Chat group, become my wings!

The insects might have had tougher vitality than ordinary bugs, but against Fire Release and Lightning Release, they were still hopelessly fragile. Every jutsu wiped out waves of them, yet they just kept coming relentless, endless.

After wiping out several swarms with their techniques, Kevin Cross and Izumi Uchiha began to sense that something was off.

These insects were weak against their attacks easily incinerated or electrocuted so why were they still being spawned in such overwhelming numbers?

Even if they were just bugs, summoning this many still had to drain an enormous amount of magical energy. Did Zōken Matō really have enough reserves to waste so recklessly?

Clearly, that wasn't the case.

As Kevin had his suspicions, Izumi had already reached the same conclusion. A moment later, she tagged Kevin in the chat group.

"Kevin, I think Zōken is deliberately using these swarms to exhaust our chakra. Based on what he understands, he likely thinks our jutsu are a form of magic. And from the anime you uploaded, it's pretty clear that while magecraft in this world is mysterious, it doesn't pack the raw destructive power of our ninja arts. He probably assumes these techniques consume a massive amount of magical energy. That's why he's trying to wear us down."

"That makes sense. So, what next? Should we lower our chakra output?"

"Exactly. Reduce chakra flow and scale down the power of our jutsu. Let him think we're running low on reserves. That way, he might drop his guard or better, show himself."

"Got it."

After that, both Kevin and Izumi began subtly dialing back their chakra output. As their jutsu weakened in force and coverage, it created the illusion that they were growing fatigued.

Izumi still cast Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation, but its blaze wasn't nearly as vast or intense. Kevin's Fire and Lightning techniques also showed a visible drop in power. Their faces, now slightly pale and beaded with sweat, completed the illusion.

From his hiding place, Zōken Matō noticed the shift. Believing they were weakening, he grew even more aggressive, forcing his insect swarms to multiply faster. Though this drained his own magical reserves tied directly to his life force he wasn't concerned. As far as he was concerned, life force could always be replenished later by sending his familiars to feast on helpless civilians.

As the jutsu continued to diminish in power, Zōken's confidence grew. His worms attacked from above, below, and all sides, relentlessly pushing forward.

Kevin and Izumi kept up the charade more jutsu, weaker each time, and with increasingly strained expressions.

Finally, Zōken appeared.

He believed the two intruders were at their limit, no longer capable of threatening him. What's more, his curiosity was piqued. He wanted to know how these two had slipped into the Matō residence undetected. The magical barriers he had placed should have alerted him to any intrusion.

And yet, Kevin and Izumi had appeared in the basement without triggering a single alarm.

Was it some rare infiltration ability? Or had his barrier developed a flaw? Either way, he needed answers.

Zōken still looked every bit the decrepit husk he had always been, though his decaying aura was even more pronounced now likely a result of the life force he'd burned to summon so many familiars.

In truth, had Kevin and Izumi not faked their exhaustion, Zōken would have gone into hiding again. He had nearly drained himself dry. If he had sensed that they still had strength to fight, he would never have risked a confrontation.

"I'm quite curious," the ancient man rasped, his rotten gaze sweeping over them. "How did you two get inside the Matō estate? I didn't sense even a ripple in the barrier."

"Zōken Matō," Izumi said, her voice cold and low, drawing out his name with eerie calm.

Zōken's eyes instinctively locked onto hers only to be caught by her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

"A Mystic Eye!" he gasped.

In the Fate universe, Mystic Eyes were powerful tools, some of them capable of godlike feats. Among them, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception were infamous. So when Zōken saw Izumi's eyes, alarm surged through him. He tried to look away, to avert his gaze, to vanish into the shadows once more.

But it was too late.

He found himself unable to move. His body, beyond his control, was frozen his eyes locked helplessly onto hers. Then his vision warped, and his surroundings twisted into something incomprehensible.

He was no longer in the Matō estate.

This world was black and white, a warped, unnatural space that bent and shivered around him. He struggled, but to no avail his limbs were bound, his body nailed to a crucifix he hadn't even realized was there.

"Welcome," Izumi said, her voice echoing in this eerie space. "To the world of Tsukuyomi."

Her smile was cold, almost psychotic, chilling him more than any ice ever could.

"I don't know what kind of Mystic Eye this is," Zōken said, forcing calm into his voice, "but it won't work. You can't kill me with an eye technique. Let's make a deal. Name your price. I can give you anything."

"My price?" Izumi raised an eyebrow. "What I want is your life."

She summoned a sword from thin air, the blade glinting with menace.

"Let's see, shall we? My techniques don't just wound the body. They target the spirit the soul itself. Can your rotting soul withstand the power of Tsukuyomi? I'm honestly curious."

With that, she plunged the blade straight through his chest.

"AAAAAAGHHH-!"