The joyful time spent petting the cat was always fleeting. After bidding farewell to Atalanta and Achilles, Sakatsuki did not immediately return to the Red Factionâs stronghold. Instead, he followed Artoriaâs coordinates and pursued her trail.
In the original story, alongside the capture of the Red Berserker by the Black Faction, another event unfoldedâthe Black Rider, Astolfo, defected with the homunculus.
Due to Gordesâ incompetence, this seemingly trivial incident eventually escalated into a calamity for the Black Factionâ
The Black Factionâs sole top-tier Servant (Vlad IIIâs raw strength could only be considered first-rate), Saber Siegfried, committed suicide.
His heart was transplanted into the homunculus, becoming the catalyst for the latter to break free from the shackles of limited lifespan and step onto the Holy Grail War battlefield as a transcendent being.
Whether the homunculus lived or died was inconsequential to the Black Faction. However, Siegfriedâs death dealt a devastating blow to their overall combat strength, causing their defenses to crumble during the subsequent invasion by the Red Faction. Black Berserker Frankenstein was slain by Red Saber Mordred.
Tonight, Sakatsuki had three objectives for his intervention:
First: Preserve the homunculus, allowing him to continue destabilizing the Black Factionâs unity.
Second: Preserve Siegfried, ensuring this great hero did not perish so easily.
Third: Recruit Siegfried, turning him into a combat asset for the Blue Faction and âââ.
Countless thoughts raced through Sakatsukiâs mind as his ghostly figure traversed the night in Romania. In his spiritual form, he swiftly arrived at Artoriaâs location.
As he drew closer, he could clearly sense the presence of Servants in the forest. Yet, concealed by Presence Concealment and the Cloak of Hades, no one was aware of his arrival.
And Sakatsuki had no intention of revealing himself just yet.
"To drive someone to despair, you must first give them hope."
As the Assassin moved, magical trajectories gradually took shape, encircling the area where the homunculus, Servants, and magi were entangled.
Once everything was in place, Sakatsuki leaped onto a tree branch and began replenishing the mana he had yet to fully restore.
"...And the reverse holds true as well."
ââââ
In the forest, tensions were reaching a breaking point.
"W-wait! Hold on! Let me go, Saber! And Assassin!"
Astolfo had not considered resisting, but the gap in capabilities between him and these two Servants was too vast. In an instant, he was subdued, left to struggle helplessly.
"That bastard Darnic... To think heâd bother me with such nonsense..."
As the creator of the homunculus, Gordes harbored no affection for his "creation." Like Dr. Victor Frankenstein, he regarded the homunculus with nothing but disgust and contempt.
His wrist was gripped tightly, on the verge of snapping. In the silence, the homunculus desperately fought to rouse his exhausted, muddled mind.
"Hmph, I donât get it. Why is Caster so fixated on this defective product that canât even move without consuming its own lifespan?"
The disdain from their creator nearly pushed the homunculus to the brink of collapse, but beyond their crumbling mental defenses, a voice had been supporting them all along.
"Bastard! What are you thinking? Donât hesitate, donât give up! You want to survive, right? You told me you didnât want to die! Then shouldnât you fight to the very end?!"
Even as he was captured, knowing he would face judgment from the two leaders of the Black Faction upon his return, Astolfo still struggled and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"You have that right! No matter what anyone says, I, Astolfo, will acknowledge you!"
Faced with such a disobedient Rider, Siegfried remained silent, like an emotionless autonomous doll, while the black-robed Assassin trembled slightly, seemingly shaken.
Sensing an opportunity, Astolfo desperately tried to persuade his two companions:
"We manifested to fulfill our wishes! But does that mean we should tolerate everything? Have you forgotten the demeanor of heroes? I hate this! I may be the Black Factionâs Rider, but before that, I am Astolfo, one of Charlemagneâs Twelve Paladins! I wonât abandon that child, absolutely not!"
Riderâs words forcibly dragged the homunculusâs fragile spirit back. Thatâs rightâat the very least, they had the resolve to live. No matter how pitiful that life might be, they wanted to survive so they could stand tall before those who had helped them.
Hadnât they wished for exactly that?
Gordes, his mood disturbed by Riderâs shouting, turned and unleashed a furious tirade at him. Meanwhile, the homunculus took advantage of their creatorâs underestimation to search for the fangs they possessedâwhat they needed now was destruction, to go all out and seize the power to take lives in order to survive.
They had once used this power to shatter their incubation pod. As a result, they had gained a fleeting moment of dreamlike freedom, earned the favor and aid of Rider and Archer, as well as the magus Reika Rikudou.
So now, at the very least, let me wield this power once more to claim eternal freedomâ
"Strasse/Gain!"
Using the language they knew, they drove their own mystery, willing destruction as the outcome.
It was the only magecraft rooted in their bodyâthe homunculusâs sole chance to bare their fangs at a magus.
If the target was glass, the glass would shatter completely. If a human stood in their way, their arm would be crushed, and their heart devoured by magical energy.
Yet the one who had seized the homunculus was none other than their creatorâthe very one who had bestowed this magecraft upon them.
"Guh!"
In his shock and anger, Gordes finally remembered his qualities as a magus.
"Anamorphism eisen arm!"
The arm flickering with blue circuits clashed against Gordesâs transformed iron grip, erupting into a small, meaningless burst of sparks.
The compatibility was terrible. A flawed product crafted using Einzbernâs alchemy faced Gordes, who had also studied alchemyâa lethally poor match.
Gordes was shocked by the homunculusâs rebellion, but the homunculus who attempted to kill him had already reached its physical limit after delivering that strike.
"You... damn... thing...!!"
Gordes trembled all over, consumed by rage. His body bore no real injuries, and the pain would soon fade. Wounds of that level wouldnât take a day to healâa few seconds of healing magecraft would suffice.
The problem was that the one who had inflicted harm upon him was none other than a mere magical energy supply batteryâprey he was supposed to devour, a being meant to be consumedâsuddenly baring its fangs with unmistakable killing intent.
For Gordes, who had already endured immense pressure that night, this was undoubtedly the final straw.
"Donât fuck with me!! A mere homunculus...! Me! You actually tried to kill me! Impossible! Impossible, impossible, impossible!!"
Half-mad with fury, Gordes let his anger take over and punched the homunculus away. Any thought of Darnicâs orders or Casterâs requests had long vanished from his mind.
The Iron Arm magecraft hadnât dissipated yet, and the metallic crunch of his fist striking the homunculusâs chest rang out. The dignity and elegance befitting a magus seemed to have been cast aside as Gordes continued to pummel the homunculus with his iron fists. The exhausted homunculus could offer no resistance, its breath stifled by the cold earth as the chill of the ground slowly spread.
Ah, Iâm going to dieâthe homunculus was certain. Even if Gordes spared it now, there was no saving it. That last punch had already shattered its heart.
And the murderous Gordes would never let it go, no matter what.
The brutal scene unfolded before the heroesâ eyes. Astolfo could clearly feel the sudden tightening grip of Saber and Assassin on his shoulders, conveying their mastersâ disbelief.
Especially Artoria. She stared blankly at the dying homunculus, only one thought left in her mind.
Where is Sakatsuki? Where is Lord Sakatsuki?
What happened to his promise to save everyone, that no one would be sacrificed or die tonight?