Chapter 636

Chapter 636: The Game Before the Decisive Battle

Without delay, Sakatsuki, his interest piqued, went straight out and boldly made his way to the academy rooftop.

As he ascended the stairs, the revelry of Tsukumihara Academy had already ended. The traces of human activity were buried with time, and eternity once again took hold of the divine garden, sowing seeds of solitude while eagerly awaiting them to bloom into flowers of silence.

It wasn’t until he pushed open the rooftop door and saw the twin tails dyed golden by the twilight, the elegant young lady as graceful as a doe, that Sakatsuki truly understood what it meant for things to remain unchanged.

"It’s been a while, Rin. You’re as beautiful as ever."

"Why start with that the moment we meet?" Rin seemed startled, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The indigo depths of her eyes flickered with shifting emotions before finally settling into determination. "Time is short, so I’ll get straight to the point—Sakatsuki, Julius has invited the remaining Masters to hunt you down."

Faced with Rin’s warning, Sakatsuki merely shoved his hands into his pockets, appearing utterly relaxed. "Julius, huh? That guy still won’t give up. With so few people left, what use are his strategies?"

"Don’t underestimate him, Sakatsuki," Rin said seriously. "Julius is the strongest executive of the Western European financial conglomerates. His leadership and strategic abilities are top-notch, far beyond those ragtag forces from that night."

"Ah, speaking of which, I haven’t thanked you yet." Sakatsuki brushed off her concern and instead clapped his hands together with a smile. "That night, you were the one who messaged Hakuno to come save me, right? That was a huge help."

"Cut it out. Don’t think I don’t know—while it was framed as saving you, it was really just your solo show." Rin narrowed her eyes and quipped, "Hakuno-chan already told me. They never even got a chance to act and ended up being saved by you instead."

Hakuno-chan... Huh, so they’re that close?

Speaking of that little Hakuno, she’d been leaving early and returning late even more frequently than during the first round, keeping Nero so busy she was practically suffering. Last time, Hakuno had clung to the doorframe, refusing to leave no matter what, until Draco finally tossed her out... Who knew what schemes this second disciple was brewing in secret.

Sakatsuki fell into thought, but Rin soon realized the topic had been derailed. She shot him a reproachful glance before quickly moving on to share the intel she’d gathered:

"Aside from Leo, Julius, me, you, and Hakuno, Julius has also uncovered information about the remaining Master. Her Servant is Lancer—Karna."

"...Got it. That super shut-in. If the updated rules hadn’t forced her out of her room, she’d probably have stayed on the sidelines observing until the very end."

"Sakatsuki, you know that Master?" Rin asked curiously, watching as the young man massaged his temples.

"Ha, I know her, but she doesn’t know me." Sakatsuki sighed, never expecting a member of the EXTRA CCC protagonist team to make a surprise appearance in EXTRA. "Anyway, just assume we don’t know each other."

"Then you should understand her Servant, right? Karna, the great hero with peak combat power and the essence of a heroic spirit, the son of the sun god Surya. It goes without saying that he is definitely an opponent on the same level as Gawain." The girl placed her hands on her hips, sighing with concern, "And with Julius and his Servant added into the mix, the difficulty has increased exponentially."

"Alright, alright, I get your point." Sakatsuki raised his hands in surrender, "I’ll stay in my room honestly during this time and won’t step out even once."

"Are you sure?"

"I’m sure."

"Do you swear?"

"I swear."

"Hmph..." With each question, Rin Tohsaka stepped closer. When she reached Sakatsuki and saw the smile in his eyes, she understood everything.

"Big liar."

"Hey, hey, I did promise you."

"Yeah, even a child knows that what adults say to coax them is completely untrustworthy." Rin retorted with annoyance, rubbing her temples as a headache began to form, "I get it now; you never intended to hide away honestly, did you? Well, I guess I have no choice but to play along with your scheme."

"Those who know me, know you too, Rin." Sakatsuki clapped in agreement, suddenly bending down to get closer to the girl, "By the way, are you being so nice to me because you have some ulterior motive?"

The handsome young man’s charm activated.

Critical success!

"W-what are you talking about?!" Miss Rin, who was easily flustered, immediately broke her composure, stepping back to create distance, "I... I just don’t want that guy Leo to win! Besides, I’d rather help you than Julius... Ah... ah ah ah, what am I saying?!"

Sakatsuki caught the panicking Rin, deftly pulling her closer. All she saw was his fox-like smiling eyes flash before her, and by the time she realized it, the young man had already brushed past her, waving his hand casually as he walked toward the rooftop exit.

"Thanks, Rin! After we take down Julius, I’ll treat you to something delicious~~"

"Hey, I’d rather not have such a childish reward!" Rin shouted at Sakatsuki, her face filled with frustration, but the empty rooftop offered no response. As Sakatsuki descended the stairs, he recalled the girl’s appearance, his gaze flickering.

The dull night before the decisive battle was starting to become interesting.

————

Not long after Sakatsuki left, Rin received a message from Julius and arrived at the conference room in Tsukihama.

"You’re late, Rin Tohsaka." Julius looked up from the main seat in the conference room, his suspicious gaze unmasked, "The familiar tracking you has lost contact for some time. What’s going on?"

As expected, here it comes.

Rin was prepared for Julius’s questioning; she smiled, always confident and dignified in front of anyone other than Sakatsuki:

"I have no intention of explaining anything to a temporary ’ally.’ We’re only cooperating temporarily to eliminate obstacles. And you really dare to say that, sending a familiar to spy on me? It’s already merciful of me not to take revenge on you."

Facing the unyielding and counterattacking Miss Rin, Julius showed no reaction—he was already accustomed to this old rival’s style and simply turned to look at another person in the conference room.

That was a slender man clad in golden armor and the sun’s radiance, shining like the great sun itself.

Lancer, Karna, had arrived on behalf of his Master.

Meeting Julius’s probing gaze, Karna gave a slight nod, prompting Julius to withdraw his eyes with satisfaction. "Now that everyone is here, let’s discuss the plan. Our opponents are the exceptionally powerful Sakatsuki and his Master, Draco—the greatest adversaries we face in this Holy Grail War. To deal with him, we must give it our all..."

As Julius spoke in his usual detached and emotionless tone, the plan targeting Sakatsuki gradually unfolded. The more Rin listened, the more alarmed she became—unlike Hakuno, she had never personally experienced Sakatsuki’s overwhelming strength. She had only regarded him as a top-tier Servant, one who could stand toe-to-toe with Gawain, if not surpass him slightly.

But under Julius’s arrangements, even Gawain himself would suffer severe injuries—or even death—if caught unaware!

Could Sakatsuki overcome this ordeal?

Filled with worry, Rin excused herself, claiming she needed to use the restroom, and temporarily left the meeting room. After once again blocking any prying familiars, the girl opened her Master terminal—only to pause mid-action.

The image of Sakatsuki’s arrogant demeanor flashed through her mind. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she ultimately dialed another person’s number.

"Hey, Hakuno, we’ve got a serious problem!"

Ignoring the other end’s muttered complaint about how "this line sounds familiar," Rin spilled all the information in one breath before hurriedly hanging up. Then, before Julius could grow suspicious, she calmly returned to the meeting room.

"Sorry for the wait. Where were we?"

"...Just about to assign roles." Julius glanced at her but made no comment. "Lancer, you’ll take the frontlines, while I provide support and look for assassination opportunities."

"Understood." Karna nodded calmly, accepting the most difficult task. Yet no matter how long Rin waited, Julius gave no further instructions.

"Hey, what about me?"

At her question, Julius paused slightly. He stopped organizing the data and looked up at Rin Tohsaka, his gaze eerily cold.

A bad premonition rose in Rin’s heart—and then, she heard Julius’s slow, deliberate words.

"Your value—is as bait."

"Bait to lure Sakatsuki out."

She’d been tricked!

Realizing the danger instantly, Rin opened her mouth to call for her Servant in spiritual form—but a cold hand clamped around her throat. Standing behind her was a martial artist clad in gold-and-red battle attire, his grip strong enough to snap her slender neck with a single motion.

"Assassin... Li Shuwen..." Rin gasped for air, forcing a bitter smile. "How did you bypass my magical defenses?"

"No comment." Li Shuwen replied impassively. "But for any assassin, taking the head of someone whose mind is unsettled is child’s play."

"Unsettled, huh... Hah. I never thought I’d grow so weak. I wonder what the reason is."

"You’ll have plenty of time to think about it—until Sakatsuki finds you." Julius cut her off. "Assassin, knock her out."

"As you command."

———

Not long after, as the school’s intercom crackled to life with static, Julius’s cold voice echoed throughout Mooncell Academy.

"Rin Tohsaka is now my hostage, Sakatsuki. If you have the courage, come find me on the third floor of Tsukihara Academy."

The broadcast quickly spread through the empty school grounds. At the doorway of his private room, Sakatsuki flipped a coin, watching as the silver glint tumbled through the air before landing back in his palm.

Following the motion, he stood up and stretched with an exaggerated yawn.

"Ah~ So it’s come to this after all."

Even with his close friend’s life hanging in the balance, the young man’s expression remained lazy. Yet when he raised his eyes, dangerous glints flashed through those golden vertical pupils.

"Julius, who dares challenge me despite knowing my strength... and the little sun summoned for the Moon Holy Grail War... At least there’s some new entertainment while waiting for Leo and Hakuno."

Without informing the little red dragon just beyond his door, the young man strode forward toward the third floor of Tsukihara Academy.

"Well then, let the games begin."