Fate: How About a New Savior?

Mordred was the first to charge into battle.

The reason was simple—and had nothing to do with the Gift: Rampage bestowed upon her by her father.

Sakura had recognized her, and she had recognized Sakura as well.

Agravain was nearby, and the other Knights of the Round Table were also present. If she revealed that she remembered once being a Servant to the Master of Chaldea and had participated in the Holy Grail War,

not only would her own loyalty be called into question, but Sakura and her companions would be in even greater danger.

"Saber!" Sakura tentatively cast a Magecraft attack.

But it was weak enough to be nullified by Magic Resistance—barely more than a tickle.

"Sakura-senpai... do you know this Servant?" Mash asked, holding up her shield with all her strength to protect Sakura.

Just a dozen meters behind them were the director and the others, still holding their ground inside the vehicle. For knights on horseback, that was an easy distance to close.

Right now, they were only being held back temporarily.

"Hurry and find a chance to escape…" Mordred finally spoke, her voice low and cautious. "If the others find out, it'll be a problem!"

"You remember me?" Sakura had assumed Mordred wouldn't recognize her, but it turned out to be the opposite—which made her a little happy. "Then what about London—"

"London? What London?" Mordred struck down with her sword—not too hard, but Mash blocked it. As she fought, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about, but I remember that Holy Grail War very clearly."

"Then you were with us—"

"No. I've already made my decision—to be my father's knight. I'm offering this life to him... I won't betray him again..."

Though her helmet hid her expression, her voice revealed a deep inner conflict.

She had no idea about the events at the Fourth Singularity, and this mission to strike down Chaldea had become the most unexpected twist for Mordred.

Faces resembling her mother, Masters she had once fought beside—familiar after familiar appeared before her, and she felt her sword arm begin to grow heavy.

"So this is the only way, huh, Saber…" Sakura gripped her wand tightly, took a deep breath, and aimed at Mordred, who had been pushed back by Mash.

"You all retreat first. I'll fake a defeat." Mordred's voice was filled with hesitation. "Next time we meet… I'll kill you."

She stepped forward, crimson mana swirling around her body and sword, roaring to life.

"Crimson Lightning!"

"Saber!"

With less than half her mana, Mordred unleashed what appeared to be a fierce blow. It struck Mash's shield and sent her flying from the force of the impact.

A pure mana attack fired from Sakura's wand struck Mordred in midair. She blocked it with her sword as she twisted and rolled through the air, landing in the middle of the sand dunes—creating some distance between them.

If she could just continue fighting the girl with the shield for a little longer, until Sakura and the others had time to escape, then she could let her guard down and take a hit.

After all, the others wouldn't be so easy to catch anyway.

Mordred was well aware of the difference in combat strength between the two sides.

But just then, two squads of Enforcement Knights, each made up of five or six men, took advantage of the fact that Shiomi, Scáthach, and Morgan were tied up fighting the Knights of the Round Table.

They flanked from both sides, circling around to strike at the girls holding position at the rear, near the sand vehicle.

"Damn it—" Mordred had underestimated the mobility of these soldiers.

But the girls on that sand cruiser weren't ones to sit and wait to die. Led by Olga Marie, with Caren and Ritsuka supporting using their respective Mystic Codes, they began sniping the approaching Enforcement Knights from a distance.

Watching the Enforcement Knights get knocked off their horses one after another, Mordred quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She was just about to get up when another rider leapt over the heads of the three nearby, using the distraction on the flanks to break straight for the heart of their camp.

But Mordred's heart, which had just begun to ease, dropped again.

Gray jumped off the vehicle, sprinted seven or eight meters across the sand, dodged the spear thrust of the incoming Enforcement Knight, kicked him off his horse, and snatched the weapon from his hands—engaging in a head-on clash as the Knight scrambled back to his feet.

During the fight, her hood fell back, revealing silver-gray hair laced with gold—and her face.

"Fa...ther?" Mordred froze.

"She's not King Arthur. Her name is Gray," Sakura said, shaking her head. "She's the Black Madonna—Morgan le Fay's secret creation, passed down through the ages. She carries the fate of being the vessel for the resurrected King of Knights, and now she's trying to break free from that destiny."

"..." Mordred stood frozen.

She slowly rose and charged forward without a word, but this time, her sword swing was noticeably weaker than before—even Mash found it unusually easy to block.

The knight before them was clearly caught in deep inner turmoil.

From the sand dunes, Agravain caught sight of the scene and clicked his tongue in displeasure. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was clear that Mordred's fighting spirit had dulled.

Such indolence must be reported to the king and met with holy punishment.

"Still have time to look around, Sir Agravain?"

A magic spear shot straight for his throat, stopping just inches away.

Crimson chains burst from the sand, coiling around Morgan's arms, body, and spear.

"Of course I do. I know all your tricks, Morgan," Agravain said coldly, eyes locked on her.

From the start of the battle, he had charged toward Morgan without hesitation.

This time—this time, he would eliminate this potential threat. Anything that could obstruct the king... even if it was his own mother, he would show no mercy.

Agravain would strike her down without hesitation.

"How bold of you, Sir Agravain." Morgan gently raised her spear and knocked his weapon aside.

The chains that had bound her vanished in an instant.

"Tch…" Agravain clicked his tongue again.

It was a spell Morgan had taught him herself—naturally, it had no effect on the one who originated it.

As though mocking his power, Morgan stepped forward, casually holding the front end of her spear, easily deflecting his next blow.

"When did you—" Agravain could barely finish the question.

He had no idea how Morgan had become so adept at close-quarters combat.

And... what was that strange sense of wrongness about her?

Her demeanor, her words, her expressions—they were all just as he remembered and despised. And yet... she felt like a different person entirely.

"I'm not obligated to answer you."

At last, Morgan swung her spear, knocking the weapon from Agravain's hands, then placed a finger against his forehead.

"Disappear. Don't stand in the way of my husband."

Her voice was calm and graceful.

Light flared from her fingertip.

The Knights of the Round Table turned at the flash—just in time to see Agravain hurled through the air like a cannonball, tracing a pale arc before crashing into the distant desert, kicking up a small cloud of sand.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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