Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

"Well, this is just a good warm-up." Nian Zhuo placed the Time Driver on his waist, skillfully turned the dial, and then placed it on his waist and flipped it over.

A huge silver clock emerged from behind Nian Zhuo, and two time wheels enveloped his figure.

“No matter how many times I see it… this scene is still quite breathtaking…” Mordred looked at the giant clock with a curious expression. “Nian Zhuo… just what kind of Servant is he?”

“Hmm…” Mash and Ritsuka nodded in agreement at the same time. “Although we don’t know what kind of Heroic Spirit Nianzhuo is… he is definitely our comrade.”

"Me too! Me too!" Just as Urtaros was about to make his presence known, he instantly turned into a blue data stream.

"Come here quickly..." With a blank expression on his face, Ryotaro wiped the train ticket on his belt.

"Well, whatever." Mordred removed the sword from her shoulder, a cruel smile appearing on her face as she looked at the first group of mechanical puppets that appeared. "Anyway, since Nianzhuo and the others haven't come out yet, then this first wave of enemies—"

The next moment, Mordred stomped heavily on the ground and leaped up, raising the blade of Crimson Lightning high.

"I'll take it!" Mordred's figure plummeted rapidly into the enemy ranks as she watched the automatons below stop in their tracks because of her sudden appearance.

A deafening roar of thunder reduced all the automatons surrounding Mordred to fragments.

Then, Nianzhuo and the other person arrived late.

As for Mash, after blocking Mordred's crimson lightning with her shield, she knocked away all the outermost automatons.

So when Nianzhuo and the others came out... there were only a dozen or so automatons left, instead of the original many.

"Ah..." Nianzhuo and Liangtaro exchanged an awkward glance. "How about... we learn from the previous people next time and transform while running...?"

“…Well, let’s do it this way.” Ryotaro’s voice came from inside the Den-O Seigan armor with a hint of helplessness.

So, Nencho took out the Time Gun Sword in its gun form, while Ryotaro used the Holy Rod form weapon... and became his support.

However, the remaining dozen or so automatons were quickly surrounded by Mash and Mordred, leaving them with little time to help.

“Fu…” Fufu, who was standing to the side, looked at the two people who were doing nothing and twitched her ears.

"Yo, you're here~" Mordred stretched with a satisfied smile. "Those puppets have already been defeated by us, haven't they?"

“I know.” Nian Zhuo nodded, twirling the gun in his hand. “I guess I could say I was involved.”

“That’s right.” On the other side, Ryotaro also raised his sacred staff. “We have at least participated in the battle…”

“I see.” Mordred nodded. “But how should I describe this situation—it seems there’s a saying among Easterners. Is it called fate?” Mordred looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was relaxing to the side.

"?" Nian Zhuo followed Mordred's gaze with some surprise. "Fate? Why do you say that?"

“Look, Ritsuka, she—” Mordred looked at the energetic orange-haired girl, “collecting various Servants and turning them into her allies—this is clearly not something that can be done so easily. But, if used like this, it might be possible.” Mordred’s gaze gradually moved, and she saw Mash… the shield in her hand.

“In that case, the difficulty of summoning Heroic Spirits will indeed be reduced, and I already guessed who came up with this idea.” Mordred turned away, her cheeks slightly flushed. “To be honest, I also have a strange feeling… but I guess it’s also… a kind of fate.”

On the other side, Mash, noticing Mordred's gaze, turned her head.

Rebellious Knight, Legacy Knight

"What's Mordred muttering about?" Ritsuka, curious, caught Mordred's eye. "Is she talking about the summoning system?"

"Hmm, they're probably talking about the Heroic Spirit Summoning System." Although they weren't very close, Mash still overheard some of Mordred's ramblings and moved closer.

"Excuse me... is Mordred very familiar with Heroic Spirit summoning?" Mash looked at the shield in her hand as she observed the girl muttering to herself. "Although you are a Saber, you also have some knowledge of magic?"

"Huh? What did you say? You shield-wielding idiot." However, to Mashu's surprise, Mordred's increasingly gloomy expression responded, "Me? I have magical skills? Are you mocking me, you idiot—" Pointing to herself, Mordred gripped the blade of her sword tightly, as if she was about to strike at any moment.

"—!" Realizing this, Nian Zhuo subconsciously gripped the blade in his hand, watching Mordred warily.

To be honest, he could understand why Mordred was so angry.

Because Mordred was not King Arthur's biological son... but rather a homunculus created by his sister Morgan using King Arthur's genes.

Magical knowledge? Acknowledging this would imply that she is a homunculus, but it's clear that Mash doesn't mean that.

So for Mordred... it's going to be tough.

If the other party had acted on purpose, she would have already taken action, but when she met Mashu's unintentional gaze, Mordred scratched her hair in frustration.

"...No, I can tell you didn't mean that, can't I?" Frustrated, Mordred spun around in a circle, then stamped her foot in despair. "Ugh, so annoying! You're such a nuisance, Mash!"

Despite saying this, Mordred stuck the sword aside.

Upon realizing this fact, Nian Zhuo also put away his gun and sword.

"Ah, um...!" Mashu was taken aback at first, then immediately lowered her head. "Although I don't know why I was scolded, I'm very sorry!"

"I wasn't insulting you, I was just complaining!" Turning around angrily, Mordred looked at Mash, who was bowing in apology, and couldn't help but see her as the pale purple-clad youth in her memory. "You two are even alike in this way!"

"You guys...?" Ritsuka looked at Mordred with some curiosity, noticing the twitching of his eyebrows. "By the way, is Mordred a bit irritable?"

"...It's nothing, I just said too much." Realizing her slip of the tongue, Mordred turned around and silently drew her sword, then turned to threaten Ritsuka, "Don't dwell on that topic, Fujimaru Ritsuka."

"..." Although Mashu didn't know why she was suddenly blamed by Mordred, she still felt ashamed and remorseful.

"...Tch." Seeing Mashu's self-reproachful gaze, Mordred awkwardly looked away. "It's not your fault, the problem lies in my personality. Don't misunderstand, I don't dislike Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu. Although I don't dislike—" Then, Mordred raised the blade in her hand, pointing it at Ritsuka and Mashu.

“But I still can’t stand it, so let’s have a fight.” Mordred’s eyes blazed with fighting spirit as he looked at Mash. “Raise your shield, and I will do everything in my power to crush you.”

"Eh—! You're still angry after all!" Ritsuka said sullenly, as if she had expected this. "Rebellious Baersker!"

“Oh! Say whatever you want!” Mordred rubbed the blade of his sword with amusement, looking at the two people in front of him. “After all, I’m used to it. It’s much more pleasant to hear than those superficial flatteries.”

"If you want to fight Mashu, then I will too—" Ritsuka stood in front of Mashu this time, three bright red Command Seals in her hand, "I won't let Mashu engage in this meaningless battle—"

"Huh? Quite the Master's demeanor~" Mordred nodded in satisfaction as he looked at Ritsuka in front of him, and pointed his sword at the girl's toes. "If your legs don't shake anymore, you'll look even cooler~?" With a clang, Mordred raised the bright silver blade in his hand.

“The weak should just hide like weaklings. A fool like you standing in front will be the first to die!” Mordred then swung his sword down.

Clang—the sound of metal clashing rang out, and a silver knight suddenly appeared before Mordred.

Holding the Time Gun Sword in his hand, Nian Zhuo and Mordred's blades clashed, sparking golden flames.

Ritsuka, on the other hand, was quickly pushed towards Mash by Nencho.

"Ugh—!" Feeling the strange strength on the girl's sword before him, Nianzhuo's voice trembled slightly. "Ritsuka, step back! Mordred is serious...!"

"You actually had the energy to look elsewhere after taking my first attack..." Mordred looked at Nian Zhuo in front of him and smiled with satisfaction. "Looks like you're not just some simple third-rate Heroic Spirit after all!"

"That's good, I'm going now! Nianzhuo!" Mordred withdrew her sword and took a few steps back, her body surging with red magic. She looked at Mash to the side and said, "Hey! Shield user! When protecting your comrades, you must often unleash power beyond your limits, you hear me!" Then, the girl's figure launched another thrust at Nianzhuo.

"—!" With unexpected speed, Nian Zhuo turned his sword around, gripped it tightly with both hands, and looked at the oncoming sword light.

Another collision occurred, but this time, whether Mordred hadn't used her full strength or had strengthened herself with magic, Nian Zhuo even felt a slight pain in his hand after taking the blow, and quickly retreated backward.

"Mash!" He looked at the somewhat bewildered girl, his tone heavy, "I'm counting on you for support and defense!"

"Eh—" Mashu's eyes widened. "Mr. Nianzhuo... is he asking me for a favor?!"

"Ha, since she's going to use that Noble Phantasm, we'll have to be on our guard!" Mordred quickly caught up with Nianzhuo, their blades clashing repeatedly. "As a senior Servant, let me teach you and her a lesson in this singularity!"

Crimson lightning was added to the blade.

In contrast, a silver light also appeared on Nian Zhuo's sword blade.

The two exerted force simultaneously, and the surrounding thick fog was dispelled by the collision of their swords.

"—Hmm!" With a muffled groan, Mordred and Nianzhuo retreated simultaneously.

"Hoo..." Taking a deep breath, Nian Zhuo looked at Mordred in front of him and readjusted his breathing.

"Not bad~" The sword blade, shimmering with crimson magic, swirled in her hand, and Mordred gradually became serious.

Boom—it sounded like thunder in the sky.

With a powerful stomp, Nian Zhuo and Mordred's blades clashed again, causing even the surrounding air to groan in pain.

Unlike previous contests of strength, this time both players opted for a fast-paced, speed-oriented attack.

The swordsmanship he learned from Galahad gradually awakened Nianzhuo's long-dormant muscle memory, and the crackling sound of lightning and magic constantly rubbing against each other's blades rang out continuously.

Every strike, every single one of their attack methods was so similar. Mordred and Nianzhuo were using the same swordsmanship to fight each other, and for every strike from the other, they had a corresponding defensive method in their minds.

Diagonal slashes, downward chops, upward thrusts... slashes, slashes, one after another.

The blades were no longer within the reach of humans, but rather clashed with two knights whose aura seemed to kill even the air itself.

"Hmph..." Even amidst such intense sword clashes, Mordred still had the energy to speak. "I never expected your swordsmanship to be so similar to ours... Who exactly are you, Nianzhuo?"

"..." Her response was only silence from the knight opposite her.

It wasn't that Nian Zhuo didn't want to answer, but rather that simply relying on his basic armor to fight Mordred left him with no extra energy to deal with the other party's questions.

"Not answering..." Mordred raised an eyebrow, clearly interpreting Nian Zhuo's silence as something else. "Then, I'll teach you a lesson properly!"

"The so-called knight's fighting style is far more than just this!" Mordred then kicked Nian Zhuo in the knee.

"What—!" Nian Zhuo's body inevitably swayed, and he was finally able to catch his breath from the continuous struggle. However, for him now, this was not good news.

The reason was simple: his own sword blade had already gone astray. Mordred withdrew his leg from Nianzhuo's knee, turned around, and punched him, sending him flying.

A dull thud of a punch rang out from Nian Zhuo's chest, and crimson lightning also condensed on Saber's fist. The current flowed through the armor and body, causing Nian Zhuo's movements to stiffen.

"...Well, did you expect this move!" Simply repelling him wasn't enough; Mordred even threw the blade in his hand at Nianzhuo and jumped backward.

With a sharp, screeching sound, Nian Zhuo, whose movements were stiffened by the electric current, could only watch as the sparks flew after the opponent's blade struck his armor before he was ejected back towards Mordred.

Mordred, on the other hand, leaped backward onto the wall and then jumped up again.

Mordred's foot slammed against the wall with a dull thud, like a bullet leaving the barrel, as she flew toward Nianzhuo.

At the same time, it crashed straight into its own flying sword blade.

Just before the collision, Mordred dodged to the side, letting the blade fly past him...

- Strange.

Just as the blade grazed her breastplate and flew backward, Mordred reached out and caught the blade as it flew backward.

Simultaneously, drawing upon this force, she swung the blade in a semi-circle, while simultaneously imbuing the blade with magic to form crimson lightning. Mordred's figure slashed straight down at Nian Zhuo.

"...!" Realizing that the other party was serious, Nian Zhuo, who was stiff from the electric shock, had no choice but to quickly roll to the side, his body still feeling sore and numb.

Thud! Gravel flew everywhere, and the resulting dust and fog obscured Mordred's figure.

"Huff... huff..." Nian Zhuo looked at the huge crater that Mordred had smashed into, which was less than three centimeters away from him. Sweat was already soaking his forehead under his mask, and more moisture was squeezed out.

His mind was filled with the opponent's savage attacks and actions, which were completely inconsistent with the opponent's identity as a knight.

"You call yourself a knight??" Nian Zhuo really wanted to ask Mordred, "Is this how you learned your father's swordsmanship? No wonder you got stabbed to death in the end..."

"This is a berserker, isn't it..." Then, Nian Zhuo suddenly had an ominous premonition as he looked at the crater in front of him where the smoke was gradually dissipating.