"M–Morgan, Your Majesty…"
Seeing Morgan suddenly appear, Artoria froze for a moment. Instinctively, she wanted to retreat. But after stepping back half a step, she suddenly thought of something, stopped, and instead reached out to pull Mash and Xuanzang back with her, making way for Morgan.
At the front, Bargast had not yet noticed what was happening behind her. At this very moment, she was still being suppressed by Mordred's direct unleashing of her Noble Phantasm. She had jammed her sword into the ground, trying to block the force of the energy blast with it, while relying on her own sheer toughness to withstand the brunt of the power.
She could tell that every time Mordred fired off a Noble Phantasm in an instant, she was burning through her own life force to do it. If she could keep dragging the fight out, there was a good chance she could wear Mordred down to death. Even if she couldn't finish it herself, she would at least buy enough time for Guinevere or Melusine to assist her side, and then Mordred would quickly be defeated.
That said, after taking several Noble Phantasms to the face in succession, Bargast herself was also nearing her limits. The battle had devolved into a pure test of endurance, a tug-of-war pushing both sides to the edge.
Just as the clash reached its breaking point, when both fighters were being driven to their extremes, a sky-blue spear suddenly descended from above, crashing into the ground in front of Bargast. It split the incoming crimson energy blast in two, letting it rush past Bargast on either side of her.
Then, Morgan walked forward from behind her.
"Bargast, stand down."
"—Yes, Your Majesty."
Though surprised that Morgan herself had chosen to intervene, Bargast was a loyal vassal. She bowed her head slightly, then immediately withdrew.
"Tch, so a new enemy has joined in?"
On the other side, Mordred had her vision distorted by the storm of magical energy. She sensed a new magical presence but assumed it was just another opponent entering the fight. Without hesitation, she raised her sword once more, preparing to unleash her Noble Phantasm again.
She didn't care who it was. She had always understood her mission from the start.
"Doesn't matter—it's about time to finish this anyway!"
"My body, burst forth for the glory of Camelot!"
"Explode, O power of the stars!"
Her sword's radiance flared to its peak, ready to burn both herself and her foe away. But before she could release it, Morgan slammed her staff—half spear, half rod—against the ground, and whispered:
"Silencing Edict, activate."
A purple circle of light spread outward beneath her feet. In that instant, every fighter on the battlefield found a glowing purple ring around them. Within several kilometers, all spellcasting was cut off—Noble Phantasms included.
This wasn't Morgan's own innate power, but an ability she had obtained from the system: an absolute sealing technique that indiscriminately locked down all spellcasting within its range, friend and foe alike.
When Mordred swung her greatsword down, expecting her Noble Phantasm to erupt, nothing happened. It was just an ordinary strike against the earth, devoid of magical force.
"Eh? What? My Noble Phantasm… You—what did you do—"
She tried to roar in protest, but now that the chaotic magical currents had cleared, she finally saw her opponent's face. Her eyes widened, her expression froze, and she stumbled back a couple of steps. Her voice trembled with fear from the depths of her heart:
"Mo–Mother?! You—you came here in person?!"
"Does my coming to see you surprise you that much?"
Morgan looked at Mordred retreating and shook her head with a sigh.
"That fool Artoria… She gave you such a 'blessing.' But all it meant was that she wanted you to fight for her until you died. She never gave you any other choice… Mordred, do you really mean to die for this Camelot? A Camelot where she never even gave you a place?"
"S–so what? I don't care."
Morgan made no move to strike, only spoke calmly. Mordred gradually steadied herself, then shouted:
"I betrayed Father once already. Everything now is my punishment, my burden to bear. So even if Father only wants me to disappear…"
She grit her teeth.
"—Then so be it!"
She raised her sword once again, pointing it straight at Morgan.
"If you intend to stop me, Mother, then I'll raise my sword against you!"
Morgan only shook her head slightly. She tapped her staff against the ground again.
"Silencing Edict, release."
She had only activated the seal to stop Mordred from burning herself away with her Noble Phantasm. If she kept it active, the restrictions would cripple her far worse than Mordred—cutting away ninety-nine percent of her combat ability. At best, she could only fight hand-to-hand. Naturally, she lifted the edict as soon as it had served its purpose.
The moment Mordred realized her Noble Phantasm had been unsealed, she tried to ignite it again. But before she could, Morgan swept her staff, unleashing a tidal wave of magical force that slammed Mordred to the ground before her power could build.
When Mordred scrambled up again, shimmering water mirrors appeared around her. From them, chains of green-blue light shot out, wrapping around her body and limbs, locking her in place. She strained against them but couldn't budge an inch.
"T–these are…"
"The Chains of Heaven," Morgan explained lightly. "I took them from the King of Heroes. I modified them—originally they bound gods, but now they target the Round Table and Arthurian lineage. They weren't crafted specifically for you, but they still hold you fast."
"Then why not just kill me?!" Mordred roared. "Don't stop me, Mother! Whatever it takes, I will die as Father's knight!"
Morgan lifted her hand again, inscribing a glowing magic circle beneath Mordred.
"You… are in no state to speak. I'll give you a form that can listen first."
"This circle… an Heroic Spirit Summoning Array?" Mordred froze. It looked identical to the one Father had used to summon the Round Table Knights. "Mother, what are you trying to do? Who are you summoning into me?"
"No one else." Morgan shook her head. "Just you."
…
As Morgan finished her chant, the summoning circle blazed. Meanwhile, in the faerie land of the real world, in a mist-shrouded village, a blond girl sat in her room, eyes glued to a screen, fingers hammering at a controller. Beneath her, a magic circle suddenly flared to life.
"Eh? What the—"
She glanced down at the strange sigil beneath her feet. Just then, a glowing window popped up before her eyes:
[Detected: Host being summoned by another player. Consciousness will now be projected into Fate Simulation.]
"Wait, what? Didn't I set everything to auto-play?"
Though confused, she quickly realized what it meant: she was about to be summoned somewhere else. She glanced at her game screen and wailed:
"Mother's summoning me now? No, wait! Not now! The boss is down to just a sliver of health!"
But her cries changed nothing. The circle activated, and her consciousness was torn away, forced into the simulation.
…
"Whoa—what the hell? Where is this? A battlefield? Why am I chained up? And those people—Guinevere? Fujimaru Ritsuka? Huh? Melusine and Bargast too? And… F–Father?! What's going on?!"
The instant she opened her eyes, Mordred's voice rang out in confusion.
"Calm down, Mordred. Close your eyes and think." Morgan's voice carried from nearby. "I've simply shared the records between the two of you. I believe whatever choice you make, it should be made knowing as much as possible."
And then, memories—records of her other self—flooded into her. When the surge settled, Mordred's expression grew complicated.
"So you've received two sets of Servant records now," Morgan said. "Then, Mordred, you can choose again. This time, I won't interfere."
The chains fell away, dissolving into mist. Morgan stepped back, opened a water mirror behind her, and vanished into it.
"My choice… uh… Mother, you didn't need to ask."
Scratching her head, Mordred muttered:
"Of course I'm switching sides. Though, being lectured face-to-face by Gawain or Lancelot would be embarrassing… Anyway, just send me against Tristan, okay? Honestly, he probably wants me to take him out as soon as possible."
"Go."
Without the slightest hesitation, she made her choice.
"She switched sides already?!" Xuanzang blinked in disbelief. "I thought she'd at least struggle with the decision for a moment… Didn't she just swear she'd die as her Father's knight?"
"That one doesn't count as my Father."
Mordred answered immediately:
"In this singularity, the Father who summoned me is clearly wrong. I didn't see it before, but now I remember. No way I'd keep following the wrong path."
"The Father I know… She never became king for the crown's shine. She became king because she could care about the smallest stone by the roadside. Someone like that would never destroy all of humanity, turning them into specimens for her collection."
"So enough talk."
Mordred hefted her shining Clarent once more.
"Bottom line—since there are no enemies left here, let's charge!"