The potion was ready, but Tokiomi hesitated. He didn't immediately give it to Aoi.

  Following Chihiro's suggestion, if Aoi was freed from Zouken's trol too soon, it could alert the old bug to their pns. If that happened, Zouken might escape again, making him even harder to track down.

  The group decided it would be best to deal with Zouken first, ensuring he couldn't flee before they released Aoi from his grip.

  But the real question was, how were they supposed to find him?

  ting on Kariya ointless. The man had beeionally aally shattered; he was in no state to be reliable.

  "Ah, if only we had some of Zouken's hair or blood," Chihiro muttered, frustrated. "We could use those to track him down with a searg spell."

  At those words, Zhang Jiao perked up. "A teique to find someone? If I get my hands on the blood of Zouken's retives, I might be able to track him using his bloodline."

  Chihiro raised an eyebrow. "You know how to perform trag spells too?"

  "I've dabbled," Zhang Jiao admitted, stroking his beard. "But I haven't had much opportunity to use this teique, so even I've almost fotten about it."

  "Still, finding someone's bloodline e won't be easy," Chihiro sighed before suddenly smirking. "But I do know who might help."

  Without wasting time, Chihiro sent Hassan of the Hundred Faces to the Matou estate.

  Before long, Hassaurned, bringing with him some hair and blood samples from Matou Byakuya and Matou Shinji.

  The Matou father and son had no involvement in the Holy Grail War this time around. Yet, due to Zouken's interferehey were once again dragged into his schemes. It seemed their misfortune was never-ending.

  "Alright, the materials are ready," Chihiro said, handing them over to Zhang Jiao.

  Tokiomi gave a slight boreciating Zhang Jiao's willio help. "I'll leave this in your hands."

  Zhang Jiao immediately began perf the ritual. Using abar mixed with the Matou family blood, he inscribed spells onto yellow talisman paper. Hair from the father and son was then clipped to the paper and folded into paper es.

  In total, several es were created.

  Zhang Jiao expihe limitations of this method. "This spell tracks all individuals sharing the same bloodli won't distinguish Zouken specifically from others. However…"

  Chihiro smirked. "That's where Hassan es in."

  With Hassan's reaissance abilities, they could quickly firm the identities of each target. sidering how small the Matou family was, this was uo cause much fusion.

  When the spell was activated, the paper es soared into the air, eae flying off in different dires.

  Two es flew back toward the Matou estate, firming the locations of Matou Byakuya and Matou Shinji. To be thh, Chihiro still sent Hassan to double-check.

  Hassan soourned, firming that only Byakuya and Shinji were present at the Matou residence—Zouken wasn't hiding there.

  Another paper e flew to Matou Kariya, who was slumped on a park bench, staring bnkly into the distance. After everything he'd ehe man seemed pletely lost in his thoughts, questioning his purpose in life.

  The final e, however, flew toward the forest outside Fuyuki City.

  "Figures," Chihiro muttered, his expression darkening.

  Zouken's tendency to surround himself with swarms of is made the forest an ideal hiding spot. With the dense foliage natural cover, it would be a challeo flush him out.

  "I k," Hassaed. "That location reeks of magical is. There's no doubt Zouken is there, but it's crawling with traps. I didn't want to go further without firmation."

  "That ing old worm," Chihiro grumbled. "He's holed up in the perfect ir for someone like him."

  Wasting no time, Chihiro, Zhang Jiao, and Tokiomi began pnning aion to er and eliminate Zouken food. This time, they couldn't afford to leave any openings.

  ---

  That night marked the beginning of the sixth night of the Holy Grail War.

  Chihiro led the group, whicluded Zhang Jiao, Sigurd, and Tokiomi, into the forest outside Fuyuki City. Darius III apahem as Tokiomi's Servant.

  For Tokiomi, this mission ersonal. He couldn't let Zouken endanger his family any longer.

  Following the paper e's guidahe group made their way deeper into the forest, making no effort to ceal their approach. The time for subtlety had long since passed.

  Suddenly, the paper e stopped mid-flight, signaling that the target was near.

  "e out, Zouken!" Zhang Jiao shouted, casting talismans into the air. The paper talismans ignited, releasing waves of fire that ied the surrounding is.

  In response, tless is swarmed together, coalesg into the gaunt, withered form of Matou Zouken.

  "Hmph. I didn't expect you to find me so quickly," Zouken sneered, his hollow eyes glinting with malice.

  "Got you," Chihiro whispered under his breath, sending a mental message to Hassan.

  Back at the Tohsaka estate, Hassan of the Hundred Faces signaled Rin to begin the sed phase of their pn.

  Rin, who had been preparing for this moment, brought the potion disguised as a simple drink to Aoi. ving her mother to drink it was surprisingly easy.

  ---

  Meanwhile, Zouken faced off against Chihiro's group. His gaze lingered on Tokiomi.

  "Tokiomi, you're here too? I suppose you're upset over those… unsavory as I was shown itting in the video. But surely, as a fellow mage, you uand that such things are simply part of our world. I haven't done anything to you yet. Why the sudden hostility?"

  "Do you truly wish to destroy the turies-long alliaweeohsaka and Matou families over something that hasn't even happened?"

  Zouken's voice was calm, almost mog, as if he held all the cards.

  Tokiomi, however, was unmoved. "Enough. There's nothio discuss between us."

  "Hmph." Zouken's expression didn't waver. "You may not realize it, but I still hold the upper hand."

  ---

  At the same time, Aoi began vulsing violently after drinking the potion. Bck liquid poured from her mouth, mixed with dirt and a grotesque mosquito.

  The potion expelled all fies from her body, including the parasite Zouken had impnted in her heart.

  The mosquito attempted to escape, but before it could fly far, Rin instinctively raised her hand to attack it.

  Ishtar quickly intervened, destroying the creature with a single shot of light. "Idiot," Ishtar chided. "What if that thing had been poisonous? Use your head ime!"

  Rin lowered her hand sheepishly. "It was just a reflex…"

  ---

  Ba the forest, Zouken suddenly froze. He had felt the destru of his puppet worm.

  His gaze shifted to Chihiro, realization dawning on his face. "You… You knew all along! You phis!"

  Without another word, Zouken's body dissolved into a swarm of is, attempting to flee deeper into the forest.

  "Don't even think about running!" Zhang Jiao shouted, casting several talismans that formed a glowing golden barrier around the area.

  The barrier, inally designed for defense, now served as a cage, trapping Zouken within its fines.

  "Y-you bastards!" Zouken hissed, reassembling into his humanoid form. His withered face twisted with rage as he realized the depth of their strategy.

  Zouken's attempt to flee had only been a feint. His true ace was hidden elsewhere, his life-preserving i. fident in his tingen, he began summoning swarms of locust-like is to attack.

  But Chihiro and Tokiomi were ready.

  "Fme Curse!" Chihiro ted, casting a wave of fire that engulfed the swarming is.

  Tokiomi followed suit, wielding his ruby-tipped staff to create a fiery vortex, shielding the group from the onsught.

  Sigurd and Darius III remained on the perimeter, ready to intercept any stragglers. Though their brute strength wasn't ideal for dealing with swarms, their presensured no i escaped unnoticed.

  Zhang Jiao, meanwhile, captured one of the is, ing it in talismans before burning it to ashes. The ashes were then scattered into an oil mp, whose fme turned green and flickered in a specific dire.

  The mp revealed the location of Zouken's hidden life-preserving i.

  "It's over, Zouken," Zhang Jiao said coldly, slipping out of the barrier to track the i.

  Zouken snarled, realizing the trap too te. Without his life-preserving i, even he couldn't escape death.

  Chihiro smirked, holding his ground as Zhang Jiao dashed away to locate the life-preserving i.

  "You're finished, Zouken," Chihiro said calmly, his tone carrying an air of certainty.

  "You fools!" Zouken hissed, his rotting face twisted in rage and desperation. "You think you've won? You don't even uand what true magecraft is! I'll return again and again—your efforts are meaningless!"

  "Not this time," Tokiomi growled, stepping forward. His ruby staff pulsed with magical energy, the fmes around him growing more intehis is the end for you."

  Zouken bared his teeth. "We'll see about that."

  But as he prepared to summon another wave of is, a sudden realization struck him. Without his life-preserving i, any damage to his swarm was fatal.

  Zouken's fidence began to crumble, and panic flickered across his hollow eyes.

  At that exaent, a roar echoed through the forest.

  "AHHHHHHHHH!!!"

  From above, a rge shadow desded like a crashing storm. The forest floor trembled uhe weight of La's arrival.

  It was clear that Zouken had made his move. Through some form of coer, Zouken had called upon La to rescue him. After all Kariya didn't know Aoi had been saved.

  ***

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