Repaying a Favor

However, due to the Holy Grail blessing, Mordred's physical abilities were greatly weakened, and the blessing known as 'Berserk' was not as easy to endure as she had imagined.

Similarly, Artoria's strength was also quite terrifying, bringing unimaginable pressure to Mordred. If the fight continued, Mordred felt that she was very likely to be seriously injured by her opponent.

We must find a way to get out of this situation.

"Clang--!!"

After colliding with each other once, both sides immediately retreated several steps.

This left Mordred dumbfounded. What was going on? Had his Father King taken the wrong medicine?

She instinctively stepped back, trying to catch her breath. During the battle, every time she retreated, Artoria would stick to her, giving her no time to rest at all.

What's going on now? Could it be that Father King has finally seen the light and is preparing to give himself some rest before staging a heroic and tragic knightly battle?

Although that's what he was thinking, Mordred subconsciously sneered and mocked, "What's wrong, Arthur? Are you tired? Is it because you didn't eat enough? You're already exhausted just as we started warming up."

"I'm sorry, I'm not your father."

Mikaela returned to normal and looked at Mordred calmly, saying, "However, she asked me to tell you that the power of the Holy Grail is not something you can easily control in your current state."

"Huh?" Mordred looked extremely displeased.

Even Mikaela could sense that Mordred was in a very strange state. Her aura was chaotic, like a powder keg, as if it would explode at any moment.

Although she tried her best to conceal her aura, her weak defenses in battle and her incessant chatter made Artoria and Mikaela sense her vulnerability.

Of course, weakness is not necessarily cowardice; Mordred's weakness was intentional.

Because she herself knew that it was absolutely impossible to win against Artoria by following the normal procedure.

"Don't even think about self-destructing. I'm not in the mood to play with you right now." Mikaela entered Valkyrie mode, holding the pseudo- Divine Declaration in her hand, and donned the Swan Robe once more.

He looked at Mordred calmly and said, "The plan to maximize the power of the Noble Phantasm by 'Berserk' and thus destroy 'King Arthur' is obvious at a glance, but the only consequence of doing so is your own death."

After Mikaela finished speaking, he raised the pseudo- Divine Declaration in his hand, and his body emitted a dazzling light.

This was the prelude to activating his Noble Phantasm. After talking with Hozuki in the spiritual world, he felt that he couldn't continue like this and that it would be more convenient to ask her directly.

"Oh! Releasing your Noble Phantasm?" Mordred laughed angrily, completely enraged by Mikaela's dismissive tone.

Although she had a slight 'liking' for Mikaela, this so-called liking was merely because he and King Arthur were somewhat similar in temperament.

Now that the real King Arthur has appeared, this guy with a similar temperament actually dares to be presumptuous in front of me!

Although Mordred was enraged, she did not stop her actions. Crimson lightning erupted from her body, and the King's Radiant Sword in her hand emitted an ominous black mist.

Clearly, she's about to unleash her Noble Phantasm!

"..."

However, Mikaela ignored Mordred's intentions. If it weren't for the information provided by the Shopkeeper's Daughter, he might have acted like a warrior and let Mordred make a smooth exit.

But now, where does he find the energy to fight with the other party?

"Buzz—!!"

With a flash of white light, dozens of phantom figures appeared beside Mikaela, each holding a different weapon.

"Wow~ Is this Aila-chan from different eras?" The Shopkeeper's Daughter, protected by the Oath of Judas, exclaimed in surprise, "This is the first time I've ever seen Noble Phantasm like this."

There's a lot you don't know.

The Oath of Judas, written down, tells the Shopkeeper's Daughter not to make a fuss over trivial matters, as Mikaela harbors many secrets.

"??????"

The summoned 'Mikaela' did not look at Mordred, but instead immediately turned their gaze to the Shopkeeper's Daughter, who was protected by the Oath of Judas.

They were clearly stunned for a moment after they came out.

What's going on? Why is the Shopkeeper's Daughter here? And her outfit is exactly the same as I remember her.

"Hey hey hey!!! What are you looking at?!" Mordred was extremely annoyed! She originally thought that the other party was using Noble Phantasm to give her a warning, so she was also prepared to use her Noble Phantasm to have a Noble Phantasm clash with this girl in a maid outfit.

Unexpectedly, the 'thing' summoned by the opponent's Noble Phantasm didn't even glance at him, but instead looked at a weak and helpless woman!

"..."

Wearing a kimono and Buddhist prayer beads, 'Mikaela' appeared in front of the Shopkeeper's Daughter as if by teleportation. Her blood-red eyes stared silently at the girl, as if she was about to say something.

In fact, it wasn't just her; the other 'Mikaela's' also abandoned their 'original' Mikaela in that instant, surrounding the Shopkeeper's Daughter with eyes full of longing and sorrow.

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is not a good thing.

Chapter 376 Repaying a Favor

"Suddenly having so Aila-chan surrounding me... I'm still a little flustered." Although the Shopkeeper's Daughter said she was flustered, she really didn't dare to move.

Dozens of Mikaela stood around her, staring at her without moving.

If anyone else were being stared at like that, they probably wouldn't dare to make any rash moves at this moment.

"..."

Mikaela, holding a Hozuki dandelion, reached out to stroke the Shopkeeper's Daughter's cheek, but quickly shook her head, withdrew her hand, and turned her gaze to Mordred.

The other party was about to lose their temper. If they continued to ignore her, she would activate the Holy Grail Blessing and commit a true self-destruction.

"..." Mikaela, holding the Black Stone Greatsword, seemed to sigh. She looked at the Shopkeeper's Daughter with some reluctance, but she was not the 'Mikaela' of this world and could not talk to her.

The other Mikaela also silently left the Shopkeeper's Daughter. Although they were excited at first, after the excitement came a strange sense of sadness.

This "self" has her by her side, but what about the others? In the end, they are still all alone.

Indeed, Mikaela in every world is lonely. To outsiders, they are so beautiful and dazzling, like powerful beings, even gods.

But who knows that what Mikaela truly needs is neither a beautiful appearance nor so-called godlike power?

What he longed for was always so simple: a warm family, a few close friends, and then to live out his life peacefully.

Mikaela is someone who yearns for a peaceful and happy life, and every Mikaela is like that.

"There's no need to be sad." Seemingly sensing the emotions of Mikaela and the others, the Shopkeeper's Daughter smiled brightly and spoke in a very gentle tone, "You said before that you had buried your sadness deep in your heart, and you believed me... you will definitely be able to go back."

"..."

The other 'Mikaela's' fell silent. Yes, he had already survived the saddest and most helpless times, so what was this situation compared to that?

"Boom--!!!"

Just then, Mordred activated her Noble Phantasm; she simply couldn't bear to watch any longer.

Why waste time on drawn-out dialogue during a battle?! At this moment, she abandoned her self-destruction and only wanted to unleash her Noble Phantasm in rapid succession to blast Mikaela and the others to smithereens.

"Give up on self-destruction?" Although Mikaela said she didn't care about Mordred, she actually cared a little bit.

After all, Mordred's Noble Phantasm, which she unleashed by self-destructing the Holy Grail, while not as powerful as the Great Hero's Noble Phantasm, was still an existence that could not be ignored.

However, for unknown reasons, Mordred suddenly abandoned her self-destruction and instead chose the power of the Holy Grail blessing to directly unleash her Noble Phantasm against herself.

"Whoosh—!!"

Mikaela, still wielding the Nietono no Shana, charged forward. She slightly swung the greatsword in her hand, and Crimson Flame erupted from the sword... no, they should be said to burst forth from her body.

Her black and white hair transformed into scorching flames, and 'Mikaela,' wielding the Nietono no Shana, seemed to have become a goddess of fire. She stared fearlessly at the crimson beam before her and slowly said, "Although it was only for a moment, I still want to show you the power I gained in that world."

The Shopkeeper's Daughter was stunned for a moment, Mikaela also looked surprised. Even without the Holy Grail's magic, the 'self' that was summoned could speak?!

"You don't need to worry about us, and you don't need to look at us with that pitying gaze. We're doing very well, better than you think."

As soon as she finished speaking, she swung the weapon in her hand, holding the 'Mikaela' of the Nietono no Shana.

The Crimson Flame instantly transformed into a giant flaming sword, which slashed directly down at the light cannon.

"Boom--!!"

A violent explosion rang out, and Mordred's Noble Phantasm was destroyed.

After destroying Mordred's Noble Phantasm, Mikaela, wielding the Nietono no Shana, did not look at Mordred's grim expression, but instead turned to the Shopkeeper's Daughter and spoke slowly.

"If fate allows... no, it should be that you are still by 'his' side, we will meet again."

After saying that, the body of 'Mikaela' holding the Nietono no Shana turned into spirit particles and scattered in the air.

"As expected, Father King was right, you possess immense power." Mordred's expression turned grave, her face deathly pale. Although she had aborted her self-destruction, her Noble Phantasm had just gathered the Noble Phantasm of so many Holy Grail blessings.

It was easily defeated by the clone summoned by the opponent.

There was no evenly matched force; the moment that crimson giant sword fell, his Noble Phantasm was simply and brutally shattered by the opponent.

Although it was only a momentary burst of power, Mordred could still sense that the opponent's true form was a terrifying being no weaker than his Father King.

"Do you still want to fight?" Mikaela looked at Mordred and said calmly, "You're not in good shape right now. If you want to continue fighting, I can probably easily subdue you."

Mordred's forced cancellation of her self-destruction was extremely taxing. Although she can still use the power of her 'Berserk' mode to activate her Noble Phantasm, it is no longer as powerful as the one she released previously.

"Do you think I can still beat you?" Mordred chuckled self-deprecatingly. She sheathed the King's Radiant Sword, looked at the group of 'Mikaela' opposite her, and as if forcing herself to calm down, continued, "Although I am very unwilling, I am indeed no match for you now."

"Why give up the attack? This isn't like you at all." Mikaela was puzzled. In his memory, even if Mordred couldn't beat him, he would definitely fight him to the death.

After all, Mordred in this Singularity wouldn't do anything to displease the Lion King.

She will carry out the Lion King's orders no matter what, and will go all out against any enemy, showing no mercy, even if the enemy is an unarmed refugee.

Even if the opponent is a powerful Servant and she is no match for them, she will definitely use self-destruction to severely injure them.

But what just happened? It seemed like it was going to self-destruct, but a few seconds before it did, it decisively abandoned the self-destruction and released an extremely powerful Noble Phantasm attack.

After her Noble Phantasm was destroyed by 'Mikaela' wielding Nietono no Shana, her expression was not particularly surprising, and judging from her current appearance, she had obviously given up on launching an attack.

"As expected, you know me very well. It seems that Arthur has told you everything about me." Mordred wasn't too surprised that Mikaela knew her personality so well. She said calmly, "Yes, that's right. If it were in the past, I would definitely fight you to the death. Even if my death was just to take a piece of your flesh, it would be worth it in my opinion."

"However... war is imminent, and my Father King needs my strength. I'm only here today to say hello." Mordred smiled.

That's right, I'm just here to say hello. This guy is destined to become a key figure among those Old Man of the Mountain.

If that Grand Assassin doesn't emerge, Mikaela will surely lead the Old Man of the Mountain to declare war on them.

Although the Old Man of the Mountain was Servant, some of them were quite strong and capable of fighting the Knights of the Round Table head-on.

But there's a saying, "The truly capable always die young."

Those powerful Hassan were basically all killed by Mordred and his men. The remaining Hassan could only passively defend the village and then use guerrilla warfare to cause trouble for themselves and their allies.

With beings of Mikaela and Arash joining the Old Man of the Mountain's camp, the advantage that Mordred and the Knights of the Round Table had painstakingly created would be completely shattered.

Arash possesses strength comparable to Lancelot, so this problem isn't particularly serious. After all, even Ramesses II was completely under the Lion King's thumb and dared not make any rash moves.

No matter how strong Arash is, he can't possibly be stronger than Pharaoh King Ramesses II.

Arash, whose strength is comparable to Lancelot's, can be ignored.

Despite her seemingly frail appearance, as if a gust of wind could blow her away, Mikaela is a major threat to the Knights of the Round Table and the Lion King.

The opponent was very strong. Gawain, who had fought him briefly, declared that if he hadn't been protecting the so-called villagers, he and his companions would probably have died at Mikaela's hands.

Gawain, who was blessed by the Holy Grail, said these words, clearly believing that Mikaela already possessed the strength to rival the Lion King and the Pharaoh King.

As for Mordred ... upon hearing this, she immediately went to see the Lion King to ask him if Mikaela was really that strong.

She had fought against Mikaela before, and she admitted that Mikaela was quite good, but only just good.

Gawain was skeptical of Mordred's exaggerated claims. Even if she were the real King Arthur, she was only on par with Lancelot.

The Lion King is a truly top-tier Heroic Spirit. With the Holy City and the Holy Lance as her powers, she can disregard most other top-tier Heroic Spirit.

Even Pharaoh King like Ramesses II, who wielded the Holy Grail and Divine Authority, avoided battle when facing the Lion King.

So when Mordred learned that the Purification Knight had captured a Servant, Mordred intuition told her that Mikaela would definitely come to intercept her. Therefore, after consulting with the Lion King, she led a squad of Purification Knight to subdue Mikaela.

During his later battle with Mikaela, Mordred kept testing how strong his opponent really was.

As she herself said, this battle was just a prelude. After testing Mikaela's strength, Mordred didn't want to fight anymore, even though she didn't have the strength to continue fighting.

"..." Mikaela remained silent. It didn't matter whether he released Mordred or not, since the main problem at hand was not reducing the strength of the Knights of the Round Table.

Instead, they asked themselves in different timelines and worldlines if they knew the real purpose of why 'themselves' wanted to be feminine.

But since the fight has already gone this far, Mikaela thinks it would be better to send Mordred to his death as soon as possible.

In a flash, Mikaela raised the pseudo- Divine Declaration in her hand, looked at Mordred calmly, and said, "Sorry, you may have to stay here today."

"On my way here, my Father King told me that you owe her a life." Mordred showed no nervousness as she looked at Mikaela and said calmly, "She hopes to exchange that life of hers for mine."

"She actually gave you this opportunity." Mikaela looked at Mordred with some surprise. He did indeed owe the Lion King a life.