"Hmm?"
Along with a clear voice.
The gaze of that young man finally fell on Matou Zouken.
"Bang!"
A tremendous pressure struck, causing Matou Zouken to fall directly to the ground.
Heavy pressure - unimaginable pressure almost crushed his entire body.
The body entirely composed of insects spread out like plasticine on the ground, and these insects were also bound by the powerful pressure, falling to the ground completely unable to fly. Their sharp mouthparts kept making dying-like buzzing sounds.
"What?"
Matou Zouken's heart was immediately filled with horror.
He couldn't see any trace of magical power flow, hadn't heard the other party chant any incantations, and couldn't even see any signs that the other party had actively initiated an attack.
Just with that one glance, he was pressed down on the ground with no room for resistance.
Even though this was his stronghold and the magical workshop where he received the most support - where he was even confident about fighting Servants - that casual glance from the other party completely destroyed his confidence and made him deeply understand one point.
This person in front of him absolutely must not be made an enemy.
At this time, the other party's voice finally arrived belatedly.
"You were talking to me?"
Hearing this question, Matou Zouken immediately changed his previous threatening attitude and began to become humble.
"Please tell me what orders you have? This old one will certainly give his all."
A human magus couldn't possibly have this level of oppressive presence, and gods had disappeared long ago.
Matou Zouken couldn't figure out Ryuga's identity, but he had a very precise grasp of his own position.
No matter what, survival came first.
But unfortunately, there was someone present who didn't want him to survive.
"Old worm! Ryuga-sama came here to kill you!"
After a cold snort, Tohsaka Rin looked at Ryuga's expression, and seeing he didn't object, directly threw a gem over.
"Bang!"
Blazing flames burst forth. Although it was only at the level of an average magus, it was enough to cause damage to Matou Zouken, who couldn't prepare any defenses.
The searing flames burned away half of Matou Zouken's body, but could only cause severe injury. The remaining insects could still maintain basic life.
"Ryuga-sama? I—"
Enduring severe pain, Matou Zouken hadn't thought of which existence this divine name corresponded to.
Just as he was about to ask something, he heard—"Bang!"
Tohsaka Rin, having run out of gems, started throwing fire magic, looking like she planned to burn him to death completely.
"Useless!"
Matou Zouken suddenly showed a twisted and ferocious smile.
This smile couldn't last even two seconds before being interrupted by Ryuga's words.
"The one in front of us is just an insect clone."
"Ah?"
Rin was immediately stunned and became anxious.
If this was a clone, then the main body...
"Hehehehe~"
Seeing his greatest trump card exposed, Matou Zouken let out a low laugh.
"Too late. My main body has already left Fuyuki City. You'll never catch me."
In terms of survival and escape, he was outstanding.
But what surprised him was that hearing this, Tohsaka Rin didn't show much anxiety on her face.
Instead, she directly withdrew her hand and looked at Ryuga with admiration and trust.
"Since Ryuga-sama said so, are you planning to take action?"
No matter how many survival measures the other party had, they couldn't be stronger than a god, so Rin didn't think this would be an obstacle. On the contrary, she thought it was a good thing.
If she had to kill him herself, she'd really worry about not being thorough enough.
Faced with Rin's question, Ryuga smiled and shook his head.
"No, I already took action long ago."
In front of the suddenly pale Matou Zouken and the confused Tohsaka Rin, Ryuga shifted his gaze to the center of the nearby worm vault and directly revealed the answer.
"The main effect of the Ox-Hour Worship technique isn't simulation, but cursing."
"And excellent curses often directly target the soul."
Like traditional voodoo techniques of sticking pins in dolls, this was a curse technique that could take effect regardless of geographical distance.
Having lived in this island nation for many years, Matou Zouken naturally knew about this technique. Thinking of its effects, his soul trembled completely.
At this very moment, the scarecrow in the worm vault glowed slightly and transformed into a piece of steaming raw meat.
All the insects in the worm vault were stimulated with appetite and immediately poured into the scarecrow, continuously gnawing at its blood vessels and muscles, chewing out passages inside, with ten thousand insects surging through.
At the same time, dozens of kilometers away, in the forest of Fuyuki City.
"Hah~egh egh!"
A huge natal worm flashing crimson light suddenly collapsed on the ground. Dozens of legs began to convulse violently, and its body began to twist and roll at physically impossible angles, as if suffering unbearable agony.
Meanwhile, at the Matou residence, Ryuga had already taken the two little girls away from the basement.
The insect manipulator being devoured by ten thousand insects was a fitting end.
But the scene of ten thousand insects gnawing at the heart was still too early for children their age.
Several minutes later, in the library of the Matou house.
"Ryuga-sama, I found materials related to Heroic Spirit summoning!"
Rin, who had been searching through the collection for half an hour, suddenly cheered and presented a well-preserved papyrus book with both hands.
"I, I also found some."
Following right after was the somewhat unconfident Sakura.
"But this doesn't seem to be Matou family materials. The crest on it seems to be from the Einzbern family."
"Thank you, just put it over here."
Ryuga put down the Command Seal development materials in his hand and glanced at the results of their search.
"No problem. Heroic Spirit summoning was originally a ritual researched by the Three Founding Families together. Einzbern family materials are also important."
Hearing Ryuga say this, Sakura's eyes lit up slightly.
Good, she had helped.
Rin, on the other hand, completely didn't care about such small matters. She looked curiously at the materials Ryuga had organized and asked questioningly.
"What does Ryuga-sama want these materials for? Do you also want to participate in the Holy Grail War?"
To be continued…
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