Chapter 252: Capturing Matou Zouken
Because shrines are often located on mountaintops, the foxes tend to instinctively run towards mountainous areas when scouting for information in Fuyuki City.
The mountainous regions of Fuyuki City, which sits by the sea, are usually in the suburbs near the mainland side.
By sheer coincidence, after checking the large cavern behind Fuyuki City, one fox accidentally wandered onto a small path...
Well, that was just the explanation the Inari Fox gave to Hikigaya Hachiman when reporting the situation.
The true story was that when the Inari Fox was planning to return the way it came, it encountered several strange bugs and, in a moment of playfulness, secretly followed the Crest Worms to the hidden base of Matou Zouken.
While Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't understand why the stupid fox currently squatting in front of him with drooping ears found creatures like Crest Worms amusing, finding Matou Zouken's location was truly excellent news.
"Sakura and Karna will stay here. I'll just take Saber."
Considering the precedent set by Emiya Kiritsugu last night, Hikigaya Hachiman decided to leave Karna, whom he personally considered the more powerful of the two, to look after Irisviel and Sakura, and take Artoria to capture Matou Zouken to serve as a substitute for the Lesser Grail summoning.
No one had any objection to Hikigaya Hachiman's plan.
Looking up at the clock on the wall, the time was already past four in the afternoon.
There were less than four hours left until the agreed time with Rider.
"Well then, I'm counting on you this time, Saber."
"Ah, please leave it to me!"
With that, Artoria twisted the throttle of the motorcycle in her hands.
Accompanied by a huge engine roar, the two people and the vehicle quickly vanished at the end of the street.
Twenty minutes later, by the winding mountain road several kilometers from Matou Zouken's hidden base.
Before Artoria could stop the motorcycle steadily, Hikigaya Hachiman rushed to the side of the road and started vomiting.
"Master, are you alright?"
After parking the motorcycle, Artoria frowned as she looked at Hikigaya Hachiman's distressed expression.
Seeing Hikigaya Hachiman fight previously, she thought his physical fitness was excellent. She never expected him to be so weak just from riding a motorcycle for twenty minutes...
"No, I don't think this has anything to do with my weakness or lack thereof..."
Looking at the expression on Artoria's face, Hikigaya Hachiman guessed what she was thinking and immediately defended himself.
Anyone riding a motorcycle at a speed of up to 190 Km/h, with frequent drifts and constant swerving, would be unable to bear it, right?
Especially since Artoria was wearing a layer of rigid armor, which nearly chafed him to death along the way...
After a short rest and feeling sufficiently recovered, Hikigaya Hachiman slowly led Artoria toward Matou Zouken's wooden cabin.
Along the way, with the help of the Inari Foxes, they perfectly bypassed all the bug sentries Matou Zouken had stationed outside, arriving at the exterior of the cabin.
"Hm?"
Matou Zouken, resting inside the cabin, vaguely sensed something was wrong around him.
Although the bugs scattered in the outer perimeter had not discovered any enemy presence, Matou Zouken, adhering to the principle of caution being the parent of safety, still decided to move.
However, just as he stood up, an air blast directly destroyed the wooden cabin he was in, instantly exposing him completely to the outside!
"This move is... Saber?!"
Although the Matou family was not participating in this Holy Grail War, Matou Zouken was still collecting intelligence on the various participating Heroic Spirits.
Therefore, upon realizing that the cabin was destroyed by an air blast, Matou Zouken instantly recognized that the attacking Heroic Spirit was Artoria.
But immediately afterward, a look of confusion appeared on Matou Zouken's face.
Artoria's Master, Emiya Kiritsugu, was confirmed dead last night.
Under normal circumstances, Artoria should have been forced to withdraw due to losing her magical energy supply.
How did she still have the magical energy to sustain her body, and why had she specifically come to cause trouble for him?
However, the reason for seeking him out was no longer important.
After confirming that the one who came knocking was Saber, the leader of the three Knight classes, Matou Zouken immediately planned his escape.
His body rapidly split into countless Crest Worms that attempted to burrow into the ground.
But barely a few centimeters into the ground, the Crest Worms felt like they had hit a layer of hard stone, unable to dig any further...
"The same escape method won't work the second time."
Hikigaya Hachiman walked out from the opposite side of Artoria, surrounding Matou Zouken in a pincer movement.
"You? Why?"
The Crest Worms reformed into a human shape. Matou Zouken frowned as he looked at Hikigaya Hachiman.
He couldn't understand. Matou Zouken didn't know why Hikigaya Hachiman would come looking for trouble with him when he was the one who suffered the greater loss a year ago...
"The mere intentions you had for my little sister are enough to warrant a death sentence, aren't they?"
Hikigaya Hachiman truly had no conflict of interest with Matou Zouken, but that didn't stop him from wanting to kill this old man in front of him.
Especially when he thought about how Sakura would have been violated by those disgusting bugs if he hadn't transmigrated. The killing intent in Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes grew even stronger as he looked at Matou Zouken...
"If that's the case, then there's no room for negotiation between us..."
Sensing the murderous intent in Hikigaya Hachiman's gaze, Matou Zouken, knowing that things wouldn't end well today, looked even older.
"I advise you to stop with the parlor tricks. Wouldn't it be better to just wait obediently for death?"
Hikigaya Hachiman summoned Demon Slaying Blade in his right hand and, without looking back, swung out two slashes of sword energy, pinning two black beetles that intended to sneak attack him to the spot.
At the same time, Artoria instantly dealt with dozens of unknown bugs, covered in hard exoskeletons, that were delaying her movement.
"I have lived for hundreds of years. How could I be captured so easily by you?"
Hikigaya Hachiman's words sounded like a huge joke to Matou Zouken!
His body collapsed instantly, turning into a pile of Crest Worms that split into four piles and fled in four different directions.
Concurrently, various types of insects he had hidden in the woods revealed themselves, blocking the path of Hikigaya Hachiman and Artoria and gaining time for the Crest Worms carrying Matou Zouken's soul to escape.
The Crest Worms carrying Matou Zouken's soul easily escaped into the woods under the cover of the numerous insects.
Just as Matou Zouken was controlling the Crest Worms to flee and musing that Hikigaya Hachiman was still too naive, a large white figure suddenly blocked the path of his swarm!
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