Fate: How About a New Savior?

Mordred didn't have particularly strong feelings about Galahad.

All she knew was that he was Lancelot's son, conceived without his knowledge, and largely rejected because of his origins. Yet, due to his own excellence, Galahad was accepted by King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table and given the Around Round Shield: Fragment of Time that Indicates Calamity.

So when he refused the Lion King's summons and instead lent his power to the girl Mash, Mordred had been genuinely surprised—especially after learning about Mash's background.

As someone who was also created rather than born, Mordred probably felt more kinship with Mash than she ever had with Galahad himself.

And now, Lancelot, having realized Mash's true identity, was being pushed back by the girl wielding a shield—with such force that Mordred found herself unable to intervene.

"If you have questions about the King, then you should ask them! If the King's actions are wrong, then you should fight! That's what your chivalry demands!"

Gone was Mash's usual gentleness. Her voice was sharp, her tone fierce, and each word struck as she launched attack after attack, forcing the shaken Lancelot into full retreat.

"Even if the methods are questionable, it was a decision the King had to make—for the sake of saving the people!" Lancelot tried to justify. "There was no other choice!"

"And the result of that was the slaughter of innocents?" Mash shot back.

She didn't even realize her mind had gone blank—everything she was saying now came from deep within, born from her resonance with Galahad's ideals and strength.

"Do you really believe that was the right thing to do?!"

Just like her shield clashing against Lancelot's sword, every one of Mash's words struck him like a hammer, pounding away at his resolve and forcing him to face his choices in this singularity.

"This is beyond personal feelings. The Lion King's decisions have already surpassed our ideals!" Lancelot insisted.

Even the Knight of the Lake failed to notice it—but while his strength still held, his heart had already begun to bend.

After Mordred's rebellion, he had sworn alongside the other knights never to betray the Lion King again.

And yet now, faced with Mash's thunderous accusations, all he could do was argue and rationalize, desperately trying to justify everything.

Because if even he were to yield—if he gave up on following the Lion King...

"As a knight, you should defend your country and its people with everything you have—and take pride in your integrity! As a warrior, as a knight, as a father—haven't you ever felt ashamed of what you've done?!"

Lancelot barely blocked a strike that, under normal circumstances, he could have repelled with ease. The impact sent him flying, crashing into the ground and carving a crater in the stone of the Holy City.

He lay there, powerless, the chaos of battle around him seeming suddenly distant—utterly disconnected.

He no longer knew what was right or what should be done. That was why he had asked the Lion King for a Gift—"Ferocity"—hoping it would help him see the greater picture.

But the Gift had become a double-edged sword, tearing his heart apart.

On one side, he obeyed the Lion King's commands without question. On the other, he doubted them deeply—and in secret, he had begun to shelter those rejected by Rhongomyniad, hiding them away in camps across the desert and the mountains.

Maybe he'd been wrong from the very start.

"Feeling clearer now, Sir Lancelot?" Mash approached slowly, shield in hand.

"After taking a blow like that from your shield, who wouldn't be?"

Lancelot struggled to his feet, muttering quietly—only to be cut off by a cold, metallic voice.

"So, you're going to betray the Lion King... just like Mordred."

Agravain had appeared behind him without anyone noticing.

"Agravain!"

Sensing danger, Mordred immediately kicked aside a Camelot soldier and charged forward with her sword drawn. As the Lion King's chief advisor, Agravain wouldn't be on the frontlines without a reason. He had to be stopped.

"This is the one-time authority granted to me by the King—the power to rewrite a Gift." Agravain grabbed Lancelot by the head. "The Round Table cannot afford more losses. If your heart can no longer remain loyal, then abandon it. Become a blade that slaughters the King's enemies without hesitation."

Lancelot tried to raise his sword, but he was too slow.

Staggered by Mash's powerful strike and thrown into emotional turmoil, he was completely caught off guard.

"Become a Berserker, Lancelot. Fight until your last breath."

"You bastard!"

Mordred roared and slashed at Agravain.

He had used the same Mad Enhancement Magecraft meant for puppet-like Enforcement Knights—on a Knight of the Round Table.

Even with a longsword coming right at him, Agravain didn't so much as flinch.

The Mad Enhancement took effect in an instant. Clarent failed to sever Agravain's head—instead, Lancelot caught the blade in his left hand, and blood streamed down its length.

"Let go! Damn it!"

Mordred knew exactly how powerful Mad Enhancement made a Servant. She tried to yank her sword free—but it wouldn't budge.

Dark red, ominous Mana crept along Clarent's blade, and Mordred could feel the weapon slipping from her control.

"Arrrrr..." Lancelot growled, blood-red light flooding his eyes.

In his right hand, he raised Arondight—and lunged at Mordred.

"Saber! Fall back!"

Sakura's voice rang out. A Command Spell activated, dragging Mordred away just in time.

Forced to release her grip, Mordred retreated under the spell's power.

Everyone saw it: Clarent, now wrapped in sinister, crimson patterns.

"Knight of Owner: A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands."

In life, Lancelot was known for defeating enemies even after losing his weapons—once using a tree branch to claim victory. That legend had become one of his Noble Phantasms, allowing him to use anything he held as a weapon.

If what he held was already a Noble Phantasm, it would come under his full control—retaining its original power.

Not invoking the sword's True Name before striking—that was Mordred's fatal error.

"Spirit Origin response has changed! Sir Lancelot's Class has shifted to Berserker! And his Spirit Origin is stronger than it was in Orleans!"

Romani's voice crackled over the comms, delivering grim news to Sakura and the others.

"Damn it... even my weapon…" Mordred cursed, glaring at her now-empty hands.

Agravain showed no reaction. Having confirmed his suspicions and successfully forced Lancelot into Mad Enhancement, he simply turned and walked away.

"Clarent was stored in King Arthur's treasury to begin with. You only stole that sword."

With those words, Agravain vanished into the sea of Enforcement Knights, leaving only the berserk Lancelot—eyes burning, blades in hand—as he charged straight toward Mash.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake