Mordred was a knight blessed by the Lion King with the "Rampage" blessing.
Under this blessing, she would be even more irritable than usual.
Though, she had always been irritable to begin with.
Like a wild child with no discipline.
Yet, at this moment, she couldn't say a single word for a long time.
Born as one of unclean origin, a lifeform created in the twisted womb of Morgan's jealousy and hatred.
Mordred, who was originally meant to be used to take revenge on King Arthur, grew at a frighteningly fast rate.
Before her values could even take shape, she became a young knight girl, eyes full of admiration, fanatically devoted to King Arthur, and chose to serve her.
Also, by imitating King Arthur's physical abilities, she quickly stood out among the knights.
Longing for her Father, yearning for her recognition.
For this, she gave effort like never before. But in the end, she didn't even get the slightest "affirmation."
Thus, hatred was born in the girl's heart, and she became one of the culprits of Britain's destruction.
Now, after hearing Shirou's words, her heart was a tangle impossible to unravel.
"Father, she… really…", Her fists clenched tighter and tighter, again and again, before finally loosening softly.
Mordred raised her head and said, "I don't know any great truths, and I can't be bothered to listen. What Father does must be right!"
"Though it's right…"
Her voice gradually weakened, "What I hated was only the king, not my father…"
"Yes," Mordred sighed lightly, "I hated that country, that era which forced Father to bear everything."
"To be born from nothing more than a bastard's parable, and to force everything onto that person, don't you think it's laughable, to be weak to such a shameful extent?"
"Even this farce of 'king' being nothing but 'king,' forcing one person to stand alone in that lofty place, it's just infuriating however you think about it."
Mordred said angrily, "Someone who should absolutely never have been hated, and yet was hated by everyone. People selfishly forced their desires and dreams onto that person, then selfishly felt disappointment."
"I hated this sort of thing. That's why I wanted to wake that person up, because Father had no obligation to carry burdens she never should have had to."
"That's right!"
Mordred stared at Shirou, "If you're rejected, then you don't even have the slightest chance to intervene, right?"
"Every time I close my eyes, I see a dream that repeats over and over. Yes, the dream of deciding to pull the sword, the dream of challenging that sword."
"In the end… deep down, I always thought I would fail."
Like a little cat that had lost all strength, lying by the roadside, Mordred said, "It's not that I failed after trying, but that I clearly understood, even if that sword appeared before me, even before I challenged it, I would carry the certainty of 'failure' and so give up."
"At that time, I started to think… I must be lacking some crucial thing, the most important element of becoming a king, some qualification."
"But in reality, it was nothing at all. I lacked nothing…"
"That's right!"
The girl said, "I, Mordred, lack nothing! Only that…"
"Make everyone smile? So that's what it was."
For the first time, the girl gazed at Shirou with eyes that were unbearably complex yet beautiful, "So it was for that reason she chose to be king."
"What a ridiculous reason."
"What a stupid, stupid reason."
"What a reason so pitiful that it shouldn't even exist."
Mordred bit her lip, "And yet, what a faint and precious reason that is."
"To the point I think Father truly is that kind of existence."
"But in truth, I was wrong. The reward she wanted was only the kind of thing we might casually toss by the roadside."
"Neither jewels, nor gold, nor status, wealth, or power, nor any glittering treasure."
"But… the compassion even for a stone by the roadside, one that others would kick aside."
'Everyone smiling…'
'That was what she saw on that stone, more important than anything.'
'So it was only this, after all.'
'Therefore…'
Mordred picked up the Fallen Sword of Radiant Splendor, and murmured, "That's why I must atone… why I must give everything of myself to her, even this life…"
"Looks like my words only made you more determined to serve the Lion King," Shirou stood up as well.
"Of course," Mordred said, "She is my Father… that alone is enough!"
"And you?"
The girl stared at him, "Knowing so much about Father, why oppose her?"
"Because I love her," Shirou's words were astonishing.
Mordred was struck like lightning, her eyes going round, "What did you say?"
"I sincerely want her to be happy."
Shirou said with unshakable resolve, "So I will go before her. I will bring her back."
"You…"
Words so world-shattering left Mordred's nerves completely jammed. She couldn't even muster criticism or anger, her mind unable to keep up.
At this moment, Shirou finally laughed, "Mordred, do you think I told you all this because I wanted to sway you?"
'Isn't that it?'
Mordred was more bewildered than ever.
'This guy didn't say all this just to get me help meeting the Lion King?'
Shirou answered, "I knew from the start you were all hardheaded. I never thought to sway you."
Half a year ago, when the Knights of the Round Table were summoned, except for Galahad and Bedivere, not a single one was missing.
Those who remained, how many hands of theirs were stained with the blood of their companions and friends? Countless.
Even in such a state, they still followed the Lion King. Unlike Lancelot, who could be swayed at the sight of his daughter, they wouldn't be swayed.
So Shirou had long been ready to cut down the Knights of the Round Table.
He said, "Did you think I told you all this because I wanted you to understand?"
"Big mistake!"
Shirou raised his hand to the sky, and in a second, armor covered his whole body.
"I'm waiting for the sun to reach nine o'clock!"
"Projection, begin!"
At the moment his magic circuits activated, the Sun's Holy Sword of Radiance was analyzed, reconstructed, and transformed.
Concept extraction, imagination, creation.
A few beats passed.
Finally, forging!
Click!
The trigger of a handgun was pulled.
The crystal card representing the Sun's Holy Sword was inserted into his belt, "Let me feel what it's like to be invincible under the sun, just like the Knight of the Sun himself."
"Careful, Mordred! This is the threefold strength I once had as Berserker!"
The reason Shirou could fight under the sun at full strength was that he disregarded his body's burden, forcibly projecting the power he once wielded as a Servant, armor included.
As always: with the sheath in hand, he couldn't die.
So, three times stronger, was nothing much.
"You!"
Just as Mordred realized something was wrong, when she had only just infused her blade with mana, the power shook the very air.
"Too slow!"
Before she even heard these words, she was sent flying by a sword bursting with scarlet lightning.
BOOM!
"——"
"What now?"
The Knight of Enforcement turned back with a collapsing expression…
The next second, his eyes went blank.
The prison collapsed.
To call it "collapsed" was completely wrong. It was that, before his very eyes, the massive prison built by the King to hold rebels was overturned by a force beyond compare.
What kind of power was that?
A tsunami?
A storm?
A volcanic eruption?
No!
It was the end of the world.
The earth itself was the truest depiction.
Like a lake blasted open by artillery, it shattered in an instant!
A black shadow faster than a rocket ripped through the ground, blasting outward.
No, smashed outward.
And it started from the center of the inner city, smashing straight into the city walls, carving out a massive hole.
Next, collapsing buildings were blasted skyward by the overwhelming shockwave of fists.
From the deep crater, a man in golden armor, radiating supreme brilliance, slowly stepped forth.
His heavy steps made the Knight of Enforcement feel his blood burning, scorching.
It wasn't an illusion, it was truly on fire.
Like the surface of the sun scorching the earth.
The pure azure kingdom like the tracks of the stars turned red, steaming.
Just being near the golden-armored man, the knight's armor began to melt.
His face was soaked with sweat.
And yet he didn't even have the courage to move.
He could only stare as that figure came closer, passed him, disappeared from sight.
"..."
"!!!!"
"Pfft… gwaaah!!!"
"Cough, cough, cough…"
Falling from the inner city wall, Mordred's vision blurred, her protective armor completely shattered.
If not for being a Servant, that one strike would have pulped flesh and bone alike.
"That bastard…"
She stabbed her sword into the ground, trying to push herself up.
The next second, the sky darkened.
The shadow before her made her pupils contract.
She couldn't even feel the pain for the moment, she looked up, locking eyes with the Emperor.
"!"
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