Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

[By the ninth month, the Zhao soldiers had gone without food for forty-six days and resorted to secretly killing and eating each other. They launched an attack on the Qin fortifications in an attempt to break out. Their general, Zhao Kuo, led elite troops in a desperate charge, but the Qin army shot him dead. With Kuo's defeat, his four hundred thousand soldiers surrendered to Lord Wuan. Lord Wuan calculated: "Earlier, Qin had already captured Shangdang, but its people were unwilling to submit to Qin and defected to Zhao. These Zhao soldiers are treacherous. If we do not kill them all, they will surely rebel." Thus, he deceitfully had them all buried alive, sparing only the youngest two hundred and forty to return to Zhao. In total, four hundred and fifty thousand were slaughtered. The people of Zhao were utterly terrified.]

That was the day the legendary general first laid eyes upon the fallen creatures.

No one knew that Zhao Kuo had already shed his human form, only to be shot dead by the very war bow bestowed upon him by the emperor. No one knew that his claim of "treacherous Zhao soldiers" was merely an excuse—while "fear of rebellion" was the truth, though not rebellion against Qin, but a calamity for the entire Central Plains, for all under heaven.

Burying four hundred thousand alive? Hmph. Faced with a horde of monsters, should they have been penned like livestock until they tore off their sheepskins and ravaged the land as wolves again?

Gongsun Qi would never commit such folly. Even if cursed by thousands, he would not so much as frown.

Yet, looking back now, his only regret was that the blood sacrifice of those four hundred thousand failed to kill even the embryonic form of the Beast, let alone seal it away for millennia. A mere century later, the wretched thing had escaped.

He had failed his king's trust. The fragmented texts obtained from razing temples and breaking altars were unreliable, and he was no practitioner of the mystic arts to begin with.

The white-haired general walked through the shattered city, his crimson eyes calm and distant, reflecting the ripples of time.

...So absorbed in lamenting his own shortcomings, he hadn't considered how terrifying it must have been for the scholars and sages to witness him leading troops to chase the Evils of Humanity into frantic retreat.

It wasn't until a long-haired youth, gently fanning himself with a feathered fan, appeared before him that he snapped out of his reverie.

"Waver."

"Out for a stroll?" Waver asked casually, extending a hand. The other naturally accepted, and they walked out of the city together.

The night air was crisp. The silver moon flowed quietly through the moat, reflecting off the blazing bonfires on the horizon.

They walked side by side. When the weariness in the general's eyes faded, Waver finally spoke:

"Our forces have completely regrouped. This place, caught between the imperial and allied armies, doesn't favour us. I plan to retreat with the army tomorrow. What do you think?"

"The major forces of the Allied Empire have already been destroyed, their combat power significantly weakened. I imagine they're shrinking their lines now," Sakatsuki murmured, not directly replying. "The Roman Empire, though rich in Servants, lacks commanders skilled in warfare."

"That Queen of Britain…" Waver started to speak, but upon seeing the calm look on Sakatsuki's face, he fell silent and chuckled softly.

"Yes, neither Rome poses a match for your prowess, General."

The man standing before him was a true military genius, a titan who had risen from chaos to command the respect of all.

A queen who took advantage of war and ultimately led a rebellion to its doom due to tactical missteps—how could she possibly earn this man's acknowledgement?

"Don't belittle yourself," Sakatsuki teased with a smile. "Since you've inherited his Saint Graph, you too are one of the martial sages of the temple—'Marquis Wu'."

"An extinction war… Are you saying?!" Waver halted, eyes widening.

Under his burning gaze, Sakatsuki still wore a faint smile—as if this earth-shaking decision had already been made, today or even earlier.

"My soldiers are now yours, Waver. Head west."

He continued, "A weakened Allied Empire, its emperors nearly wiped out—surely that's not too much for you to handle?"

White hair fluttering, the man stopped at last and turned around. In the depths of his blood-red eyes was absolute confidence.

"As for the true Roman Empire—I'll destroy it with my own hands."

Faced with his unreserved pressure, Waver held his breath, feeling his Saint Graph suddenly surge with a battle-thirst and his heartbeat grow intense.

Finally, he grinned—the confident smile of a commander, the frenzy of a conqueror, the pride of a strategist, all in one.

"Is this a challenge, Lord Wu'an of Great Qin?"

"You could say that, Marquis Wu of Shu Han."

In the quiet night, two men enshrined in the Temple of War smiled at one another. With the fate of nations as their wager, they made a pact to decide victory or defeat.

"But, since you chose the Roman Empire, I assume you're ready to face that swordswoman?"

Waver had meant to tease Sakatsuki about his miserable defeat at the hands of Saber's Noble Phantasm—but to his surprise, Sakatsuki immediately pulled a sour face, looking exactly like a gamer caught by his parents in a net café.

"What's with that look?"

"Put it this way: imagine if your dear Reines was possessed by Sima Yi and wrote you a letter… starting with 'Onii-chan'…"

"Stop—stop right there. Any further and I'll cough up blood." Waver shuddered, smiling bitterly.

"Hmph."

Having successfully teased him, Sakatsuki smiled smugly—but his expression soon grew melancholic.

What was he supposed to do if his superior, now fallen to the dark side, caught wind of his playboy antics and decided to deal with him… via Excalibur?

Need help fast… Seriously.

Amidst laughter, the two turned their backs on each other—one heading west, the other east. They walked away without ever looking back.

Only their lingering voices echoed, preserving the final words between them.

"Though we part ways now, the tides of the world will draw us together again. When that time comes—be ready."

"Worrying like that doesn't suit you. Don't overthink it, my friend. This isn't the end of the world—it's just a case of hauling back a runaway kid."

"…That really sounds like something you and Lord Wu'an would say, Sakatsuki."

Moonlight spilled across the paths they walked.

The stars above twinkled brightly, pure and unclouded.

***

Roman Empire Camp.

"How is Her Majesty Nero?"

"Just a scare. She'll be fine after some rest. Still, this mess…" General Boudica sighed as she sat beside Fujimaru.

Who would've thought—Sakatsuki really did betray them, just as Nero had feared.

The Allied Empire was nearly crushed. They could've marched straight through, guided by the Mediterranean goddess, and seized victory—restoring the singularity.

But instead, with the Allied army destroyed, Sakatsuki now stood in their way.

"…" Fujimaru Ritsuka remained silent, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

He couldn't understand—why would Sakatsuki betray them?

"Loyalty to one's lord, concern for one's state… Perhaps the Eastern path of duty and righteousness made the general of Qin unwilling to submit," came the doctor's sigh from the wrist comm. "Even if Nero called Sakatsuki a pseudo-Servant, the Saint Graph still affects the host."

"But he promised Her Majesty Nero—to defend Pisa, and even to campaign against the Allied Empire!" Fujimaru bit his lip, unwilling to accept it.

"Did you forget something, Fujimaru?" came a familiar voice.

Boudica and Fujimaru looked up in shock, only to see a white-haired man walking toward them, surrounded by stunned onlookers.

Those blood-red eyes carried none of the fear one should have when entering enemy territory.

"Don't forget—Nero only has one Command Seal left, doesn't she?"

***

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