar brings with it not just fear, but also regret and anguish. Isn't that the perfect touch to death?"

"You're right! Why didn't I think of that?" Ryuunosuke exclaimed, clapping his hands in excitement. "That's brilliant! Let's do it!"

"You two are complete idiots," Kaguya sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "I should have known—Sakura Tohsaka couldn't possibly be with you two morons."

She had already scanned the area with her eyes and hadn't detected any trace of Sakura. There was no sign of her presence here. It seemed she wasn't being held in this location.

Kaguya relaxed a little. Despite the fact that these two psychopaths were capable of horrific acts, if someone else had kidnapped Sakura, it was likely for leverage or other motives, meaning they wouldn't kill her outright. This brought Kaguya a bit of relief.

"I don't have time to waste playing with you two. Go amuse yourselves. Goodbye." Kaguya waved her hand dismissively, smiling as she turned to leave. Even though Sakura was likely safe for now, the longer things dragged on, the more unpredictable the situation could become.

But before she could take another step, the ground suddenly erupted, sending debris flying everywhere. Countless thorn-covered, multicolored tentacles shot up, writhing in the air and blocking Kaguya's path.

Kaguya's brow furrowed. She turned back, her voice cold as she warned, "You filthy, wretched worms—I didn't want to waste my time on you. Don't test the limits of my patience."

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