While Caren, Illya, and the others were just getting off the plane, at the Matou residence, the summoning circle in front of Sakura began to glow. Given this child's particular affinity, what kind of Servant would she summon? Su Mo was quite curious.
It didn't take long for the answer to reveal itself. "Servant Berserker, responding to the call. Now, which one of you is my adorable Master?" A girl in a blue kimono, sporting dragon horns atop her head, appeared at the centre of the summoning circle.
Her long blue hair, white stockings, elegant figure, and beautiful face made her a stunning sight. Golden irises shimmered softly as her eyes scanned the room—until they landed on the youngest person present.
She had already recognized her Master through the Command Seal contract. The tiny, timid Sakura.
"Hm… I did sense a kindred spirit born of love…"
"But even I wasn't expecting such a young Master."
"Ohoho~ What a karmic encounter this is."
The girl, who called herself Berserker, raised the folding fan from her sleeve and covered her mouth with a delicate smile. Her gaze, however, drifted curiously toward Su Mo.
"Pretty Onee-san, are you my Servant?" Sakura, mustering her courage, looked up at the beautiful older girl in awe.
"My, aren't you the sweetest thing." The blue-haired girl smiled warmly, kneeling to pat Sakura gently on the head.
"Yes, I am your Servant." Though Su Mo had already guessed her identity just by looking at her, he still asked for confirmation.
"Berserker, would you mind revealing your true name?"
"We're allies, after all. Basic intelligence sharing shouldn't be a problem." Hearing this, Sakura quickly nodded.
"Mhm! You don't have to hide anything from big brother Su Mo!"
"Su Mo-oniichan is the most reliable!" With even her Master saying so, the Servant had no reason to resist.
"I am a Servant born of love." The blue-haired girl stood proudly, puffing out her chest as she introduced herself. Sakura blinked in confusion, her expression saying "What does that even mean?" The girl looked a little wounded by her reaction.
"I am Kiyohime. I should be fairly well-known in this country, I think…" She finally revealed her true name.
"I thought so." Su Mo had guessed it the moment he saw her. Her admission only confirmed it. The girl who burned with love until nothing remained—Kiyohime. Aside from being a white-stockinged beauty, her most defining traits were her obsessive nature and her dragon-like attributes.
But if her summoning had been based on compatibility, Su Mo couldn't help but wonder— What kind of resonance does Sakura have to summon someone like her? What exactly did they have in common? Su Mo gave Sakura a thoughtful look. Sakura, noticing, tilted her head with innocent curiosity, as if waiting to be praised.
"Amazing! With Kiyohime helping us, we'll definitely win the Holy Grail War!" Su Mo gave her head a gentle pat and set aside his concerns about their compatibility for the moment. He hadn't expected that even after disrupting the summoning order, Matou's Berserker would still end up being summoned. Thankfully, unlike Lancelot in the original timeline, Kiyohime belonged to that rare category of Berserkers who, despite their madness, retained clarity of mind.
However, her yandere-like obsession hadn't disappeared. Luckily, since it was Sakura who summoned her, Kiyohime didn't view her Master as a romantic interest. Rather, she saw Sakura as a kindred spirit. That made things much more manageable.
After the group had made brief introductions and brought Kiyohime up to speed on the situation, all the pieces were finally in place.
Now—
All seven Masters of the Holy Grail War had appeared. All seven Servants had been summoned. And with nightfall approaching, the Holy Grail War was about to officially begin.
"Miss Okita must give it her all! I won't let Master down!" Okita Souji was practically bouncing with excitement, clearly eager to unleash her full power. She had never felt her body in such perfect condition before. With A-rank physical attributes across the board, she felt unstoppable. Tonight, she would show those ancient heroes just what a real Sword Saint could do!
"Yes, yes." Su Mo responded half-heartedly with a nod. He didn't recall asking her to go that hard.
"Hmm… I get the feeling Master's not taking me seriously…" Okita puffed out her cheeks, visibly dissatisfied with his lukewarm support.
"If you can overcome that 'Weak Constitution' debuff, then maybe I'll start believing in you," Su Mo said with a shrug. Without overcoming that fatal flaw, Miss Okita might as well consider a career shift—to comedy.
Although it might've sounded a little rude, Su Mo truly thought so from the bottom of his heart. Hearing his remark, Okita Souji shook her head in response.
"Master, you're worrying too much. [Weak Constitution] is troublesome, sure, but it doesn't flare up often. Plus, with the enhancements I've received from you, I recover much faster. So, it's definitely not a problem."
She raised her fist with determination. "If you don't believe me, let me take on the first battle tonight! I'll definitely win for you, Master!" Full of confidence and enthusiasm, Okita raised a flag for herself .
Looking at how self-assured she was, Su Mo couldn't help but smirk.
"Then how about we make a bet?" he said. "If you can defeat the first enemy Servant we encounter, I'll agree to one request of yours. But if you lose, then you owe me a favor." Both Sakura and Okita's eyes lit up at once.
"Master, you're serious?!" Okita looked exhilarated. She already wanted to prove herself in front of her Master, and now, with such an enticing prize on the line, she couldn't be more fired up.
"Of course," Su Mo nodded. "As long as your request is within reason."
"Deal!" she said without hesitation, clapping hands with him in agreement. To Okita, this was as good as a free reward. If she won, she could make her Master do all sorts of things with her—of course, all in good fun.
As for losing? No chance.
With A-rank stats across the board and her deadly sword technique, even without a powerful Noble Phantasm, she had no fear. The phrase 'how can you lose when you're riding a dragon?' was practically her motto.
With her sword skills and the advantage of Shukuchi (Ground Shrink), she could suppress nearly any enemy Servant before they had a chance to even activate their Noble Phantasm. Unless she happened to run into someone with an extremely high-level defensive Noble Phantasm, things would be easy.
But let's be honest—how many of those exist? And what were the odds she'd run into one right away?
Zero. Nada. She was totally confident.
—This match was hers for the taking. Watching the flag-covered Okita brimming with confidence, Su Mo blinked silently. He had a strange feeling that this wouldn't go as smoothly as she thought. It probably wasn't just a hunch.
Meanwhile—
"Su Mo-oniichan… I want to participate too." Sakura looked up at him with soft determination. It wasn't that she was particularly interested in fighting. But this was a rare opportunity to have Su Mo agree to any request. Of course she didn't want to let it slip away.
However—
"This kind of thing is still too early for you, Sakura," Su Mo said, shaking his head. And by "this kind of thing," he wasn't referring to anything weird. He meant combat.
"With your current magical circuits, you can't sustain the consumption required for Servant combat. And mentally, you're not ready for the Holy Grail War either."
"You're not suited for the battlefield—at least, not yet." Unlike his usual tone, Su Mo's voice was calm but firm when it came to battle. His words carried weight, decisive and serious. Hearing this, Sakura clenched her small fists.
"If it's for you, Su Mo-oniichan… I can fight!" She looked up at him with clear resolve in her eyes. Su Mo smiled gently at her, but his tone remained grave.
"Fighting isn't something sacred. But it is something that involves life and death—it carries the weight of existence."
"Don't be fooled by how silly your sister Okita seems sometimes. When it comes to battle, she's not joking around. Whether it's taking a life or risking her own, she's already prepared."
"Are you prepared for that?"
Sakura paused.
"To kill or be killed…"
She thought quietly for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"If it's for you, even if my life is in danger—"
But before she could finish, Su Mo interrupted her.
"I understand how you feel. But let's not talk about you being killed. Your personality is too soft. Even if something terrible happened, you'd just silently endure it. But—do you have the resolve to kill?" He looked her dead in the eyes, as if trying to peer into her soul.
"I…" Sakura opened her mouth, but no words came out. Taking another's life—that was still too much for her. She hesitated for a long while, finally about to steel herself and reply—
Only for Su Mo to throw out one final question.
"What if the person you had to kill… was your father?"
"Tokiomi Tohsaka is also a member of the Three Great Families. He's participating in this Holy Grail War as well."
"There's a high chance we'll face him."
Sakura fell silent. The man who had abandoned her, could she kill him? That… she truly didn't know.
"…Su Mo-oniichan, I'm not ready yet." She finally understood what he was trying to say. She hadn't even considered the possibility of confronting her father in battle, let alone killing him. Clearly, she wasn't prepared for war. That realization brought clarity—and a strange sense of peace. She now knew what she needed to do. She would stay home, safe and sound. She'd wait quietly for Su Mo and Okita to return. That alone would be her greatest contribution. Seeing how sincerely Sakura had accepted his words, Su Mo gently patted her head again.
"Don't worry about it. Once you grow up, you'll learn a lot naturally. When that time comes, I'll teach you everything."
"We still have lots of time. There's no need to rush."
Comforted by his words, Sakura nodded and leaned against him, snuggling close. Su Mo's eyes drifted to Kiyohime, standing nearby.
"Kiyohime, while we're out on the battlefield, I'm leaving Sakura in your care."
"I've already set up a defensive barrier around this place. If any enemies show up, don't hesitate to engage."
"If things get too dangerous, just call my name directly." Kiyohime nodded obediently.
"Understood, Lord Su Mo."
"I will protect Master with all my heart!" Surprisingly reliable for a Berserker, her composure was unexpectedly reassuring.