My family runs an adventurer's guild.

In other words, Matou Kariya had no idea about the identities of the other five participants, nor did he know where they were now.

Similarly, he didn't know what other businesses Tokiomi Tohsaka owned elsewhere, or where they might have moved to now.

In short, after breaking into the Tohsaka mansion at night and finding nothing there, he had no idea what to do next.

Looking up at the moon blankly, Matou Kariya sighed with a bitter smile, his face full of confusion, resentment, and the helplessness of unfulfilled dreams.

You've been plotting revenge, but you can't even find your enemy. How can you vent this frustration?

Sitting on the ruins of the Tohsaka mansion in the howling wind, Matou Kariya patiently waited for more than an hour before finally losing the will to sit there any longer. Instead, he propped up his swaying, weak body and prepared to walk back to the Matou family mansion.

—There was really no other way; he had nowhere else to go.

Despite his intense loathing and hatred for this gloomy, worm-infested den...

"...Achoo! I feel a bit cold! My head is spinning too, could I be catching a cold?"

Matou Kariya staggered out of the Tohsaka mansion ruins, wiping his snot with his sleeve as he led his pseudo-dragon, Berserker.

However, when Matou Kariya dragged his broken body to the edge of the Tohsaka residence's courtyard, he suddenly stopped.

Because, unexpectedly, he encountered a strange white boy outside the Tohsaka residence.

—Short and thin, dressed in a dark green suit, with a seemingly ordinary orange cat perched on his head, he looked like a mischievous kid taking his pet out for a nighttime stroll. And upon seeing himself, the white teenager's expression was one of surprise.

Chapter 52, Totoro Battle

However, upon closer inspection, Matou Kariya discovered something unusual.

—On the back of the orange cat perched on the head of the white boy opposite, there was a delicate little fairy riding on it!

It's definitely not a decorative toy, but a living creature holding a small hammer, flapping its wings, and moving around on the cat's back!

Good heavens! Could this little fairy, who looks like a doll, also be a Heroic Spirit in the Holy Grail War?

Why does this seem even more bizarre than my little dragon, Berserker?

So, this frail-looking white boy in front of me is a Master who is participating in the Holy Grail War?

Hmm, thinking about it, that makes sense. Although Matou Kariya stayed indoors all day and didn't go out, he knew that Fuyuki City had experienced a huge uproar today, with so many houses burned down and at least hundreds or thousands of people dying in just one afternoon.

Listening to the news on the radio, it seems that there are still armed remnants of "terrorists" wandering the streets, and citizens are urged to be vigilant at night, lock their doors, and not go out casually... In such a dangerous situation, apart from the Masters participating in the Holy Grail War, what kind of child would be wandering around in the middle of the night?

So, now that we've confirmed that the other person is also a Master, shouldn't we have a fight next?

However... since the enemy isn't Tokiomi Tohsaka, I feel a bit unmotivated!

Thinking of this, Matou Kariya couldn't help but hesitate.

He was willing to implant Crest Worms into his body and overdraw his life force in order to participate in this Holy Grail War, with his primary goal being to exact revenge on Tokiomi Tohsaka.

If he still has the strength after defeating Tokiomi Tohsaka, then he will naturally not hesitate to fight with other participants and compete for the Holy Grail.

However, he was reluctant to waste his energy on dealing with other Masters when he hadn't even found Tokiomi Tohsaka yet.

If we don't want to fight, and that little imp on the other side doesn't seem like a strong fighter, should we negotiate and just part ways?

However, while Matou Kariya hesitated, wondering whether to avoid the battle, the others present did not share the same thought.

—For Waver, who was out on a night patrol with his cat and fairy, he was first surprised to find that the Tohsaka residence, one of the "starter families," had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Then, as he approached to investigate, he bumped into a Master who was with a monster (a fake dragon, Ernest)...

In this situation, as a boy with limited courage, his first reaction was naturally to turn around and run away.

The problem is that, right above Webber's head, there's a little imp full of enthusiasm, its eyes shining as it shouts out a challenge.

"...Wow! Enemy found! My big cat! Go! Bite it hard!"

—So, at the command of the little fairy Flor, Firi, who was the mount, had no choice but to jump down and pounce on the Matou Kariya Berserker group ahead, no matter how much she wanted to slack off.

Meanwhile, Ernest, the pseudo-dragon Berserker beside Kariya Matou, recognized Firi, the cat-like alien who jumped out from above Waver's head. His eyes instantly turned blood red, and he roared furiously, "...Gah-woo—"

Caught completely off guard by both Masters, a battle between a fake dragon and a cat suddenly erupted beside the ruins of the Tohsaka residence!

"...Hey! Flor! Why am I the one going up here, meow! Shouldn't it be you? You're the Rider, meow! And you, you old swindler Ernest! Don't come any closer, meow! If you come any closer, I'll really do it! Waaah! You really want to kill me? What deep-seated grudge do we have? Or is it because of that sewer mission? Waaah! Help! Flor! I can't take it anymore!"

"...Alright, watch me unleash my ultimate move! Noble Phantasm Unleashed! Little Fairy Mischief's Trick!"

"...Meow! Flor! Where are your eyes pointing?! Why are you hitting me, meow?"

"...Ah, I accidentally typed the wrong thing. No problem, let me try again! Noble Phantasm Unleashed! Little Fairy's Trick!"

"...Meow! Flor, you traitor! Why are you hitting me again, meow?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"...Meow—"

“…Gawoo—”

"...Meow—"

"...Roar—"

A farcical duel is unfolding at the Tohsaka family mansion, now reduced to rubble.

What's even more ridiculous is that neither side fighting here is a member of the Tohsaka family.

However, the most ridiculous thing is the state of the two duelists: is this a case of "fighting with words rather than with fists"?

Bathed in the evening breeze, looking down at the fake dragons that were baring their teeth and leaping about on the ground, Feli the cat felt nothing, and even wanted to laugh a little.

Because at this moment, Phil wasn't standing on the ground, but floating in the night sky like a "cat balloon".

Beneath his belly, the fake dragon boss Ernest, with his blazing red eyes, roared and leaped upwards, trying to knock Phil down from the air with his claws and tail. However, he could neither fly nor jump that high, and could only crouch on the ground, roaring repeatedly.

As for why Phili turned out this way, it was all thanks to his temporary master, the little fairy Flor.

Just like most fairies, who are somewhat dim-witted and goofy, Flor, as a Rider in this Holy Grail War, possesses a special skill called "Fairy Trick," which is also full of the goofy charm of the chaotic faction.

This little imp's secret weapon is actually a kind of magic trick specifically for comedy, with completely random effects, used to make everything chaotic and create all sorts of pranks with the little imp's unique characteristics.

While this type of spell is generally considered lacking in lethality, and no one knows what the outcome will be, if luck is exceptionally on your side, it can often be more deadly than the most powerful legendary magic. For example, it might force the victim of the prank to become pregnant…

Even more confusingly, this spell seemed to severely lack accuracy, so the two [Mischievous Tricks] that the little fairy Rider Flor swung her hammer in succession both hit Ferry, her "own mount," directly—first inflating Ferry into a "cat ball" on the spot, turning him into a round "inflatable cat," and then turning him into a cat balloon, which floated up from the ground!

Hey, Flor! Even though I'm an orange cat now, I don't want to die of obesity, okay?

Not to mention you actually turned me into a floating inflatable cat—what an incredibly embarrassing and hilarious play!

Chapter 53, The Totoro Fight, the Priest Behind

In short, the "Totoro fight" that was about to begin turned into a comical scene in the blink of an eye, with the cat floating in mid-air and unable to get down, and the fake dragon lying on the ground and unable to get up.

Ernest, the pseudo-dragon on the ground, was agile and nimble, and had a poisonous barb on his tail, but no matter how much he roared and jumped, he could not reach Phili floating in the air.

As for Phil, the "balloon cat" inflated in the sky, he was helpless against Ernest on the ground, except for spitting at him.

It's easy to imagine that such an incredibly awkward situation completely extinguished any fighting spirit in Phily, this inflated "cat ball".

Even though Flor, as a Rider, was flapping her wings and waving her little hammer around, constantly egging Firi on, Firi was still filled with embarrassment and helplessness.

"...Pounce on her quickly, big cat! Just staring at her like this won't do!"

"...Meow, didn't you see me floating here, neither above nor below the ground, unable to move at all? This battle is impossible to fight!"

Looking at the pseudo-dragon Berserker Ernest, who was still roaring and glaring at him from the ground, attempting to "kill the cat with his eyes," Firi, hovering in mid-air, stretched out her limbs and tried to dog paddle a few times, only to find that it was like being in a swimming pool—she couldn't dive at all. Frustrated, she complained, "...Speaking of which! Flor, you're clearly the Rider! Defeating Berserker is your responsibility, so why are you pushing it onto me?"

"...Hmm! That seems to be right! It's a pity they don't have any ranged attack methods, and their hammer isn't big enough..."

The tiny fairy Flor, with her tiny body, bit her finger and thought for a moment. Then she raised her little hammer and compared it to the thick-skinned pseudo-dragon Ernest below. She felt that it would be difficult to smash the pseudo-dragon's brains out with one blow, just like she used to when she hammered a rat.

"...Looks like I'll have to stick with magic! Noble Phantasm Unleashed! Little Fairy Trick!"

"...Meow, not again? Isn't turning me into a fluffy balloon enough...Eh? I actually hit you?"

Having realized she'd already "accidentally blown up" herself twice, Flor actually picked up her little hammer, which doubled as a wand, and was about to unleash her extremely unreliable special skill, [The Little Fairy's Trick], once again. The cat, Phil, who had already suffered enough, instantly bristled, his fur standing on end like a frightened inflatable fish... But then, to his surprise, he discovered that this spell seemed to... work?

—Accompanied by a pale blue beam of light, the pseudo-dragon Berserker Ernest, who was struck, immediately shuddered, became stiff and motionless, and then his entire body was bathed in scattered light particles, gradually transforming into… a golden, gilded bronze statue?!

Meow?! You actually won so easily, meow?!

Ferry, the "inflatable cat ball" floating in mid-air, was immediately dumbfounded in disbelief.

Well, after all, the "little imp's tricks" are known for being unreasonable and illogical.

It's practically impossible to rely on it to successfully achieve any goal according to a pre-established plan.

However, after extreme disappointment or even despair, it often brings you an unexpected surprise...

Of course, it's also a normal development process if things turn out to be a disappointment again.

Meanwhile, the dim-witted little fairy Flora had already flown down excitedly, banging on Ernest's bronze statue with her little hammer, "...Oh! I won! I'm really amazing..."

Okay, so it's true that Flor, the little fairy who is a Rider, won this duel, but the question is, what should we do next?

"...After defeating the enemy, the next step should be collecting the spoils, right? But this thing is so heavy, no one can move it... Hey? Master! Where are you? What? You've already run back? And you want us to hurry back too?"

Flora circled the bronze statue of the fake dragon a few times, intending to notify Master Waver to come and take back the spoils of war, or rather, the prisoners.

To her surprise, as soon as she made contact, Flora was astonished to discover that Weber was a true speedster; in just a short while, he had already run quite a distance!

At the same time, Firi looked around and found that Berserker's Master, the tragic insect man Matou Kariya, was also nowhere to be seen.

Squinting and recalling for a moment, Phil finally remembered that it seemed that just as she was being driven by Flor to pounce on the fake dragon boss, Matou Kariya turned around and disappeared into the woods, taking a shortcut to escape.

Weber immediately turned around and ran away, not daring to linger there.

This shows that both of them are currently the cowardly type, and they definitely don't dare to "confront head-on and not lose" like the Russians!

In other words, the fight had barely begun when both Masters had already turned and fled without prior agreement.

If that's the case, why are we, as visitors from another world, still fighting to the death?

"...Flore, it seems we can't count on Waver, and your little hammer can't break this bronze statue either. Let's go back first! I don't know when I'll recover from this condition. If other Heroic Spirits find out, I'm afraid I'll become a target!"

Ferry, who was floating in the form of a "fluffy inflatable cat," offered this advice—he still hadn't been able to dispel the spell on himself.

So, the little fairy Flora reluctantly abandoned the fake dragon Berserker, who had turned into a bronze statue, and instead rode off on the "cat balloon," letting the gloomy, inflated cat Firi paddle along in the moonlight, carrying her slowly back to her dwelling. This strange duo attracted many prying eyes along the way, and the "flying cat under the moon" became the subject of many urban ghost and supernatural tales...

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

On the other side, in the cold evening wind, Matou Kariya, dressed in sportswear, was running breathlessly through the empty bushes.

As the saying goes, those who are close to their own people know best about their own affairs.

As someone who forcibly implanted a large number of Crest Worms into his body in order to be able to perform magic, and is now half-dead and nearing the end of his life, Kariya Matou is well aware of how poor his magical skills are and how terrible his health is.

In short, he can't beat a novice in magic and he can't beat a middle school student in fists.

After all, he was just a half-baked magician who had only studied basic magic for a year, and his health was so poor that he looked like a dying man with terminal cancer!

Therefore, even though the white boy in front of him looked quite young, Matou Kariya still lacked the confidence to defeat him—if his opponent were Tohsaka Tokiomi, Matou Kariya would risk his life to fight him. But with someone else, he knew when to retreat.

So when Berserker Ernest lunged at him uncontrollably, Matou Kariya immediately turned and ran away, decisively abandoning the fake dragon Berserker to cover his retreat. He then disappeared into the bushes and ran wildly until he could no longer see the Tohsaka residence before he dared to stop and catch his breath.

—Unbeknownst to Kariya Matou, at the very moment he turned to run away, Waver on the opposite side also took off running:

In the boy's opinion, although the uncle's "mini dragon" didn't look very fierce, it still seemed to be a bit more powerful than his little fairy and orange cat.

He was only out on a reconnaissance mission this time, and he didn't bring any medicine or props. If he didn't retreat quickly, was he just waiting to be beaten to death by the old man on the other side?

Due to misunderstandings and a lack of confidence on both sides, the encounter between the Tohsaka family members ended abruptly and inconclusively.

However, this does not mean that Matou Kariya, who hastily exposed his whereabouts, can escape unscathed.

"...Huff—huff—so tired! This body of mine... Thankfully, that Western boy doesn't seem to have caught up with us..."

In the pitch-black thicket, after stumbling and running wildly for hundreds of meters, Matou Kariya could no longer take another step. His muscles ached all over, and his internal organs were cramping. He had no choice but to lean against a large tree, panting like a bellows.

"...We've come this far enough. Let's recall Berserker... Huh? Why isn't there any response? Berserker? Berserker?"

However, just as he was panting and muttering to himself, a sudden alarm bell rang in his mind! He seemed to sense some kind of danger approaching!

Unfortunately, this warning came too late.

—Although he subconsciously sensed something was amiss and instinctively tried to dodge, Matou Kariya's weakened and ravaged body, ravaged by the Crest Worms, still couldn't completely evade the fatal blow.

A bright silver light flashed in the night, and a sharp, thin knife pierced his chest, pinning him to the tree.

Immediately afterward, before the severely wounded Matou Kariya could even let out a scream, another sharp blade swiftly sliced ​​across his neck, slitting his throat and killing him instantly.

And so, filled with resentment, anger, and a sorrowful wish that no one could understand, Matou Kariya breathed her last in this desolate wilderness shrouded in night.

—The second person eliminated in this Holy Grail War, Berserker's Master Kariya Matou, was attacked and killed in the night!

After a few moments, seemingly confirming Matou Kariya's death, Kirei Kotomine, dressed in a black monk's robe, emerged from the darkness, carrying a blood-dripping short sword. He slowly approached to examine his second achievement in this Holy Grail War.

—Although Tokiomi Tohsaka abandoned his mansion, which was now nothing but rubble, he didn't forget to leave some small-scale magical devices for surveillance within the ruins. Therefore, when Kariya Matou broke into the Tohsaka mansion, Tokiomi Tohsaka had already discovered him.