Hi guys Azza here!

Reviews

Etherious X – Well I'm glad I'm changing your opinion even if only a little haha my job is officially done here!

Shadow465 – Ah yes but first we have this fight to deal with which after some consideration I decided to give an entire chapter due to this being important for Mordred's character going forward.

But don't worry next chapter the slaughter time fun time will begin!

Whosaidiwascool – You know when you left that review the other day you basically forced me to go back and read Dragon of the COG just to refresh my memory on it and I ended up binging it over two days haha!

But I believe that they would find a mutual respect for each other since both aren't afraid of killing or doing what needs to be done however the Natsu from the COG story would likely berate Natsu for even daring to toy with his opponents at all and for not using his power to clean up the mess they are dealing with since realistically he could.

Naturally he couldn't do anything about it since my Natsu is eventually going to surpass the Gods and Devils themselves but I don't doubt he would try to force Natsu to help them with mine agreeing so long as it doesn't affect anything major where he'd get in trouble.

It would be interesting to write about for sure though.

Monsterguipies – Ah yeah I see what you mean now I thought you meant immediately begin on another chapter the moment one is finished and pump out multiple within such a short amount of time haha!

And I actually used to do that believe it or not but eventually once I finished Vol I and got a bit into Vol II life stuff started happening and since then I've been basically just putting out what I have on hand at the time. This chapter for example will go up within ten minutes of me writing this since I finished it half an hour ago and looked over it for any errors I could spot.

One day I will get back up there and have chapters prepared in advance again but right now I barely get five hours sleep a day so it's a wonder I haven't collapsed yet from being tired, can certainly feel it in my body that's for sure.

But anyway that's besides the point I'll do my best to try and get back on top of things when I'm able to, can't really promise more than that.

Anyway on with the story!

I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.

Mordred Versus Alphonse

/Mordred's POV/

"It appears Natsu has finally overcome that old man," Mordred said only to narrowly avoid being cleaved in two as an aerial slash attack sailed past her.

"If you have time to think about the King of Balance then you have time to fight," Alphonse snapped as he charged forward forcing her to swing her blade outward to meet his own as the two clashed sending out shockwaves in all directions from their power.

'That damn blade,' Mordred growled inwardly as she felt herself be pushed back before being sent flying into one of the castle walls by Alphonse. 'To think someone was able to create such a legendary weapon … Father would've been impressed, but this is MY fight to overcome!'

Arching her head to the right she avoided a thrust attack that blew apart the entire wall behind her along with the one behind that knocking the whole tower down as it fell off of the side of the roof making a loud crashing sound as it hit the ground below.

Swinging his sword outward Mordred was forced to duck as Alphonse sliced apart whatever remained at that level of the roof sending out an aerial slash attack that cleaved a nice clean cut through anything it came across.

Swinging her blade upward Alphonse took a step back to avoid it before readjusting his blade's position and attempted to slash her across the chest only for Mordred to bat the attack away with the flat surface of Clarent sending out sparks in all directions.

"Persistence will get you nowhere," Alphonse said as he began to hammer away at Mordred's defence until the floor beneath her gave way sending her flying down into the ground on the first floor.

"Oww …"

Mordred was dazed but managed to roll out of the way as Alphonse brought his blade down for what would have been a killing blow, shattering the earth with cracks that began to travel up the castle walls rendering the structure unstable as the pair began to exchange a series of swift blows.

Unfortunately due to her dazed state Mordred was eventually caught off guard as Alphonse managed to parry her latest attack before charging at her, tackling her through a wall only to send her flying out into the courtyard with a kick to the face as she rolled along the dirt not coming to a stop until she hit the outer wall.

"Servants we may be Mordred however I do not need stamina, food, drink or any other necessary thing most Servants use to sustain themselves. As long as even a scrap of my form remains then I am in peak physical condition and prepared for absolute combat."

Panting Mordred rose to one knee, stabbing Clarent into the earth using it for support as she looked up at Alphonse with a stern glare. Blood flowed from a wound to her head with a large amount having gotten mixed up with the front of her hair dying it in the same blood red both her armor and blade though she made no attempt to stem the bleeding.

"Fucking arrogant bastard aren't you, gain a slight advantage and suddenly you're declaring this an absolute victory!"

"You possess a mortal body whilst I am nothing more than the armor you see before you with a spirit bound to it. Every successful blow you land does nothing to me, every futile effort to bring me down only weakens you as you use what precious stamina and strength you possess."

Mordred panting seemed to coincide with the timing of Alphonse's footsteps as the Saber Class Servant marched toward her with his blade poised to strike.

"Tell me Mordred Pendragon, what was the name of the place King Arthur was said to pass on to after you killed him?"

"Avalon …"

"I see, then prepare yourself Sir Mordred for I shall send you to Avalon after giving you a warrior's death," Alphonse said as he raised his blade high into the air. "This is the end, for what its worth I'm sorry for this."

"No."

"No," Alphonse asked in confusion pausing in his attack. "What do you mean no?"

Alphonse barely had the time to avoid Mordred as she suddenly swung Clarent at him with enough force to rip apart the ground in the path of her attack all the way out of the limits of the battlefield.

"No I won't go to Avalon," Mordred growled as she rose to her feet defiantly. "My place is here alongside my Master Natsu, I'll kill you before you separate me from him!"

"You only delay the inevitable; Lapis has already proven itself superior to the fabled blade Clarent in every aspect aside from its destructibility."

"You really think so huh," Mordred replied with a frown as she looked at the blade in her hand, the blade that had never been meant for her that she stole from her Father so long ago.

'I know I've been abusing you for so long Clarent but think of all that we've achieved so far alongside Natsu, all the good we've done, we can't afford to be separated from him now! Please work with me for once and help me defeat this guy and his bullshit Philosopher's Sword!'

Looking at her blade nothing happened prompting Mordred to sigh as she looked back up at Alphonse who appeared to be content to eye her no doubt having an inkling as to what she was trying to do anyway.

"Lapis is one of the ultimate swords Mordred, it cannot be defeated by one that isn't even suited to its wielder. Then again from what I've heard Clarent couldn't even hold a candle to any of the other sacred blades in King Arthur's armory anyway."

"Oi that's a load of shit and you know it, Clarent is one of the best blades in King Arthur's collection which is why I took it in the first place," Mordred snapped back as she levelled the blade at Alphonse who only shifted into a defensive stance in response. "It was the only blade that I believed had a chance to stand up to Excalibur itself, do not sully its name with your bullshit words!"

"Those blows to your head must have made you delusional Mordred, Clarent couldn't hold a candle to Excalibur let alone Lapis. Blades of this calibre are far beyond that one's reach."

"I believe in this sword, I've always believed in it even after my death," Mordred snapped back furious as she wiped some of the blood from her brow that threatened to obscure her vision. "Even if Clarent doesn't want me to wield its true power I'll show you that even without it your crappy blade ain't got anything on her!"

Charging forward Mordred clashed with Alphonse and to the Saber's shock he was send skidding backward from the force behind the blow. Dodging to the right to avoid another blow an aerial slash attack made of pure red energy tore up the earth behind him as the entire area glowed the same colour for a few moments before it vanished off into the distance.

"What is this," Alphonse gasped as Mordred kept pushing back the Homunculi Saber.

"This is me showing you what me and Clarent are truly capable of," Mordred roared as she brought down Clarent in a vertical slashing motion with Alphonse barely blocking it in time.

To his shock however he was still cleaved in half as the sheer force behind the blow travelled through his own blade to meet him forcing him to fuse himself back together as he charged toward Mordred intending on finishing her off quickly.

"Scared yet," Mordred growled as she blocked several swift strikes before delivering several of her own knocking Alphonse back which was immediately followed by several powerful blasts of red lightning. "You insult my King, you try to take me away from my Master and you insult my blade, I may be a fourth rate Knight but you've just messed with just about every last thing a true Knight cares for and you're gonna pay!"

Staggering backward Alphonse wasn't ready for the shoulder charge from Mordred which knocked him onto the ground as he swung his blade upward in an attempt to block the new barrage that was raining down upon him.

"Enough," Alphonse roared as he kicked the flat of Mordred's blade sending her high into the sky giving him a moment to attempt to stagger to his feet, his body reeling from the aftershocks from Mordred's blows as it fought to repair itself.

Alphonse looked up and was shocked to see Mordred holding her blade out to her far right, red sparks rippling off of its surface as her power spiked drastically.

"I'm gonna make sure every last fucking scrap of you is burnt to nothing, this is for insulting my very Knighthood! Noble Phantasm Release: Clarent – Blood Arthur!"

Spinning around in midair Mordred was propelled further upward as she fired a massive blast of pure red energy at Alphonse who had no time to dodge thus forcing him to endure the full brunt of the attack which smashed into the earth moments later engulfing him whole.

Mordred held her Noble Phantasm for a full minute before finally releasing it as she began to fall to the ground, crashing near the now gaping hole in the sky island with a grin on her face.

"That'll teach that bastard to mock you," Mordred said kissing Clarent on the flat of its blade. "No one insults the few things I care about and gets away with it!"

The sound of metal froze Mordred in place for a moment before she jerked her head in the direction of the massive hold in the earth only to see a rapidly reassembling Alphonse emerging from the side of it.

"Did you really forget so quickly Mordred," Alphonse asked as his sword reformed in his hand. "So long as even a small scrap of me remains I cannot be defeated."

'I put a fair amount of power into my Noble Phantasm, if he truly has survived no worse for wear then …'

Mordred didn't have the chance to blink as Alphonse kneed her in the head knocking her flat on her back before raising Lapis and trying to stab her in the chest only for Mordred to block the attack using the flat surface of Clarent.

"Enough of these games," Alphonse said kicking Mordred's hand knocking Clarent away as it spun around several times in the air before impaling itself in the dirt nearby. "The blade is not truly yours Mordred, without its support you will forever be weaker than King Arthur, weaker than even I!"

Mordred grit her teeth as Alphonse stabbed her in the chest missing her heart by mere millimetres since she tried to dodge at the last moment. Unfortunately the sword still ran her through effectively pinning her to the ground as Alphonse crouched down to meet her still defiant gaze.

"A powerful warrior you may be Mordred Pendragon however you lack one vital part of what made King Arthur a legend."

"And what is that," Mordred said through grit teeth as she tried to rip the blade out of her.

"King Arthur was a powerful warrior however they also possessed one of the sharpest minds of those times, a mind centuries ahead of its time in almost all aspects. Where you blindly charge in a rage King Arthur channels it and lays a steady trap to crush all opposition as quickly as possible. There is no glory if you yourself are dead and gone, unable to witness the fruits firsthand."

"So you think I can't be a King because I'm stupid," Mordred asked with a distinct lack of rage present in her voice.

"To be quite blunt yes. You were easily deceived by Morgana, you never bother with strategy choosing instead to blindly charge forward and wave your stolen sword around like an overgrown toy. You are reckless Mordred, no country desires a hot headed and reckless King."

"What do you know …"

"I lived a much longer life than you Mordred Pendragon, I watched my Brother ascend to greatness despite knowing that I too was capable of equal if not greater feats. I know of Kings both good and bad and I have fought powerful beings wielding strange and unique powers. As your senior it is my job to tell you that your dream as the King of Britain is foolish, a pipe dream that would ultimately lead the world to ruin."

"So now you even mock my dream," Mordred laughed bitterly. "I don't understand you, one minute you keep saying how you don't mean to do any of this and that you'd rather I win but the next you push me this far and walk all over the only thing that has kept me going all these years."

"Give up on your dream Mordred, the Throne will give you time to decide on a new one that will ultimately save an untold number from your reign."

"I think I'll pass," Mordred said through grit teeth as she grabbed onto the handle of Lapis and pulled herself upward holding back a scream as she punched the hand of Alphonse severing it from the rest of his body.

Stumbling back in surprise Mordred shakily rose to her feet doing her best to ignore the bloodloss as Alphonse regenerated his arm, holding out his new hand as the blade was ripped from her causing Mordred to gasp and drop back onto one knee.

"It seems your death will not be quick, brutal it is."

Crawling over to where Clarent lay embedded into the earth she placed both hands upon the hilt of the blade with the blood from her wound pouring over the blade's surface.

'I've gotta win this, I've gotta do this for … for …'

A powerful surge of power began to erupt from the blade as Mordred's blood was absorbed directly into it as the blade was enveloped into a bright white light that blew Mordred back slightly.

"No way …"

"Impossible," Alphonse said with genuine shock. "You can't have-!"

As the light died down Clarent now lay sheathed within a rock that stuck just above the ground, power humming from its now Crimson Red surface as Mordred staggered toward it fighting off tears.

Wrapping a hand around the handle of the blade Mordred felt the power shoot up her arm and flood her system, the power that had always been there but lay dormant now surged through her like a veritable flood as she pulled the sword from the stone.

"I hereby claim thee, Clarent, Sword of Sacred Fire!"

Mordred this time was engulfed in a bright white light however it didn't last anywhere near as long as it did for Clarent itself with Mordred emerging several moments later wearing an entirely new outfit.

Gone was her bulky armor and in its place were Crimson Red combat robes that whilst somewhat revealing also held their own form of sacred protections as the runes etched into them hummed with lost power.

Somewhere in the process Mordred's hair tie had been forced off letting her hair hang freely behind her with the ends mixed with her own blood, combine that with the stab wound to her chest and her calm and collected gaze which held a silently burning fury and you had one Mordred who gave off a most intimidating presence.

"What have you done … how did you gain the loyalty of Clarent," Alphonse snapped panicking as Mordred glued him in place with but her gaze alone.

"In Arthurian Legend there is a tale of the Four Swords of Power," Mordred said with a tone similar to that of King Arthur's own. "Durendal, Sword of the Air, Joyeuse the Sword of the Earth, Clarent the sword of Fire and finally the most famous of the four Excalibur, Sword of Water."

"No … it cannot be!"

"I chose Clarent not simply because it was simply one of the four Sacred Swords Alphonse but because it is the true twin blade to Excalibur, the very blade that King Arthur wielded. Being a Sacred Sword Clarent refused to heed the call to bloodlust and thus in my foolishness I forced the power through using nothing more than sheer force of will."

"But you can't have mastered Clarent, you are never supposed to master Clarent!"

"I may never have mastered this blade had it not been for the man who has helped me begin to look beyond my hatred for my Father, Natsu. With his love and guidance I began to see the foolishness in seeking to slay my Father for eternity and it wasn't until the possibility of being torn from him was set before me that I finally came to realize my true feelings …"

"Are you saying that feelings are what allowed you to gain control over Clarent, that's preposterous!"

"Not gain control," Mordred corrected him as she raised Clarent so that he could see the blade which now appeared almost identical to Excalibur only it was Crimson Red and Silver instead of Galaxy Blue and Gold. "In order to possess the power of one of the Sacred Swords one must be in tune with what the element the blade represents."

"But if Clarent is Fire then how can your rage have vanished?"

"There are many kinds of flames Alphonse however there is one that stands above them all, one that my Master wields even to this very day."

"And what is that?"

"The flames of passion," Mordred replied with a light hearted smile that had Alphonse stagger backward as he saw the various incarnations of King Arthur beside her.

"This … this cannot be," Alphonse said shaking his head. "This has to be some kind of fluke, a barbarian like you couldn't possibly have moved beyond your hatred!"

"I will concede that in my former state I was nothing more than a wild barbarian during battle however outside of it I was as laid back as I am now, content in the knowledge that I was walking alongside someone whom I knew I could count on."

"So you've managed to tame the Sacred Sword, so what, you'll still likely die here," Alphonse said pointing at the stab wound to her chest. "Plus you no longer have any armor to speak of and those clothes of yours reveal far too much skin for them to be practical in any combat scenario!"

"Currently I do not have enough knowledge on my newfound powers what with Clarent literally melding with my very mind as we speak however I do know that there is an armor similar to that of my Father's that I must train toward using. For now however I shall show you why you were a fool to denounce the power of Clarent Alphonse, prepare yourself!"

Little did Mordred know however that although her change did affect the process of finally unlocking the true power and knowledge held within Clarent that there was another forgotten force that had a hand in granting her the power she sought with all her heart in that desperate moment.

The Holy Grail had seen her wish and had deemed it not only necessary for her own survival but a just one as well, allowing it to remove most of the restrictions around Clarent save for the ones put in place by Merlin himself to prevent a certain disaster from occurring.

However that was for another day.

Right now Mordred was experiencing something that her Father had gone through in order to become King as the sentient mind of Clarent bestowed sacred knowledge upon its new Master, bonding with her in a way it had never done before.

Mordred found a sense of almost constant calm flowing through her as if the sword itself was soothing her fears surrounding her opponent telling her that everything was going to be alright now. Though she could still feel her normal personality that too lacked the usual grouchiness or biting undertone it once held with it now becoming more playful in nature as it had steadily become since she met Natsu.

Should Mordred fear what the sword's influence would do to who she was? Was this why her Father was so apathetic toward her every action no matter how serious or detrimental to the Kingdom they may have been?

Perhaps it was time for a talk with her Father to discover just what laid in store for her now that Clarent had truly bonded with her?

But before that however Mordred needed to overcome Alphonse and his own powerful blade Lapis, a blade of monstrous power fuelled by the infinite well that was a Philosopher's Stone granting him nearly infinite levels of power.

Where her mind before saw an arrogant old man wielding a blade that was powerful but not anything to be worried about she now saw the situation for what it really was. Before her was Alphonse Elric, Master Alchemist and a master of many forms of combat.

The being before her was most likely not the true Alphonse Elric but a darker version bound to the Homunculus it called a body for far too long having grown bitter at the world as a result or possibly inciting madness within his very mind.

Couple that with the fact that his Master was a supposed God like being granting him access to an enormous font of power in addition to his own he was not a foe that the old Mordred could have ever possibly beaten.

The new Mordred however could see everything in a much clearer light, the corruption on her mind from abusing Clarent's power now lifted like a shadowy haze granting her a greater awareness of things that she had never even considered possible as she eyed the entire battlefield assigned for the Trial of Iron.

There was a way to win; she just had to play her cards right.

"I'll prove to you that you've still achieved nothing, the power of an Alchemist Knight reigns supreme over your order of Knights Mordred," Alphonse said as he charged forward with Mordred easily slipping into a defensive stance.

Bringing his sword down for a vertical strike Mordred simply moved the right whilst using the flat of her blade to bump Lapis mid strike sending it crashing into the ground. Alphonse was still for a moment before ripping his blade out of the ground and spinning around for a horizontal slash attack only to find Mordred had already parried his attack again sending it into the ground.

"What is this!"

Mordred didn't respond which seemed to anger Alphonse as he tried to land a thrust attack only for Mordred to jump in the air and land on the flat of his blade pinning it to the ground with her heels.

"I can see your movements Alphonse, designed for brute force assaults over finesse."

Swinging Clarent upward she sliced Alphonse in two from the waist up before jumping off of the blade and taking several steps back in preparation for his reformation. It was only a matter of seconds before Alphonse was charging toward her again prompting Mordred to yet again begin redirecting his slow yet powerful strikes.

"You won't manage to land a strike with attacks that slow, now I see how Father was so easily able to best me in all our mock battles. Power means nothing if your strikes cannot land against your foe, a simple notion yet one also seemingly lost to the majority."

"Damn you," Alphonse growled as he sent a vertical slash attack Mordred's way prompting her to raise a horizontal guard in response.

The attack slammed into her blade as Mordred was sent skidding backward from the force however the attack failed to leave so much as a scratch, a fact that began to anger Alphonse even more.

"No I refuse to accept you grew this much stronger just because of that sword, I will strike you down!"

'So now he begins to tap into the power of the Philosopher's Stone. Let us see just what that famous stone is good for?'

Mordred stood unfazed as Alphonse gained a massive boost in power from the stone that began to roll off of him in waves. Simply raising her guard Mordred waited unflinchingly for the first attack and soon enough it came and went with Lapis being redirected albeit with some difficulty into the ground yet again.

Mordred flinched as blood spurted out of her wound forcing her to clutch her chest in pain, an opening Alphonse took full advantage of.

Charging forward Mordred frowned as Alphonse moved to strike however Mordred simply made a slashing motion with Clarent using her free hand sending an aerial slash attack his way to force him back for but a moment.

'Damn … this thing hurts worse than I thought, I wonder if that'll do the trick though?'

Sacred Fire roared to life around Mordred with much of it superheating her blade to unfathomable degrees of heat, perfect for what she was about to do as she placed the flat of her blade up against her chest cauterizing her wound as best she could.

Bringing the sword around to her back Mordred sealed the wound on her back wincing all the while before dismissing the flames and looking at her now glowing blade with a small smile reaching her lips.

"I hope you understand Alphonse that I have things I have to fight for here, people who are counting on me to be the best that I can. In order to ensure I keep all the promises I've made I have to take you down!"

"Try all you want Mordred Pendragon but it will all be for naught now that Lapis is almost fully charged and ready!"

"You will come to regret your actions Alphonse," Mordred sighed as her blade began to glow in a silvery light as Alphonse's glowed a sickly green.

"Prepare to feel the power of an Alchemist Knight Mordred! Noble Phantasm Release: Lapis Philosophorum Mea!"

A massive blast of energy was unleashed from Alphonse's blade and was fired directly at Mordred who simply stood her ground as the silvery light encompassed both her and her blade as Mordred felt the connection between them reach its highest point yet.

I call upon the Sacred Blade

Grant thy most humble Servant your aid

Grant thy most humble Servant the power to protect

Grant thy most noble Servant the power to resolve

Grant thy most powerful Servant the power to unite

Grant thy most gracious Servant the power to overcome

Raising the blade above her head a massive Silver Pillair of light appeared which connected to the blade as Mordred's eyes locked onto what remained of Alphonse's own which gazed back into her own in utter shock.

"Noble Phantasm Release: Clarent!"

A sizeable blast was fired at Alphonse's own with the two attacks clashing quickly causing the whole area to begin shaking as both Servants put everything they had into what would be their final attacks.

For a full minute it was back and forth between the two attacks until Mordred's suddenly smashed through hitting Alphonse who was blown off of his feet as the attack sent him flying off into the distance well beyond the set boundaries for the Trial of Iron.

After travelling for some time Alphonse found himself smashing into a particularly sturdy tree managed to hold him in place as Mordred's Noble Phantasm began to strip away the very metal of his Homunculi body.

"So this is the power the successor of King Arthur possesses … truly those of Arthurian Legend are fearsome foes indeed," Alphonse said before being completely erased by Mordred who deactivated her Noble Phantasm and dropped to her knees panting heavily as her clothes reverted to her basic civilian ones.

"Damn," Mordred panted before flopping onto her back with a wide grin. "I did it I actually won!"

Holding up Clarent she watched as the blade slowly dematerialized, silently thanking it for everything as it went with a content hum responding in kind.

"I wish Natsu could've seen me fight," Mordred sighed as she cocked her head toward the location he was headed toward. "Here's hoping he beats the crap out of this God and if he does that he praises me extra hard for achieving what everyone assumed was the impossible."

Mordred grinned again before feeling her eyelids growing heavier and heavier until they could no longer support themselves and she fell into blissful unconsciousness, the memory of her most recent victory plastered at the forefront of her mind.

Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!