章 12: Be My Cat
"This... this creature..." For the first time in five hundred years, Zouken Matou felt fear again.
Death... terror... an overwhelming sense of doom...
A black-and-red eclipse appeared behind Kurumi Tokisaki.
Tick—
It transformed into an ancient, massive golden clock.
She lowered her right hand, revealing a wine-red eye glinting with a bloody light, locking onto Zouken Matou.
"Now, let's start the game."
"Aleph—First Bullet." The short gun was pressed against the girl's pale chin as she gently pulled the trigger.
In the next moment, Kurumi instantly appeared beside Zouken Matou, her flintlock pistol aimed at his disgusting, bald forehead.
Bang—
The gun's barrel spewed a torrent of magical energy, blasting away half of Zouken Matou's body.
It was as if the shot hadn't hit flesh but a hornet's nest. A massive swarm of black insects burst out, most of them being obliterated by the magic, but he only sneered darkly.
Zouken Matou had long since become a conglomeration of insects.
The bugs scattered, reforming at a distant corner of the room, though his body was now missing a large portion. But that was of no consequence—if he could devour the vibrant body of the Servant before him, he could obtain an even better host.
"Hehehehe..." The old man's voice gurgled wetly from his throat.
Then he froze, as the black-and-red aura flared once more. The nightmarish girl had reappeared in front of him, the massive clock behind her like a death knell.
Kurumi raised her gun again, but this time, Zouken Matou was wiser—he dispersed and fled immediately.
This Servant's bounded field must have some limitations, Zouken Matou thought as he raced against death. He pondered why his carefully cultivated insects had been so easily annihilated.
The mayfly-like soul-sucking bugs died the fastest, while the seventeen-year cicada larvae were barely affected.
A deep chill rose in Zouken Matou's heart—this creature was a grim reaper that stole lifespans! But at the same time, he was ecstatic, because this meant that if he could capture her, he might finally escape his half-dead, half-alive state.
"Get back here! Ungrateful child." He urged Kariya Matou through the crest worm, not caring at all about the damage the crest worm's rampage would cause him. "If you're late, just be prepared to see Sakura's corpse."
Zouken Matou's body reformed, but this time he was more cautious. A swarm of blade-winged insects surrounded and protected him, with more and more bugs of various kinds crawling out of every crevice—these were all long-lived insects.
A monster.
Kurumi no longer felt like playing with him. She snapped her fingers, and red flames ignited on her body, though they radiated no heat, only the coldness of death.
—Death Revolver.
Her arms crossed, and the twin guns in her hands became instruments of slaughter. In mere seconds, she fired dozens of rounds, the crackling gunfire tearing through everything in front of her. The explosive bursts of flame shredded the black insect swarm to pieces.
Skull-like red-and-white smoke billowed upward.
Kurumi, like a moving fortress, obliterated every obstacle in her path, standing before Zouken Matou.
In the black-and-purple domain, countless pale, slender, nightmarish hands reached out, firmly grasping Zouken Matou's existence.
He couldn't escape; he was paralyzed with fear.
His black eyes contracted, the flintlock pistol already pressed against his mummified head. After five hundred years of survival, Zouken Matou finally tasted the flavor of death. But... had he forgotten something?
"Gimmel—Third Bullet." Kurumi smiled brightly as she pulled the trigger.
She chose to end the old bug with the most mocking method—Third Bullet had the power to make the target grow. For someone like Zouken Matou, who was obsessed with prolonging his life, this was the most profound, most venomous curse.
Bang—
With the sound of the gunshot, the old bug disintegrated into grayish-black ashes, scattering across the floor. All that remained was a dark gray kimono, lying quietly, exuding a foul stench.
The remaining swarm of insects lost their target, buzzing around like headless flies. But without Zouken Matou's magical support, they were quickly reduced to ashes in the City of Devouring Time.
Kurumi elegantly lifted her skirt in a curtsy, smiling lightly. "Thank you for the meal."
The time provided by each individual insect was minimal, but the sheer number of them made a difference. The Matou mansion was filled with countless insects, and at least for now, Kurumi no longer had to worry about her lifespan.
Tap—
Tap—
The sound of her leather boots echoed crisply in the dark, silent basement.
In the depths of the darkness, the silhouette of a young girl appeared—Sakura Matou.
The purple-haired girl lay naked amidst a sea of withered insect corpses, her eyes lifeless and filled with despair. She had grown accustomed to being bitten and invaded by the insects. Her vacant gaze suddenly focused on the approaching figure clad in black and red.
Was it... her?
The young girl's frail body was shackled by cold, hard chains, binding her to the ground. In the frigid winter, Sakura lay naked in the cold, damp insect pit. Compared to the pain inflicted by the insects, the cold was nothing.
Save her! Save her!
A voice from the darkness pleaded desperately.
But to the speaker's utter surprise, Kurumi showed not a shred of pity for the pitiful girl before her. Instead, she raised her flintlock pistol towards the girl's exposed heart, as if intending to end her wretched life.
Even in the face of death, Sakura Matou's vacant eyes showed no fear. Perhaps the little girl who once cried and trembled had long since died, consumed by the gnawing insects.
She only felt a small pang of regret as she gazed at the small, distant hair tie.
Sister... Sister.
Bang—
A gunshot rang out, and the frail girl, who should have been shackled by chains, suddenly erupted with unexpected magical energy, breaking free and fleeing.
However, the cold steel had already cut into the tender skin of her wrists and ankles, leaving behind fresh wounds.
"Tsk tsk tsk, what a cold and heartless reaper you are," came the voice of Zouken Matou from the girl's mouth.
But Kurumi seemed completely unfazed. The moment he broke free, she used First Bullet to accelerate, instantly appearing beside the young girl.
Without a hint of mercy, Kurumi delivered a powerful kick, pinning the naked girl back to the ground.
Kurumi pressed her boot against the girl's throat, her crimson eyes cold and pitiless.
"Idiot."
The flintlock pistol pressed against the girl's heart, and she pulled the trigger.
Blood splattered onto Kurumi's face as the fragile heart, along with Zouken Matou's true form, was utterly destroyed.
Kurumi's lips curled as she saw the familiar prompt appear before her.
—Would you like to use a revival token—
A small, hollow portrait of a girl appeared, along with the bald head of the old bug that she didn't even want to look at.
··
—Yes—
A pillar of white light shot into the sky, and the bewildered girl sat naked on the ground, her legs folded beneath her in a duck-like position.
Her empty violet eyes stared blankly at Kurumi.
"Grandfather... Grandfather?"
"He's dead," Kurumi replied with a smile.
The tiny girl's eyes seemed to light up, and she scrambled to her feet, clutching the small red hair tie tightly to her chest.
That was all she had left.
Kurumi followed her slowly, watching the small, naked child.
She gazed into the girl's beautiful violet eyes, her lips curving into a slight smile. "Hey~~~ Do you know how to meow like a cat?"
"Huh?" Sakura Matou stared blankly.
"Meow... meow!" Kurumi curled her right hand, demonstrating.
"Meow~~?" The girl, sitting limply on the ground, raised her right hand and softly imitated a kitten's call.
"Hmm... Kawaii." Kurumi covered her face.
"Now~~~ be my cat," she invited the girl.
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