The journey of dragon transformation starting from Demon Slayer

Moreover, these barriers will only be fully activated during the preparation period.

Generally speaking, there may be only a dozen or so barriers operating normally, and there may be more than twenty.

However, for those who have been granted permission, it is not difficult for family members like Tsuruno and Rin to repeatedly enter and exit their own mansion, but they still have to follow the only correct route.

——That is, go through the main entrance.

Tsuruno held Sakura's hand, and the two of them slowly entered through the main gate of the Matou family and came to the front yard of the Matou family.

The two of them walked through the front yard, passed by the Matou house without stopping, and came to the backyard of the Matou house.

As the scene changed, a huge sphere stood before the two.

This sphere is like a dazzling gem, inlaid in this land.

This is an ecological park specially designed by Matou, like a carefully cared-for secret garden.

From the outside, the ecological park is completely wrapped in glass, like a mysterious barrier, making it difficult to peek into the mysteries within.

Sakura looked up and saw that the roof above her head was also covered with glass.

These pieces of glass are combined into a semicircular sphere, like a transparent shield, isolating the ecological park from the outside world.

From the outside, you can't see anything inside at all. All you can see is the dazzling sunlight reflected by the lenses.

"Um...Uncle...where are we going..."

Sakura walked beside Tsuruno and saw Tsuruno taking her to an ecological park. The girl couldn't help but look up and asked the strange uncle.

"..."

"Go to the training ground..." Tsuruno responded calmly, "Where are you going to spend the next period of time..."

Hearing Sakura's voice, Tsuruno couldn't help but think of his only son, Shinji Matou, who went abroad under the pretext of studying abroad.

Shinji's talent is not good. According to Zōken, Shinji was not born with magic circuits, which means that Shinji does not have the talent to become a magician.

Out of fear for his biological father, Zouken, he sent Shinji abroad.

Because of the departure of his younger brother Yan Ye, he, as the eldest brother, was forced to shoulder the responsibility of inheriting the family, and realized the price he had to pay for standing in this position.

Becoming a magician of the Matou family means becoming a puppet of the leader behind the scenes, Zouken.

As for the girl by his side, her future fate had been quietly determined the moment she left her family.

In fact, Tsuruno didn't have much thought about the cruel fate that the child was about to suffer.

Sympathy? Pity? Mercy?

In fact, none of these ideas exist!

It would be better to say that he is now in a difficult situation and cannot save himself.

Yes, he is the old guy’s son, but he cannot disobey Zang Yan’s orders.

Fear was one thing, and the other was that he had no power to resist Zang Yan.

In Matou, Zouken is the absolute pinnacle, a cold-blooded and powerful magician, while he is just a mediocre person who can't even become a magician.

Tsuruno felt hopeless about his fate.

Because in this Holy Grail War, although Zōken maintained the policy of sitting on the mountain and watching the fight between the two tigers, participating in the competition was also an indispensable part of the Matou family.

As a Holy Grail ceremony held by the Three Great Families, Matou will never miss any Holy Grail War, even if this time he is only participating symbolically.

Yes, if nothing unexpected happens, he, the current head of the family, will summon the so-called heroic spirits in a year to participate in the bloody ceremony where magicians and heroic spirits fight each other.

Qualifications and such don't matter. It doesn't matter if you are a magician or not. You are just making up the numbers anyway.

When he thought about having to fight six desperate criminals one year from now, Tsuruno couldn't help but feel a surge of despair in his heart.

To be honest, he really didn't want to stay in Fuyuki City, but he had no reason to leave.

Since Yanye has left this family, as the only blood relative, he naturally has to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of the family.

And Zang Yan would not allow him to run away.

Since Zouken is only interested in magic, a puppet that can be controlled is necessary.

He, the son of Zang Yan, is an excellent puppet for the old man.

Matou Tsuruno, who does not like magic, tells himself that this is just a deal that will allow him to own the assets of the Matou family and live a carefree life.

But on the other hand, Matou Tsuruno firmly believes that the path he is taking truly represents the future of the Matou family.

Although He Ye comforted himself in this way, the psychological pressure still made him drunk all day.

Is this the future of the Matou family's magic? Being controlled by an old man? Being unable to do anything they want?

Tsuruno had thought this in his mind more than once.

If it was him who left the family instead of Yan Ye, would he have lived a better life?

......

Sakura had no idea what Tsuruno was thinking.

She walked quietly beside He Ye and obediently let this strange uncle hold her hand.

As they got closer to the ecological park, the strength of Tsuruno's hands gradually increased, even making the cute Sakura feel a little uncomfortable.

The girl frowned slightly, but as she and Tsuruno walked into the ecological park, Sakura's attention was completely drawn to the scenery in front of them.

There are all kinds of strange and exotic flowers and plants here. Some petals are as dazzling as flames; some flowers are shaped like dancing butterflies; and some plants grow as majestic as dragons and tigers.

Green moss, yellow and red flowers, faced with so many plants of different shapes and colors, Ying felt both curious and confused.

She was surprised to find that she didn't even recognize a single plant! It was as if she was in a strange and mysterious world, full of unknowns and surprises.

As the two walked slowly along the flat path in front of them, the small lives that were originally sleeping quietly in the vegetation seemed to sense some strange breath and woke up at this moment.

At this moment, an amazing scene appeared!

Countless extremely beautiful purple butterflies emerged from all directions like a tide. They flapped their wings and flew high, circling above the two people's heads, as if they were summoned by a mysterious force.

This spectacular and dreamy scene seems to have dyed the entire world with a layer of faint purple light, which is breathtakingly beautiful.

Sakura stared with her eyes wide open, staring at the swarm of butterflies flying in the sky without blinking. She was completely immersed in it, even her breathing became slow, for fear of disrupting this rare tranquility and beauty.

At this moment, she has completely forgotten everything around her, and the only feeling in her heart is awe and admiration for this wonderful natural scenery.

In an instant, memories suddenly flashed through Sakura's mind.

"Sakura... the magic of the Matou family... is magic to control insects..."

"Bugs, bugs?! Ugh..."

"Haha, don't be afraid, it's not a disgusting bug, it's a butterfly..."

"Here, there is an album of various butterflies... I asked someone to buy this for me..."

"Is that so...?"

"Yes, you will understand once you see it... What an amazing magic trick it is..."

"So beautiful..." the girl murmured unconsciously.

On the other side, hearing Sakura's innocent voice, Tsuruno couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

Yes, when he first came here he also thought it was beautiful, but what comes next is what you really have to face.

The two continued to move forward until they reached the end of the ecological park and came to a house that looked like it was made of stones.

Ying looked around curiously and found that the only thing in the room was a small metal door with traces of corrosion in the middle, and the rest of the room was made of stone, which made it clear at a glance that this was a completely enclosed place.

This should be the training ground that Matou Tsuruno mentioned, and she will learn the magic of the Matou family here and inherit the magic seal of the Matou family.

Thinking back to her father's warning and the scene of hundreds of butterflies flying around, Ying couldn't help but feel a sense of mission as well as tension in her heart.

The magic of the Matou family is insect manipulation magic. Will the magic I want to learn in the future also include manipulating those beautiful butterflies?

At this moment, anticipation and uneasiness were lingering in the girl's heart at the same time, causing her to hold her breath and step into this door that seemed to lead to hell step by step.

pat!

Tsuruno closed the rusty iron door, and without the light from the outside, deep darkness instantly swept across Sakura's vision.

"Let's go, it's just ahead..."

"Um..."

Tsuruno's emotionless voice was so cold. He took the initiative to hold Sakura's hand, holding it very tightly as if he was afraid that she would run away.

To train the little girl adopted by the Tohsaka family in the underground insect library and make her into someone who can become the next head of the Matou family, this was the task his father Zouken gave him before he left.

Fortunately, there is a barrier underground that blocks out sound. Otherwise, this innocent little girl would probably notice something strange here before entering this door.

Hearing what Uncle Tsuruno said, Sakura nodded ignorantly.

While paying attention to the dark steps beneath her feet, she moved towards the direction of a faint green light emitting from the depths of the darkness.

In a place that Tsuruno and Sakura couldn't see, under the girl's clothes, the light blue gem suddenly began to glow with a faint blue light.

......

A complex buzzing sound began to linger in my ears.

The sounds are so subtle, yet so clear in the darkness.

Sakura kept her eye on the dark stairs below her feet while becoming curious about the loud noises around her ears.

The next moment, as her vision became wider, Sakura took in the entire scene in front of her.

In an instant, Sakura's pupils dilated slightly, as if she had seen something horrible, and fear was written in her gem-like eyes.

"What...is this..." Sakura expressed the fear in front of her in a trembling voice.

Bugs. Almost endless amounts of bugs.

At this time, Sakura and Tsuruno were standing on a huge platform, and on the left side of the wall, there was a stone staircase extending downwards.

The walls were full of dark holes dug by humans, which almost occupied the entire huge underground space.

Here the stench of decay and moisture permeates the air, emitting a green darkness like that of the deep sea.

However, as if separated by something, these insects only crawled back and forth in the holes in the wall and the large pit under the stairs, and did not come to the platform where the two were.

There were constant sounds of crawling coming from the dark corners. Ying slowly raised her head and looked at her uncle beside her. She seemed to see the man's skin cracking, and countless insects tearing open his body and wriggling out from inside.

"no no..."

The girl's eyes widened and she began to shake her head from side to side.

"don't want!!"

“No no no no no no no no…”

Tears welled up in the corners of Sakura's eyes and she let out a plaintive cry, as if a nightingale was singing in the night wind. The voice was sad and moving, like a mournful elegy, heartbreaking.

Crystal clear tears slowly fell down her skin, and Sakura kept calling for her father, mother, and sister, hoping that someone could take her away from this horrible hell.

"Dad...Mom...Sister..."

"Sakura, don't... don't stay here!!"

Sakura shook her head, and the headband tied on the right side of her hair swayed with her movement.

The little feet kept moving backwards, but after taking two steps back, the sudden feeling of restraint made the girl open her eyes wide.

Her hand was tightly held by the uncle next to her...

It turns out that the pain in my hand when I passed the ecological park just now was because of this...

Ying suddenly understood everything, but it was too late.

“Ahhhh…Ahhhhh…”

The girl pulled her arms back hard, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't free her hands from Matou Tsuruno's grasp.

Seeing that there was no hope for her to break free, Sakura began to resist and started punching and kicking the man.

However, her resistance was just a drop in the bucket in the face of the current situation.

Feeling the girl's struggle, Matou Tsuruno felt extremely heavy, as if a heavy burden was pressing on his heart.

He silently gazed at the petite and lovely child in front of him, his heart full of contradictions and struggles.

This little life had never experienced the wind and rain of the world, but had to face such a cruel fate. He felt like a ruthless executioner, pushing the innocent child into the abyss with his own hands.

However, Matou Tsuruno understood that this was also a helpless act.

Because of the old man Zōken's secret technique, even if there was no child from the Tohsaka family, he would kidnap other qualified people to prolong his life.

The appearance of this girl only gave Zou Yan a new bargaining chip. After she was brought up, her body would inevitably be taken over by Zou Yan, and she would become the new master of Matou who inherited the magic seal.

For the Holy Grail, Zouken will not stop his dirty desires. This child is not the first, and definitely not the last. Even he himself is just a toy in the hands of Matou Zouken.