Chapter 50: Super-Mordred with full buff?
On a hill about two kilometers away from the fortress, Johanna had completed setting up a temporary magic field.
"The temporary magic field is ready. This should be enough to siphon some mana from the ley lines, just enough to supplement your Noble Phantasm."
Then, she turned to Mordred.
"Can you see the target clearly from here, Mordred?"
"Oh! No problem at all!!!"
Mordred gripped her sword tightly with both hands, pointing the tip toward the distant fortress to confirm her aim.
Even without the Hawk Eye skill typical of Archer-class Servants, her physical attributes as a Servant far surpassed what she had when she was human.
"It's only two kilometers. Piece of cake."
"As planned, as soon as you unleash your Noble Phantasm and confirm that the enemy Servants and that Evil Dragon appear, Master will immediately infiltrate the fortress to seize the Holy Grail and sever its connection. The success or failure of this plan hinges largely on you."
Johanna spoke with a serious tone.
"So, I just need to lure out as many enemies as possible, right?"
Mordred flashed a confident grin.
"Leave it to me!"
"But according to Master's orders, aside from a Caster and an Archer, the Dragon Witch may summon another Servant. If too many enemies show up, you must prioritize your own safety above all else."
Johanna looked at Mordred, emphasizing Ethan's instructions once more.
"If the situation turns unfavorable, retreat immediately."
"Ahahaha, don't worry, don't worry! It's just a big oversized lizard. A few measly enemies like that? Just send them my way, I'll take care of them."
Mordred stepped into the center of the magic circle that Johanna had prepared. Instantly, a massive surge of mana flooded into her body.
"I'm ready."
"You..."
Johanna let out a small sigh before turning to look behind her.
Click. Click.
Beneath his cloak, Emiya Kiritsugu was silently cleaning and assembling his weapons.
Although these guns, materialized through mana, required no maintenance, Kiritsugu still retained this habit before every battle.
Sensing Johanna's gaze, he didn't turn around. He simply loaded an Origin Bullet into the chamber, completing his final preparations.
This gun could only fire a single shot, had no automatic ejection mechanism, and required a considerable amount of time to reload.
From a practical combat standpoint, it was highly inconvenient.
However, this gun was the embodiment of Emiya Kiritsugu.
A weapon crafted solely to hunt magi—capable of taking down its target in a single shot.
Johanna hesitated for a moment but ultimately spoke up.
"Master hopes you can protect Mordred while she unleashes her Noble Phantasm. Additionally, if the enemy Archer appears, the task of suppressing them will be yours, Emiya... no, Assassin."
She relayed Ethan's plan.
Getting someone like The Knight of Treachery, Mordred, to follow a plan perfectly—was practically impossible.
However, as the strongest combatant in their current group, she had to be the one to face the enemy head-on.
That left only herself and Assassin to suppress the enemy forces.
Honestly, Assassin rarely showed himself and barely interacted with the others. He always carried an air of cold, distant severity.
Because of this, Johanna never quite knew how to approach him.
She had tried greeting him a few times before, only to receive an indifferent reply:
"I am Assassin."
Despite bearing a title grand enough to command the reverence of countless believers, Johanna found herself at a loss when dealing with this man—a seeming atheist.
In moments like these, she felt like an awkward high school girl struggling with social interaction, unsure of what to do.
Emiya Kiritsugu didn't lift his head; he simply stowed his gun away and said:
"After this, I'll take position on the peak of the opposite mountain. If the enemy Archer appears, they'll undoubtedly choose the most advantageous sniping position there. I'll leave this area to you all. And one more thing—"
His voice was indifferent.
"Just call me by my name."
"———?!"
Johanna stared in astonishment at the fading silhouette of the man.
For some reason, she felt that Emiya Kiritsugu… seemed just a little more approachable?
What she didn't know was that tens of thousands of people were watching this conversation unfold through a live broadcast.
—
[Kiritsugu Papa seems way friendlier than before, huh?]
[Of course! Before the kindness of Johanna-sama, even Kiritsugu can't remain indifferent!]
[Oh No!!! Host, you're about to get NTR-ed!!!]
[Nah, maybe if it were Lancelot, but Kiritsugu? No way.]
[Can someone summarize the plot for me? I think I missed a few episodes.]
[Same here, but if I had to guess, it probably has something to do with last night's battle?]
[Can't believe he actually agreed to cooperate with Mordred to unleash her Noble Phantasm. This is the same guy who once collapsed an entire building in the Holy Grail War, killed hundreds, and fired anti-tank rounds at his adoptive mother's plane, after all.]
[Is this the charm of a middle-aged man? I'm into it.]
—
However, the audience's attention quickly shifted to Mordred.
After all, the distance was quite far, and nobody wanted to miss the spectacle of a Noble Phantasm's release.
Mordred took a deep breath, gripping her sword tightly with both hands as she began her chant.
"Here and now, I shall unleash—a sword even more radiant than 'Excalibur'! The sword of kingship, and the blade that ended the legend of the King—Clarent!!!"
Silver light and dark energy began swirling around the sword.
A powerful gust of mana erupted around Mordred.
The sword of kingship had temporarily acknowledged her, and her power skyrocketed.
Raising Clarent high, she roared:
"Crimson Lightning!!!"
Mana transformed into crackling lightning, amplifying her strength even further.
The magic circuits beneath the earth were being drained at an alarming rate, all of it converging into Mordred at the center of the magic circle.
Even Johanna, standing nearby, was stunned by the sheer amount of mana surging from Mordred's body.
So this was the power of the Treacherous Knight of Britannia?!
But this energy felt overwhelmingly violent.
At that moment, the blinding light on the screen nearly seared the eyes of the live audience.
[Oh Boi, this effect is way too bright!]
[Super-Mordred, The Knight of Badass!!!]
[Hit the Like button to charge up Mo-chan's Noble Phantasm!]
[This slash has got to be on par with Artoria's [EXKUSHU CARRIIBAAA], right?]
[Can this really hit from this distance? That's two whole kilometers!]
[My dude, back on that bridge, Gilles de Simp thought the same thing, and Excalibur still speared right through him. Two kilometers is nothing...]
[Mordred just stacked her Noble Phantasm with Mana Burst, plus Johanna's buffs. Who's even supposed to counter this?]
[Breaking News: A castle in Orléans mysteriously exploded today due to an unidentified gas leak.]
—
"Hmph, with this power, even Father would struggle against me!"
Mordred tightened her grip on Clarent, eyes locked onto the fortress where the Dragon Witch lurked.
"Let's see how long you can hide in there."
She stepped forward—then swung her sword with full force.
"This is the evil sword that destroyed my father—The rebellious blade that defies kingship!Clarent Blood Arthuuuuuur!!!"