Chapter 46: Zod and the 5th Holy Grail War (13)

"Then, Senpai! I'll see you tomorrow~!"

"Yeah, Sakura! You take care on your way home too."

"I will!"

As soon as she parted ways with Shirou on the path home, the bright, fragile, and innocent expression Sakura had shown him vanished. In its place was a flat, rigid, and numb mask, as if her previous warmth had been nothing more than a lie.

"...Senpai... only ever notices Tohsaka..."

Staring into the empty air with a chilling apathy, Sakura confirmed the knot of resentment in her chest by cursing Tohsaka yet again. She began to move, intending to return to her personal Hell—the Matou household—when...

"How about you just throw away a man like that, Sakura-san?"

In a place where no one should have been, a boy who looked like a young man appeared out of thin air. He was blond-haired and blue-eyed, dressed in an impeccable suit. Zod approached Sakura with a benign, gentlemanly smile. Startled by his sudden manifestation, Sakura immediately fell into a defensive stance.

"Isn't it too much? A man who is looked upon with such devotion is instead preoccupied with a woman who won't even look his way... Loving a pathetic man like that will only cause you pain. Don't you agree, Sakura Matou?"

"Who... who are you?"

"Oya, oya. You don't need to be so guarded, Sakura-san. My name is Zod."

"The American war hero..."

"I'm honored. That a beautiful lady such as yourself recognizes me."

Despite Zod's 'bishounen' smile, Sakura remained indifferent. However, recalling his words that seemed to disparage the man she loved, her expression soured as she glared at him.

"You... you're speaking ill of Shirou-senpai... Just who do you think you are to slander him like that?"

"Because... even though he knows the heart of the one who loves him, he remains pathetic and indecisive, unable to make a choice. It's an eyesore."

At those words, a vein popped on Sakura's forehead.

"Just because you're a U.S. Secretary and a war hero doesn't mean you can say whatever you want... Apologize..."

"You have quite the spine. It makes the prospect of taking you for myself even more enticing."

"...What does that mean?"

"It means I've already taken Emiya Shirou's women. His childhood friend, Rin Tohsaka; his adoptive sister, Illyasviel; and even his Servant, Saber. Once I add you to my collection, I'll have stripped him of every last heroine. And as for that useless boy, perhaps I'll turn him into a plaything for the red-light districts..."

Before Zod could finish his sentence, a shot of Gandr fired from her fingertips, grazing past his head.

"...If you don't want to die, stop right there. (Grit)"

With a vein throbbing in her temple and teeth grinding, Sakura glared at Zod with murderous intent.

"Hmm... Firing a warning shot at a foreign Secretary? That's an action that could spiral into an international incident, you know. Do you wish to spark a conflict between nations, Miss Matou?"

"Who cares about that... Even an 'esper' like you dies if their head is blown off, right?"

As if such worldly matters were trivial, Sakura's eyes darkened as she was slowly consumed by a creeping madness. Reacting to the artificial Lesser Grail intentionally forged by Matou Zouken, shadows began to seep from her feet—filth overflowing from the corrupted Greater Grail of Fuyuki City.

"Enough... Calm yourself and obey my words."

"Gugh... Argh... My head! This... what is this...!"

"Hmm. I suppose her resistance is high because she is an artificial Lesser Grail fashioned from fragments of the Greater Grail. Illya, despite being a true Lesser Grail, succumbed... but because this one is directly connected to the source, she's resilient. Interesting..."

"Argh... You... Stop..."

"Obey..."

Zod once again utilized the authority of the Sub-Greater Grail to attempt a mental suggestion. Sakura resisted once more, but her willpower was flagging.

"Hmph. Fascinating. Indeed, I was starting to grow bored of women who fall instantly. A bit of resistance adds flavor... First of all..."

Zod stepped closer. Sakura watched him with terrified eyes and backed away, firing Gandr shots, but a Mystery of that level couldn't hope to penetrate his presence.

"Obey..."

"Stop it..."

Sakura continued to fight back. By drawing power from the Greater Grail, she persisted, turning this into a battle of attrition.

"Hmm... I'll have to aim for the Greater Grail directly then... Follow me."

Finding it difficult to fully subjugate her mind immediately, Zod switched to a simple command to manipulate her physical body. Though Sakura’s mind screamed in protest, her legs moved of their own accord to follow him. Having already interrogated Rin and Illya, members of the Founding Families, Zod knew the location of the Greater Grail—beneath Ryudou Temple. He picked her up in a princess carry and set off toward the temple.

"Hm? What is this?"

Suddenly, a bug crawled out of Sakura's body. Unable to withstand the strain of the attempted brainwashing, the essence of Matou Zouken—the heart of his worm-nest—had burst out from within her.

"Disgusting thing..."

Hummmmm—KABOOM!!

Zod incinerated the bug with a burst of Heat Vision. He did not know it then...

That this insect was the primary body of the Master of Assassin, Matou Zouken, the cursed 'Crest Worm' that had been parasitizing Sakura. By killing that bug, Zod had unintentionally granted her salvation.

.

.

.

Fuyuki City, Ryudou Temple...

"Is it you...? You mongrels who dare lay hands on what belongs to Us..."

Waiting for them as they entered the temple grounds was a young man with golden hair and crimson eyes, looking like a figure stepped out of myth.

His name was Gilgamesh. Born of King Lugalbanda and the goddess Ninsun, he was a demigod with two-thirds godhood and one-third humanity—a unique existence. The first hero of humanity from the Mesopotamian myth, the owner of the Gate of Babylon which contained the originals of every treasure in the world, and possessor of the omniscient eye that could see the future. The Golden King... the original from which all heroic epics began, known by the title King of Heroes. The supreme king of Uruk and the strongest existence in Sumerian lore.

In the previous Holy Grail War, he was the Archer summoned by Tokiomi Tohsaka, the fifth head of the Tohsaka family and father to Rin. Having effectively won the 4th Holy Grail War, he was a Servant who had gained a physical body after being drenched in the mud of the corrupted Grail.

"A lab rat born from the hands of mongrels, performing a foolish farce by calling yourself a god... Truly, I can do nothing but scoff. You do nothing but collect women and play house while the Grail War takes a back seat. Fufu... Kuhahahaha! Your absurdity is almost comical!"

Gilgamesh provoked Zod with arrogant, condescending words, looking down on him from above.

For the first time in his life, Zod felt a genuine spark of irritation—no, he was 'triggered.'

"You're quite arrogant... Acting as if you actually matter... Might you identify yourself?"

"Hmph! Why should a king of the heavens reveal his name to an ape who thinks only of lust?"

"......You annoying little blond monkey..."

Hummmmm—KABOOM!!

With a vein bulging on his forehead from Gilgamesh’s mockery, Zod unleashed his Heat Vision. However, the blast was blocked by a shield-type Noble Phantasm that emerged from the Gate of Babylon.

"Sakura... step back and hide... unless you want to get caught in the crossfire and die."

"W-Why should I listen to anything you—!!"

Hummmmm...

"Do you want to die then? ...I'm saying it one more time. Get back and stay quiet."

Enraged like never before, Zod issued a command thick with killing intent. Terrified by the raw malice he projected, Sakura scrambled into the corners of Ryudou Temple to hide.

"I will definitely kill you today... you golden monkey..."

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