Compared to the malice of humanity, the second arrow was insignificant. Compared to the speed of the first, it was painfully slow. Yet when that ethereal, pure light soared into the heavens, everything else seemed to lose its importance.
All resistance had become meaningless.
Even if all the power in the world were gathered, it would still be impossible to stop.
Or rather, it should not be stopped.
Because that was the resolve of the hero itself—a mere human who, after rejecting fate and glory, reached into the depths of darkness to shoulder an unwitnessed defeat and death.
That was true salvation.
The moment its nature was realized, it could no longer be ignored.
The essence of Humanity’s Evil was Humanity’s Love—it was precisely because of that twisted, excessive love that it manifested as a calamity for all of humanity.
Yet who could say that, in the midst of committing evil, their hearts did not harbor a love for "humanity"?
And it was this love that was the only thing in the world capable of truly killing a Beast.
Sakatsuki’s arrow was merely the catalyst—or perhaps, like a laser-guided signal, it drew out the true emotions buried beneath the Beast’s malice.
In the name of love, he embraced her... and then took everything from her.
—Until the Beast was cast down into the dust!
Staring in shock as her true form shattered, crumbling away like millennia of weathering in an instant, Draco felt no sense of reality. After being struck by that arrow, she no longer felt pain—only a bitter ache.
Covered in blood, riddled with wounds, yet none of it mattered anymore. Only an incomprehensible, tender emotion filled her chest, so overwhelming she could hardly suppress the urge to weep.
For a brief moment, she gripped the arrow piercing her body, wanting to pull it out—but found neither the strength nor the courage to say goodbye.
Only her tears, now unrestrained, streamed down her cheeks.
Together with the last hues of twilight, they fell from the heavens.
Into Sakatsuki’s waiting arms.
All fell into silence.
Everyone held their breath, staring in shock at the small child cradled in the hero’s arms—a golden-haired girl in a crimson dress.
Then, almost instinctively, they turned to look at the emperor Nero, who bore the exact same face.
"Your Majesty, why did you surrender first?"
"I did not! That’s not—ugh! It’s not like that at all!" Flustered under the crowd’s gossipy gazes, Nero stomped her foot. "That isn’t me! Honestly, even though the Governor returned victorious, I feel like I’ve lost completely..."
With the battle over, the colosseum buzzed with noise—yet none of it reached the two who had once fought to the death.
"Seems the match is decided?" The man holding the Beast’s remains looked up at the sky, squinting against the sunlight.
His body was fading—not only had Draco merged into Sakatsuki’s shadow, but Sakatsuki himself had grown so transparent that sunlight passed straight through him.
The second arrow, fired by burning his own soul as fuel to draw the Grand Archer’s bow once more, had always been an irreversible miracle.
And the price of miracles was always severe.
"Can’t even keep the Holy Grail. Not like I can summon a vessel for it now," Sakatsuki sighed, feigning regret. "Ah, I got nothing out of this."
But when his gaze swept over familiar faces—and the smiling figure of the Divine Ancestor upon the high platform—he couldn’t help but grin in triumph.
"Then again... I didn’t lose anything either, did I?"
With those final words, the man known as "Sakatsuki" vanished like a bubble. Only a golden Holy Grail remained, soaring toward the friends he had made—and reunited with—in this Singularity, carrying his last message.
Goodbye. Until we meet again.
[Second Singularity: Repaired]
[Closing conduit, severing link, stabilizing soul...]
[Successfully returned to original worldline]
[Calculating rewards... Complete]
[Acquired incomplete projection: "Grand Archer"]
[Skill "Endless Wish" has been enhanced!]
An inescapable ability, no matter the form of manifestation. It was the karma left behind by his predecessor—that Shirou who ended the Holy Grail War in a single night—a wish so fervently prayed for that it twisted into a curse.
Yet under the blessing of Beast VI/S, this curse underwent a change, beginning to resemble a different kind of blackened wish-granter. When prayers from another world descended, even the skill’s wielder could not control the emergence of another "self." While malice was amplified, a certain parameter (status) would also be pushed to its limits.
This was the love of the abyss.
When Draco awoke from her haze, the first thing she saw was Sakatsuki—pale-faced, lying on the bed.
Despite the severe damage to his soul and the unhealed physical wounds left by the Old Man of the Mountain, he still smiled at the girl in his arms.
"How underhanded, Sakatsuki."
Like a drowsy child, the golden-haired girl nestled deeper into his embrace, murmuring as if in a dream.
"But... since you chose me, you can’t abandon me now. Or else... I’ll bite you."
With a threat that sounded more like a pout, Draco fell back into slumber. Having had her true form shattered and her foundation shaken, it would be a long time before she awoke from this deep sleep.
Once certain she was asleep, Sakatsuki carefully settled her in place before dragging his exhausted body out of bed. He sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, silent for a long time—until suddenly, he slapped a hand over his forehead, gritting his teeth.
"What kind of development even was that...?"
Before drifting off, Draco had seen a gentle, strong, reliable Sakatsuki—one who, despite his injuries, could still smile reassuringly at her.
What she didn’t know was that this same man, outwardly composed, was internally screaming, writhing, and crawling in agony.
Like an adult cringing at childhood memories of shouting "Henshin!" while pretending to be a Kamen Rider, Sakatsuki was now drowning in shame over his earlier performance.
["Hey, runaway villainess—time to come home."]
Goddammit, just kill me already!
His reflection in the window showed him tugging at his hair in frustration.
Should he laugh at himself mercilessly? Or just open the window and take a leap of faith to cool off?
Pushing the window open, the night breeze rushed in, cooling his burning cheeks. He glanced back at the sleeping Beast Draco—peaceful now, free from the headaches brought by her role as Humanity’s Evil, resting like a contented animal.
Somehow, his agitation and shame just... melted away. With a long sigh and a faint smile, he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.
Well, no matter what—
Tomorrow would surely be a beautiful, clear day.
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