Mordred, the famed Rebellious Knight.
Anyone familiar with the legend of King Arthur's life would surely know her illustrious name.
And her Father King... naturally, that was the legendary King Arthur.
With a helpless sigh, the blue knight—no, the King Arthur of legend—looked at Mordred, who had immediately identified her. A trace of resignation crossed her face before she generously dispelled the invisible wind shrouding her sword, revealing the true form of the legendary holy sword, as famous as she was.
"Mordred... even as a Servant, are you still this obsessed? I truly did not want to meet you again!"
"Hahaha, but I've really missed you, Father King..."
As she spoke, Mordred lowered the greatsword resting on her shoulder. Then, with a flash of fluorescent light, a heavy suit of primarily silver armor covered her body.
"Come, Father King. Let us begin our slaughter once more!"
Seeing Mordred already assume an attacking stance, King Arthur's helpless expression turned solemn as well. She gripped her holy sword with both hands and took up a battle stance.
Kischur Zelretch seemed to have no intention of interfering in the grudges between his Servant and King Arthur. Not only did he have no intention of interfering, he even issued an "invitation" in front of the other Servant.
"Come out. Has the appearance of one more Servant frightened you so badly that you dare not face me? You coward hiding in the dark."
In response to Kischur Zelretch's provocation, the red Servant standing not far from King Arthur naturally reacted. The Servant suddenly tightened his grip on his spear and assumed a throwing posture toward Kischur Zelretch.
"Stop..."
Just as the Servant was about to attack Kischur Zelretch, who had lost his Servant's protection, a gentle and pleasant female voice suddenly called him to a halt.
"So it's Einzbern!"
Having reviewed the information Sakura had provided, Kischur Zelretch naturally understood in an instant who those two Servants belonged to upon hearing that woman's voice.
However... when Kischur Zelretch mentioned Einzbern, he had selectively concealed some things.
For example, Einzbern's Master was Kiritsugu Emiya, not his wife, Irisviel.
Irisviel, hidden in the shadows and acting as the apparent Master, was naturally quite shocked when Kischur Zelretch called out her identity so directly.
Faced with this unexpected development, Irisviel hurriedly took out the communication device Kiritsugu had given her, intending to inform Kiritsugu Emiya, who was hidden nearby, of the situation.
"Even after your identity has been exposed, you still refuse to show yourself? Has the prestigious Einzbern family been reduced to nothing but a pack of cowards?"
Kischur Zelretch's renewed mockery somehow prompted Irisviel, who had just connected to Kiritsugu Emiya, to respond instinctively... even though Kiritsugu Emiya had already spoken in time to stop her.
"No..."
"Irisviel, stop! Don't answer!"
But that single word, "no," still went out.
The moment Irisviel uttered that unmasked word, her figure vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye...
"Irisviel... Irisviel... what's wrong?... Irisviel?"
Kiritsugu Emiya's worried, frantic voice continued to sound from the special communicator left on the ground, but Irisviel herself had completely disappeared...
At the instant Irisviel vanished... Kischur Zelretch, who had just been using Suggestion Magecraft to taunt them on the battlefield, suddenly exploded. A mass of writhing mercury scattered in every direction across the battlefield as though it were some kind of signal.
Watching her Master explode and turn into mercury that splashed everywhere like raindrops,
Mordred, who had already discussed the plan before the battle, suddenly revealed a savage grin. Then, mana surged wildly from her entire body as she directly unleashed her Noble Phantasm at the Servant beside King Arthur.
"Hahaha, die—Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father King!"
Dazzling red lightning erupted from the greatsword. Like the thunderbolt of a divine king, it carried Mordred's roar; like a runaway wild horse, it bore the destructive power to tear apart everything as it thundered toward the knight standing beside King Arthur.
King Arthur had long been prepared for battle and had kept her attention fixed on Mordred the entire time.
She reacted at once. Without time to warn her companion, King Arthur swung her holy sword and stepped back, placing herself in front of that Servant to block the red lightning rushing toward them like thunder.
"Master... please allow me to unleash my Noble Phantasm!"
Before King Arthur's Master could respond, just as the red lightning was about to swallow King Arthur and the other Servant, brilliant holy radiance erupted. Accompanied by King Arthur loudly calling out her holy sword's True Name, it formed a torrent of light that hastily collided with the red lightning.
After a thunderous explosion...
King Arthur, who had rushed to meet the attack, was blasted diagonally through the air before crashing heavily into the abandoned warehouse.
The Servant behind King Arthur launched a counterattack the instant the collision ended. The spear in his hand left his grip almost immediately, flying toward Mordred like an arrow loosed from a bow...
Inside a top-floor suite of the Fuyuki City hotel.
Looking at the dimmed Command Seal on his hand and Mordred, who had appeared before him at the same time, boredom flashed across Kischur Zelretch's proud face.
"As expected, everything was within this King's calculations... Mr. Animsphere... I'm beginning to regret participating in this provincial little game."
Hearing Kischur Zelretch's complaint, Mordred, his Servant, sat carelessly beside him and spoke with equal feeling.
"Master's right. I really don't understand why that guy could be summoned... This is practically cheating."
Pointing at the Servant beside them, who held Irisviel in his arms and was entirely covered by a robe that concealed his face, Mordred's expression immediately filled with displeasure and disgust.
"My existence has caused you so much trouble... I sincerely apologize."
"Tch, no need to apologize. Master and I were only complaining; it has nothing to do with you... Still, if you violate our agreement, then even if I'm no match for you, I absolutely won't let you win easily!"
"Please rest assured. In the near future, you will certainly have an uninterrupted duel with King Arthur..."
The mysterious Servant set down the unconscious Irisviel.
Then he slowly sat down beside Marisbury.
"Caster... I'll be relying on you from here on as well..."
Solomon's Midnight Visit to Her Bedside
It felt as though an incomparably heavy mountain were pressing down on her.
Simply meeting the eyes of the Servant before her made Sakura feel as if she could barely remain standing.
"There is no need to be nervous. I am not your enemy."
A gentle yet dignified voice sounded. A hand adorned with all manner of splendid and holy rings then rested softly atop Sakura's head, like a father comforting his daughter.
Yet to Sakura, this was nothing less than terrifying.
If that seemingly gentle hand wished to remove her head, it would probably be no harder than casually plucking a leaf from a tree.
In the mountain villa late at night, inside Sakura's bedroom.
Facing this uninvited Servant who had come to her bedside in the dead of night,
Sakura endured the discomfort the Servant brought her, clenched her little fists tightly, and stood before her bed in her pajamas. Staring firmly into his eyes, she asked in a slightly trembling yet resolute voice,
"May I ask what brings the great King of Magecraft to visit me so late at night..."
He withdrew the hand that had made Sakura feel tense and uneasy, then lowered the hood concealing most of his face.
A dignified face carrying a trace of hesitation appeared before Sakura.
"I deeply apologize for visiting so late... but I had to come at this time..."
"Had to... Clairvoyance?"
"You could say that. Because of your coming actions, two days from now my observation of the future through Clairvoyance will become incredibly blurred. Among the futures I can still see clearly, tonight is the most suitable time to visit."
Upon hearing the King of Magecraft—Solomon—Sakura instantly understood the implication behind his words, and delight immediately appeared on her face.
"So I succeeded? I really succeeded in interfering with the future's observation of the present?"
A bitter smile crossed Solomon's face, and he gently shook his head at Sakura.
"I do not know... But I can be certain that the future has become an absolute mess because of your actions..."
"Tch, so what? The future of this world was going to become a complete mess anyway, wasn't it?"
As she spoke, Sakura gave Solomon a meaningful glance.
Sakura did not believe Solomon when he said he did not know.
Perhaps Solomon the Servant standing before her truly had, as he claimed, become unable to clearly observe the future due to some of her recent actions. But Sakura would never believe that the Solomon seated in the Hall of Heroes could not see it either.
Perhaps as she grew stronger and gained more methods, she might truly become capable of obscuring the future from Solomon's sight. But that would definitely not be now...
Solomon did not answer Sakura's doubts. Instead, he silently removed a ring from his hand and held it directly before her.
"Please accept it, and at the appropriate time, give it to the one who responds to it..."
Looking at the ring in her hand, which contained terrifying power, Sakura knew the significance of this ring and raised her head in confusion.
"You know that I know this Noble Phantasm's release chant, right?"
"I do. For the current future, I can still observe things clearly."
"Then aren't you afraid I'll use it to kill you?"
Solomon smiled without the slightest concern. Looking relaxed, he suddenly leaned closer to Sakura and spoke in an exceptionally gentle tone.
"Would you?"
"Fine... But you should also know my attitude toward Chaldea. Aren't you worried that I won't return this ring to your human self, or that I'll use it against Chaldea?"
"No. You and Chaldea do indeed have certain conflicts in your positions, but conflict does not mean you are enemies. Besides, even enemies sometimes have no choice but to cooperate, don't they?"
"Heh, what confidence... It seems that you, as a Servant, truly cannot see the distant future."
Sakura scoffed at Solomon's words.
What did he mean, she would not be Chaldea's enemy? Did Solomon even know what he was saying?
"It seems you do not believe me."
"Of course not!"
As she spoke, Sakura raised her hand, intending to return the ring to Solomon.
Sakura truly coveted this Noble Phantasm. After all, it contained the blessing Solomon had received from God, a safeguard prepared to prevent humanity from becoming "evil."
But Sakura knew even better that this thing was a hot potato. Holding onto it would definitely bring her no small amount of trouble in the future.
"There is no need to refuse so quickly. I have one more matter to entrust to you..."
Sakura's lips twitched. If she had not been unable to defeat Solomon, she truly would have liked to jump up and slap him across the face to knock some sense into him.
Seriously!
She had flatly refused the first thing he asked of her. How did he still have the nerve to go on and make a second request?
"I hope that, no matter when or where, you will not exterminate Chaldea completely... If you agree to my two requests, then I can provide the Otherworlder under your command with the most suitable body and help you gain control of... the true Great Holy Grail."
Sakura was not at all surprised that Solomon knew this Holy Grail War was a Pseudo-Holy Grail War. After all, who was Solomon? It would have been strange if he did not know.
And Orochimaru... for someone who could see through the past, present, and future, knowing about Orochimaru was hardly strange either.
As for those two conditions... Sakura was indeed tempted.
And Solomon looked as though he would not leave tonight unless she agreed.
In the end, after a long silence, Sakura raised her hand and began braiding her hair. She used Solomon's ring as an ornament for a hair tie, slipping it onto the little braid she had woven for herself.
Looking at the ring firmly secured to the finger-thick braid on Sakura's right side,
Solomon nodded approvingly, pleased by the sight.
"It looks very good on you, Miss Sakura."
"Heh..."
It was already deep into the night, and Sakura, who was still growing, had naturally long since grown tired.
Sakura looked eagerly at Solomon, sleepiness already visible in her eyes. Her meaning was simple: it was time for him to fulfill his promise.
Solomon, the King of Magecraft, naturally did not hesitate. In an instant, Sakura heard the sound of something heavy falling onto the bed behind her. At the same time, as the heavy object "landed," Solomon smilingly waved goodbye to Sakura...
A flash of light passed, and Solomon vanished from before Sakura.
With Solomon gone, Sakura naturally turned at once to look at the payment he had delivered.
And when she saw the sleeping beauty currently lying sprawled across her bed... Sakura was dumbfounded at first, then felt as though she had been played. She let out a grief-stricken scream—"What a freaking scam~!"
Before you continue