Undoubtedly, from the perspective of the first night of the Holy Grail War, first, there was the 'loving father and filial son' situation between Saber and Mordred, directly involving two Noble Phantasms and three Command Spells, ultimately resulting in Saber being heavily injured.
Then, Mordred engaged in a brief battle with Lancer, unquestionably a first-rate Servant, which was interrupted by the Great King's intervention. Later, towards the latter half of the night, Mordred had another brief 'loving mother and filial daughter' encounter with Morgan.
Considering the progress of previous Holy Grail Wars, the first night, primarily dedicated to gathering intelligence, turning out like this could already be described as intensely heated.
However, because the additionally summoned seven Servants didn't form opposing factions from the start, unlike in that certain war with the biased referee, with each camp acting independently, tonight's chaotic brawl seemed far from over.
"Hmph, that self-degrading stray dog!"
Tokiomi Tohsaka held his magic staff, his face contorted in anger.
Although the battle that erupted today also gave him a headache, with the precedent set by those two 'old men' the night before, he had somewhat gotten used to it.
Besides, Rin's disappearance left this anxious old father with no time to think about much else.
Rin Tohsaka was his beloved daughter, the future magical heir of the Tohsaka family—the Root promised by the Holy Grail lay in the future. And if Rin was gone, forget about reaching the Root; even the immediate future couldn't be sustained.
Therefore, he had to find Rin as soon as possible.
And his targeted suspect was that stray dog from the Matou family.
He knew that stray dog had always had designs on Aoi, often visiting Aoi and Rin.
Tokiomi didn't care much about this before. After all, that stray dog who had abandoned magecraft was already in a different world from him and Aoi. He wasn't that petty—after all, Kariya Matou was originally Aoi Zenjou's intended marriage partner. Both the Zenjou and Matou families had agreed to this. It was only because that foolish stray dog, for reasons unknown, voluntarily gave up magecraft and his status as the Matou family heir that the Zenjou family, at that time, settled for marrying Aoi to him, Tokiomi Tohsaka.
But, since Kariya had returned to the path of magecraft and even become an enemy in this Holy Grail War, Tokiomi clearly couldn't tolerate this stray dog any longer—especially since he dared to lay a hand on Rin!
This scoundrel!!!
Tokiomi was already planning to storm the Matou residence, question that Matou family head about whether he still adhered to the rules, and thoroughly deal with that scoundrel stray dog.
However—
"Boom—"
A huge explosion instantly made Tokiomi's expression change.
He could feel his magical barrier being touched and destroyed.
Walking to the window, he could see at a glance the man with terrifyingly pale hair—Kariya Matou.
And beside him, that unknown Servant exuding dark energy and clad in armor.
At this moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka's expression turned very grim.
Fine, fine! Just as I was about to settle accounts with you, you deliver yourself to my doorstep, huh?!
Scoundrel stray dog!!!
"O King..."
He definitely couldn't fight the Servant himself, so he could only request his 'great father' for assistance. However, before he could say anything, golden ripples appeared, and one Noble Phantasm after another, accompanied by the shriek of tearing air, flew towards the opponent.
"Mongrel!"
Gilgamesh, clad in golden armor, materialized directly on a streetlight, his crimson eyes filled with killing intent.
"How dare you disturb my reunion with my old friend! You mad dog, even when seeking death, you pick such an inappropriate time!"
Honestly, after the 'explosive' opening, he actually had no intention of making a move.
After all, this Tokiomi fellow really annoyed him. Besides, it was a rare reunion. Even if they had to fight eventually, Gilgamesh still wanted to reminisce about old times with Enkidu as much as possible. Before that, enjoying the performances of other mongrels wasn't a bad way to pass the time.
Anyway, with Enkidu around, he had plenty of patience to wait and amusement to while away.
But—
This tolerance had its limits!
No matter what, directly attacking his doorstep, especially when he and Enkidu were happily drinking and this pest came to spoil the mood...
Unbearable! Absolutely unbearable!
"Wash away my displeasure with the blood splattered from your head, mongrel!"
Without letting Enkidu interfere, the battle between Gilgamesh and Berserker erupted instantly.
And Tokiomi, emerging from the mansion, also confronted Kariya Matou.
Of course, he could wait for Kariya to enter. After all, for a magus, a magical workshop was where they were strongest.
But he clearly had no intention of doing so.
After all, against a scoundrel like Kariya Matou, a disgrace to magi who had no sense of magus honor, if Tokiomi still needed to rely on territorial advantage, he would despise himself.
"You disgrace to magi, how dare you still show your face."
"Kariya Matou, if you have even a shred of magus honor, return Rin to me!"
Holding his jewel-tipped staff, Tokiomi Tohsaka reprimanded Kariya with a look of disgust.
And Kariya, who was originally about to say something with an angry face, was stunned by these words.
"What did you say? Rin is missing?"
"Stop pretending, scoundrel. Wasn't it you? You honorless stray dog, you abandoned your legacy and even your sense of shame. To think Aoi and Rin trusted you so much!"
"I despise you from the bottom of my heart, Kariya Matou." Tokiomi, who held no goodwill towards Kariya, mocked him coldly.
This instantly enraged Kariya, who originally wanted to explain that he hadn't taken Rin, that he couldn't possibly take Rin.
Forced to use insect magecraft as a shortcut to participate in the Holy Grail War, constantly enduring the pain of insects gnawing at his life force, that suffering had made his mental state extremely unstable and irritable. Coupled with his existing hatred for Tokiomi, the culprit, Kariya, at this moment, completely stopped thinking about explaining anything.
You dare suspect me of taking Rin?!
I fucking suspect you of taking Sakura!
—That's right, while Rin Tohsaka was missing, Sakura Matou, who had been adopted into the Matou family, had also disappeared.
Even Zouken Matou didn't know what happened. Sakura Matou, who was originally in the insect pit, disappeared in an extremely bizarre way. Even the Crest Worms he had implanted in her body could no longer sense her whereabouts.
Although this matter made him somewhat unhappy, he wouldn't dwell on it too much. After all, having lived for so long, apart from his obsession with staying alive, the disappearance of an excellent vessel would only make him feel regretful.
Of course.
Zouken Matou didn't care about this, but that didn't mean Kariya Matou didn't care. After learning of Sakura's mysterious disappearance, if not for the Crest Worms restraining him, he would have wanted to kill this old bastard on the spot—and after that, he anxiously wanted to find Sakura.
And in Kariya's view, the most suspicious person was clearly Tokiomi. After all, besides Tokiomi, no one else would care about Sakura.
Honestly, if Tokiomi had really taken Sakura back, Kariya would actually be somewhat happy. Even if it meant he had suffered in vain, at least Aoi and Rin could be happy. His storming Tokiomi's house, aside from his own conscience, was mainly to check the situation.
But then....
Forget Sakura, you lost Rin too?!!
Fuck you! Tokiomi! Did you hear me? FUCK YOU!
Because of that damned magus honor, you sent Sakura into a pit of fire and were still complacent, and now you can't even protect Rin—
"Aaaaargh, Tokiomi Tohsaka!!!"
His eyes bloodshot, Kariya now had only one thought: kill this bastard!
Tokiomi, of course, found this inexplicable, or rather, he laughed instead of getting angry.
Damn it! You kidnapped my daughter, and now you're the one getting angry?! I haven't even gotten angry yet!
At this moment, these two arch-enemies, both fuming, instantly clashed.
—Of course, it was a one-sided annihilation.
"Insect magecraft against fire magecraft, that's a complete counter."
[Illya], watching this battle through the magic mirror, shrugged—leaving aside the fact that Tokiomi had practiced magecraft for far longer than the half-baked Kariya, just the natural counter of fire magecraft against insects meant that even Zouken Matou wouldn't fare well.
Clearly, the Matou family's original water-attribute Command Spell magecraft should have been the perfect counter to Mr. Pot-King's fire magecraft.
"However, Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou are both missing?"
Looking at the intelligence gathered from these two and the Matou family, [Illya] was somewhat surprised.
Honestly, she had originally planned to find an opportunity to go to the Matou residence and rescue Sakura.
Although it wasn't her business, leaving a little girl in such a hellish place was too cruel and terrible. Based on the idea of just lending a hand, but now... it seemed she was a step too late?
"Hmm..."
The scene in the magic mirror shifted to another side.
Because the Tohsaka residence had become unsafe, Tokiomi Tohsaka entrusted his disciple, Kirei Kotomine, to temporarily settle his wife, Aoi, in the church until Rin was found, and then send them away together.
"Rest assured, Madam. My teacher will definitely find Rin."
Kirei Kotomine comforted the worried Aoi Tohsaka in a relatively gentle tone. Before awakening his 'joyful monster' essence, this priest was undoubtedly quite fitting for his role.
Extremely conscientious—of course, the reason he did this was probably also because he saw some resemblance to his deceased wife, Claudia Hortensia, in this woman before him?
The same desperate, blind love... His wife, that Claudia, although it was said to be an accident, a home invasion murder by robbers, in reality, it was because she wanted to make Kirei Kotomine understand that there was love in his empty heart, so she committed suicide in front of him. Aoi Tohsaka, as gentle as Claudia, seemed to possess this trait as well.
This couldn't help but make Kirei Kotomine feel nostalgic—he did feel something for his wife's death, but could that really be called love?
His wife's death saddened him... but what saddened him wasn't her departure, but why he hadn't done it himself. Undoubtedly, Kirei Kotomine was just such a twisted fellow.
Of course, Aoi Tohsaka, unaware of this, only felt reassured.
This disciple of her husband was indeed an outstanding priest. Just being by his side gave Aoi a sense of... security that she had never felt before.
For a magus family... well, the declined Zenjou family could hardly be called magi anymore. They had long since lost their magecraft, only able to produce excellent vessels like Aoi, suitable for procreation.
But no matter what, stepping into the perilous world of magecraft, peace of mind had become a luxury for a woman. Aoi thought she was prepared, prepared to be a magus's wife.
For this reason, even though her heart was grieving, she complied with Tokiomi's arrangement and sent her daughter Sakura to the Matou family.
But... when Tokiomi participated in the Holy Grail War, knowing the dangers involved, and even her beloved, remaining daughter Rin also got into trouble, this not only made Aoi feel... regret, but also a sense of helpless bewilderment.
The night wind was cold. Aoi, thinly clad, leaned against her husband's disciple's embrace. For some reason, a nameless emotion seemed to sprout in her heart.
—Love? That seemed to be...
When Aoi realized this, she was instantly startled.
How could she possibly fall in love with another man?
Undoubtedly, as a traditional woman from Japan, she should be very conservative in this aspect.
But... she couldn't suppress it, this fiery emotion, just like back then with Kariya, after being rejected, it had shifted to Tokiomi, and now, its target had become her husband's disciple.
Similarly.
Kirei Kotomine, holding Aoi, actually felt the same way.
He found that he too was experiencing the feeling of love after a long separation.
And the target of this love was his master's wife in his arms.
How could this be? How could he accept this? No... just thinking about it was blasphemy against the Lord, wasn't it?
Towards his master, towards his master's wife, towards the Lord... Aaaah, what a sinful thought this was.
Restrain—
Must restrain.
In the distant Tohsaka residence, flames soared, and Tokiomi Tohsaka was fighting desperately.
In the church, his disciple and his wife, their gazes towards each other gradually grew heated, hazy, and their distance grew ever closer.
The instigator of all this, a silver-haired girl in a purple dress, sat listlessly on the church roof, casually admiring this trampling of ethics and morals.
"Such wicked taste, Master."
She complained slightly unhappily to the purple-haired Lolita girl beside her, who was perched like a doll, her feet dangling, admiring the R-rated drama unfolding in the church with clicks of her tongue:
"To actually use my Noble Phantasm for such a thing."