In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

At this very moment, at the Matou residence.

Above the empty steps, a wriggling, flesh-colored worm was struggling to crawl, its target the insect chamber below the Matou family's residence.

No, I can't fall down, I still can't fall down...

There's a backup plan to replenish my life force below the insect chamber, so as long as I can reach that place, as long as I can reach it...

I'm sure I'll survive!

The pitiful spirits, imprisoned within the wretched bodies of fleshy worms, screamed madly.

At that very moment, the door to survival had already been opened long before it arrived.

A young man sat there, coldly watching the crawling worm; he had clearly been waiting there for some time.

"How pathetic... Head of the Matou family, you look so disgusting that you're no longer human."

He looked at the worms crawling on the ground and said indifferently, "Actually, I originally wanted to send you on your way myself."

"Ahhh... Crowley, Crowley Patriarch! Please save me, I want to live... I can't die... I want to live... to live forever..."

All that could be heard coming from the insects was an old and frantic voice.

When he saw Luo Wei, it was as if he saw a glimmer of hope for life. He shouted for help, hoping that Luo Wei would lend him a hand.

"Huh? Has he completely lost his mind now? No, it should be said that he's completely intoxicated by his shallow desires. How pathetic..."

Luo Wei expressionlessly grabbed the worm in front of him, then slightly tightened his fingers. The intense pain caused the worm on his fingertip to let out a heart-wrenching howl, and its previously frantic voice suddenly became much more sober.

He screamed at the top of his lungs, "Aaaaah... What do you want to do? Crowley, what do you want to do?!"

"Hehe, what do I want to do? Do I even need to think about it? Of course, I want to do what you've always wanted to do but never had the chance to."

Luo Wei watched its struggles and listened to Zouken Matou's frantic cries, his expression remaining unchanged. He coldly said, "Old bug, do you think you're the only smart one? Do you think I've never been able to guess your little schemes? Heh... Whether you're planning to have Lancelot hold back or want to take the opportunity to ambush Kenneth-sensei and the others, I know very well... I just haven't called you out on it."

"Let me explain... I was wrong, I know I was wrong, Patriarch Crowley... I did this so that we could achieve final victory... So, please save me..."

Upon hearing Luo Wei expose his plan to his face, Matou Sōken's previously frantic voice suddenly turned panicked. He disregarded his own condition and humbly begged Luo Wei for his forgiveness.

"I don't want to die... I want the Holy Grail... I want to live forever... Crowley..."

"To live forever... No, that's impossible for you. Because..."

As he listened to Zouken Matou's wailing, a meaningful smile slowly appeared on Luo Wei's lips. His gaze toward the worm remained cold, and his thoughts had not changed at all.

“I never intended for you to live, and... when you were being purified by Kirei Kotomine, I deliberately chose not to save you.”

"What...what did you say...?!"

Luo Wei's words shattered the last shred of hope in Matou Zouken's heart, and his soul let out a desperate and terrified cry.

"So-called cooperation should be based on equality between the two parties, that is, mutual benefit. But you... Zouken Matou, no, it should be Machiri Zorgen."

"Now you should really think back on what you've done during this time. Have you played any role? You are no longer the righteous, brave, and talented partner of justice you were five hundred years ago... Now you are not only old and blind, but also corrupt at heart... That's why you haven't seen the whole picture."

"The young upstart you thought you were, the easily manipulated Crowley, never existed from the beginning. On the contrary, you were the one who was trapped in the game the whole time."

"I feel a pang of pity," said Lowe, looking at the righteous ally who had fallen to such a state, and he couldn't help but feel a little empathetic.

Time truly is the most unpredictable thing in the world...

It is difficult for anyone or anything to withstand the erosion of time.

Even the purest heart and lofty spirit, worn down by endless years, will eventually decay and collapse, ultimately becoming like this rotting worm before us...

A partner of justice?

That's all in the past. Now he is pathetic, pitiful, and lamentable.

"No, you can't kill me! Don't forget we're bound by a contract; you can't kill me! If you or Lancer kill me, you'll suffer the backlash of the contract, and at that time... your fate won't be any better than mine!!"

Realizing that Lo Wei's murderous intent had not diminished at all, in his final moments, Zouken Matou recalled the original contract and screamed wildly, trying to use it as leverage to force Lo Wei to stop.

He believed that Loew's magical crest was more important than killing him, a competitor who was now no longer a threat. If he broke the contract, he would also be punished by the Witness's Root, and he would be severely injured and lose his ability to compete for the Holy Grail.

Unless Luo Wei is insane, he wouldn't be able to kill him against the constraints of the Root. At most, they are scheming against each other; there is no life-or-death feud between them, and this is his last chance to survive.

Unfortunately, Luo Wei had already guessed his thoughts and never intended to take action himself.

"So you're using a contract to threaten me... Heh, your mind's certainly sharp before you die. But... you're not wrong, with that contract with me, I can't kill you outright, but..."

Luo Wei tightened his grip slightly, completely ignoring Zouken Matou's wails, and said indifferently, "But there are others who can, and they have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, don't I agree?"

"Matō Kariya..."

Luo Wei spoke silently, then looked towards the door.

Scáthach, whom he had just sent out to find Matou Kariya, had returned with her men, and the two exchanged a smile.

"Then it's up to you now."

Seeing the right person appear here, Luo Wei smiled and slowly sat up from the sofa. He then placed the worm in his hand in front of Matou Kariya and shook his finger to cast a gravity spell on him, making it impossible for him to leave the floor, thus making it easier for Matou Kariya to make his move.

"What... what is this?"

At this moment, Matou Kariya, who had just been captured, looked completely bewildered. He stared at the wriggling worm in front of him and felt an involuntary sense of disgust.

Not long ago, he was searching the streets for Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had escaped from the hospital with serious injuries, when suddenly Scáthach appeared directly beside him from the sky and dragged him back to her home without saying a word.

Now, as soon as he returned, he saw Luo Wei handing him a worm, which left Matou Kariya feeling somewhat bewildered.

But when he saw the horrifying, writhing worm on the ground, Matou Kariya felt a strange sensation. He vaguely felt that the worm looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before...

Bugs, bugs, old bugs...

Could this thing be?!

"Is this that old bug, Matou Senken? How did he turn into this?"

For a moment, Matou Kariya seemed to have thought of something. He hurriedly turned his head to look at Luo Wei beside him and began to seek the answer.

"Yes, this fleshy worm is indeed that pathetic old worm, Zouken Matou..."

"As for why he became like this, it would be very complicated to explain in detail, but it's all his own doing. His current predicament is entirely his own fault,"

Luo Wei nodded slightly, then spoke casually, and gently patted Matou Kariya's shoulder before slowly saying, "Matou Kariya, most of the pain in your life comes from the Matou family, that is, from the hand of this old insect."

"Remember? I promised you before that as long as you cooperated with me, I would give you a chance to take revenge in the end. Now is the time for you to settle your score. Are you ready to personally end this grudge and say goodbye to the suffering you have endured over the years?"

"Settling scores, huh...?"

Kariya Matou's eyes widened, especially when he heard the words that Loe had left in his ear; his fists clenched involuntarily.

At this moment, Luo Wei's figure had already disappeared into the empty mansion, leaving only Matou Kariya standing there, and the old worm struggling wildly in front of him.

For a moment, the mansion was completely silent, the atmosphere extremely heavy.

Kariya Matou paid no attention to or noticed Lovi's disappearance.

Because at this moment, all he could see was this old worm named Matou Zouken, the culprit who had destroyed his entire life and his happiness.

Once upon a time, the enemy he had dreamed of killing was now right before his eyes, and had fallen to such a state. For a moment, tears welled up in Matou Kariya's eyes, and a smile that even Gilgamesh would be ashamed of appeared on his lips.

That was a smile of extreme joy, a wild smile, a smile bordering on madness—

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

The suffering accumulated over twenty years erupted completely at this moment. Matou Kariya covered his face, looked down at the old insect that had tormented him for over twenty years, and let out the most joyful laugh of his life.

"Old bug, you never thought you'd end up like this, did you?!"

Matou Kariya laughed wildly, shouting madly, and then, completely ignoring Matou Sōken's struggles below, he punched and shattered a glass frame hanging on the wall.

Bang--!!

Amidst shattered glass and a few drops of blood sliding from her fingertips, Matou Kariya then retrieved an ancient axe used for collection and decoration, and pointed it directly at the old insect in front of her, which had completely lost its ability to resist.

Are you... ready?

He smiled and asked, "My dear adoptive father..."

"Wait, Kariya... I... I can't die yet... I... I haven't witnessed the Holy Grail's descent... I... I haven't achieved immortality yet..."

Seeing that Matou Kariya had already raised the axe high above his head, Matou Zouken, who was bound to the spot by Lo Wei, had no way to escape and could only writhe and let out a shrill scream.

"Wait, wait a minute, calm down... Kariya, don't kill me! I admit I was too harsh on you in the past, but... I'm still the one who raised you! Anyway, that brat Tohsaka Tokiomi is dead. As long as... as long as you spare me, I'll promise you I'll let you inherit the Matou family headship... I, I can even help you get Tohsaka Tokiomi's wife back, the woman you love!!"

"Are you finished speaking?"

Despite listening to Zouken Matou's dying promise, Kariya Matou's expression remained unchanged, and his heart remained unmoved.

He stopped bringing the axe down and calmly asked, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Think about it, but please, please don't kill me..."

Seeing the sharp axe gradually stop above his head, Zouken Matou, who thought he had escaped death, breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to continue to coax Kariya Matou into taking him to the Mushi Room to revive him when he suddenly heard Kariya Matou speak calmly.

"Have you finished speaking? Oh, in that case, did you hear any other sounds?"

"H-what did you hear?" Matou Sōken asked, sounding bewildered.

"It said, 'You can go now.'"

"what?!"

Before he could react, the axe gripped tightly in Matou Kariya's hand slammed down onto the ground, completely ignoring the old insect's wails. He slowly said:

Goodbye, Father, goodbye, my cowardice.

Bang--!!

With the heavy slamming of the axe blade, his entire body was smashed into pieces under the terrifying pressure.

……

At some point in the past, three like-minded people gathered in a certain place—

Before them stood a tall, elderly man draped in a black robe, who said, “You need miracles to eradicate all evil from this world.”

Then, the man with long black hair stood up and made the following assumption:

"If this world is truly beyond saving, then we, as human beings, cannot be separated from evil."

Another blue-haired man continued:

"If the ideal land (Utopia) is located in a place inaccessible to human power."