Mash was fully prepared. As if on cue, Artoria Alter finished charging her Noble Phantasm at the exact same moment.
A narrow beam of light, barely a few meters wide, streaked straight toward her.
Mash successfully activated her Noble Phantasm.
It took everything she had, but she managed to block the blast head-on.
The moment she succeeded, Mash turned to Ritsuka with pure joy lighting up her face.
"Senpai! I did it!"
Ritsuka smiled brightly and gave her a big thumbs-up.
"Way to go, Mash!"
Olga Marie watched Mash with the warm pride of a parent seeing their child finally stand on their own.
"Wonderful… She can finally hold her own now~"
Only Medusa sensed something was off.
She stared at the tiny beam Artoria Alter had just fired and froze.
This doesn't add up.
When she was fighting us, she was launching beams dozens of meters wide like it cost her nothing! But the second her target switches to a defensive Servant, the diameter shrinks by ten times?
Can a Saber really adjust the beam's width that drastically without losing power? Or… had her magical energy finally started running low after all that fighting?
Medusa shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside. Thanks to the precious window Mash had bought her, she had completed her preparations.
If the king truly was low on mana, this was the best chance she would get.
A golden bridle emerged from the blood-red magic circle in front of her.
Medusa seized the reins and leaped lightly. In the next instant, a pure white winged horse materialized beneath her.
Bellerophon
Olga Marie, still caught up in the moment, turned at the sound behind her. Her eyes widened in shock.
"A winged horse? Is that… Pegasus?!"
"That's a Phantasmal Species!"
Ritsuka scratched the back of their head, clearly lost.
"I know Pegasus, but what exactly is a Phantasmal Species?"
Olga Marie thought for a second before giving a simplified answer.
"It's a little complicated to explain right now. Just think of them as creatures born from humanity's legends and imagination—like dragons, for example."
"I'll teach you the details properly once we're safely back at Chaldea."
The mention of lessons made Ritsuka pull a long face immediately.
"I suddenly lost all interest in Phantasmal Species…"
Olga Marie ignored the complaint and watched Medusa's Noble Phantasm with rising hope.
If it was a Phantasmal Species… then maybe, just maybe, they still had a chance!
Having successfully activated her Noble Phantasm, Medusa soared into the air on the winged horse and charged straight at Artoria Alter.
Just moments earlier, Artoria Alter had only used a small beam a few meters wide against Mash.
But the instant she saw Medusa riding her mount toward her, she casually swung her arm and unleashed another colossal beam dozens of meters across.
Medusa's eyes widened at the sight of yet another zero-startup, full-power attack.
Wait!
If she still had this much magical energy, then what the hell was that tiny beam she used on Mash earlier?!
The two Noble Phantasms collided head-on.
Excalibur Morgan versus Bellerophon
Medusa's Pegasus met Artoria Alter's black-red beam in a violent clash. For a brief moment the two powers pushed against each other.
Then Artoria Alter poured even more strength into the attack. The beam thickened and surged forward.
Pegasus could no longer hold. It was blasted away, and Medusa crashed hard into the ground.
Olga Marie's face paled as she watched Medusa fall.
She stared at Artoria Alter as if looking at some kind of monster.
To defeat a Phantasmal Species with such casual ease…
How were they supposed to win against this?!
Adam! Where are you?!
Ritsuka was in much the same state.
They looked at Medusa lying there, barely conscious, then at Heracles, who had just regenerated only to be mercilessly cut down again moments later.
The frontline couldn't hold the pressure. The numerical gap was overwhelming—he was getting completely demolished.
Their damage dealer and crowd controller (Medusa) couldn't land any meaningful hits. Their output was vastly inferior, and while her control abilities were decent, they couldn't restrain a fully serious opponent.
Still, the situation wasn't completely hopeless.
Their greatest advantage was that they had two Servants on their side.
If they could coordinate properly, they might still have a real shot.
What?
You're saying one of them is a Berserker and we should already be grateful he hasn't turned on his own teammates?
Forget it. I'm out of here, guys!
---
The Chaldea trio rushed over to where Medusa had landed. Ritsuka quickly helped lift her up.
Medusa was in terrible shape.
Most of the beam's damage had been absorbed by the Pegasus, shielding her from the worst of it.
Even so, her current condition was dangerously close to Spirit Origin collapse.
But more than her injuries, one thing bothered her far more.
Medusa painfully raised her head and stared at Artoria Alter, her eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.
This doesn't make sense.
Why use only a few-meter beam against Mash, but a dozens-of-meters-wide one against me?!
You were definitely holding back when you fought her!
Just as expected—
After finishing off Heracles once again, Artoria Alter turned her gaze toward Mash. More precisely, toward the large shield in Mash's hands. A playful smirk curved her lips.
"Hmph. It seems I unconsciously held back."
"Even so…"
"Blocking that attack is still worthy of praise."
Her expression sharpened in an instant.
"Nameless girl. From now on, it won't be so simple."
That piercing gaze made Mash's heart tighten. She instinctively gripped her shield even tighter.
Medusa's face grew grim as well. She was essentially out of the fight now.
Given how serious Artoria Alter sounded, she expected another massive beam any second.
However, what the black king did next completely took her by surprise.
Instead of firing another Excalibur Morgan, Artoria Alter chose to close the distance and engage Mash in close-quarters combat.
Medusa: ...
She stayed silent for a moment.
You literally just said it wouldn't be so simple… and then you drop your Noble Phantasm to fight up close?
What does that even mean?
Is she finally getting serious?
…Or maybe not. It might not be that simple after all.
***
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