Fate: How About a New Savior?

Aias' shield once stood firm in the Trojan War, its sevenfold defense blocking even Hector's killing spear.

Had Shiomi been at full strength and not activated his spear's true name with a thrown attack, he might not have broken through the shield projected by Archer in one strike.

But the shield wasn't whole.

Each of them used the shield in their hands to protect the one they were meant to guard.

Petal by pink petal, the projected shield shattered. After only a few seconds of clash, the magic spear—guaranteed to strike true—pierced through Archer's barrier and ran him through the heart.

"Knew I couldn't stop it… but at least your spear can't reach Saber now," Archer muttered, forcing himself to stay upright, preventing Shiomi from withdrawing his weapon.

But Shiomi didn't press for a second strike. He was frozen, stunned by the name Artoria had just spoken.

The "Excalibur"—followed by the name Morgan.

According to legend, Morgan was a child of the island of Britain, a successor to its ancient mystery.

Before Artoria ever appeared, Morgan was the shadow behind Uther, quietly pulling the strings of Britannia's royal authority.

She held three faces in legend: the beloved elder sister of Artoria, the Lady of the Lake—Vivian—and the sorceress who would bring about the fall of Camelot.

Some even said Morgan and Vivian were one and the same.

Now, this twisted form of the sacred sword of the lake bore Morgan's name...

Shiomi couldn't help but pause.

"What do you think..." he murmured, eyes shifting past Artoria's form to the distant Mash.

The girl stood firm, shield raised high, bracing against the unleashed might of the Holy Sword's true name.

But she wasn't standing alone.

The forty-eighth Master, a girl named Ritsuka Fujimaru, stood beside her. She clasped Mash's hand, the two of them holding up that unblemished shield together.

The will to protect, and the resolve to fight for that will, had taken shape. Born in a test tube, Mash had now, as a Demi-Servant, awakened part of the shield's true power.

Protective mana blossomed across the shield, spreading outward until it became a radiant white wall that pushed back the force of the Holy Sword.

"If you fight of your own will to protect someone... then right or wrong is no longer for others to decide."

Archer's body had reached its limit. The guardian tainted by black mud, who had blocked the vermilion spear with his own fading form, smiled faintly—helpless but at peace. Leaving behind only those parting words, he slowly faded from existence.

Shiomi had no time to respond. He quickly shifted aside, spear in hand, just narrowly avoiding the Holy Sword's force rebounding off the chalk-white shield.

"You brought this on yourself—naming the pitch-black Holy Sword after me, only to have its attack deflected by that shield. Really, I can't say I feel sorry for you."

The communicator suddenly crackled to life with static-laced audio. It was Morgan's cool, slightly mocking voice.

"Huh?" Shiomi blinked in surprise.

"Chaldea Heroic Spirit Summon No. 4, Morgan. I'm now officially responsible for supporting all your actions after Spiritron Transfer," she said.

"Ahaha... of course you are…" Shiomi let out a dry laugh.

It didn't take much to figure out—most of the control room staff had likely been wiped out, so anyone remotely useful had been pulled in to help. That Morgan had stepped into the control room and volunteered support was unsurprising under the circumstances.

No doubt Romani had helped fabricate a proper backstory for her too.

I'll have to find a way to patch that up when I get back…

Though Shiomi figured Olga Marie probably wouldn't make a fuss about the details—not with him involved.

"In any case, just focus on the fight, my husband," Morgan said with leisurely amusement, like someone watching a fire from afar. "Don't worry about things here. I'll handle it."

Even so, Shiomi could still hear nervous whispering from the tense control room through the comms—clearly stirred by that "husband" remark.

Shaking off the distraction, Shiomi stood up and looked toward Artoria.

Though she had been wounded slightly after being hit by the backlash of her own Noble Phantasm, the real concern was Mash. In her very first battle, she had nearly collapsed after releasing just a portion of her Noble Phantasm's power. Only with Ritsuka's support was she still standing, shield in hand.

Worse still—Artoria was already preparing to unleash her second Noble Phantasm.

There was no way that chalk wall could survive another blast.

They had to end it now.

Shiomi dismissed his magic spear and summoned the staff Cú Chulainn had entrusted to him.

The white ash wood, tempered by years of mana, pulsed with power the moment Shiomi infused it. As he brandished the staff, he could feel the amplification of his magecraft. With this, he was certain he could level mountains and shatter cities.

"Alright, let's give it a try—Odin's legacy." Raising the wand high, Shiomi chanted, "Devour the song of sin, spiral into purity—Maelstrom!"

Sensing the massive surge of mana, Artoria turned sharply, abandoning her charge-up to prioritize eliminating Shiomi.

But the rocky ground beneath her suddenly erupted with churning water, a vortex strong enough to swallow multiple people.

Losing her footing, Artoria was swept up into the spiraling current—like a fragile skiff tossed into a storm, ready to be torn apart by the waves.

Clenching her fists, Artoria let mana pour from her body, endless and untamed.

With the Greater Grail in her grasp, the dark King of Knights who maintained this Singularity had no need to conserve energy. She could fire off Noble Phantasms in succession and use that overwhelming force to tear straight through Shiomi's spells.

Mana bloomed outward, pushing back the water and giving her ground to stand on.

Swimming wasn't her strength—but walking on water was.

Gripping her sword once more, she began charging her Noble Phantasm again.

This time, it was aimed at Shiomi.

"At the edge of the blue sea, where even the wind strays not for four days—Panta Rhei!"

A second Grand Magecraft surged forth, fueling the already monstrous vortex. A slight shift in Shiomi's mana could direct Artoria straight toward the Greater Grail.

But this was a Singularity. Destroying the Grail might end the Holy Grail War, but it wouldn't necessarily repair the anomaly—it might even make it worse.

After all, the Grail was the very core holding this place together.

Chaldea's objective wasn't destruction—it was recovery.

"Cheap tricks!"

Artoria unleashed even more mana, clearly intending to rip through both of Shiomi's layered Grand Magecrafts with sheer force.

"We're not done yet!" Shiomi rotated the staff and slammed its end into the ground. "Heavenly Thunder Judgment!"

Above the Great Cave, storm clouds swirled into existence, pitch-black and crackling with energy. Bolts of lightning rained down in waves, converging on the whirlpool and engulfing Artoria entirely.

And at last, the proud and frigid King of Knights let out a scream she could no longer suppress.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh—!!"