"Arthur~~!"
After clawing his way out of the dirt, Lancelot threw his head back and roared, still slurring that one name through his teeth.
The shout cleared some of the fog from his dazed mind. Once he recovered, his gaze locked onto "Artoria" again. Ignoring Jeanne's stunned stare, he raised Arondight once more and charged.
"Arthur~~!"
As for the "Wyvern Sword"… it already lay sprawled on the ground, tongue lolling out, foaming at the mouth, eyes rolled back. The poor creature had completely passed out. Its once-glorious scales had been scraped clean off, and its sharp fangs were gone without a trace. The wyvern was thoroughly broken.
At that moment, Mash finally snapped out of her daze. She jogged over to stand beside [Mash], raising her shield to prepare for Lancelot's next assault together with her teacher.
[Mash] watched Lancelot get back on his feet, brows furrowed.
"He can still stand? As expected, pests really do have stubborn vitality."
Her first reaction was pure annoyance, but then a new thought crossed her mind.
If Lancelot was standing again, didn't that mean she could "correct" him one more time?
The corners of [Mash]'s mouth curled upward unconsciously. She was already imagining exactly how she would do it this time—slam him into the ground with her shield like before, or fully deploy her defensive Noble Phantasm and crush him into the earth with its entire weight?
No, using the full Noble Phantasm could be optimized further. She recalled the technique Adam had taught her: leap into the air, deploy the defensive Noble Phantasm mid-jump, and use both gravitational momentum and the massive weight of the shield to flatten the enemy so they could never get up again.
Just as Lancelot's Arondight was about to crash into [Mash]'s shield, she had her counter ready. The moment his sword connected, she would launch him skyward with the impact, then leap up after him and unleash her Noble Phantasm—
Clang!
The expected sound of sword meeting shield never came.
Instead, there was the crisp ring of sword against sword.
"Who are you?"
Mash stared blankly at the Servant who had suddenly leaped in from behind to block Lancelot's strike. From her angle, she could only see the figure's back.
The person wore a thick blue mantle that looked almost like a heavy blanket. Golden hair was tied back and coiled into a bun, topped with a golden crown.
"King?!"
On the other side, [Mash] recognized the newcomer instantly.
Artoria Pendragon (Saber).
The Servant who had blocked Lancelot's attack was the most "original" version of Artoria.
"Sir Lancelot, why have you taken on this form again?"
Artoria's elegant brows furrowed slightly as she looked at the pitch-black knight before her. She clearly hadn't yet grasped the current situation.
Just moments ago, she had been chatting with the other Artorias in her room at Chaldea. It happened to be their weekly Artoria-only gathering day. All the Artorias who weren't busy had shown up—even Caster, who was usually swamped with work, had attended this time.
They had just steered the conversation toward Adam when Artoria suddenly felt a shift in her vision. The next thing she knew, she saw the maddened Lancelot swinging Arondight straight at [Mash].
Without hesitation, she had dashed forward to protect her clearly deranged subordinate.
"Calm yourself, Sir Lancelot."
Artoria spoke firmly while holding Excalibur steady against Arondight, locking the two blades in a contest of strength.
Under her deliberate control, she and Lancelot remained locked in a stalemate.
She wanted Lancelot to regain his sanity first. In his current state, communication was nearly impossible. Artoria believed that once he recovered his reason, he would naturally stop turning his sword against them.
However, after seeing Artoria, Lancelot's gaze darted back and forth between her and Jeanne several times before finally settling on the Artoria he was currently clashing with.
"Arthur~~!"
[Lancelot Emotional Value +10]
[Lancelot Emotional Value +10]
[Lancelot Emotional Value +10]
...
With that roar, Lancelot grew even more frenzied. Artoria's words seemed to have no effect. The force behind his blade increased.
Yet even with the boost from Mad Enhancement, Lancelot still couldn't move Artoria even an inch.
Artoria's expression remained perfectly composed as she steadily held back his power.
After their swords remained locked for a moment, Lancelot realized he couldn't overpower her through brute strength alone. He switched tactics, moving from a contest of raw power to using his superior swordsmanship to try and overwhelm her.
Although Lancelot desperately wanted to receive the punishment he believed he deserved from King Arthur, his Berserker class limited him. While he had a general goal, there was only one path his maddened mind could take: fight. If he wanted punishment from the King, he would fight her—and if he lost, he would naturally receive it. That was Lancelot's simple, violent logic.
He gripped Arondight with both hands and unleashed a storm of strikes from every tricky angle imaginable.
Lancelot's swordsmanship was the finest among the Knights of the Round Table—even surpassing King Arthur in life.
But that had been in life.
This was a Level 120 Artoria with fully maxed skills. She parried every blow with effortless grace, still looking like she had plenty left in reserve.
Even so, the aftershocks of their duel created a tornado of sword wind around them.
Mash, standing closest to the fight, watched with wide eyes.
"So strong…!"
She stared in awe at Artoria's overwhelming power, feeling a strange sense of familiarity deep in her heart.
While she was lost in the spectacle, her peripheral vision caught [Mash] lowering her shield with a disappointed look and turning away to walk back toward Adam.
It looked like her teacher had decided to step back and not interfere in the fight between Artoria and Lancelot.
"Let's go, Mash. We're heading back."
Mash blinked, looking back and forth between her teacher and the intense battle.
Deep down, she really wanted to jump in and help. She still felt that inexplicable rage toward the black Berserker, and seeing Artoria made her want to assist even more.
But after a split-second hesitation, she chose to follow her teacher. Mash jogged over and fell in step beside [Mash].
Still, confusion lingered in her eyes as she asked in a puzzled tone:
"Teacher, that swordswoman who just appeared… she's our ally, right?"
"Why aren't we helping?"
"Weren't you really angry at that black Berserker earlier?"
[Mash] listened with a somewhat regretful expression. The earlier scuffle clearly hadn't satisfied her enough.
"Sigh… I'd love to turn around right now and help the King beat the crap out of that parasite, but…"
[Mash] glanced back at Lancelot fighting Artoria and muttered under her breath, "…after all, it's his obsession."
"What did you say?"
Mash hadn't quite caught the quiet murmur.
"Nothing."
Under Mash's curious, unsatisfied gaze, [Mash] brushed the topic aside with a simple "nothing."
By the time their conversation ended, the two had reached Adam's side.
The rest of the group had gathered there as well: Marie, Mozart, Siegfried, and Jeanne.
They all had the same question: Who exactly was the Servant Adam had just summoned?
At the moment, though, Adam's attention wasn't on them. He seemed to be staring at thin air in front of him, swiping at something only he could see.
"Mr. Adam, is this Servant one you just summoned? Um… why does her face look so much like mine?" Jeanne asked, staring blankly at Artoria's identical features.
Marie leaned in for a closer look after hearing Jeanne.
"Now that you mention it, she really does look exactly like you. Is she your twin?"
"Could this Servant be another aspect of Jeanne?" Mozart asked, still sporting the large bump Black Marie had left on his head. He thought back to Meta-Jeanne and offered his guess.
Siegfried, her massive chest armor proudly displayed, frowned as she sensed something off about Artoria's presence.
"Why do I sense draconic energy coming from this Servant?"
While everyone bombarded him with questions, most of Adam's focus remained fixed on the "air" in front of him. He kept staring at that empty space, clearly weighing his options and making some kind of decision.
"Adam-senpai?" Mash called out, confused about what he was doing.
Adam continued manipulating whatever system menu only he could see. Without looking up, he pointed at Ritsuka beside him.
"I'm a little occupied right now. I already told Ritsuka everything she needs to know. Just ask her."
All eyes instantly turned to Ritsuka.
Feeling the questioning gazes, she puffed out her B+ chest proudly, looking rather pleased with herself for some reason.
"Alright, listen up. The Servant Adam summoned is no small fry. Her name is Artoria Pendragon."
Mozart rolled the name around on his tongue.
"Pendragon… Pendragon?"
"Does that mean she's a descendant of King Arthur?"
Based on the name and Artoria's appearance, Mozart made his guess. It made perfect sense to him that anyone with "Pendragon" in their name had to be closely connected to the most famous bearer of that title in history.
If his guess was right, this girl had to be a descendant of King Arthur.
Ritsuka gave him a comically wide grin.
"Nope nope nope. You're very close, but unfortunately, you're wrong."
Mozart frowned in mild frustration at the denial but refused to give up. He pushed his guess further.
"Not a descendant? Then maybe an ancestor of King Arthur?"
"Wrong again~"
Ritsuka's smile grew even more ridiculously exaggerated.
After being shot down twice, Mozart was starting to lose steam. He had no idea what identity this Servant could possibly have.
In his irritation, he blurted out without thinking:
"Then who is it? Don't tell me that girl is King Arthur herself?"
"Congratulations. You got it right."
Mozart: "..."
The guess he had thrown out in exasperation was suddenly confirmed by Ritsuka, leaving him completely silent. He now suspected she was just messing with him.
"King Arthur is a girl?!!"
In everyone's minds, the knowledge granted by the Holy Grail clearly stated that King Arthur was male. How could Ritsuka claim the legendary king was actually a girl? Did she think this was some kind of historical fanfiction?
Ritsuka went on to explain that King Arthur had disguised herself as a man.
"I never would have imagined it… The legendary King Arthur was actually a girl?"
The revelation that the historically male King Arthur had been female all along hit the group quite hard.
However, Mozart's focus seemed to be elsewhere.
"To place the burden of an entire nation on the shoulders of a young girl… Humans really are filthy creatures."
The moment he spoke, Mozart's aura turned thick, sticky, and chaotic, as if he had become a completely different person.
[Mash], who was most sensitive to such presences, glanced sharply in his direction. But the strange feeling vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
She stared at the now perfectly normal Mozart and decided she must have imagined it.
Seriously, no way. For a second there, I thought I sensed a Demon Pillar vibe coming from Mozart.
Ritsuka watched the distant duel between Artoria and Lancelot, thinking back to how Adam had summoned her right in front of him, and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"As expected of Adam… summoning King Arthur right in front of him like that~"
The others turned their attention to the pitch-black knight clashing with Artoria.
Since none of them knew the black knight's true identity yet, they didn't understand what Ritsuka meant.
"Why do you say it like that?"
"Do you know the True Name of that black knight?"
"Does Adam have some deeper reason for summoning Artoria in front of him?"
They had assumed Adam summoned her purely for combat strength.
Was there actually more to it?
Seeing their confusion, Ritsuka smiled mischievously and revealed the black knight's identity.
"Because that black knight is Lancelot."
Everyone present—except Ritsuka, whose history grades were in the negatives—either had the Holy Grail's knowledge as Servants or had memorized historical facts as top students.
The instant they heard the black knight's True Name was Lancelot, everything clicked.
Their gazes toward the battle changed completely.
What had seemed like a simple clash between two powerful Servants now carried layers of drama and fate.
"So that's the one who triggered the fall of King Arthur's empire?"
"Wait, wasn't he the one who… with the King's wife? Is this a live cuckold-slaying scene?"
"Wait a second—if King Arthur is a woman, she had a wife who was also a woman?"
Siegfried, standing nearby, pressed her lips together awkwardly and stayed silent.
[Mash Emotional Value +10]
[Jeanne Emotional Value +10]
[Marie Emotional Value +10]
[Siegfried Emotional Value +10]
[Mozart Emotional Value +10]
...
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After over a thousand exchanges between Excalibur and Arondight, Artoria was beginning to lose patience.
She abandoned her purely defensive stance and went on the offensive, gradually increasing her strength as she struck back at Arondight with controlled but growing force.
With a massive crash, Artoria and Lancelot locked blades once again.
Artoria looked at Lancelot with clear irritation. She still wanted to talk him down.
"Sir Lancelot, I know you desperately want to receive the punishment you believe you deserve. But could you calm down first?"
"I've told you many times already—I don't truly blame you. There's no need for you to keep seeking punishment like this."
"Besides, even as a Berserker, you are still a Knight of the Round Table. Losing your mind like this is simply too disgraceful!"
"Think of the honor you once held as a Knight of the Round Table and regain your senses, Sir Lancelot!"
The moment Artoria mentioned the honor of the Round Table, Lancelot's mind flashed back to all the things he had done as a knight that ultimately contributed to the fall of her kingdom.
Instead of helping, her words had the opposite effect. Lancelot became even more frenzied.
"Arthur~~!"
His response was still the same slurred cry of her name and a relentless storm of attacks.
Artoria had finally run out of patience for this dance.
She realized words alone wouldn't bring him back to his senses.
If talking didn't work, then she would have to use her sword.
Artoria activated Mana Burst and got slightly serious.
In that instant, her power surged to another level.
Gripping Excalibur with both hands, she brought it down on Lancelot with tremendous force.
Lancelot instinctively raised his sword to block, but the moment the blades met, he felt an overwhelming power transmit through Arondight. He was sent flying dozens of meters through the air.
This time, he managed to adjust his posture mid-flight and landed on his feet instead of being slammed into the ground.
However, the blow didn't calm him down. If anything, Lancelot—who craved punishment from the King of Knights—became even more berserk than before.
He lunged forward again in a wild, frenzied charge.
Artoria lowered her stance, gripping Excalibur tightly as she prepared for the next clash.
As Lancelot sprinted toward her, he suddenly leaped high into the air, aiming to use the momentum from above to deliver a crushing blow.
Bang!
It wasn't the sound of sword meeting sword.
It was the sound of sword meeting armor.
Lancelot, still airborne, was suddenly blasted away by a streak of golden light.
The golden light took the vague shape of a sword before executing a U-turn in mid-air and returning to its owner's hand.
Artoria followed the light and turned to look.
The owner of that golden light had a face identical to her own. Four slender blue-green rhombus-shaped objects floated around her. In her hand she held a strangely shaped sword whose hilt ended in a gem the size of a human head. It looked more like a sword-shaped staff than a traditional blade.
Attention please. Standing before you is:
Child of Prophecy, King of Salvation, Star of Hope for the Fairies, Incredibly Adorable Child of Prophecy, Incredibly Reliable Child of Prophecy, Valiant Savior of Norwich, Arcas, Artoria, The Brightest Light of Britain, Bearer of the Holy Sword, Country Bumpkin Fairy (crossed out), Tragic Village Girl (crossed out)…
The newcomer was none other than Artoria Caster.
And standing right beside her were two more Artorias!!!
***
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