In the feudal imperial systems throughout history, generals who held military power were always viewed with suspicion by the emperor.
When their merit overshadowed the ruler, there was fear of rebellion, trumped-up charges... In times of great chaos, a famed general was an emperor's peerless sword. But once peace was restored, they were to be cast aside like birds when the bows are stored, like dogs when the hares are dead.
Yet when Sakatsuki looked at the golden-haired emperor, he was stunned to find that the fury in her eyes was not a façade. Behind her intense emotions lay a sentiment unbefitting an emperor.
"Do you… truly understand what you're doing?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
The ahoge atop Nero's head drooped as she looked at the calm white-haired general, realizing that just minutes ago, this same indifferent expression was the one he wore while watching the people of the United Empire march step by step into their graves.
In her memories, the man sat in a chair, gently listening to her chat and laugh, but now the reality of him unflinchingly sending tens of thousands to their deaths stood stark before her.
This disconnect brought shock, which gave way to grievance, and buried within that grievance was defiance—eventually manifesting as a resistance akin to fury.
Especially when Sakatsuki continued acting even as they spoke, behind him, soldiers shouted angrily, herded the captives into the pit, like driving pigs and sheep!
The soldiers of the United Empire had long sensed danger. The moment they noticed Nero looking their way, their pleas for mercy grew louder. Even under the lash of whips, they cried out pitifully with all their might.
Like beasts struggling purely on instinct.
And for a certain soft-hearted emperor, such a sight had tremendous impact.
"Cease this at once, do you hear me?!" With a roar, Nero drew her meteoric iron sword.
The next moment, a chill ran down her neck.
"Ah..."
A low sigh slipped from her tightening throat. The girl in the red dress stood frozen like she had been turned to stone by Medusa's gaze.
Not just her body—even her mind refused to think, to accept the reality before her.
"H-Hey, you're kidding, right...?" Even Weber, who had encouraged this act, couldn't help but clutch his feathered fan tightly. As for the soldiers, they stared wide-eyed, weapons clattering to the ground.
Because—Sakatsuki had drawn his bronze longsword and held it against Nero's neck.
To put it another way, the governor personally appointed by the emperor was now using a sword to threaten the highest ruler of the empire—Augustus herself.
"A general in the field may defy imperial orders—even yours, Your Majesty." The cold blade licked the emperor's delicate skin, drawing blood that dripped onto the ground.
With his left arm wrapped tightly around her waist and the sword held backhanded to stop her from turning around, Sakatsuki ensured he wouldn't see her misty eyes—making it easier to steel his resolve.
"Please leave, Your Majesty. This is not a battlefield you should tread."
What a polite yet utterly alienating command.
A girl filled with fervent affection, risking her life in enemy territory to find this man—only to be threatened with a sword upon their reunion, ordered to return alone to a wilderness surrounded by wolves.
A farcical comedy. A tragic role.
Choking back tears, Nero desperately tried to turn her head, but the man's arm was like steel. Even ignoring the sword at her throat, the overwhelming strength left her unable to move.
Sensing the soldiers' horrified gazes on them, Nero wanted to be angry. But in the end, she could only let out a helpless, sigh-like moan: "You all… reject me too?"
The soldiers looked at each other in hesitation. Finally, Rosario stepped forward and knelt on one knee: "Forgive us, Your Majesty. We all believe the general's actions are correct. These mon—enemies must be completely eradicated."
"Is that so?" Nero gave a sorrowful smile.
This was no longer about the lives of the United Empire's army. Their commander had already drawn a sword on Augustus. Even if Nero called this treason, the Senate wouldn't object—nor would the people of the world.
Yet even so, the soldiers—among them members of her own Imperial Guard—chose to support the white-haired general, giving silent consent to his outrageous act.
The feeling of abandonment swept over Nero like a tsunami. She lowered her head, watching the soldiers of the United Empire fall into the pit, crying and begging, while the silent, blood-colored juggernauts raised shovels and buried all sound and movement beneath the soil.
Once, twice, three times...
The wound on her neck let in the chill, which spread all the way to her heart, extinguishing her blazing passion.
As the final shovelful of dirt fell, the stars in her eyes went out. She bowed her head lifelessly, unmoved even as Sakatsuki lowered his sword.
In the freshly filled pit, countless arms stretched desperately toward the sky like plants breaking through soil—etched into Nero's mind like a scene from hell.
Even the white-haired general's voice became the whisper of a demon: "Please leave, Your Majesty. I'll send scouts to escort you."
"No need."
Under the setting sun, her red dress faded in color. Nero did not look back at Sakatsuki even once. She stumbled down from the platform and walked toward the city gates, never turning around.
A broken rose swayed in the dusty wind, set ablaze by the setting sun on the horizon, withering in the silent tide—vanishing without a trace.
Yet the last Command Seal on her hand still glowed brightly.
The white-haired general watched her leave, then finally turned away and descended the platform.
"You're not sending soldiers to guard her?"
"You've figured it out, haven't you? She's far more than just a Roman emperor of this era. Even if I die, she won't." Sakatsuki spoke calmly. "Weber, I'm leaving my soldiers in your care."
"Me?" Weber froze, a sense of dread welling in his chest. "What are you planning?"
Under Weber's uneasy gaze, the white-haired man grinned, a bloody gleam in his eyes filled with malice.
"In a bad mood. Gonna go for a walk."
The moment he finished speaking, a blast of blood-red light erupted. Weber could barely open his eyes in the violent wind—and the man was already gone.
As the uneasy soldiers looked over with uncertainty from forcing the emperor away, Weber's lips twitched, a pang forming in his gut.
"Hah… karma sure comes fast."
***
Blood surged.
A streak of crimson light raced across the wasteland—heading in the opposite direction of the departing young emperor.
Sakatsuki sped forward, propelled by the blood surge, a fire of crimson burning in his eyes.
As early as Pisa, he had realized that his ideals and Nero's were incompatible. It was only a matter of time before they went their separate ways.
Better a clean break than lingering entanglement… even if it meant severing the innocent feelings she held.
After all, Nero didn't know—she wasn't purely "herself" right now. Were her words and actions truly her own? That love at first sight… was it just a smokescreen thrown up by some beast trying to soften Sakatsuki's resolve?
Weber was right—clinging to Nero while sinking in the mire would only bring pain to them both. Now that the main players had entered the stage and the curtain had risen, Sakatsuki was bound by the vow he made: to take up the role of that great general, to run through a chaotic world and prevent the beast's birth.
Who had time to worry about romance?
Suppressing all thoughts of Nero, the white-haired man's eyes burned like torches as he gazed at the magnificent palace emerging ahead, murmuring softly:
"The Holy Grail…"
The blood surge roared, forming an axe-like shape in the air as if to cleave the heavens. Blood-red inscriptions gleamed sharply—piercing like blades into the onlookers' eyes.
Amid the astonishment of the palace guards, the man gripped his raised hand tightly, then turned into a stream of light and smashed through the palace gates in a single charge!
From above, the massive blood-colored axe came crashing down like a furious meteor, slamming into the palace's very heart.
BOOM—!
Amid the world-shaking explosion, a figure burst through flame and shockwaves—unstopped, speeding into the palace's depths, pushing ever forward!
His target—the Holy Grail!
***
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