Upon seeing Alvin, Mordred's first reaction was joy.
After all, for this girl, who was loveless her entire life, the white dragon, her father was the closest.
Because unlike Artoria and Morgan, he didn't ignore her, instead treated her with love and care, she needed in her life.
So, encountering her 'father' in the Holy Grail War was, in a sense, a kind of fate.
But after the initial joy, her heart quickly filled with unease.
The Heroic Spirit Summoning ritual was originally a special magecraft used to save humanity, capable of summoning Heroic Spirits at the seven pinnacles...Grand Servants, to eliminate great disasters hindering humanity's development.
Through subsequent human refinements, this special magecraft was downgraded, ultimately forming the Holy Grail War.
Through the battles between Servants, magical energy was provided to the Holy Grail, enabling it to grant a wish.
Typically, the Holy Grail would only manifest after most of the Servants had been defeated.
In other words, in this Holy Grail War... she and Alvin were opponents.
As Morgan's experimental creation, a unique being combining the blood of the White Dragon and the Red Dragon, Mordred had absolute confidence in her strength.
However, even so, if her opponent was the White Dragon... she still felt a bit uncertain.
'I'm participating in the Holy Grail War, and my opponent is my dad? Are you serious?'
On the other side, standing atop the streetlamp with his arms crossed, Gilgamesh, clad in golden armor, gazed coldly at the sword in Alvin's hand with his crimson eyes.
"A special weapon forged by the planet itself... It seems you're not as useless as this King imagined, Saber."
After discerning the essence of the Sword of the Stars at a glance, his voice took on a hint of disdain.
"You could rely on your own strength, yet you choose to seek the protection of the Mother Goddess in battle... Hmph."
Well...it seemed even now, Gilgamesh still held a grudge against Alvin's earlier special Noble Phantasm called 'Mom.'
For a Mesopotamian Servant, Tiamat's existence was too significant, and even Gilgamesh had to take it seriously....despite the fact that the Tiamat summoned by Alvin in his Servant state was barely even a spiritual entity.
Hearing Gilgamesh's words, the Conqueror King also looked with interest at the Servant who had intervened between him and Lancer, saying thoughtfully,
"I see, so you're Saber?"
"No wonder you could fight Archer to a stalemate... You seem much trickier than I imagined."
The Conqueror King hadn't noticed that, ever since earlier, Waver, standing beside him, had been staring at Alvin with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Although Alvin was wearing a mask at the moment, Waver inexplicably felt a strong sense of familiarity... as if he had seen Alvin somewhere before.
In fact, as fellow disciples of Kayneth, Alvin and Waver had indeed crossed paths a few times in the past, so it was normal for him to feel some recognition.
However, with Alvin completely covered up at the moment, Waver couldn't immediately identify him.
The Conqueror King looked around. Besides Archer and Lancer, after he had announced his identity and invited the other Servants to show themselves, only Saber had appeared.
"Archer, Lancer, Saber... and myself. That means there are still three Servants in this Holy Grail War who haven't shown up, right?"
The Conqueror King let out a soft sigh, seemingly a bit disappointed, and said, "It still feels like it's not quite exciting enough."
Mordred raised an eyebrow, quickly lifting her greatsword and saying, "Those words should be mine to say... We haven't settled our fight yet, Rider."
If it hadn't been for Alvin's appearance, she had been ready to unleash her Noble Phantasm just moments ago.
The Conqueror King's rugged, square face broke into a smile as he looked at the black-robed Servant in front of him: "I wouldn't mind accepting your challenge... But it seems Saber is intent on stirring things up."
"You're mistaken, Conqueror King," Alvin said with a shrug. "I'm not here to cause trouble, just to find someone."
"Find someone?"
The Conqueror King asked, feeling a bit puzzled, "Aren't you here to take your Master back?"
Alvin ignored the Conqueror King's question and instead turned to survey his surroundings, saying slowly, "Kayneth, you should be here, right?"
The moment that voice rang out, Kayneth's heart skipped a beat.
Saber was coming for him?
Based on Saber's performance last night, even Kayneth was quite wary of him.
Upon hearing Alvin's voice, the Clock Tower lord's mind began racing, wondering when he could have offended Saber or Saber's Master.
Due to special concealment techniques, even when Alvin spoke, Kayneth couldn't discern his identity.
Mordred's heart also tightened as she said, "You're after my Master?"
Alvin paused, "Your Master...?"
"Lancer's Master is Mr. Kayneth," Manaka Sajyou said softly, stepping to Alvin's side.
"Oh?"
Alvin looked at Mordred with some surprise.
Little Mo and Kayneth...?
It feels like this Master-Servant pair doesn't have great compatibility...
As expected, no matter the timeline of the Holy Grail War, his teacher's luck is never great.
But if it's Little Mo, at least there's no need to worry about him suffering a betrayal from his fiancée...after all, that woman couldn't possibly like a woman, right?
No no...don't set a flag.
"By the way, are you planning to side with Lancer?"
At that moment, the Conqueror King's voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.
His expression was unusually serious as he looked at the newly appeared black-robed Servant.
Even he could tell that there seemed to be some kind of connection between Alvin and Mordred.
Because when Alvin appeared, this Lancer, who had been somewhat hot-tempered earlier, suddenly became surprisingly docile...
No matter how you looked at it, it felt strange.
Alvin shook his head lightly,
"In the Holy Grail War, everyone has their own Master. If I had to say, the only person I support is my own Master."
Hearing this, a trace of joy flickered in Manaka Sajyou's eyes, and her gaze toward the young man softened further.
Alvin paused for a moment before continuing, "However, with Servants still hiding in the shadows tonight, I don't think you'll be able to settle your fight."
As long as there were still Servants lurking in the shadows, even if the Conqueror King and Mordred wanted to settle their duel, their Masters would surely try their hardest to stop them.
After all, no one wanted to become a target for everyone else.
The Conqueror King pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm... You do have a point. My Master has been trying his best to stop me earlier too."
"You're only realizing this now, Rider?!"
Waver shook his head, exasperated, and loudly complained, "If you and Lancer fight here, regardless of who wins or loses, there are other Servants watching eagerly from the sidelines!"
'Even if we put that ridiculously troublesome golden guy aside, now there's Saber on the scene too...
And Saber's Master... is also dangerous.'
Waver instinctively glanced at Manaka Sajyou, his eyes filled with deep wariness.
His instincts told him that this seemingly harmless girl... might be even more troublesome than some of the Servants in this Holy Grail War.
"You're right. In that case... I have a suggestion."
The Conqueror King's face lit up with a brilliant smile, as if he were about to embrace the world as he spread his arms wide and laughed heartily, "Why don't all three of you here become my vassals? That way, we can easily become the final victors of this Holy Grail War."
"What do you all think?"
The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of everyone present changed subtly.
Gilgamesh's eyes coldly fixed on the man on the ground who called himself the "Conqueror King." Mordred looked at him as if he were a fool, while Alvin didn't seem surprised at all, and his expression under the mask was calm and composed.
The Conqueror King's words were not meant to provoke anyone intentionally; after all, from the perspective of a "king," he was naturally inviting everyone to join under his banner, nothing more.
However, upon hearing these words, in a certain street corner hidden in the shadows, someone's expression underwent a slight change.
It was Maiya Hisau from the Einzbern Castle.
She knew that Kiritsugu Emiya had made thorough preparations for victory in this Holy Grail War, but no matter how much they prepared... if the four Servants present today were to join forces, it would be the worst possible news for them.
But before she could pull out her communicator, Mordred let out a cold snort: "Rider, should I say you're joking... or are you just too delusional?"
The Conqueror King silently surveyed the three Servants present.
Mordred's expression was hostile, while Gilgamesh watched coldly from the sidelines.
Alvin remained silent as well.
Compared to the issue of the Holy Grail's distribution, he was more concerned about whether Kayneth could survive until the end of the Holy Grail War.
The Conqueror King let out a soft sigh, saying, "What a pity. It seems no one agrees with my proposal?"
If anyone actually agreed, that would be a miracle.
Not to mention that the Conqueror King's invitation was for the Servants present to become his "vassals," even if it were a mere alliance, wouldn't they still have to fight each other in the end?
Should it be said that the Great Emperor was thinking too simply, or did he believe that no one would refuse his invitation?
"Lancer, prepare to find an opportunity to withdraw."
At that moment, Kayneth's voice suddenly reached Mordred's ears.
Mordred's heart tightened with urgency: "Withdraw now? The enemy Servants have finally shown themselves. This is the best chance to take them out, Master..."
"That black-robed Servant... you don't plan to fight him now, do you?" Kayneth asked.
Mordred fell silent.
Ever since recognizing Alvin's identity, Mordred had already informed Kayneth that Saber was the "White Dragon."
Upon learning this, the Clock Tower lord was utterly speechless.
Who could have imagined that a single Holy Grail War would summon both a father and daughter from Britain, and that they would meet at this moment?
"I just don't know what Saber wants me to do... ' Kayneth thought to himself.
"What about Rider? Are we just letting him go?" Mordred was still somewhat unwilling.
"This might be part of their strategy... Rider could be deliberately baiting you into making a move," Kayneth said slowly. "I don't believe the Conqueror King is so reckless."
Mordred's face showed a prolonged struggle as she glanced at Alvin again and finally let out a resigned sigh, sheathing her greatsword.
"Are you planning to flee, Lancer?" Seeing this, the Conqueror King asked with a frown.
"This is my Master's command.
The next time we meet, I will personally end your life.
Until then, just wait."
After speaking, Mordred's gaze quickly shifted to Alvin.
From the moment she saw Alvin, Mordred had felt a mix of surprise and unease. But after some internal deliberation, she finally made up her mind.
—No matter what, she would fight for victory in this Holy Grail War.
"Saber... even if it's you, I won't hold back in this Holy Grail War."
After saying this, she turned, preparing to leave the street.
The snow fell heavier, and just as Mordred's figure was about to vanish, she suddenly seemed to sense something as she drew her weapon with an impatient huff.
"By the way, you've been hiding in the shadows staring at me this whole time, thinking I wouldn't notice, unknown Servant?!"
She swung her greatsword toward the darkness of the street corner.
Blood-red lightning erupted from the blade, blasting forward with ferocious speed.
'Little Mo sensed it too, huh?'
Alvin glanced over discreetly, feeling a sense of relief.
Due to the commotion caused by the Conqueror King, no Master could remain entirely indifferent.
Even if some Masters didn't want to reveal their trump cards tonight, they would surely send someone to scout the situation.
But this person hiding in the shadows seemed to underestimate the perception of those present...
From the moment they appeared, Alvin had already sensed their presence.
However, to be honest, he never expected there to be another pair like Rider's group, with both Master and Servant showing themselves simultaneously... and they didn't seem particularly careful about concealing their presence.
'Was this Master, like Manaka, simply too confident, or what?'
Boom!
The red lightning from Mordred's greatsword surged forward, colliding with the figure hidden in the darkness.
A Master facing a Servant should have been a one-sided slaughter.
However—
The moment Mordred's magical energy blasted out, the white streetlamp flickered rapidly, then countless shadows spread outward from the figure, like a dance of demons.
In the next instant, the shadows swiftly coalesced into a sphere, completely swallowing Mordred's magical energy.
Alvin's expression froze for a moment.
This magical energy... why does it feel so familiar?
Manaka Sajyou's eyes narrowed slightly.
For some reason, she too felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Mordred, however, seemed unaware of anything unusual, a curious smile spreading across her face.
"Interesting... Besides my father, there's actually someone else who can devour others' magical energy like that?"
"How about this, then?!"
In the next moment, her sword erupted with unprecedented light, a red beam shooting into the sky, stirring the clouds.
Surging hatred coiled around the blade, the black-red blood seeming intent on destroying every living thing in the world.
At that moment, Alvin finally realized something, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead for the first time.
He shouted urgently,
"Little Mo, wait—!!!"
—Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father (Clarent Blood Arthur)!
But before his words could fully land, Mordred's Noble Phantasm had already blasted forward.
The fully unleashed Clarent, the Radiant and Resplendent Royal Sword, illuminated the darkness, leaving nothing hidden.
And what came into everyone's view was a woman.
She wore an elegant dress, her face veiled by a thin layer that concealed her stunning beauty.
Her cool, bewitching eyes calmly gazed at the incoming Noble Phantasm.
The calm expression Alvin had maintained all along vanished completely as he murmured,
"As expected, it's Big Sis..."
He hadn't even had time to process why Morgan le Fay was here when, in the next moment, someone behind Morgan raised a staff.
Then, a golden light, as if outshining Clarent, suddenly flared up.
"Around Caliburn."
Boom!
The golden light clashed with the blood-red beam, the blazing magical energy erupting in an unprecedented brilliance, illuminating a blonde girl wearing a crown standing behind Morgan le Fay.
Alvin's expression froze.
"Lily...?"