"Hm?"
A clear sound echoed.
The young man's gaze finally landed on Matou Zouken.
BANG!
An immense pressure crashed down, slamming Matou Zouken face-first into the ground.
Crushing weight. An unimaginable pressure nearly pulverized his entire body. His form, composed entirely of insects, flattened out on the ground like modeling clay.
The insects themselves were bound by the powerful pressure, completely unable to take flight, their sharp mouthparts emitting a constant, deathly buzzing.
"What?"
Horror instantly seized Matou Zouken's heart.
He couldn't see any trace of magical energy flowing, heard no incantation chanted, and couldn't even detect any sign that the other had initiated an attack.
With just a single glance, he was pinned to the ground, with no way to resist.
This was supposed to be his stronghold, his workshop where he received the most support. Here, he was confident he could even battle a Servant.
Yet, that one casual glance had utterly shattered his confidence, making him understand one thing with profound clarity.
The person before him was an absolute enemy he must never cross.
It was only then that the other's voice slowly reached him.
"Were you talking to me?"
Hearing this question, Matou Zouken immediately shed his previous threatening demeanor and began to grovel.
"May I ask what Your Highness commands? This old one shall do his utmost."
A human magus couldn't possibly possess this level of oppressive presence, and the gods had long since vanished.
Matou Zouken couldn't figure out Su Mo's identity, but he had a very precise grasp of his own position. No matter what, survival came first.
Unfortunately for him, there was someone present who didn't want him to survive.
"You old bug! Lord Su Mo is here to kill you!"
After a cold snort, Rin Tohsaka glanced at Su Mo's expression. Seeing no objection, she threw another jewel at him.
BANG!
Scorching flames erupted. Though it was only at the level of an average magus, it was more than enough to injure the completely defenseless Matou Zouken. The intense fire burned away half of his body, but it only resulted in a grievous wound.
The remaining insects were enough to maintain his basic life functions.
"Lord Su Mo? I—"
Enduring the searing pain, Matou Zouken couldn't place the name. Just as he was about to ask something, he only heard—
BANG!
Having used up her jewels, Rin Tohsaka started casting fireballs, seemingly intent on burning him to a crisp.
"It's useless!" Matou Zouken suddenly flashed a twisted, hideous grin.
That smile didn't even last two seconds before it was cut short by Su Mo's words.
"The one before you is just an insect clone."
"Huh?" Rin froze, a wave of anxiety washing over her. If this was a clone, then the main body...
"Hehehehe~"
Seeing his greatest insurance exposed, Matou Zouken let out a low chuckle.
"It's too late. My main body has already left Fuyuki City. You'll never catch me now."
When it came to self-preservation and escape, he was a master.
But to his surprise, upon hearing this, Rin's face showed little anxiety. Instead, she lowered her hand and looked at Su Mo with eyes full of admiration and trust.
"Since Lord Su Mo said that, does it mean you're going to act?"
No matter how many self-preservation measures he had, they couldn't possibly be stronger than a god's.
Therefore, Rin didn't see this as an obstacle. On the contrary, she thought it was a good thing. If she had to kill him herself, she was actually worried she wouldn't be able to do a clean job.
In response to Rin's question, Su Mo chuckled and shook his head.
"No. I've already acted."
Before the suddenly paling Matou Zouken and the utterly confused Rin, Su Mo shifted his gaze to the center of the nearby worm pit, directly revealing the answer.
"The main effect of the Ushimairi Thaumaturgy isn't mimicry. It's cursing."
"And an excellent curse... often strikes directly at the soul."
Like the traditional voodoo art of stabbing dolls, it was a curse that could take effect regardless of distance.
Having lived on this island nation for many years, Matou Zouken had naturally heard of this spell. Thinking of its effects, his very soul began to tremble.
And at that exact moment, the scarecrow in the worm pit began to glow faintly, its form changing into a piece of steaming, living flesh.
The appetites of all the insects in the pit were aroused.
They immediately swarmed into the scarecrow, gnawing relentlessly at its blood vessels and muscles, carving out channel after channel within its body in a torrent of a million mandibles.
---||---
At the same time, dozens of kilometers away, in the forests of Fuyuki City.
"Hkk~ Gghh!"
An enormous, glistening crimson insect—his core bug—suddenly collapsed to the ground. Its dozens of legs began to twitch violently, and its body started to twist and roll at physically impossible angles, as if it were suffering some unbearable, immense pain.
---||---
Back at the Matou residence, Su Mo had already led the two little girls out of the basement.
A master of insects being devoured by a million insects—it was a fitting end. But the scene of a million bugs eating a heart was still too much for children of their age.
A few minutes later, in the Matou family's library.
"Lord Su Mo, I've found the materials related to Servant summoning!"
Rin, who had been rummaging through the books for a while, suddenly let out a cheer. She then handed over a well-preserved papyrus book with both hands.
"I-I found some too."
Following close behind was a somewhat unconfident Sakura. "But this doesn't seem to be from the Matou family. The crest on it looks like it's from the Einzberns."
"Thank you. You can just put it here."
Su Mo put down the materials he was holding on the development of Command Spells and swept his gaze over the results of their search.
"Both are fine. The Servant summoning ritual was a joint research project of the Three Founding Families. The Einzbern materials are also very important."
Hearing Su Mo say this, Sakura's eyes lit up slightly. Good, I was able to help.
Rin, on the other hand, paid no mind to such a small matter. She looked curiously at the materials Su Mo had organized and asked, "Lord Su Mo, what do you need these materials for? Don't tell me you want to participate in the Holy Grail War too?"