After parting ways with Shirou and the others, Adam led his people to stay near Trifas. He located the underground passage they had previously used to escape from the Millennia Fortress. Originally, Adam had intended to infiltrate the Fortress through this passage to save Spartacus.
However, much to their surprise, Spartacus had vanished without a trace. The only Black Servant remaining to stand guard over the fortress was Caster.
Seizing this unexpected opportunity, Adam and his people prepared to take action. Although they didn't understand what had happened, they wanted to take this opportunity to liberate their fellow homunculi.
Many of their fellows considered taking advantage of the Servants' absence to directly attack those inside the fortress, but Adam refused. He still hoped to communicate with the Yggdmillennia clan, which seemed a bit naive. However, he understood that the Yggdmillennia possessed Command Spells. If used to summon back those Servants, it would mean certain death for Adam's group.
Unfortunately, the Yggdmillennia had no interest in talking. Upon seeing Adam's party, they ordered their homunculi to attack instead.
Fortunately, skills like [Mana Burst] recently imparted by Shirou gave Adam's group a slight advantage amidst the conflict. In this regard, Adam felt very grateful to Shirou in his heart.
"It's no use," someone said. "Adam, the masters still refuse to communicate. And our fellow homunculi aren't responding either."
Adam's expression turned grim. The biggest obstacle to liberating their fellows was not the masters, nor the formidable might of their Servants, but rather...those brainwashed people who lacked any thought of freedom.
He recalled the world history he had come to understand recently. Decades ago, this world was still shrouded under the cloud of colonialism. Those pioneers of colonized nations who wanted their people to stand up must have faced such helplessness too!
The enemy's might was nothing. But their fellows had grown so used to being ruled and kneeling for so long that they could no longer stand up. This is the most frustrating thing.
"Your own fate can only be seized by yourself," Shirou had said. Recalling those words, Adam's palms clenched tightly. Astorfo was his hero and Spartacus his mentor, but the one who truly became his mental pillar was Shirou.
"Mr. Assassin..." Murmuring so, the firm light returned to Adam's eyes. He said to everyone, "We must find a way to ignite the flame in our fellows' hearts. I don't mean to rebel against the Yggdmillennia magi. But to have an equal dialogue with them...with everyone. We are not just homunculi, we are people too!"
Adam's eyes shone with firm conviction, exuding a leader's aura. Everyone nodded in agreement, attracted by it.
But just then—
"Boom boom boom!"
The earth shook violently.
The intense tremors were like an earthquake.
"What's going on?" someone asked anxiously.
"Adam!"
Everyone looked to him instinctively.
Adam's expression turned solemn. "Let's first see what's happening."
Everyone nodded. He led them out. Looking toward the deafening roars and tremors, they were dumbstruck by the sight - not just Adam, but the others as well.
"A god...?" Adam murmured.
On the other side of the Millennia Fortress, an enormous giant had burst out from within. It stood tall, with an entirely black body and blood-red eyes, looking ferocious. An ominous aura emanated from its dark mass.
Its enormous feet trampled the fortress to mush as it threw back its head, roaring, "Raaaawr!"
"Sizzle..."
The black ring hovering in the sky emitted a peculiar fluctuation. Within the mirage-like R'lyeh covering the sky, the Evil God was stirring. It stared ahead as if looking through some gap, quietly waiting for the right moment.
Adam came back to his senses and his body almost instinctively ran toward the fortress.
"Adam, what are you doing?" someone shouted.
Ah, what am I doing? Confusion flashed through Adam's mind for a moment before he almost immediately had the answer.
"I'm going to save people!"
...
A blackish-red light flashed like lightning as Mordred's blackish-red sword suddenly thrust toward Shirou's left shoulder. Before he could pull back his sword to defend, she flicked her wrist, angling her blade to slice at his right neck.
Black mud surged out on his body, forming a shield. The sword chopped down with a metallic "dang." He then flicked Caliburn to slash at her right arm.
She lifted her sword to parry. Before the two swords met, dozens of black hands burst from his abdomen, striking at Mordred.
Yet - with a "shua," the hands passed through her abdomen while her sword passed through Caliburn and his body as though he was fighting an intangible illusion that could be seen but not touched.
However...
With a "crack" sound, his right arm was slashed open with blood flowing out. Yet in the next moment, black mud surged on his right arm, healing the wound.
He turned back, thrusting his sword at Mordred's right arm. She neither dodged nor evaded, letting Caliburn pass through her body.
As expected, it was useless! He frowned. Before she could counterattack, dozens of black hands burst from his body and dozens more burst from the earth towards Mordred, yet all passed through her body.
She directed her sword to stab him again.
Seeing this, he summoned ten magical energy propulsion devices before his abdomen, injecting mana into them. Their immense propulsive force rapidly widened the distance between them.
She didn't give chase, only staring intently at him. "Let Eternal King come out. I know you can."
Hearing this, he shook his head. "I won't turn into him."
"Still don't understand?" she said angrily. "You are not my match! Only by becoming him do you have a chance to defeat me! Let him out!"
He sighed. "I've no reason whatsoever to defeat you, Mordred."
"But I do!" she said angrily. "The one I want to meet is him. The one I want to defeat is also him, not you! Not this Assassin calling himself Fujimaru Shirou! But the creator of Camelot, Eternal King!"
"That's completely meaningless, Mordred. I understand you're differentiating me from Eternal King, but unfortunately, unlike that glorified empty shell, I am the true Eternal King," he said. "Furthermore, I don't need to become him either. I've already seen through the weakness in your Noble Phantasm."
Mordred's heart trembled. Coming from anyone else she wouldn't have cared, but her opponent was Eternal King who had left a great impression on her young heart. She had no choice but to take his words seriously.
Yet she reacted almost instantly. She let out a cold, mocking laugh. "You're bluffing! If you had truly seen through the weakness in my Noble Phantasm, you would have attacked already!"
"It seems there really is a weakness," he sighed with relief.
Hearing this, she froze for a moment before realizing it. Glaring at him, she snapped, "You...you were bluffing?"
"Sorry, Mordred," he smiled. "Your Noble Phantasm is just too tricky. Without resorting to some tricks, I really don't have confidence I could defeat you as I am now."
She stomped her feet in childish rage, gnashing her teeth like an enraged lion cub. More than his deception, what infuriated her was her own foolishness for falling for his trick!
"So what if you know there's a weakness?" she shouted, charging recklessly at him. "You'll never find it!"
He shook his head. "As long as I know your Noble Phantasm has a weakness, then I can defeat you."
Watching Shirou fly into the sky, she shouted furiously after him, "You think hiding in the sky will save you?"
She leapt from the ground, rocketing towards him as if riding on an invisible hang glider.
Shirou's expression remained impassive. With a wave of his hand, endless black hands gushed out from his body, surging towards her like a tidal wave.
Seeing the black hands, she shifted slightly, allowing the hands to sweep past while carefully avoiding a three finger radius around her lower right abdomen. Then she charged directly at him once more.
But this small detail didn't escape his notice.
Why specifically avoid that area? Could there be some weakness there?
His eyes narrowed. The magical propulsion device on his back flared to life, widening the gap between them. Then he unleashed another wave of black hands, with twenty-seven aimed directly at the three finger radius around her abdomen.
Yet she passed through the black hands without dodging, using her NP, while still rushing straight at him.
Shirou's brows rose slightly. His propulsion devices flared again to widen the distance between them. From his Unlimited Blade Works, he summoned the Death Scythe, slashing directly at the vulnerable spot on her lower abdomen.