Chapter 37: Why the Long Face? Give Us a Smile, Okay?

"I can grant your request."

Upon hearing Zoran's words, Kariya Matou forced himself to stand straight despite the agonizing pain.

"However, this is not out of sympathy. I do not possess such emotions," Zoran stated. "I simply detect from you the possibility of a moment that might bring me pleasure."

"What do you mean...?" Kariya asked, bewildered.

"Let's move!" Zoran tapped on the table, reminding Shendu to put down his manga.

"To where? To finish off this little brat?" Shendu asked, confused.

Kariya's entire body jolted.

"Isn't your next target Berserker? My brother, we have a show to watch." Zoran laughed heartily.

"I do like interesting things." Shendu slowly rose to his feet.

…

Night fell upon the Matou Manor.

Kariya Matou stepped into the residence, his expression twisted and tense. Zoran had made a demand he absolutely could not refuse. He would help, but on one condition: as the protagonist of this story, Kariya had to perform a sufficiently spectacular drama for him.

That man is an absolute demon! fear welled up in Kariya's heart.

Yet, he had no choice. Even making a deal with a demon was far better than watching the hope of seizing the Holy Grail slip away before his eyes. He had to go to Zoran. Caster was too powerful, and Zoran, as his Master, was utterly despair-inducing. This was the only chance.

Fortunately, he had secured it.

His body swaying from pain and internal turmoil, Kariya stormed into the manor. The commotion he caused quickly drew the attention of his father, Zouken Matou.

Zouken was a hideous old man, short in stature, possessing a brand of dark sorcery that was nothing short of loathsome. Perhaps in his youth, when he held ideals of justice, he had been a man worthy of respect; but having lost himself in the pursuit of immortality, he was now nothing more than a revolting parasite.

"Kariya? You shouldn't be here," Zouken said sternly as he watched the staggering man approach.

"Then where should I be?" Kariya looked up, his face contorted in agony.

"The Grail! The Holy Grail War! You wretch, have you forgotten you want to save Sakura? Or are you just like before, unchanged, a total coward who does nothing but run away!"

"Run away? Hahahaha!" Kariya suddenly burst into laughter, his expression manic. "Yes, you're right! I only know how to run! And because I ran, I let Aoi's daughter suffer in my place!"

"I'm a piece of trash! A coward! A selfish brat!" He began to scream insults at himself.

"Kariya...?" Zouken suddenly sensed something was wrong.

"But old man! You're wrong too! You're the one most at fault!" Kariya pointed directly at him, hatred climbing up his cheeks like distorted worms crawling under his skin. "All you ever wanted was to satisfy your own desires! I just didn't want to be your vessel! What did I do wrong?!"

His voice was like thunder as a bolt of lightning streaked across the night sky. Footsteps echoed as another descendant of the Matou family appeared from behind a wall.

"What are you doing?" Shinji Matou, drawn by the noise, looked at the quarreling pair in confusion.

"Shinji, ignore him. He's a madman," Zouken snapped.

Not far away, hidden by the night, Zoran and Shendu observed the scene about to unfold.

"Shinji Matou? I imagine this child will be psychologically scarred for life," Zoran joked, his face showing not a hint of concern.

"What a wicked sense of humor!" Shendu flashed an evil grin. "But unexpectedly, it is quite pleasing," he praised.

"You deal with Berserker in a moment," Zoran ordered calmly.

Before him, the fates of everyone seemed like nothing more than thin threads dancing between his fingers. The dagger of vengeance should, after all, be held by the avenger. The audience sitting comfortably in the gallery need only worry about critiquing the play; entering the fray personally would only result in getting one's hands dirty.

Inside the manor, the argument continued. Zouken seemed to be shaking with rage, the muscles on his face twitching.

"Kariya, I don't know what kind of fit you're throwing, but if you don't want our agreement voided, take your Berserker and get back to the Holy Grail War! Otherwise, don't blame me for forgetting I'm your father!"

Kariya's frame suddenly went still, as if he had caught onto a key point. He murmured, "Right... Berserker. Haha, that's right. Berserker!"

He suddenly threw his arms wide. From his distorted face, his voice sounded as if it were being squeezed through his teeth as he roared with resentment:

"Berserker!!!"

A figure shrouded in black mist slowly manifested. Zouken's face changed instantly. "Kariya, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind!"

Beside them, Shinji realized things had taken a turn for the worse. His pupils shook as he slowly backed away. Kariya pointed a trembling finger at his father, one Command Seal slowly fading.

He hissed, "Berserker! Follow the rebellious act of your Master, Kariya Matou!"

Berserker let out a beast-like howl. He stomped forward, shattering the floorboards, and grabbed a nearby chair that instantly transformed into his Noble Phantasm. He sprinted two steps, and his armored, monstrous silhouette filled the old man's vision.

"Kariya! What are you doing! Are you crazy? If you kill me, you can't save—"

CRASH—

Berserker's arms swung down. A pile of bloody, mangled flesh rose from beneath him. Then, like a madman, he repeatedly raised and slammed the chair down. The sickening sounds of cracking bone and squelching meat rang out continuously.

Shinji was so terrified by the sight that he fell to the floor, crawling backward as tears and snot covered his face.

"Uncle Kariya is crazy... he killed the old man... I have to get out..."

Shinji scrambled across the floor, but his limbs felt like lead. After what felt like forever, the sounds of violent impact behind him finally ceased. He looked back once. The room was a wreck, with only a pile of bloodied pulp remaining on the floor.

His gaze shifted, meeting Kariya's hideous face.

"Uncle Kariya, I didn't do anything... I'm a good person..." he wailed in fear.

Kariya said nothing. He simply lowered his head and walked toward the basement worm pit. Berserker continued to growl, looking like a demon. Having just killed Zouken, he was on the verge of a total rampage.

But Kariya no longer cared. At the entrance of the worm pit, he paused. There was no sound from within. Sakura had grown so used to the gnawing of the worms that she no longer even screamed. Zouken had told him that himself.

Reaching up to rub his face, Kariya forced his features into a semblance of calm, suppressing the agony in his body. For a brief moment, a brilliant smile appeared on his face.

"Sakura, it's all over. Uncle is here to see you."

Stepping forward, his forced smile finally collapsed the moment he saw that small body in the pit, covered in countless Crest Worms. Tears fell as he dropped to his knees, reaching out with hands that ignored the biting worms to cradle Sakura's soulless face.

"It's okay, it's okay. Kariya, you idiot, everything is finally over..."

Kariya wiped his tears and finally forced another smile. He lifted her from the pit and murmured to himself:

"Honestly, Sakura, why the long face? Give us a smile, okay?"

"Guh... hng..." His shoulders shook. This weak man was crying again.

He cradled Sakura and slowly ascended the stairs. Violent thuds echoed from above. As expected, Berserker had gone berserk. Because of the "Mad Enhancement" added during his summoning, he was on the edge of being uncontrollable.

In the manor, Shinji crawled across the floor in terror; he had never seen anything so horrifying. A stain of yellow water trailed down his pant leg—he was scared to death, thinking only of escape. Kariya's Servant had killed the old man; he would be next. Kariya was a complete lunatic. Why go this far for a girl who didn't even belong to the Matou family?

Just then, a massive pressure descended from the sky. Shinji looked up, his gaze trembling. Another monster!

Shendu had reverted to his true form, standing over three meters tall in front of Berserker. This beast-like warrior had always been his intended next target.

"The show is over. Time to end this." He curled his lip, and the Glory of the Ancient Demon descended in an instant.

A blood-red sky immediately swept over the world. Sacred chants roared as dragons unfurled their wings, swarming down in a world-covering slaughter. Berserker howled, ripping a pillar from the structure and swinging it as he charged.

But Shendu was faster. In a blink, he appeared before him, his stature suddenly looming. He reached out and crushed the pillar in his palm. He pinned Berserker down, like Godzilla catching a Muto in a kiss of death.

His Noble Phantasm-tier Dragon Talisman power surged to its peak. He unhinged his jaw, and a continuous torrent of explosive fire poured out. This was a blast equal in power to King Arthur's Excalibur. The searing pillar of flame washed over Berserker's body, scattering the black mist surrounding him.

The pitch-black armor shattered within Shendu's maw, disintegrating into untraceable embers.

A moment later, Shendu flicked his arm, tossing Berserker to the ground. Deprived of the armor that obscured his form, the knight's true face was finally revealed. It had to be said, Shendu was quite the expert at "curing" a rampage. Berserker's eyes were much clearer now; the Mad Enhancement had faded under Shendu's onslaught. He knelt on both knees.

"Lancelot of the Lake. It is a pity your long-held wish will remain unfulfilled."

Beside them, Zoran clapped softly, finally manifesting after witnessing everything. Against Shendu, Lancelot truly had no chance of victory. Kariya, as his Master, lacked sufficient mana and had essentially abandoned him in this moment. Even with his Noble Phantasm, Knight of Owner, unless he could pick up the entire planet, there was no way to win.

Lancelot knelt, his form on the verge of vanishing. He rasped, "What a terrifyingly powerful foe..." He looked up, staring at the blood-red sky, murmuring, "Arthur... my King..."

A second later, his body crumbled into ash.

Zoran turned and whispered, "Another soul craving redemption. Is it the guilt of your betrayal?"

The Knight of the Lake, who had engaged in a forbidden love with Arthur's queen, Guinevere, would never reach a reality where he was truly saved. The man who craved King Arthur's judgment had finally fallen here.

"Let's head back," Zoran called out softly. "Let's leave Kariya Matou to his brief moment of... happiness."