Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: DammS

Bound by the ominous black liquid, Matou Kariya was desperately struggling.

He refrained from shouting for help, knowing full well that the once-grand Matou mansion was situated in a secluded area with no nearby neighbors. Even if he screamed, no one would come to his rescue, and it would only waste his remaining strength—a futile effort.

"This must be that old monster's sorcery!"

Kariya's mind reached a grim conclusion. He deeply regretted his decision to return to the Matou residence, driven by sentimentality. If only he had the chance to make that choice again...

"Indeed, one's progeny is always the best fit... hehehehe…"

Kariya froze. That voice—the one he despised most in the world—belonged to his father, Matou Zouken.

However, the voice didn't emanate from any particular direction. It seemed to come from all around him.

Kariya strained to locate the old monster, but what he saw next rendered him speechless.

The black liquid had already reached his abdomen, and there, on the part of his body consumed by the liquid, an inverted human face began to take form.

He would never forget that face—it was none other than Matou Zouken's.

"Kariya, I was slightly irritated when you ran away back then," the face said mockingly, "but now, I must say, your escape was a masterstroke."

"Go to hell, you old monster!"

Kariya roared, pouring every ounce of energy into cursing the grotesque face on his abdomen.

"I won't help you with anything!"

"That doesn't matter, that doesn't matter," Zouken's face rambled on. His words were no longer in Japanese, and Kariya's fading consciousness could only pick out that detail.

"Your return, Kariya, is all that matters. It seems the safeguards I left behind worked after all."

"What... what are you saying?"

Kariya asked, his voice trembling with disbelief.

"Do you think you came back to Fuyuki out of sentimentality? Of your own free will?"

Zouken's malicious voice slithered into Kariya's ears.

"Of course not. It was the suggestion spell I planted in you long ago."

"'Activate when all the Matou heirs of this generation are deceased'—that was the condition for the spell to take effect," the face smirked. "You thought you came back out of nostalgia and free will?"

"This… this can't be…"

Kariya felt his mind spiral into despair. All his life, he had rebelled against this twisted family and the monster that led it. To learn that even his free will had been manipulated—that it was all a farce—was devastating.

"My spell gave you a little push in your mind, and your imagination filled in the rest," Zouken explained.

"You crafted your reasons to return to Fuyuki and the Matou household."

"Damn Tohsaka Tokiomi..."

Zouken's tone shifted, tinged with irritation for the first time.

"That fool unleashed all the gemstone magecraft he had stored over the years in a desperate bid to kill me... but it wasn't enough. He thought he'd succeeded and left. Such arrogance..."

Kariya, even in his fading state, managed to feel a twisted sense of satisfaction. For once, he silently cheered for the man who had stolen his childhood love, Aoi Zenjou. But, predictably, Tokiomi had failed at the critical moment, and that fact left Kariya bitterly disappointed.

"Well, no matter," Zouken's face concluded, sinking back into the black liquid.

The liquid continued its relentless advance, now reaching Kariya's neck. His consciousness was nearly gone. His final memory was of Aoi's gentle smile under the sunlight.

The figure within the ruins was now entirely engulfed in the black liquid.

The substance churned and rippled, reflecting faint glimmers of light like thick, viscous oil.

At one pivotal moment, the chest of the figure swathed in darkness cracked open, revealing a blood-red eye with a black cross-shaped pupil.

The eye darted around, swiftly scanning the surroundings. With its awakening, other identical eyes began to open across the surface of the shadowy figure's body, one after another.

The crimson eyes synchronized, emitting an intense, dazzling light. A storm of magical energy erupted, scattering debris in all directions.

The dark figure began to transform.

Emerging first was the head previously shrouded in black liquid—a face that bore no resemblance to Matou Kariya.

The man had short, slightly wavy dark-blue hair and a sharp, chiseled visage, exuding strength and confidence. His features were rugged yet refined, giving him an air of charm and danger.

As the black liquid receded, crimson eyes shut one by one, revealing a powerful physique. His body was lean yet muscular, like that of a predator poised to strike.

The man flexed his hands, a smile playing at his lips as if savoring the long-forgotten sensation of existence.

With a casual wave of his hand, the lingering black liquid coalesced into a swirling mist that encircled him, eventually dissipating to reveal a tailored outfit.

He now donned sharply creased black trousers and polished leather shoes. A pristine white dress shirt with an ornate lapel complemented a sleek black vest. As he clenched his right hand, a Victorian-style black overcoat materialized, which he carefully draped over himself.

Surveying his surroundings, he murmured to himself, "This spot will do nicely."

Walking to a chosen clearing, he tapped his foot lightly. A complex summoning circle materialized instantly, glowing with energy.

Extending his right hand, a slit opened in his palm, releasing dark blood that splashed onto the summoning circle.

He then unbuttoned his shirt, revealing Matou Kariya's face embedded over his heart.

Unlike before, Kariya's face now bore no expression or will. Controlled entirely by the man, Kariya began chanting a summoning incantation mechanically:

"... From the Wheel of Restraint, I call upon thee, Guardian of the Scales!"

Crackling magical energy surged, and from the summoning circle emerged a Servant—a figure clad in intricate black armor, shrouded in a mysterious mist.

The man—Makiri Zolgen—smiled confidently. The Command Spells etched into his hand glowed with an ominous light.