My name is Levi, and I work in anime.

"This is troublesome." Li Wei nodded, not noticing anything amiss.

After that, dinner was a very enjoyable time for both hosts and guests.

The only one acting strangely was the twin-tailed little devil; after Li Wei and her parents finished their conversation, she was noticeably more dazed. If her younger sister, Sakura Tohsaka, hadn't been supporting her, she likely would have fallen.

Indeed, this happened when she just got up. Fortunately, the boy and Sakura were very close to her and immediately helped Rin up.

Because of the rush, the smaller Tohsaka lost her balance while helping her older sister and bumped into Li Wei. Fortunately, Li Wei caught her immediately, preventing an accident.

In an instant, an intoxicating fragrance invaded her nostrils, combined with a softness that her sister completely lacked, making it truly unforgettable.

The Tohsaka family is so careless; they can still be reliable even when things go wrong.

Originally, there were still many issues I wanted to discuss with the twin-tailed little devil, but now it seems better to let her go back to her room and rest.

Of course, even if she went back to her room, she probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Or if she managed to fall asleep, she would dream about doing all sorts of embarrassing things with Li Wei.

So the battleground was moved to the study, and after everyone else left, only Tokiomi, the head of the Tohsaka family, and Li Wei remained.

"Little Li Wei, you must have come to Fuyuki for something else, right?" Tokiomi knew very well that Li Wei was extremely busy. Given his personality, he wouldn't be in such a hurry if it were just for the sake of marriage.

"Nothing can be hidden from you, Mr. Tokiomi." I only came here for one thing.

She felt a little strange, but obviously couldn't say it out loud, otherwise it would embarrass the others: "I want to know the specific situation of the Matou family now."

“The Matou family?” Tokiomi Tohsaka pondered for a moment before replying, “Our two families broke off relations more than ten years ago, and we’ve had very little contact since. I only know that they’re in a bad situation now, and their status in the magic world and their apparent wealth are not what they used to be.”

However, recently, there seems to be a strange magical fluctuation emanating from the Matou family, one I've never sensed before. It's hard to say for sure; without seeing it for myself, it's difficult to draw any useful conclusions.

"Is this so..."

Li Wei nodded: "That's already very helpful, Mr. Tokiomi."

It seems that Li Wei himself will have to handle the specifics.

The only purpose of the female villain in Chapter 18 is to contribute HCG.

Under the cover of night, Li Wei, carrying a blonde young girl on his back, was moving forward at an extremely fast speed through the darkness. His destination was the Matou family.

Since he couldn't get any valuable information from the Tohsaka family, he decided to explore the area himself. Based on previous records about the Matou family, the boy was confident he could escape unscathed.

Somewhat strangely, even though her body had recovered to that of a twelve-year-old, Shinobu compressed herself back into the size of an eight-year-old girl, giving the reason that it would make it easier to move around.

"Actually, it would be more convenient for you to stay hidden in my shadow." The boy sincerely suggested during their journey.

"No, I like the feeling of you carrying me on your back." Unfortunately, the suggestion was rejected outright.

Since that's the case, the boy didn't intend to continue the discussion on this topic; as long as she was happy, that was fine.

Under the cool moonlight, the boy carrying the blonde girl on his back seemed like an elf leading Alice in Wonderland, heading towards their destination.

A gentle breeze brushed against my cheek; the feeling was indescribable.

"Once I help you regain all the power that was taken from you, what are your next steps?" Feeling strange being stared at by Shinobu, the boy started a conversation.

That wasn't the look of someone looking at a partner; it was more like appreciation and satisfaction, as if a creature that had lived for a long time had finally found something that interested her.

The last time someone saw him like that was Morgan, disguised as Vivian.

"I guess we should complete the task our best friend entrusted to us first." Shinobu pressed her body against the boy's back, feeling the intense heat emanating from beneath her. "We're both supernatural beings who have lived for a very, very long time. I wonder what kind of three-headed, six-armed character she betrothed her daughter to. It's really intriguing."

"Really? Remember to call me, I'd like to join in the fun too." Li Wei nodded, indicating that he would include me.

Vampires are notoriously difficult to deal with; Arcueid, even among the most notorious, still went so far as to kidnap Ryougi. Is he a boy targeted by a monster? All I can say is, I wish him happiness.

Time flew by during their conversation, and the boy carrying the young girl on his back had already arrived in front of the Matou residence.

Since the investment failure more than a decade ago, the Matou family has gradually become insolvent. The eldest son of the second generation, Matou Tsuruno, died of illness, the second son, Matou Kariya, mysteriously disappeared, and the only heir of the third generation, Matou Shinji, was inexplicably injured and is said to have lost his ability to have children. The huge Matou family is now relying on the elderly patriarch, Matou Zouken, to support the family alone.

As he grew older, Zouken Matou gradually became more secluded from the world. The last time Tokiomi saw him was four or five years ago.

The Matou residence's exterior walls were mottled and peeling, exuding an old and decaying aura, devoid of any vitality or life, like someone who should have died long ago but was using shady means to prolong their life.

The cold, bright moonlight shone on the Matou residence, but instead of adding any sense of holiness, it created an inexplicable eeriness, as if it were not a building complex, but a monstrous beast lurking on the earth, ready to devour its prey.

For the sake of convenience, Shinobu ultimately infiltrated into Li Wei's shadow. After everything was prepared, Li Wei leaped into the house and began his infiltration.

As expected of the local tyrant who has dominated Fuyuki City for hundreds of years, the Matou residence is even larger than the Tohsaka residence. Unlike its old and dilapidated exterior, the interior is quite clean, with soft, low-carbon flooring and vintage decorative paintings hanging on the walls.

However, the stench of decay and decay could not be concealed no matter what. No matter how clean it was, it was nothing more than applying makeup to a dead person's face, devoid of any vitality.

The entire house was completely dark, the only source of light being the moonlight streaming through the windows, which vanished entirely once one ventured deeper inside. In such a vast and silent environment, it was easy to feel fear and helplessness, as if a monster might suddenly appear from behind you.

"Can you feel your body being taken away?" After searching around without finding anything, Li Wei summoned Xiao Ren, who was hiding in the shadows.

“Hmm… I vaguely feel that my entire body, which was taken away, is here!” The blonde girl gave a startling answer.

In other words, are all the other partners who took over Shinobu's body, except for the fox sister, having a party right now?

That's very convenient; there's no need to run around.

Ten minutes later, relying on Shinobu's senses, Li Wei found the entrance to the Matou residence's basement and quietly slipped inside.

After climbing countless seemingly bottomless staircases, in the oppressive and stifling atmosphere, the boy finally spotted a glimmer of light and heard voices.

Holding my breath, I could see four or five people in the room, having a heated debate.

"Matou-oki, you called everyone here just for this little thing?"

One of the men, a large middle-aged man dressed like a religious figure, said indignantly, "Didn't we agree before that we would each take one share and then not contact each other again? Now it's time to distribute the agreed-upon portion to everyone."

"Nobody's interested in your plans to heal your grandson or anything like that, and they're not interested in the future of the Matou family either. When are you going to give me the right arm that you promised me?" The short-haired woman, dressed in extremely revealing clothes that looked like lingerie, said with a displeased expression, "I'm still waiting to absorb the magic power and go back to settle accounts with Annerose. This time, there won't be any handsome young man passing by to help her."

"That's right, that's right, hurry up and give me your left hand, I'm also waiting to get revenge on Asagi." The woman with short purple hair, wearing a red high-cut bodysuit and sexy fishnet stockings, was equally annoyed: "Speaking of which, Li Meifeng, can you tell me more about that handsome young man? I have a feeling that he is the same person who helped Asagi last time."

"What an ignorant person! Can't they understand what I'm saying?"

The magician, whose physical body was already too old to be anything but, shook his head, his words filled with compassion: "What I'm saying is, from now on you will become a part of me, so why are you still thinking about those irrelevant things?"

"What did you say..."

Before the other party could react, the head of the Matou family unleashed a powerful surge of magical energy, and a large number of ugly insect-shaped familiars and tentacles appeared out of thin air, knocking the three people sitting opposite him to the ground almost instantly.

Especially the two women, who seemed to have no resistance to tentacle monsters and the like, were defeated immediately, just like the minor villains in a third-rate eroge who were eager to show the player their defeat CG.

"Matou Zouken, you son of a bitch... Waaaaah!" The woman, dressed almost like the Steel Witch and called Li Meifeng, was swallowed whole by the insect-shaped familiar after only a few words.

"Guests outside, since you've arrived, why not show yourself so I can do my best to be a good host?"

After casually eliminating his three former business partners, the old man, exuding an aura of decay, looked towards the basement entrance and extended a sincere invitation.

Chapter 19 I Have Nothing Lacked Now

"excuse me."

Since there's no way to hide it anymore, it's best to face it honestly. Li Wei took a deep breath and revealed his true form.

Before coming to Fuyuki City, Li Wei had repeatedly researched Zouken Matou and was confident that he knew him quite well.

The information shows that the Matou family is a magic family that has been rooted in Fuyuki for hundreds of years. Matou Zouken was the father of the previous Matou family, who lived in Matou Tsuruno. He was proficient in insect magic and was a shrewd, hardworking and intelligent person.

But when the boy stepped out the door and looked into his eyes, he realized how wrong he had been.

The old man before him showed no sign of shrewdness or reason whatsoever. His eyes were bloodshot, gleaming with a murderous light. Besides the aura of decay and decay, his entire being exuded cruelty and inhumanity. More than a human, he seemed like some kind of monster possessing Zouken Matou. Even if he shouted "I'm not human anymore!" and pulled out a mask to put on his face, Li Wei wouldn't be surprised.

"This breath..."

"He absorbed my limbs and my memories of magic; the side effects were too great."

In the shadows, Shinobu, who was enjoying a donut, delivered a death sentence: "I don't know what he was thinking, daring to absorb the magic power of the King of Monsters at will and drawing magic without restraint. Is this thing so easy to learn? This guy has already gone mad. He will die after he squanders all his life force. Even if we hadn't come, he wouldn't have lived much longer."

People die for wealth, birds die for food. It seems that the decline of the Matou family has driven this old man to madness. In order to revitalize the family, will he ultimately choose to take a desperate gamble and drink poison to quench his thirst?

What a pitiful and pathetic fellow.

"Don't get me wrong, this guy isn't as noble as you think." Renxia Xin immediately poured cold water on the situation: "I didn't think of this before I came here, but now that I see this face, I finally remember. I saw this guy when I came to Japan hundreds of years ago. He probably used some underhanded means to survive until today. This plan to steal my magic power is probably also to survive."

So that's how it is. It's a birth that's capable of anything to survive.

The initial pity in Li Wei's eyes vanished, leaving only a scrutinizing gaze, as if judging a criminal.

That look seemed to have deeply stung the guy.

"Hehehe, one or two of them are like this. Why can't they dedicate their lives to my great dream? It's really incomprehensible."

“Mr. Zouken Matou, let me remind you, return the illegally stolen magic power and Ms. Heart of the Blade right now, and I might consider it a confession.” Li Wei issued his final ultimatum: “Prison is actually quite nice, everyone there is talented. Maybe you can find enlightenment here and reach the pinnacle of magic.”

"And I can also do my best to help heal your body."

"Healed? No, no, I feel great."

The magician named Zouken Matou, who had lived for at least several hundred years, wore a maniacal smile: "Now is the first step I'm taking on my ideal path. I can't do without an observer, and I think you're quite suitable."

Powerful magic circulated within him, and countless tentacles and insect-shaped familiars pounced on Li Wei, attempting to defeat the boy in the same way they had devoured the Anti-Magic Ninja and the Steel Witch.

An attack of this level was clearly too weak. Everything that the sword of light passed through was reduced to ashes.

But that wasn't the main point. By the time Li Wei had eliminated these time-wasting cannon fodder, the opponent had already poured all of their uncontrollable magical power into the spell he had just mastered. The obscure magical patterns didn't resemble Western magic; they had a more Eastern flavor.

"This is... a summoning jutsu?" When he was a child, he got lost around the Ruri Shrine and was found by a blonde older sister with a parasol. She taught him a few tricks, so he recognized the name of this jutsu at a glance.

It's not just about necromancy; it also mixes in summoning spells and some ancient magic formulas that I've never seen before, giving people the feeling that "I don't understand what any of this is, but it's all for summoning, so I might as well sew it all together."

I wonder what this guy will summon. Judging from his imposing presence, he's definitely up to no good.

"That's too late."

Before Li Wei could arrive to stop it, the summoning spell was already complete. Immediately following was an astonishing sense of oppression.

A roar.

A ferocious, chilling, and suffocating roar resounded, and a bizarrely shaped monster with seven bodies, seven beams of light, and features such as bison horns, vulture claws, and a snake tail, surrounded by flames and poisonous gas, gradually emerged from the summoning circle.

It looked around, raised its head, and let out a loud roar.

"This is……"

Having been taught about monsters by Skadi, Levi quickly discerned the origin of the monster summoned by Zouken Matou—a powerful being from ancient Sumerian mythology who once fought against the hero-king Gilgamesh, Humbaba!

Originally, monsters of this level were not something Zouken Matou could control, but because the summoning spells were all bugged, they bypassed the restrictions and started functioning thanks to the bugs.

However, because there were no restrictions whatsoever, this beast, which was originally the guardian of the forest in mythology, completely lost its mind and wantonly destroyed everything around it.

If it were to leave the Matou residence and wander outside Fuyuki City, the consequences would be unimaginable.

It must be limited to this.

Thinking of this, the sword of light in Li Wei's hand shone brightly. He channeled all his magic power, and crimson dragon energy swirled around his body. Pale golden flames rose up, and his body even swelled up considerably for a short time—this was the martial art [Death-Destroying Beast] that his teacher Scáthach had taught him.

This powerful slash struck Humbaba head-on. Even though it was a magical beast from the Age of Gods, it still let out a painful wail after taking such a strong blow!

Unfortunately, such damage was not enough to be fatal; instead, it made the creature even more ferocious. Raising its head, it swung its claws at Li Wei, easily sweeping the boy away, turning everything in its path to dust.

"Yes, that's it..."

Just as Zouken Matou, who was in a state of extreme excitement, was showing a smug expression, a dagger pierced his back in the next second, instantly shattering all his defenses.

Your next sentence will be, "How is that possible?"

"how is this possible?"

Zouken Matou turned around in surprise and found a blonde girl who had somehow sneaked up behind him, holding a seemingly ordinary dagger called [Wanfu Biying Pojie]!

The body that he had originally absorbed under the blade was forcibly separated from him by the cutting of the [Myriad Talismans Will Break the Rules] and absorbed by Shinobu.

Fujibayashi Shinobu—or as she is known, Kiss-Shot Acerolarios Heart Under the Blade—suddenly grew in size, instantly transforming into a mature older sister standing at 1.8 meters tall.

He casually tossed Matou Zouken aside like trash, and the King of the Strange watched Li Wei with a delighted smile.

"I have everything I need now!"

Chapter 20: Insect Lord Died Again

Without giving the two a chance to catch up, the enormous beast Humbaba felt that there was another opponent who could threaten him, and roared as he turned to attack Blade Heart.

"You are very strong, even stronger than me physically, but you have no rationality and fight purely on instinct."

Drawing a strange longsword about two meters in length from who-knows-where, the King of the Strange delivered a regretful verdict: "You are no match for me. Let's fight again when we have the chance."

Having said that, he easily dodged the giant beast's attack, and with his long blade thirsting for blood, he slashed a horrifying wound directly into Fenbaba's abdomen.

This is not just about harming it; more importantly, it's the source of Zouken Matou's magical energy that's supplied here.