25+ Advance chapters on Patreon
"Hmph, a mongrel will always be a mongrel, only good for cheap shots from behind."
The stunning queen's voice dripped with disdain as she summoned a golden shield, its surface gleaming faintly. With a casual flick, she deflected Yuto's sword energy, her movements smooth and unbothered.
Then, with a cold smirk, she added, "Mongrel, this queen has no time to waste on your games today. If you're so eager to fight, deal with my loyal hound first."
"What!?"
Yuto barely had time to process her words when the ground trembled. A raw, guttural roar tore through the air.
"Arthurrrrr!!!"
"?"
Before he could react, a streak of crimson magic flared to life, slicing through the sky toward him without warning. His gaze snapped to the female Hero King Gilgamesh, or a version of her vanishing into a rippling void. A sharp glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
"Berserker... you've got the wrong guy, damn it!!"
The figure before him was tall and imposing, clad in pitch-black armor that seemed to drink in the light. In his grip was a black-and-red demonic sword, its edge pulsing faintly with menace. Black mist clung to him like a shroud, and his cloak whipped in the night wind, twisting like dark tendrils: eerie and unsettling.
This was Lancelot, the Mad Knight. Unlike the story Yuto knew, he hadn't turned a fighter jet into his steed with his Noble Phantasm, Knight of Owner. Instead, he wielded a Gatling gun, its barrels corroded by magic, spitting a relentless barrage his way.
'What a pain!'
Yuto let out an irritated huff, smashing an incoming magic bullet with a single punch. He leaped aboard Vimana with Sakura, Rin and Artoria, his golden airship humming to life, and soared into the sky. With a thought, he activated its built-in magic turrets, returning fire.
Bang bang bang, bang bang bang!!!
The air erupted with chaos. Magic shells streaked across the battlefield, turning a clash of blades into something closer to a modern warzone. Golden and red energy clashed overhead, bursting into brilliant sparks. A sudden flare of crimson light lit up the night, visible for miles.
"Archer, I'm going after that shiny golden girl," Scathach called, flicking her magic spear with a gleam of icy resolve in her eyes. "This one's yours."
She wouldn't let Gilgamesh snatch Medea and walk off unchallenged, not with her pride on the line.
"Sure, I'll handle these pests," Yuto replied, his tone calm but edged with frustration.
Berserker's interruption had cost him his shot at Gilgamesh. Now, the leftovers were his to deal with and he wasn't thrilled about it.
"Vimana, full power!"
The airship responded instantly, its glow intensifying as waves of magic pulsed from its frame.
Boom boom boom!!!
This wasn't a light skirmish anymore. Vimana tapped into the Gate of Babylon, Gilgamesh's treasury, unleashing a flood of Noble Phantasms. Swords, spears, and axes poured out, loaded into the ship's cannons. Yuto aimed at the Gatling-wielding Berserker and let loose a storm of destruction.
"What... what is that!?"
Artoria, watching from below, stood frozen, her blue eyes at Yuto raining havoc from above. Even the Tousaka sisters. Rin and Sakura paused their own fight, staring up in disbelief.
"Arthurarrrrr!!!"
This Lancelot wasn't the mana-starved shell from Fate/Zero, bound to the weak Matou Kariya. His Master now was Kotomine Kirei, brimming with magic. The priest, lurking in the shadows, had burned all three Command Spells at the female Gilgamesh's order: Keep Yuto pinned down.
The black-armored knight gripped his demonic sword, Arondight and swung it with terrifying precision, a red whirlwind forming around him. His movements were quick, like a predator stalking through the dark. Slash, block, strike, thrust, jab, break, spin—his mastery was flawless, batting away Noble Phantasms with ease. The bigger ones he dodged, and sometimes he tanked a hit just to swing back at Yuto.
Once a Knight of the Round Table, Lancelot had been the "Knight of the Lake," a legend of unmatched skill. Even lost to madness, his unity of mind, body, and technique shone through. Arondight, forged by the same lake spirits as Artoria's Excalibur, gleamed with an unbreakable edge. Tainted by his past sins, it was no longer a holy blade but a demonic one, boosting his strength and his resilience against Yuto's dragon-like traits.
Yuto's patience snapped. He slammed a button on Vimana's controls, arming an Ancient Nuclear Warhead. Locking onto the roaring Lancelot, he fired.
Boom!
A blinding white flash swallowed everything, like daylight breaking at midnight. A fiery mushroom cloud bloomed, and wild magic tore through the landscape. When the dust settled, Enzou Mountain was gone. It was reduced to ash and rubble, leaving only a hollow void.
"This... how's this possible?"
Rin clung to Vimana's edge, staring at the vanished Ryudo Temple. "Enzou Mountain's just... gone. What kind of power is this?"
Sakura, pulled aboard by Yuto, trembled beside Rin, her throat dry. The sheer force of it snuffed out any thoughts of revenge she'd harbored. She was clever enough to know: against this, tricks were pointless. She wasn't about to get crushed.
"Sorry, Rider, please stay there for a while." she murmured, glancing away from Medusa bound tight by the Chains of Heaven, dangling in the air, her eyes rolled back.
"Archer." Artoria's voice cut through, soft with worry. "Are you okay? Can you still hold on after consuming that much magic power?"
"I'm fine," Yuto said, patting her head. A playful grin crept onto his face. "If I run low, Artoria, will you help me recharge?"
"Eh?!"
Artoria blinked, caught off guard. Then her pale cheeks flushed red, blue eyes shimmering with embarrassment. She looked ready to steam.
"I-if it's for Archer... i-it's fine," she stammered.
"Good girl." Yuto chuckled, pinching her cheek gently. 'She's too pure for her own good,' he thought, a flicker of warmth softening his edge.
"Hey, Archer, over there!" Rin's voice snapped him back, laced with alarm.
Yuto looked up. In the shadowed hills, a faint ripple stirred, growing fast amid rising dust. With a rumble, a battered Lancelot emerged. Half of his body was charred, his bones exposed and he was riding a dragon, its side scorched black.
"Talk about stubborn," Yuto said, a mix of respect and exasperation in his tone. "
Protection of the Fairies, a blessing from his past, had pulled him through. It spiked his luck in a pinch, letting him burrow into enchanted soil with Knight of Owner. The dragon hadn't been so fortunate, soaking up the blast and dying, only to be revived as a twisted Noble Phantasm.
"Arthurrrrr!"
Yuto eyed the dragon's massive form: over thirty meters long, wings blotting the sky like a storm cloud. A true beast of legend.
'Declaration of the Great God!'
He reached into the void, pulling out a silver spear etched with runes: Gungnir, Odin's unerring weapon. With a sharp throw, it streaked like a meteor, runes blazing white. It met Arondight head-on.
Bam!!!
The clash sent shockwaves rippling outward, air twisting into cutting blades. Gungnir pressed on, piercing Lancelot's armor and the dragon's hide in one unstoppable thrust. Both crumpled to the ground, the earth shaking beneath them.
Rin, Sakura, and Altria stared, speechless.
"So, you really aren't my king," Lancelot rasped, sanity flickering back as he slumped. His gaze shifted to Altria. "Wait, that girl—?!"
Before he could finish, his body dissolved into spiritrons.
"The third Servant down," Yuto muttered, brushing off the moment. "He seemed to want to tell you something, huh?" He teased Artoria.
She blinked, puzzled. "I... felt like I knew him somehow."
"Just your imagination," Yuto said lightly, waving it off. He turned to the Tousaka sisters, Sakura and Rin "What's with the stares?"
"Are you some god from the Age of Gods?" Rin blurted, bravado masking her nerves. "So many Noble Phantasms, who are you?"
"Just an ordinary Archer," Yuto replied, his tone dry but friendly. He stepped past her to Sakura and Medusa. "Good to see you again, Rider and Miss Sakura."
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━━
patreon.com/DUKE3500 for advance chapters for all the novels i translate for 2$