"Raaah!"
A silver gleam howled down like a hurricane. In the blink of an eye, Siegfried appeared before Rhodes, his massive sword raised high before bringing it down with brutal force.
Though saddled with the infamous nickname "Mr. Sorry," mocked as "five-star HP, three-star attack," even jeered at as the shame of the five-star Servants… one couldn't deny that as Europe's famed hero, Siegfried was no lightweight. The Dragonslayer of Fafnir, wielder of the phantasmal greatsword—he was a hero of renown and might.
And yet, here and now, this world-renowned knight swung his blade down at Rhodes, "helpless and unarmed," under his Master's order. Judging from his serious expression, he probably even believed he was striking down evil in the name of justice.
Given Rhodes's track record of shameless behavior, perhaps Siegfried really did think he was punishing evil.
But feeling the gale of the oncoming strike, Rhodes showed no fear. No—ever since unlocking the Legendary Enchantment: Constant Mechanized Mind, he had long since cast fear aside.
His hand clenched, slow yet impossibly fast. A pitch-black sphere appeared within his palm—an artifact capable of destroying everything. It was the sole treasure he had brought from Faerûn.
Yet as he prepared to unleash it, Rhodes hesitated. The cost was so steep that even his cold, mechanical thoughts stalled. And in that instant, a slender figure stepped between him and the blade.
Tamamo-no-Mae stood firm, arms raised. Before her, silver mirrors spun in rapid orbit, weaving an unimaginably sturdy defense around them both.
"Release—!" she cried, her voice raw. The Automaton body roared with dozens of Magic Circuits burning at full throttle, red arcs of mana sparking in the air. The Tamamo Jewel's spin grew faster, and her pale, delicate fingers lifted gracefully. Mana surged, forming an impregnable shield in an instant.
"Jutsu! Black Sky Hollow!"
A pitch-dark barrier blossomed from the Tamamo Jewel, cloaking them both. The divine stone thrummed with a resonant hum as it activated.
CLANG! The clash rang sharp in the dim hall. Siegfried's blade hammered the barrier again and again, strikes falling heavy as rain on banana leaves. Yet the black shield held firm. Only ripples shimmered across its surface, no damage inflicted.
"Hurts, doesn't it…" Rhodes's gentle voice drifted inside the barrier. He slipped his arms around Tamamo's slender waist, even as his own body screamed with pain. His eight primary circuits and sixteen sub-circuits overloaded, ripping agony through his frame as his life force was burned into mana. That power flooded into Tamamo, replenishing what she lacked.
"No! Stop!" Tamamo gasped as tides of mana surged into her. She tried to resist, to reject Rhodes's sacrifice, but the bond etched into her core forbade her from denying his will.
"This is my mistake to fix. Even a cutesy bunny bites when cornered. And I'm no rabbit—I'm a wolf."
His eyes flashed with cold fury.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure he remembers this lesson."
"…Mm." Tamamo nodded softly, obedient. And just then, Siegfried's sword strikes ceased.
"Stop, Saber!" Gordes's panicked voice cracked, trembling with fear.
"Yes, Master." Siegfried obeyed at once, lowering his greatsword. The black barrier dissolved, fading back into glittering motes of mana.
And there, across the hall, Gordes stood paralyzed.
Because two massive black scythes hovered at his neck.
Behind him stood RyuZU, her expression serene, her blades having already drawn two crimson lines across his flesh. Blood welled thick and hot, the coppery stench filling the hall.
In an instant, Gordes's pristine Yggdmillennia uniform was drenched in red. He stood frozen in terror, too afraid even to clutch his own wound.
"You never learn, Gordes." Rhodes's mockery was merciless. "How pathetic. You summon a Heroic Spirit, only to sic it on your allies? What nobility is there in that? You're nothing but a clown on stage."
"Ugly. Stupid. Arrogant."
"Even as a Master, you're still the same worthless trash. From beginning to end, you never even had the right to be crushed beneath my heel. Pitiful scum."
The eighteen-year-old's words dripped with scorn as he tightened his hold on Tamamo's waist, savoring the soft, supple feel beneath his fingers.
"You—!" Gordes's face flushed with rage, but the sting of the scythes biting his throat forced the words back down.
"Lord Rhodes." From the throne above, Vlad III's voice rang out. The king slowly rose, bowing with grave respect. "Might you grant me a favor? I won't insult you by asking to forgive and forget. When the Holy Grail War ends, Gordes may be yours to deal with as you please. But for now, I ask you to spare his life."
At his words, every gaze in the chamber turned toward Rhodes. The Masters' faces even bore pleading looks.
The Yggdmillennia Clan had sacrificed much for this war. To kill a Master over spite would incite the wrath of the magi present.
Rhodes sighed theatrically, though a sly smile glimmered in his eyes. He knew the "original" storyline well—Gordes survived, albeit disgraced, the first Master to lose his Servant. Killing him now would be simple.
But why waste the chance to bleed the Yggdmillennia Clan for profit? Extortion was always more lucrative.
"I demand compensation." Rhodes's voice rang out, dripping with feigned fury. "I want all of Gordes's Magecraft knowledge. His family's entire fortune. Every Homunculus in this castle. And the complete Magic Crest of House Musik. Only then will my anger be appeased."
"From this day forward, the Musik family shall be erased from Yggdmillennia's honor."
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