[151] Rescuing Miyu

Blood dripped from the wound as Gilgamesh stared in the direction Sakatsuki had disappeared. After a long while, he let out a cold snort and retrieved medicine from the Gate of Babylon to treat his injury.

His anger was justified—the King's perfect body had been defiled, an unforgivable sin in Gilgamesh's eyes.

But strangely, he felt no particular resentment toward Sakatsuki.

Was it because of his twisted soul or the tragic end he had glimpsed?

Gilgamesh mused maliciously, just as a diamond-shaped space opened, and a man stepped out naturally, appearing before him.

"You dare return, chef... oh, it's you."

The crimson reptilian eyes lost their hostility, replaced by amusement. Gilgamesh looked at the man before him—white-haired, black-eyed, dressed in the attire of the Emiya family—and a wanton smile spread across his face.

"So, have you come to claim my head now?"

"Don't play dumb, King of Heroes. Haven't you already confirmed it with those eyes of yours?"

The man shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm just making room for the protagonist. Now isn't the right time for us to meet."

"True, with that chef's intelligence, he'd deduce a lot just from meeting you."

Even the proud King of Heroes had to admit this.

"So, what's your assessment of him?"

"In terms of strength, he's proven himself by fighting you all."

The man said.

"As for strategy... well, he forced me to retreat. Need I say more?"

"Hahaha... From the start, he never believed your clownish lies."

"Tch!"

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance, turning his face away.

"I even suspect that his battles with you tonight were just for his own satisfaction."

"Trusting the enemy's words is for fools, and following the enemy's lead is even worse than being a fool."

"Did he really think I'd listen to him? Really? Really?"

Humming a tune, Sakatsuki swiftly made his way through the corridors. Clearly, landing that final shot on the golden king had put him in a good mood.

Of course, the rewards he gained afterwards made him even happier.

[Fate Compendium Updated]

[017: Gilgamesh (Archer)]

[Character information: A figure based on the world's first epic, the "Epic of Gilgamesh," from ancient Sumerian civilization. Arrogant, tyrannical, and self-centred, he often refers to others as mongrels and despises casual conversation. He once said, "A king who doesn't act arrogantly isn't fit to be a king." However, his overconfidence often leads to carelessness and underestimating his enemies. His criteria for killing are twofold: "ugly souls" and "those who harbor murderous intent toward him."]

[Hidden information: Locked.]

[Record conditions 3/5]:

[•Gain Gilgamesh's recognition. (Completed)]

[•Kill/defeat Gilgamesh. (Incomplete)]

[•Successfully counter the Noble Phantasm "Enuma Elish." (Incomplete)]

[•Defeat Gilgamesh in battle without engaging in close combat. (Completed)]*

[Record Condition 1 Reward: Slight increase in "Luck" parameter!]

[Record Condition 4 Reward: Full projection authority for "Ig-Alima, Sul-sagana"!]

Ig-Alima, Sul-sagana.

As legendary divine constructs, their rank is at least A-rank or higher. Moreover, as Sakatsuki's favourite pair of greatswords, their full projection significantly boosted his combat power.

At the very least, it made Broken Phantasm even more explosive.

"Truly worthy of the King of Heroes. The rewards from him are incredibly rich."

Sakatsuki muttered, then shifted his focus to something in his hand.

This was a magical tool he had stolen from the church, called the "Spiritron Disk." Its function was to display the attributes of Servants summoned by the Holy Grail—but it couldn't show their locations. Otherwise, such a tool would be a must-have in any Holy Grail War.

But who was Sakatsuki?

He was someone who had mastered the thousand-year-old magecraft of the Einzbern family, a veritable old monster in certain fields of magecraft. Moreover, the Einzbern family had been the executors of the Holy Grail War in their world.

Modifying the Spiritron Disk into a tracking device was child's play for Sakatsuki.

Using the modified Spiritron Disk, Sakatsuki easily pinpointed Miyu's location and headed straight there after his battle with Gilgamesh.

Stopping before a room, the Spiritron Disk indicated that Miyu was inside.

Which meant her kidnapper must be nearby!

"Then, let me use the mana I've saved to have a good fight with you, you impostor..."

Black and white blades appeared in his hands as Sakatsuki crouched low, concealing his presence like a stalking panther. He crept to the door, then suddenly sprang up and kicked it open.

"Surprise, motherfucker!"

With a classic maniacal laugh, the white-robed, red-clad youth burst through the door, his twin blades gleaming coldly.

"Come on!"

"Let's fight to the death!"

"Get the hell out... huh?!"

Before his bravado could escalate, a figure came into view.

Sakatsuki was stunned.

Sakatsuki froze.

Sakatsuki hid his weapons.

Sakatsuki tried to pretend nothing had happened...

In front of him, Miyu sat quietly in her seat, watching her brother burst in like a bandit, waving two large blades. Her eyes held a trace of reproach.

"Let's go, brother."

"Ah, yeah, okay."

Two figures, one large and one small, walked down the road.

The smaller one walked ahead, her face troubled; the larger one followed behind, awkward enough to dig out a three-bedroom apartment.

Trying to show off only to fail and have your little sister witness the whole thing—how embarrassing!

But after the embarrassment passed, Sakatsuki cleared his throat and spoke seriously.

"Miyu, where's the person who kidnapped you?"

"He disappeared right after you shot Archer."

Miyu replied without turning her head, her voice calm.

"I see..."

Sakatsuki pondered, then instinctively asked.

"What did he look like? Any distinguishing features? What was he wearing? Hair colour, eye colour, eyebrows—how did they differ from mine? Did he have a strange spear? Or did he show any special abilities?"

The barrage of questions fell like stones into the sea, met with silence.

Miyu pursed her lips, refusing to turn around, not wanting Sakatsuki to see the complexity in her eyes.

"He's not your brother."

Then what was this concern? Was it all just an act?

"From the start, the Servant he summoned was wrong."

If it weren't for me, would brother—no, Sakatsuki—have already won the Holy Grail War?

"If he hasn't realized it yet."

Realize what? That I'm a burden? That I'm the biggest obstacle in his Holy Grail War...

Or that these feelings stem from the fact that he's 'him'?

Miyu was startled when her small hand was suddenly grasped. Looking up, she found Sakatsuki crouched in front of her.

"I don't know what he told you, and honestly, I don't care."

Sakatsuki gently stroked her hair, his voice calm but his eyes filled with affection.

"If you don't want to say anything, that's fine. I won't mind."

"But if you have doubts and want to confirm something, that's fine too."

"I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Was this affection fake?

Could such actions, such words, be performed by an actor following a script?

Miyu didn't know.

But one thing she understood clearly was that faced with such a brother, she only wanted to share everything with him.

"The person who kidnapped me said he was a nameless man..."

***

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