As Morgan's words fell, the front courtyard fell silent for an instant.
Manaka Sajyou instinctively looked up at the woman ahead.
Her platinum blonde hair cascaded down, and those clear, cold, beautiful eyes were quietly fixed on the girl.
Faintly, it seemed as if a unique magical power wafted through the front courtyard, making the atmosphere tense and on edge in an instant.
At that moment, Gilgamesh, who had been spectating from the side, cast a meaningful glance at Morgan le Fay.
Though she hadn't truly made a move from the first day of the Holy Grail War until now, his instincts told him that this Master of Caster was every bit as troublesome as Caster herself.
And from the looks of it, all these people present seemed to have rather ambiguous relationships with Saber...
"Clinging?" At that moment, Manaka Sajyou looked up at the woman in front of her with a giggling smile, speaking in a soft voice.
"Princess Morgan, have you misunderstood something?"
"Don't forget who summoned him... and who his current Master really is."
Morgan's brows arched slightly as she said coolly: "The so-called Master is nothing more than a mutual partnership between the two parties during the Holy Grail War, hardly even intimate enough to warrant the word."
By the end, the corners of her mouth curved faintly: "So, is it me who's misunderstood, or have you deluded yourself about the nature of your relationship with him, Miss Sajyou?"
From the very first day of her arrival, Morgan le Fay had always found Manaka Sajyou quite displeasing.
After all, if it weren't for this girl, the one who would have summoned Alvin now would have been her.
If the other party had summoned Alvin merely for the sake of winning the Holy Grail War, that would have been one thing... But from what it seemed now, the other's purpose clearly wasn't aimed at victory in the war.
It felt more like she wanted to play some kind of husband-stealing game.
With Morgan le Fay's personality, back in Britain, she hadn't yielded an inch to King Arthur or even Merlin, what more for some Root Princess in the present world?
If not for the consideration that Manaka Sajyou's death would eliminate Alvin as a Servant from the Holy Grail War as well, Morgan wouldn't even bother exchanging this much meaningless drivel with her right now.
"The nature of my relationship with Saber isn't for you to decide."
Manaka Sajyou said faintly.
"And... even if we set aside my relationship with him, you're hardly in a position to criticize me, are you?"
"After all... even in history, you were nothing more than a woman who seduced a married man."
What Manaka Sajyou meant in plainer terms was: You're the one who seduced someone else's husband, you're the shameless one! How dare you have the nerve to point fingers at me now?
These words struck right at Morgan's sore spot, causing her expression to frost over like a veil of ice.
Gilgamesh beside her, and even Waver, who had been waiting outside for news on Rider, each had their own reactions.
The former remained as composed and arrogant as ever, watching coldly from the side, though his mind began to stir with activity.
As for Waver, who had once pored over the legends of King Arthur, he was utterly dumbfounded.
He recalled the title Manaka Sajyou had just used for Caster's Master.
Princess Morgan...?!
At this point, he was certain that Saber was that White Dragon of ancient Britain... and Caster was King Arthur.
The one who summoned King Arthur was none other than King Arthur's own blood sister, Morgan le Fay?!
But how could that be?
How could a figure from history appear in the present world as a Master?
Waver's first reaction was utter disbelief and he even wondered for a moment if he was dreaming.
Yet the conversation between the two just now proved without a doubt that this woman's identity was Britain's witch, the greatest schemer of Britain, Morgan le Fay.
Morgan narrowed her eyes, her gaze laced with chill as she fixed on Manaka Sajyou.
It wasn't until an unknown stretch of silence had passed that she gradually calmed, casually glancing toward a certain direction behind Manaka Sajyou.
Soon, she spoke in an alluring and light tone. "You just deliberately tried to provoke me, didn't you?"
Manaka Sajyou's expression remained unchanged, though the black mud hidden at her feet quietly settled.
The girl's original plan had been to wait until Morgan made the first move, then use the black mud to erode Artoria nearby and corrupt her into her own Servant.
But it was obvious, she had still underestimated Morgan... Even after being provoked to that extent, she had maintained a thread of rationality.
At that moment, the inherent bounded field known as King's Army was already riddled with dense cracks.
Within the inherent bounded field of King's Army, Alvin held the holy sword, gazing at the King of Conqueror ahead.
"What a pity, if your Master could continue supplying you with magical energy, the outcome might not have been decided so quickly."
Alvin said.
The King of Conquest at this point was clearly far too weakened, panting in heavy gasps.
Upon this scorching, wave-tossed battlefield, a golden pillar of light stood like a pillar connecting heaven and earth between the two, perfectly separating them.
"A star-forged weapon, empowered by the magical energy granted by a Master linked to the Root..."
The King of Conquest's gaze locked onto the youth ahead, a trace of helplessness appearing for the first time on his rugged features.
In normal circumstances, a Servant could never possess or wield such a blatantly overpowered Noble Phantasm.
Yet Manaka Sajyou's existence was far too irregular, to the point that Alvin had unleashed the Noble Phantasm known as the Sword of Promised Victory.
The battlefield at this moment was a scene of utter devastation, from thousands of troops and horses reduced to a lone figure.
Anyone who had witnessed this battle firsthand couldn't help but feel a tremor in their heart.
Soon, the King of Conquest slowly closed his eyes, then as if having resolved himself, lifted his head with a proud, solitary smile on his face.
"Saber, a true hero is one who presses forward courageously, conquering every obstacle, even under the most arduous conditions."
"My Master is indeed very weak right now, but I have no regrets about accepting his summons... To conquer all the world, to press forward without flinching even in the face of the greatest difficulties, this is the path of the Overlord, Iskandar, King of Conquest!!!"
Leading his remaining soldiers and the inherent bounded field that was already nearly completely shattered, he charged toward Alvin without hesitation.
The latter quietly closed his eyes and the holy sword in his hand emitted golden light particles.
"King of Conquest..huh, I acknowledge your path as an Overlord, so... allow me to respond to you with the utmost respect."
In his other hand, a golden holy spear quietly coalesced.
The holy spear, Gáe Bolg!
Though it was merely a phantom, in his Servant form, it was still one of the top-tier Noble Phantasms.
Using both the holy spear and holy sword in succession during a major battle was only possible because Alvin's Master was Manaka Sajyou...after all, anyone else probably couldn't withstand such lavish expenditure from him.
"Holy Spear—"
He slowly raised the Holy Lance and pointed it at the King of Conquerors who was galloping towards him.
"Cast off!"
Bang!
Accompanied by the blast of a golden beam of light, the battered inherent bounded field finally collapsed completely.
In the darkness of the night, two figures simultaneously descended into the front courtyard of Ryuudou Temple.
"Rider—!"
The moment he saw the King of Conquest, Waver couldn't help but call out instinctively.
But before he could even relax, he quickly noticed the abnormality in the King of Conquest's body.
The King of Conquerors at this moment was far too weakened; the ability to deploy King's Army and even bring its power to its peak had been thanks to the boost from the three Command Seals.
Now that King's Army was shattered and there was no sufficient magical energy supply, he could no longer unleash powerful Noble Phantasms at all.
Clang!
As Alvin dodged with a flash, he met the King of Conquest's assault with his holy sword.
Gilgamesh watched all this with an expressionless face, his gaze shifting to the youth who had just emerged from King's Army.
A flicker of excitement soon appeared in those crimson eyes.
He could feel that after a major battle, Alvin's magical aura remained incredibly potent... because the Root was continuously supplying him with magical energy.
Such an opponent was undoubtedly one of the top Servants in the Holy Grail War.
And with the special Noble Phantasm of his 'mother' in the mix...
'As expected, only an enemy like this is worthy of clashing with me...'
As Gilgamesh thought about it, he suddenly faintly sensed something and his gaze casually turned behind him.
At some point, in the darkness, a figure was approaching along the stairs.
Gilgamesh turned his head to look, and his eyes soon narrowed slightly.
"Tokiomi...? Why is he here?"
.
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