Artoria fell silent, then gently shook her head. As for the path of kingship, she had already gained new insights during the last Holy Grail War.
"That was merely my choice, my path. Countless kings and countless paths have emerged in this world. Mine may not necessarily have been right. Otherwise, Camelot would not have fallen, and I would not have wished to obtain the Holy Grail to change the past... But I know that if you as you are now became Camelot's king, you would only make Camelot worse!"
Artoria's words undoubtedly pierced Mordred once more, setting the flames of rage blazing in her heart.
"Ha ha ha! You're still the same! You still refuse to believe in me or acknowledge me! But it doesn't matter! I will defeat you, obtain the Holy Grail, and return to the Day of Selection. Right before your eyes, I will draw the Sword in the Stone and let you see whether I am qualified to become king or not—"
As she spoke, Mordred raised the longsword in her hand high overhead. Red light surged across the blade, and scarlet lightning, like a pillar reaching the heavens, instantly dyed the entire night sky over Fuyuki City red.
Artoria's expression changed at once.
"Stop, Mordred! This is a populated district—"
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"So what? They aren't citizens of our Camelot anyway. Why should I care whether they live or die?" Mordred laughed wildly.
"Draw your sword! If you don't unleash your Noble Phantasm, death is the only road left to you! And then what about winning the Holy Grail and returning to save Camelot? Make your choice, King Arthur!"
Artoria gritted her teeth. Looking at the frenzied Mordred, she could not help but fall into a dilemma. In the end, however, she still raised the Holy Sword in her hand.
She was not a saint. She was a king, Camelot's king.
"No! Stop them—"
Rin Tohsaka's expression changed drastically as she hurriedly looked toward Su Ning.
On the other side, Shirou Emiya also suddenly snapped awake and realized something was wrong.
Though he did not know how much destruction a clash between Noble Phantasms would cause, after witnessing their earlier exchange and seeing them gathering power now, he knew that if he allowed them to launch their attacks, the consequences would be unimaginably terrifying.
"Don't—"
Shirou Emiya shouted anxiously, only to accidentally trigger a Command Spell. The energy Artoria had been gathering did not rise but instead plummeted, and even the golden radiance around her rapidly dimmed.
"Do you know what you're doing?!"
Artoria turned back and glared furiously at Shirou Emiya. At that moment, she seemed to see Kiritsugu Emiya's shadow in him.
During the last Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu Emiya had used a Command Spell at the final moment to order her to forcibly destroy the Holy Grail, shattering her last hope. And this time, Shirou Emiya had accidentally triggered a Command Spell, likewise about to get her killed.
Fortunately, Su Ning had reacted quickly enough this time.
"Stop, Mordred! King Arthur cannot fight back right now. Even if you kill her, it won't prove anything!"
A trace of hesitation flashed through Mordred's eyes.
Of course, she hoped to defeat Artoria honorably, but she wanted even more to prove that she was qualified to inherit the throne.
Through their earlier exchange, she had already given up hope of persuading the Artoria before her. So now, she only wanted to go back, return to the Day of Selection, and use the fact that she could draw the Sword in the Stone to prove herself to Artoria.
Su Ning could not help frowning. If possible, she truly did not want to use a Command Spell on Mordred.
"Have you forgotten what you promised me? Or is the Son of King Arthur a despicable liar who goes back on her word?"
"..."
Mordred's expression shifted beneath her mask, but in the end, she withdrew her Noble Phantasm.
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