Sakatsuki departed, and the Empress leaned back on her throne, turning her gaze toward Amakusa, who was deep in thought with a furrowed brow.
"Hey, did you really just agree to Sakatsuki's alliance proposal so easily?"
After Sakatsuki revealed the Third Magic, Amakusa had nodded in agreement to the cooperation almost without hesitation—the Third Magic indeed held such weight. But in Semiramis' eyes, Amakusa should never have been so easily swayed.
Faced with the Empress's veiled concern, the young priest chuckled softly and instead said,
"Don't be fooled, Assassin. Since Sakatsuki has chosen to reveal his hand, the Holy Grail War has now become a three-way battle. This was always our chance to overcome the stronger side, especially since the Blue and Black factions' combat strength is evenly matched."
"Evenly matched? But Achilles and Karna—"
"True, the Black faction holds the advantage in numbers. But don't forget, the Masters of Rider, Lancer, and Archer are already dead. Karna has also lost his immortality. How much power can they truly wield when they rely on leylines just to survive?" Amakusa analyzed. "In contrast, the Blue faction now has the King of Britain, Arthur; the Dragon Slayer of the Netherlands, Siegfried; the founder of Kabbalah magecraft, Avicebron; the mysterious Servant who killed their Master; and… Sakatsuki."
Only Sakatsuki did not receive any title. That name alone was an undeniable threat in this Holy Grail War.
He had killed Frankenstein, killed Vlad III and the head of the Yggdmillennia clan, Danik, slain Masters, stolen the Holy Grail, and thrown the Red faction into chaos. Now, he was scheming in secret within the Black faction.
Had Sakatsuki not feared the Ruler or some other factor and finally stepped onto the stage, both the Black and Red factions would likely have remained oblivious until their deaths. Such an enemy… was truly terrifying.
After a pause, Amakusa continued, "Moreover, Sakatsuki's goal aligns with mine. That is why I chose to cooperate with him."
"Have you considered that his words might be lies? A trap to deceive you?"
"No, Assassin, they are not." The white-haired priest, the saint of the Far East, laughed from the depths of his heart as he recalled the look in the young man's eyes. "Those were undoubtedly Sakatsuki's true feelings. I believe in him—just as I believe unshakably in my own path."
The memory from earlier remained vivid. The young man who wielded miracles gazed at Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, the so-called "Child of Miracles," and spoke with unwavering sincerity.
"Our goals are the same, Amakusa. You fight in this war to save all of humanity, to elevate mankind to eternal heights. As for me, I stand here to bring salvation to the world—it makes no difference whether you or I use the Holy Grail. No matter what, I will record the data of this grand endeavor."
"If you don't believe my words, that's fine. But compared to our grand ambition, the Black faction's wish to seize the Holy Grail seems rather out of place, doesn't it? Why not cooperate to eliminate them first, then consider our own conflict?"
Objectively speaking, the conditions Sakatsuki proposed as the dominant party were exceedingly generous. If Amakusa agreed, he would receive the Blue faction's assistance without any cost or obligation.
Yet, driven by a clergyman's conviction or perhaps some subtle competitive spirit, Amakusa posed a question:
"Then, what exactly does your ideal world look like?"
Had Sakatsuki prepared for this, he would have eloquently elaborated his wish. Even caught off guard, his strategic mind could have fabricated a plausible-sounding ideal to gloss over the matter.
But the young man fell silent. Only after a long pause did Amakusa hear his response.
"If a world's Greater Source has dried up... could the Holy Grail and lunar sovereignty... No, never mind."
—Though vague and evasive, Amakusa Shiro felt certain in that moment: Sakatsuki wasn't deceiving him.
Only a true hero who genuinely sought to save the world and achieve humanity's salvation would hesitate at critical junctures, repeatedly wavering for fear that a single misstep might bring ruin upon all mankind.
"Very well, I accept your proposal, Sakatsuki. Let our two factions fight together. But before we part... might you reveal your true name?"
"Heh, so be it. My allegiance lies with the Iridescent Blue, my class is Assassin, and my true name is Sakatsuki. I appreciate the Red faction's cooperation. With your permission, I shall take my leave."
As the memory faded, the Empress studied Amakusa's relaxed expression and sighed wryly. "Truly, I never imagined one Holy Grail War could harbor two equally absurd madmen."
"Indeed. To you, both he and I must seem incomprehensible." Amakusa blinked suddenly. "Ah, you gave Karna the communication spell, yes? Perfect—contact the Black faction for me."
"???" Semiramis activated the spell while staring in disbelief. "Didst thou not just ally with Sakatsuki... the Blue faction? Attempting to play both sides before that Forest Sage would end disastrously."
"Not an alliance. Merely exchanging information with former Red faction members."
"Exchanging information?"
"Yes. About Sakatsuki's true nature. I wish to understand more before our final confrontation." Feeling the warning in his mind, Amakusa nodded calmly.
Few knew that Amakusa, as an Eastern saint summoned in the Ruler class, possessed the personal skill 'Revelation'—ranked A, equal to Jeanne d'Arc's.
Yet (as he considered it baseless) he could never properly explain it. Even the original records scarcely mentioned this ability, so Sakatsuki too had overlooked its significance.
But against the enigmatic Blue faction and Sakatsuki himself, this skill became an irrational yet decisive trump card. Logic aside, the intuition-derived conclusions left even Amakusa inwardly astonished.
That young man would actually destroy 'this' world before saving it...?!
Considering that Sakatsuki had shown no abnormalities and the revelation's outcome was too vague, Amakusa did not abandon cooperation with the Blue faction. However, he also left himself a backup plan by leaking information, indirectly setting up an insurance policy.
Yet the moment the spell connected, a sudden thought occurred to Amakusa.
Given Sakatsuki's domineering personality, if one were to negotiate with him, they should have blocked all his escape routes, leaving him no choice but to cooperate—just as he had used some unknown method to kill the Masters, forcing Achilles and others to defect irreversibly, even if the culprit was later exposed.
With his advantage of lurking in the shadows, even if the Red faction noticed Reika Rikudou's anomalies, they wouldn't immediately pin him as the mastermind. In that case, Sakatsuki could have simply stayed put, reaping the benefits, or even actively created opportunities to profit from the chaos...
Why did his actions this time feel deliberately half-hearted?
Unfortunately, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada—this overly noble saint—still didn't understand Sakatsuki well enough. Had Artoria put herself in his position, she would have instantly realized that what Amakusa perceived as Sakatsuki holding back actually had another name—
Arrogance from above.
————
After concluding the meeting with the Red faction and successfully signing the alliance, Sakatsuki bid farewell to Reika, Artoria, and the others, returning to the Black faction's Fortress of Millennia.
After all, on the surface, he was still a Servant who had defected to the Black faction. Moreover, now that the Red faction was dealt with, it was time to check on the seeds he had planted within the Black faction and see what fruits they had borne.
"Lord Sakatsuki."
"Greetings, Lord Sakatsuki."
"Lord Sakatsuki..."
As he walked down the corridor, the homunculi passing by him stopped in unison, paying respects to the mentor of their kind, the hero who had saved them. Sakatsuki returned their greetings one by one before arriving at his destination and knocking on the door.
"Are you there, Sieg? I need to speak with you."
"Teacher? Just a moment, I'll be right there."
The door opened, and Sakatsuki glanced past the slightly excited homunculus girl into the room.
No trace of Astolfo's presence—good. It seemed there was no need to take Sieg to the courtyard for a private talk.
"Please come in, Teacher. What did you need?"
"Yes, it's about tomorrow's decisive battle..."
The door closed, concealing their figures and voices. Across the hallway, another door silently shut as well.
In the room opposite Sieg's, a tall, handsome warrior turned around with a grave expression.
"Sakatsuki has returned. He entered Sieg's room."
"Hmm, judging by their conversation, it seems he wants Sieg's assistance. If Sieg agrees, it means the Black Rider will defect as well."
The son of the sun god, Karna, leaned against the wall, deep in thought, before suddenly looking up at the forest sage seated cross-legged on the bed, exuding an aura of nature and gentleness.
His name was Chiron, the mentor of Achilles, the Black faction's absolute strategist and navigator. After uncovering the true culprit behind the incident in the Hanging Gardens and returning, Achilles and Karna had immediately sought guidance from this sage. And before they could confront Sakatsuki, they received a message from Amakusa.
In other words, they had realized that the mysterious assassin lurking behind the scenes was none other than this figure in the Holy Grail War.
"What do you think, Archer of Black?"
Under Achilles' expectant gaze, Chiron did not disappoint. After a brief moment of contemplation, he provided his answer:
"If the information from that priest of Red, Amakusa, is accurate, then it's likely that everything—from this homunculus's birth, to contracting Rider during its escape, and finally returning to Black to liberate the homunculi—was all orchestrated by Sakatsuki."
"But that sounds like a good thing, doesn't it? Helping homunculi gain freedom and all... What's the problem?" Achilles asked, puzzled. Chiron sighed in response:
"That's precisely where Sakatsuki is most cunning. He turned actions that weakened Black into an unstoppable open scheme."
Achilles still looked somewhat lost, but Karna seemed to grasp the situation and explained:
"With the awakening of the homunculi's consciousness, the Yggdmillennia can no longer freely command them to the battlefield. Instead, they must control the number of sacrifices. Yet the Red faction's Empress can produce nearly infinite bone warriors, which means Black is at a disadvantage in direct combat."
"Not only that," Chiron added, "but Lord Gordes' battery system also requires the sacrifice of homunculi. Now that Sieg is with Black, do you think he would allow Servants to recklessly expend magical energy at the cost of homunculi lives?"
"Moreover, compared to Black, Sakatsuki's favor weighs far heavier. Though Sieg holds Black's Servant, there's always the possibility of betrayal. Even if he remains with Black, he'll face unnecessary suspicion. Any conflict would reignite the tensions among the homunculi that had just begun to ease."
Karna and Chiron took turns explaining, leaving Achilles speechless. Though straightforward, he was no fool when it came to understanding the situation. But it was precisely because he grasped the terrifying nature of Sakatsuki's scheme that this great hero began to question everything.
Back when Sakatsuki was still with Red, Achilles had naively believed him to be merely a slightly stronger Servant—perhaps more skilled in cooking and a bit sharper in wit, but still no match for himself, Achilles.
Yet even if he racked his brains, he could never have conceived such a meticulously laid, far-reaching plan!
"A... a single arrow hitting three targets? Someone this formidable is almost on par with Odysseus... No, perhaps even surpassing him. I'd love to see them face off on the battlefield to see who's truly stronger..."
"Is now really the time for this, Achilles?" Chiron reminded him sternly.
"Remember, this assassin, accomplished in both strategy and combat, is our greatest enemy."