Chapter 4: Obsession
Crushing the insect underfoot, Su Xiao's gaze shifted to Matou Sakura.
"Not a bad substitute, but..."
That old insect was still one-fifth alive. Although it could no longer pose a threat to him, he was accustomed to eradicating the root of the problem entirely.
Blue light flickered on his palm as his hand clamped around Matou Sakura's slender neck. Blue-white arcs of electricity danced as a surge of Cyan Steel Shadow energy entered her mouth.
Matou Sakura's reaction was immediate. Her eyes rolled back, saliva dripped from the corner of her lips, and she instantly fainted.
"Sakura!"
Matou Kariya, who had just stopped in his tracks, charged forward again. Su Xiao turned and hurled Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Clang.
The blade pierced through Matou Kariya's chest, pinning him to the wall. The longsword was covered in Cyan Steel Shadow energy.
"Ahh!!"
Matou Kariya let out a agonized scream as countless Crest Worms crawled out of his mouth, fleeing his body as if escaping.
Moments later, all the Crest Worms inside Matou Sakura and Matou Kariya were dead. One was severely wounded and near death, the other unconscious. The Cyan Steel Shadow energy not only targeted the Crest Worms but also devoured the magical energy within both of them.
"Bubu, are there more insects nearby?"
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, indicating there were at least tens of thousands of Crest Worms within the castle.
Su Xiao walked over to Matou Kariya and pulled Dragon-Slashing Flash from his chest. Matou Kariya collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Bubu, activate the aura. Don't let either of them die. If Matou Kariya can't hold on, we'll have to use Matou Sakura as the substitute for the Master class."
In Su Xiao's perception, the number of Magic Circuits within Matou Sakura far exceeded Matou Kariya's. Matou Kariya was a hastily made product created using insects.
For Su Xiao, the attribute of the magus didn't matter. As long as they had sufficient Magic Circuits, he could use them to remain in the derivative world.
Bubu Wang approached Matou Sakura, sniffed her, then tossed her onto his back. As for Matou Kariya, Bubu Wang grabbed him by the belt. Su Xiao suspected that even if Matou Kariya wasn't killed by the Cyan Steel Shadow energy, he would suffocate to death.
In truth, Bubu Wang could already tell that Matou Kariya wouldn't live much longer. His body had been severely eroded by the insects. Although the insects were now gone, the already damaged body tissues couldn't be repaired.
The disappearance of the insects wasn't a good thing; it would actually accelerate Matou Kariya's death.
Matou Sakura was different. This little girl's constitution far surpassed Matou Kariya's. The Crest Worms had only invaded her organs but couldn't penetrate her blood vessels or body tissues.
Even if Matou Kariya died now, it wouldn't matter. Su Xiao had already found a substitute.
"Let's go."
Su Xiao walked toward the castle's exit. As he moved, a large number of white spiders crawled out from his sleeve. These were all high-grade Alchemy Bombs. He had decomposed eight high-grade Alchemy Bombs into hundreds of small white spiders, distributing them throughout the castle.
Three minutes later, Su Xiao exited the castle. After walking several dozen meters, he lit a cigarette and simultaneously detonated the Alchemy Bombs inside.
Boom, boom, boom, boom...
A dense series of explosions sounded behind him. The Matou family's castle instantly shattered and was engulfed in flames.
A dozen seconds later, the centuries-old castle had turned into a massive fireball.
Squeak~
The screeching of Crest Worms echoed far and wide. The Alchemy Bombs were too densely packed. The Crest Worms inside the castle were either blown to pieces or trapped in the sea of fire, being roasted alive.
[You have eliminated Matou Zouken (99%).]
[All of Matou Zouken's original Crest Worms have died. Obsession not eliminated.]
[Matou Zouken is an important plot character. Obtained World Source 5.2%. Total World Source obtained: 5.3%.]
[Due to killing Matou Zouken, Holy Church Reputation -20. Current Reputation Value: -20 (Indifferent).]
...
Seeing the notification from Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao wasn't surprised. The fact that Matou Zouken, that old bastard, had survived until now was largely due to the obsession in his heart.
In his youth, Matou Zouken wasn't a villain. His ideal was to "abolish all evil." However, he didn't succeed. Not only did he fail, but his excessive obsession drove him to pursue eternal life in order to fulfill his ideal.
But in the end, Matou Zouken had forgotten his original ideal. His goal became immortality.
If it were the Matou Zouken from the era of pursuing "abolishing all evil," his obsession after death would be terrifyingly strong. He might even become a Heroic Spirit.
As for the obsession born from his current pursuit of immortality, Su Xiao shook his head. Such an obsession was insignificant. Matou Zouken would dissipate soon, likely within an hour.
That said, he had to admit that this old bastard was exceptionally hard to kill. Su Xiao had killed all the insects inside Matou Kariya and Matou Sakura, then blown up the Matou family's castle.
Even so, Matou Zouken wasn't completely dead. A sliver of obsession remained. However, the old bastard was still dead because his obsession wasn't strong enough.
The blast wave from the explosion swept past, causing Su Xiao's trench coat to rustle loudly.
After the explosion that echoed across half of Fuyuki City, Matou Sakura, who was on Bubu Wang's back, was jolted awake.
The moment she woke up, the intense pain in her body nearly made her faint again. But she was already accustomed to this kind of agony. She possessed extraordinary endurance, so she didn't cry or make a fuss like an ordinary brat. She didn't even make a sound.
Bubu Wang turned his head to look at Matou Sakura on his back. Sakura lay prone on Bubu Wang's back. Bubu Wang's Charm Attribute of 53 points gave Sakura a sense of security, so she remained naked on his back without moving.
Bubu Wang retrieved a piece of torn cloth from the wreckage and draped it over Matou Sakura.
"Ha, hahaha..."
A manic laugh came from the half-dead Matou Kariya. Blood gushed from his mouth, but he was laughing.
"Is this... saving Sakura? The Crest Worms are all dead, and that old bastard is gone too. Yes, I succeeded."
Hearing Matou Kariya's somewhat deranged laughter, Su Xiao glanced at him. If left unattended, Matou Kariya would die within half an hour.
"Surviving Matou Zouken's Crest Worm modification means you have a high pain tolerance. You must really want revenge on Tohsaka Tokiomi, right? To some extent, that counts as the hatred of a stolen wife."
The firelight illuminated Su Xiao's face. At that moment, a smile appeared on his face.
"How do you... know?"
The dying Matou Kariya was full of disbelief.
Su Xiao didn't bother answering Matou Kariya's question. He had an idea. If it succeeded, he could set aside the Holy Grail War and focus on completing his talent awakening mission.
It was now midnight. The streets were empty, but after the explosion, lights in the nearby blocks flickered on in large numbers.
Su Xiao walked deeper into the city. Ten minutes later, he found an uninhabited house.
[Notification: The Hunter's "Heroic Spirit" identity has been successfully constructed. The Hunter may view their own Heroic Spirit attributes.]
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. This was undoubtedly good news. He could now compare his own Heroic Spirit attributes with those of other Heroic Spirits. Although he had previously defeated Lancelot, that Lancelot wasn't at his full strength.