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

Chapter 275 The Separation of the People

The group sped through the streets lined with ancient-style buildings, running towards the central, domed building that resembled an arena. The only sound was the rush of their footsteps; the entire area was eerily quiet. There were no enemies, nor any other companions coming to their aid. In this strange silence, the group's initial relief after successfully escaping the underground palace was replaced by a heavy, tense atmosphere.

The silence was eerily profound; everyone was even prepared for potential obstacles or collisions with Servants along the way. Yet, until they all arrived at the arena building, facing the gate, they encountered no hardship or danger whatsoever. It was far too smooth.

“I have a feeling something’s not right. Did they really not notice us approaching? Why are there no obstacles at all?” Weber asked with some concern.

"Not only that, but the surroundings are also eerily quiet. There are no magical beasts or Servants. Although there is a large door in front of us, ... look, just like this, it can be pushed open with a gentle push, it's like inviting someone into a trap." Wang Chong gently pushed the door, and it opened easily, revealing a red carpet laid out on the path ahead.

"What should we do? Should we go in?" Artoria asked Wang Chong.

“Let’s go in. There’s no other way now. Joan of Arc, be ready to use your Noble Phantasm at any time. Be prepared for any traps or attacks,” Wang Chong said.

“Alright.” Jeanne d’Arc also took out her weapon, ready to activate her Noble Phantasm barrier at any time.

"Come, let me, the King of Conquerors, see what kind of person that self-proclaimed Empress of Assyria is." Iskandar pushed the door open further and was the first to walk in. The others immediately followed, stepping into the final core area together.

Upon entering, they were greeted by a long and wide corridor. The group walked forward, observing their surroundings. Weber, looking around, remarked, "This place is truly enormous."

"Hmm, but as far as architecture is concerned, it certainly showcases luxury and power to the fullest extent. It seems that woman is quite an ambitious person as well," Iskandar said after looking at the dazzling silver colors and architectural style around him.

“Look, at the end of the road there’s a fenced-off area with a big door,” Irisviel said, pointing ahead.

"It's just like a palace... Do they really treat this place as their own royal palace?" Artoria also noticed the somewhat familiar architectural layout. After all, her own royal palace was similar. When you reached the main hall, there was always a wide and long corridor for the ministers to enter and exit easily.

"This is the final stop, everyone. Prepare for battle." Reaching the gate at the end, Wang Chong placed his hand on the doorway and looked at his companions behind him, saying this.

After exchanging glances, the others showed resolute expressions and nodded to Wang Chong, all waiting for this moment to arrive.

"Alright." Wang Chong immediately pushed open the door and entered. What greeted him was a throne atop a mountain surrounded by numerous metal spikes. At the very top sat an extremely beautiful and peerless woman, exuding a strong aura of authority. Her eyes looked down upon these "uninvited guests" who had dared to intrude into her palace, as if she had never taken them seriously.

Needless to say, everyone knows that the woman in front of them is the owner of this Hanging Gardens treasure: Semiramis.

"To sit here obediently on the throne all by himself, without any guards around him. Is it because he is highly skilled and daring, or because he is arrogant and conceited?" Wang Chong said, looking at Semiramis sitting above him.

“You lads have barged into my palace, and not only do you lack the basic etiquette for meeting the Empress, but your attitude is also so arrogant. Are you all just barbarians who only know how to brandish swords and spears?” Semiramis retorted sarcastically to Wang Chong’s words, maintaining her superior attitude and showing no intention of backing down.

"What nonsense are you spouting, you heretic Caster? Putting aside me, Rider, we were both once kings, and there's no real difference in status between us. This is the Holy Grail War, and your kingdom was destroyed many years ago. Put away your haughty attitude; now it's our turn to end this battlefield you created. It's time for everything to come to an end!" Artoria said, pointing her holy sword at Semiramis.

“Although three against one is somewhat unfair, your home advantage and actions today have long since made up for this injustice. We have overcome all the traps and obstacles you set to reach the King. Now it is time for you to show your kingly magnanimity and accept our challenge.” Iskandar summoned the oxcart again and leaped onto it.

"Let me see for myself the power of you, the Assyrian Empress. You once possessed that land, which I, the Conqueror King Iskandar, have successfully conquered once before. Now let's see if you are worthy to hinder my domineering conquest! Hahaha..."

"Ha ha ha ha!!!"

Iskandar just laughed a few times, but then a sharper and higher-pitched female laugh echoed throughout the room. Semiramis laughed playfully, then looked at everyone below with contempt.

“Overcoming obstacles? Demonstrating magnanimity? Accepting challenges? Don’t make me laugh,” Semiramis said. “Do you think you got here on your own? Do you really think your headlong rushing around makes your purpose unclear?”

"I led you here!" The moment she finished speaking, Semiramis waved her hand, and suddenly openings appeared in the spiked fences around her, spewing out large amounts of purple gas.

"Watch out! This is poison gas! My lord is here!" Because Jeanne d'Arc could see through all the skills and information of the enemy, she immediately activated her Noble Phantasm barrier, enveloping everyone inside.

"It's poison? No wonder... Semiramis has a legend of poisoning those who rise to power. Such a toxin, even a little bit would probably kill you." Waver, hiding under the barrier, couldn't help but say.

"Everyone, retreat for now. Although we have Jeanne's banner to protect us, if Semiramis has another means of attack and breaks the shield, the Master's constitution will likely lead to instant death! In this highly poisonous environment, we simply cannot fight alongside Mrs. Irisviel and the others." At this moment, Wang Chong used the Blade of the Ruined King to hold back the door that was about to close, and said sternly to the others.

Seeing that the entrance gate was about to close, everyone rushed out without saying a word. Even Iskandar recalled the oxcart he had just summoned and then temporarily retreated with Waver.

When Artoria had left, all that remained were Jeanne d'Arc, who was still using her Noble Phantasm to prevent the poisonous fog from spreading, and Wang Chong, who was holding the door shut with his sword.

“Joan of Arc, let’s go together.” Wang Chong looked at Joan of Arc and said.

"Okay...woo!"

"You really think I'd let you run away obediently?! Gravity reversed!"

Just as Joan of Arc was about to rush out with Wang Chong, she suddenly realized that the direction of gravity had reversed and she was flying upwards.

"Joan of Arc!" As Joan of Arc moved further away, the protective barrier also began to drift away from the gate. Once the protective area left the gate, the poisonous gas would leak out from the doorway it was blocking, killing everyone inside. Therefore, Wang Chong had no choice but to draw his sword and use the black mist to fly towards Joan of Arc. The gate slammed shut completely, leaving only the cries of alarm from his companions behind it.

Chapter 276 The Divided Battlefield

"Mr. Wang Chong! Joan of Arc!" Artoria called out, looking at the door that had been closed again. She wanted to push it open, but when she thought of the poison gas behind the door, she did not make an impulsive decision.

“Irisviel, you should all get away from this building. There’s a high chance the poisonous gas inside will leak out. Even Servants would die if they came into contact with that poison, let alone you,” Artoria said, her back to Irisviel.

"And Saber, what about you?" Irisviel asked quickly.

“I must stay here… Joan of Arc and Wang Chong are inside. I must break open this gate so they can escape,” Artoria said.

"But what if you, Saber, also come into contact with those poisonous gases..."

“It’s alright, I have the Wind King’s Barrier, those poisonous gases can’t get close to me. On the contrary, I’m worried that if you break down the door, you won’t have any way to resist the poisonous gases and will be poisoned.” Artoria said, then looked at Iskandar and said, “Conqueror King, you should also leave here first. I’m entrusting my Master to your protection.”

“Alright, we’ll come to your aid once the gas dissipates. Be careful, King Knight.” Iskandar understood the situation perfectly and, without any hesitation, immediately led Waver and Irisviel towards the outside. However, the moment Iskandar, Waver, and Irisviel stepped out of the passage and into the outside world, the door suddenly closed automatically.

"Something's wrong!" Iskandar hurriedly pushed the door open, but when he couldn't, he tried to ram it with his body, but he couldn't break it open at all.

"Divine Wheel!" Seeing the situation change, Iskandar summoned his chariot without hesitation. He then drove the chariot backward for a short distance, circled back, and charged towards the gate.

"O la la la la la!" Iskandar roared, picking up the Cyprus Sword and gathering lightning as he rammed it into the gate. The war bull also let out a "Moo—" and rammed into the gate.

"boom!"

"Stab--stab--"

The sounds of impact and electric shocks filled the air. Webber and Irisviel watched the scene with some bewilderment. Although they had a vague feeling that the door had closed as soon as they left, giving them an ominous premonition, they didn't think too much about it.

"This is bad, kid, and Saber's Master too. We've probably fallen into a trap," Iskandar said, taking a deep breath.

"What do you mean? Rider, what have you discovered? What exactly is going on?" Weber asked hurriedly.

“As we have seen, the enemy is probably aware that our group, which has gathered the power of four Servants, might launch a surprise attack on their stronghold. Perhaps there is even a sliver of a chance to win and eliminate Semiramis,” Iskandar said slowly.

“Saber is the sharpest sword among the four of us. Her power is enough to take down most Servants... at least Semiramis would definitely not be able to withstand her. She also has a ranged attack capability and the Wind King's Barrier can counter Semiramis's poison gas. Saber is undoubtedly the key to taking down Semiramis.”

"Then there's Jeanne d'Arc and the Ruined King. She has the strongest shield and the strongest intelligence access. No matter what kind of strange attack methods the opponent uses, she can see through them one by one and block them with her Noble Phantasm. As for the Ruined King, he is very versatile and can deal with all kinds of situations. He can also use his black mist ability to hold off the opponent and block their vision."

“Finally, there’s me. I can change the balance of power in battle, creating one-on-one or even many-on-few situations for you. In other words, dividing the battlefield. As the Ruined King said before, this is our only chance to defeat them,” Iskandar explained.

“So… if they were to deal with all four of us at the same time, no matter how much preparation they made, even if all nine Servants gathered, we would still have a chance to eliminate Semiramis and destroy the Hanging Gardens, right? Therefore… in order to leave us no chance of winning, so they…” Irisviel said thoughtfully.

"So they used this poison gas to divide the battlefield before us. The final situation is that Semiramis is on her home turf dealing with Mr. Wang Chong and Joan of Arc. And someone inside will deal with Saber! It's like the whole situation is in their hands!" Waver also realized this and felt a sense of foreboding.

"That's right! I must say, your combination is indeed a great threat to us. But now, the situation has completely reversed. Hahahaha. Rider, is your Reality Marble still as effective as before?" A healthy laugh echoed from the sky, and many dark figures slowly descended. It was Jeanne Alter and her dragon crew, who had previously fought Iskandar while riding dragons.

"Surrender! Your Master has no intention of killing you. If you surrender obediently, you will survive this Holy Grail War peacefully. But if you resist, don't blame me for my barrage of arrows." At that moment, another Heroic Spirit wielding a bow and arrow appeared on a high platform, her bow fully drawn and aimed at the three. Sunlight shone on her gray hair; the newcomer was Atalanta.

"How could we sisters miss out on something this fun?" Just then, Euryale and Medusa emerged slowly from the shadows of the street, blocking the three's last escape route. Waver and Irisviel, seeing this, grew even more nervous, completely unsure of what to do.

"Hey...you really think highly of me, sending four Servants to deal with me all at once." Iskandar chuckled, looking around at the four Servants who surrounded him and his companions on three sides, and said.

“No matter how much you respect yourself, it can’t compare to how much you respect yourself, King of Conquerors. Didn’t you already plan to pull more people into your barrier? There are only four so far. This is nothing.” Jeanne Alter said, brandishing the tip of her spear.

"Hahaha, that makes sense." Iskandar laughed loudly, hands on his hips, maintaining his composure despite being surrounded by powerful enemies.

"But I'm more curious about who you sent to target Saber and Jeanne d'Arc... As for Saber, there's no doubt that Mordred will appear. But now that Saber has her Noble Phantasm available, Mordred alone shouldn't be able to defeat her, right?" Iskandar asked.

"Heh, that's not your concern... However, I guarantee that the Knight King will have an unimaginable experience." Jeanne Alter chuckled, brandishing her spear, and said, "Come on, make your choice, Conqueror King. You should know that you absolutely cannot defeat us in your current state. Instead of trying to stall for time, you should make the right choice, at least ensuring that those two human Masters can live."

"Ha ha... I, Iskandar, the Conqueror. My life's journey has been solely about conquering others, relentlessly forging ahead. There has never been a Conqueror who surrenders, even if it might be the wrong choice, I will still fight to the very end!"

Iskandar first laughed, then his expression turned serious, and the light of his Reality Marble reappeared, enveloping everyone around him.

When the white light faded from everyone's eyes, they found themselves once again on a desert battlefield. Iskandar drove his chariot, with an endless army behind him. Iskandar raised the Cypriot sword high and roared, "The enemy consists of mythical figures and heroes from every era, all of whom are impeccable! Yet they have tried to persuade me to surrender."

"They do not understand our will, nor do they understand the path we have forged and the might we have shown! Now let them see the great achievements and the will we have created!"

"No retreat! No surrender!! No regrets!!!" Iskandar shouted the slogan.

"No retreat! No surrender!! No regrets!!!" The soldiers who followed Iskandar also shouted the same high-spirited slogan, their eyes revealing their indomitable will.

"Rider." Waver, who was also sitting on the chariot, was filled with shock as he watched this scene.

"Saber's Master, you are not fit to go to the battlefield, so stay here. Everyone!! Charge with me! Ora ra ra ra!" Iskandar turned to Irisviel, who was standing to the side, and gave her instructions before leading the entire army to charge towards the four Servants and a large group of dragons in the distance.

"Saber, Rider, Jeanne d'Arc, and... Mr. Wang Chong. You must all be safe and sound. You must... you must return victorious." Watching everyone charging forward, fighting on their own battlefields, Irisviel could only pray for a miracle deep in her heart, praying that they would win.

……

Meanwhile, just as Artoria was waiting for Irisviel and the others to leave and was about to make her move, she heard the door to the entrance behind her slam shut. In an instant, Artoria also realized something was wrong and quickly turned around to rush back to the original entrance to find out what had happened.

Before Artoria could even take a few steps, her intuition skill suddenly sensed the impending danger. In an instant, Artoria reacted, sidestepping and dodging the sword thrust attack from a dark corner.

"Who is it!...!!" Just as Artoria dodged the sneak attack and took a few steps back to look into the shadowy corner, her eyes suddenly widened.

"Lord Lancelot! How could it be you!"

Chapter 277 The Round Table Reunites

Artoria stared at the person before her in disbelief. She couldn't understand why Lancelot was here. More importantly, given the contract between Masters that forbade attacking each other, how could Lancelot attack her?

"Could it be!" Artoria thought of Gilgamesh before. Could this situation mean that Lancelot's original Master has already...?

Before Artoria could think further, the crazed Lancelot attacked again. Left with no other choice, Artoria could only raise her sword to block Lancelot's indestructible lake light. But Artoria couldn't bear to attack, and once again adopted a defensive stance against Lancelot's onslaught, showing no intention of launching another attack.

"Yo, my father." At that moment, a familiar, mocking voice rang out from behind. Even without looking, Artoria knew who it was. While struggling to parry Lancelot's heavy blows, Artoria gritted her teeth and said, "Mordred! Is this another trick of yours?"

"Hmph, so what if it is? So what if it isn't?" Mordred sneered and continued, "The victor is king, the loser is villain. Lancelot couldn't protect his Master and was captured by us. Now the contract has been terminated by his Master. Without the Master's guidance and suppression, his berserk state is completely out of control, and he has gone completely mad. Of course, since there is no Master to supply him with magic power, he will also dissipate once his magic power is exhausted."

"But that guy named Semiramis thought he could use this, so he specially supplied Lancelot with magic power. So that he could stay a little longer and be used as a decent combat tool. Heh, in the end, it really suits Lancelot's fate. Like a stray dog, he was kicked away by his original master and became a tool for others, unable to be loyal until the very last moment!" Mordred mocked.

"Mordred!!" After Artoria deflected Lancelot with her sword, she turned and charged at Mordred, sweeping her sword horizontally to engage him in battle.

"What's wrong, King Arthur? Are you finally feeling angry about this? Ha, how ridiculous, feeling angry over someone who also betrayed you." Mordred parried Artoria's attack with his sword, laughing loudly.

“Lancelot… he has never betrayed me.” Artoria took a deep breath and said, “You should know that too now.”

“Yes, you and that Guinevere guy are both women, so there was no possibility between you two. In a sense, Lancelot didn't betray you,” Mordred said, but with a contemptuous smile, “But do you think anyone in the entire Kingdom of Britain would approve of that?”

"The common people only know that you are the king, she is the queen, and he is your knight. You know this very well! Everyone in the knightly order knows this too! But when you should have acted like a king the most, you blamed yourself for the mistake! Ha, that guy was the same. He knew very well that this was betrayal, but he still did it. He didn't even think about the consequences of his actions!"

"King Arthur... why did you choose to break free from the constraints of your identity and support them when you should have been behaving like a king? Why did you choose only them and not the knights of the other knightly orders? Why were you only able to set aside your royal identity for them... King Arthur, you are truly biased." The moment Mordred finished speaking, he unleashed a burst of powerful strength, shoving Artoria away with a single sword strike.

"Ugh..." Artoria felt a surge of power from the sudden burst of force, and her body retreated many steps. However, before she could react to Mordred's next attack, she heard Lancelot's roar from behind. In desperation, she began to dodge in a series of clumsy movements.

"Don't you find it strange, King Arthur? It's just berserk mode. When someone goes berserk, they attack indiscriminately, regardless of who they are. But why does Lancelot target you so much every time he goes berserk? Haven't you ever wondered why?" Mordred didn't rush in but spoke slowly.

"What exactly do you mean by this?" Artoria was shocked by Mordred's words. The effects of Lancelot's madness and Mordred's gaze on her had never faded, but had been secretly suppressed in her heart until Mordred brought them up again at this moment.

"King Arthur, as I said before... you are too biased towards them. If they had no conscience, perhaps they would have peacefully found a secluded place to enjoy their old age. But the fact is, they do have one, and they feel very guilty about what they did. That fool Lancelot even feels that he directly caused the disintegration of the Knights."

“And your defeat, the destruction of the Kingdom of Britain, made them realize even more clearly how foolish their mistakes were. They will live with this guilt for the rest of their lives, until the end of their days!” Mordred said.

"No...that's not it. Neither Lancelot nor Guinevere. It's not their fault...it's me, it's my own fault for failing to protect Britain... Waaah!"

Artoria was about to take the blame upon herself once again, but before she could finish speaking, Lancelot's attacks became even more frenzied. His attacks were ruthless, and he seemed determined to slice off a piece of Artoria's flesh, even at the risk of being seriously injured himself. This made it even more difficult for Artoria to defend herself, and she was even slashed in the shoulder by a careless move.

"Hahahaha... Who are you trying to impress with your self-pity! Don't you understand yet, King Arthur! The more you blame yourself for the mistakes, the deeper Lancelot's guilt will become, and the more his obsession will drive him to madness!" Mordred said.

"Even I, a rebellious knight, can see it... Lancelot is begging for his life. King Arthur, can you really not defeat this chaotic and reckless fighting style?!"

"What he ever craved was not your forgiveness, King Arthur! What he craved was punishment from the king! Just like now, he's forcing you to kill him!"

These words shocked Artoria, and she finally understood why Lancelot had reacted this way. She also finally understood why her words had so provoked Lancelot.

“Ha…King Arthur, you probably never saw the ending of all of us in those modern books…If you had just glanced at it, I wouldn’t have to remind you. Ha, you keep saying you want to change Britain’s fate, yet you never even understand why we’ve come to this point. Looking back, you’ve just been walking that path alone, wishfully thinking. That fool Tristan was absolutely right. You’ve always been like this, always have been.” Mordred sighed softly.

Chapter 278 The Death of Lancelot

As Artoria was reeling from Mordred's words, she was caught off guard and struck on the other shoulder by Lancelot. But the pain in her heart was far greater than the physical pain.

Mordred's words pierced his heart like needles. Yes, even though he had come to the modern world, why hadn't he ever bothered to learn anything about what happened in the Kingdom of Britain, or what became of those people...?

Could it really be as Mordred... as Tristan said, that she always went on alone, never considering the feelings of others? She clearly only wanted to do her best, to give it her all. But in the end, did she just... just cause pain to those around her?

"Ah—!! Arthur!!" Lancelot's crazed appearance was right in front of her, and Mordred's cold, knife-like words pierced her spine. Artoria had never felt so exhausted.

"So, Father, are you going to continue agonizing over this? Are you going to let Lancelot continue to suffer? Although I really hate that unfaithful Lancelot. But if this continues, you'll die. What will happen to your Master and your new friends then?" Mordred asked casually, showing no intention of taking action, as if he had been anticipating this scene, hoping that Artoria would make another choice.

"Will you continue to blame yourself as King Arthur... or will you take up your sword as Saber, as a friend of others? Let me see your magnanimity, Father... Isn't this what you've never taught me?" A complex look flashed in Mordred's eyes, and then she remained silent, watching Artoria and Lancelot's duel in quiet contemplation.

Artoria's shoulder was stained crimson, her movements slowed, and she was forced to retreat step by step under Lancelot's relentless attacks. Artoria kept her head down, her emotions unreadable. If she continued to retreat, with more sword wounds inflicted, she would inevitably lose to Lancelot.

"Arthur—!!"

Lancelot struck Artoria again, knocking her off balance. He then raised his sword high above his head, aiming to sever her in one fell swoop. He roared, like a vengeful spirit that could never be dispelled, now raising his greatsword to strike down the one he had sworn to protect, King Arthur.

"puff!"