Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 643

Chapter 643: The Grand Servant Assassinated (Unrivaled)

[Grand·Archer, responding to summon]

The hunter of myth scratched his ear: "Don’t forget, it wasn’t the bow that made me—I forged the Grand Bow."

"None of your business. Who knew a henpecked guy like you would lecture me," Sakatsuki retorted, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Oof... can’t argue with that..."

[Grand·Archer, summoning canceled]

"Continue," Leo said impassively.

[Grand·Caster, summoning refused]

A cold snort echoed from somewhere in the spacetime continuum. The mere act of carrying the voice of the King of Magi caused the summoning circle to groan under the strain.

"Continue," the golden-haired boy gritted his teeth.

[Grand·Rider, responding to summon]

Amid the surging waves of the great flood, a captain who had sailed through apocalyptic calamity lifted his gaze. His androgynously beautiful face offered Sakatsuki a gentle smile before vanishing.

[Grand·Rider, summoning refused]

"My lord, perhaps we should—"

"Continue!"

[Grand·Berserker, no response]

Only one chance remained.

Leo sighed softly. Before attempting to summon a Grand Servant, he had steeled himself—after all, they were the pinnacle of each class, the Counter Force’s treasured arsenal. Even if his Western European conglomerate ruled the world, it wouldn’t earn him their favor.

But being cold-shouldered by the Grand Servants was one thing... being treated as a mere conduit, summoned just to exchange a few words with Sakatsuki before leaving? What kind of absurd scenario was this?!

"Sakatsuki... tell me honestly, how many Grand Servants do you actually know?"

"Me?" Sakatsuki didn’t look particularly proud. For him, the guillotine was inevitable—just a matter of timing.

After a moment’s thought, he answered:

"Well, let’s see... the Grand Lancer is my girlfriend’s ancestor. I also know a candidate for Grand Caster. Oh, and see this bow? It belongs to the Grand Archer."

"Calling me your girlfriend is so distant, Master."

"Mm, you may simply address me as your wife!"

Hearing Sakatsuki’s words, the two emperors—one tall, one petite—spoke in unison. Hakuno pouted unhappily and quickly changed the subject: "Sakatsuki, what about the Grand Rider and Grand Saber?"

She hadn’t forgotten how the Grand Saber had been the first to respond to the summon, circling Sakatsuki affectionately—even planting a kiss on him!

"Those two... honestly, I’m not sure," Sakatsuki mused. "But the Throne of Heroes exists beyond time and space. Maybe I’ll meet them at some point in the future. Well, the Grand Saber’s a mystery, but the chances of meeting the Grand Rider are... really, really high."

After all, among the Servants who fought Draco’s true form in the arcade version, aside from the Grand Caster candidates Merlin and Arthur, there was only Noah—the Grand Rider who fell at the very beginning—and... that one, who worked tirelessly for the Counter Force.

Now that Draco has regained her true form, the character cards of these two have undoubtedly been added to the limited-time gacha pool.

"Ahem, so, by the way, the Grand Assassin is my teacher. Much of my assassination (or rather, unstoppable combat) techniques were learned from that old man."

Sakatsuki seemed to casually persuade Leo to give up: "So, there’s no need to waste resources summoning anymore. Even if that Grand Assassin answers the call, he wouldn’t clean up his own disciple, right?"

"Thanks for the reminder. I’ve realized how much of a failure this summoning is, Sakatsuki." Leo clutched his chest, where waves of dull pain throbbed. "Interesting... this boiling, scorching sensation in my chest... Could this be what they call ’frustration’?"

"My King!" Gawain remained kneeling on one knee, his holy sword ignited, but couldn’t help turning his head in barely concealed anxiety.

The ideal king he envisioned would never be troubled by setbacks.

Such emotions were the burdens of mere mortals!

"Don’t worry, Gawain. I won’t give up." The fleeting emotion vanished as quickly as it appeared. Leo raised his hand, signaling Gawain to stay calm. "Since we still have one last portion of magical resources left, let’s use it decisively—and at the same time, prepare for a desperate fight."

"As you command. I shall not disappoint my lord." Gawain bowed his head and once again channeled his full power into the holy sword.

"You two are really persistent, huh~" Sakatsuki feigned a yawn, using his hand to cover his bitter smile.

That old man... wouldn’t really come swinging his greatsword to chop off this unworthy disciple’s head, would he?

"It’s here!"

The magic circle emitted an unusual sound. Leo looked up in excitement, only to find this summoning different from any before—accompanied by a shrill, ear-piercing screech at maximum volume, the magic circle, which had endured six Grand summons without damage, now emitted the sound of imminent collapse!

Crack, crack, crack.

A chilling sensation spread from his fingertips. Leo jerked his hand back, only to find his fingers had turned into crystal.

A clear, alien-like crystallization—both repulsive and beautiful—was spreading greedily through the Grand magic circle, devouring everything around it like a swarm of locusts.

"What is this?!"

Gawain tightened his grip on the sword hilt. He could feel the Star Holy Sword trembling—a presence from an unknown time and space, posing an extreme threat to the planet, had triggered Caliburn’s highest-level warning.

According to that self-proclaimed Flower Magus succubus, the last time something like this happened was during the ancient era when the White Titan, Sefar, appeared.

Just what had the Grand magic circle summoned?!

[Grand·Foreigner, answering the call]

"Grand Foreigner? Since when did this class exist?!" Sakatsuki was equally shocked (the seventh Lostbelt hadn’t opened before his transmigration). Though he had lost his foreknowledge, his accumulated magical experience remained. "Even without manifesting, this bizarre Reality Marble is already devouring the world?!"

"Announcement—I exist here!"

The sky was filled with a raging blizzard as a white-golden sun slowly rose. The nascent form of the world was split apart and fused into countless arrows. As the young man drew his bow and released the string, the arrows spiraled through the air, embedding themselves into the crystalline edges that spread in all directions.

Unlimited Blade Works VS Crystal Valley!

Even separated by magical barriers and layers of spacetime, and despite the suppression of a Reality Marble, the Crystal Valley remained unshaken. However, its frenzied expansion inevitably slowed, even coming to a standstill.

"Trouble’s coming, Leo! The Foreigner class runs deeper than you think!" Sakatsuki didn’t sheath his Crown-ranked bow, shouting instead at the young king of heroes. "Shut down the magic circle now!"

"I wish I could, Sakatsuki!" Leo, too flustered to even address him as a classmate, wore a bitter smile. "But it won’t turn off. Worse, it’s actively replenishing its own mana—trying to force its way into our world!"

Summoning a Crown-ranked Servant should have been a joyous occasion, but Leo wasn’t foolish. The stance of this Grand Foreigner made it clear—this was no friendly arrival.

"Damn it, then get out of the way!" While everyone else retreated from the encroaching Crystal Valley, Sakatsuki stepped forward. "I’ll destroy this damned summoning ritual myself!"

As a Magician, he saw deeper than anyone—understood more than anyone. This aberrant Crown-ranked Servant must never set foot in this world.

"Declare, my existence—"

"Dong..."

Just as he prepared to manifest his Reality Marble once more, intending to charge in and challenge the Grand Foreigner head-on, the toll of a bell echoed from beyond.

Under the stunned gazes of the others—and Sakatsuki’s wide-eyed panic, as if a mouse spotting a cat—a new hue joined the radiant moonlight-refracting crystals within the Grand magic circle.

A solemn, oppressive aura, deep as an abyss, intertwined with hues of violet and black.

"Hearken, for the tolling bell names thee."

A voice, familiar yet far deeper and more commanding, resonated alongside the proclamation. A presence as heavy as the laws of death itself pressed down. If the Crystal Valley was an invasive force distorting physical laws, then this abyssal aura was an absolute dominion over the mind.

Yet, for those who struggled free from the terror of death’s abyss, a fleeting glimpse of azure-blue spiritual flames could be seen beneath the stillness.

"Azrael!"

"▉▉▉—!!!"

A shriek of agony, beyond human vocal range, reverberated across the desolate school grounds. But now, no one cared why something inhuman had appeared within the Crown-ranked records. For with the clatter of shattered armor, a towering figure emerged before them—clad in mourning-black armor, a skeletal mask obscuring his face.

Burning with the spiritual flames of death’s herald, his battered greatsword still bore crystalline fragments left behind by some unknown existence, now dissolving into motes of light—absorbed into the legacy of this assassin’s legend.

"You—no, Your Excellency..." Leo swallowed hard. He could feel it—the summoning ritual, fully replenished by the Grand Foreigner’s mana, had now been utterly drained, rendered useless, solely by this being’s arrival.

The Grand summoning ritual was complete. Which meant—

[Grand·Foreigner—No Response.]

[Grand Assassin, responding to the summon]

[Summoning complete]

—Indeed, the one who assassinated (without equal) the would-be Grand Foreigner attempting to descend, trampling upon their corpse to descend upon this place in grand fashion, was none other than Sakatsuki’s former mentor—the original of the Old Man of the Mountain lineage, the Angel of Death who walks through the Valley of Shadows.

Grand Assassin, the Old Man of the Mountain!