"Phew, my fur's finally grown back."
"…Maybe I'll ask Nameless for a photoshoot. Capturing that artistry in all those outfits could be epic… No, incredible! 3,000 Mana Prisms—no, 5,000—and we'd have devoted fans! But Nameless's charm is her unadorned beauty… Posing for photos might dull that shine… An idol? No way. Ugh, so悩ましい…!"
"Here's the big reveal, Master! Give it your all!"
"I taught you the basics. Now it's about courage."
"Don't forget the fundamentals of Pankration, Ritsuka."
"…And one more thing."
"Excited, excited!"
"What's got you so hyped?"
"Secret!"
No Pankration, No Master – The Path of the Assassin Saber
"Stick close to me. This fog's so thick, losing you would be a pain to fix."
"Got it!"
"Thank you, Sir Mordred."
"Dah!?"
In the foggy capital, Mordred tripped spectacularly.
"What happened!?"
"Don't call me 'Sir,' shield guy! Made me stumble!"
"S-Sorry!"
"Just Mordred's fine, got it? We ain't that formal."
"Y-Yes…"
"Tch, you're throwing me off. Listen up: say what's on your mind, straight up. Backstabbing's for cowards. Be loud! Like this!! 'Father, you idiot!!'"
"Stop with the Gender Ritsuka—!!!"
Two roars echoed through foggy London.
"That's the spirit! …Huh? Gender Ritsuka?"
"Yup! The honorable, humiliating title given to me, declared 'unseeable as a woman'! They barge in while I'm changing, keep chatting while I'm in underwear, greet me normally when I'm half-naked, and I fight for lunch with the baseball and rugby teams—that's me, Ritsuka!"
"…W-Wow."
"I can't forget… That classmate who smiled and said, 'Ritsuka's a high-class flower, right?' Nobody's picking me! I wanna be a bride! Care for a family! Live happily in a house with my husband—!!"
"…Ritsuka, I'm actually a woman too."
"No way!?"
"Yeah… You've had it rough, huh… Makes me wanna cry… Come here, buddy…"
"Son's crying. Say something."
"Die, Saber."
The brutally concise response carried such overwhelming killing intent, it silenced everyone.
"She's definitely female in this world…"
"All Artoria faces are women. It's tradition, a rule. In this world, Artoria's female—absolute law."
"Heh, she's just not honest, but her heart's true. Kinda cute, huh?"
"Don't say that to her face. It'll be a bloodbath. If they take each other out, all the better."
"R-Right, I'll be careful."
Arthur seemed fond of her. Artoria, though, radiated absolute-zero killing intent.
"Saber must die, delinquent son must die, Saber must die, delinquent son must die, Saber must die…"
"Calm down, Artoria…! Still, it's odd."
Arthur muttered curiously.
"This is London, Britain's soil, so a Round Table knight showing up makes sense. But why Mordred first? Filled with rebellion and hatred, you'd think she'd…"
—True, it's strange.
Mordred, resentful of Artoria and Arthur, rallied knights and rebelled, splitting Britain and destroying it.
Yet, when London faced a crisis, she was the first to rush in?
Isn't that a contradiction? Destroying her country, then protecting it?
"The Knight King doesn't understand human hearts."
"Guh—!!?"
Artoria took damage.
"That's why the Round Table broke, Arthur. She came because she hates it."
"Because she hates…?"
"Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Love so deep it wants to destroy, hate so fierce it wants to protect. Those feelings come from intense passion."
"Passion…"
"Probably thinks, 'Nobody but me gets to ruin Britain.' Pretty endearing, huh? A loyalty that kills other dogs to bite her master to death—twisted, Artoria."
"You okay, Artoria?"
Artoria staggered up.
"My coldness in life wasn't ideal… I should've said 'No' clearly, disciplined her with a hundred Excaliburs, not whips…!"
"No worries, Artoria. Parenting fails are common. Losing your country and life to your son's rebellion? No need to dwell now."
—Exactly. Despite the tragic end, she protected her people, led her knights, and reigned as king. That's undeniable.
"No matter the outcome, you're Britain's Red Dragon, Artoria Pendragon."
"Don't let trivial things dampen your spirit. Life was life; as a Servant, draw the line."
"…Yes, you're right."
"Heh, quick to understand, Knight King."
"Unlike some Ozaki knights!"
—She's back to her spirited self. Good.
"Hey, who you talking to?"
Mordred poked her head in.
"What, seeing ghosts? You need a hospital."
"Haha, what a mouth, Sir Mordred. I'll let it slide. Getting mad's too much hassle."
"Stop with the 'Sir'! It's ticklish!"
"Fine, a third-rate but fun-to-tease… Hm."
The vessel twitched.
"They're here."
"Yup, Enemy-class."
Footsteps, mechanical whirs, and clanks approached through the fog.
Quite a number… Time to select treasures.
"Small fry have their eyes on us. Get ready—battle."
"Already? Perfect. Ritsuka, watch the great Mordred's power. Don't fall for me, got it?"
"Mordred…! So cool! That's our Mordred!"
"Hell yeah, I'm cool!! Rebel… and, uh…"
"Traitor?"
"That's it!! Traitor's rare class! The great Mordred!!"
"You stopped short of 'Saber,' huh? I'll settle for half-dead."
"She's a reliable ally!"
Mannequin-like machines, white-bodied creatures with glowing red eyes, and stumpy mechanical figures emerged.
"Romani, analysis!"
"Done! Automata, Homunculi, and…"
"Helter Skelters. That's what we call those clunky things."
"Helter Skelter."
"Remnants of those who never grasped their dreams? Lost in the fog? Or… No, not now."
"Battle time!?"
Ritsuka cracked her knuckles.
"They're Enemies. You good?"
"Of course! Mash, Mordred, let's go!"
"Yes!"
"Huh!? You're fighting!?"
"Yup, with my fists!"
"…Can you use a shotgun?"
"Nah, I'm a delicate maiden. Choking stuff's not my thing."
"Master, let me join too."
Artoria spoke up.
"I want to test my holy sword's precision. Let me warm up with some havoc. Permission?"
"Fine with that?"
"Ignoring her will just make her sulk again. Can't have her troubling everyone."
"Artoria…"
"Serious talk, Master. Call her."
"Yup! Come, 'Artoria'!"
Her right hand glowed, and the Knight King in a tracksuit appeared.
"Here I go, idiot son. As a Servant, wield your sword to your heart's content."
"Wha—Father, uh…!?"
Mordred froze solid.
"Hm…"
The vessel pulled wine from the ripples, downing it.
—Doing what couldn't be done in life. Being a Servant isn't all bad, in my opinion.
"Don't freeze, Mordred. Do what you must."
"…"
"Mordred…?"
"—Haha! Hahahahahahahaha!! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!"
Mordred burst into laughter.
"That's right! Of course! London's crisis, Britain's crisis—'you' wouldn't miss it! That's the Knight King! My radiant Father! Right, right!"
"…"
"No way a third-rate knight like me would be trusted with the homeland's crisis! Yes—you're the knight among knights! King Arthur!!"
"Called?"
"Not you."
"Your opinion's irrelevant. Just be the Master's strength now."
"Yes, yes! My sword! My thunder! I'll shatter Britain's enemies without fail!! Watch, King Arthur! This is the power that destroyed and protects our homeland!!"
"Mash, let's go!!"
"Yes!"
—I'll use clairvoyance to watch the surroundings, guarding against ambushes.
Just realized, the Gate of Babylon… would cause massive city damage, so I'll hold back.
—Let's select optical or causality-reversing treasures instead.
"Here we go!!!"
Three Servants and one Master charged the Enemies.
Red lightning and the roaring holy sword tore through Automata and Helter Skelters.
"Blame your boss if you wanna hate!!"
"No chatter, Mordred!"
Under Mash's guard, Ritsuka's Pankration roared!
"'Touch it, break it'! Chiron-sensei! Hercules! Achilles! Marie! Watch me!"
"Leave guarding to me, Senpai!"
"Yeah!! Oooohhh—!!!"
Her fists pierced torsos, her rush crushed heads. Kicks caved in bodies, and her legs sliced flesh. Godspeed strikes, gifted by Achilles.
Joint locks snapped arms, chokes crushed necks.
Grabbing legs broke them, seizing arms tore them. Hercules's mighty grappling.
Homunculi shattered on contact, reduced to white, minced-tuna-like wreckage.
Pankration, taught by sages and heroes. With Marie and Da Vinci's enhancements, the last Master obliterated Homunculi one by one…!
"Pankration! Only Pankration!"
"Now and always, those who master Pankration reign supreme!"
"Exactly!!"
"No Pankration, No Master!!"
The Homunculi, overwhelmed, began to retreat.
"No escape!!"
Artemis's "Moon Goddess's Arrows" rained down like a meteor shower.
A divine bow with neither string nor arrows negated mid- and long-range disadvantages!
"Don't mock my goddess friend—!!"
"…Her husband must have it rough. A marital spat means certain death."
I couldn't help nodding at the vessel's chilled remark.
—Century-end legend guy, please come to her matchmaking.
"Oryaaa!!!"
The final enemy was crushed with a jumping backdrop, and Ritsuka rose slowly.
"Phew. Compared to Sensei's thousand-hand dummy, these were nothing."
"Regulate your breathing, Ritsuka."
"Yup. Thanks, Mash. They don't work on Servants, so I'll handle the small fry!"
Ritsuka grinned, face bloodied.
"G-Great work, Senpai…"
"Superb bodily artistry. Strength born from abandoning femininity—I saw it."
"I didn't abandon it—! I'm a maiden—! Artemis, you saw!?"
—An maiden tearing apart Homunculi… Greece is wild.
"…"
"…Father."
Mordred knelt.
"I know what I am. What I am to you."
"…"
"But as a knight of the Round Table, just for now, let me wield my strength for the homeland."
"…"
"…"
"Raise your face, Mordred. The answer's already clear. Fulfill your mission."
"—Father!!"
Mordred's head snapped up.
"—Huh?"
There stood Artoria, smiling.
"This is for discipline—Caliburn—!!!"
The holy sword swung down.
"F-Fatheerrr—!!?"
Mordred was sliced and collapsed.
"Phew, seriousness is tiring. Spoil her a bit, and she gets cocky. Consider this a lesson."
"F-Fatheerr… Fatheerr…"
"Don't knock her out. If you're killing her, make her spill the hideout first, Artoria."
"Good point. Get up, Mordred! Start mapping!"
Artoria relentlessly kicked Mordred.
"Die after you're a worn-out rag! Get up! Or I'll Caliburn you again!"
"…Female me…"
—Great work, King Arthur.
"You've mastered the basics. That's a relief."
"Saw that, Hercules! That face-crushing kick was my move! Marie's better at striking, but nice job, Master!"
"Impressive, indeed. But Master's better at locks and grapples. Now, endurance…"
"There's still room to grow. Let's keep training."
"Yes, Sensei!"
"…Your archery was splendid. But we must ensure she doesn't forget feminine grace…"
"Saw that!? Saw that, Darling!? Eee, Ritsuka's amazing—!!"
"That woman's a Hercules… (shudder)"
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