Who should I choose? Who can I possibly defeat?
During his clash with the King of Knights, Siegfried had already recognized he was no match for her. He had also fought Mordred for a considerable time and lacked the confidence to win against her.
As for Guinevere, based on the few moves she had exchanged with Jeanne, he knew she was no easy opponent either.
Three options, and not a single one was a soft target.
"Lady Guinevere, may I ask this of you? I am no match for the King of Knights, and Sir Mordred must surely be tired."
"No, I'm not tired! I've only just finished warming up!"
Except for the King of Knights, the rest of the family—Mordred and Guinevere—were practically battle maniacs. So, seeing the opportunity that had just fallen into her lap about to be snatched away by Mordred...
Guinevere, the Queen Mother, cast aside all royal decorum. She wrapped her arms around Mordred from behind and mercilessly tickled the soft flesh of her waist until Mordred went limp, temporarily drained of strength.
Mordred had already shed her armor after Cú Chulainn had inscribed heat-generating runes on it, revealing her light, red attire underneath.
"Queen Mother, you're stealing my fight again!"
"You've been fighting for ages! Let your mother have this one, won't you?"
The King of Knights desperately wanted to facepalm, but in front of outsiders, she habitually maintained her stern facade.
Instead, her eyelid merely twitched. When her gaze met Siegfried's, she saw envy in his eyes.
This reminded the King of Knights of Siegfried's story: after slaying the dragon and bathing in its blood, he returned only to be turned against by his foster brother, ultimately finding release only in death.
This man... he's another foolish hero who couldn't manage his family relationships.
"In any case, Siegfried, I, Guinevere Pendragon, accept your challenge. Mordred, isn't your next mission to act as the vanguard? Since you still have the energy to fight, continue advancing with Sakura! The enemy has only revealed three Master-Servant pairs so far!"
"Yes, yes, you foolish Queen Mother!"
Sheathing her sword, Mordred joined Sakura in the sports car they'd arrived in. They didn't question how their Father and Queen Mother had suddenly dropped from the sky, nor did Siegfried or Cú Chulainn try to stop them. Their advance toward the Yggdmillennia Family's castle continued unimpeded.
Having landed here, Jeanne was still somewhat disoriented. But as the Overseer for the Black Faction, she would not intervene as long as both sides were engaged in a proper duel.
She simply watched: watched Cú Chulainn rub his stomach as he got to his feet, watched Siegfried and Guinevere face each other, swords drawn, on the scarred wasteland.
Yet, even with the enhanced Servant Sense granted to her by the Holy Grail, she couldn't detect any other Servants observing the scene.
If she couldn't sense them, Guinevere and the others certainly couldn't.
"Merely watching, Assassin?"
Clad in a tattered cloak, with the unremarkable face of an old farmer, he stood openly not far from the battlefield, yet remained completely unnoticed.
"The hour of your destiny has not yet come."
"Your destiny? Does that include me?"
The cloaked Assassin remained silent. The voice of Kirei Kotomine no longer echoed in his mind.
Since being summoned, he had never regarded anyone from the Black Faction with any respect. The only reason he remained was the fleeting memories he possessed of his time with Guinevere and the others during the "Holy Round Table" Singularity.
He wanted to see if his "disciple's" swordsmanship had improved enough after receiving his limited instruction.
Furthermore, he found Kirei Kotomine intriguing—a man willing to mortgage his near-eternal life for the chance to fight a certain individual again.
"Contractor, are you truly prepared to cast aside your life so easily?"
"Assassin, you too are a believer in God. You should understand that in the pursuit of truth, life itself is something to be sacrificed."
"Hah. That man you speak of... could he truly be your truth?"
The cloaked Assassin fell silent, for Guinevere, who had been in a standoff, had begun to move.
One step, two steps—not his "Unity of Heaven and Man," but a rising aura that seemed to command the heavens and earth, as if she intended to pour their very will into her sword.
Guinevere's swordsmanship followed a path completely opposite to that of the cloaked Assassin.
"Lia, did you say I should harmonize with heaven and earth, merging into them?"
"Can you even do that?"
"Nope, meow!"
"Then take a different path. Isn't there a saying in that little booklet you drew? I think it was 'All roads lead to the same destination.'"
Guinevere held the sword normally at her side. During this time, the Replica Holy Sword's mana absorption ability activated at full power, rapidly drawing in both the mana from the heavens and earth and Guinevere's own mana to fill the blade.
But this was merely the foundation of Guinevere's technique. After her conversation with the King of Knights, Guinevere, who could never replicate the First Hassan's feat, had indeed chosen a different path.
Rather than achieving "Unity of Heaven and Man," she was inherently a being who defied and deceived the Human Order. After all, her First Noble Phantasm had always been named [Sword of Destined Judgment].
As the arbiter of destiny, Guinevere was meant to stand outside of fate, bending it to her will.
She should never have merged with it—never achieved "Unity of Heaven and Man."
After that, Guinevere truly abandoned the pursuit of harmony between herself and the world, instead seeking to make the heavens and earth move according to her will.
"Truly impressive. This is indeed the path that suits her best."
Outside the battlefield, the cloaked Assassin watched Guinevere take three steps. He saw the world's energy being drawn by her, and Siegfried struggling to even lift his sword under her oppressive aura. The Assassin's eyes opened slightly, and it was his turn to feel a stir of excitement.
His sword, the "Unity of Heaven and Man," left no opening for his opponent to strike. Guinevere's sword, however, forced her opponent to face the entire world—a sword style that tested their courage and resolve.
"If taken to its ultimate conclusion, this sword style might truly be able to sever the threads of destiny."
With a soft chuckle, the Assassin's gaze intensified, and he began to rejoice that he had answered this summons.
Back on the battlefield, Siegfried finally managed to raise his sword, the Holy Sword Balmung, which began to glow with the light of a Noble Phantasm Release.
Merely by watching, he knew he couldn't parry this attack with swordsmanship alone. He even had the chilling premonition that if this sword struck him, the invulnerability granted by his dragon's blood might be shattered instantly.
"Mana at full power! Phantasmal Greatsword—Maximum Output!
"Awaken from the golden dream—
"Be released from the cradle!
"The Evil Dragon... shall fall!!!!"
Originally, Guinevere had only intended to go all out and test a sword technique on Siegfried that she couldn't use against the King of Knights or Mordred.
But as her mind sank into her sword, she truly felt the will of heaven and earth standing behind her. Guinevere knew then that her sword was already halfway complete.
Her next step was to pour her swordsmanship, her will, and the mobilized power of the world into her blade, fully realizing the sword inspired by the First Hassan—a path entirely different from his.
However, just because her aura was steadily rising didn't mean Siegfried would let her reach her peak. He countered the mounting pressure with a Noble Phantasm Release.
He had to strike her down with maximum output before her aura could rival that of the evil dragon Fafnir.
In that instant, he truly saw Guinevere as a dragon.
Thus, his blood surged, and his mana output soared to an even greater level.
"Balmung: Phantasmal Greatsword, Felling of the Sky Demon!!"
Siegfried's sword descended with a force that seemed poised to shatter heaven and earth.