Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 629

Chapter 629: The Last Supper

A water-blue dress, a black dress.

The girls lay sprawled on the cool floor, swinging their legs as they enthusiastically flipped through the colorful fairy tale book. Crystal-clear candies sat on the table—peeling off the wrappers and popping them into their mouths made them squint with satisfaction, savoring the sweetness.

The cold moonlight and warm lamplight intertwined in the room, casting a unique beauty, dreamlike and surreal.

Hakuno’s mind wandered. The scene before her would have been heartwarming and beautiful if it had happened yesterday, but now, it felt eerily unsettling.

She had seen with her own eyes the Alices being erased by the Moon Cell... So who were these two girls lying unharmed in the room?

When people die, they become spirits. But when spirits die... what do they become?

Spirits of spirits?

Hakuno’s thoughts were a tangled mess. Even Nero materialized, staring at the Alices in shock—until the two girls seemed to sense something, turned their heads, and met their gazes.

"Hmph." Nursery Rhyme pouted and looked away.

"March Hare, we came to play~~" The polite one was little Alice.

"Oh, okay, welcome..." Hakuno suddenly snapped back to reality. "Wait, that’s not the point, is it?"

"You’re not dead?" Nero couldn’t help but ask. "But my Master and I both saw you get erased by the Moon Cell."

"Mmm-hmm, we’re pretty amazing, you know?" Alice tilted her little face up proudly. "As long as the book hasn’t reached its last page, we won’t exit the stage so easily, right, me (Nursery Rhyme)?"

No sooner had Alice spoken than Nursery Rhyme gave her a light chop on the head. "Lying isn’t good, me (Alice)."

"Ow... Sorry." Little Alice rubbed her head and obediently apologized before glancing at Hakuno and whispering, "March Hare, don’t blame us, okay? Actually, this was all just Mad Hatter’s mission."

"In other words, Sakatsuki made us fight you and even told us how to do it," Nursery Rhyme sighed. Unlike her carefree Master, she spoke like a little adult, answering Hakuno and Nero’s doubts. "We owe our revival to his help too. As for why he did all this... you’ll have to ask him. We don’t know anything."

Should they go find Sakatsuki for answers?

"Master..." Nero instinctively looked at Hakuno, only to find the girl lost in thought for a moment before breaking into a smile.

"No need, Nero. I already understand Sakatsuki’s good intentions."

Nero froze, sensing something off in Hakuno’s tone. The Hakuno from before this battle would never have spoken so calmly about the young man who had haunted her thoughts.

"Master, are you okay?"

"Hm? Why wouldn’t I be?" Hakuno tilted her head cutely. "I’ve just figured it out. Sakatsuki has done so much for me already—I can’t keep hiding under his protection forever."

Kishinami Hakuno turned her gaze to Alice and Nursery Rhyme. Just seeing the two girls side by side, laughing and playing, was enough to make anyone smile.

Sakatsuki’s words, Leo’s ideals, encounters with Shinji, the old knight, Rin, Alice... all of these poured some kind of water into the originally empty vessel that was myself.

Whether that water was clear or murky remained unknown at this stage.

Still, I had finally found my path, and the questions that had troubled my heart suddenly seemed unimportant.

Because just by looking at them, I realized there were too many solutions to this problem—as numerous as the stars in the sky.

"And every solution leads to the future," Hakuno murmured softly, curling her lips into a smile.

"Um, my Master, I must remind you," Nero said, momentarily stunned by Hakuno’s unusually radiant smile before snapping back to reality and whispering a warning, "This is a rare opportunity to meet with the Governor... with Sakatsuki."

"Sakatsuki has already gone off to someone else’s place. Other than battles, chances to find him are few and far between."

Ah, right.

Hakuno froze. She had grown so accustomed to the days spent with Sakatsuki that she would forget he had already left if she wasn’t careful. Now, reminded by Nero, she belatedly realized the truth and twitched her lips.

Pain. Such pain.

But she couldn’t take it back now, could she?

"N-no problem! I just need to defeat Sakatsuki-kun and tie him up to bring him back!" Hakuno clenched her small fists, stubbornly insisting.

Hearing this, Nero looked dumbfounded. The Alices paused their reading to glance at the girl spouting nonsense, whispering among themselves with strange looks in their eyes.

"Um, my Master," Nero whispered, "If you really do run into the Governor, the one more likely to get tied up is you..."

"March Hare, shame on you~" Alice stuck her tongue out at Hakuno, clearly thinking she was just boasting.

And the more frustrating thing was... Hakuno felt the same way.

But the girl who had just declared her growth would never back down so easily.

"If you... don’t believe me, fine! I, Kishinami Hakuno, will make Sakatsuki-kun kneel helplessly before me and show him what it means that ’thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the—eek!"

The sharp crack of air being split sounded behind her. Before Hakuno could react, thick ropes fell and bound her tightly. Then, a young man’s amused voice rang out:

"Even if this story came from me, you can’t just go around spouting lines like that... A young lady like you starts spouting nonsense after reading a few plays."

The ropes tightened, the friction against her clothes drawing a soft whimper from the girl as her cheeks flushed red—whether from embarrassment or panic, it was hard to say. The misbehaving student caught by her teacher looked pleadingly at her Servant Nero, but Nero just shrugged, amused and helpless.

"I did warn you, my Master," the Emperor said with a wicked grin. "The Governor was already standing behind you when you said ’tie him up,’ and he’s been listening to you this whole time... Now his expression looks rather dangerous."

Hearing this, Hakuno swallowed hard, her face pale as she slowly turned her stiff neck to look behind her.

And there, she saw it—a handsome face smiling in a way that sent chills down her spine.

"S-Sakatsuki..."

"Alright, drag her away—" Sakatsuki had no intention of listening to Hakuno’s explanations. Drawing out his words, he tugged on the rope, leading the pitiful and helpless girl toward the kitchen. "Considering how much bolder you’ve become, I’ll make sure to treat you properly."

Pausing for a moment, Sakatsuki looked at the trembling Hakuno and slowly revealed a devilish smile.

"—My dear student."

————

Though he had thoroughly frightened Hakuno, Sakatsuki was all talk. Tying her up and bringing her to the kitchen was just to make her assist as a helper. As for something as deranged as female body cuisine or kitchen play... the Moon Cell was no lawless land.

Besides, even a greedy dragon would eventually grow sated and lazy. Right now, Sakatsuki was content simply admiring the treasures in his hoard, occasionally toying with a jewel-encrusted crown.

Hakuno, on the other hand, seemed somewhat disappointed... ahem, no need to explain why.

Amid the bustle, Hakuno heard Sakatsuki mention the reason for his visit—first, to return Alice and Nursery Rhyme after their revival, and second, to find a place to cook dinner.

"My little red dragon got tired from ’playing’ and fell asleep. I didn’t want to wake her, so I had to borrow your kitchen, Hakuno."

Opening the oven, Sakatsuki took out the freshly baked pastries while Hakuno stepped forward to help. Curious, she asked, "By the way, Sakatsuki, how did you manage to bring Alice and the others back? Weren’t they erased by the Moon Cell?"

"I’m no longer your Servant, Hakuno. You’ll have to find the answer yourself." Sakatsuki avoided the question, changing the subject. "Well, the desserts are ready. Go tell everyone it’s time to eat."

"...Oh."

By the time Sakatsuki finished tidying the kitchen and stepped out, the feast on the table had already fallen victim to the girls’ ’merciless assault.’ Whether it was the once-glorious emperor, the wandering ghost of the digital world, or the Servants materialized from a girl’s dreams—all were effortlessly captivated by Sakatsuki’s culinary skills.

"Mmm~ this meat pie smells amazing!"

"The pizza’s great too! One bite and—ahh... so delicious!"

"Cake, cheese, baked mozzarella, ice cream~~"

The dining table was lively, like an impromptu symphony orchestra. Yet Sakatsuki, the mastermind behind it all, didn’t immediately take his seat. Leaning against the doorframe, he quietly admired the scene. The warm light outlined his slender figure, and his eyes shimmered with fleeting reflections.

"What are you doing, Sakatsuki~~?"

Hakuno appeared silently behind him, studying the young man’s pensive expression. Sakatsuki snapped out of his thoughts and turned to her—now free from the childish ’dependence’ she once had, playful and mischievous in front of him. A faint smile curled at his lips.

"Same as them—I’m enjoying myself, Hakuno."

"Enjoying?"

"Yes. Enjoying this ’bond’ of having met all of you." His eyes glowed with a platinum radiance as he beheld the resplendent hues of their souls, slowly completing the final piece of the magical puzzle.

Before long, ’he’ would truly be able to call himself the Third Magician.

"When lives intersect, something new is always born. And this miracle... is exactly what I’ve been waiting for."

Before Hakuno could grasp the deeper meaning behind those words, the door to the private room swung open once more (without the owner’s consent). The petite crimson dragon with her golden hair tied up walked in drowsily, clutching a pillow.

"Sakatsuki, as I thought, you are here."

"Oh, awake already, my Emperor?"

The moment the little crimson dragon made her entrance, the atmosphere in the room froze. Despite being a small and adorable young girl, she inexplicably radiated an aura befitting the ’legitimate wife,’ causing those with ulterior motives to avert their gazes.

Only Sakatsuki crouched down with a smile, handing Draco the snacks he had prepared in advance.

"Here, try this. I made it especially for you."

Damn it, the treatment for the Master is just different... Hakuno thought bitterly, feeling a pang of jealousy.

Who is the one stealing the Governor’s affection? It is I! Nero opened her mouth slightly, feeling as if ten thousand Dumuzids were galloping through her heart.

"Hmm, what is this?" Ignoring the envious and resentful stares of the other two, Draco examined the snack in her hand with confusion. "It looks like a round cabbage."

"It’s a cream puff, Draco," Sakatsuki replied with a mischievous grin. "I thought it suited you."

Draco frowned, carefully splitting the puff in half. A stream of creamy white filling oozed out, its rich aroma flooding her nostrils and leaving the little crimson dragon frozen in place.

This strangely familiar sensation...

Could it be?!

Absurd and wild memories surged into her mind, wiping away the drowsiness from her expression. In an instant, she realized the teasing intent behind his words. Even if the others might not have caught on, she was utterly mortified. Her silver teeth clenched as she glared at Sakatsuki and lunged at him.

"You scoundrel, I’ll bite you to death!"

"Ahahaha... Quick reaction, my Emperor. Hey, don’t bite there! I’m dying, dying, dying—"

"S-Sakatsuki! Are you okay?!"

Sakatsuki, pinned down by Draco; Hakuno, rushing forward in a panic; Nero, who had just realized something; and two little lolitas watching the scene unfold with amused smiles, their cheeks resting on their hands...

This was the precious, frozen moment captured within the private room.

————

"Aah~ I’ve captured a rare CG image."

As if chanting a Buddhist hymn, a voice echoed from afar. Upon the radiant throne of heaven, a figure sat cross-legged on the ground, squinting. "Especially knowing what’s about to happen next... Hey, you. If you’re planning to do something like that, even you would draw the attention of the Moon Cell, wouldn’t you?"

Before the young man, a man in a white lab coat adjusted his glasses, unmoved by the probing. "It doesn’t matter. If it means killing you, it’s all worth it."

"Hey, hey," the young man retorted. "I’ve died and come back to life over and over these past few dozen days... Isn’t it enough that I’ve suffered this much? Have you no conscience? No humanity?"

"For you, death is not the end," the man in the lab coat replied coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. "If anything, you’re growing rapidly between death and rebirth. But—the other you is different."

"No matter how hard you try to hide it, your concern for that version of yourself is unmistakable. In other words, he doesn’t possess the ability to revive infinitely. He has only one chance to bring the opportunity for a comeback here."

Even as a ghost of the moonlit world, excessive wisdom still did not spare this man: "You have indeed prepared much for your final reversal—the gradual erosion of Mooncell’s authority, the trump card you nurtured right before my eyes, and even my masterpiece, which I waited countless years for, has been gradually led astray from the path I set..."

Word by word, he laid bare everything Sakatsuki had done in the Holy Grail War of the Moon—secrets even those closest to him had never known.

Then, with icy finality, he passed judgment.

"Therefore, even if it means distorting the rules, I will not let ’you’ and her pass."

Faced with the man who had exposed everything, the young man scoffed, turning his head away as if bored: "Then by all means, do as you will, Peace-Man (Piscesman). I won’t stop you."

"Nor could you," the man called Piscesman replied calmly. "And you will never defeat my Servant (Him)."

The Throne of Heaven let out a mournful cry as the resplendent golden wheel slowly turned, absorbing every last glimmer of hope. After completing a full rotation, the Tsukihara Academy was plunged into darkness—those beautiful, peaceful days, all the laughter, quietly fading away.

In their place, an endless Asura’s hell began its eternal performance.