Fate: How About a New Savior?

When Scáthach reached the top of the sand dune, she quickly realized that the sandstorm wasn't entirely natural—it had been altered by ancient Magecraft.

Its form resembled Middle Eastern sorcery, a third type of magic distinct from Western Magecraft and Eastern mysticism. But without a doubt, it was far older and certainly not of this era.

Which meant that as long as she countered it with Magecraft, she could dispel the storm's interference with their vision.

Then she spotted the rising cloud of dust at the desert's edge—kicked up by a charging cavalry unit.

Scáthach immediately alerted Shiomi.

Surprised, he signaled everyone to hold position and rushed up to assess the situation.

It was an assault unit, composed of several hundred mounted warriors.

That alone would've been manageable, but among the cavalry's lead were five Servants, each radiating a powerful magical presence—far beyond that of ordinary Servants.

At their current pace, the desert vehicle wouldn't be able to outrun them in time.

More importantly—

"They're coming!"

Even in the sandstorm that made it hard to stay on their feet, the cavalry launched a volley of arrows that tore through the air, heading straight for Shiomi and Scáthach atop the dune.

Master and student deflected the arrows with ease using their crimson spears.

That force, undiminished even after slicing through a sandstorm, made it clear—these were no ordinary cavalry.

A second wave of arrows followed. Mixed among them were vacuum arrows fired by the red-haired knight leading the charge.

Invisible and traceless—any lapse in attention would result in bodies torn apart.

"An attack?! Are they Servants?" Olga Marie exclaimed.

While Scáthach handled the arrows, Shiomi issued a second command.

"Five Servants spotted, approaching fast! Marie, Ritsuka, Caren—you stay with Gray and guard the vehicle! Sakura, Mash, you're with Morgan—get ready for battle!"

Just then, the purple knight at the head of the cavalry raised his longsword and brought it down with force.

A slash of sword energy tore through the storm, ripping the sand apart in an instant.

"What?!" Shiomi froze for a second, startled by the skill.

"No need to be surprised. This whole sandstorm is a Magecraft construct—it's just a barrier to keep people away," Scáthach said sharply, as she slashed out with her spear. Her attack collided with the purple knight's wave midair.

The clash of their techniques exploded within the storm, which began to thin, revealing a cloudless blue sky overhead.

"Master! That's overkill!" Shiomi muttered, shielding himself from the wind.

Just then, a green spear formed from mana launched past him, shooting upward at an angle.

Looking up, he saw a knight in silver armor and a blue, gold-trimmed cape. Taking advantage of the moment when the storm's spell was broken, the knight had leapt from his horse, crossed hundreds of meters, and came down with a sword slash aimed directly at Shiomi.

Morgan's Magecraft intercepted the white knight's strike midair. A fierce explosion erupted in the sky before the knight landed in the sand about ten meters away from Shiomi and Scáthach.

The striking blond knight swept aside the blast's smoke with a graceful flick of his cape.

"That blow was certainly troublesome. No wonder our king ordered a full mobilization," he said, unfazed, as he pulled his sword from the sand. "But this is where your journey ends, Chaldeans."

"You know who we are?" Shiomi asked.

"Of course. The order was to wipe out all of Chaldea." The knight raised his radiant sword, gleaming like the sun. "This is for our king's great cause. Prepare yourselves!"

Before he even finished, the knight charged forward and attacked again. Shiomi blocked with his spear—but instantly realized he had made a mistake.

The knight's strength was far beyond normal. Even with Magecraft reinforcement, Shiomi couldn't hold him back.

"This power..." Shiomi gritted his teeth.

"In a land bathed in sunlight, none can stand against me!" the knight roared, his strength flaring even more.

But he failed to account for the other person beside him.

"Forgot about me? You're being way too careless, Knight of the Sun!"

From the knight's boast, Scáthach discerned his true name. Her crimson spear shot forward, aiming straight for his waist.

"Urgh!"

Sensing the danger, the knight withdrew his power and twisted away, narrowly dodging the thrust. But Scáthach wasn't done.

Charging over the soft sand, she pressed the attack—thrusting, sweeping, slashing—her strikes coming one after another, giving the unsteady knight no room to evade.

"Knight of the Sun?" From his master's words, Shiomi pieced it together. "Gawain?"

Parrying Scáthach's strikes, Gawain raised his sword and declared openly, "That's right. I am Gawain, Knight of the Round Table."

He clashed with Scáthach's crimson spear once more. Though he couldn't match her strength, the divine precision of her spear techniques left him scrambling to keep up.

"Step aside, Scáthach," Morgan's calm voice cut through the clash.

At once, Scáthach thrust forward once more, then swiftly pulled back to a safe distance.

The sudden retreat caught Gawain off guard. As he turned to locate the source of the voice, several spears formed from mana rained down from above.

The second explosion blasted a massive crater into the desert. Gawain stood within it, eyes locked on the figure who had unleashed the spell.

"You're—"

His eyes widened in shock as he spotted the dark silhouette atop the hill.

"Morgan, the witch queen!"

Behind him, the other knights who had come with him appeared. The purple knight leading them froze at the sight, calling out her name in surprise.

"They know Mother..." Sakura murmured in disbelief.

If they were all Knights of the Round Table, it made sense they'd recognize Morgan.

Then, among them, she caught sight of a familiar face.

"Saber? Is that Mordred?" Sakura quickly called out, still hoping there was some misunderstanding behind the Round Table's hostility. "We—"

"Shut it!"

Before she could finish, Mordred lunged forward and swung her sword at her.

"Watch out!"

Mash rushed in, raising her shield just in time to block the blow.

"You're in the way!"

With a fierce shout, Mordred unleashed a flurry of sword strikes, battering Mash's shield and forcing her and Sakura to retreat behind the hill.

Shiomi glanced down—Gray and the others were still nearby. He was confident Mordred alone wouldn't pose a threat to Sakura, so he turned his attention to the approaching army.

"Answer me! As knights of the Round Table, as that king's sworn knights—why are you attacking Chaldea?!"

Were they under someone's control, or was this truly their own will?

"There's no need to answer. Just accept your deaths, Chaldeans."

The black knight beside Mordred drew his sword and pointed it forward, signaling the cavalry behind him to charge.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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