Chapter 585: The Navigator of the Storm
"Shirou... I'm telling you, why don't you just throw this match on purpose?"
As he pushed open the door and stepped into the elevator leading to the finals venue, Shinji suddenly said this.
"That way, you won't get unnecessarily hurt. Once the fight starts, my Servant won't hold back, you know. Oh, and as a bonus, I'll even share the prize money with you. All I really want is the title anyway."
"So, what do you say? Sounds like a dream come true, doesn't it? It's practically like advancing together with a friend!"
...?
What was this idiot Shinji talking about? If you lose in the Holy Grail War, doesn't that mean you're permanently eliminated from the Moon Cell?
Shinji's confidence was so overwhelming that Shirou even began to wonder if she had misread the rules. She glanced at Sakatsuki, but the red-cloaked young man only sighed and shook his head.
Hopeless. Just let him die. Goodbye.
This guy still didn't get it—the price of losing in the Holy Grail War was death!
Though their understanding of the situation differed, both Shirou and Sakatsuki looked at Shinji as if he were an absolute fool.
"So, Sakatsuki, what do you think? This way, I can preserve my strength, and you guys won't get hurt. It's a total win-win, right?"
"What a clueless guy. Or maybe he just can't see himself clearly. Rejoice, Shirou—your first match will be an easy victory. Still, it's fascinating how much power a name can hold. Even though I know he's not the same person, this attitude is just as insufferable as ever."
Just like in the preliminaries, Sakatsuki responded with sharp sarcasm. Before Shinji could even react, his Servant burst out laughing beside him.
"Ahahaha! You really told him, kid!"
"Y-you—whose side are you even on?!"
"Yours, of course. I'm your first mate, aren't I? If I'm getting paid, I'll do my job properly. But honestly, throwing a match? That's just boring. Holding back or not going all out—let's not even think about that. I'm the type who drinks today's wine today and fires all my bullets without saving any for tomorrow."
Pausing, the female pirate known as Drake continued:
"Fireworks soaked in seawater won't excite anyone. If you're gonna be a villain, at least make it a spectacular show."
"W-who are you calling a villain?! Don't lump me in with you, you drunken idiot!"
"Ahaha, that's more like it! That's the kind of cursing I can respect, Shinji!"
"W-wait! Stop—stooop! Don't ruffle my hair like that, you brute! And you reek of alcohol!"
Several times, Shirou opened her mouth to say something to Shinji, but Sakatsuki stopped her. The young man placed a finger to his lips, silently urging his Master to hold back, though his gaze remained fixed on the bickering Drake and Shinji.
"Time is running out... At the very least, let them face the end like this—laughing."
As he spoke, Sakatsuki couldn't help but recall the conversation he'd had with Rin Tohsaka before leaving that morning.
It seemed the first round had just concluded. When Sakatsuki ran into the girl Rin at the cafeteria entrance, though her face showed traces of exhaustion, her azure eyes shimmered with the bittersweet glow of victory.
"Rin, it's over then? Congratulations on winning the first round."
"Oh, Sakatsuki... cough." Rin flipped her twin tails, trying hard to appear nonchalant. "Thanks, though my opponent was so weak they didn't even deserve my full effort."
After a pause, the girl couldn't help but remind him: "You should be more careful though. Many are watching your pair closely now. If you fall in the first round, you'll become quite the laughingstock!"
"Thank you for your concern, Miss Rin." Sakatsuki smiled. "But that Shinji fellow would need another two hundred years to stand a chance against me."
"Good then..." Rin patted her flat chest, then suddenly realized something. "Wait, this isn't concern! Can't you tell I'm mocking you? Mocking!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sakatsuki rolled his eyes with exaggerated insolence.
A brief silence fell between them. Watching the crowd moving through the cafeteria, Rin suddenly spoke:
"By the way, Sakatsuki... you understand what victory means, right?"
"You mean how the loser gets forcibly killed by the Moon Cell?" Sakatsuki nodded. "Of course I understand. I've long been prepared."
"Then... does Hakuno know?" Rin turned to face him. "Has Hakuno prepared herself to kill her friends for victory?"
Hearing this, Sakatsuki thought for a moment and awkwardly realized a truth—
These past few days, he'd been so engrossed in watching Hakuno's miserable state that he seemed to have... forgotten to mention this to her?
Could Hakuno still believe that losers merely get ejected from the Moon Cell?
"Cough, some things are best learned through experience, don't you think?"
Sakatsuki cleared his throat, desperately trying to justify his oversight, unaware of Rin's increasingly horrified expression.
"I never took you for a Spartan educator? You'll have to witness the loser's death firsthand. If Hakuno experiences that without any psychological preparation..."
Taking a deep breath, the girl stepped back in alarm:
"Are you a devil?!"
————
In the end, he still hadn't found the courage to tell Hakuno...
Gazing at his Master, Sakatsuki pressed his lips together and sighed inwardly.
Just like how he'd never found the right moment to tell her he'd be leaving after the second round.
As the elevator's descent slowed, the battlefield of Ichinoyuki Kaishou came into view. Sakatsuki narrowed his eyes as the scent of seawater filled his nostrils, while beside him, Hakuno stared wide-eyed in wonder.
There lay an endless, boundless ocean.
Scattered islands dotted the seascape, the entire world enveloped in azure waters. The cries of seabirds filled the air as gulls soared into the distance, gradually shrinking to black specks before vanishing. White foam sprayed upward, refracting brilliant rainbows in the sunlight.
This was once a bay of competing sails—where some met their doom while others cheered their advance. The traces left by those adventurers had become the wrecks of ancient vessels, resting quietly on the sandy shores, awaiting the return of travelers.
"So beautiful..."
For Hakuno, who had lost her memories, this scenery was brimming with novelty. Watching her childlike sparkling eyes, Sakatsuki couldn't help but smile.
What was he so worried about anyway? She was Kishinami Hakuno—the girl worthy of becoming the Moon Cell's king.
Someone like her hardly needed his excessive concern.
The elevator halted. Sakatsuki, Hakuno, Shinji, and Drake stepped out, instinctively taking their positions.
"I'm not just some shut-in gamer, you know?" Matou Shinji shoved his hands in his pockets, the Command Spell on his hand gleaming. "I'll show you the might of a champion!"
"Don't hold back no matter what, Rider! Anyone who dares raise a blade against me deserves no mercy!"
"Ha! Mercy's not in my vocabulary. All I care about is having a good time!"
Though they had been fooling around in the elevator, the moment they stepped onto the battlefield, Shinji instantly switched to combat mode. Drake, gripping her beloved flintlock, fired at both Sakatsuki and Hakuno without hesitation.
Clang!
The bullet was deflected, sparks illuminating Hakuno's widened eyes. A white blade intercepted death before her, reflecting the reassuring face of the young man.
"Even an unnoticed bud shouldn't be plucked so heartlessly, Miss Drake."
Her true name—exposed?!
Drake's pupils trembled violently. She never expected her identity to be revealed the instant the battle began. "Shinji!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know! Ugh, so annoying!" Shinji snapped back to reality at his Servant's call, immediately summoning a keyboard and typing furiously. "No time to wonder how they knew your name. Phase one's over—skip the traps and probes, move straight to the next stage!"
"Decisive as ever, Master. You've got real villain potential!"
Despite being a woman, Drake laughed with a boldness surpassing any man's. Raising her right hand, she fired toward the distant sun.
"Alright, lads—time to make an entrance! King of the Dead, Night of the Storm. The Wild Hunt begins now!"
A thunderous roar echoed across the seven seas as ship after ship rose like mountains from the surging tides. Seawater cascaded over their sturdy decks, massive sails billowing, droplets glittering under the sunlight—harmonizing with the radiance of their Noble Phantasms. The fleet shone so brilliantly that even the cheering sailors aboard seemed to blur into ethereal phantoms.
This was Drake's pride—the Golden Hind and its accompanying armada, the very fleet that had dominated the seven seas!
"Ready the Coffyn Guns! We've got a tough fight ahead!" The red-haired pirate leaped nimbly onto the deck, surrounded by countless sailors. Laughing wildly, she fired repeatedly at Sakatsuki—not just bullets from her pistol, but beams of aurora-like energy erupted from the ship's cannons, hurtling toward him.
"Get hit, and you'll be blown to smithereens!"
"Then let's test that, Captain Drake!" A crimson blur weaved through the barrage, twin blades—black and white—slashing relentlessly to deflect every incoming attack. Explosive shockwaves sent Sakatsuki's white hair whipping back, his red battle attire fluttering in the wind. His golden eyes burned with fighting spirit as he locked gazes with the pirate who had once conquered the world.
"Let's see who gets to savor the sweet wine of victory!"
"Hmph, charging in without any preparation after all!" At that moment, Shinji standing on the ship raised his finger and heavily pressed a button. "Don't forget, this isn't a one-on-one fight!"
"Code Cast: Restraint!"
"What?!"
Sakatsuki let out an unmistakably surprised cry as several stone statues of maidens suddenly rose beneath his feet. With closed eyes, they silently wrapped their arms around the young man's limbs, continuously draining his stamina and rendering him unable to break free.
"Now, Rider!" Shinji roared without hesitation as he issued commands to his Servant. "Noble Phantasm, True Name Release!"
"Well done, Master! Boys, it's time!" The flintlock revolved, aimed directly at the immobilized Sakatsuki the moment it was gripped with both hands. Drake bared her teeth in a ferocious grin as her fleet gathered terrifying beams of light behind her.
"Die remembering my name! I am the fearsome demon of the seas, the woman who shot down the sun!"
The trigger was pulled. Cheering sailors from countless ships ignited their massive cannons, unleashing overwhelming firepower in that instant—like a concentrated tidal wave of destruction surging toward Sakatsuki.
"Golden Wild Hunt!"
Crisis, descends!