Mordred, the only one absent from the Round Table meeting, was currently leaving the wilderness and heading into the desert.
She had heard from Agravain that within this desert lay the Atlas Institute—once a major stronghold of human Magus. Though it now stood deserted, it was likely that Chaldea would investigate the place.
"I didn't expect Lancelot to secretly shelter those refugees who escaped the Holy Punishment. What a soft-hearted man!" Mordred said, riding on horseback and gazing from a cliff at the border between desert and wasteland.
There, nestled in the terrain, was a hidden village. Though made up entirely of tents, it was undoubtedly a temporary refuge made possible by Camelot's supplies.
"Shall we report this to the Holy City?" an Enforcement Knight behind her asked.
Mordred raised a hand. "No need. Just leave them be."
The Enforcement Knights were intelligent puppets. They could comprehend orders and think, but were absolutely obedient to the Knights of the Round Table they served.
To Mordred, they were highly effective soldiers.
She had another mission this time.
She didn't know why her father had suddenly changed orders—having her switch posts with Lancelot and take over the pursuit of the remaining Chaldea personnel—but Mordred did know the general outline of the "Holy Selection" incident. Morgan and Scáthach had brought a Master to the Holy City, disrupted the "Holy Punishment," and then evacuated the other refugees toward the mountain people's settlement.
From beginning to end, only three people had appeared on Chaldea's side.
There had been no news of Sakura—something that allowed Mordred to breathe a small sigh of relief.
Even so, the fact that she was now tasked with hunting down and eliminating them made the sword in her hand feel heavier.
The desert stretched endlessly, its colors all blending into a sea of yellow. So when a small moving speck appeared out in the wasteland, Mordred quickly identified it as Chaldea's sand rover.
The vehicle rose and dipped, cresting one dune after another, clearly trying to exit the desert and enter the wilderness.
At last, with some hesitation, Mordred made her decision. She jerked the reins and led the Enforcement Knights down from the ridge—a cavalry charge surged into the desert.
Their horses' hooves thundered across the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust. The tremors quickly registered on Chaldea's sensors.
Romani immediately issued a warning—Servants were approaching. Sakura's team, who had just finished reporting the findings from the Atlas Institute, were caught off guard and moved quickly to prepare for combat.
As for the investigation results, they were a mix of good and bad news.
On the bright side, Tri-Hermes's records revealed that the Servant who had lent power to Mash was indeed Galahad, one of the Knights of the Round Table.
The downside was that even the Atlas Institute could not awaken Gray's Add. As long as they remained within this Singularity, and as long as the Lion King—the cause of the Singularity's current form—remained here, Add would stay dormant.
Fortunately, Gray herself was a capable warrior who didn't completely rely on Add. She chose instead to use the red spear Scáthach had lent her as her primary weapon for now.
"Servant response detected—the one approaching is... Mordred!"
Romani's shout came through the communicator just as Mordred, leading a squad of Enforcement Knights, charged into view.
"We meet again, Sakura." Mordred fixed her with a stern gaze.
Even if they had once fought side by side, that past had to be cast aside. Now, she would raise her sword for her father.
"Mordred! Before we fight, there's something I need to ask you!" Sakura jumped down from the sand vehicle and stood atop a dune. "If you made your choice after knowing the truth, then I won't hold back!"
She had already explained everything to the others after finishing the investigation at the Atlas Institute, saying her goodbyes to Holmes.
There was a high chance the Knights of the Round Table didn't know the truth about the Holy Lance.
If that were the case, there might still be room to turn things around.
At Sakura's words, Mordred raised a hand to halt the Enforcement Knights, then rode forward alone.
"Do you know the truth about the Holy Lance? About the Lion King's true goal?" Sakura gripped her left wrist with her right hand, locking eyes with Mordred.
"What?"
"The Holy City isn't some utopia. It's the Tower at the End—a cage built to imprison ideal humans. When the time comes, everything on this land will be destroyed. The Lion King's actions have already gone beyond the scope of humanity!" Sakura stepped forward. "Even knowing that, are you still willing to serve that king and give everything for such a horrifying purpose?"
Mordred lowered her gaze slightly and let out a sigh. "Didn't expect even that to be exposed. Just what kind of place is the Atlas Institute?"
"Huh?" Sakura was momentarily caught off guard by her reaction.
Then Mordred raised her sword and pointed it straight at Sakura. "Isn't that obvious?! When Father summoned us to this Singularity, she explained the plan from beginning to end!"
It was precisely because they knew the Lion King's true objective that the Knights of the Round Table had split—some chose to follow her, others to stand against her.
They clashed, and when the loyalists had slain all who opposed, they were granted the Lion King's Gift.
The surviving knights all understood the cost, the final outcome, and that none of them would ever be welcomed as the ideal humans.
"I see... So that's how it is," Sakura said, unsurprised. Her gaze hardened with resolve. "With your personality, even knowing it's wrong, you'd still see it through. Fine then—let me, as your former Master and as your older sister, correct your course."
"I never said you were my sister!" Mordred snapped. "And who says you're the older one, anyway?!"
But Sakura didn't argue. She summoned her wand without a word and began casting a spell.
"A Magus rushing into the front lines—how reckless!"
Mordred leapt from her horse and slashed at a non-lethal point. After all, she only needed to neutralize her—she was just a human.
"With my voice, my fingers tear the earth apart!"
Just then, Sakura raised her wand and softly chanted.
Streams of Imaginary Number Magecraft ripped through the sand like drifting clouds, surging toward Mordred.
Sakura knew full well the extent of Mordred's Magic Resistance. She had deliberately abandoned ineffective spells and immediately invoked high-tier Imaginary Number Magecraft—something she hadn't even used against Rin.
Forced back, Mordred had no choice but to retreat.
"This isn't London. Dad's not here. I don't have to play the role of the immature Magus who needs protecting anymore."
Sakura's long, elegant purple hair whipped in the hot wind as she spoke quietly with confidence.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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