[Can you hear me? Hey?!]
The figure darting through the forest stumbled abruptly. If normal telepathy was like a gentle whisper, then the communication from Draco was more like a sledgehammer lightly tapping a slumbering mind.
"What is it? Iâm busy here!"
Without thinking, Sakatsuki shouted his thoughts aloud. He twisted his body mid-air, tracing a fluid arc like a great bird before landing on another treetop. A thunderous crash followed beneath him.
BOOM!
CRACK!
The sounds of impact and splintering wood came one after another. Looking down, a massive boar with blood-red eyes tore through the obstructing trees and rammed headfirst into a trunk so thick it would take three grown men to encircle it.
The centuries-old tree toppled instantly, but Sakatsuki had already changed direction, waiting atop another tree for the foolish beast.
"My projected steel is collapsing and warping!"
Chanting the incantation for projection, he fired a spiral sword as an arrow, but it barely pierced the boarâs hide by a few inches, failing to penetrate its layers of fat before exploding uselessly.
"ROARâ!"
The pain of its scorched fur sent the giant boar into a frenzy. Its eyes burned crimson as it lowered its head and charged toward Sakatsukiâs position once more.
[Stop focusing on the fight and listen to me!]
"Canât you see Iâm at a disadvantage here? One hit and Iâm done for! Your Majesty, youâre being way too capricious!"
Sakatsuki shouted his complaint as he leaped away from the falling tree. But mid-air, the demonic boar opened its maw and unleashed a destructive beam of condensed magical energy.
"Displacement, space!"
The afterimage was torn apart by the magical blast. Sakatsuki reappeared behind the boar, his left hand weaving a melodyâa tuning magecraft that reflected the boarâs form in an instant. Then, from the void of the Imaginary Number Space, a seven-headed, ten-horned beast emerged, gnashing its teeth and tearing into the boarâs flesh with savage delight.
Snap.
With a crisp click of his fingers, the carnage in the Imaginary Number Space overlapped with reality. The boar spewed blood from its mouth and nose, howling in agony.
[You can summon my familiars?! How is this possible?!]
Shock radiated through the mental link from Dracoâs end.
"Oh? You noticed." Sakatsuki smirked without elaborating. This was an unexpected boon heâd discovered after emerging from Pandoraâs Boxâthough it only worked within the Imaginary Number Space and couldnât affect reality, so he hadnât bothered mentioning it.
Ignoring Dracoâs astonishment, Sakatsuki watched the boar thrash on the ground, sensing its rapidly recovering vitality. After a momentâs thought, he took a deep breath.
"If normal attacks wonât work on you... then letâs try this!"
Under the brilliant summer sun, the young man raised a hand to the skyâand with that motion, the clear heavens darkened completely.
"This...!"
In the distance, Ritsuka, Illya, and the others looked up in unison to see endless flames spreading across the sky. Though it was still afternoon, the horizon burned with the brilliance of sunset, vivid and dramatic.
Sul-saganaâThe Horizon of Dawn that Purifies the Seas!
A mythical sword, its wings spread like skeletal flames, descended from the clouds. But this time, it didnât follow gravityâs pull. Instead, a white-haired, golden-eyed youth soared upward, gripping the hilt like a pillar as flames from the guard engulfed him.
"OOOOOHâ!"
Dragon-kind Modification: Activated!
His golden pupils shone even brighter as the dragonâs heart pounded powerfully, surging strength through his entire body. With a mighty swing of his arms, he brought down the sword of the War Godâa slash capable of cleaving heaven and earth!
At the same time, a Class Card from the Ainsworth Castle flew outâBeatriceâs card, clinging to his arm.
Thorâs Son, MagniâInstall!
A brawny arm, forged like steel, enveloped Sakatsukiâs right hand. Planting his feet firmly in mid-air, he swung the sea-rending sword with all his might.
If sharp weapons couldnât pierce the boarâs hide, then heâd bludgeon it. Heâd purify it with flames that reduced all to ashâand turn it into roast pork!
Sensing the impending doom from above, the boar roared defiantly. It opened its maw, and the Holy Grailâs pure magical energy swirled into a vicious vortex. With its breath, a city-leveling beam of destruction shot upward, colliding with the divine swordânot to destroy it, but to use it as a new power source, trying to push back the falling guillotine!
"Not a chance!"
With a furious shout, diamond-shaped barriers unfolded layer by layer, swallowing the torrent of magical energy before reopening behind the boarâreturning its own attack in full. At the same time, Sakatsuki roared as he swung with both arms. Magniâs inhuman strength allowed him to wield the sword with unimaginable force, and the sea-rending blade came crashing down.
Under the boarâs terrified gaze, the youthâs rainbow-blue eyes gleamed with terrifying resolve.
"I see itâyour death!"
SCHLICKâ!
The sound was as clean as tearing paperâswift and merciless.
The stench of burning fat filled the air as the boarâs cries were abruptly silenced.
For Sul-sagana had deemed it the boundary between heaven and earthâand split it in two!
Thick blood geysered into the sky as Sakatsuki landed heavily, kicking up a cloud of dust. The phantom of his massively strengthened arm dissipated, its power spent.
With Magniâs Class Card in hand, Sakatsuki could finally unleash the true might of the twin greatswordsâa swing rivaling an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm. Even if he could only manage it once, it was more than enough.
The boar, impervious to ordinary Noble Phantasms, had been bisected cleanly from above!
A golden glowâthe Holy Grailâs lightâfloated into view, but Sakatsuki lacked the strength to catch it. Hunched over, he gasped for breath, his armsâ blood vessels ruptured, hanging limp at his sides.
Behind him, the Sul-sagana finally touched the ground before dissolving into golden divine energy, vanishing into the world.
[Take the Grail. Now!]
The telepathic shout jolted Sakatsuki back to awareness.
Instinctively, he opened the Fate Compendium in his mind, and the Holy Grail flew toward him like a homing bird, disappearing into his embrace.
[Recover quickly. Theyâre coming!]
They? Who? Illya?
Though confused, Sakatsuki obeyed, donning Hadesâ cloak to vanish from sight. Healing magecraft followed, and with the support of the Third Magic, his shattered blood vessels rapidly regenerated.
In moments, he had hidden, recovered, and lain in wait. The forest fell silentâbut not for long. Soon, a puzzled voice drifted on the wind.
"Gone? Strange... The familiars spotted someone here just minutes ago."
Familiars?
Sakatsukiâs gaze sharpened. He scanned his surroundings before freezingâhis eyes locking onto the same branch where he crouched, concealed by Hadesâ cloak.
A pure white pigeon perched there, its black pearl-like eyes shimmering with magecraft.
Sakatsuki: ...Fancy meeting you here?
Pigeon Familiar: ...Coo coo coo. (Signaling the enemyâs disappearance.)
A diamond-shaped portal swallowed the familiar whole. Almost immediately, a girlâs panicked voice rang out.
"My familiarâs gone! Ugh... Did I mess up the spell? I knew I shouldnât have slept through Lady Medeaâs class! Mash... Mash, help me check what went wrong!"
"Please calm down, Senpai. Let me examine the spell... Hmm? Senpai, your spell wasnât the issue. Someone eliminated the familiar!"
"What?! How could anyone hurt such a cute pigeon? What kind of monster would do that?!"
The girlâs wails echoed through the trees. As Sakatsuki listened, his expression grew increasingly odd.
Medea... and Mash?!
What kind of crossover was this? Heâd just parted ways with Fujimaru not long ago!
A murderous aura prickled the air. Sakatsuki pushed off the branch, flipping backward like a bat just as a crimson spearâits blade thornedâgrazed past his face.
"Whoâs hiding there? Show yourself!"
With a cold shout, a blue-clad figure leaped onto the branches, darting toward Sakatsuki with inhuman agility. The spear swept out in a devastating arc!
The wind howled. Sakatsuki retreated, but before CĂș Chulainn could track him again, he dispelled the cloak and revealed himself.
"How did you find me?"
"Isnât it obvious?" CĂș Chulainn grinned, tapping his nose. "I could smell your blood from a mile away!"
...Right. The Hound of Culann. Of course.
Sakatsuki conceded defeat. Just as he was about to explain he meant no harm, a girlâs voice cried out behind him.
"Itâs you! The guy who stole our Class Cards last time!"
"Huh?" Sakatsuki turned in surprise, only to see Illya and Miyu glaring at him, battle-ready. Then it hit himâhe glanced down at his own height, his appearance...
Damn it. Heâd forgottenâhe was in his adult form now!
***
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