Morgan's expression darkened the instant she heard the name of Artoria Alter's Noble Phantasm. She was almost certain she had caught her own name in it.
Narrowing her eyes, she fixed Artoria Alter with a sharp, interrogating stare.
"I've been meaning to ask this for a while now…"
"Why name it after me? For a Noble Phantasm that clearly exists only to destroy everything it touches?!"
Artoria Alter didn't answer right away. She simply looked at Morgan with a faint, mocking smile.
That silence only stoked Morgan's fury.
"What is that look supposed to mean?"
"Stop hiding behind silence and speak!"
Artoria Alter glanced down at the pitch-black, ominous holy sword in her grip before finally replying.
"Because… adding your name to the end of a Noble Phantasm just makes it sound far more wicked."
Morgan's face twitched violently.
"Artoria! You truly are a genius at picking fights!"
"Were you born into this world solely to torment me?!"
With a furious shout, Morgan thrust her weapon into the empty air ahead. The blue-black lance blazed with brilliant light as a magic circle bloomed at its tip.
Artoria Alter dodged in a blur, her instincts guiding her perfectly. While she moved, she rapidly assessed the situation.
Morgan could ignore distance entirely, placing her attacks directly around her target.
If Artoria Alter tried trading long-range blasts with her own Noble Phantasm, the enhanced Mash would simply block everything.
A beam contest at range was clearly a losing game.
Since Morgan's greatest advantage was her ability to strike from anywhere, the answer was simple: close the gap and strip that advantage away.
Force her into close-quarters combat.
Deciding in an instant, Artoria Alter exploded forward in a lightning charge straight at both Mash and Morgan.
The enhanced Mash tightened her grip on her shield, stance rock-solid and ready.
Halfway through the approach, Morgan struck again.
The weapon in her hands shifted form, transforming into a double-headed axe.
One powerful swing later, the ground beneath Artoria Alter turned into a surging black-blue ocean. Towering waves roared toward her.
Thanks to her fairy blessing, Artoria Alter could stand on the water's surface. Relying on her instincts once more, she slipped through the assault and kept pressing forward.
Morgan's weapon was less a simple lance and more of a magical staff. It could morph freely into countless forms—swords, axes, spears—each one serving a different purpose.
By now Artoria Alter had closed the distance.
She believed that once she shattered the enhanced Mash's defense, Morgan standing behind her would be completely exposed.
After all, Morgan looked like a mage. What mage could possibly fight back once a Saber had gotten in close?
(One wonders what Artoria Alter would think if she ever learned Morgan was actually a Berserker.)
Facing the enhanced Mash who stood protectively in front of Morgan,
Artoria Alter prepared to deliver the same overwhelming strike she had used on the earlier Mash—only this time with everything she had.
Remembering how strong this version had proven to be, she poured a massive amount of magical energy into the blow to amplify her strength even further.
Her blackened holy sword crashed down onto Mash's pristine white shield with crushing force, producing a sharp, ringing impact.
Clang!
Mash and her shield didn't budge an inch.
Though Mash clearly strained under the pressure, she had blocked the attack completely.
The outcome Artoria Alter had expected—sending both girl and shield flying—never happened.
"What?!"
When she had struck the normal Mash earlier, the shield had been incredibly tough, but the girl's own strength had been nowhere near enough to match her own.
That had let Artoria Alter simply overpower her with raw power and launch her into the air.
This enhanced Mash felt entirely different. Even after increasing her mana output to strengthen the strike, it felt like trying to uproot an ancient tree whose roots reached deep into the earth—almost impossible to move.
Just as Artoria Alter faltered for the briefest moment,
A golden glow suddenly bloomed across the surface of Mash's shield. A radiant golden layer formed over it.
Artoria Alter tried to press forward, attempting to break through once more.
Mash pushed back with everything she had. The golden layer transformed into pure energy and slammed straight into Artoria Alter.
The tremendous shockwave blasted her backward instantly.
Artoria Alter glanced at her slightly trembling hands. That counter had carried real force.
At the same time, another wave of Morgan's attacks came rushing in.
Artoria Alter dodged desperately. Several razor-sharp spikes erupted from the ground where she had just stood.
While evading, she kept analyzing the battlefield.
Morgan maintained a relentless barrage, forcing Artoria Alter to rely solely on her instincts to survive.
Any attempt to counter with her Noble Phantasm would be nullified by Mash.
Trying to force a close-range fight proved nearly impossible because of Mash's unbreakable defense.
There seemed to be no clear way to break the deadlock.
As Artoria Alter continued weaving through the endless attacks with almost no chance to strike back,
Morgan recalled the haughty, superior Artoria Alter from her memories. Seeing her now, desperate and cornered, brought a wicked smile to Morgan's lips.
"Hey, Artoria. If you call me 'Big Sister' right now…"
"I might be generous enough to grant you a quick and painless end."
While fending off the barrage, Artoria Alter's movements stuttered for a split second. She nearly took a direct hit.
Her brows furrowed deeply, disgust plain on her face.
"What kind of disgusting title is that?"
"Just hearing it would give me nightmares!"
Unable to stomach the humiliation any longer, Artoria Alter decided to risk everything.
She charged toward Mash and Morgan once again.
Throughout the advance she relied on her instincts to slip through Morgan's relentless attacks.
After tremendous effort she finally reached Mash once more.
This time Artoria Alter attacked the shield while simultaneously releasing a point-blank energy blast.
A massive black-and-crimson beam dozens of meters long—combined with the full weight of her sword—crashed down onto Mash's shield.
Yet it was once again completely nullified by Mash's perfected defense.
***
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