Having thoroughly enjoyed the gossip about King Arthur and Mordred, everyone finally dispersed. However, Sakatsuki didn't immediately return to the Fortress of Millennia. Instead, using displacement magecraft, he appeared at the anchor point of the Hanging Gardens.
"Ah, it's Daddy!"
The moment he materialized, the silver-haired little girl cheered and rushed toward him. Sakatsuki caught Jack the Ripper and even spun her around, making her giggle with delight.
"You've grown quite a bit, little Jack."
"Of course! I was watching while big sister was learning!" Jack puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips, looking every bit like an elementary schooler who'd just been praised. However, Sakatsuki noticed her choice of words.
"Big sister...?"
"Mhm! That Mordred sister is Artoria Mama's child, right? And she's taller than me, so of course she's my big sister~"
If this were an ordinary child standing before Sakatsuki, her logic would be flawless. But Jack the Ripper was originally a vengeful spirit without normal thought processes. For her mentality to have developed this much after having her grudges purified was already remarkable.
With that in mind, the young man smiled faintly. He crouched down and pinched Jack's cheeks gently, his tone warm:
"You're doing great, little Jack. While I'm away, make sure to protect your Mama, okay?"
"Mm!" Jack didn't notice the implication in Sakatsuki's words. She nodded seriously, prompting him to stand and turn his attention to Reika, who had been waiting quietly nearby.
The woman was still wearing her green dress, her chestnut hair smooth and her figure graceful. The days of the Holy Grail War hadn't changed much about her, though her face was pale, making her appear increasingly fragile and pitiable.
In the illusionary London, she had continuously absorbed vengeful spirits to find Jack as quickly as possible, ultimately damaging the Dark Magician card Sakatsuki had entrusted to her and even sustaining some physical harm. Of course, Sakatsuki wouldn't blame Reika for this—he was simply curious. Red Assassin Semiramis and Amakusa Shirou Tokisada were far from blind. How could they have missed such an obvious vulnerability?
Unless... they were waiting too, waiting for someone to come forward with an explanation.
A betrayal without reason, an unconvincing defection, the mysterious power to steal Servants, the false Dark Magician, the shadow lurking within the war.
If both the Black and Red factions had sensed something and taken precautions, then the so-called decisive battle would lose its meaning. If the hidden presence remained inactive until the end, then the mastermind behind it all would become nothing but a coward and a laughingstock.
"Let's go. It's our turn to play our hand." Rising to his feet, Sakatsuki walked out of the room with Reika. Outside, Artoria—who clearly hadn't expected them to emerge so soon—hurriedly tried to hide what she was holding, but it was too late. Sakatsuki had already seen it.
It was a deliberately cropped, extremely skimpy short-sleeved top and hot pants.
"..."
In the eerie silence, Artoria's face flushed with excitement as she hurriedly denied, "No, I didn't buy it! It was a gift from Mordred—I mean, she gave it to me before she knew my identity!"
"Ahem, that's good then," Sakatsuki coughed dryly, shaking off certain inappropriate thoughts from his mind. Reika had been silently watching him and suddenly smiled.
"It feels like you've changed a lot, Mr. Sakatsuki."
Recalling the cold, ruthless assassin he once was, both Reika and Artoria felt as though an entire era had passed.
"With the two of you—and that guy—around, it's hard to stay serious," Sakatsuki's gaze flickered slightly, though his tone remained calm. "Who would've thought a person could change so much in just a few days? Human nature truly is a strange thing."
But in truth, your essence has never changed, Lord Sakatsuki...
Artoria thought to herself. As they chatted, the trio soon reached the end of the corridor. At the grand entrance, the flamboyant literary giant and the dragon-slayer of the Netherlands were already waiting.
"To think even I would be roped into this."
"This is a formal negotiation, Shakespeare. Naturally, we must display our full hand," Sakatsuki replied, his demeanor once again sharp and efficient when dealing with anyone other than Reika and the "ahoge." "Of course, we still hold cards close to our chest, while the Red Faction has no secrets left before me."
"In other words, the dominant position in this negotiation belongs to you—the great and hidden King of the Blue Faction! Ah, 'When you are once in blood, step in so far that you cannot wade out without drowning!'"
"...Then I'll take that as your blessing," Sakatsuki nodded indifferently and pushed open the doors to the Throne Room.
The starlight was faint, and the courtyard's ceiling reflected the merging hues of sky and water, creating a dreamlike illusion. Upon the towering throne sat the black-clad Empress, with Amakusa standing dutifully beside her. Their intertwined shadows seemed frail and helpless before Sakatsuki, Reika Rikudou, Artoria, Siegfried, and Shakespeare.
"So it really is you—the self-proclaimed envoy from the Clock Tower, Mr. Sakatsuki."
Just as Sakatsuki had anticipated, the moment Reika lost her abilities as a magus, the Empress noticed the anomaly, dismissing the idea that Reika was the mastermind behind it all.
After all, how could an ordinary person, barely involved in the world of mysteries, secretly orchestrate this Holy Grail War?
Not only that, but Karna's visit, the truth behind the Masters' deaths, Shakespeare's betrayal... all of it reminded Amakusa that the existence of a hidden puppeteer was no baseless rumor. Moreover, this figure had even infiltrated the courtyard and secretly allied with the reclusive Shakespeare.
Karna and Achilles had already returned, and they would surely deliver this news to the Black Faction. With Chiron among them, it wouldn't take long for them to uncover the irregularities.
Out of unspoken understanding toward their enemy, Amakusa and the Empress refrained from acting rashly, instead closely monitoring Reika's every move in hopes of uncovering the true culprit behind the Masters' deaths—the mastermind stirring this Holy Grail War.
—But in the end, they were one step too late.
With the advantage of foresight, Sakatsuki had already gathered a large number of Servants. The Blue Faction had long since emerged from its period of dormancy, needing only a gust of wind to soar like a great roc.
Moreover, tomorrow was the decisive battle. Even if Amakusa remained in the dark, Sakatsuki would step forward to advance his plans.
"...I should have realized it sooner. The one who could communicate with Shakespeare and whose movements were the most suspicious—it could only be you, who hails from the Clock Tower."
Facing the fifth hero who was also an enemy, Amakusa set aside his usual smile and sighed softly. Meanwhile, the Empress clenched the armrests of her throne, her fingertips turning white.
For a ruler, the most feared and despised scenario was undoubtedly the one unfolding before her—a forced abdication. The slightest misstep could escalate into a life-or-death struggle.
"So, you have come here in full force. Do you seek mutual benefit, or do you dare raise your blades against me?"
Unfazed by the Empress's bone-chilling killing intent, Sakatsuki stepped forward as the representative and spoke:
"Naturally, we seek cooperation. Though I already possess the power to overthrow you, should I fail to eliminate you completely—should the Black and Red Factions unite, or should the Greater Grail be destroyed—even I would find the situation quite troublesome."
"You... willingly reveal your own weakness...?"
The Empress was taken aback. Sakatsuki's actions were undeniably a show of vulnerability, yet he had already led his forces into the throne room. Wasn't this redundant—
Suddenly, cold sweat drenched her back. Semiramis abruptly realized there was another possibility for Sakatsuki's behavior.
It was a gesture of sincerity—or perhaps, pity.
The situation was already clear. With the Blue Faction now in the open, the Red Faction was left with only herself, Amakusa, and this garden. Shakespeare had already defected, Avicebron and Siegfried had been brought by Reika, and Artoria had always remained loyal to Reika...
This was why the ever-suspicious Empress had tolerated Reika's free movements. After the Masters' deaths, the Red Faction had lost many Servants. Even though it was later proven that the Masters' deaths were unrelated to the Red Faction, they had still imprisoned and controlled them, leading Achilles and Karna to refuse to return.
Had Reika not switched sides back then, even if Semiramis had split herself into three, she could not have withstood the Black Faction's assault.
The current situation was the same. The Blue Faction's forces could easily crush them. The Red Faction's only remaining advantages were the Hanging Gardens as their stronghold and the forbidden technique that could destroy the Greater Grail, taking everyone down with them.
Precisely because they held this "nuclear button" and still had some capacity to resist, Sakatsuki had chosen the safer path—cooperation. By revealing his own shortcomings, he was telling Semiramis: You have no choice.
I know all your means of resistance. Do you think I wouldn't prepare countermeasures?
Under the overwhelming disparity in strength and intelligence, Semiramis sat frozen on her throne, drenched in cold sweat. Finally, Amakusa, who had remained silent until now, sighed and spoke:
"Even so, Sakatsuki, what is the foundation of our cooperation? What benefits can the Red Faction gain?"
The intention to compromise was evident... A glimmer of amusement flashed in Sakatsuki's eyes. Unaware of Shakespeare's triumphant smile, he continued playing the role of persuader:
"Of course, it's because our goals align—to save the world, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada."
"You... what?!"
Amakusa could only stare in astonishment as Sakatsuki spread his hands. In the next instant, a platinum radiance stole both his vision and his senses.
Flickering like sacred flames, even this single wisp of holy light pierced the depths of the dark night, illuminating the young priest's eyes.
It was the projection of a soul. The manifestation of eternity. The miracle Amakusa had pursued all this time—the obsession and desperate wish that had consumed him for sixty years—
"The Third Magic... Materialization of the Soul..."
Facing Amakusa's almost dreamlike murmur, Sakatsuki gave a slight nod.
"Indeed. This is precisely what you've been seeking."