Chapter 40: Scene of Despair? Just Pretending!
"Gaaaaaa!!!"
Being continuously blocked by Mordred, Lancelot grew more and more enraged.
"What is happening?!"
The moment she learned the true identity of her opponent, Mordred immediately became much more proactive.
"Don't tell me this is all you've got, Lancelot."
"In the past, when we were at the Round Table, your combat skills were not inferior to mine. But now, your hatred has clouded your vision, slowing you down significantly."
Clang——————!!!
Mordred instantly swung Clarent, Brilliantly Shining Royal Sword in her hand, knocking away Lancelot's pitch-black longsword.
"Even though you can turn everything into a Noble Phantasm, just relying on that alone—how can you possibly defeat me?!"
Seeing his weapon knocked away, Lancelot, who was imprisoned within his armor, began trembling all over.
"Ar———thur———!!!"
"Damn it, just because I've never removed my helmet in front of him, he's mistaken me for Father."
Mordred gripped her sword with both hands, preparing to completely defeat the Mad Enhancement-afflicted Lancelot and shut him up.
"Hooooooo!!!"
From within his pitch-black helmet, a dark aura suddenly erupted in a deep crimson hue, engulfing Lancelot's entire body in cursed mana!
A bad premonition arose in her heart, and Mordred immediately abandoned her attack, retreating at once.
But just a second later— Clarent in her hand was seized by Lancelot!
"What——————?!"
Mordred couldn't believe it as she stared at Clarent in her own hands, now wrapped tightly in a dark mist.
She could clearly feel it—her control over the sword was weakening.
This sword was something Mordred had stolen from King Arthur's arsenal, and now, Lancelot had taken advantage of that very fact to snatch it away.
"Impossible! Lancelot, you dare steal my sword?!!!"
"Hold yourself together, Mordred!!!"
Noticing Mordred's abnormal state, Johanna immediately summoned multiple silver crescent rings, launching them straight at Lancelot!
"Don't mistake your enemy, Popess!"
Sharp stakes suddenly rose from the ground, shattering all of the silver crescents.
Vlad III's expression grew deeply displeased.
"Your performance on the battlefield disappoints me greatly. It seems I must get serious now!!!"
He swung the spear in his hand, charging straight at Johanna!
Seeing this, Johanna immediately avoided close combat, raising her silver cross-shaped Holy Staff, aiming directly at Vlad III.
"Grace of God, Owl of Wisdom! Spread your wings and fly!"
"Chíu chíu—————!!!"
Tonbi, the white owl circling in the air, searching for an opportunity, immediately dove down toward Vlad III.
"A mere Familiar dares—!"
Vlad III swung his hand, instantly conjuring a barrage of stakes, launching them straight at Tonbi!
Tonbi swiftly dodged through the air, and just at the moment it reached its enemy, it suddenly let out a clear cry.
In a blink, divine light radiated from Tonbi's body, golden threads forming from its feathers tightly binding Vlad III.
"Oh? For a Familiar, you're quite capable."
Even though his entire body was immobilized, Vlad III's face showed no sign of panic.
"You have lost, Lord Impaler."
Johanna raised her silver cross-shaped Holy Staff, aiming directly at the captive Vlad III.
"Your sinful body will be completely annihilated beneath the Holy Light."
Bowing her head in reverence, Johanna began chanting her Noble Phantasm.
"Receive His blessing, be filled with faith! If thou submit to the Holy Word, thine great sins shall yet be forgiven… ugh!!!"
—Pchhh.
At the very moment Johanna was chanting, a sharp stake pierced straight through her chest.
Blood instantly dyed the sacred robe she wore.
"How could this be…"
Using her silver Holy Staff to support her body, Johanna stared in shock at the stake that had suddenly appeared in her chest.
"What a pity, Popess."
Taking this chance, Vlad III completely shattered the golden threads binding him.
"My Noble Phantasm is not simply 'stakes.' The act of creating stakes is its very essence. As long as you stand within my Territory, you cannot escape it."
Gripping the spear in his hand, Vlad III slowly advanced toward Johanna.
"Chíu chíu————————!!!"
Tonbi flapped its wings furiously, desperately trying to drive the enemy away from its master.
—Pchhh!
A sharp stake suddenly appeared, piercing straight through its body.
"Tonbi!!!"
Ignoring her own wound, Johanna immediately embraced Tonbi, its once pure white feathers now soaked in blood.
"You must be wondering... You clearly have Territory Creation, so why, even while standing on your own Holy Ground, were you still attacked?"
Vlad III's question left Johanna utterly unable to comprehend.
Before they arrived, she had temporarily converted the surrounding area into her own Territory.
Clearly… she was still standing on Holy Ground— and yet…
"Because before you arrived, I sought out that Witch— I begged her to grant this entire land to me."
"———————!!!"
"Now, I am the true ruler of this land! This is my Territory!!!"
Vlad III declared his dominion with absolute pride.
...
"Master, be careful!!!"
Mash continuously swung her shield, knocking away the humans who had been transformed into Dead Apostles.
But these creatures felt no pain— some even had their necks twisted into grotesque shapes, yet they were still driven by their bloodthirsty instincts, relentlessly charging forward.
—The enemy was vast in number, while their own side was few.
Even though Carmilla had yet to appear, just these Dead Apostles alone were enough to put their group in a dire situation.
Relying solely on Mash, breaking through the enemy lines seemed impossible.
Moreover, Mordred and Johanna were both in a terrible state.
[Shit, Mordred is about to lose her sword!]
[No way, Berserker Lancelot can actually steal her sword?! Then doesn't that mean he could also snatch EA from Gil in the future?!]
[Dream on. Mordred's sword was something she stole to begin with. She doesn't even know its full origins, which is why Lancelot exploited the gap.]
[This is bad. If she loses her sword, she's gonna get beaten up by her dad when she gets home.]
[Do you guys really have time to worry about that?! Johanna is barely holding on!]
[Vlad III is totally cheating— he actually begged Jeanne to give up her Territory.]
[Even at a time like this, Vlad III is still obsessed with Wallachia? Unbelievable.]
[Where's the Host?! Hurry up and intervene! We're about to see a triple kill!!!]
[Intervene with what? The Host can't even protect himself right now. How is Mash supposed to fight off this horde of Dead Apostles all by herself?]
[Where's Kiritsugu? It's time to pull out the RPG.]
...
[System: 'Strongest Shield' has sent 5 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: Mashu-chan, do your best!!!]
...
[Beep beep— Total gifts received have exceeded 100,000. Converting to Live Stream Points.]
[Conversion successful! Host currently has 125,000 points.]
[Can perform 125 draws.]
[Would you like to gacha now?]
...
Protected by Mash, Ethan remained calm as he strategized.
Due to COST restrictions, he could currently summon only one final Servant.
If he summoned a random Servant now, chances were that it wouldn't solve the problem. What he needed was a powerhouse strong enough to turn the tide.
Ethan immediately made his decision.
"System, I'll use 100,000 points— unlock Mordred's second Noble Phantasm!!!"