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

Perhaps, just like exercising, once you get used to the pain of muscle tearing, your body will become stronger. Similarly, once you get used to the pain of overloading your magic circuits, you might be able to expand them, making them more capable of handling such loads.

If Archer knew about Ritsuka's thoughts, even he, who had also experienced the tearing of magic circuits, would probably think that Ritsuka was probably crazy.

Because any normal magician who has undergone systematic training knows a common fact: the damage to a magic circuit is almost irreversible!

In other words, the more magic circuits are damaged, the weaker the magician will become. Unless it is a life-or-death crisis, these magicians will never allow their magic circuits to overload and tear.

As for Archer's past experience, it was thanks to a certain EX-level Noble Phantasm that he could perfectly repair all the damage to his body. This prevented his magic circuits from being completely destroyed each time he tore apart, and instead indirectly improved the quality of his magic circuits in a certain aspect.

As for Archer's past experience, it was thanks to a certain EX-level Noble Phantasm that he could perfectly repair all the damage to his body. This prevented his magic circuits from being completely destroyed each time he tore apart, and instead indirectly improved the quality of his magic circuits in a certain aspect.

But once Archer received systematic training in magic, he realized just how insane his past actions had been. No wonder that arrogant twin-tailed girl looked at him with that "I'm crazy" expression after learning how he practiced magic.

Coincidentally, Ritsuka's current state is remarkably similar to Archer's. The reason Ritsuka is experiencing such sharp pain is because the flowing magical energy has become completely overloaded, to the point of tearing apart her magic circuits.

However, whenever Ritsuka's magic circuits are damaged, two mysterious forces appear to repair these damages.

One is gold, as dazzling as the golden aura bestowed upon Ritsuka. The other is black, like mist spreading over the damaged areas, sealing the gaps where magic power was being lost.

It was these two forces that rapidly repaired Ritsuka's overloaded magic circuits, achieving a delicate balance. And because the magic circuits were being nurtured and repaired by these two forces, their quality was also improving in an incredible way.

Perhaps it won't be long before Ritsuka's magic circuits fully mature to the point where they can support five Servants. That is, provided that Ritsuka can truly endure the pain.

"Whoosh!!!"

Ritsuka found a large rock, then groaned and lay down on it. The pain intensified exponentially whenever she increased the magical power her Shadow Servant could draw. The pain caused Ritsuka to break out in a cold sweat, and she no longer had the strength to fight.

"senior!?"

Mashu clearly sensed the pain emanating from Ritsuka. She immediately looked in Ritsuka's direction, about to protect her, when she heard Ritsuka's voice:

"Don't worry about me! I can... uh! Hang in there! I'll get used to it soon!"

"Note...be careful of the enemy's Servants...don't reveal any weaknesses!"

“Senpai…” Mashu felt extremely distressed, but she could only follow Ritsuka’s orders. Not only because she couldn’t help Ritsuka resolve the situation, but also because she sensed a killing intent locking onto her.

"call out--!"

A streak of purple light flashed and shot straight towards Mash in an instant. Upon seeing this, Mash first used her shield to knock away several magical beasts around her, then plunged her shield hard into the ground, assuming a defensive stance.

"boom!"

This attack forced Mashu to retreat more than ten meters by scraping the ground with her feet before she could barely block it. The point of impact was blasted into a huge crater, completely obliterating the surrounding magical beasts.

"What a terrifying arrow! It's probably no weaker than Archer's [Illusion Collapse]." Mash thought to herself, her face showing signs of strain as she felt the impact.

However, what happened next was beyond Mashu's expectations. The purple light reappeared, but this time its target was not directly at Mashu, but rather at the sky above her.

"Could this be...? Mashu! Quickly raise the shield to the top!"

Ritsuka looked at the purple light shooting into the sky and finally realized which Servant had shot the arrow. Ignoring the pain, she immediately shouted loudly to warn Mash and the Roman soldiers around her.

Mash immediately realized what was happening. She not only raised her shield but also activated her Noble Phantasm again to ensure that her defensive range could cover some of the Roman soldiers and Ritsuka, who was lying on the rock.

"boom!"

The purple light instantly expanded, transforming into a massive screen of light. From this screen, countless light arrows rained down, scattering across a large area of ​​the battle below. This move was Atalanta's unleashed Noble Phantasm – [Dark Sky Eclipse].

"Disperse the troops!"

Seeing that even though the shield bearers of the vanguard were trying to raise their shields to the sky, they were still unable to effectively block the light arrows, Nero immediately ordered the vanguard to disperse in order to reduce the effective damage of the light arrows to the army.

Chapter 148: The Favored One

After a burst of light arrows, almost everyone outside the area protected by Mashu was killed or wounded, friend or foe alike. Mashu coughed a few times and removed her shield. That area-of-effect attack had almost overwhelmed her, causing her to collapse completely.

Fortunately, Mashu persevered. However, the worry on her face did not fade, because she sensed that the killing intent was still locked onto her and getting closer.

Closer, closer still. Mashu tensed up, the oppressive feeling of falling into an ice cave intensifying, making her stare intently at the dimly lit road ahead.

"coming!"

Just as Mashu's intuition sensed the approaching creature, a dark figure suddenly burst out from the monster. She first struck Mashu's shield with her claws, which she managed to parry, and then used the recoil to roll backward and fire an arrow in mid-air.

"call out--"

"boom!!"

Mashu gritted her teeth and blocked the attack, but was knocked back again by the powerful recoil. Throughout the process, she felt her body completely stiffen and she could not move an inch.

At that moment, the dark figure suddenly appeared beside Mash, and Mash saw its appearance clearly. It was none other than Atalanta, Wang Chong's powerful Servant.

"Oh no!" Mashu thought to herself, because at this moment she had no way to resist the opponent's attack.

"I heard you forced Mordred to admit defeat, that's pretty good." However, to Mashu's surprise, the other party did not attack directly, but instead spoke to her with an approving tone.

"Given your performance yesterday, I'll let you off this time."

Instead of using her precious bow, Atalanta kicked Mash in the waist, sending her flying like a ball. Then, without even glancing at Mash, Atalanta dashed off in a certain direction.

"Watch out! Senior!"

At this moment, Mashu also understood the other party's intention; the other party's target was not her at all, but Ritsuka.

"Ugh!" Ritsuka was still unable to move with her eyes tightly closed. Just now, Mash used her Noble Phantasm to block the enemy's Noble Phantasm, and the pain from the magical energy flowing through her body almost made Ritsuka faint. She hadn't recovered yet.

It was clear that Atalanta had grasped this point, which was why she launched the raid.

"Now—!" Atalanta first drew her bow and shot through the Roman soldiers who were trying to protect Ritsuka, then reached out and grabbed Ritsuka.

If Ritsuka can be captured, nearly half of Chaldea's Servants can be rendered useless, forcing them to surrender on the spot.

"call--"

Just then, a whooshing sound came from behind, and a chilling aura pressed down on Atalanta's spine.

"boom!"

The sound of rocks cracking rang out, and Atalanta landed back on the ground. She looked at the ground where she had just stood, now cracked open, and then looked up at the culprit, none other than Shadow Siegfried, who had returned at some unknown time.

"Even though she was in so much pain that she closed her eyes, how could she have caught me exactly where I landed and attacked me? Was it a coincidence or..." Atalanta glanced at Ritsuka, who was still lying on the rock enduring the pain, and narrowed her eyes.

However, she didn't think about it for long. What would the outcome be? She just needed to try a few more times to find out.

"Shhhhhh!"

Atalanta began moving at high speed, shooting arrows at Siegfried and Ritsuka from different directions. This time, Atalanta showed no mercy, unleashing deadly attacks at every turn.

What's strange is that Ritsuka seems to have a god's-eye view, controlling Shadow Siegfried to deflect most of the incoming light arrows without harming Ritsuka herself in the slightest.

If it weren't for Siegfried's several mistakes in blocking the light arrows and his subsequent sacrifice to shield them, Atalanta would have seriously doubted whether Ritsuka had actually brought Siegfried from the Throne of Heroes to fight in her place.

Because Siegfried the Shadow was injured one after another, his body became ethereal and unstable, making it increasingly difficult for him to resist Atalanta's arrows.

"It's time to end this! [Dark Sky Eclipse]!" Atalanta unleashed her Noble Phantasm without holding back. However, instead of scattering it across the sky, she reduced the range of her attack and fired it directly at Shadow Siegfried and Ritsuka.

A barrage of light and shadow assaulted the two, blocking their escape route. Now, Shadow Siegfried had no choice but to sacrifice himself to protect Ritsuka. (The rest of the text appears to be random characters and symbols, possibly from a different source.)

"Senior! Catch the shield!"

At this moment, Mash, having recovered, finally arrived. She threw out her shield once again, hoping to use the power of her Noble Phantasm to see if she could block some of the light arrows and at least save Shadow Siegfried.

"I knew you were good at throwing your shield! This arrow was meant for you!"

However, Atalanta sneered, and the light barrier in front of her suddenly erupted again with a rain of light arrows, shooting straight at the shield that Mash had thrown.

Clearly, Atalanta had a backup plan, designed to prevent Mash from throwing her shield as a shield. The remaining light arrows weren't particularly powerful, but they were more than enough to deflect Mash's shield and change their trajectory.

At this moment, the light barrier in front of Atalanta completely disappeared, signifying that her Noble Phantasm, the Light Arrow, had been completely used up.

Shadow Siegfried frantically swung his sword, doing his utmost to mitigate the damage. However, it was all in vain. More and more light arrows rained down on Shadow Siegfried, threatening to completely destroy him.

"Chart of Boudica (The Wheel Without a Vow to Protect It)!!"

Just then, a loud shout rang out, and a red-haired woman drove a chariot that rushed down from the sky and landed directly in front of Shadow Siegfried. She raised a shield, and a blue shield spread outward to block Atalanta's arrows.

"!! Weren't you held up by Mordred? What is Mordred doing now? At least use your Noble Phantasm to keep her here!"

Atalanta was caught off guard by Boudica's sudden appearance in front of her, which blocked her Noble Phantasm attack.

According to their original plan, the other two new Servants—Tamamo Cat and Elizabeth—were to deal with Caligula and Spartacus respectively. Meanwhile, she and Mordred continued to target the Chaldea group.

During the surprise attack, he feigned an attack on Mash while actually ambushing Master Ritsuka. Mordred, on the other hand, was responsible for drawing the attention of Shadow Siegfried and Boudica, keeping them occupied.

As a result, it was understandable that Shadow Siegfried had escaped and come back, since it concerned Ritsuka's own safety. Even if he was hit by Mordred, he still wanted Shadow Siegfried to come back and fight him, which was within expectations.

But now even Boudica couldn't hold him back, and he escaped. What on earth is Mordred up to?!

When Atalanta looked in Mordred's direction, an unexpected sight appeared before her eyes: Mordred was actually fighting Nero.

"What the hell? If the other party were a Servant, that would be one thing, but Nero is just a human. How could she possibly fight Mordred!?"

Atalanta thought to herself in astonishment.

Even Mordred, who was fighting against Atalanta, found it somewhat unbelievable. The opponent's magical energy was perfectly normal, yet in the instant of their clash, his power at least tripled!

Mordred was so impressed that he thought he was fighting a gorilla with three times the speed of a gorilla in daylight.

Although Mordred was not necessarily weaker than Nero, and even managed to suppress him with her superior strength, Nero ultimately managed to intervene and let Boudica escape.

"This is probably what the Master meant by the potential unleashed by those favored by fate. Even the world is helping her. Ritsuka was probably like that just now."

“I think I understand a little better now what kind of pressure my father faced back then… Even though Britain was headed for its doom, my father always defied and resisted that fate.”

"It's roughly like this now. We clearly have overwhelming strength, but our plans always fall short of reality, and we keep failing at inexplicable points. If it were just once or twice, it would be fine, but to suffer like this every single day, wouldn't that drive a person crazy?"

Because Mordred was tasked with a major mission by Wang Chong, she knew a great deal of hidden information. However, after understanding this, her gaze towards Nero became somewhat disdainful and angry.

"Ha, you have a face that is not much different from your father's, but your father spent his whole life fighting against fate and struggling to the end. But you, on the other hand, have been favored by the world and have had a smooth life. Not to mention, you have been able to fight me to this extent with a human body."

"Why?!"

Enrage fueled Mordred's power, making each strike heavier than the last, as if he wanted to shatter Nero before him.

Chapter 149: Struggle

Nero felt the pressure mounting, but showed no sign of yielding. She simply said, "I've long wanted to experience your skills firsthand. You are indeed powerful and beautiful. I... am very pleased!"

"Clang clang—!"

In an instant, Nero's weapon clashed with Mordred's silver sword, and the immense force of the impact forced Nero to retreat several steps.

"Do you still have the strength to speak?! I'll leave you with nothing but wailing!"

After Mordred repelled Nero, she instantly unleashed her magic, her silver sword enveloped in a chilling black-red light, and slashed at Nero once more.

"Waaah!"

Just by receiving a single blow, Nero's tiger's mouth was ripped open, and he could barely hold his sword.

But this was only the beginning of Mordred's combo. The black and red light flashed by in an instant, and five crimson sword marks appeared in a flash. Only after the light and shadow appeared did the sound of collision suddenly rang out.

"Well--!"

This time, Nero could no longer hold onto the Primal Flame, and it slipped from his grasp. Blood spurted from his arm and shoulder, clearly indicating a serious injury.

"Your Majesty, be careful!!"

The surrounding Roman soldiers obviously wouldn't stand idly by and watch their monarch be killed. The moment Nero's weapon fell from his hand, they rushed forward to cover his retreat.

"Get out of here!!"

But Mordred clearly wasn't going to let Nero escape so easily. Even the combined Roman soldiers were no match for the power of her sword, falling one after another. Mordred's sweeping, powerful strikes were unstoppable, as if she were moving through an empty field.

Just as Mordred was about to stab Nero with his sword, he felt a gust of wind coming from above. Looking up, he saw a horse-drawn chariot speeding through the air, and then a figure fell from the chariot and slashed directly at Mordred.

"you again!"

As their blades clashed, Mordred spat out a curse after finally getting a clear look at his opponent.

She clearly remembered that this guy was supposed to be attacked by Ritsuka using a Command Spell, at the cost of his own death. But who would have thought he would pop up again now?

"The Shadow Follower is really shameless. Tsk, she still got away." Although Mordred repelled Shadow Siegfried, the delay allowed the speeding chariot to take Nero away.

After Nero came up, he held his arm, which was still bleeding, and pinched the area above the wound. The bleeding immediately stopped, and the wound began to heal itself at a visible speed.

"Hmph... Has this drawn the attention of the gods and activated the power originating from the depths of my bloodline?" Nero murmured to himself as he looked at the changes in his body.

"Ugh!" However, a painful groan rang in Nero's ears, and Nero quickly turned her head and asked with concern, "Ritsuka, are you... are you alright?"

"Ha...ha...I'm getting used to it. At least I can open my eyes now." Ritsuka held onto the handrail of the chariot and stuck her head out of the vehicle, watching the scene of fighting below.

It turned out that just a short while ago, Boudica drove her chariot to Ritsuka's side in time. After barely blocking the remaining light arrows with her Noble Phantasm, she immediately placed Ritsuka on her chariot and let the chariot carry Ritsuka and the injured Shadow Siegfried away from the battlefield.

However, because Ritsuka was concerned about the situation on the battlefield, she had Siegfried drive the chariot and not immediately leave the battlefield. Instead, Siegfried hovered over the battlefield, using the overhead view to understand the current situation and thus rescue Nero.

“I once heard my teacher say that if you use magic beyond your limits to fight, the pain is a hundred times worse than being torn apart. Ritsuka, you are stronger than I imagined, able to withstand that kind of pain and fight for so long.”