I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

"His purpose is very clear."

Raiden Mei calmly analyzed, "He wants to lure us to his home turf. He has the advantage of being in the Matou family's magic workshop."

Medea crossed her arms, a cold smile playing on her lips: "Trying to lure the enemy into a trap, huh? What an old and boring trick. But he probably thinks that as long as he lays a trap in his workshop, he can have victory in the bag. The magicians of the Age of Gods are beyond the comprehension of a mere insect like him."

Gu Ye listened to everyone's remarks without any change in expression.

He walked to the coffee table, picked up the charred book of the false minister, and weighed it between his fingers.

"He's right."

Gu Ye spoke up, drawing everyone's attention, "Shinji is indeed a good-for-nothing."

He threw the book back on the table and then turned to the crowd.

"Since the host has extended an invitation, there is no reason for us not to go."

"Gu Yejun, what do you mean?"

Mei was somewhat puzzled.

"Use the trick to your advantage."

Gu Ye's tone was calm, "He thinks he's the hunter, but he doesn't know that we are."

Gu Ye announced that he would turn the tables on Gu Ye.

Rin loosened her clenched fists slightly, raised her head, and fixed her gaze on Gu Ye's face, her blue eyes reflecting the firelight from the fireplace.

"Wait a moment."

Gu Ye raised his hand to stop Artoria, who was about to accept the order, "The plan needs some minor adjustments."

He surveyed the crowd, his voice clear and calm: "Zouken Matou is a cunning old fox who has lived for five hundred years. He is most wary of you, his Servants. If we infiltrate in a high-profile manner, he will notice immediately."

"Therefore, we do the opposite."

Gu Ye's gaze fell on Artoria, Medea, and Archer. "The three of you should go in through the main entrance openly and 'negotiate' with him. Your presence is the best smokescreen."

"So that's how it is, using us to attract his full attention?"

Medea immediately understood Gu Ye's intention, and a knowing smile appeared on her lips. "That's a great idea. I'm looking forward to seeing that old bug's smug expression."

Artoria nodded, her expression serious: "Understood, Master. We will do our best to hold him off."

"So, what about the assault team?"

W licked his lips, his scarlet eyes gleaming with excitement, as if he could already smell the gunpowder. "Don't forget to leave the task of blowing up the bug nest to me."

"of course."

Gu Ye turned to her and Raiden Mei, "You and Mei are responsible for blowing up the insect warehouse. Infiltrate from the flank, make as much noise as possible, and completely disrupt his workshop."

"give it to me."

Raiden Mei gripped the hilt of her sword, her voice calm, "I will cover W."

"very good."

Gu Ye finally looked at Rin Tohsaka beside him, "The two of us, taking advantage of the chaos, will go straight to Sakura. Rin, are you familiar with the Matou family's layout?"

"Ah."

Rin nodded heavily, his eyes sharp as knives. "I went there a few times when I was a child. Although I never went into the underground workshop, I remember the structure of the mansion very clearly. I can show you the fastest way to the underground."

The moonlight was completely swallowed by the dark clouds, and the night in Fuyuki City was as gloomy as solidified ink.

The Matou family mansion sits atop a hill, like a giant beast lurking in the darkness, exuding an aura of decay and misfortune.

Artoria, Medea, and Archer stood openly before the ornate iron gate.

Without concealment or stealth, powerful magical fluctuations were released without restraint, like three bonfires being lit in the darkness.

Deep within the mansion, a pair of eyes observed everything through countless tiny compound eyes.

"Hehehe, what frank guests."

Zouken Matou's hoarse voice rang out at the door, but what appeared was not his true form, but a humanoid silhouette formed by countless black beetles.

The outline mimicked the hunched posture of an old man, with two faint red lights flickering on its head.

"Since you've accepted my invitation, why are you putting on this posture of being ready to go to war at any moment?"

"The insect-man asked."

"Put away your disgusting pretense, Zouken Matou."

Artoria's hand rested on the invisible hilt of her sword, her emerald eyes filled with icy fury. "We are not here to accept your dirty deal, but to carry out a judgment. Hand over Matou Sakura immediately, or this mansion will be reduced to ashes tonight."

"Trial? What a laughable phrase, King Knight."

Dirty Inkstone's laughter sounded like sandpaper rubbing against each other. "Justice and evil are just different ways of saying things from different perspectives. Everything I've done is to reach the root of the problem and to fulfill the long-cherished wish of us magicians. Some sacrifices are necessary."

"To portray the act of toying with the lives and souls of others as a sacrifice in pursuit of a long-cherished wish?"

Medea stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with mockery beneath her purple hood. "Your outdated ideas, like your decaying body, should have been eliminated by the times long ago. You don't even deserve to be called a magician; you're just a worm clinging to life in the gutter."

"A sharp-tongued little girl."

The voice of the dirty inkstone was unreadable, "Do you think the three of you can subdue this old man?"

Just then, his body, made of insects, paused slightly.

The pervasive sensory network throughout the mansion simultaneously emitted faint but clear alarms from two completely different directions—two unfamiliar magical forces, not belonging to the Servants, had invaded his barrier.

"Luring the tiger away from the mountain..."

Zang Yan instantly understood the other party's intention, and his hoarse laughter turned sharp, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is! You've really played a clever game!"

Before the words were finished, the humanoid swarm of insects collapsed with a "boom," transforming into countless black beetles that disappeared into the night.

In the dark, damp basement, only a few dim lights flickered on the walls. The air was thick with the pungent smell of earth and a nauseatingly sweet odor.

Sakura Matou huddled in the corner of the room, her long purple hair disheveled.

When the heavy wooden door was pushed open and Zouken Matou's withered and thin figure appeared in the doorway, her body trembled uncontrollably.

"Hehehe, my dear granddaughter."

Zang Yan, leaning on his cane, stepped forward, letting out a laugh like that of an owl. "It seems our guests are getting impatient. The plan needs to be moved up, so let's begin the final ceremony."

He stretched out his withered, branch-like hand, and countless tiny marking insects crawled out from his sleeve, surging towards Sakura like a black tide.

"no, do not want……"

Sakura's voice was barely audible; she wanted to resist, to summon the dormant magic within her body, and to chant the Command Seal spell on the back of her hand.

However, the insects had already crawled all over her body, burrowed into her mouth, blocked her throat, and severed her connection to the magic circuit.

Her body was completely out of control; she could only be pulled up from the ground by an invisible force, like a puppet on a string.

The last glimmer of light in her purple eyes seemed to have been extinguished.

Just as Zouken was dragging Sakura, preparing to push her into the bottomless pit in the center of the basement, where countless insects were constantly writhing—

"It's over, Sakura. Become the Holy Grail, for the long-cherished wish of the Machiri clan!"

QQ: ⒏ 14 9 0 37 98

Zouken Matou's voice echoed in the empty basement. His withered fingers had already touched Sakura's back, preparing to push her into the bottomless abyss below, churning with billions of demonic insects.

Just at this critical moment, a purple figure appeared like lightning in front of Sakura.

It's Rider, Medusa.

She emanated a faint magical glow, clearly having forcibly broken free from some kind of restraint, but her condition was extremely poor.

"Don't even think about it, you old monster!"

Rider's voice was hoarse as she held Sakura tightly behind her, her chain-link dagger in a defensive stance.

⒈○⑴⒉２８卌弎○⑨８

"Oh? You've severed your connection with your Master, and you think you can defy this old man with just your remaining magic power?"

A twisted smile appeared on Zouken's face. He didn't even lift a finger, but countless demonic insects carrying paralyzing toxins surged out from the surrounding walls and pounced on Rider.

Rider gritted her teeth and swung her chains to shatter wave after wave of swarms of insects, but her movements grew slower and slower, and the depletion of her mana made her feel dizzy.

She knew she couldn't hold on for long.

Suddenly, an overwhelming torrent of magical power poured into her spiritual core!

This magic was both familiar and strange, vast and pure, instantly filling her withered body.

Rider suddenly looked up; she could sense that a new, unbreakable pact had been established.

The book of the false minister was launched in another place.

A new command resonated clearly in her mind—"Protect Sakura."

"This is……"

Rider felt the power surging within him, and his eyes shone with an astonishing light.

"what?!"

Zouken Matou's smile froze; he couldn't comprehend this sudden turn of events.

Without further hesitation, Rider embraced Sakura, and the demonic eye beneath the blindfold was instantly freed!

The petrifying magic wasn't aimed directly at the dirty inkstone, but instead blasted towards the top of the insect chamber!

"Boom——!"

The solid rock strata and magical barrier were forcibly pierced by the power of the Petrifying Eye, and gravel and dirt fell down, creating a huge hole in the ceiling that led directly to the upper level.

The shockwave from the burst of magic forced Zouken's insect clones to retreat repeatedly.

"go!"

Rider, carrying Sakura, used the elasticity of the chain lock to instantly rush into the newly opened passage.

Almost at the same moment Rider unleashed his magic, Gu Ye and Rin Tohsaka, who were moving rapidly through the dark corridor following their memories, stopped in their tracks.

"This magic... is Rider!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Rin's face, quickly replaced by ecstatic joy. "She's regained her power! And this direction... Gu Ye, this way!"

Without hesitation, she changed direction and rushed toward the source of the magical burst.

Gu Ye followed closely behind, his expression still calm, but a sharp edge appeared in the depths of his dark eyes.

On the other side of the mansion, W had just placed a uniquely designed plastic bomb on a wall, preparing for a "silent art creation".

Raiden Mei stood guard to the side, purple arcs of electricity dancing on her fingertips.

"Hey, can you feel it?"

W's finger, which was pressing the detonator, froze in mid-air. She turned her head, her scarlet pupils gazing into the depths of the ground. "What a spectacular fireworks display. It's a pity I didn't set it off."

Chapter 56 Let's go, Sakura, let's go home.

"It's Rider's Noble Phantasm."

Raiden Mei's expression turned serious. "It seems they've already engaged the enemy. W, we don't need to sneak anymore."

"Ha! You finally said something I wanted to hear!"

W grinned, revealing sharp fangs, his smile both radiant and maniacal. "Let's make this party even more exciting!"

Without hesitation, she pressed the detonator.

"boom--!"

The violent explosion shattered the entire wall, and flames and shockwaves instantly engulfed the corridor. W, carrying her grenade launcher, was the first to rush into the smoke and dust.

"Keep up, Mei! Let's tear this place down!"

"understood!"

Raiden Mei followed closely behind, her surrounding lightning instantly turning the swarming insects into charred remains.

The two no longer cared about concealment and charged straight towards the core area of ​​the insect warehouse in the most direct and violent way.

At the main gate of the Matou mansion, Saber, Medea, and Archer clearly felt two violent tremors coming from underground.