"Archer, you actually…"
Rin Tohsaka quickly realized what had happened. Though the details were unclear, it was obvious that she had been betrayed. The recent strike severed her connection with Archer, aning she was no longer his Master. From Sakura Matou's words, it was clear that all of this had been orchestrated by Archer himself. The realization left Rin in disbelief—she had trusted Archer completely, only to be betrayed by him.
Even though the truth was right in front of her, she struggled to accept it.
"No…"
At the sa ti, Fang Mo, who had just entered, was also taken aback by what he saw. "Girl, you sure moved fast."
Using the Noble Phantasm from Caster at Ryudou Temple to sever the connection between Master and Servant had indeed been part of Fang Mo’s plan. However, even he didn’t expect Sakura to act so quickly. She had been under his watch the entire ti, so she had no chance to make a move. Yet, sohow, during the brief period of his absence, Sakura had managed to obtain Caster's Rule Breaker.
The entire process took only a few hours, and Rin and Shirou hadn’t even noticed.
"Archer-sama."
Sakura didn’t offer any explanation. Instead, she excitedly raised her hand, looking up at Fang Mo with expectation. "I’ve severed the Command Seals with Saber. Please make a contract with now!"
"Oh, alright."
Fang Mo didn’t hesitate, gently tapping the back of her hand.
With a surge of magical energy, a Command Seal began to appear on Sakura’s hand, ford at Fang Mo’s will. It was a circular seal with two intersecting curved lines in the center. Perhaps due to Sakura’s previous contact with the black mud from the Holy Grail, her Command Seal had mutated. Originally a bright red like blood, it had turned into a deep, ink-black shade. The very atmosphere around the seal seed to change, exuding a grim, deathly aura reminiscent of a European grim reaper wielding a massive blade.
The chilling sensation that filled the air wasn’t just unsettling to certain onlookers—it made Rin herself nervous. The sheer magnitude of magical power radiating from Sakura was now imnse.
Previously, when Sakura had been contracted with Saber, her magical energy was already quite potent. But compared to now, it seed insignificant.
As the Command Seal fully ford, Rin felt as if the entire world trembled in fear. It wasn’t just her own body—her soul, the nearby objects, and even the space around them seed to shudder, as if on the brink of collapse.
"What kind of joke is this…?"
Rin stared at her trembling hands. "Sakura’s magic power… How is this possible?"
Of course, Rin’s interpretation was off. The chanism of summoning a Servant involved the formation of an encrypted bond between Master and Servant, with the Master providing the Servant with magical energy.
Normally, Sakura would indeed need to supply magic to her Servant. But Fang Mo wasn’t a typical Heroic Spirit—he wasn’t even considered a living being anymore. At his core, Fang Mo was a forbidden concept from beyond the stars. After deciphering the summoning system, he had utilized a spell from Kamar-Taj to generate magic, converting his dinsional energy into magical power. ℟άＮőꞖËS
The power of his dinsional energy was on an unimaginable scale. As a result, instead of Sakura providing him with magic, the reverse happened. Fang Mo’s imnse magical energy flooded into Sakura, overwhelming her.
"Good, good. Very nice."
Fang Mo nodded in satisfaction, realizing that unlocking the Heroic Spirit system had been worth it. Otherwise, he would still be relying on illusions. But there was more—now that he was linked to Sakura through the magic bond, he detected a strange, dissonant aura within her, sothing akin to the abyss of human nature. It was filled with negative emotions—jealousy, anger, pain, and resentnt.
"All the world's evils, huh?"
Fang Mo glanced at Sakura, quickly deducing why Saber had fallen into corruption. Sakura’s magical energy was tainted, likely due to her previous exposure to the black mud. Any ordinary Heroic Spirit connected to her would inevitably succumb to the corruption.
And it seed that Fang Mo’s overwhelming power had sohow further agitated the magic within her. Sakura looked as if she was on the verge of complete corruption.
"Hey…"
Fang Mo was about to speak up when the sound of hurried footsteps from outside interrupted him. Monts later, Shirou Emiya burst into the room, shouting, "What’s going on!? What happened!?"
Upon seeing everyone in the room, Shirou scratched his head in confusion. Rin and Sakura appeared unhard, but the strange, ominous magical energy in the air made him wary. "Uh… Is it not an enemy attack? What are you guys doing?"
"Shirou, stay away from them!"
Rin quickly warned him, her voice filled with tension. "Sakura has taken my Archer…"
"What?"
Shirou blinked, completely bewildered.
"Senpai."
Sakura suddenly spoke, her voice calm. "Archer-sama is now my Servant. I can return Saber to you. Please, join our side."
"Huh?"
Shirou was dumbfounded. "Wait, but… weren’t we already allies?"
"It’s different now."
Sakura smiled, but dark energy began to seep from her small fra. Despite her petite and cute appearance, her expression grew unnerving. "Before, my sister was in charge. Now, I’m the one in control."
"What do you an?"
Shirou was still struggling to grasp the situation. "Sakura, you seem… different. Are you okay?"
"I’m perfectly fine."
Sakura began to laugh, though her laughter carried a sinister edge. "All my life, my sister was the one who was favored, while I was treated like an afterthought. But now, Archer-sama has chosen over her!"
"Archer?"
Shirou furrowed his brow, starting to piece things together. He turned to Fang Mo. "Archer, does Sakura’s current state have sothing to do with you?"
"Do you think I influenced her?" Fang Mo shrugged. "You can ask Rin. Ask her if what Sakura says is true."
Shirou instinctively glanced at Rin, only to see her avoiding eye contact, guilt written on her face.
It was true—Rin felt deeply remorseful. Years ago, her father had chosen her over Sakura, sending her sister to the Matou family. Everyone knew what Sakura had endured since then. She had lived through hell, and Rin had been completely unaware. How could she not feel guilty?
Seeing this, Shirou began to understand a few things.
Although he hadn’t interacted with Rin much, he was close to Sakura and knew how insecure she was. She constantly belittled herself, calling herself filthy. anwhile, Rin always seed so confident and composed, brimming with elegance and grace.
The contrast between them was stark. It was no wonder Sakura had harbored such feelings of resentnt, hoping to gain recognition from others. Archer’s words had likely struck a chord with her, rapidly raising her spirits.
"Well…"
Shirou hesitated, then tried to reason with Sakura. "Sakura, you’ve always been kind and gentle. Can you stop this? Rin really loves you…"
"Enough!"
But this only seed to push Sakura further. "Senpai, if you truly believe I’m special, then join my side!"
With hopeful eyes, she looked to Shirou.
"Sakura, I…"
Shirou was torn. Under normal circumstances, he would have supported Sakura without hesitation. But now, things were different. It was clear that Archer was leading her down a dangerous path. He couldn’t just follow blindly. He needed to bring her back to her senses.
Before he could say more, however, Sakura lowered her gaze.
"I understand."
Her voice wavered, tinged with disappointnt and sadness. But she quickly composed herself. "In that case, I’ll take the Holy Grail first. Once Archer-sama eliminates all obstacles and gains a physical body, I’ll create a world where only Senpai and I exist."
"So that’s your plan."
Rin’s expression darkened as she realized the gravity of the situation.
She turned to Fang Mo, her voice trembling as she questioned him. "Archer-sama, why are you doing this? Do you really think we can’t win?"
"That’s *your* victory, Rin."
Fang Mo stood calmly, hands behind his back, enjoying the theatrics. "Rin Tohsaka, be honest with yourself. If you won the Holy Grail War, would you really wish for to remain in this world? Or do you already have a different wish in mind?"
"Uh…"
Rin was imdiately at a loss for words. He was right. She had been thinking the exact sa thing.
After all, who would dare leave such a chaotic being in the world? It would be asking for another war. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were already infamous for their devastation… If Fang Mo unleashed weapons like Tsar Bombas, Japan might literally sink.
"Let guess what you were planning with your last Command Seal."
Fang Mo smirked, seeing that Rin had no retort. "Were you thinking of using it to control after victory? To make kill myself with a spear, perhaps?"
"I… I wasn’t!"
Rin felt an overwhelming sense of guilt, nearly shouting in denial.
"It’s too late for excuses now." Fang Mo shrugged, taking a slow step toward her.
"What are you doing!?"
Shirou imdiately stepped in front of Rin, defensively.
"Don’t worry, I won’t kill you."
Fang Mo smiled at the cautious Shirou. "I’m a reasonable person. As long as you’re my ally, I won’t say a word—just like how I didn’t mind Italy’s shortcomings. Here, take a parting gift."
With that, Fang Mo grabbed Shirou’s wrist.
"Ouch!"
Shirou winced in pain as Fang Mo’s grip felt like a vice. He watched in shock as Fang Mo placed a single finger on the back of his hand.
In the next mont, a Command Seal began to form, glowing brightly on Shirou’s skin.
"What… is this?"
Both Shirou and Rin stared in astonishnt. The appearance of a Command Seal typically signified a contract with a Heroic Spirit, but there was no other Heroic Spirit present.
"If you ever feel hopeless, try calling on your future self for help."
Fang Mo chuckled, patting Shirou on the shoulder before pushing him aside to face Rin.
"You…"
Rin’s emotions were a whirlwind as she looked at Fang Mo.
"Here."
Fang Mo gently took her hand. She flinched slightly at the contact, but didn’t pull away.
With a familiar technique, Fang Mo restored the Command Seals on her hand, three dark red rings that seed dormant, as if not yet activated.
"Saber is now without a Master."
Having completed his task, Fang Mo softly adjusted Rin’s collar. "Find her and make a new contract. At least this way, you’ll be able to protect yourself during the war…"
"Archer, you…"
Rin gazed at him in a daze, her mind filled with confusion.
"All set."
Fang Mo didn’t linger, turning smoothly and walking toward the door. "Sakura, let’s go."
"Archer-sama, where are we going?"
Sakura quickly followed him.
"Let’s check out Ryudou Temple. The Greater Grail’s leyline is underground there." Fang Mo replied as they left. "The Holy Grail War is coming to an end…"
"And ‘in Kampf’ has only just begun.”
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