Chapter 617

Chapter 617: [Beast Metamorphosis: EX]

The Voivode of Wallachia was having a rough time!

To evade the bounty issued by Kirei Kotomine, he had taken his Master deep into the Sea of the Third Moon, planning to lie low until the storm passed before causing trouble again. But just as he ventured out to secretly eliminate a few hostile programs for some extra resources, he turned around to find—guess what?

His home was gone!

Vlad III stared blankly at the suddenly erected barrier, his mind filled with confusion.

Where was his Master?

What the hell had happened?

After nearly half an hour of struggling to break through the barrier set up by some bastard, he finally managed to breach it. But the moment he stepped inside with his left foot, he was met with the sight of hundreds of burly figures—some wielding blades, others gripping swords, drawing bows, or clenching fists—all turning their heads in unison to glare at this uninvited guest.

Faceless Angel: "The hell you lookin’ at?"

Vlad III: "..."

Damn it!

So what if he broke the rules? Was the Mooncell really going to treat him like this?

Knowing when to retreat was the mark of a wise man. Before the hostile programs could react, Vlad III prepared to make a run for it. But just then, some bastard had to show up at the worst possible moment, pouring oil onto the fire as he lunged toward him!

"Hey there, old friend! You finally made it!" Sakatsuki spread his arms wide, shouting with exaggerated enthusiasm. "I’ve missed you to death!"

Don’t know you, piss off!

Vlad III shuddered, but it was already too late to escape. The moment Sakatsuki spoke, the hostile programs automatically identified him as a target and launched their assault!

These weren’t just weaklings from the arena—every single Faceless Angel here possessed strength on par with Vlad III, if not greater.

While Sakatsuki could still cut through them like a whirlwind, Vlad III... well, aside from fleeing in panic and firing off Noble Phantasms that dealt a measly 1 damage (which only served to increase the angels’ collision radius), he was utterly useless!

And to make matters worse, he couldn’t even escape. With just a flick of Sakatsuki’s finger, he’d inexplicably find himself back in the thick of the encirclement.

What kind of magecraft was this?!

"My mana’s almost gone! If you keep this up, we’re both dying here!" Vlad III roared furiously at Sakatsuki as he watched his Noble Phantasm being dismantled like a broken fence.

"Don’t get mad, don’t get mad~ Anger only hurts your health, and no one will replace you..." Sakatsuki’s tone was as if he were soothing an elderly man. Mid-sentence, he swung his blade, mincing one of the angels into ground meat. Before he could finish the job, he leaped into the air, narrowly dodging a razor-sharp wind blade.

The growing exhaustion in his body sent constant warnings, and Sakatsuki sighed inwardly.

Is this as far as I go?

In the end, he still couldn’t pass the trial. He’d been too impatient—he should’ve waited until after the Three Faction War, when he was fully restored, before taking action...

Just then, he spotted a crimson meteor streaking across the distance, accompanied by a woman’s wild cheers, as it violently crashed into the angelic encirclement and exploded!

The shockwave, tainted by a black-red substance, took physical form and brought destruction—as if the hellish mandala had bloomed. Budding flowers scattered across the sky, their petals slowly unfurling as they carried raging infernos, landing on the backs, arms, and faces of the Faceless Angels. Greedily, they devoured the angels, transforming them into nourishment for the flowers of death!

Vlad III’s breath hitched as he saw, at the very center of the falling petals, a golden-haired woman standing with her sword planted firmly. Her cold, cruel beast-like eyes snapped open, and wherever her gaze fell, dragon-shaped flames erupted, turning the faceless angels into kindling that burned fiercely!

Then, the woman who brought flames, destruction, and calamity turned her gaze toward him.

A chill surged from the depths of Vlad III’s heart, forcing him to stumble back several steps. His pupils trembled violently as if he had glimpsed something indescribable—an abyssal terror so vast it nearly swallowed his unyielding spirit.

This woman... What in the world is her true nature—?!

Yet, under Vlad III’s horrified stare, the descending woman curled her lips into a brilliant smile.

In the next instant, she kicked up her crimson greatsword, gripped it, and transformed into a streak of light, hurtling straight toward Vlad III.

!!!

Vlad III was terrified out of his wits, instinctively preparing to unleash his Noble Phantasm—only to be shoved aside from behind. A young man, pale-faced and visibly weakened, nevertheless stepped forward resolutely, shielding Vlad III from the oncoming calamity.

"Sakatsuki, you—"

Before Vlad III could feel moved, he saw Sakatsuki spread his arms wide, his eyes also alight with a smile.

What was he smiling about?

The crimson harbinger of doom closed in, but just before it could shatter the young man to pieces, the streak of light came to an abrupt halt. Instead, with the remaining momentum, she leaped lightly like a cat, her long legs coiling around Sakatsuki’s waist like an octopus. And Sakatsuki, perfectly timed, reached out to firmly support the woman’s toned hips.

Everything flowed seamlessly, as if choreographed with perfect harmony.

Even for Sakatsuki, this was the first time he had seen Draco in such a state.

"Draco, you—"

"Sakatsuki!" Her leather-clad legs tightened around him, and Sakatsuki felt golden strands of hair brush against the back of his hand, tickling him. But he had no time to adjust—Draco’s beautiful face was already inches away, her eyes like the most precious rubies in the world, brimming with unrestrained joy.

"We missed thee, longed to see thee, could bear it no longer—so—"

The next moment, Sakatsuki’s lips met softness, followed by scorching heat. Like a ravenous predator, she trapped her prey in her grasp, ravaging, plundering, stealing his very soul and marking him as hers.

Yet it intoxicated him beyond measure.

Only when neither could breathe any longer did they reluctantly part, gasping for air—before pressing together again, clinging desperately, as if only this could finally unleash the emotions they had suppressed for so long.

This love had been restrained for far too long.

From the Second Singularity, through countless trials, until now—

[Event Storage] had succeeded. Draco was no longer a fragmented soul hiding in Sakatsuki’s shadow—she had become her own being.

At last, they could face each other without restraint.

Flames of calamity rose and fell in the sky, burning away fragments of data that hung like blossoming fireworks. The faceless angels attempted to advance, but an invisible dragon’s shadow roared, and the seven-headed, ten-horned beast lurked in the darkness. It opened its lazy eyes, exuding a terrifying pressure that forced the heavenly angels to plummet to the earth, kneeling en masse in reverent loyalty to this man and woman.

The scene was both awe-inspiring and breathtakingly beautiful.

As for the onlookers—Vlad III, along with Hakuno and Nero, who had just arrived—they were utterly dumbfounded.

The first thing I saw upon entering was Draco pinning Sakatsuki against the wall and beating him up...

Gah, the Beast of Revelation was thoroughly humiliating the Third Magician of humanity! The Evils of Humanity are truly invincible, yare yare!

"H-how could this be?!" Nero pouted indignantly. She and Hakuno hadn’t used teleportation tools just to witness this. "Draco, you... you sneaky cheat!"

A faceless angel emerged from the sea of flames, its wings already charred and tattered by the beast’s fire. It wobbled unsteadily in flight before crashing straight into Nero, sending her flying.

"Saber!" Hakuno gasped, snapping back to attention. With a flick of her fingers, she cast healing, resistance, and reinforcement spells onto the young emperor.

But soon, Hakuno realized her worry was unnecessary. In her extreme frustration, Nero seemed entirely unaffected by the injury—if anything, she channeled her rage into strength. Swinging her sword, Aestus Estus, like a hammer with terrifying force, she hacked the faceless angel into unrecognizable shreds until it dispersed into motes of light. Vlad III could only stare in shock.

After all, this was an opponent he would have needed to exert his full strength—even unleash his Noble Phantasm—to defeat!

"Owwwwww..." Only after dealing with the straggler did Nero finally hiss in pain, belatedly clutching her side with a pained expression. "Just one hit and it hurts this much... and Sakatsuki’s fighting something at this level...?"

Her gaze instinctively turned toward the young man—only to see the two locked in another passionate kiss. A sudden wave of sorrow washed over her.

For the first time, she had someone she loved, and a partner who had crossed the sunset with her. Two joys overlapping should have brought her a dreamlike happiness... so why had it come to this?

Beside her, Alice tilted her head, interrupting Nero’s melodramatic monologue. "Everyone’s acting so weird."

Alice (Nursery Rhyme) nodded in agreement. "Yeah, like a bunch of losers."

Crack—both Nero and Hakuno felt their hearts shatter. Their faces stiffened, and even Vlad III wasn’t spared, left speechless.

Ding—the two little ones had activated a full-party taunt. It was super effective.

Then they got chased by hostile programs.

"Nero, big sis, why are you just standing there?!"

"Scary-looking uncle, help us!"

No one paid attention to the two troublemakers as they wailed and scurried away in panic. Meanwhile, Draco finally deigned to step back, licking her lips with lingering satisfaction. Just as she was about to speak, she noticed Sakatsuki’s darkened gaze and heard his low, husky voice.

"I believe I mentioned—I prefer taking the lead rather than lying beneath you."

"Mmph... mmph!"

The next moment, the young man took the initiative, pressing forward with an overbearing counter-kiss. The others, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, were utterly unprepared for Sakatsuki to start flaunting his affection again. Nero bit her handkerchief in frustration while Hakuno’s face darkened. The two exchanged glances and reached a silent agreement.

This damned place was no longer bearable!

"Ah, what was that saying again? Is it trendy nowadays to lure single dogs in just to slaughter them?"

Just then, the protective barrier shimmered, and the figures of several Masters appeared in the space. At the forefront, Rin Tohsaka shielded her eyes with her hand, then let out a disgusted noise as if she’d seen something unbearable, turning her head away.

"We only came because we sensed someone sprinting through the school building and thought something had happened. And this is what we walk into... Tch."

"I find it quite fascinating, actually." Unlike Rin’s thinly veiled displeasure, Leo remained composed, even admiring Sakatsuki and Draco’s repeated embrace with keen interest. "The enigmatic young man Sakatsuki and his equally mysterious Servant sharing a kiss on a mysterious battlefield... Just imagining it piques my curiosity."

"That’s an overdose of mystery, Leo."

As Rin quipped, a new transformation occurred with Sakatsuki and Draco, who floated at the center of the barrier—before everyone’s eyes, the golden-haired, peerlessly wild beauty dissolved into crimson light and merged into the young man’s chest.

Absorbed?!

Rin and Leo instinctively furrowed their brows. Immediately after, they saw the young man hunch over, letting out a low growl.

A savage, barely restrained roar.

A torrent of violent energy erupted like a geyser, spreading in all directions, forming a massive storm that sent the faceless angels tumbling. Malice condensed into a tangible form, staining the protective barrier with hellish chaos, draining color from the world.

What was happening?

As everyone present stood frozen in shock, only Sakatsuki understood—within his ability panel, a long-dormant skill had awakened once more, radiating a blend of black and crimson light.

Its name was—

[Beastly Metamorphosis: EX]!