A silent night where even the stars seemed hushed.
An emerald meteor streaked across the sky, painting wild strokes upon the fluorescent blue earth as it pursued a figure concealed within the darkness. The youth sheltered by the night didn't pull the trigger—instead, he crossed blades with the warrior's spear, sparks flying between them. A clear, ringing sound soared into the sky before vanishing without a trace.
It had called forth starlight descending from the heavens!
In a corner of the garden, the huntress hid behind vines, blending seamlessly with the surrounding nature. Her tail twitched slightly, and her green dress outlined her elegant figure, while her beast-like eyes gleamed sharply yet endearingly.
Through the vision of Clairvoyance, two blazing lights shot into the sky, dodging the torrential rain of arrows in perfect unison. They pulled apart—one twirling his spear, the other discarding his twin guns only to grip them again. Once the Arrow of Complaint had ended, they transformed once more into emerald and shadowy streaks of light, clashing and colliding!
"Don't ignore me!" the girl muttered under her breath, her fighting spirit burning brighter. She raised her Bow of Heaven, drawing the bowstring as if summoning the stars themselves.
"Polaris, go!"
The arrow became a shooting star, trailing silver radiance as it left another breathtaking mark upon the canvas.
Its target—another dazzling yet fleeting meteor!
Clang!
Achilles responded—how could he not be wary of Atalanta's arrows? The moment he deflected the arrow, two magic spears, one crimson and one golden, surged from the sides, lunging at him like fangs.
"Haha, nice!"
Sakatsuki's challenge was met with a hearty laugh. Achilles took a deep breath, channeling power into his arms and sides, ignoring the curse of the sea god. At the perfect moment, he clamped down on Sakatsuki's twin spears with sheer brute force!
Such audacity! Such precision!
And at the same time—such recklessness!
Sakatsuki, shocked to the point of laughter, simply let go. He brought his arms together, stepping forward with a gust of malice like a bell striker, slamming the butt of the Yellow Rose spear before stomping the ground. With a thunderous crash akin to a giant's footfall, his palm struck out with the force of a thousand jun!
Zhen Jiao—Bajiquan!
The vibrations from the spear numbed half of Achilles' body, forcing him to swallow the bitter fruit of underestimation. Meanwhile, Sakatsuki's devastating strike was already hurtling toward his chest.
Boom—!
The sound of impact against an unyielding wall. Achilles coughed blood, flying back like a kite with its strings cut before crashing to the ground. Sakatsuki stood firm, his palm torn and bleeding, while a bloodstained spear clattered to the earth before dissipating into spiritrons.
From afar, Atalanta saw it clearly—at the last possible moment, Achilles had kicked up his spear to block Sakatsuki's killing blow. Though he was still sent flying, the intense battle aura imbued in the spear had also rebounded onto Sakatsuki.
The lightning-fast exchange was breathtaking, but Atalanta didn't slow her movements. A new arrow was already nocked—this time aimed at Sakatsuki, momentarily stiff from the recoil.
Achilles had promised to suppress his immortality. Compared to a straightforward warrior like him, the elusive and unpredictable Sakatsuki was undoubtedly far more dangerous!
The arrow traced a smooth arc, piercing through the phantom image the young man left behind. A deadly premonition instantly seized Atalanta, but before she could swiftly relocate, the cold glint of a pistol was already pressed against her vulnerable throat.
"Checkmate, dear huntress," Sakatsuki whispered into Atalanta's ear, his low voice seeming to penetrate straight to her heart.
Defeat... Yet upon realizing this, Atalanta felt no great frustration. Instead, an indescribable joy welled up within her.
"Hmm, as expected of you."
"Ah, what an exhilarating battle... Without using my immortality, even I'm no match for Sakatsuki," Achilles remarked as he strolled over, his wounds already fully healed after Sakatsuki released Atalanta. "Your current strength is just a step below top-tier Servants."
"You flatter me. After all, I'm not at my peak right now," Sakatsuki replied with a modest nod, not denying Achilles' assessment.
Though appearing as an Assassin without his Dragon Heart, Sakatsuki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception had been specially enhanced, making his lethality even greater. Combined with the Third Magic's endurance, he indeed possessed the caliber of a first-rate Servant—even the potential to challenge top-tier ones.
"As for me, I've already become a top-tier Servant," the young man laughed from within the platinum glow of the Sea of Souls. "Not to mention, the Shadow of Imaginary Numbers also has His Majesty. Who would've thought I'd reach this point without even realizing it?"
Being able to tangibly feel one's own progress is a joyous thing for anyone.
Perhaps influenced by his original self's emotions, Sakatsuki's expression softened slightly in front of Achilles and Atalanta, the corners of his lips curling into an involuntary smile.
"Being with you all truly makes me happy."
"Huh?" Achilles gaped.
"Meow?" Atalanta's eyes widened.
It wasn't that they disagreed with Sakatsuki's words—but such 'mushy' sentiments simply didn't seem like something an assassin would say!
Clearly realizing this himself, Sakatsuki stiffened, offering no excuse as he hastily departed, leaving the Greek duo exchanging bewildered glances.
"Is Sakatsuki... sick?"
"Impossible. Well, maybe he is."
Not far away, the cold moonlight fell upon pale skin as a gaunt spearman leaned against a tree. The crimson eyeshadow at his temples brought him to life like a warrior stepping out of an epic painting.
Karna, the Red Lancer.
He had arrived during the trio's battle and naturally noticed Sakatsuki's unusual behavior.
Karna wasn't puzzled by Sakatsuki's mystery, but he was deeply intrigued by his reaction.
"Expressing shock at such a normal statement implies unhappiness by contrast. Yet Sakatsuki showed no resistance—meaning he doesn't dislike the emotions between us."
Karna sorted through his thoughts. In a way, his Discernment of the Poor could be considered a form of divine revelation unique to him.
"In other words, subjectively expressing closeness while objectively maintaining opposition..."
Like a detached observer watching coldly, having foreseen the inevitable outcome, the young man had resolved not to invest unnecessary emotions.
And so—
The Hero of Charity lifted his gaze, silently watching Sakatsuki's hurried retreating figure.
What was it that made Sakatsuki constantly remind himself to keep his distance from the Servants?
As this thought crossed his mind, the agonizing deaths of past Masters naturally surfaced in his memory. Simultaneously, the faint, bell-like laughter of a girl echoed in Karna's heart, leading him to grasp at an absurd and elusive conjecture.
"...It seems I need to revisit the Empress's Hanging Gardens."
———
No, something's wrong.
Some things had gone awry from the very beginning.
This isn't me... no, this is me.
But it shouldn't be the current me!
All traces of leisure had long vanished as Sakatsuki moved coldly through the corridors, his mind in turmoil.
Would this state affect his upcoming actions?
At which point had things gone wrong to make him so vulnerable?
No, this wasn't weakness—such emotions were beautiful, as even the Third Magic affirmed.
But they shouldn't have surfaced now!
"Lord Sakatsuki."
Looking up, he saw a homunculus dressed as a maid bowing respectfully to the mentor who had taught their heroic kind. Without hesitation, Sakatsuki strode forward and grasped her arm.
"You, come with me."
"But I have work to—"
"That doesn't matter!"
Huff—like some impatient beast, Sakatsuki let out ragged breaths as he briskly dragged the female homunculus into his room and slammed the door shut.
——This scene, ripe for misunderstanding, was witnessed by other homunculi. The report traveled up the chain until it reached their leader.
The leader, named Dürr, promptly sought out Sieg, who was discussing matters with Jeanne d'Arc and others. In front of numerous witnesses—including Fiore and Caules—she calmly relayed the incident in full detail.
As everyone knew, having emotionally underdeveloped homunculi explain things only made matters worse.
And so... the Black Faction, which had just settled down, was thrown into turmoil once more.