Did the Heroic Spirit I conquered become a reality?

Zouken Matou, who was standing nearby ready to watch Berserker unleash his fury, was also taken aback by Gorgon's sudden loss of control. He opened his mouth, about to speak.

At that moment, he heard the Berserker, who exuded a terrifying aura, trembling violently as if he had seen the most terrifying natural enemy in the world.

Under Zouken Matou's utterly horrified gaze, she forced out a few words from deep within her throat with all her might, her voice filled with extreme terror:

"Run...run...run away!!!"

Book 1: Chapter 44 (Tiamat Lily version)

"Run...run...run away!!!"

Gorgon's hoarse scream, filled with extreme terror and even distorted intonation, echoed like the most piercing alarm in the dark and decaying mansion of the Matou family.

escape?

Zouken Matou, who had just been overjoyed at summoning a powerful Servant, suddenly froze with a smile, his cloudy old eyes filled with utter and immense confusion and disbelief.

He couldn't believe his ears!

This is Gorgon! The Gorgon with snakes for hair, feared even by the gods in mythology! He summoned her with great effort, her strongest trump card, capable of sweeping through the Holy Grail War!

She... was actually afraid?! She didn't even have the courage to fight him, and her first words were to run away?!

How can this be? !

What on earth could possibly terrify even the mighty Berserker?!

Zouken Matou's gaze unconsciously followed the direction of Gorgon's "line of sight" covered by his eyepatch, and finally settled on the petite figure with white dress and blue hair, who looked harmless and even a little cute.

is her?

impossible! This is absolutely impossible!

How could a mere woman who appeared out of nowhere possibly...

However, before Zouken Matou's denial and doubt could fully take shape, they were completely interrupted by Gorgon's next move.

The Berserker who had just arrived completely ignored the bewildered old bug next to her. Its huge and twisted body instantly transformed into a dark purple streak of light, and it really... wanted to escape from this place that made it feel extremely dangerous.

But at this moment——

"Aaaaa—"

A melodious song echoed over the Matou family mansion.

However, it is this seemingly harmless syllable—

boom! ! ! !

An indescribable, invisible wave, transcending the concepts of magic and divine power, and containing the principles of "negation" and "return," swept across the entire space like a tsunami!

Goergong's figure suddenly froze.

Immediately afterward, under Zouken Matou's horrified gaze, Gorgon's massive and powerful Spirit Origin began to collapse at a visible speed!

Dark purple magical light emanated from her body, which seemed to be transforming into light particles.

But at that moment, in a shadowy corner, Matou Kariya clutched his shoulder and said in an extremely low voice, "Come back to me, Berserker!"

The moment the words fell, the power of the Command Spell was activated before Tiamat could react, and Gorgon's figure instantly left the Matou family mansion within the Command Spell.

silence.

Deathly silence.

Zouken Matou stared in astonishment at the spot where Gorgon had disappeared, then looked at the blue-haired woman who still looked innocent and pure, as if she had only done something insignificant. A chill that was many times more terrifying than facing death instantly overwhelmed him.

At that moment, he finally understood what kind of being he had provoked...

This kind of power... is completely outside the scope of a servant!

"monster……"

A sound like a broken bellows, filled with extreme fear, came from his throat.

However, all he received in response was Tiamat tilting her head again, casting a gaze that still held a hint of innocent confusion.

And then... another soft "Aaaa".

hum-

The invisible ripples spread again.

Zouken Matou didn't even have time to utter a scream before his already tattered body, composed of countless inscription insects, vanished completely, like words that had been erased.

With Sakura still in a state of shock and confusion, Yu Tohsaka and the other two quickly left the Matou family mansion, which was filled with an ominous atmosphere.

……

Fuyuki City, the Tohsaka family's underground magic workshop.

The air still retained the vast and magnificent magical lingerings of Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, left behind by the summoning ceremony not long ago.

Tokiomi Tohsaka silently closed his eyes, secretly planning something.

Despite the many events that have occurred tonight, including the existence of a Servant who is suspected of being able to rival Archer, he still has great confidence in the ultimate victory of the Holy Grail.

As long as we proceed step by step and act cautiously, the Tohsaka family's long-cherished wish—to reach the Root—is within reach.

He had even begun to think about how to further plan the future of his family after obtaining the Holy Grail, and... perhaps he could make up for what he owed his youngest daughter, Sakura.

However, at that moment, the telephone used for communication in the workshop suddenly rang without warning.

Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure rising in his heart.

He disliked unexpected changes, especially at this crucial moment when the Holy Grail War had just begun.

He held up his finger and answered the call.

"Kirei, what is it?" Tokiomi's voice remained elegant, but it now carried an undeniable air of authority.

He trusted his students and believed they would never bother him at such a time unless absolutely necessary.

On the other end of the phone, Kirei Kotomine's expression lost its usual calm for the first time; one could even say it carried a hint of... shock and disbelief.

He took a deep breath and reported in as calm a tone as possible, "Teacher, we just received news... the Matou family mansion was attacked not long ago."

"what?!"

Even a magician as composed and unflappable as Tokiomi Tohsaka's expression changed drastically the moment he heard the news.

The Matou family? Although they have long since declined, they are still one of the three founding families, and... Sakura is still there!

"Where is Zouken Matou? And what about the Matou family's Servants?" Tokiomi's voice turned icy instantly. "Who did this? Have you found out?"

Kirei Kotomine paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts: "According to the fragmented information relayed by the surviving familiars, Zouken Matou's whereabouts are unknown, and the Berserker summoned by Kariya Matou has already left the scene... As for the attackers..."

Kirei's expression turned somewhat strange: "So far, it's only confirmed that it's related to that mysterious Caster who clashed with the King of Heroes last night... and..."

He hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "Sakura Tohsaka... has disappeared."

boom--! ! !

It was as if an invisible thunderclap had exploded in my mind.

Tokiomi Tohsaka tightened his grip on the wine glass, and fine cracks instantly appeared on the valuable crystal glass.

Sakura... has disappeared?

They disappeared after the Matou family was attacked?!

In an instant, countless thoughts assaulted Tokiomi Tohsaka's mind like a storm.

Anger, shock, disbelief, and... a deep-seated panic and... worry that he himself was unwilling to admit?

Why would this happen?! The Holy Grail War has only just begun, why would anyone dare to directly attack the Matou family, one of the three founding families? Is the target Sakura? Or is it merely targeting the Matou family and his Servants?

Who exactly is that Caster...? Why did he take Sakura away?!

Was it because he was defeated by the King of Heroes last night, and therefore he's taking his anger out on the three starter families? Or... did he learn about Sakura's relationship with the Tohsaka family and want to use her to threaten him?

Tokiomi Tohsaka kept adjusting his breathing, but a hint of anger appeared on his usually elegant and composed face.

Whoever dares to set their sights on the Tohsaka family, dares to take Sakura away... must pay the most terrible price!

He forced himself to calm down, his mind racing.

The most important thing now is to find Sakura and confirm her safety! Secondly, we must find out the identity and purpose of that mysterious Caster as soon as possible!

This Servant, possessing immense magical power and even capable of summoning beings resembling gods, has become the biggest destabilizing factor in this Holy Grail War!

"Kirei!" Tokiomi Tohsaka's voice was icy cold, carrying an unquestionable command, "Find Sakura's whereabouts at all costs."

On the other end of the phone, Kirei Kotomine sensed his teacher's unprecedented anger and immediately lowered his head respectfully.

"is teacher."

……

At this very moment, Yuuto Tohsaka had just returned to his upscale apartment in the new city district with Sakura Tohsaka.

He first patiently comforted his frightened sister and gently coaxed her to sleep before dragging his somewhat tired body back to the living room.

In the living room, Aika Sajou was holding a cup of hot milk, sipping it slowly, her bright green eyes looking at him with curiosity.

Tiamat, on the other hand, sat obediently on a chair on the balcony, gazing blankly at the snowy night outside.

“Master,” Tohsaka Yu sat down next to Sajou Aika, rubbing his temples wearily, “I’m sorry, there were quite a few unexpected situations tonight.”

“This is nothing.” Ayaka Sajou’s smile remained innocent as she curiously examined Yu Tohsaka, then turned her gaze to the quiet figure on the balcony. “Compared to this, isn’t maintaining Tiamat’s spirit form too much of a burden for you?”

Although she was connected to the Root and possessed almost limitless magical power, she also realized that maintaining a spirit of Tiamat's caliber was not something an ordinary Servant or Master could easily bear.

Upon hearing this, Yu Tohsaka looked at Tiamat, a hint of worry appearing on his face.

He himself is indeed of EX level in magic power, and with Ayaka Sajou as his "extraordinary" Master, maintaining this level in the short term is not a problem. However, in the long run... especially in an environment like the Holy Grail War where it is necessary to maintain combat power at all times, it is indeed a hidden danger.

“The spirit form does consume much less energy than the physical form, but the supply of magic is indeed a problem if she is to exist for a long time…” Tohsaka Yu sighed softly.

He was pondering whether there was a more energy-efficient way, or whether Tiamat should temporarily return to the "Sanctuary" to rest.

At that moment, Tiamat, who had been quietly looking out the window, suddenly turned her head.

She put down the cushion she was holding, walked up to the two of them, looked at Tohsaka Yu with her ruby-like eyes, then at Sajou Aika, and then took out her little notebook and quickly wrote something on it with a pencil.

She quickly held the notebook up to the two of them:

"If you're worried about mana consumption..."

"I can be a little smaller."

Get smaller?

Yu Tohsaka and Aika Sajō were both taken aback, not quite understanding what she meant.

Does it mean reducing your activity range? Or does it mean minimizing your presence?

Seemingly noticing their confusion, Tiamat added another sentence to her notebook and even drew a simple diagram—a large stick figure representing her, with an arrow pointing to a much smaller stick figure next to it.

"When the spirit origin shrinks... the burden will decrease..."

Shrinking the spirit origin?!

Yu Tohsaka suddenly realized what was happening, and a look of astonishment appeared on her face.

Spirit Origin is the foundation of a Servant's existence. Can it really be changed in size like clay? That doesn't make sense!

A hint of surprise and intense interest flashed in Aika Sajou's emerald green eyes; she seemed to have never seen anything like this before.

While the two were still in shock and confusion, Tiamat seemed to have made up her mind.

She gently closed her eyes, and a soft, deep blue aura, like that of the ocean, emanated from her body.

The light was not dazzling, but it carried a warm and sacred aura, enveloping her entire petite body.

"Om..."

With a soft, ethereal sound, like ripples on water, the halo began to shrink and condense.

Under Tohsaka Yuna's dumbfounded, incredulous gaze—

The light dissipated.

The stunningly beautiful woman who had been standing there, tall and mature, exuding breathtaking maternal charm, had vanished.

Instead, there was a little girl who looked to be only eleven or twelve years old and whose height just reached Yu Tohsaka's waist.