Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

"So thou just left like that?"

Back at the hotel, Draco had already prepared herself. The moment Sakatsuki returned, she dragged him to the shopping district, strolling elegantly like a feline surveying its new territory.

Sakatsuki had long since cast a bounded field. Even though Draco deliberately let her dragon tail sway without disguise, to outsiders, she simply looked like a sulky child holding an adult's hand.

To avoid running into acquaintances, Sakatsuki—now reverted to his young adult form—smiled. "Yeah. The rest is Irisviel's job. I'll drop by Illya's place tonight to check on things, but it's best to avoid Kuro for now."

Because if you stay too long, you won't be able to resist fighting your own mirror image, right?

Fully aware of his battle-crazed nature, Draco rolled her eyes and pointed at a random shop. "I'm hungry."

"Understood, Your Majesty." Sakatsuki playfully bowed before queuing up for two crêpes. But when he handed one to Draco, she took it while staring at him with an odd look.

"What's wrong?"

"I recall thee once called me 'Beast Nero.'" Draco took a bite, her eyes briefly lighting up at the taste. "And now thou address me as 'Your Majesty.'"

"Ah…" Sakatsuki froze, sensing an impending holy war.

Sure enough, Draco's next words dripped with quiet intensity:

"Tell me—dost thou love Nero, or dost thou love me?"

Unfazed by the sudden blade at his throat, Sakatsuki parried smoothly: "You, of course."

Before she could press further, he continued, "Besides, why must you and Nero be separated? You're merely different outcomes, reflecting different facets of the same essence—Nero Claudius."

"Hmph!" Draco snorted softly, tossing the empty wrapper into a bin. Sakatsuki wordlessly handed her his untouched crêpe.

Only then did she realize why he'd bought two. Her expression softened as she accepted it. "Thou art spared... this time."

As they walked on, the conversation turned serious.

"Thou wished to discuss traversing worlds and the possibility of return, yes?"

"Correct. I plan to head to the Ainsworth Castle—or rather, the place Miyu escaped from. Only after eliminating that threat can I safely journey to another timeline."

"And how dost thou intend to proceed?"

"Mount Enzou. The site where Miyu crossed over must be the anchor point between worlds."

"Mmm… But what of those buns labeled 'red bean paste'? What manner of delicacy are they?"

"...Alright, fine. Let's settle this first."

Before Draco's curiosity could shift from anpan to char siu bao, curry buns, or even shark fin buns, Sakatsuki hauled the 'little dragon' to the depths of Mount Enzou.

"Come forth—Ig-Alime, Sul-sagana!"

With a massive soundproofing barrier in place, Sakatsuki unhesitatingly summoned his excavation Noble Phantasms. In moments, the cavern's depths were torn open, revealing an intricate, violet-hued magic circle.

"A composite displacement array?" Even without magecraft expertise, Draco's Beast instincts discerned its nature. "This level of interference borders on True Magic… and such pure energy… So this is the grand ritual that brought Miyu here?"

"Exactly. It is a wish-granting Holy Grail, after all. Transporting a person between worlds would cause chaos, but a Grail's transition would be far subtler."

Kneeling, Sakatsuki traced the circle's patterns, analyzing its principles.

"According to the Church's records, anomalies began ten days ago. A 180-square-meter patch of trees atop this cavern vanished without warning, leaving barren earth. Simultaneously, the Class Cards appeared in Fuyuki."

"Also, the Church's surveillance of those entering and leaving this hollow revealed that on that day, the number of people who went in didn't match those who came out—and yes, I was one of them."

"Hardly surprising, given thou art not of this world."

Sakatsuki nodded grimly. "Ten days ago, when the trees disappeared and the cards emerged… someone walked out of this cavern, though no one had entered."

It sounded like the opening to a horror story.

But neither listener was ordinary, so they treated it as mere trivia before refocusing.

"The circle's logic is decoded. Shall we destroy it?"

"No. I'm hoping a certain big player will show up for a fight. Draco, with your help, can we open a path to that world?"

"Thou cannot manage it alone?"

"No, and it's strange. In theory, if I locate the nodal point, breaching the dimensional wall should be possible… yet I keep failing."

"Having observed it, I too cannot—unless…"

"Unless?"

Draco smirked. "Give me a Holy Grail."

"If I had one, I wouldn't need your help!" Sakatsuki deadpanned. Fortunately, she offered another clue.

"If the other side hath reinforcement, then thy 'stowaway' attempt would be barred. Thy method isn't flawed—the 'homeowner' simply reinforced the lock."

"Why? No, that's impossible. The Ainsworths don't have such means—"

"Enough about the Ainsworths!" Draco cut him off irritably.

As a former Beast, her first suspicion wasn't human magi.

"Why assume the Counter Force would welcome invaders like us?" The Beast of Sodom laughed mockingly.

After the Second Singularity, Draco abandoned her path as a Beast and returned to the imaginary number shadow—though her identity was already exposed, hence her open companionship with Sakatsuki.

Technically, Sakatsuki could dismiss her form at will, sending her back to the void (since she was now bound as his Imaginary Number familiar).

Of course, saying that aloud would earn him a bite, so he wisely skipped the topic.

"So the Counter Force is blocking us… What now?" Sakatsuki pondered, then paused.

The dormant Fate Compendium suddenly flashed a message:

[Spacetime Anchor detected. Energy consumption link available.]

"Energy?"

[Supplementary Explanation: Spacetime Energy — quantifiable unit required for traversing parallel universes. Accumulated daily. Mastery of related skills allows faster recovery. Required for traveling to Moon Cell as well.]

"So going to the Ainsworth Castle means delaying the Moon Cell Holy Grail War… Fine." Without hesitation, Sakatsuki made his choice. "Other matters can wait. Miyu's safety comes first."

He finalized his plan: "Verify Kuro's condition tonight, prepare over the next few days, then depart for the Ainsworth domain."

Draco watched silently, a question forming in her mind.

Before sacrificing his soul to save her, Sakatsuki had possessed a Holy Grail.

What wish had he made?

***

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