"Huh? Maria, have you seen my mask?"
"Amadeus, you lost it?"
"Strange, where did I put it…"
"Borrowing this, Arthur."
"Huh?"
The Rebel Traitor Hunting the Clown
"Ahyahahahahaha!! Ahahahaha!! Ihihihihihi!! Eehihihihihi!!"
A cacophony of clownish laughter echoed through the demonic capital.
"Die, you bastard—!!"
The Rebel Knight, Mordred, slashed with feral ferocity.
"Whoa, dangerous! So danger! Getting cut by the finest Saber would kill me! Eh!? Wrong Caster!? My bad, my bad!! Ahahahaha ahyahahahaha ihihihihihi ahyahahahahaha!!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!! I'll silence you, shitty clown!!"
"No need to worry, Yasushium Hakatoshi? Takashi? Whatever! Let's laugh merrily! You rage, I laugh—a win-win, no? Ahyahahahahaha!!"
"Graaahhh!!"
"Ngh…"
Deep in his portable throne, the vessel stifled a yawn.
"Gil, shouldn't you help!?"
"No need. Let a rabid dog without shots bite her—she'll die of disease instantly."
"But…!"
"Just watch. 'It'll never end.' Besides, I've got better things to do than fight."
"Better things…!? Gil, what…!?"
"Assessment. Watch—it'll get interesting."
The vessel drew wine from golden ripples, sipping slowly.
—Numbers, grasped. Quality, analyzed. Information, acquired. Now, location.
"Interesting…?"
"Damn it! Why won't it hit!!"
Mordred's ferocious sword sliced right, left, missing Mephistopheles, cutting only air.
"Ahehehe!! Miss, miss, big miss!! Are you a fan? Here to blow me away with a new sensation!? Ahyahahahahaha ihihihihihi ahyahahahahaha!!"
"You—!! I'll kill you!!"
"Kill me, you say!? How odd! How strange!! Don't tell me—"
Mephistopheles slithered into Mordred's guard with ease.
"—You didn't mean to kill me until now? Or, perhaps, you're too weak to kill me!? Ahyahahahahaha!! Ihihihihihi ihihihihihi!!"
"Graaahhhhh!!"
"Miss, miss, big miss! No good! You can't! To kill, you must strike! Attack! But you can't, it seems! Pity! Just a pity!! Ahahahihihihihi!!"
"You shitty bastard!!"
"If you can't do it, ask your friends! Effort, friendship, victory! You love that, right? Everyone does! But really—talent! Lineage! Victory!! Ahaha aha ihihihihihihihi!!"
"Mordred-san! I'll—!!"
"Stay back!! Don't come!!"
"!?"
Mordred rejected Mash's aid.
"He's after 'you lot'! Taunting to make you step forward! Master, Mash, nouveau riche—don't move an inch!!"
"—!"
"…Oh? You're surprisingly calm."
"My gut's telling me—!!"
Mordred's Clarent whirled like a tornado, yet missed the clown's life, slicing only air.
Mephistopheles leapt back, landing on a gate protrusion.
"Correct! Brilliant, brilliant deduction! My targets are the lady, the shield Servant, and the Master! I thought you'd come recklessly, but what a surprise! You're quite the beast, huh? The Nexus is important, you know? Not that I'd say that! Ahyahahahahaha ihihihihihi ahyahahahahaha!!"
"Tch, annoying as hell. 'Rigged the whole area,' huh?"
"Another hit, spoiler alert! Yes, yes, exactly! Mordred-sama's got sharp eyes! Is it a 'lady's' intuition? Perfect for the spotlight, no? Ahyahahahahaha!!"
"…"
The air trembled. Mordred's rage peaked, Clarent dyed blood-red with malice.
"So, that laughter's a skill."
The vessel muttered, sipping wine.
"Skill? What's that mean!?"
"Exactly what it sounds. His laughter locks everyone's fate to the worst outcome. If failure's possible, it's guaranteed. Try buffing Mordred."
"Uh, okay! Instant Enhancement!"
The Master's Mystic Code faltered, failing to take effect.
"It didn't work!?"
"That's the effect. Mordred's 'possible to miss' attacks all miss. What's needed is a 'guaranteed hit.'"
—Fortunately, Mordred has Instinct.
That's why she hasn't triggered the "bombs" littered around.
"Now, what to do? Not strong, but tricky."
The vessel swirled his glass, amused.
—If they seize the chance, he's easy prey. But that chance is for the Master and crew to grasp.
"We gotta stop Mordred!"
"If she unleashes her Noble Phantasm, the town…!"
At that moment—
"Master!"
"Call us!"
The two Knight Kings requested to join—!
"You two!?"
"—Come, 'Artoria'! 'Arthur'!"
"I'll kill you. Get ready. I can't control myself anymore."
Clarent rose high, radiating dark, crimson malice.
"Oh, splendid, splendid! Unleash it fully! Destroy freely! That's you, Rebel Knight's true desire! Burst spectacularly!! Don't do what doesn't suit you! Come, come, come!!"
"I'll kill you now!! Vanish, 'My Radiant Clarent'—!!"
"Ihi, ihihihihi—!!"
As the honed mana surged into a blade—
"Calm down, idiot son!! Saber Ninjutsu, Skull-Sinking Fist!!"
Artoria's sharp knuckle crashed onto Mordred's head—!
"What!?"
"Ow—!!"
Mordred dropped Clarent, clutching her head.
"What're you doing, Father!? I was at the good part!!"
"The good part ended halfway. You saw through his scheme, but then fell for it."
"Guh—"
"Unleashing your Noble Phantasm there would obliterate the mansion. Still so green. When your flaws are exposed, stay composed. Endure, kill calmly—that's the true Saber way."
"…Yes, Father."
"Good. Now, composed—"
"Right!! Let's settle this!!"
A beautiful, commanding voice rang out.
"Who!?"
"You are… (deadpan)"
"I'm Mysterious Heroine X! The knight guarding Britain's knights! Artoria! Mordred! Let's combine forces!"
A silver-clad figure in a hood and mysterious mask stood gallantly—!!
"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!"
The vessel slapped his knee, roaring with laughter.
"…"
Mash fell silent.
"Mysterious Heroine X—!! So cool—!! Wait, did we summon that Servant—!!"
Ritsuka's eyes sparkled.
"…The Round Table…"
"What a crew Merlin built—nothing but idiots!"
The support team sighed in disbelief.
"Come, rise, Artoria! Mordred!"
"Don't take charge! Who are you!?"
"Ignore that for now. —Mordred."
"Huh?"
"Can you 'run on the wind'?"
"—What?"
Mordred blinked at the cryptic question.
"That's not all. Can you 'channel energy into one strike'?"
"That's that lake-stealing jerk's thing!"
"Exactly! Bet everything on one blade, deliver the promised victory strike!"
"We'll handle support. Can you do it? Answer."
"—Of course I can! I'm Mordred! The Round Table's strongest Traitor!"
"Mordred! Do it—!!"
"Leave it to me! One-punch knockout!!"
"Good. Get in position. Don't worry—if you fail, only you die."
"That's not reassuring!?"
"Your heart's set! Let's go!"
Swiftly moving behind Mordred, she focused.
"Briefing or family bonding done? Well, if you can't land a hit, what's it matter—"
"—Reach the farthest end, surpass your limits!!"
Mordred's Clarent gleamed again.
Not as unleashed thunder, but condensed energy within—
"My radiant Father! Behold the brilliance that destroys you!! 'My Radiant Clarent'—!!"
"Artoria!"
"Yes!"
As Mordred stepped forward—
"'Wind King Hammer, Strike Air'—!!"
A massive torrent of wind blasted from behind—!!
"Ihi—!?"
Before Mephistopheles could brace, Mordred—faster than anything in that moment—closed in.
Propelled by a mana storm, stepping through the gale, the ferocious knight, wielding ultimate speed and force, charged the self-proclaimed demon clown—
"—'Rebellion Against My Father, Blood Arthur'—!!"
A condensed strike cleaved Mephistopheles in two—!!
"Ah—Aaah—!!"
Sliced diagonally from shoulder, his upper body soared.
"No, no, no, this won't do. I'm dead, I'm dead."
"As expected. Clean up your mess."
—Treasure selection's complete.
"—Huh?"
"I assessed your planted bombs—shoddy work. I returned them, 'inside you.'"
—Using the archetype of "transcription," I copied all bombs set in the Master's body. With "transference," I shifted them all into his.
"—Meaning!?"
—Thirty-some bombs, including those in the Master, returned precisely.
"Label them shoddy. What was it called, ah—"
"—'Explosion Finale'!? The worst, the worst!! I'll be filthy fireworks!! Farewell, everyone—!!"
"—'Slumbering Bomb, Tick-Tock Boom,' was it?"
As the vessel named it—
"Senpai!! Behind me!!"
"Tch—!!"
Mordred hurled the lower half skyward—
A dazzling, flamboyant firework, like a clown's fate, bloomed.
"A clown shines in their fall. Annoying third-rate, but decent entertainment."
The Heroic King's fine wine was enriched by the spectacle—
"Mysterious… Hero… X…!"
"—Wonderful! So wonderful, Saber! You're the best! My one and only prince!"
"Hahaha! The best! The greatest! I need to record this for my Excalibur cosplay set! Heroine X! Yes! The best—!!"
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