Chat group, become my wings!

"This is really interesting! You mentioned missions and battles how do I join in? I can't wait any longer," said Esdeath.

While Kevin Cross and Izumi Uchiha were busy with their mission, the rest of the group explained the chat group system to Esdeath. Once she understood that it wasn't some kind of Imperial Arm, but a network that connected different worlds, she was thrilled. She even changed her display name accordingly.

"Esdeath? So you're Esdeath? No wonder they called you the Ice Queen," Kevin said as realization dawned.

"Oh? So the group leader knows about me? Does that mean there's a video of my world too?" Esdeath's eyes lit up with growing excitement.

Having grown bored of her own world where no one could rival her strength, Esdeath had begun to seek other pleasures like torturing prisoners or devising new forms of punishment. But what she truly longed for was a worthy opponent. So when she was suddenly invited to join a chat group where she could interact and fight with people from other worlds, it felt like a gift from the heavens. For the first time, she thought maybe the gods really did exist.

"Yes, there is. Hold on, I'll upload the story from your world," Kevin replied, quickly sending over the Akame ga Kill! anime.

Esdeath blinked, visibly intrigued. She didn't respond further, clearly already immersed in watching the file.

"Akame ga Kill? I haven't seen that one yet. A new series to binge this is awesome!" Kumoko chirped excitedly before diving into the anime herself.

Unlike Kumoko, who lived and breathed anime, Saeko Busujima wasn't nearly as interested. Unless the series directly involved someone from the chat group, she didn't see much point. From her perspective, time was better spent slicing through undead than watching cartoons.

After finishing the Fate series, Izumi Uchiha looked at Sakura Matou with newfound sympathy.

Sakura's backstory was harrowing abandoned as a child and thrown into a pit of worms, tortured to the point that by the fourth day, she didn't even have the strength to scream. And yet, despite all that suffering, she remained gentle and kind.

Of course, that was only because Izumi had watched the standard route of the Fate series. She hadn't seen the darker paths where Sakura eventually broke.

Still, the similarities between Sakura's past and her own made Izumi's heart ache. Without a word, she wrapped Sakura in a comforting hug.

Sakura, now pale and shaken after watching her own tragic future, clung to Kevin and Izumi with even more trust and gratitude. Without them, she would have been left to that horrifying fate.

Her father would die in the Holy Grail War. Her mother nearly died at the hands of Uncle Kariya. It was all too much to take in.

"Sakura, you've seen what lies ahead. Do you have any thoughts?" Kevin asked gently.

"I... I don't know," Sakura replied softly, eyes dazed.

That answer didn't surprise Kevin. After all, she was only four or five years old. She didn't understand any of this, let alone how to handle it.

"Alright then. Izumi and I will deal with Zōken Matō first. Once he's out of the picture, you can stay here and take over the Matō household. Become its new heir. Well, assuming you can inherit its magecraft... Actually, never mind, you probably don't know. Either way, you'll be the head of the family. As for Shinji Matō, we'll deal with him too. If anything happens, just tag us in the chat group, and we'll be there in no time."

"But... Grandfather-"

"That old freak isn't your grandfather. He's just a disgusting monster. Don't worry about what happens to him," Kevin cut her off.

"The priority now is to find Zōken Matō," said Izumi, shaking her head. "Too bad I'm not a sensory-type ninja. Otherwise, I'd have tracked him down already."

"We'll take it slow. Honestly, I doubt he left the estate. It's his home base, after all. There are magical wards here makes it easier to hide or defend himself," Kevin reasoned.

"That's true," Izumi nodded.

"Let's find him. If I'd known it'd be this troublesome, I wouldn't have used Fire Release to attack him earlier. Sure, it burned up his bug-infested body, but he slipped away. If I'd used Tsukuyomi from the start, I might've shattered his decayed soul on the spot." Kevin shook his head, visibly annoyed at his earlier decision.

With that, Kevin and Izumi began searching the mansion for the old man, with Sakura staying close at their side.

But the moment they stepped out of the basement, they were met with a sickening sight swarms of grotesque insects were already waiting for them. Crawling across the ground, burrowing through the soil, buzzing in the air they were everywhere. And their sole purpose was to devour.

As the swarm closed in from every direction, Izumi quickly formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Flames roared outward, engulfing the first wave of insects and reducing them to ash. But there were just too many. No matter how many they burned, more kept coming. Even from beneath their feet, insects burrowed up to attack.

"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"

Kevin slammed his palm to the ground, a flash of lightning rippling outward in all directions. Within seconds, everything in a five-meter radius was fried above and below ground.

____________________

NEXT CHAPTER : The Old Parasite

(Kevin and Izumi battle endless insect swarms—but realize it's all a trap. Zōken Matō is baiting them, hoping to exhaust their chakra. Playing along, they fake weakness, luring the decrepit sorcerer into revealing himself. Once he shows up, Izumi traps him in her ultimate genjutsu: Tsukuyomi. There, in a world of her making, she tortures his very soul. No more running. No more worms. Just one question remains: can this ancient parasite survive Izumi Uchiha's wrath?)

Want to read 35 chapters ahead? Join me on P@treon, the story is on sale now!

[email protected]/_tey 

Change @ to a.