A week later, Matou Kariya emerged from the depths of the Matou household, his hair now white, one eye blind, completely unrecognizable as the original Matou Kariya.
However, Matou Kariya could not find any of the Matou family members. He assumed the old worm had hidden Sakura, letting him prepare for the Holy Grail War with peace of mind. Thus, Matou Kariya descended into madness, frantically searching the Matou household for any trace of Sakura. All he found was a Holy Relic and the incantation to summon a Heroic Spirit, secretly prepared by Matou Zoken.
...
"Sister, Brother, I want to go out and see the world..." Sakura suddenly expressed her desire to go for a walk today, tugging at their arms during breakfast with a look of delicate vulnerability.
After a week of living together, Sakura had become much more cheerful. However, she still had a habit of never asking for what she wanted. This was the first time she had spoken up, which delighted Lihsing and Siduri.
"Let's go. How about we go to an amusement park together?" Lihsing said he would take Sakura to the amusement park, but he himself was eager to go. Lihsing had never been to an amusement park before.
"Mmm..." Sakura's eyes gradually lit up, as if living like this was quite good.
Thus, Siduri acted as their guardian and accompanied Lihsing and Sakura to the amusement park. Watching the laughter of the numerous children before them, Siduri felt a sense of warmth.
...
One year later...
Fuyuki City.
Sakura and Lihsing had both started attending school. Lihsing was a year older than Sakura, so he started school a year earlier. However, Lihsing had no interest in school, mostly skipping classes and even refusing to take exams. The reason he wasn't expelled was naturally Lihsing's immense wealth and influence, as well as some teachers who were not swayed by money but could not resist Lihsing's illusions.
The Tohsaka Residence.
Tohsaka Tokiomi bid a final farewell to his wife and daughter. To avoid being exploited by other Masters, the family could not contact each other from the beginning to the end of the Holy Grail War.
The Holy Grail War was about to begin, and Magus who wished to participate in the Grail had rushed to Fuyuki. Those chosen by the Grail had manifested various Command Spells on their hands.
Seven Masters and seven Heroic Spirits would fight each other, all for the sake of obtaining the wish-granting machine that could fulfill any desire, the Grail. However, there were also Magus who sought to reach the Root. Tohsaka Tokiomi was one of them.
Priests from the Church of the Clock Tower were responsible for acting as supervisors to ensure the fairness of the Holy Grail War. The Clock Tower in Britain was the largest church for Magus. Those Magus considered the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City merely a ritual held by country bumpkins and paid little attention to it, yet it still drew the attention of certain individuals.
Kotomine Kirei, a lecturer at the Clock Tower's Department of Thaumaturgy, was forced to use a spare Holy Relic to participate in the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki after his student, Waver Velvet, stole his primary one.
His fiancée, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, accompanied Kotomine to Fuyuki City, responsible for providing mana to the Servant to ensure Kotomine had sufficient mana to fight other Magus.
...
Waver, who had stolen the Holy Relic, performed a summoning ritual in the wilds of Fuyuki City, and the King of Conquerors, Iskandar, appeared as Rider.
In a snow-covered castle, Emiya Kiritsugu, as a son-in-law, participated in the Holy Grail War on behalf of the Einzbern family, summoning a Servant with a scabbard: Saber, the most powerful class in the Holy Grail War.
...
The Church of the Clock Tower.
Kotomine Kirei, chosen by the Grail, summoned a Heroic Spirit wearing a skull mask.
Soon after, Tohsaka Tokiomi, using a snake skin fossil, summoned a man clad in golden armor, the tyrant of Uruk, Gilgamesh.
The Matou Residence.
Matou Kariya used the Holy Relic obtained from Matou Zoken to summon a man clad in full armor. However, due to a few added lines in the incantation, the summoned Heroic Spirit lost his sanity, becoming Berserker, trading rationality for immense power.
With only one spot left, the Great Holy Grail of Fuyuki lowered its requirements for Masters. As a psychopathic killer broke into someone's home to commit murder, he summoned the last Servant.
Thus, the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City officially began.
...
"The Holy Grail War has begun, and I need some of your power." Lihsing stood on a mountaintop, forcefully copying the power of the Great Holy Grail through data.
The Counter Force sensed a disturbance in the Holy Grail War, with a divine being participating. A new Servant had appeared in Fuyuki City.
A man wearing a flat crown and a black robe descended upon Fuyuki, Ruler, appearing as the class responsible for maintaining the Holy Grail War. But no one knew this.
...
"I wonder if I can still summon a Servant after the Holy Grail War is full. Regardless, I'll try first!" Lihsing imitated a Magus, drawing a magic circle on the ground.
"Silver and iron, the foundation of stone and the pact of the great duke."
Lihsing had only chanted one line before the power of the Counter Force swept in, forcing Lihsing to cease his incantation.
"Normally, once the spots are filled, no more Heroic Spirits can be summoned. But you, Xing, already possess the power of the Great Holy Grail, combined with your own Star God power and the strength of the third Counter Force, you can forcibly summon Heroic Spirits to appear."
Lihsing fell silent for a moment, then said, "In other words, the Counter Force doesn't allow me to disrupt the rules. So, in this Holy Grail War, I'm an observer?"
Li Yun nodded, "It seems that's the case. Haha, you weren't chosen by the Grail..."
Lihsing patted his forehead, looking dejected. This was truly embarrassing.
...
"I'm back..."
"Welcome back, Brother."
As soon as Lihsing entered, Sakura pounced into his arms. After a year of getting along, Sakura had grown very fond of Lihsing as her brother. Lihsing and Siduri were the most important people in Sakura's life.
"Ah, you're back. Do you want to take a bath first or eat first?" Siduri emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron.
"Let's eat first."
Even as a child, Lihsing had a huge appetite and loved to eat; he was an absolute glutton. Siduri had also learned modern cooking and enjoyed making food for Lihsing.
"Brother, tonight's meal has my cooking!"
Seeing Sakura, Lihsing's mood instantly brightened. He couldn't help but ruffle Sakura's hair, "Really? You're amazing, Brother loves you the most."
"Xing definitely has some peculiar hobbies. Karin, Anna, Sakura..." Li Yun complained in Lihsing's mind.
Lihsing looked embarrassed. It was all accidental, mere coincidence.
...
As night fell, Siduri and Sakura were already asleep. Lihsing quietly slipped away and began his search in the nighttime Fuyuki City. The seven Masters had all arrived in Fuyuki for the Holy Grail War, and Lihsing saw no reason not to participate.
"Heh heh! So what if I don't have a Servant? I am a Servant myself, the Foreigner class, Lihsing, the eighth Servant in this Holy Grail War!"
Lihsing chuckled, then leaped towards the city, his body having returned to its original size.
(I'm not interested in the Fourth War, and writing books has felt tedious for a long time. I'll skip what can be skipped and free myself soon.)