[MF] Ch 22 ~ 23

Ch 22: The Worm Torture Plan

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Kaito stormed back into the Matou estate. By now, the old worm's "fun points" had pretty much been milked dry. Under the absolute terror of imminent death, Zouken Matou's emotional reaction reached an intensity unseen in centuries — so naturally, all the points he could possibly cough up had already exploded out.

That was enough for Kaito. He stopped holding back and went all in, unleashing a full-scale extermination strike on the old bug.

Yes — he hadn't killed Zouken Matou outright before, not because he couldn't, but because he wanted to wring every last drop of value from him. The longer he kept the pressure on, the more "fun points" Zouken would spew out.

Now that the old worm was officially bled dry, there was no need to keep him around.

Just how strong was his fully powered Iron Man — a Tony Stark who learned a bit of Doctor Strange's magic and was reincarnated into the Fate world as Tokiomi Tohsaka?

No damn idea.

But when it came to crushing an old maggot like Zouken Matou… it was basically a dimensionality reduction strike.

"Ahhh~~ I'm sorry~~ Spare me~~ No matter what I've done, please, spare this old man~~!"

Seeing that he couldn't win, couldn't escape, and his insect clones were being wiped out one by one, Zouken finally broke down, screaming for mercy in a shrill hysterical voice.

Kaito didn't even blink. He raised a hand, blasted away the writhing clone that had been begging, and said coldly, "You're not sorry because you did wrong — you're sorry because you're about to die."

That single line froze Zouken in terror and rage. Desperate, he kept begging, insisting he'd change, that he'd never do evil again.

Kaito gave him another classic: "What's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh. You're a worm today, you'll be a worm for life."

Zouken screamed, "Ahhh! I've never even offended you! Why?! Do I really deserve to die?!"

[Ding! Achievement Unlocked: Iconic Scene Created!]

[Reward: 500 Fun Points]

Another new achievement — with a shiny illustration to match.

The image showed Iron Man bombing Zouken and his swarm of bugs, eyes blazing like molten steel, burning red with fury and dominance.

The Fun System never disappointed.

And by now, the Matou estate had been looted clean. Flames devoured what was left, and sirens could already be heard in the distance — fire trucks and police were on their way.

Time to wrap things up.

After sweeping the last valuables on the first floor, Kaito headed down to the basement — where Zouken's true body had cornered itself.

Even now, the old bug tried one last desperate strike.

Completely pointless.

As Kaito spread his hands, terrifying energy surged out. Weapon ports opened along his arms, chest, shoulders, and legs — and unleashed pure anti-magic firepower.

In an instant, the entire basement was filled and scorched by the energy storm.

The air that once reeked of rot now smelled only of burnt ash.

That was Kaito's single strike — maximized for biological annihilation while minimizing structural damage.

And yet… the stubborn old thing still wasn't dead.

In the corner lay Zouken's true body — a twisted, tadpole-like maggot, twitching violently, half-charred and blackened. The attack had clearly injured him, but the bastard had sacrificed countless lesser worms and burned every drop of mana just to keep his disgusting life intact.

You had to admit, his survival instinct was something else. Even Kaito was impressed.

But that was as far as it went. Kaito prepared to deliver the final blow — and then, paused.

Not because he felt pity. Just looking at the wretched creature only made him want to step on it harder.

No... what made him stop was the sudden realization that maybe this thing could still be useful.

If he could contain it, he could use it as a "Fun Point Cooldown Tracker." After all, everyone had the same cooldown time before their point output recovered.

And once Zouken's cooldown reset, he could be squeezed for another round of points. There were plenty of ways to wring entertainment out of a helpless bug.

Kaito had seen enough videos in his previous life by those "creative" experimenters who toyed with insects in ways that would make even Satan offer them the throne.

And keeping Zouken alive could serve as insurance for the upcoming Holy Grail War. He'd need to gather ten thousand Fun Points from participants — not counting achievement rewards. Having a captive worm ready for farming was just smart preparation.

On top of that… if he could get achievements from messing with Zouken? Even better. The guy was a main story figure, after all. His achievements yield might even rival Touko Aozaki's.

Of course, Kaito wasn't that desperate to keep him. If he could contain him easily, great — if not, he'd squash him here and now. 

He raised a hand. "Jarvis, switch weapon mode. Energy cannon to Cryo Blast."

A wave of white frost burst out, instantly freezing the writhing old worm solid.

Checking through the Fun System, Kaito confirmed: still alive. Stubborn little parasite.

He then tried storing the ice sculpture in his system inventory. Normally, living beings couldn't be stored — but the frozen Zouken was now considered an "item."

It worked.

Containment complete.

With that, tonight's raid on the Matou estate was a total success. Kaito raised a hand and drew a glowing circle in the air.

A spatial portal flickered open, golden sparks dancing around its rim — the same type he'd used when he first appeared before the Tohsaka family as Iron Man.

This was a teleportation gate, modeled after the sorcery of Kamar-Taj from the Marvel world, recreated through a mix of Iron Man tech and the magical theories of the Fate world.

Yes, it was one of those "I think this could work" ideas that Kaito had thrown into his lore — and the Fun System had actually approved it.

Not that it was overpowered; his version only worked within a 20-kilometer radius. He couldn't hop dimensions or cross galaxies like the Sorcerer Supreme. But still — damn convenient.

Before Kaito stepped through the portal, a sudden explosion echoed.

He turned back just in time to see Kirei Kotomine charging into the burning Matou basement. Flames licked at his coat, but his priest robes were enchanted — fireproof and bullet-resistant. Despite the blaze, he was fine.

Then Kirei looked up — and saw the glowing ring of the portal, with the armored Iron Man fading from view.

For a moment, Kirei just froze. The last thing he heard was the calm, metallic voice from the portal:

"See ya~"

The portal closed with a hum.

Having delivered his perfect exit line, Kaito rocketed into the night sky, heading back toward Mifune City before his character card timer ran out — leaving a dazed Kirei standing amid the flames.

Eventually, Kirei ran out of the Matou estate just before the fire engulfed the basement completely.

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Ch 23: The Command Seal

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The Matou estate was gone. Reduced to ashes in the flames.

Even though the fire department arrived as fast as they could, it didn't matter. With a building that old and made entirely of wood, once it caught fire, it was only a matter of time before everything burned to nothing.

By the time the last embers were extinguished, the once-proud Matou residence had turned into a heap of scorched ruins.

Yet the surviving members of the family—Byakuya Matou and his son, Shinji Matou—didn't seem the least bit heartbroken. If anything, they looked… relieved. Free. Like prisoners who had finally been released.

Of course, Byakuya, being the nominal head of the family, forced himself to act appropriately devastated. He even managed to keep a straight face while telling the police that it had all been a tragic accident. According to him, his father, Zouken Matou, had carelessly started the fire, which had gotten out of control and claimed both the house and his life.

A tragic incident, truly.

At least, that was the official story.

Now, with the old monster gone, Byakuya was finally the true master of the Matou family. And for the first time in years, he could carry himself with genuine authority. Calm, methodical, confident—handling all the aftermath like a man finally free from his shackles.

In reality, his mood was closer to that meme of Light Yagami trying really hard not to laugh.

Sure, the entire estate was gone, and every valuable item burned to dust, but Byakuya wasn't worried. He kept a stash of savings hidden away for years, and the land itself still belonged to the Matou family. Not to mention, they owned other properties—nothing that couldn't be easily restored or replaced.

With their old man's connections, reissuing any burned deeds or paperwork would be trivial. And once he sold a few of the family's assets, Byakuya would have more than enough starting capital.

Money wasn't his concern. He'd been a successful businessman once—before his life had been derailed by that damned father of his. Now, with the greatest evil of the Matou bloodline finally gone, he could start over with Shinji and live like real people again.

And Shinji himself? The boy wasn't traumatized at all. On the contrary, his eyes were shining with excitement—literally a kid who'd just witnessed a superhero swoop in and save the day.

That image tugged at something deep in Byakuya's heart.

When he was a boy, he used to imagine heroes like that too. He'd long given up believing in them… until one actually appeared and saved him and his son, while striking down the family's greatest curse.

That was enough.

Maybe he could even reach out to his estranged younger brother, Kariya Matou. It had been years since they'd last spoken. At the very least, he deserved to hear the "good news" that their old man was finally dead.

The more he thought about it, the harder it was to hide the grin tugging at his lips. His expression was slowly warping into that of an anime character barely holding in laughter.

---

Meanwhile, at the church, Kirei Kotomine had returned from the scene.

He was covered in soot, but otherwise fine—his priest robes were enchanted, resistant to both fire and bullets. After Kaito's departure, Kirei had quickly escaped the blaze and gone to check on the surviving Matous.

Byakuya and Shinji's statements were, of course, full of deliberate omissions. Kirei didn't press. He wasn't close to the family, and subtle social probing wasn't exactly his strong suit.

When he reported everything to his father, Risei Kotomine, the old priest frowned, sinking deep into thought.

It was understandable. A mysterious armored man of pure steel showing up in this era? That was the stuff of science fiction. And Risei, being blind, couldn't even picture the scene properly.

Eventually, he decided this was beyond his comprehension. He filed an official report to the Church, while instructing Kirei to inform his teacher, Tokiomi Tohsaka, about the incident.

...

Three hours later, in Northern Europe, Tokiomi received the message.

At first, he was stunned. Then, realization dawned.

Even without seeing the scene, he immediately understood who had attacked the Matou estate.

"So… only Zouken Matou was killed, but Byakuya and Shinji survived, and the entire mansion burned to ashes in a blaze of red light. And the attacker was a man clad in iron."

He closed his eyes. "I see. So it was you."

"But why? Sure, Zouken meant to harm Sakura, but his plan never succeeded—we stopped him. So why cause unnecessary damage? Wouldn't it have been simpler to demand huge reparations? Why kill him instead of getting something out of it? Even if he deserved to die, it wasn't the right time—not before draining every bit of worth from him."

Tokiomi murmured the questions aloud, his brow furrowing. He could understand why Iron Man might have acted, but the sheer extremity of it bothered him.

After all, Tokiomi was still a magician—calm, methodical, and pragmatic. He preferred negotiation over annihilation.

And, being the aristocrat he was, it never even crossed his mind that someone might operate on a simpler philosophy: "You disgust me, therefore you die."

He sighed, setting the matter aside for now. When "Iron Man Tokiomi" resurfaced, he'd get his answers directly.

For the moment, his attention returned to a more delicate issue—the plan to adopt his younger daughter into the Edelfelt family.

Negotiations were going well. The current Edelfelt head had shown great interest in bringing the Tohsaka daughter into her lineage. In fact, after several exchanges, she was already planning to personally visit Fuyuki City to meet Sakura and confirm her magical aptitude.

If everything checked out, she intended to sign the adoption agreement on the spot and take Sakura back with her to raise as the Edelfelt heir.

That outcome pleased Tokiomi immensely. The weight on his shoulders eased, and his trust in that "tech-obsessed" alternate self—who advised him to take this step—deepened even more.

Meanwhile, the man in question, Kaito, had already returned to his hotel room in Mifune City.

Moments earlier, he used a teleportation spell to retreat safely after raiding the Matou estate. As the magic faded, his armor dissolved, and he reverted to his normal form.

He was just about to tally up his spoils when a sudden burning pain flared on the back of his right hand—sharp, intense, and gone within seconds.

He frowned, looked down, and froze.

There, glowing faintly red against his skin, was a mark shaped like a shield.

A Command Seal.

The unmistakable symbol of a participant in the Holy Grail War.

"Huh? Wait… I became a Master?"

Kaito blinked, utterly baffled.

Yeah, this definitely wasn't part of the plan.

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