"Now at the Bottom of Ancient Limbo!"
Unlike [Laus Saint Claudius], this was Beast VI/S's ultimate Noble Phantasm—the supreme authority of humanity's evil!
The moment these words were spoken, the heavens twisted. Swirling with purple and crimson hues like melted ice cream, a monstrous typhoon eye formed around Draco, churning with unparalleled fury.
The clear curtain of the sky was torn away, replaced by a dim, despair-filled backdrop. Blood-red thunderclouds descended from the horizon, sweeping up ruined skyscrapers and imperial palaces, tearing everything apart with a crimson gash across the sky.
At the center of this world stood the Beast of Sodom, Draco—her silhouette tall and imposing, wings spread wide, her features obscured by the light behind her.
"Drown in this great flood, all of you!"
As the Sixth Beast embodying the sin of depravity, her power manifested as the Anti-Messiah, bringing forth an apocalyptic deluge!
Blood flowed from her wounds, yet Draco paid it no mind, laughing wildly in exhilaration as she lifted the manifested Holy Grail and sank into the black mud, leaving behind a web of crimson veins across the ground.
The rumbling of something massive moving underground grew louder until, finally, seven serpentine creatures with worm-like or draconic heads burst forth. But unlike Beast Nero's Noble Phantasm, they did not attack. Instead, they coiled together into a pillar of flesh and blood, rising into the sky—mirrored by seven geysers of blood-red water erupting from the earth!
"Waterspouts!" Fujimaru gasped as the towering columns of water tore through the soil, surging into the heavens before crashing back down like a tidal wave, flooding the entire land.
Just as described in the Bible's account of the Great Flood—"on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened."
The colossal waves crashed, even sweeping up the figure suspended in midair!
Countless bubbles rose with a "gurgling" sound. Sakatsuki felt his control over mana slip away, forced to rely on pure survival instinct, flailing like an ordinary human struggling to swim upward.
Yet the ruins of the city—once prosperous, now decayed—also collapsed into the water. Falling debris struck Sakatsuki just as he was about to break the surface.
His body sank into the depths of the flood, strength leaving him.
The Reality Marble shattered.
The colosseum reappeared, the power of the Black Mud Holy Grail suppressed once more. The drowning gladiator lay sprawled on the cracked ground, his faintly rising chest the only sign he still clung to life.
But nearby, Draco—her wounds healing just as quickly—cackled madly as she summoned another surge of black mud, ready to drown him completely!
"Get up, Governor!" Nero's heart pounded so violently it felt ready to burst from her chest. She screamed, desperate to rouse Sakatsuki before Draco reached him. "I believe you will win! So don't you dare lose, Sakatsuki!"
Not just her—every Servant, including Fujimaru, shouted with all their might, willing the valiant warrior to awaken from his unconscious state.
But this was no children's show. There would be no sudden power-ups. The audience could only watch, just like the nobles who once drank and revelled in the stands. Whether man slew beast or beast tore out man's heart, they could only cheer or lament—powerless to intervene.
Even the three supreme gods maintaining the colosseum remained silent, their expressions grave as they watched the gladiator's final moments.
"Useless! All of it—useless!" Draco laughed maniacally as she bent down, grabbing the unconscious Sakatsuki as if plucking an insect, holding him in her palm while licking her lips in triumph.
"Who do you think has been by his side the longest?"
Without waiting for an answer, she replied to herself.
"It's me! I came to him sooner than any of you, lurking in his shadow—so why would you ever think he could defeat me?"
"His abilities, his magecraft, his Reality Marble—I know them all!"
"Stop dreaming of miracles, fools! This stubborn desperation is pathetic. You shame even me!"
Though she addressed the crowd, her eyes remained locked on Nero—the red-clad emperor who met her gaze without flinching. As if to crush that defiance, Draco clenched her fist without hesitation—crushing the young man in her grip!
Amidst horrified and despairing screams, blood oozed between her fingers. The light of a dissolving Spirit Core flickered—the final traces of a hero's death, scattering bit by bit into the wind.
"No—!" Nero's vision darkened as agony, a thousand times worse than before, wracked her body. She swayed, on the verge of collapsing then and there.
If betrayal had merely taken him away, leaving him watching from afar, then death had pushed them beyond any hope of reconciliation.
From now on, they would never meet again.
The realization felt like being flayed alive. The only reason Nero managed to stay upright, glaring at Draco, was sheer stubbornness—refusing to fall before this twisted mockery of an "enemy."
"Mr. Sakatsuki... lost?" Fujimaru slumped into their seat, the surrounding noise fading into white noise as their mind went blank.
Should they blame Sakatsuki for failing?
No—that would just be weak resentment. Without the aid of other Grand Servants, he had done his absolute best.
Then... should the fight continue?
But with Sakatsuki gone, which Servant could possibly take up the mantle of defeating the Beast?
The Roman colosseum knew no fairness. They could keep throwing themselves at her one by one, but no single Servant stood a chance against the Beast... Wait!
Noticing something strange, Fujimaru's eyes widened.
Why... was Romulus smiling?
Before they could process it, a figure appeared beside them—Alter Saber.
"Master, the time I've spent with you has been satisfying. But now—" She lowered her head. "Allow me to take my leave."
"...Huh?"
"Yeah, we're feeling the call too, woof!" Tamamo Cat and Elizabeth arrived together.
"My king and I are the same," Waver said, Alexander nodding beside him.
"The wind howls, the Yi River grows cold—the brave depart, never to return!" Jing Ke, drunk, laughed loudly as Lü Bu roared with battlelust.
Seeing everyone gathering, readying themselves, Fujimaru was bewildered. "What's... going on?"
The Servants exchanged glances. Before Waver could explain, Nero's joyous cry rang out:
"Look, everyone! It's the Governor! I knew he wouldn't lose!"
Following her gaze, they saw a faintly translucent figure reappear in the arena—Sakatsuki, standing across from a snarling Draco.
And in his hands, he too cradled a golden vessel of wishes.
"The Holy Grail!" Fujimaru gasped, suddenly understanding. They whipped their head around—only to see the Servants around them also growing translucent, golden Spirit Particles beginning to disperse.
"Don't grieve, Master. We are but fleeting dreams, spirits briefly returned through the colosseum... If our lives can be of use, we gladly offer them." Jing Ke smiled before vanishing first.
Assassin - Jing Ke, returned to the Holy Grail.
"Goodbye, piglet! It's been fun!"
Lancer - Elizabeth Báthory, returned to the Holy Grail.
"To witness this battle and contribute to it—I couldn't ask for more. Then, I'll go ahead, Teacher!"
"The more the merrier, right? In that case, I'll lend my strength too!"
Rider - Alexander, Rider - Boudica, returned to the Holy Grail.
"Well, then I should also—" Alter Saber began, only to be stopped.
"Having Britannia aid Rome once is already too much." Caesar, clad in tribune robes, blocked her path, his plump face twisting in mock distress. "Ahhh, this Singularity's been a mess, but I suppose it's time to atone."
"The Master still needs protection. No one is more suited than you, King of Knights."
With those words, the two emperors nodded to each other—and vanished.
Saber - Caesar, Berserker - Caligula, returned to the Holy Grail.
"Hey hey, not done yet? Falling behind is bad, nya!" Tamamo Cat complained, swatting at Waver and nearly making him drop his spellwork.
"Quiet, you dumb cat! Forcibly modifying a Spirit Origin isn't easy! Even with General Lü Bu's Archer compatibility, it's tough!" Grumbling aside, completing the adjustments so quickly proved Zhuge Liang's prowess. "There, go in peace!"
With a final roar, Lü Bu's form dissolved into light—Tamamo Cat vanishing alongside him as fuel for the Spirit Origin conversion.
Archer (Converted) - Lü Bu & Tamamo Cat, returned to the Holy Grail.
"Lastly, me..." Waver took a deep breath, about to release his Spirit Origin—when a gentle force pushed him back.
Caster - Sakatsuki, returned to the Holy Grail.
Waver paused, looking at Fujimaru, Alter Saber, and himself—the only ones remaining—before realizing something and shaking his head with a wry smile.
"I see... So that's why he didn't resist death... To plan even this far, Sakatsuki?"
Among those present, aside from Fujimaru (whose role was special), he was Sakatsuki's friend—and Artoria was his king.
Thus, they alone were exempt from sacrifice.
"Only I need to fight on the frontlines—you just have to wait for me to return victorious." Muttering Sakatsuki's unspoken words, Waver felt no anger at his unilateral decision—only sudden relief.
If even this step had been accounted for, then everything was proceeding according to Sakatsuki's design.
In that case, even against a monstrous Beast, what was there to fear?
"So... win this, Sakatsuki." Closing his eyes, Waver offered his sincere prayer.
Bring victory back to those you cherish.
***
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