Some people may rarely get angry, but once they do, they often become even more intense than those with fiery temperaments.

Aoi is such a person. In Kariya's memory and Tokiomi's impression, Aoi had never gotten angry at anyone before, until today, when she faced the two men with whom she had the deepest connection.

In front of Aoi, her eyes red with anger and pain, both Tokiomi and Kariya felt somewhat at a loss and could only maintain a confrontational stance while enduring Aoi's scolding.

"What are you still raising your fists for? Do you want to continue fighting?"

"Well, why don't you just kill me first? Then kill Rin and Sakura too, so no one will bother you anymore!"

"Fight then! Why aren't you continuing the fight?"

"..."

"..."

The two men being berated were speechless and could only remain silent.

However, Aoi had no intention of allowing them to escape.

"Why are you suddenly mute? Speak up! Weren't you both so talkative before?"

Just as Kariya and Tokiomi found themselves at a loss for words, pushed to their limits, and almost dizzy with frustration, an unprecedented surge of magical power emanated from the direction of the mountaintop.

If the fluctuation of magecraft used by ordinary magus is like a small stream, and the release of Noble Phantasms by Heroic Spirits is like a river, then the current eruption of magical power is like the ocean. Vast waves of magical power surge forth, cascading from the mountaintop of Ryuudou Temple down to the city of Fuyuki, engulfing the entire Mountain. Anyone with magical circuits within their bodies can sense the abnormality in the air.

It is a sensation of malicious intrusion into the body, an intangible curse, a convergence of death.

The core emanating all these ominous things appears in the sky above Ryuudou Temple.

A black abyss.

It is a spatial tunnel, connecting the altar of the ritual and the "Greater Grail" hidden deep beneath Mt. Enzou in the eastern part of Fuyuki Town. The Greater Grail has been continuously absorbing the magical energy of the leylines for the past sixty years, and now it has also received the souls of five Heroic Spirits. Its interior is filled with immense magical power, becoming a colossal vortex of magic. This is the true form of that dark, writhing "object."

Originally, it was an attributeless force, meant to open a gateway to the "outer world" from this world. However, due to a seed of error sown in the past, this power has been completely tainted with the colors of dark curses.

People often use the sun as a metaphor for vitality, so this orifice, resembling a black sun, symbolizes annihilation.

However, only a few individuals know the true nature of this "black sun," and that does not include Tokiomi. He still believes it to be his lifelong pursuit, the ultimate goal of all magus—a pathway to the "Root."

Although it differs somewhat from the descriptions in books and his expectations, the "Root" is inherently above all things, and it can manifest in any form. Moreover, that sense of foreboding, that curse, perhaps symbolizes the arduous path to reaching the "Root."

He had long since made up his mind. At this moment, his eyes no longer saw his wife, his daughter, or Kariya as an obstacle. In his eyes, there was only the ultimate goal of a magus, only that "black sun."

"I must, I must go to the Root—"

Tokiomi's gaze held anticipation, longing, determination, and even fanaticism.

With his hands already swollen and painful, he took out two emeralds from his pocket, containing the healing magecraft of Rank A.

At this point, he could no longer see the shattered look in his wife's eyes or hear the calls of his two daughters.

"At a time like this, you dare—"

Kariya was filled with righteous indignation, feeling that Aoi and Rin were not worth it.

"You won't get away with this!"

Kariya's actions mirrored Tokiomi's. Just as Tokiomi had the gem containing healing magecraft, Kariya possessed the "URUZ" primal rune symbolizing vitality.

He had already made up his mind to defeat Tokiomi. This was the goal he had set long ago.

Pushing his daughter's hands away, Tokiomi, with his wounds still healing, stumbled and ran up the mountain.

Kariya, nurtured by "URUZ," was about to chase after Tokiomi but was stopped by Aoi, who opened her arms to block his path.

"Let him go, Kariya," Aoi pleaded, her expression filled with sorrow.

"Aoi, you—" Kariya, unlike Tokiomi, was driven by the woman before him. With just a word from her, he would willingly face any danger.

"Let him go," Aoi sighed, her voice filled with the weight of sorrow. "I understand him. That is the purpose of his existence. If you continue to stop him, there might be someone who dies here."

"But you—"

Aoi forcefully shook her head, cutting off whatever else Kariya wanted to say.

"Enough, Kariya. Thank you for everything you've done for me, for Rin and Sakura. I'm truly grateful. You've done enough for us, so please don't continue any further. Don't sacrifice your life for us."

As she spoke, two tears welled up in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks and dampening her clothing.

Facing Aoi's plea, Kariya couldn't refuse. Helplessly, he punched himself and sat down on the stone steps of the shrine path, holding his head like a sulking child.

Sakura leaned against Kariya and gently tugged at his clothes, whispering, "Uncle, please don't be mad at Mommy, okay?"

Looking at Sakura's hopeful eyes and listening to her gentle voice, Kariya instinctively ruffled her head.

"I'm not mad at Aoi. I'm mad at myself. If I were a little more useful, things wouldn't be like this."

"No, the most useless one is Sakura. She can't help with anything, but..." Sakura leaned closer to Kariya's ear and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "...it's okay for Sakura to be useless because she has her big brother."

Kariya gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and remained silent.

Even though his nephew, Shinji, was a little monster, both he and Justeaze were focused on the "Holy Grail War." They might not have the time to deal with Tokiomi.

Besides, apart from Tokiomi, there was also the Saber faction inside Ryuudou Temple. Given Emiya Kiritsugu's nature, if he saw Tokiomi as a hindrance, he could kill him directly.

Tokiomi's journey was truly one of life and death. Although subjectively, he wished for Tokiomi to die immediately, the thought of Aoi, Rin, and Sakura being saddened afterward also caused Kariya pain.

He couldn't explain the situation to Sakura, so he could only bury his head like an ostrich.

Besides Kariya, Sakura still held blind admiration for her older brother. She turned her head, her eyes shining brightly as she looked towards the mountaintop as if she could see her beloved brother.

Behind them, Aoi silently held Rin, tears streaming down her face.

Rin, who didn't fully understand the reasons behind it, bore her mother's tears and secretly made up her mind.

Although she was still far from being independent, there would come a day when she would fight as a Tohsaka magus.

For that day, she would strive to train and uphold the traditions of the Tohsaka family, doing what her father couldn't—

Always remain calm and elegant.

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