Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

Another night passed quickly. Even without a prince's kiss, the sleeping beauty rose from her bed on her own.

Though lacking that crucial step, she was left with... a bit of a temper.

"Your Majesty!" Boudica looked up in disbelief at Nero, who sat poised on her throne. "Are we truly withdrawing all forces and abandoning the Gaul front?"

"Our current strength is insufficient to sustain prolonged battles against him. We must retreat to the capital and regroup."

The crimson-clad girl lounged lazily in her chair, a bewitching smile playing on her lips—as if she had never once agonized over someone to the point of fainting.

"But—"

"No 'buts,' Boudica. Our decision is final. Relay the orders to the generals."

"...As you command." In the end, Boudica said no more. Yet as she stepped out of the tent, she cast one last glance at the figure on the throne.

Was it her imagination, or had Nero... grown slightly smaller?

After Boudica left, Nero remained reclined, though her eyes gleamed with sharp calculation.

She was probing—searching for any hidden measures Sakatsuki might have left behind the night before.

But no matter how many times she checked, the result was the same: the man had left no trace on her. He had come merely to see her, then departed without hesitation.

How could that be?

No one understood Sakatsuki's caution better than she did. Even with acquaintances, he would secretly maneuver them into eighteen different positions before relaxing. Now, with their cards nearly laid bare, how could he possibly have taken no precautions?

Unconsciously, Nero's gaze fell to the last Command Spell on her hand. She scoffed.

"Fool."

Everything had happened too quickly. Before she could even transfer control, that idiot emperor had wasted two Command Spells. This last one was nothing more than decoration—she wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary, and even then, there was no guarantee it would work.

After all, the Holy Grail had already fallen into that man's hands. Resisting a Command Spell's effects would be child's play for him.

Twirling a strand of golden hair, the girl's face remained a mask of amusement, though her eyes betrayed her tension.

As the source of the curse, she knew better than anyone just how dangerous that man was. The fusion with that top-tier Chinese military commander's Spirit Origin had indeed allowed Sakatsuki to thrive in this Singularity.

But once the surface-layer Spirit Origin was stripped away, the true nature lurking beneath was something even she, the mastermind, couldn't fully grasp.

Yet despite her wariness, his recent actions had become increasingly incomprehensible to her.

"What exactly are you planning...?"

Her sigh, tinged with melancholy, echoed through the empty tent.

Soon after, the Imperial Army began packing their supplies, readying for departure under their emperor's orders.

The retreat had begun.

"They're leaving. Should we pursue?"

The Imperial Army's movements couldn't escape Sakatsuki's notice. Beside him, Waver fanned himself lightly, his smile faintly mocking.

"No need." The white-haired general shot him a sidelong glance. "Can't you tell? This is mutual understanding."

By voluntarily ceding vast territories in exchange for breathing room, it was as though both sides had pushed all their chips onto the table, preparing for a final, desperate battle.

Since she had extended this courtesy, Sakatsuki saw no reason to reject it.

"You should get moving too. In terms of speed, you're definitely no match for me."

"Naturally. I've long been prepared to depart—I merely came to bid you farewell."

Waver and Sakatsuki exchanged a knowing smile. One continued watching the retreating Imperial Army, while the other turned away, mustering his own troops.

Thus, the war that would engulf the entire Singularity began.

[First Day's Report]

Waver's forces swept through Gaul, advancing all the way to Massilia. One of the Beast's familiars, the Demonic Beast He, appeared but was swiftly encircled and slain. Minimal casualties among the troops.

Sakatsuki held his position, taking no action.

[Second Day's Report]

Waver encountered three He on his march. Instead of engaging, he lured them into the Stone Sentinel Maze and withdrew safely to Massilia.

Sakatsuki finally moved, pursuing the Imperial Army. At Mediolanum, he clashed with Generals Lü Bu and Jing Ke—defeating and subjugating them.

[Third Day's Report]

Waver advanced once more. The He reappeared, sacrificing one of their own to prematurely activate the Stone Sentinel Maze. The remaining three engaged his army in the wilderness. Lü Bu and Jing Ke ambushed them, eliminating one and pinning down the other two. The He trapped in the maze was annihilated, while Waver drove the last two to the gates of the Allied Empire's capital before setting up camp.

Meanwhile, Sakatsuki broke through Germania and Florence alone, arriving at the Roman Empire's capital in a single push.

In just three days, the Sleeping Dragon and the Butcher of Qin had forced both Romes to the brink of annihilation. Though they had capitalized on the two empires' mutual exhaustion, their achievements were nothing short of extraordinary.

Yet the true challenge for both had only just begun.

[Fourth Day's Report]

Waver laid siege to the city. The Progenitor of Rome, Romulus, emerged alongside the He, counterattacking and shattering the Stone Sentinel Maze. Jing Ke was slain, Lü Bu severely wounded. Waver's forces retreated hundreds of miles, only to be ambushed by a self-proclaimed "Demon God Pillar," Lev Lainur. Barely escaping, his army was left crippled.

Sakatsuki assaulted the capital. After being bogged down by numerous Servants, he walked straight into Fujimaru's trap—yet still managed to slay Spartacus, who detonated himself in a final act of defiance. Distracted, the white-haired general was struck by the black-armored swordsman's Noble Phantasm, suffering heavy injuries. Boudica led a relentless pursuit, only calling off the chase after driving him a hundred miles away.

[Fifth & Sixth Days' Reports]

Waver's army remained stationary. The commander himself vanished.

Sakatsuki's forces likewise took no action. His whereabouts were unknown.

That night, the Roman Empire's general, Boudica, also disappeared.

[Seventh Day's Report]

Waver's army reappeared. Romulus engaged, only to fall for a decoy maneuver.

An array of stone pillars materialized around the Allied Empire's capital. With power surpassing his own Spirit Origin, Waver sealed the entire city within the Stone Sentinel Maze!

Simultaneously, Sakatsuki unleashed his Noble Phantasm, leading his army in a full-scale assault on the Roman Empire's capital!

The flames of war raged.

For reasons unknown, the capital's walls—once reinforced by Stheno's magecraft and capable of repelling Sakatsuki—now crumbled effortlessly before the blood-qi terracotta soldiers. The Great Qin's troops, brimming with killing intent, flooded through the breaches, swiftly securing every district of the Seven Hills.

To the bewilderment of Rome's citizens, these soldiers refrained from the traditional pillaging and slaughter. Instead, they stood guard at every checkpoint, motionless as statues devoid of blood or emotion.

But those who dared defy the curfew were swiftly beheaded, their skulls stacked into grotesque monuments.

Under this ironclad rule of blood and discipline, commoners and nobles alike trembled in fear, forced to watch as the white-haired man with fathomless eyes strode step by step into the royal palace.

This time, as a conqueror.

"The Great Qin's General, here to seek counsel."

***

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