Arash!
When this hero's name appeared, countless viewers across the infinite dimensions who knew of his fame couldn't help but be taken aback.
The great hero of ancient Persia, a being who single-handedly ended a war. To this day, Arash remains a hero revered by countless Persians.
In many worlds today, because of Arash's great deeds, "Arash" is still a top choice for parents naming their children.
There is even a song, "The Song of Arash," written specifically for him.
In truth, the tale of this great hero is the stuff of myth. To stop a war, he fired a legendary arrow!
Though his body was torn asunder and utterly obliterated by that single shot, the arrow, carrying his very life force, transformed into a meteor so brilliant that none could look upon it directly. After a flight of 2,500 kilometers, the arrow finally reached the Amu Darya river, halting the war between two great Middle Eastern nations.
Because of this myth-like story, when one speaks of the name "Archer," they are, in fact, referring to Arash himself.
One could say that in the West, Arash is the very symbol of an archer.
[King of Heroes]: "Arash... so it is him? Though he is no match for this King, if it is this man, he is indeed worthy of the title 'hero'."
[Fallen Black Cat]: "Huh? Did the sun rise in the west? To think this insufferably arrogant King of Heroes would actually say something like that?"
[Ramesses II]: "Hmph, what an arrogant and conceited king. How many treasures in your vault can compare to that arrow which dimmed the stars? Arash... this is a hero whom even I, the King, must admire and would receive personally."
[Sushang, the Cloud Knight]: "He stopped a war with a single arrow and is the origin of the word 'Archer'... No wonder Mash was so excited. On the Xianzhou, this is a feat that only the Reignbow Arbiter could possibly achieve."
[Riajuu Should Just Explode]: "Arash... His accomplishment is something few in all of history can match. In the Type-Moon world, one can't even begin to imagine how powerful that must be!"
---o---
[On the light curtain, under Arash's guidance, Ritsuka Fujimaru's group followed the path, venturing deeper into the mountains and briefly touring the territory of the mountain people.]
To be honest, compared to the Lion King's Holy City and Ramesses II's pyramids, the territory of the mountain people was downright shabby. It was called a territory, but in reality, it was just an earthen village built into the mountainside.
Although many people lived here, one could see that their quality of life was far worse than that of the region governed by Ramesses II.
As for the Holy City, although Ritsuka and her group had not been inside, they estimated it was far superior.
However... though their living conditions were harsh and the environment was poor, the people here were filled with spirit, and their eyes shone with a glimmer of light.
Indeed, under the protection of the Hassans, they might still go hungry, but compared to the hellish scenes of the desert, it was a significant improvement.
Moreover, many of them were refugees who had once been hunted by the knights of the Holy City; they no longer held any illusions about it.
Just as Ritsuka and the others were sighing at the state of the mountain village, an unexpected situation suddenly occurred.
To the west, a tide of berserk red mana stained the forest, overturning the very soil the mountain people relied on for survival.
The violent mana and incredible speed proved that this person was extraordinary, absolutely not someone who could be dealt with easily!
At that moment, the leader of the mountain people, a Hassan from this era, Hassan of the Cursed Arm, appeared. He stared at the scene before him, his expression grim as he spoke to Arash.
"Smoke signals are rising from the West Village! It's the knights of the Holy City! They're attacking!"
"The knights of the Holy City?" Upon hearing these words, Arash's smile instantly vanished.
Although Arash himself was quite powerful, he was ultimately just a normal Servant summoned by the Holy Grail. His Spirit Origin was only that of a common Servant.
Participating in a Holy Grail War was one thing, but fighting a Knight of the Round Table who had received the Lion King's blessing was simply suicide.
"Cursed Arm, do you know the specific identity of the attacker?" Arash asked. Lancelot's forces had just retreated. Which knight would attack so directly at a time like this?
"According to the report from the guards of the West Village, that knight's banner bears a red dragon and the red lightning that severs its neck."
"There's no doubt about it!! There is only one Knight of the Round Table who would dare to fly a banner depicting the beheading of the King! That mad-dog-like berserker—the Knight of Treachery, Mordred!"
A trace of venom laced the words of Hassan of the Cursed Arm. With this attack, the land the mountain people depended on was once again destroyed by mana. More importantly, under Mordred's power, who knew how many of the mountain people would lose their lives!
"Cursed Arm, now is not the time for grief. There are still many mountain people and defending Hassans in the West Village to be rescued!"
A red longbow materialized in his hand. Arash's gaze pierced through countless forests, directly seeing the current situation in the West Village.
Countless members of the Hundred Personas were evacuating the populace, doing their best to create chaos to block the attack of the Holy City's knights.
Because of the terrain advantage, dealing with the ordinary Holy City knights was manageable. But once they encountered that knight girl wearing the horned helmet, all of the Hassans' efforts became meaningless.
The girl only needed to release a simple burst of mana to completely destroy the terrain, sending all the enemies in her path flying.
This was the power possessed by the Knight of Treachery under the Lion King's blessing. Just like the other knights who had received a blessing from the Round Table, she was unreasonably powerful.
Hearing Arash's words, Hassan of the Cursed Arm said helplessly, "Of course, but to get from here to the West Village, it would take at least two days no matter how we rush. Even if we leave right now..."
"Is that so? Even the Hassans, who are skilled at delaying, can only hold out for half a day in this situation, and that's if Mordred isn't going all out."
Arash said. But fortunately, he had other methods. Since this was the case, he had no choice but to use his Arash Airlines!
Just as Arash was about to speak, Da Vinci suddenly stepped forward and came before Hassan of the Cursed Arm.
"At a time like this, how could you forget the all-powerful Da Vinci?"
"Da Vinci-chan!" Ritsuka and Mash looked at Da Vinci with excitement. The omnipotent Da Vinci, at a time like this, no one was more reliable than her!
"Since we don't have enough time, let's just pick the fastest mode of transportation. We'll fly there through the air."
Gazing at the admiring looks of her two juniors, Da Vinci activated her mechanical arm and created a flying machine out of thin air!
The aircraft was different from modern planes. It looked more like a hot air balloon, except the balloon on top had been replaced by a rotating propeller.
It was a creation that completely defied the laws of physics. One had to wonder how it was controlled. But then again, this was Da Vinci; creating things that defied physics was perfectly normal for her.
---o---
[Light Curtain Bullet Comments]
[Great Filial Son Mordred]: "Oh! Is it my turn to take the stage? Great! Now's the time to make my name known across the infinite dimensions!"
[Yukino Yukinoshita]: "Mordred, it's actually her? She has a blessing on her as well... But I really can't figure out why the Lion King would give Mordred a blessing, especially when Mordred ultimately betrayed her..."
[Riajuu Should Just Explode]: "Who knows? Maybe this Mordred has no intention of rebelling. But compared to that, I'm more concerned about Newton's coffin lid! The thing Da Vinci made is so ridiculous it breaks the ridiculousness meter!"
[Waver]: "Hiss— Even if it's magecraft, it should still follow the basic laws of conservation of energy! This Da Vinci is just too absurd!"
[Utaha Kasumigaoka]: "She's called the omnipotent one, so isn't it normal for her to be able to do this...?"
---o---
[On the light curtain, Da Vinci's flying machine was indeed impressive. Though in Arash's opinion, his own Arash Airlines would have been a bit faster.]
With the help of Da Vinci's flyer, Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others soared directly over the mountain forest, arriving at the West Village, a journey that would normally take two days on foot.
As soon as they landed, dozens of Purified Knights, spears in hand, charged toward Ritsuka's group.
At this, Bedivere and Mash immediately prepared for battle, and Arash's eyes glinted sharply.
With the help of several Servants, a few mere knights of the Holy City were naturally no match for them.
But just then, a berserk red thunderbolt rapidly approached from the distance!
Soon, after the knights of the Holy City had fallen, Arash decisively had the Hassans retreat with the civilians. He would stay behind to deal with Mordred.
The Hassans were reluctant, but they were useless in a direct confrontation. Thus, they could only comply, leaving the area with the civilians.
At that moment, Mordred, wearing a savage grin, her body boiling with red mana, landed before them with the force of a cannonball, booming down and shattering the mountain path. Splintered rocks flew everywhere as she arrived before the group!
Then, they saw Mordred, without her horned helmet, hoisting her rebellious greatsword onto her shoulder as she laughed heartily. "Hahaha~ Excellent! A place I could find directly! I can't believe I hit the jackpot!!"
"I've finally caught you, you strangers who escaped from Lancelot's grasp!"
"One, two, three, four... four Servants and one human? Great. I didn't see those guys in the skull masks, but they're probably right behind you, right?"
"This is great, saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one..."
"Wait, you are..."
As she spoke, she suddenly noticed Bedivere. Her eyes widened, and her smile was replaced by a look of astonishment. "Why are you over there? You third-rate knight, how dare you side with the rebels!?"
Bedivere spoke, "This is truly a meeting I could have done without... I have nothing to say to you. You have my resentment, and I have mine."
The hostility in Bedivere's voice was clear. His loathing and disgust for Mordred came from the bottom of his heart.
Other knights might have their reasons, but Mordred was the most unforgivable of all!
After all, the reason King Arthur became the Lion King was, to put it bluntly, because of the rebellion Mordred started. It was because of Mordred that Camelot was destroyed.
Under these circumstances, it would be strange if Bedivere felt any goodwill towards Mordred.
If his feelings toward the other Knights of the Round Table were complex, then his feelings toward Mordred were pure hostility.
It wasn't just him; even the other Knights of the Round Table probably found it difficult to feel any goodwill towards Mordred.
But then again, ignoring everything Mordred did to the King, Mordred herself was a character who evoked complex feelings.
This creation of the enchantress Morgan le Fay, who inherited the bloodline of both the enchantress and King Arthur, this "Nemesis of King Arthur," was in truth just a child who longed for the approval of her "Father-King."
With her loyalty and admiration for King Arthur, it should have been impossible for her to ever stand against him.
But alas, the King Arthur of that time was too unfeeling, causing Mordred's spirit to become completely twisted, which finally led to the rebellion.
Faced with Bedivere's attitude, Mordred fell silent for a moment before speaking in a calm tone, "...I was wondering why this guy who's always by Father-King's side didn't answer the summons."
"So it turns out, you were the traitor who stormed the gates of the Holy City? That Gawain, he didn't even mention something so important!"
As she said this, her gaze shifted to the side, her expression becoming slightly lonely. "Tch, come to think of it, if it's a blockhead like you, you'd probably do something like this. After all, you're the type to run right up to King Arthur's face and voice your dissatisfaction."
"A pity you came a little too late. Right now, even if you wanted to admonish Father-King, it would have no effect."
Hearing this, Bedivere fell silent. The others were taken aback, and Mash couldn't help but ask, "Um, Lady Mordred, would you be willing to negotiate with us?"
Seeing a familiar face, Mash actually didn't want to fight. It was rather awkward, to be honest.
During the Fourth Singularity, they had met Mordred and even fought alongside her for a time.
When Mordred finally faded, she even said that if there was a chance in the future, she would stand on Chaldea's side.
And now, just one Singularity later, Mordred was once again standing on the opposite side of Chaldea.
Although this Mordred before them had no memories of the Fourth Singularity, it still made one sigh. She truly was the Knight of Treachery.
Hearing her, Mordred let out a disdainful sneer. "Idiot! Who'd negotiate with you? I don't care who you are, anyone who gets in my way is an enemy!"
"Looking at that shield in your hands, you must have received his power, right!?"
"Perfect! Let me see just how much of that detestable guy's power you've inherited!"
As she spoke, a violent, ferocious red mana erupted from Mordred's body. Even her pupils turned a savage crimson as a boundless, wild aura emanated from her, a savage grin spreading across her face.
That posture, she looked less like a Saber and more like a Berserker.
---o---