Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 627

Chapter 627: Hakuno - Moon Spirit King Plus Edition

No one understood better than Sakatsuki and Draco just how intense and lingering the emotions they had accumulated across multiple worlds could be once unleashed.

—Perhaps the unexplained late-night expense and the "brand-new" oversized bed could offer some clues.

After their passion, Sakatsuki leaned comfortably against the headboard, as if missing only a cigarette between his lips, while Draco nestled softly against him, wrapped in the sheets. Her fingers absently traced his arm as she spoke in a slightly resentful tone.

"Thou cheated, using the Third Magic in such a manner."

"Mhm, it’s all part of the skill set," Sakatsuki replied with a pleased arch of his brow, clearly having held the upper hand in their earlier physical bout. "If thou still aren’t satisfied, I do have another trick up my sleeve—’Shadow Clone Jutsu’—"

"...Thou art ruthless." Draco shuddered at the mere thought of such a scenario. Shooting him a glare, she quickly changed the subject. "I can sense my sister is in peril within the Sea of the Third Moon. Surely thou hast monitored it through Hakuno as well. Why dost thou not intervene?"

"No need." Sakatsuki shook his head, then with a mysterious smile, dropped a reference no one else would understand. "After all, the plan to destroy Ultraman was devised by Zoffy."

Draco didn’t get the reference, but she could certainly read the smug amusement on Sakatsuki’s face.

"Hmm, come to think of it, those two brats are nowhere to be seen either..." Draco inhaled sharply, her ample chest rising and falling with the motion. "Thou didst not goad them into fighting again, didst thou?"

Sakatsuki distractedly traced the contours of her figure before answering, "They were destined to clash sooner or later. All I did was speed things up."

"Art thou not afraid of stunting their growth?" Draco chided, shifting forward just enough to block his wandering gaze.

"Who, Hakuno?" Sakatsuki blinked, reluctantly tearing his eyes away. Freed from distraction, his mind finally caught up with the conversation.

"Draco, why dost thou think Archer—why dost thou think that ’motherly’ version of me chose to leave the team so decisively?"

Draco looked up, sensing something in his tone, only to find the young man holding her had, at some point, shifted his eyes into gleaming golden slits. Though his posture remained lazy, the aura of the highest-ranking Phantasmal Species faintly emanated from him, stirring the recovering Red Dragon Emperor’s... appetite.

Dragon Bloodline Constitution (Modified) — Reactivated.

"Ah, seems it’s already over." Sakatsuki chuckled. "See? That’s the reason—because I firmly believe Hakuno no longer needs my help. She may still struggle with self-doubt, but once polished, she will undoubtedly shine."

No one understood better than Sakatsuki just how astonishing the girl’s progress had been under his personal guidance. At times, he even wondered if he had sheltered Hakuno too much, depriving her of opportunities to truly stand out.

You must know, in the timeline where Sakatsuki didn’t guide her, this young girl once fought side by side with ’Nameless’ and ascended to the throne of the Moon’s Holy Grail War.

Not to mention the current Plus-enhanced version.

"Anyway, my confidence in Hakuno’s victory is much stronger than her own," Sakatsuki had just finished speaking when Draco pinched his cheeks. Her golden hair cascaded messily over her chest as the crimson-eyed dragon girl gazed at his face with a teasing smirk.

"Daring to mention another woman in front of me? Are you prepared?"

"Hey, hey, wasn’t it you who changed the subject first?" Sakatsuki deadpanned, but obviously, no matter how justified you are, you should never try to point out a woman’s contradictions. Draco, flushed with anger, bared her teeth and bit down on Sakatsuki’s neck...

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Why are both the big and small ones the same like this?!"

"Wrrrr...!"

As the bedframe let out a creaking lament akin to that of a senior, the sounds of scuffling soon faded, replaced by another, far more intense noise—if the room wasn’t soundproofed, the Master next door would surely cover their ears in silence, inwardly screaming "Enough already!" while drowning in the frustration of being inexplicably kicked on the street...

Let’s skip past this shameless couple and return to the battlefield, where the Moon’s Holy Grail War unfolds more fittingly.

————

As it turned out, our fifth emperor of Rome indeed had the right to be narcissistic—even when her stamina, mana, and spirit were far from their best; even when facing seven enemies; even when the battle’s time limit was less than a minute... she still accomplished her task brilliantly.

Enduring the suicidal attacks of the other knights, she cleaved three of them to pieces.

And precisely because of this, it brought an even deeper despair...

"Haah... haah..." Her once-lustrous hair was now disheveled, her attire tattered beyond repair, the young emperor leaned on her sword, watching the rapidly regenerating remains of the knights with a helpless, bitter laugh.

"Now this... is just cheating."

"Even if you unleash your last ounce of strength, you can’t defeat our knights~~" Alice wagged her finger, her face brimming with smugness, striking the pose of a victor.

"If that’s all you’ve got, then it’s over, isn’t it?" Nursery Rhyme tilted her head, her black dress making her look like a little devil as she stared at Nero with ill intent before swinging her hand down.

"Knights, finish her!"

The battle was over. The outcome decided.

No matter which Master took Hakuno’s place to oversee this battle, surrender would be the only option—Alice’s soldiers and knights remained unscathed, while both Hakuno and Nero had exhausted everything. Even if the Master stubbornly resisted, using a Command Spell to restore the Servant’s stamina, it would only replay the same ending.

Alice and Nursery Rhyme thought so too. Silently apologizing to Sakatsuki in their hearts, they commanded their familiars to begin the final cleanup.

After all, Big Brother did say that if the March Hare lost, they could do as they pleased.

No matter what they did, he wouldn’t object... right?

But at that moment, Alice and the others saw Hakuno raise her head to look at them. Instead of showing panic or pleading, she smiled faintly.

It had to be said that although Hakuno had a weak presence, she was indeed a rare beauty. Once she smiled, even Alice and Nursery Rhyme were momentarily stunned before exchanging an odd glance and whispering to each other.

"Why is the March Hare smiling?"

"I don’t know... Could she have gone mad?"

"No, surely not?"

Their speculation didn’t last long before they heard Hakuno’s confident voice.

"I’ve already seen through your magecraft, little Alice." Despite the goddess’s protection being on the verge of collapse, Hakuno’s expression had completely relaxed. She looked at the two skeptical little girls and continued speaking, also explaining to Nero:

"I became suspicious when the Card Knights appeared. Familiars with strength similar to Servants should require a cost to revive infinitely, yet they recovered completely in the blink of an eye. That level of immortality far exceeds the scope of magecraft, bordering on True Magic."

"At first, I thought it was because Alice is a digital ghost, her soul unbound by physical limits, allowing her to provide vast amounts of magical energy to support the familiars’ revival. So I had Saber conduct a test."

"Ah, so that’s why you had me slay at least three knights!" Nero exclaimed

Kishinami Hakuno shouldn’t have known about this concept in the first place—yet she happened to have a teacher, one who possessed the most outstanding, most unique Reality Marble in the world.

Moreover, that young man, adhering to the principle of ’just in case,’ didn’t just explain the concept of Reality Marbles to her. He also provided detailed information about her original Servant, Nero Claudius...

"There’s one more thing about Reality Marbles—if two Reality Marbles appear simultaneously, a ’conflict between two worlds’ will occur." Recalling the young man’s earnest teachings, Hakuno’s smile widened as she raised her arm high. A magic energy block was consumed, and Nero in the distance immediately took a deep breath as pure magical energy surged into her body, granting her an endless supply of strength.

"Since a Reality Marble cannot move from its point of activation, as long as we summon our own, we can escape these undying soldiers and fight on another plane."

Glancing at Alice and Nursery Rhyme—one panicked, the other expressionless—Hakuno curled her lips. "And according to my calculations, Nursery Rhyme, your power is far inferior to my Saber’s, isn’t it?"

"Hmph... So what?" The little girl in the black dress crossed her arms. Even though Hakuno had exposed the truth, she stubbornly retorted, "Even if you figured it out, so what? Reality Marbles are rare abilities—I don’t believe you have one!"

"Y-yeah!" Alice swallowed hard, whispering to bolster her own courage. "The big sister in red is a Saber! A swordswoman who only knows how to swing a blade couldn’t possibly have a grand magecraft like a Reality Marble..."

Watching the two little girls putting on a fierce front despite being utterly terrified, Hakuno almost felt bad for them. But Nero showed no intention of being gentle with children. Instead, she grinned mischievously.

"Heheh... I see what you mean, my most excellent Master!"

Plunging Aestus Estus into the ground, Nero’s red dress billowed without wind, her beautiful golden hair swaying along with it. A rose-like crimson light rose from beneath her feet, expanding until it formed the magnificent outline of a grand stage.

"Admire my brilliance, hear the thunderous applause! Then praise me—praise this golden theater!"

Facing Alice and Nursery Rhyme’s trembling gazes, Nero’s smile grew even more delighted. Dazzling red light coiled around her, making her look more like a demon than ever.

"Open the gates, raise the curtain for this solo performance—Aestus Domus Aurea!"