Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

A deep darkness loomed over the benches.

This unusual darkness carried an intense demonic aura, sending a chill down Father Risei Kotomine's spine.

More people had gathered than expected—the old priest smiled wryly at this ironic thought.

An hour had passed since the signal to summon the Masters was sent. Not a single Master had appeared openly at the Fuyuki Church without precautions. Instead, five familiars sent by the Masters had arrived.

Except for Kirei and Kayneth, who had already been eliminated, all the Masters were present. Though everyone had gathered, not a single one offered any greetings to the church. They were only here to hear what the church had to say.

"I had prepared some opening remarks, but since no one is here, I'll get straight to the point."

After a brief introduction, the old priest faced the empty benches and continued.

"The Holy Grail War, which can fulfil your wishes, is now facing a grave crisis. The rules of the Holy Grail War dictate that Masters and Servants fight together under the Master-Servant contract, defeating the other six pairs to achieve ultimate victory. But now, a traitor has emerged, possessing a tool that can break these rules."

"The Command Spells have lost their effectiveness—the absolute nature of the Master-Servant contract has been shattered."

Though the familiars showed no reaction, Risei Kotomine was certain that the Masters on the other end were shaken. Just like Tokiomi this morning, this was a normal reaction for any Master.

The reason Masters could participate in the Holy Grail War was because they held the "Servant" as their trump card. It was precisely because Masters possessed Command Spells that they could restrain Servants, who were a hundred times stronger than magi, and make them fight for their cause. This was especially evident in the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Otherwise, as in the First Holy Grail War, without Command Spells, Servants would disobey orders, leading to the complete failure of the ritual.

"He and his Servant are no longer just your personal enemies—they are now public enemies threatening the entire war. In these extraordinary times, I will exercise my authority as the overseer to temporarily alter the rules of the Holy Grail War."

Risei Kotomine's words pulled the Masters' thoughts back. As he spoke in a solemn tone, he rolled up his right sleeve, revealing his arm.

Though his muscles had aged, one could still see the strength he had in his youth. From his elbow to his wrist, his arm was covered in what looked like tattoos—

No, they weren't tattoos. For the Masters of the Holy Grail War, it was immediately clear what they were.

"These are the unused Command Spells from past Holy Grail Wars, left behind by eliminated Masters. To you, these marks hold unparalleled value. I can transfer these reserve Command Spells to anyone at my discretion."

Seeing this evidence, no one could doubt Father Risei's authority as the overseer. The unused Command Spells from past Masters were now in his custody as the administrator.

Though the manifestation of Command Spells was itself a miracle, and the marks that appeared on Masters were indeed powerful, they were ultimately consumable physical enhancements. Command Spells could be transferred through magecraft or given to others.

After successfully capturing the attention of all the familiars, Risei paused and finally revealed the mission's objective.

"All Masters must immediately cease hostilities among themselves and focus all efforts on eliminating Caster. As a special measure, I will award additional Command Spells to those who successfully eliminate Caster and their Master.

"If a single person accomplishes this, the Command Spells will go to that individual. If multiple people cooperate, the Command Spells will be distributed among all participants. Once Caster and their Master are confirmed to be eliminated, the Holy Grail War will resume immediately."

Risei lowered his sleeve, covering the marks that every Master coveted.

Five familiars—this meant that Caster's Master had also heard the church's bounty on him. This wasn't a mistake on Risei's part. On the contrary, both he and Tokiomi hoped that Sakatsuki would be driven to desperation and commit even more "true" violations of the rules.

After all, this rule change wasn't entirely logical. It was more like the church offering a hefty reward to issue a bounty—the Holy Grail War, aside from the minimum requirement of "mystery concealment," had no restrictions on methods. Violence, strategy, and underhanded traps were all allowed.

Hadn't Kayneth successfully modified the Master-Servant contract, allowing his fiancée to supply mana to the Servant in his place?

Sakatsuki's "Rule Breaker" was, in the end, just a more dangerous "method."

Risei Kotomine indifferently glanced at the familiars in the benches, feeling neither joy nor sorrow.

No Master could resist the temptation of Command Spells, let alone Sakatsuki, whose strength rivalled that of a Servant. From the beginning, he had been the greatest threat in this war.

The fate of the Caster faction was sealed.

Lowering his arm, which was now the object of envy, the old priest allowed a sarcastic smile to appear on his lips as he added.

"Alright, if anyone has questions, you may ask them now—provided you can speak human language."

This was a polite way of saying the meeting was over.

But what Risei Kotomine never expected was that, in the next moment, an unmistakable sneer rang out.

In the Holy Church, where magecraft was forbidden, a vortex of magical energy rose, refracting the light from the stained-glass windows, arrogantly announcing its presence.

[Anti-Magic Barrier, broken.]

[Coordinates locked.]

[Displacement complete.]

As the magical vortex dissipated, the cat familiar that had been sitting on the benches was gone. In its place stood a human figure.

Dressed in a bright kimono, a young man with white hair and golden eyes appeared in the Holy Church, smiling gently at Risei Kotomine.

"To have forced the overseer to change the rules of the Holy Grail War—should I be angry? Or honoured?"

"..."

Risei Kotomine, knowing he was in the wrong, remained silent.

Sakatsuki, however, didn't say much more. He simply gave Risei a look that could kill before turning to the other four familiars and nodding slightly.

"The Holy Church in this war has been engaged in nothing but petty schemes. Frankly, I'm disappointed."

"The bounty has been issued. I'm sure the Masters won't pass up the chance to obtain new Command Spells. However, I must remind you..."

Here, Sakatsuki paused meaningfully before continuing.

"Will your Servants be willing to let you have new Command Spells?"

As magical energy surged once more, the young man left his final words before disappearing.

"The declaration of war has been made, everyone."

"Caster and I await your arrival."

***

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