Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

Moonlight streamed through the shattered glass window, casting its glow on a man who had just survived a fierce battle. He hid in the shadows, pulling a cigarette from a pack.

Lancer had already left.

He had missed the best opportunity to kill a Master.

Realizing this, Kiritsugu once again felt the strain in his relationship with the Servant he had contracted with.

Lancer was right—he had indeed narrowly escaped death. Now that Saber wasn't here, there was nothing he could do.

No, even if Saber were by his side, could Kiritsugu really trust her to handle the situation?

The spearman, the heroic spirit Diarmuid, was already naive and kind-hearted, but Saber's chivalry was no less foolish, completely beyond Kiritsugu's understanding.

She probably genuinely believed that Lancer wouldn't kill Kiritsugu. Such thinking was absurd. The King of Knights had left her Master alone to face an enemy Servant. If Lancer had betrayed them, the Holy Grail War would have ended in that instant. Even if the spearman had no intention of killing Kiritsugu, if Kayneth had been conscious, he would have used a Command Spell to force Lancer to act.

Had Saber not even considered this possibility?

Kiritsugu shook his head in frustration, lighting the cigarette in his mouth. It was so ironic—a Servant developing a foolish sense of trust with the enemy while growing increasingly distant from her own Master.

Even if she was hailed as the strongest Servant class, where in the world could you find such a disobedient subordinate?

If he had known it would turn out like this, he should have been more careful when choosing a Servant. Kiritsugu gnawed on this belated realization as he exhaled a puff of smoke with a sigh.

After all, even now, Saber had not come to his aid.

***

"Kiritsugu may not show it, but he must be seething inside, right?"

Sakatsuki leaned against a tree trunk, watching the footage on a portable monitor with a gleeful smirk.

"You see, it's not just the Master who chooses the Servant—the Servant also chooses the Master."

Even Pokémon can refuse to obey a trainer if their level is too low, let alone heroic spirits with their own strong personalities.

Now, the chaotic battle between the three Servants had ended, and the duel between the two Masters had reached its conclusion—but the Holy Grail War tonight was far from over.

"Miyu, rapid fire."

"Got it!"

The sapphire magical girl leapt into the air, stepping on an invisible magical barrier, and unleashed dozens of magical energy bullets of varying sizes. They collided with the incoming Noble Phantasms, causing explosions.

The reason Sakatsuki could relax and spy on Kiritsugu from the tree was that he had summoned his own Servant to fight in his stead.

Of course, this also included a certain King of Heroes going easy on them.

"What's your opinion of Saber?"

Gilgamesh, maintaining the output of the Gate of Babylon, sat on a luxurious chair and poured himself a glass of wine.

"What else can I say?"

Sakatsuki calmly projected magic to help Miyu deflect the excess Noble Phantasms.

"She's just a little girl who should be protected."

"Oh? An interesting assessment. She's the King of Knights of Britain, you know?"

"So what? Since I'm here, standing here, all she needs to do is look pretty."

"Are you planning to keep her as a caged bird?"

"A bit of confinement play sounds nice… but I'm afraid of getting blasted by her Excalibur."

"Hahahaha… I didn't know you had such a talent for comedy, clown."

The golden Servant laughed heartily, slapping his thigh without care, spilling wine everywhere.

"For a mere mortal's delusion, you're quite the entertainer!"

"And what about you, King of Heroes?"

Sakatsuki didn't take offence, signalling Miyu to return while rolling his eyes.

"Even as a mere spirit, are you still captivated by the moon reflected in the water?"

"What nonsense are you spouting, mongrel!"

The King of Heroes drank deeply, a wicked smile curling on his lips.

"I hold the key to all the treasures of the world. No treasure does not originate from my vault. How could such a delicate figure, such a holy appearance, not be worthy of my affection?"

"So, we're rivals now?"

Sakatsuki licked his lips, his tone was both questioning and challenging.

Archer responded with a mix of murderous intent and amusement.

"Who do you think you are? A chef, a Master, or an ignorant traveller?"

"From the very beginning, we were destined to be the kind of relationship where only one can survive!"

Beside them, Miyu held her breath, the suddenly tense atmosphere making her grip her staff tightly.

But in the next moment, Archer's body began to dematerialize, his handsome face twisting with anger.

"Damn it… Tokiomi Tohsaka!!!"

In the blink of an eye, the golden king was forcibly whisked away.

Yet Sakatsuki, his opponent, showed no surprise. He gazed in the direction of Miyama Town, a faint, inscrutable smile on his lips.

"I told you… the Holy Grail War tonight is not over yet."

***

A faint pain throbbed in his right hand, akin to a muscle strain.

But it seemed to have grown from some kind of heart-wrenching agony, making it hard for Kariya Matou to tell whether the pain had dulled or if he had simply grown numb to it.

Raising his grotesquely deformed right hand, black mist seeped from it, corroding the intricate magical barriers of the Tohsaka residence. Even the central gemstone crumbled into dust.

Throughout this precise operation, Kariya didn't make a single sound.

Was it because of the Assassin class's Presence Concealment skill?

Even though Kariya had memorized all the knowledge about Masters and Servants before the Holy Grail War began, the flames of vengeance now consumed his mind, leaving no room for other thoughts.

That said, his heartbeat remained steady, as if he were a pre-programmed machine, not leaking even a hint of excess energy.

"Install."

"By connecting the Class Card to the Throne of Heroes, the power of a Heroic Spirit corresponding to that class is superimposed onto the user, allowing them to borrow the Heroic Spirit's might."

"Nothing is more suited for infiltration and assassination than the Assassin class."

The meaningful expression of Sakatsuki and the strange card he had given Kariya flashed through his mind.

It was why he now wore a cloak and mask, his left arm transformed into something monstrous as he moved through the night.

It was why he had so easily breached the Tohsaka family's barriers, and then…

Kariya stopped in his tracks, staring at the figure in the red suit ahead of him. A cruel smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

In the next moment, he became one with the shadows, raising his terrifying right hand as he lunged at Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"Die, Tokiomi Tohsaka!"

***

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