FATE: Target of Grand Master

When the giant mammoth let out its first roar, Ivan the Terrible awoke from his slumber.

Even though he had been asleep for so long, Ivan the Terrible recognized the sound of his mount's miserable howl the moment he awoke.

With a powerful thrust of his legs, Ivan the Terrible smashed through the vaulted ceiling of the palace and flew like a cannonball toward the location of the giant mammoth.

During the flight, Ivan the Terrible naturally saw Morgan's Noble Phantasm, and even he, known as "Ivan the Terrible," was momentarily shocked.

Fortunately, such a terrifying attack did not seem to last long. When Ivan the Terrible landed on the giant mammoth's head, he found that his old friend was still alive.

That's enough.

Given the giant mammoth's divine beast-like physique, these injuries could gradually heal given enough time.

But that attack wasn't just on his mount; it was a challenge to him as the king of the Russian Lostbelt. As a king, he had to accept the challenge and retaliate with force and terror.

Ivan the Terrible raised his scepter, and a terrifying current shot out from the tip of the scepter, aimed directly at Morgan.

"Hmph, even if I've almost run out of magic, trying to use magic against me is still too reckless."

Morgan held the cross wand in front of him and spun it continuously. The lightning bolts shot by the Thunder Emperor were like threads wrapped around the spinning wand, constantly swirling around the tip of the cross wand.

"Here you go!"

Morgan suddenly stopped spinning, thrust his cross wand forward, and the lightning was shot back by Morgan.

Upon seeing this, Ivan the Terrible immediately dodged away, a hint of horror rising in his heart.

This woman's strength is definitely no less than mine; she is probably fully qualified to be called the Queen of the Lostbelt.

Since magic won't work, let's use physical means!

Ivan the Terrible tapped his scepter, and the giant mammoth's trunk, tipped with scythe-like weaponry, whistled through the air as it hurtled toward Morgan.

Even Morgan dared not directly confront the power of the divine beast, but no matter how strong the attack, it was completely meaningless if it missed.

With a slightly mocking smile, Morgan instantly used teleportation magic to return to Xia Yan's side, who was standing outside Moscow.

"I'm sorry, Xia Yan, I slightly underestimated the strength of that divine beast and failed to kill it in one blow."

Xia Yan looked surprised and joked, "Huh? My Queen of Winter actually apologized."

Morgan's cheeks immediately flushed.

"What? All I can do is apologize. If it were anyone else, and they dared to talk to me like that, I would have sent them to meet God."

Xia Yan reached out and patted Morgan's head, comforting him, "Yeah, that's why I'm actually very happy. I watched the whole battle. Even though that giant mammoth didn't die, it was severely injured. Its mobility was completely destroyed, and its magic power had to be diverted to repair its body. Its combat power will definitely be greatly reduced. We can leave the rest to the others."

"Then hurry up and give the orders. My magic power is almost completely depleted, so I won't be able to do anything else."

Morgan glanced at the other Servants around Xia Yan, then gently slapped away Xia Yan's hand that was stroking his head. He walked to the side, summoned a chair, and sat down to watch the battle.

"O beasts of flesh! Unleash your power! Trample, trample, trample everything!"

Just as Xia Yan and Morgan were talking, Ivan the Terrible began to increase his magic power, preparing to use his magic weapon to crush the arrogant fool who dared to challenge him.

"Noble Phantasm! The Beast That Accompany Me on My Journey!"

The giant mammoth raised its trunk, and a huge, lightning-powered magic ball converged between its pointed scythe and two tusks.

"roar!"

With a roar from the giant mammoth, the energy of the magic ball transformed into a stream of magic, shooting towards Xia Yan and the others.

Xia Yan also gave the order immediately when Lei Di began chanting the Noble Phantasm.

"Anastasia! Use your second Noble Phantasm!"

"Um."

For Xia Yan's current Servant lineup, Anastasia's attack power is obviously not outstanding, but she has a characteristic that none of Xia Yan's other Servants have: her second Noble Phantasm is a purely defensive Noble Phantasm.

Anastasia took a step forward and quickly increased her magical power.

"Fortresses scattered throughout Russia, I, a descendant of the Tsar's blood, call upon you, to be my strongest fortresses! Protect me and those I cherish! Afterglow, fortresses of blood, calamity!"

As Anastasia finished chanting, Xia Yan and the others found themselves in a huge and solid fortress.

boom!

The terrifying surge of magic struck the fortress almost at the same time it appeared.

The fortress shook violently, but that was all; there was no sign of it collapsing.

With bangs often covering one eye and possessing an indestructible defensive Noble Phantasm, Anastasia is the "Mash" in Xia Yan's lineup.

As the smoke cleared, Ivan the Terrible's Noble Phantasm and Anastasia's Noble Phantasm reached their limits simultaneously. Looking at Anastasia, who stood on the opposite side of him, vowing to defend her enemy to the death with her Noble Phantasm, Ivan the Terrible let out a deafening roar.

"Anastasia! My beloved wife! Why have you betrayed me!"

Anastasia gave a slightly apologetic look and replied, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, my name is Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, the youngest daughter of Nicholas II, the last emperor of the Romanov dynasty, and not your beloved wife Anastasia Romanovna. I was merely using the same name as a disguise."

Anastasia's words immediately calmed the enraged Ivan the Terrible.

"I see. Very good, very good. At least, my wife did not betray me."

As the woman Ivan the Terrible loved most in his life, Anastasia Romanovna held a place in his heart no less than that of Archbishop Matthias.

After a moment of composure, Ivan the Terrible did not rush to attack. Instead, he asked in an extremely calm voice, "So, young woman who shares the same name as my beloved wife, tell me, what are your reasons for wanting to overthrow my rule? Look at this icy wasteland around us. If it weren't for my decision, it's uncertain whether any humans would still be alive on this Russian land right now. Was my policy of allowing my people to survive wrong?"

"No, Your Majesty, your decision back then was by no means wrong. All means are justifiable in order to survive."

Anastasia replied just as calmly.

"If that's the case, why did you rebel against me? Are you coveting my crown, the one called 'Emperor'?"

Xia Yan stepped forward and stood beside Anastasia, then answered the question on behalf of the princess.

"Yes and no. We do need Your Majesty's supreme power, but that is not the end, but a means. A country has no future if it only pursues survival without seeking development. I certainly know that the cause of all this is the scarcity of resources, but I also see the difference between the nobles and citizens living in the capital, Moscow, and the villagers living in the outlying villages."

Even with scarce resources, it doesn't stop these nobles from exploiting the common people. However, the result of this exploitation is that the Yaga at the bottom will gradually become extinct, followed by the middle-class citizens, and then the upper-class nobles, until only Your Majesty the Emperor remains in the world as the only powerful and invincible symbol.

We don't want to see that future, so we're going to defeat you.