At the same time, Kenji Akimoto suddenly realized something unsettling.By crossing into a world ten years in the future, he had indeed avoided the fate of being cuckolded in his original timeline—but in this world, the risk of being cuckolded still very much existed.
However, reality soon proved that all of Kenji's worries were completely unnecessary.
When he finally arrived at the location of his former family estate and looked at the scene before him, Kenji fell straight into an existential crisis.
Ruins.
Nothing but ruins.
Just moments ago, he had been mocking Tohsaka Tokiomi—sneering that in only ten years, the once-proud Tohsaka family had fallen into such decline that even their residence had become dilapidated.
But now, Kenji couldn't laugh anymore.
Compared to him, Tokiomi had it far better.
At least the Tohsaka residence, though shabby, was still standing and technically livable.
Kenji's estate, on the other hand…
It was completely gone.
Not a building. Not even a trace.
And after conducting some investigation, Kenji uncovered an even crueler truth.
In this world, the fiancée he had longed for—Sora—had not died.
After Kenji's death in the Holy Grail War, she had sold off all of his assets… and then remarried an ordinary man, starting a new life.
In other words, Kenji had still failed to escape the fate of being cuckolded.
And not only that—
He had been cuckolded thoroughly.
———— Divider ————
On the Matou estate's side of the city, Matou Kariya dragged his body—ravaged by the torment of crest worms—back to the Matou household once again.
Despite being a member of the Matou family, Kariya held not the slightest affection for it, especially not for that old monster lurking within.
And yet, no matter how much he despised it, Kariya still stepped through the gates of the Matou home.
If for nothing else, he wanted to see with his own eyes whether Sakura had managed to grow up safely over the past ten years.
One of the reasons Kariya had joined the Holy Grail War was to settle accounts with Tohsaka Tokiomi.
The other was a promise from Matou Zouken—that as long as Kariya participated in the war, Sakura would no longer be tortured.
"Uncle Kariya, I knew you would come back,"a gentle voice said."So I prepared dinner for you."
The moment Kariya pushed open the door and entered the Matou residence, he was greeted by a beautiful purple-haired girl standing at the entrance.
Though the alterations to her magical circuits had changed her hair color, and ten years had transformed her in countless ways, Kariya could still clearly see the shadow of Aoi—his former love—in her features.
Looking at the steaming dinner laid out before him, and then at the warm, welcoming living room—so different from the dark, oppressive atmosphere he remembered—Kariya froze for a long while.
Before returning, he had imagined countless scenarios.
But this?
This was something he could never have envisioned.
Based on his understanding of that "old worm," even if he had upheld his end of the bargain and joined the Holy Grail War, Zouken would almost certainly have broken his promise after Kariya's failure.
Before coming here, Kariya had prepared himself for the worst.
Most of those imagined futures involved Sakura suffering terribly.
After all, the agony of crest worms alone had nearly killed him—an adult. How could a child have endured that?
Kariya had even resolved himself to falling out completely with Zouken this time, taking Sakura with him and fleeing this hellish place.
But now—
Looking at Sakura's radiant smile, her eyes no longer dull and lifeless, Kariya felt dazed.
Had he been wrong all along?
Had Sakura truly lived happily these past ten years?
"Where is everyone else?" Kariya asked carefully as he ate the dinner Sakura had prepared."I mean… that old bastard.Have you been well all these years, Sakura?I honestly didn't expect him to keep his word."
"Sakura killed Grandpa," she replied lightly, resting her chin on one hand while twirling her hair with the other."And I killed Shinji too. With Rider's help."
Her smile deepened—pure, heartfelt.
"Shinji's screams before he died sounded exactly like Sakura's screams back in the worm pit.That's when Sakura finally understood why Grandpa loved torturing me so much.That feeling… it's intoxicating."
Clang—!
Kariya's chopsticks slipped from his fingers and hit the table.
Staring at Sakura's gentle, smiling face, everything became clear in an instant.
This wasn't "living well" at all.
This was what happened when someone endured so much abuse and torment that they snapped completely.
She had fallen.
"I'm sorry," Kariya whispered hoarsely."I couldn't save you in the end…"
He showed no grief whatsoever over the deaths of Matou Zouken or Matou Shinji.
Though bound by blood, Kariya's nature had always been fundamentally incompatible with theirs.
Years in the Matou household had left him with nothing but profound disgust toward its members.
What truly pained him now was this—
The little angel he once tried to save had failed to escape… and had completely descended into darkness.
"Why are you apologizing, Uncle Kariya?" Sakura asked softly."You tried to save Sakura back then, didn't you? You really did your best."
She smiled again.
"And now Sakura has finally become a Master in the Holy Grail War, just like she wished.Uncle Kariya… will you help Sakura complete her revenge?"
Kariya had always felt deep guilt toward Sakura. Combined with his lingering love for her mother, Aoi Tohsaka, he didn't hesitate for even a second.
The moment Sakura asked, he discarded all factional loyalties—
and instantly became her devoted supporter.
After her corruption, Sakura harbored hatred toward almost everyone.
Shinji, who had bullied her.Zouken, who had tortured her.Her parents, who had sent her into this hell.Even Rin Tohsaka—the sister who lived a perfect childhood while wearing the mask of an "elder sister," a sight that made Sakura sick to her core.
All of it burned painfully bright in her eyes.
And yet—
Even in her darkness, there were two people she simply couldn't bring herself to hate.
One was Shirou Emiya—the only light that had ever appeared in her suffering life.
The other…
Was Matou Kariya.
As a child, Sakura had often blamed him for failing to keep his promise and rescue her.
But as she grew older, she finally understood the truth.
Back then, Kariya had already gambled his life for her sake.
Using Zouken's crest worms to forcibly enhance his magical circuits meant total submission—and whether he won the Grail War or not, Kariya was doomed to die once it ended.
Part of the reason he did all this was his love for Aoi.
But even so—
To stake one's life for another person was no small thing.
And so, even as a fallen Sakura, she felt little hatred toward Kariya.
She only wanted his help.
She wanted revenge.
As they continued talking, Kariya and Sakura exchanged information, becoming—aside from Ren Kuroda's group—the second faction with the most comprehensive understanding of the war.
Thanks to the current Grail's rules, Kariya could see the true names of all Blue faction Servants.
And Sakura, as someone from the future in Kariya's eyes, possessed detailed knowledge of the previous Holy Grail War.
If Kariya truly chose to support her, their advantage would be enormous.
During these discussions, Kariya also learned a shocking truth—
The Fourth Holy Grail War had ended with no winner.
And the woman he loved most, Aoi Tohsaka…
Had died sometime within these ten years.
Worse still, she had died after learning of Tokiomi Tohsaka's death.
That revelation ignited Kariya's fury.
If he had once merely despised Tokiomi—
Now, it was pure hatred.
What Kariya could never have, Tokiomi possessed yet never cherished.
Such a wonderful wife.
Such adorable daughters—Sakura and Rin.
"Everything is Tokiomi's fault…""That damned Tokiomi Tohsaka—I failed to kill you ten years ago, but this time…!"
As Sakura and Kariya reached a grim consensus and began planning their first target, another group—one that had just repelled Tokiomi's forces the previous night—fell into deep self-doubt.
Rin Tohsaka had initially believed that with both Saber and Rider on their side, they were the safest among the Blue faction.
But last night's battle shattered that illusion.
To be blunt—if Illya hadn't arrived with Berserker at the critical moment, they would have been the ones eliminated.
To prevent being overwhelmed again, Rin began seriously considering cooperation with other Blue faction Servants.
Lancer was essentially off the table.
That fake priest was far too dangerous—getting sold out was almost guaranteed.
But aside from Lancer and the unknown Caster, Rin felt there was real potential for cooperation with the other Masters.
Sakura—her younger sister—was one of the people Rin trusted most.
Illya, who had arrived to save them last night, was another. Though Rin wasn't particularly fond of Shirou Emiya, they were still siblings in name—cooperation was possible.
And then there was the final candidate—
That terrifyingly powerful Assassin.
According to Archer, Assassin had managed to retreat safely even under extreme circumstances, which left Rin deeply impressed.
Escaping from multiple Red faction Servants alone was proof of exceptional strength.
And since Archer had provided support that night, even if cooperation failed, it likely wouldn't devolve into open hostility.
At the very least—
They wouldn't become enemies right away.