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

Nero's gaze towards Ritsuka changed, now filled with respect. "Where's Mei? You're not here, Lin? You're free, Lin? Are you here...?"

"Not only that, Ritsuka was in so much pain that she couldn't even open her eyes, yet she still managed to fight the opponent several times, forcing him to use his Noble Phantasm. Ha... I was speechless watching. It's practically a miracle."

At this moment, Dr. Roman couldn't help but sigh.

"I don't know why... I just felt a sense of impending doom coming from many directions, and I subconsciously controlled my shadow servants to attack those directions. In the end, I was just going all out based on my instincts. It's really... well... lucky that I survived."

Ritsuka answered with difficulty.

"Ritsuka, you don't need to say anything. You're still enduring that kind of pain," Nero advised.

"No... say something, at least it will distract me a little, ah... this feeling hurts so much. If I don't distract myself... ha... ha... I feel like I'm going crazy."

Ritsuka's fists clenched so tightly they turned white, almost as if they were being carved into her flesh.

"Your Majesty Nero, could you please keep an eye on Mash and the others' situation? My attention is currently focused on Mordred... She's too strong; I'm afraid the Shadow Servants won't be able to hold out for much longer."

Ritsuka pleaded.

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on things for you for a while." Nero poked his head out and looked down at the battlefield. Although Nero wasn't commanding the legion at the moment, he had quite a few capable soldiers under his command. After seeing that Nero had been safely taken away, they were able to fight back against the monsters with renewed vigor.

Caligula's army was similarly structured. As emperor, Caligula didn't command his legions, leaving the battle to his generals, while he himself engaged the enemy Servant, Tamamo Cat. Both being Berserkers, the two fought to a standstill.

The battlefield has only been going on for an hour and a half, and the trial will only be over in two and a half hours. They've managed to hold off the enemy's monster horde and Roman legions, but the real trouble lies in the battle of the servants.

At least Atalanta could be held back by Mash and Boudica, but Mordred, even the Shadow Siegfried in his prime, might not be able to hold him back, let alone in his current state of being battered and overwhelmed.

Left with no other choice, Ritsuka could only control Shadow Siegfried to avoid Mordred's direct confrontation, engaging him only in harassment. However, this allowed Mordred to indiscriminately eliminate the surrounding Roman soldiers, turning them into cannon fodder.

Although Nero comforted her, telling her not to worry, that sacrifices are inevitable on the battlefield, and that everything is worthwhile as long as the strategic objective is achieved, Ritsuka was still deeply troubled.

"In the name of Fujimaru Ritsuka, by the Command Spell... Shadow Siegfried, please restore to your full form!"

Finally, under this game of hide-and-seek, Ritsuka managed to stall for another half hour, while the battered and bruised Siegfried finally succumbed to the pressure and was once again caught off guard by Mordred.

Mordred stabbed Shadow Siegfried through with his sword, then pulled it out and kicked Shadow Siegfried away.

Ritsuka seized this moment, making Mordred believe she had eliminated the Shadow Servant, thus lowering her guard and exposing her weakness. She then used a Command Seal that had been restored to one stroke after a day to bring Shadow Siegfried back to his peak condition.

Then, Shadow Siegfried regained his footing and instantly closed in on Mordred, stabbing at Mordred without any mercy.

"Clang!"

"Uh--"

Mordred reacted immediately, raising her sword to defend, but she was a step too slow. Although her sword deflected the physical sword, she was still injured in the waist by the released magic.

"Not bad... but I'd like to see how many Command Seals you have left!" Mordred naturally understood the source of the change in her opponent. After repelling Shadow Siegfried with a single sword strike, she immediately retreated into the horde of monsters.

"They actually repelled Mordred? But that shouldn't be the case... She doesn't seem to be seriously injured." Nero, who was observing the battle from above, couldn't help but wonder.

"Oh no, she's planning to use her Noble Phantasm! And this time she won't give us another chance to easily surround her!"

Ritsuka, lying on the edge of the chariot, immediately saw through Mordred's intentions and said, "I'll do my best to hold Mordred back. Your Majesty Nero, try to direct the soldiers to see if they can break through those monsters and surround Mordred again."

"If not, let them disperse from around my Servants! At least that will reduce some casualties."

“Okay!” Nero immediately agreed, and then she jumped off the chariot and fell to the ground.

"Clearent—blood—arthur!!!" (A rebellion against my magnificent father)

A crimson beam of light once again shone from behind the horde of monsters, heading directly towards the Roman army.

"balmung" (Fantasy Greatsword: Fallen Demon)

Meanwhile, Ritsuka immediately had Shadow Siegfried use his Noble Phantasm. The pain that she had finally gotten used to and lessened over the past half hour was instantly amplified to a level that almost made Ritsuka faint.

"Hold on—Ritsuka! Hold on—! We've already made it past the halfway point!" Ritsuka bit her lip until it bled, and a slightly sweet taste rose in her throat. Even though the pain made her want to faint, she had to stay awake and keep struggling.

Chapter 150: This is what it means to risk your life

The crimson and azure pillars of light collided once more, but this time Mordred let out a soft exclamation.

"Even though the Command Spells haven't been used yet, the power has increased significantly... This is no longer the strength of an ordinary Shadow Servant."

Mordred assessed the current level of the opponent's AoE Noble Phantasm, finding it to be a step up from yesterday's, almost on par with the original Siegfried's Noble Phantasm.

"Is it the mysterious Alaya-vijnana helping him improve again? Or is this transformation that Ritsuka accomplished herself through yesterday's trial?"

Mordred knew that Ritsuka had accepted and passed the tests set by Wang Chong yesterday. Those three tests were not just about improving Ritsuka's mindset and making his stance on interpersonal relationships more stable; they genuinely enhanced Ritsuka's overall qualities.

"Even if you get stronger now, you won't be able to hold out for long. I just don't know how many more times you can withstand the light cannon!"

Unsurprisingly, Mordred overwhelmingly suppressed Siegfried's Noble Phantasm, and just as it was about to hit, Siegfried abruptly stopped the attack, attempting to dodge to the side. (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated to the previous sentences.)

But how easy is it to dodge the speed of the beam cannon emitted by the release of a Noble Phantasm?

Let alone being so close, even if we start counting from the distance when Mordred just activated her Noble Phantasm, it would be impossible to dodge the attack without a Servant with a speed boost like Atalanta or some kind of evasion skill.

Ultimately, Shadow Siegfried was still caught in the beam of light and fell to the ground some distance away. Fortunately, however, Shadow Siegfried managed to get up and began running quickly.

"Not dead? If not, just unleash another one." With a body materialized by the Third Law, Mordred didn't need to worry about her mana reserves. Each release of her Noble Phantasm only consumed her mental and physical energy.

After adjusting her condition, Mordred planned to unleash her Noble Phantasm attack again. Even if she couldn't kill the Shadow Servant, she wanted to force Ritsuka to use another Command Seal.

Thus, when Judgment Day arrives on the seventh day, even if Ritsuka regains one Command Seal, she will still be missing one. Perhaps it is because of this missing Command Seal that she will be defeated by them even more quickly.

"Hmm? So we've actually entered a horde of monsters? Since we can't defeat them, are we just killing more monsters first?"

Suddenly, Mordred saw that Ritsuka's Shadow Siegfried had ventured alone deep into the monster horde.

"No... no, I see. She is indeed targeting magical beasts, but she intends to use me to deplete their numbers more quickly."

But Mordred quickly understood the key point, because she noticed that Shadow Siegfried was releasing a large amount of magic and had locked his gaze on her.

In this way, either he ignores the monster hordes between them and targets Shadow Siegfried directly with his Noble Phantasm, or he ignores the other and continues to use his beam cannon to eliminate the Roman soldiers, in which case the other will prioritize releasing his beam cannon to catch him off guard.

In any case, it's a loss for our side. After all, when the rules were made, they only stipulated that our side couldn't be surrounded, but they didn't stipulate that the enemy's Servants couldn't be surrounded.

"Honestly, this is provoking me, releasing its power so obviously, as if it's afraid I won't notice its location."

Mordred turned and pointed her sword in that direction. Crimson magic once again poured into the silver-white king sword.

Since ignoring the monsters or trying to break away from them to reduce casualties would inevitably lead to being attacked first, I might as well fight them to the bitter end.

"Let's see how long your tricks can hold out! Noble Phantasm Unleashed: Clairent—Blood—Arthur (Rebellion against my magnificent father)!!!"

Mordred unleashed another sword strike, the beam of light slicing through the horde of monsters and heading straight for Shadow Siegfried.

"balmung" (Fantasy Greatsword: Fallen Demon)

The familiar azure beam of light collided with the crimson beam of light once again, and the resulting energy shockwaves caused havoc among the monster horde.

However, Shadow Siegfried was not in good shape. After all, he had unleashed his killing move in the midst of a horde of monsters. Although he had wiped out the monsters in front of him, he was ultimately unable to withstand the threat from behind.

The monsters immediately began to bite and tear at Shadow Siegfried, nearly causing the azure beam of light to become unstable.

However, seeing that he had achieved his goal, Shadow Siegfried immediately withdrew his Noble Phantasm and rolled to the side again. Just like the previous outcome, he was once again hit by the aftershock of the light cannon and was sent flying into the horde of monsters.

Mordred, however, held back, immediately stopping her Noble Phantasm after hitting the Shadow Servant, preventing the beam from continuing to destroy more monsters.

Mordred, however, held back, immediately stopping her Noble Phantasm after hitting the Shadow Servant, preventing the beam from continuing to destroy more monsters.

"You're really tenacious, but you won't be able to catch it the third time!"

Mordred could still sense that Shadow Siegfried's aura hadn't dissipated. This time, she just wanted to finish the fight quickly so she could capture Ritsuka.

"The monsters have dwindled! Roman warriors! Charge with us! Surround the punisher once more! Do not let our allies look down on our skills and courage!"

"kill--!!!"

Just then, Mordred heard the shouts of the Roman Emperor Nero, followed by a deafening response from his soldiers as they broke through the horde of monsters and charged toward Mordred.

"Impossible, how could they have arrived so quickly... Wait, with this number and the military flag, have Caligula's men also been brought here to break through in this direction?"

Mordred stared in disbelief at the scene before her. She never imagined that Nero would dedicate the entire army of another emperor to besieging her side. Or rather, weren't these men afraid that the other side's hordes of monsters would turn around and surround them, slaughtering their entire army?

"Warriors, our retreat has been cut off by the demonic beasts behind us. There is no way back! This time, it's either live or die—at all costs, capture that white-clad Divine Punisher!"

Caligula's army clearly understood this principle, and they chose to go all in, making a complete gamble.

"Was this also part of your calculations, Ritsuka...?"

Mordred didn't back down this time either, but her aura erupted with unparalleled power. She wanted to destroy Shadow Siegfried with the fastest speed and the most ruthless force. Even if he used Command Seals, she would kill him instantly!

"die!!"

Without a word, the Noble Phantasm was unleashed once more. This time, the crimson black light almost pierced the sky. It was Mordred's most explosive attack, unleashed at the cost of her own life, using her magic power to its fullest extent.

Although it will take some time for those troops to charge over, and even if the enemy uses a single Command Spell, they can't hold him off for that long, what if? What if there are other variables that Mordred is unaware of?

Therefore, Mordred had to eliminate Shadow Siegfried as quickly as possible. Only after losing this Servant could she immediately go to support Atalanta, quickly defeat the two shield Servants, and thus completely secure the victory.

"boom!"

The crimson beam of light collided with the azure beam of light once again. This time, the crimson beam of light suppressed the azure beam of light at almost twice the speed.

After suppressing the distance to halfway, the speed suddenly slowed down, and Shadow Siegfried's aura surged again, his figure becoming fainter, clearly indicating that Ritsuka had used the Command Spell again.

"It's no use!! This time I'll definitely take care of your shadow follower before they arrive! Hah!!"

Mordred was going all out this time. She was still gathering magic power, and even though her body was about to burst into blood, she was determined to increase her magic output.

"Ritsuka—you've lost this time!" Mordred roared, the crimson pillar of light about to completely obscure the azure pillar. Meanwhile, the army continued its breakthrough against the monster horde, still some distance from Mordred.

It seems that, just as Mordred said, Ritsuka miscalculated this time... right?

"call out--"

A fierce wind howled, and a white shadow streaked across the sky, followed by an angry shout: "Mordred—!!"

"!!Varied!?"

Mordred looked in the direction of the voice in the air and saw Ritsuka driving Boudica's chariot, accelerating straight toward Mordred.

"This is my true attack!!"

Ritsuka pulled on the reins, her face contorted with pain, but she unleashed all the agony she had endured for over two hours in this roar.

"Charge through there!!!"

Ritsuka rammed her chariot into Mordred.

"boom!!!"

In an instant, the crimson magical energy surged and exploded, sweeping away everything around it.

Chapter 151: Retreat Again

"Quick! Don't waste this opportunity! The chance to surround the Punisher is just around the corner!"

"kill!!"

Mordred lay on the ground, his consciousness slightly blurred, only hearing the constant howling and shouting all around him.

"Ouch...that really hurts."

As consciousness gradually returned, Mordred struggled to support herself, looking at her wretched state and letting out a bitter laugh. This was the most serious injury she had sustained since being summoned, aside from her decisive battle with her father, Artoria.

Although she is not going to die and can recover after a rest, she has now truly lost her fighting ability.

Excessive use of magic had already left her body in a state of disrepair, placing it at a delicate juncture with her own healing abilities, while the magic she controlled was even more violent.

If someone forcibly breaks the state of one's Noble Phantasm, one will inevitably suffer a backlash from that enormous and violent magical power.

Mordred is now severely injured, precisely because of his own magic.

"Ha... Ritsuka... you bastard."

Mordred looked around and finally saw Ritsuka, covered in blood and seemingly lifeless, being helped up by Mash and carried on a stretcher as they quickly retreated.

"I, Mordred, have risked my life my whole life, but I never expected to meet someone even more reckless than me... Hahahaha, Ritsuka, you've got guts, no wonder I taught you."

Seeing that he had been defeated by Ritsuka again, Mordred no longer felt the frustration and depression he had felt yesterday. Instead, he felt a sense of exhilaration.

"Still laughing? If you keep laughing, you'll be surrounded and made to run around with signs in front of you, or what?"

Just then, a figure appeared behind Mordred. It was Atalanta, who had successfully used her speed to get rid of Mash and Boudica. She lifted Mordred up and supported her on her shoulder.

"Ha, in my current state, I'm afraid I won't be able to fight any longer." Mordred chuckled and shook his head.

"Stop saying unnecessary things. How are you? Can you still move?" Atalanta said irritably.

“Sure, lead me to retreat and let these demon bastards go first,” Mordred said.

With Atalanta's help, Mordred finally escaped the Roman soldiers' encirclement. Nero, leading the besieging army, secretly lamented his loss. (The remaining text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

However, perhaps because Atalanta had to take care of Mordred, there were no more attacks from the Punishers in the area where Nero and his group were located.