Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

"What did you say?" Saber blinked, wondering if she was hearing things.

"It seems you have quite the hearing problem," Mordred sighed. "No worries, I've got all the time in the world for you. So, let me repeat: How'd you like to join my collection? In exchange, I can help you obtain the Holy Grail."

Saber's answer was an even colder stare and a slashing blade.

But Mordred was ready, nimbly dodging the attack.

Saber's face was cold. She'd heard those words before and they made her skin crawl.

Both the arrogant King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, and Caster, Gilles de Rais—who mistook her for Jeanne—had said similar repulsive things to her in a past summoning.

And now, she was hearing it again.

From Mordred, no less!

Even if it wasn't the same Mordred, the girl standing before her undeniably resembled the Mordred who had ruined her kingdom.

"Too bad you're not interested. Would've been easier on both of us," Mordred sighed, her smile widening, "This is going to hurt, so brace yourself."

"You are no match for me!"

"If you're judging me solely by my swordsmanship, then sure, you might have the upper hand. But if you think you know me just because you know 'Mordred,' you're in for a rude awakening. Let me show you how little you truly know."

Saber remained unimpressed by Mordred's words, but she couldn't ignore the sudden transformation unfolding before her eyes.

Bizarre runes.

Symbols fraught with an unsettling power.

These cryptic markings slithered up from Mordred's neck, engulfing her entire body.

Her once youthful visage was now overlaid with these markings, making her look like some arcane sorceress or shaman from a time long forgotten.

"What in the world...?" Saber's voice trailed off; she had never seen anything like this before.

No.

It wasn't just that she hadn't seen such a thing; not even the annals of British legend spoke of such markings.

Then, something else caught her attention.

Saber glanced down at the holy sword in her hand, now bathed in a faint, star-like glow.

It was as if some hidden function within the blade had been suddenly awakened.

When she first came into possession of Excalibur and Rhongomyniad, Merlin had told her that both were manifestations of the planet's will.

The Holy Lance served as the planet's anchor, while Excalibur was the sword designed to defend against cosmic threats.

Could this faint starlight signify that Excalibur was unlocking some hidden power?

But wasn't it supposed to activate only in the face of world-ending enemies?

Saber was puzzled.

"Do you get it yet? I'm not a good person. Whatever it takes to achieve my goals, whatever resources or powers are at my disposal, I'll use them without a second thought," Mordred declared, her laughter tinged with frenzy. She licked her lips and added, "Just so we're clear—I'm not the gentle type. This is going to hurt."

Saber furrowed her brows; although she didn't know what Mordred had done exactly, the eerie situation certainly gave her a bad feeling.

Clutching her glowing sword, Saber lunged at Mordred, aiming a horizontal slash at her waist. Surely, Mordred would have no choice but to defend against such a fatal blow, right?

However, that was not the case.

Mordred stood still, letting Saber's blade slice through her waist.

But then—

With a soft "whoosh," Saber's sword seemed to cut through nothing but air, passing harmlessly through Mordred's body.

Not good!

Saber's eyes narrowed, her instincts screaming at her to retreat. But before she could pull back, Mordred's boot slammed into her midsection.

"Ugh…" Saber grunted, staggering back several steps.

Shaking off the pain, Saber lunged once more, this time targeting Mordred's abdomen.

Yet, with another "swoosh," her sword passed right through Mordred again. Almost immediately, Mordred counterattacked, her red-black blade slashing toward Saber's shoulder.

Saber moved to block, but there was no clash of steel against steel.

Mordred's sword phased right through both Excalibur and Saber herself.

For a moment, it seemed like no harm had been done.

However—

With a sudden "snap," a wound appeared on Saber's right arm. Blood began to seep out.

Grimacing, Saber pushed off forcefully with her feet, putting distance between herself and Mordred. She clutched her bleeding arm, her eyes filled with disbelief as she stared at her opponent.

Mordred grinned and said, "There's still time to join my collection, you know."

In return, she received only an icy glare.

Saber's voice was cold. "So, this is your Noble Phantasm? My sword can't touch you, but yours can wound me."

"Exactly," Mordred nodded, smiling all the while.

Taking a deep breath, Saber shifted into her battle stance.

"Ex—"

The holy sword in her hand blazed with blinding light. Even the faint starlight that had shrouded the blade intensified.

This was a brilliance, a luminescence, that Saber had never witnessed before.

"—calibur!"

With that, she unleashed the torrent of light toward Mordred.

If the sword couldn't cut through her, then surely its unleashed Noble Phantasm would.

Or so Saber thought.

"How—how is this possible?" Saber's eyes widened in disbelief.

Her holy sword had erupted in a blaze of light unlike anything she'd ever seen.

Yet, Mordred was walking toward her through the blast, closing the distance between them without a care, utterly unscathed by the light beam.

"It's quite unfortunate for you, isn't it?" Mordred smiled. "Energy, light—they're useless against me in my current form."

...

The sky was just starting to brighten as Sisigou Kairi worked in the graveyard, fine-tuning his equipment.

'Clang, clang, clang...'

The sound of footsteps, punctuated by the clinking of metal, echoed from behind him. Without even turning his head, Sisigou continued adjusting the revolver in his grip. "You're back, Sir 'Galahad'."

"Yes, Master," came the slightly breathless voice from behind him.

Finally, Sisigou looked over his shoulder, and for a moment, he was taken aback.

Standing behind him was his Red Saber—a petite knight—carrying another knight, this one garbed in blue armor, slung over her shoulder.

With a casual flick, she dropped the blue-armored girl onto the ground. The thud of steel against earth rang out as she landed. Her slender figure shifted slightly due to inertia before settling down.

Her eyes were closed, as if she were a princess in a peaceful, beautiful slumber.

The thing was, her face was the spitting image of the petite knight's!

Sisigou found himself momentarily bewildered.

In addition, the sleeping knight's armor was chipped and missing pieces here and there. Blood was smeared at the corner of her mouth; she looked disheveled and miserable.

It was clear she had been through an intense battle.

She massaged her wrist, grumbling, "She put up a fight till the bitter end. Talk about exhausting."

Sisigou, still bewildered, pointed at the fallen knight. "Sir Galahad, what in the world is this?"

"Just the enemy's Saber," she replied, casual as ever.

Sisigou was flabbergasted.

His Servant had left for a short while and returned carrying an unconscious enemy Saber?

What the hell was going on?

Sisigou furrowed his brows, pointing at the fallen Saber. "Is this the 'stubbornness' you mentioned, Sir Galahad?"

"Exactly," she said, grinning. "This is what I call being stubborn!"

At this point, he was at a loss for words.

His Servant had walked out and come back dragging the enemy's Saber.

What was he even supposed to say to that?

He looked at the disheveled Saber and then to the petite knight. "Did you knock her out?"

"Sure did," she replied, grinning. "She wasn't playing nice, so I had to take matters into my own hands."

He paused, pondering. "Why bring back the enemy's Saber, though?"

"I told you, it's my stubbornness."

She gently cradled the unconscious Saber's head, pulling it close to her own. She brushed her cheek against Saber's and looked at Sisigou, smiling. "Haven't you caught on yet, Master?"

Suddenly, it clicked. "Ah, I see. You two are sisters, aren't you? You're really Agravain, and she must be Gaheris, Gareth, or Gawain, right?" The idea that the legendary Knights of the Round Table could all be women was far-fetched, but it was the only conclusion that made sense given the circumstances.

The petite knight gave Sisigou a bemused look. "How did you guess we were sisters? Okay, fine. I'll spill the beans. We're actually mother and daughter."

Sisigou was dumbfounded.

A mother-daughter relationship? The thought left Sisigou speechless as he looked at the unconscious Saber.

"Don't worry, Master. The fact that they summoned her alongside Eternal King is a surprise, but it won't hold me back. There's something I have to do before we go for the Grail," the petite knight said, her fingers tenderly caressing Saber's face.

Sisigou was speechless, then he snapped back to reality. "Listen, Sir Galahad—I may not know your true name or what you're up to, and it's not my place to judge. But as your Master, I have to remind you. The moment her Master realizes she's gone, he could simply use a command spell to bring her back."

"True," she nodded, smiling mysteriously. "But I have my ways."

She then grabbed a basin of water and a fresh towel, humming an unrecognizable tune as she gently dabbed it across Saber's face.