Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

Even if everyone else forgot, Sakatsuki himself could never forget—his remaining life was now on a countdown.

Perhaps in that other timeline, the great hero had been obliterated by Gilgamesh's Ea, leaving no corpse behind. Thus, the reborn Sakatsuki could only walk this world in a body formed of magical energy.

From a player following the guidance of a "golden finger," he had become a mortal struggling to survive. In the shadows, Sakatsuki raged, cursed, and spat at the cruel joke fate had played on him.

But no matter what, if he didn't want to die, he had to save himself.

This was the world of Type-Moon. If it was just a matter of transferring consciousness, there were ways—at the highest level, there was the legendary Third Magic, and the techniques of the Grand Puppeteer, Touko Aozaki. At the lowest level, there was the lingering survival of the old worm, becoming a Dead Apostle, or even nurturing a Chaos Tide within oneself like Nero Chaos.

So, after realizing his problem, Sakatsuki scoured the Einzbern family's records on the Third Magic. On the day he arrived in Fuyuki City, he slaughtered the Matou family, obtained Assassin, and then ordered them to leave the battlefield to search for the hidden Grand Puppeteer and any traces of Apostles...

But he himself remained in this Holy Grail War.

Part of the reason was to meet the characters from his past life, but the more important reason was for the omnipotent wish-granting device—even if it was tainted.

Back then, Gilgamesh had been spat out by the mud of the Grail and gained a physical body.@@novelbin@@

Sakatsuki, who had already glimpsed the Third Magic, naturally had a way to rid himself of the curse. Moreover, besides Touko Aozaki, he had also sent Assassin to search for another key figure from "Kara no Kyoukai"—Shiki Ryougi.

Although judging from the timeline, Shiki had not yet awakened, the Root Formula had existed since her birth.

Awakening her would solve many problems.

...But placing hope in others was ultimately too unreliable.

Sakatsuki closed his eyes and let out a barely audible sigh.

Call him arrogant, call him foolish, but his gaze had already transcended the simple desire of "surviving at all costs" and settled on the goal of "surviving more perfectly."

To that end, he would personally compete for the Holy Grail, using his own strength to win the favour of the Third Magic.

He, too, had a reason to participate in the Holy Grail War.

As the oldest hero, Gilgamesh could end the Holy Grail War in a single night if he took it seriously.

With the advantage of foresight and considerable strength, Sakatsuki could also end this war in a short time—but that would be meaningless.

What he needed was not victory. To achieve his goal, Sakatsuki still needed time, time to prepare everything perfectly.

Sakatsuki longed to meet the heroic spirits, to fight them, and looked forward to the inevitable banquet of kings... but before that, he had to ensure his own survival.

Only by surviving could he see more, witness more encounters and partings, and fulfil the small wish that man had entrusted to him.

He could not let Miyu fight to the death; that girl deserved a joyful reunion, not a bloody night.

But the Holy Grail was also something he needed.

For that... he needed a new servant.

Sorry, Lancer, Artoria.

Behind him, Kayneth, his eyes bloodshot, raised his trembling arm and, as Lancer's Master, issued his final command.

"By the power of my Command Spell—Lancer, kill yourself!"

***

That was a few minutes earlier.

"No, it's not my fault! It's Lancer's weakness that has driven me to this!"

Kayneth vehemently refuted Sakatsuki's words, but the young man only gave him a cold shoulder, not uttering a single word.

Though his lips moved slightly as if he were saying something.

A chill gripped Kayneth's heart, and in the eerie silence, he instinctively turned his wheelchair, changing his position.

The depths of the abandoned factory were pitch black, save for a beam of moonlight shining through a skylight in the roof, illuminating a corner.

In the faint, cold moonlight, Sola-Ui, bound by a spell, stared wide-eyed, her pale face streaked with tears of fear.

Pressed against her head was a black submachine gun.

Such a small, inconspicuous weapon—yet the bullets it fired had taken away Kayneth's Magic Circuits, and now, they would take his fiancée's life.

Following the arm holding the gun upward, the man's face made Kayneth almost forget to breathe.

A shabby coat, unkempt hair, and a stubbled face—this man placed a finger to his lips, signalling Kayneth to be quiet.

At first glance, he looked utterly ordinary, but his eyes were as sharp as swords—Kayneth would never forget that this hateful hound of the Einzbern family had ruthlessly destroyed his Magic Circuits.

The man had likely sneaked in through the back door while Saber and Lancer were fully engaged in their battle. His submachine gun was aimed steadily at Sola-Ui's forehead.

"Of all people... why him..."

Kayneth, who had personally experienced the man's cruelty and meticulousness, felt anger and hatred burn within him—but a deeper despair made him bow his head in defeat.

This was the worst possible situation. The woman he loved had fallen into the hands of the last person he wanted to face.

The remnants of reason told Kayneth that this man had shown himself to let Kayneth know Sola-Ui was safe, meaning he had some purpose.

But Kayneth couldn't guess what Kiritsugu Emiya's intentions were, so he silently nodded, indicating he would follow the man's instructions.

Seeing this, the man used his free hand to pull a scroll of parchment from his coat and tossed it into the air, letting it drift down onto Kayneth's lap.

[Binding Ritual—Target: Kiritsugu Emiya]

[By the Emiya family's Magic Crest, I swear that upon fulfilling the following conditions, this contract shall become a commandment, binding the target without exception.]

[Oath: Permanently forbid Kiritsugu Emiya, fifth-generation heir of the Emiya family and son of Norikata, from harbouring any intent or action to harm or kill Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald and Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri.]

[Condition: ...]

Thinking he was seeing things, Kayneth rubbed his eyes and looked again. Finally, he saw the sole condition required by this contract—

[Use all remaining Command Spells to order your servant to commit suicide.]

This was the second self-geis scroll after Sakatsuki's, but it did not elicit much shock or dissatisfaction from Kayneth. Instead, he simply gazed with tired, lifeless blue eyes at Lancer, who was still fighting for him in the distance. Then he turned his gaze to Kiritsugu and the pleading eyes of Sola-Ui under his gun.

Kiritsugu had arrived too late; he didn't know that the self-geis scroll he had written conflicted fatally with the young man's.

But Kayneth had no right to appeal, for the life of the woman he loved had passed from one man's hands to another's, never to be reclaimed by Kayneth.

As if... he had never truly won Sola-Ui's heart.

Kiritsugu, unaware that Kayneth had already resolved to die, merely raised an eyebrow in surprise as the once-celebrated genius raised his arm and calmly activated his final Command Spell.

"By the power of my Command Spell—Lancer, kill yourself!"

And so, in the midst of the battlefield, the spearman, in the heat of battle, suddenly twisted his arm. Without even a moment to show surprise, he drove the tip of his spear into his own heart!

***

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