Before long, the war erupted in full. Vortigern's army clashed with Arthur's, but Arthur had only recently become king, while Vortigern had stood firm in Britain for a long time. The disparity in numbers was obvious, and Arthur's side was clearly being suppressed from the start.
Fortunately, Arthur had the Knights of the Round Table, so they were not being crushed too badly. In contrast, Vortigern had few subordinates who could stand comparison with the Knights of the Round Table.
Before long, however, you received a request for reinforcements due to insufficient manpower. It came from an old acquaintance, Kay, and the reason for his request caught your attention: Vortigern had appeared on the battlefield. To be safe, you decided to send a knight ahead to inform Arthur of the news, then quickly assembled three thousand knights with Mordred and set out toward Kay's position.
You arrived at Kay's front with Mordred and the three thousand knights.
Kay was delighted by your arrival, but the rapidly changing battlefield left no room for pleasantries. You went straight to the point and asked whether the intelligence he had reported was true.
Kay answered solemnly that it was. Not long ago, Vortigern had struck once, causing devastating losses on their side. Gareth had also been severely wounded by Vortigern.
This front could be called critically important. If Vortigern broke through it, his army would be able to charge straight into Camelot, Arthur's main base. Thus, this front had the largest number of troops, and Arthur had chosen the knight she trusted most—her elder brother, Kay—as its commanding general. Fair Hands Gareth served as deputy commander. As for Lancelot, Gawain, and Tristan, Arthur seemed to have assigned them to other fronts or something; you were not entirely sure.
Just as you were about to gain a deeper understanding of the battlefield situation from Kay and Mordred, intelligence arrived that Vortigern had appeared on the battlefield once more.
There was no time to think. Just as you prepared to don your armor and enter battle, Mordred beat you to it, charging out in armor without asking permission and confronting Vortigern.
You felt helpless, but that was Mordred's style. You could only leave Kay to command from the rear while you went to drag that reckless Mordred back. Kay knew that you understood Vortigern's strength well, so he did not stop you.
By the time you reached the battlefield, Mordred and Vortigern had already begun their duel. The knights around them had started charging. Though the knights on your side seemed capable of fighting two enemies at once, they were ultimately overwhelmed by Vortigern's superior numbers. They were completely at a disadvantage.
"Hey, you bastard, you're pretty tough, aren't you?"
With a casual strike, Mordred cut down a foot soldier who had approached her, her fierce eyes fixed on the man before her.
"This aura? Interesting, truly interesting. Two mingled dragon auras... I see. Is this Morgan's handiwork?" Vortigern looked at Mordred. He sensed an aura from her nearly comparable to his own. After a moment of confusion, his expression turned to one of realization as he looked at her.
Mordred glared at Vortigern with irritation. "Huh? What the hell are you talking about, old man? Tch, you're really pissing me off."
"Take this!"
Mordred spoke angrily and, without hesitation, raised the Sword of Brilliant King in her hand and charged at Vortigern.
In only a few breaths, she reached Vortigern and swung the Sword of Brilliant King at him.
Rumble!
A tremendous roar rang out. Waves of air erupted around Mordred and Vortigern, spreading in all directions. The ground beneath their feet cracked the instant their weapons collided, forming spiderweb-like fractures. The ground beneath Vortigern's feet even sank slightly.
A smile curled across Vortigern's lips, but it was a mocking smile.
With a slight exertion of his arm, Vortigern effortlessly deflected the attack and forced Mordred back a distance.
Vortigern looked at Mordred, disappointment in his voice. "Is this all the strength you possess, Knight of the Round Table Mordred?"
"Let me show you true power!"
At that moment, Vortigern put particular emphasis on the words "Knight of the Round Table."
"Huh? You bastard, are you asking for a beating?"
As soon as Mordred finished speaking, Vortigern, who stood some distance away, suddenly turned into an afterimage and vanished.
So fast!
What happened?
The instant Vortigern vanished from where he stood, Mordred's green pupils shrank sharply. She became alert and scanned her surroundings.
Where is he?
Where did he go?
"Hey. Behind you."
Just as Mordred searched for Vortigern's figure, a ghostlike voice sounded behind her. Mordred's expression instantly changed, and she swiftly turned, intending to attack. But before her body could react, she felt a vicious blow strike her back, making her cough up blood.
Mordred turned into an afterimage as she flew backward. She crashed hard across the ground several times, and only managed to stop when she drove the Sword of Brilliant King fiercely into the earth to create resistance.
"Cough... cough, cough cough..." Mordred coughed harshly, casually wiping away the blood at the corner of her mouth. She stared fixedly at Vortigern, afraid that he would vanish again.
Vortigern looked at Mordred, regret in his voice. "If you had been given a little more time in the previous era, you would certainly have surpassed me as I am now. But unfortunately, you do not have enough time. Neither does this place. All of this is thanks to that Eurys Merlin and my dear niece Arthur!"
"But I still have to say, you truly are a newborn calf unafraid of tigers. Did no one tell you about my strength? Did you want to kill me and raise your reputation so that your dear mother would acknowledge you?"
"Huh? You bastard? You just keep... Cough—blegh..."
Before Mordred could finish, Vortigern attacked again. This time, Mordred barely managed to keep up with his speed and defend herself, but Vortigern quickly broke through her defense with ease and sent her flying once more.
"It is time to end this." Vortigern's expression turned serious as he looked at the battered Mordred.
(Before fighting Vortigern, Little Mo
Mordred: Huh? That guy called Vortigern? Is he even stronger than Father King? (Disdainful)
After fighting Vortigern, Little Mo
Mordred (grave expression, annoyed expression): Hm? What did you just say? You bastard, did you mention that person? Do you want to die?) Ridiculous