Time passed swiftly as Arakawa Zenkichi continued training the Tohsaka sisters. Before anyone realized it, the day of the Fourth Holy Grail War had arrived.

Matou Kariya stared down at the three Command Seals etched on his hand. Without hesitation, he pulled out the summoning catalyst—an artifact tied to Lancelot du Lac.

He carefully drew the summoning circle and began to chant in a low, focused tone:

"Let thy body be under my command, thy fate under my control. If thou accedes to this will and reason, then answer me…

Heed me in the name of our covenant. I summon thee, forth from the eternal cycle of death and rebirth!"

A blinding light erupted from the summoning circle. From its center emerged a towering knight, clad in dark armor, his aura soaked in madness and fury.

The Servant: Berserker. Lancelot of the Lake.

In order to amplify his combat strength, Kariya had deliberately invoked the Madness Enhancement when summoning him. The result: a near-mindless warrior consumed by rage.

"...Perfect."

Kariya looked at the knight he had summoned and nodded in grim satisfaction. The time had come to confront Zenkichi.

It had been nearly a year, and throughout that time, Arakawa Zenkichi hadn't slackened in his "education" of the Tohsaka sisters. By now, both Rin and Sakura had grudgingly accepted the codenames he gave them and no longer resisted him as much.

Despite their initial misgivings, they'd come to understand that Zenkichi wasn't truly malicious—aside from refusing to let them go home. Even when Rin mouthed off, the worst she got was a flick to the head. They could still visit their mother freely, something a true kidnapper would never allow.

---

Now, Kariya appeared before Zenkichi with Lancelot at his side.

"Zenkichi," Kariya demanded, "release the Tohsaka sisters."

Zenkichi raised a brow as his eyes settled on the armored knight. "So that's your Servant? Lancelot? And you think he's enough to challenge me?"

He chuckled, amused. "You might want to gather a few allies before coming at me. You'd stand a better chance."

"I'm not here for games," Kariya said coldly. "You've held them long enough. Let them go."

His tone was resolute. He knew his time was short—his body, warped by magic experiments, wouldn't last another three months. But he intended to use the time he had left to do what truly mattered:

First, protect the daughters of the woman he loved—Tohsaka Aoi.

Second, defeat Tohsaka Tokiomi in the Holy Grail War and prove he was the better man.

"Overestimating yourself," Zenkichi sighed and gestured lazily. "Come on then."

Kariya didn't hesitate. With a command, Lancelot charged forward, sword raised high.

Zenkichi drew his naginata, a replica of Whitebeard's weapon, and met the attack head-on.

With a single powerful swing, he sent Lancelot flying.

The Berserker landed heavily, growling under his breath, temporarily stunned.

Zenkichi had already stacked Kizaru's speed with his own immense strength—pure physical combat alone was enough to overwhelm most Servants.

"Matou Kariya, it seems your Servant isn't enough," Zenkichi said with a smile. "Tell you what—I'll make you a deal. Hand Lancelot over to me."

"What?" Kariya snapped.

"I'm serious. Without a Servant, I can't officially join the Grail War. You give me Lancelot, and in return, I'll defeat Tokiomi for you."

"You've seen what I can do. Crushing him would be effortless."

"Impossible," Kariya replied, voice hard. "Defeating Tokiomi is something I must do myself."

"That's admirable," Zenkichi said, then smirked. "But I'm telling you now—you can't beat him."

"His Servant is leagues above yours."

Kariya narrowed his eyes. "Who did he summon?"

"The King of Heroes. Gilgamesh. Class: Archer. Probably the most dangerous Servant in this war."

Kariya's face darkened. That name… it was a nightmare.

"I'll give Lancelot to you," he said slowly. "But only if you promise to defeat Gilgamesh in my place."

Zenkichi raised an eyebrow. "You think Lancelot can beat him? Don't kid yourself. Even with your Command Spells, he'd stand no chance."

"When the time comes, I'll handle Gilgamesh personally."

"I'll beat that golden bastard into the ground."

Kariya blinked. "…Actually, that's not a bad idea."

After seeing how easily Zenkichi overwhelmed Berserker, maybe—just maybe—it was possible.

"You don't want to get humiliated by Tokiomi again, do you?" Zenkichi continued. "You already lost Aoi to him. Are you going to lose everything else too?"

"But if you agree to my terms, I promise I'll rescue Tohsaka Aoi myself. I'll pull her out of the fire that is the Tohsaka family."

Kariya hesitated. "You don't… have any weird thoughts about Aoi, do you?"

Zenkichi raised a brow. "With a body like yours, what does it matter? You can't protect her, but I can. Isn't that enough?"

Kariya clenched his fists.

In the end, he had no choice.

"I'll transfer the Command Spells to you."

With a bitter smile, Kariya passed the magical crest to Zenkichi.

Power surged into Zenkichi's body as the Command Seals etched themselves into his skin. It was an unfamiliar yet exhilarating sensation.

No surprise there. With the templates of Aizen and Kizaru integrated into him, mastering this world's magic was child's play.

Now, as Lancelot's new Master, Zenkichi's powerful energy began to stabilize the Berserker's mind.

The madness was suppressed, if only slightly, and the knight finally looked at him with clear eyes.

"…Are you my new Master?"

"I am," Zenkichi replied with a grin. "Welcome aboard."

---

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