A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

The greatest characteristic of the Crane Wing Triple Combo lies in its ability to attack unexpectedly. However, Archer had already used it on those children yesterday, and even though it wasn't his full strength, people still noticed the clues and patterns.

"I already told you, this trick is useless! Your trick of having your black and white blades attract each other has long been seen through!"

Having already seen through everything, Mordred once again shattered the black blade in front of him and the white blade attacking from behind, and said.

"Really? Then I'm really looking forward to seeing you proudly break through my moves."

However, Archer suddenly revealed a strange smile and said...

"boom!"

The instant Mordred severed the black and white blades, a beam of azure light shot straight towards him.

"Varied--!"

Mordred immediately turned around to defend himself, once again confronting the pillar of light.

Yes, Archer's attack was just a ruse from beginning to end. The purpose was to give Ritsuka enough time to use her Noble Phantasm to suppress the opponent and prevent him from moving.

At this moment, Archer drew his bow again, distanced himself from Mordred, and aimed it at Mordred.

However, he did not act rashly, because their purpose was to buy the Roman soldiers enough time to encircle them and to allow the already wounded Matthew and Boudica to escape the battlefield first.

While his own arrows could certainly inflict considerable damage on Mordred in conjunction with Siegfried's beam cannon, they couldn't kill Mordred.

After all, Mordred had previously withstood both the release of a Noble Phantasm and the collapse of her own illusions, and only suffered minor injuries. It seems this time it will only add a few more wounds to Mordred's body.

Meanwhile, Mordred, having figured out Ritsuka and the others' plan during the battle, unleashed a crimson light from her body and roared:

"Stop looking down on me! Clown—blood—arthur!!! (Rebellion against my magnificent father)"

This time, Mordred's Noble Phantasm was released much faster than before, and its power was not weakened in the slightest. In an instant, the crimson beam cannon suppressed the blue beam cannon and kept pushing it back.

Archer's bowstring was also taut. He would only fire the arrow once Mordred pushed the light cannon back completely, thus delaying Mordred for a little longer.

"After that, we'll have to fight head-on and rely on our true abilities to delay them," Archer thought to himself.

"In the name of Master Ritsuko, commanded by a command spell..."

However, at this moment, after Ritsuka saw that Siegfried's beam cannon could no longer delay Mordred, she made a surprising decision.

"Saber, please sacrifice yourself to maximize the power of your Noble Phantasm. I beg you, Mr. Siegfried."

As the Command Seal was drawn, Siegfried's aura suddenly surged, and his entire figure began to fade.

As a result, the azure beam cannon, which should have been rapidly pushed back by Mordred's Noble Phantasm, is now being pushed back much slower.

While still unable to withstand Mordred's Noble Phantasm power, they were able to hold him off for a sufficient amount of time. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the main narrative.)

"Well done, Ms. Ritsuka, for making such a decisive choice."

Archer secretly praised what he saw, while simultaneously raising his guard to the highest level.

Now, there is only one option for Mordred to break out of the current situation: to give up resistance, directly endure Siegfried's beam cannon attack, and even use the force to escape in the opposite direction.

However, given Mordred's arrogant and belligerent nature, would she choose such a humiliating way to exit the stage?

Although Archer felt it was highly unlikely, he wanted to nip it in the bud if there was even the slightest possibility.

Mordred's face darkened; clearly, she had come to the same conclusion.

"Tch—I have to admit, Ritsuka, you did a really good job this time."

However, Mordred scoffed and smiled slightly, the power of her Noble Phantasm not diminished in the slightest, and she was even exerting all her strength.

Clearly, Mordred has made her choice. She will not stop using her Noble Phantasm, otherwise it would be disrespectful to herself and to Ritsuka, who is showing this determination.

"boom!"

Finally, with a tremendous roar, the Shadow Servant Siegfried dissipated into spirit particles, and Mordred defeated his opponent.

And the corresponding price was thus presented, as the girl's voice rang out:

"Punisher of God, you are now surrounded by us. This war of judgment is a complete victory for us. Now, proclaim it all!"

"Hmph, they really can't wait. Oh well."

Mordred used the power of the black mist within his body, and his entire body rapidly ascended into the air using the black mist.

"Nero Claudius, the fifth emperor of Rome and the current ruler of the Roman capital! You and your kingdom have passed this divine punishment perfectly!"

"Given your performance, this time you are not only granted the right to see the sunlight again! You may also choose any of the previously eliminated areas to explore and salvage supplies."

"At that time, you can use this token to go to the Black Mist Wall and open a convenient passage to any elimination area."

After Mordred finished speaking, he took a piece of dark iron from his pocket and threw it to Nero.

"A convenient passage to any elimination zone... Is this the reward for a perfect clear?"

Nero stared excitedly at the piece of iron in his hand, as if he had found a treasure.

"Alright, my mission is now complete. You can celebrate this hard-won victory in advance."

After Mordred finished speaking, he prepared to re-enter the black mist and leave the battlefield as before. Just then, a figure ran out and shouted:

"Wait a minute! Mordred!"

"Hmm?" Mordred looked toward the source of the voice and saw Ritsuka.

“Mordred, you wouldn’t tell me why you did this before. Now I’ve found some answers and clues, and I want to ask you questions again.”

"What exactly do you want to do? Do you really intend to completely destroy this part of human history?"

Ritsuka questioned loudly.

Faced with Ritsuka's questioning, Mordred fell into a long silence this time.

“Once you understand our motives, you'll naturally know what we want to do. Ritsuka, I'm happy to see your growth... but you should also completely abandon that侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality)…”

In the end, Mordred left only these words before disappearing into the black mist without a trace.

Ritsuka clenched her fists as she watched Mordred leave. There was still not much progress. It seemed that the only way to find out the truth was to go to the island that Rin and the others had mentioned.

Chapter 124: Nero's Encouragement

"Gentlemen, this is a rare victory, so why do you all look so gloomy?"

Nero returned in triumph with his men, only to find them all looking troubled and with furrowed brows. He couldn't help but ask:

"Is it because of that man's disappearance? But didn't you say he would recover in a day?"

Nero heard about the Shadow Servant Siegfried sacrificing himself to hold off the enemy and originally planned to give the fallen hero a grand funeral. However, after Ritsuka informed him that the hero could be restored the next day, he decided to cancel the ceremony.

"It's not because of that hero. It's because of Mordred and the forces behind her... We deployed four Servants just for Mordred, and we could only trap her at the cost of heavy losses, but we couldn't truly defeat her."

Mash said somewhat dejectedly, "Just Mordred has already given us so much trouble. How are we going to face any more enemies after that? It's unimaginable. Can we really defeat them?"

Clearly, although they won this time, the victory was so humiliating that it shook Ritsuka and the others' confidence.

“No, this is not right!” Nero said very seriously.

"Huh? Your Majesty Nero?" Mash was somewhat surprised by Nero's firm refusal.

"Before Rome had an emperor, we Romans fought three large-scale wars with the powerful Carthage. During the second war, we Romans were almost wiped out by a brilliant but arrogant Carthaginian general."

Nero suddenly began to recount a past event of Rome, saying...

“I know this one. It refers to the three Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage. The genius general in the second war should refer to Hannibal Barca, one of the four greatest commanders in European history.” At this moment, Dr. Roman’s projected voice rang out around everyone.

"Hmm! The invisible magician, you are indeed very knowledgeable. It is indeed General Hannibal, who was once an invincible war god for Rome. Rome fought him countless times and was defeated countless times. He was simply an insurmountable mountain." (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

Nero continued earnestly:

"Until the very end, our ancestors had to admit that Rome at that time could not find an opponent that could rival it head-on. But although Rome had no generals who could defeat Hannibal in a direct confrontation, the Romans were willing to unite as one and fight him with one heart and one mind."

"Even though Rome lost every battle, each one depleted Hannibal's forces. Time and again, we came to understand Hannibal better and better, and finally, for the first time, we successfully drove him out of the country."

"It was this first victory that finally dispelled the nightmare in the hearts of the Romans, proving that the seemingly invincible god of war was not truly invincible."

"Even though Rome paid a heavy price, suffering casualties many times greater than its enemy, so what? From the moment they achieved their first victory, the scales of victory had already tipped in Rome's favor."

"In the end, General Scipio Africanus avenged his father and officially defeated the arrogant Carthaginian war god at Zama, completely ending the Second Punic War and winning the final victory for Rome."

"Looking back, when Hannibal swept through Rome, who could have imagined that just two victories would completely destroy everything he had built up before? Don't you all think that this moment is just like that moment?"

After Nero finished recounting this epic battle from Rome's past, Mashu and the others were completely captivated. When Nero asked them a question, they were momentarily stunned, then, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun, they understood the reason behind Nero's words.

"It seems you all understand now. Mordred, the messenger of the gods, or divine punishment... as long as Rome cannot be completely destroyed, it will inevitably be conquered by Rome step by step!"

"Just one win and we're not far from ultimate victory. That's the confidence and pride that Yu's Rome should have!"

"And it is this victory of yours that has completely swept away the fear and gloom in our hearts, and is the beginning of reversing the balance of power!"

"So... raise your heads high with confidence, and sing aloud the praises of this hard-won victory! You are the heroes who have swept away the gloom for Rome, and no one is more deserving of this victory than you. And I firmly believe that you will bring Rome the final victory!"

After Nero's speech, the crowd seemed much better than before, as if Nero's words possessed some strange power, injecting them with a stimulant.

"As expected of the Emperor of Rome, his magnanimity is truly admirable. Just a few words were enough to encourage Ritsuka and Mashu. Even I was slightly moved."

"As expected of the Emperor of Rome, his magnanimity is truly admirable. Just a few words were enough to encourage Ritsuka and Mashu. Even I was slightly moved."

Archer watched Ritsuka and Mash regain their smiles and sighed inwardly. But words are just words; only those who have truly witnessed that power will understand that some things cannot be achieved through willpower and confidence alone.

But Archer didn't point it out. After all, between being full of confidence and being worried, Archer preferred to see the former.

“Speaking of which, do you have any new plans after this?” Nero asked. “Also, I was able to obtain this piece of iron that opens a passage to any elimination zone, mostly thanks to you. So, it’s up to you to decide which elimination zone to go to.”

“This…” Ritsuka said hesitantly.

“Accept this gift. I think it should be of some help to you. Haven’t you been searching for the secret of that divine messenger? I don’t think you’ll stay quietly in the capital of Rome today, will you?”

Nero said with a smile:

"To be honest, it has always been me who has asked you to help Rome, but I have never given you any help. Moreover, I know very well that helping you is helping Rome itself."

“In that case…” Ritsuka didn’t mince words. She immediately took out the map and showed the circled area to Nero.

"Hmm? It's Marsilia City? Is there anything special about it?" Nero couldn't help but ask after seeing the location on the map.

"The key is not the city of Massilla, but the nearest small island, where the reason why the messenger of the gods used divine punishment to punish Rome for its perverse actions lies. We need to understand all of this in order to understand the true purpose behind the divine punishment."

Mashu explained.

“I see. Then let me lead you this time. I also want to know the truth,” Nero said with some interest.

"Eh? Is His Majesty Nero coming along too?" Ritsuka asked in surprise. "But a small wooden boat can only seat four people at most, right? After all, we need to leave enough space to deal with the monsters that might attack."

“It’s alright, giving up my spot should be enough.” At this moment, Boudica suddenly spoke up, “My arm was severely injured in the battle just now, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you in today’s fight.”

“But Miss Cardi… if you were here with me, I could use healing magic to help you recover quickly,” Ritsuka said. As for the name Cardi, it was a pseudonym they had previously agreed upon and used when joining Rome.

"It's alright, this level of injury will heal with a day's rest. On the contrary, you just overused your magic, so it's not advisable for you to continue casting healing spells to treat me. Listen to your sister, you can't fall down because of this before victory."

Boudica said sternly.

In the end, Ritsuka had no choice but to agree, and in return, Nero would accompany them to explore the mysterious island.

……

The Hanging Gardens of Vanity

“叮——您伪装神使，对诸国进行神罚行为，再度毁灭一国。共计获得反派点数1000点，共计2份罪人的灵魂。您当前的反派点数为12000点。您当前的【36罪恶灵魂】完成度为：18/36。”

Wang Chong withdrew his hand. Just moments ago, he had destroyed another kingdom, leaving only six kingdoms on the entire map of Rome. Tomorrow, he would destroy the remaining three kingdoms in one fell swoop, leaving only the top three kingdoms that could obtain the light.

"I have to say, the fact that Alaya sent me so many Servants this time has really boosted my mission progress. It's just a pity that I've already divided these Servants and defeated them one by one. The rest are nothing but a rabble."

Wang Chong thought to himself, "Now let's see how far you can extend your reach, Alaya."

"Master... I'm back."

Just then, a very dejected voice reached his ears. The person who came was Mordred, who had just returned from a defeat.

"Yesterday, who was it that swore to me and those three kids that they would definitely help them get revenge? Why did they come back looking so dejected today?"

Looking at Mordred's disheveled appearance, Wang Chong first waved his hand to use the black mist to clean the bloodstains and filth off Mordred's head, and then said with a smile.

"Master, please don't make fun of me. I really underestimated them this time."

Mordred shook his head and said.

"It's good that you know. You all won too easily before, especially after you had my power amplification, you became more and more arrogant and complacent."

Wang Chong's expression hardened, and he said:

"Alright, those who are supposed to run laps should still do so. The rules can't be broken. This time, you'll experience this lesson firsthand. I hope you'll learn from it and not end up worse than Rin and the others."

"Yes, Master..." Mordred clasped his hands in a fist salute, "However, Master, Ritsuka's changes are quite unusual. There may be the will of that person behind this. Master, we must take this seriously."