"Senpai, even though Sir Kay asked us to go away, do you think it was really wise to leave him alone with that Servant?"

While they were on the run, moving away from the fight between Kay and the mysterious Servant, Mash asked Ritsuka who grimaced upon hearing her question.

"I don't know..."

On the one hand, the warning Romani had given them that the Servant was stronger than the Knights of the Round Table when they were enhanced by the Lion King remained firmly in her mind.

As far as she knew, they were the most powerful enemies they had to face throughout their journey, bar the goddess herself, and the fact that the unknown Servant was stronger than the knights made her shiver in fear.

Even if she decided to go along with his words, she felt a bit doubtful if leaving Kay behind was the right decision, him being nothing but a living human. But then again, unlike Bedivere who was the same as him and struggled to fight against his former comrades, Kay was on a league on his own, his strength being beyond the reach of their comprehension.

There was never a time when he didn't amazed her, one way or another.

Still, she then turned to the bodyguard Kay entrusted them to, wishing to know the opinion of one of his companions.

"Uhm... Yggdrasil, was it, do you think Kay will be alright?" She asked the floating young woman who tilted her head at the question before she gave them a nod, a smile on her face.

"~"

"Well, it seems we have nothing to worry about, I guess..." Ritsuka said, scratching her head while Mash only stared at her with a dumbfounded look.

"Senpai, you do know that her opinion may be biased, right?"

"That's true..." Ritsuka nodded, feeling herself agreeing with Mash.

However, due to her experience in dealing with Berserker-class Servants who lost their ability to speak thanks to their [Madness Enhancement] skill, she learned how to pick-up and understand people's body language and facial expression.

And because of that, she could feel Yggdrasil's utter confidence in Kay beaming out of her smile, leading her to trust her judgment.

"Anyway, let's just have faith in Kay that he can hold on on his own for now. Right now, our main priority is to regroup with the others first, then we'll go help him. Doctor, can you give us the coordinates to Arthur and the others?"

[Alright, lea–]

"There is no need, I'll take you all to their locations."

Interrupting Romani was Merlin who appeared before the group with a burst of pink petals, floating on her staff with her usual smile.

[Geh! Merlin!]

"There is no need to be that surprised, Doctor, for I am everywhere at every moment. In fact, you should be delighted to see me."

[There's no way I would be!]

"Merlin, what were you doing? You suddenly disappeared after we summoned Mash."

"I was just observing the fights going on. I mean, I said that I'd record everybody's heroic figures perfectly for the world to see and I intend to honor my words." Merlin said while giggling but her answer only made Ritsuka and Mash stare dubiously at the woman.

'You can't be serious...' They both thought, not understanding how and why she would spend her time broadcasting the fights when there was a crisis currently on hand.

"That said, who do you want to join first?" Merlin said as she snapped her fingers, causing several projections to pop-up before their eyes, each displaying a fight occuring around and inside the fortress.

"Th... this is..."

In the courtyard, hidden behind a wall was a young woman as she watched a fight occur between two animals, both wielding a weapon on their own as they clashed against each other, sparks flying in the air.

[I knew from the moment we met that you weren't trustworthy but for you to blatantly betray our lord and turn on us, do you have any shame?!]

"Say as you wish but my choice is made for am I Lü Bu and I easily betray people as I eat carrots in the morning! Neigh!"

[If that is your decision, so be it! Even if our lord grants you forgiveness, as her loyal retainer, I will never forgive you for your actions!]

'Su... such loyalty! As expected of one of the Knights of the Round Table, he's an example to be followed!' The young woman couldn't help herself but to squeal in admiration as she looked at Cavall with stars in her eyes.

[Assemble around me, my brethren! It is time for us to fight for our lord!] Cavall roared with a bestial howl and, to the surprise of the young woman and Red Hare, several howls were heard from beyond the fortress as if responding to those of Cavall.

And then, jumping from above the walls and appearing from the walls' shadows were wolves, all possessing deep black fur as they all growled at Red Hare with baleful breath and blazing red eyes.

[My brethren, it is time for us to fulfill our duties to our lord and eliminate all obstacles present in her path to become the chief of all packs!]

[Sir, yes, sir!]

[And now we will exterminate the filthy traitor who dared to betray our lord's honor after she showed him compassion and even gave him some food made by her mate!]

[Unforgivable! Unforgivable!]

[What's our speciality, puppies?!]

[Kill! Kill! Kill!]

[What is our goal in this fight?!]

[Kill! Kill! Kill!]

[In the name of the Wild Hunt! For our lord, the belly rubs and the food! Charge!]

As she watched Cavall and the wolves charge at Red Hare, a few of them merging with the shadows on the way, the young woman felt compelled to join them in their battle and offer her aid. And while she wondered about her next action, she frowned her eyes when she felt a powerful source of Magical Energy coming from a distance going in the direction of Cavall and the wolves who all took notice.

Not hesitating a moment, she jumped in the battlefield where she saw an arrow coming at full speed at them, leading her to pull out her horn which then caused her body to grow in leaps and bounds. Then, she swung her sword, which grew with her body and bathed in black flame, upwards at the arrow, causing it to change direction as it flew outside the fortress.

She looked at the distance to see the Servant who shot the arrow, glaring at her which she returned.

[You are...]

Hearing Cavall's voice, Barguest turned to Cavall before she knelt before him and bow her head at the dog.

"Sir Cavall! My name is Barghest, a knight without a lord! Please allow me to fight by your side!"

Hearing her statement, Cavall simply stared at Barguest with caution as he was facing a traitor, not wishing to have another join his pack. But as he looked straight into her eyes, he let out a snort before he looked at Red Hare, turning his back on the young girl.

[I can feel your passion behind your eyes, lass… Very well, I'm leaving my back to you, so show me your worth!]

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, in the entrance hall, a certain fight happened between Artoria and her alternate counterpart, the former unleashing devastating blows with her sword while the Servant parried each of them with her own, each clash creating shockwaves that destroyed their surroundings.

"Only I am needed as his sibling! Now disappear, you faker!"

"Strange, I don't remember being this strong at this age or wielding that sword…!" Artoria Alter muttered before she blocked a sword strike coming from above her, causing a crater to form under her feet because of the power behind it.

"Still, it seems I underestimated you, so allow me to repay this debt in full." Artoria Alter said as she poured her Magical Energy into her sword, Excalibur, causing it to be coated into a black and red aura.

During their brief confrontation, she noticed that despite her young age, her skills with the sword weren't inferior to hers, much to her inner surprise. However, it seemed that she still lacked in some areas such as her manipulation of Magical Energy, not being adept at infusing it into her sword and body and instantly expelling it in order to increase their performance.

From what she had seen during their fight, so far, she only infused her Magical Energy into her body, causing her physical abilities to increase, and in her sword in order to launch ranged attacks, this being the only case where she successfully expelled her Magical Energy.

"You may be skilled with your sword... but it takes more than that to win a fight!"

As she let out a scream, she pushed Artoria back with her sword before swinging Excalibur upwards, unleashing a powerful blast of black aura that would have swallowed her opponent had she not let out one of her own, causing an explosion to happen between them.

But despite this and the cloud dust formed as a result, with Excalibur still being engulfed in a black aura in her hand, Artoria Alter expelled her Magical Energy behind her feet as she charged after her living counterpart in an instant before she relentlessly unleashed multiple sword strikes which Artoria narrowly managed to parry, wincing as she felt the power behind every single of her attacks.

"Damn...!"

Artoria tried to fight back, narrowly dodging one of the strikes before launching one of her own. However, she was left surprised when her sword was stopped in the middle of her swing by Artoria Alter who caught it with her glove, being fortified by being infused with Magical Energy. And while in the middle of her stupor, she then saw the Servant holding Excalibur high above her head, ready to swing it down.

Seeing this, Artoria grit her teeth as she decided to imitate the person before her, infusing her own fist and glove with Magical Energy and punched the sword away by striking on the flat part of the blade as it was swung down. However, before she could catch her breath, she felt something imbue itself into her guts, causing her to spit out some blood from her mouth before she quickly looked down, only to see that she had been kicked in the stomach.

During that small moment of vulnerability, Artoria Alter quickly swung Excalibur with one hand upward which Artoria managed to parry in time, albeit narrowly as her guard was left open and part of her chest armor being shredded by the blow. And without wasting any time, Artoria Alter delivered a Magical Energy-infused punch into her gut, causing Artoria to fly in the direction of a pillar, passing through it before crashing into a wall.

And as she stared at the spot where Artoria landed, Artoria Alter let out a frown as she stared at the hand she used to land a punch.

'That sensation... At the last moment, not only did she reinforce... no, she focused her Magical Energy in the area where I struck and also managed to hit my arm with her knee. As we continue to fight, she continues to grow further and beyond... Impressive.' She thought as she saw her living counterpart stood on her feet, seemingly unbothered by the blow she received.

"So, that's how you do it..." Artoria Alter frowned her eyes when she heard her mutter. Then, she momentarily widened her eyes in shock when she suddenly saw her standing before her, her sword slowly approaching her from below, as she closed the gap between them with a single step, leaving nothing but a small crater where she was left standing behind her.

She quickly raised Excalibur to parry the attack and the moment their swords made contact, she was momentarily surprised when she felt her feet leave the ground as she was sent flying, crashing through several walls in the process. And before she knew it, she found herself staring at the ceiling, lying on her back.

'Just what happened...'

As she let out a groan, she got up from her position before she turned to her living counterpart who was looking at her own hand.

"Alright, I think I'm starting to get the hang on it." Artoria said as she flexed her hands before punching the air, her magical energy being expelled at the same time.

'Did she... learn how to do this by merely observing me?'

"Fuh... I knew that she was still growing but this is simply ridiculous..."

Despite her words, her face displayed the faintest of smile, being seemingly amused by the absurdity of her current situation.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Vivian let out a sigh as she observed the battle unfolding before her eyes, lamenting the fact that her pretty little sister had become some sort of berserker during the ten years they were separated. But for now, she decided to let it go as she focused her attention on her counterpart who was looking at her with a sneer.

"What is so funny?"

"Nothing, really. I was merely... surprised to see your face among Artoria's Knights of the Round Table, as Merlin called you all. You were always the passive girl, Vivian, always watching from the sidelines but never took any actions yourselves, so consider me shocked to see you standing right before here." Morgan said as she took seat on a throne she conjectured for herself, much to Vivian's annoyance as she felt she was being looked down on by her counterpart.

"You're right, I wish I wasn't involved in this mess and I regret being in it. But now that I'm here, I have a duty to see this through." Vivian said as she readied her staff, fully prepared to fight while Morgan simply smirked as she adjusted her legs.

"Is that so? Then, I suppose I should give you a reward for your action. They do say that 'no good deed goes unpunished', after all." Morgan said as she raised her hand in the air, causing Vivian to narrow her eyes.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Oh, nothing special. I just intend to expose the lie that you, Uther and Merlin made up and reveal the truth that you all wanted to keep hidden, Vivian. That said, I really have to thank Merlin for exposing her Magecraft into the open."

"You can't mean..."

Upon hearing Morgan's words, Vivian suddenly felt her blood run cold before she tried to stop her counterpart by blasting her away with a spell which was, to her horror, deflected away by a Bounded Field.

And then, she could only helplessly watch as Morgan snapped her fingers, causing a projection to appear out of thin air, displaying the fight between her little sister and the Servant sharing her identity to appear out of thin air. And from what she felt, she knew that a similar projection had appeared outside the fortress, similar to how Merlin did when they first arrived in the area.

"Listen to my words, people of Britain. My name is Morgan Le Fay, I am here in this moment to tell you all that you were being currently deceived by Merlin! Look upon the sky and witness the true appearance of the one she called Arthur Pendragon, the son of the late king Uther Pendragon!"

"...This is bad, isn't it? Surely, nobody would believe her words, right?" Ritsuka muttered as she looked at Mash who had a grimace on her face.

Then, she turned to Yggdrasil and Merlin who both had different reaction to Morgan's words, the former only tilting her head in confusion while Merlin had a wide smile on her face, seemingly as amused as always.

"Look with your very own eyes and see that Arthur Pendragon isn't the one who you think he is as she's a woman, being Uther Pendragon's daughter!"

"Upon the orders of Uther, Merlin planned to hide the truth of her gender in order to make her ascend to the throne and succeed her father! But do you think it is fair for all the kings currently reigning over our country?! To have their rules being replaced by a lass who would lie to the world about her own self? Do you really believe you can entrust your lives and futures to this woman?"

As she looked at her counterpart running her mouth, Vivian started to ponder over her next action. With her Magecraft seemingly ineffective against her, she couldn't stop her by simply attacking her as she would deflect them away. Stopping the broadcast, she could try but she needed a moment to study the spell and, much to her horror, it would be too late as the truth would already be leaked. Hypnotize the whole country and make them forget what happened during the last hour, she would consider the idea after asking Merlin to help her. However, it didn't change the fact that she felt powerless and frustrated as she felt that all the efforts she made to keep Artoria's gender a secret were in vain, or the plans she planned during the last ten years for the future becoming useless.

"I don't know what you are planning to do, imposter, but I don't mind if you reveal to the world that I'm a woman."

And to her surprise, Artoria said as she took some distance from her counterpart, looking at Morgan le Fay who looked down on her with narrowed eyes.

"What did you say?"

"Just as I said, I don't mind if you revealed my true gender to the world. In fact, it's a huge help since now, I won't have to bother to hide it anymore."

"But Artoria, if the country knows about your gender, then you won't be eligible for the throne." Vivian said a bit shocked at her sister's lack of care for the whole situation as she just shook her head, letting out a sigh.

"Then let someone who cares become one. Personally, I don't really care whether I become king or not."

"...What?"

"You see, I've learned quite a bit about being a ruler during my travels with Brother, so I can say with certitude that I'm not fit for such a position. And dealing with paperwork isn't just for me." Artoria said, muttering the last part as she nodded to herself, uncaring of the stares she received from both the people present in the hall, nor the people who were watching Morgan's broadcast.

"Also, who said that a king had to be a man? I'm sure that as a woman, I could become a better ruler than many. That said, I'd rather be a traveler anyway than a ruler. That way, I could travel across the country with Brother and help people on our trips."

"Are you finally losing your sanity, Artoria Pendragon?" Morgan le Fay growled as she glared at Artoria who only tilted her head in response before she let out a chuckle, causing the Servant to grit her teeth in anger.

"What is so funny?!"

"Hmm? No, I was just wondering how I should thank you for the opportunity you gave me... and I figured that the best course of action would be to embrace my true self." Artoria said, taking a stance with her sword before saying a few words that no one managed to catch on.

"Awaken, O' Blessings placed upon my Body."

As if the words acted as a catalyst for a spell, Artoria's body started to shine with a bright light which illuminated the darkened hall and blinded the people present in it. And when it died down, all could see that Artoria's appearance had changed as both her outfit and behavior were different, giving her the air of a young princess.

"Let me introduce myself once more. My name is Artoria Pendragon, daughter of Uther Pendragon. If people don't wish for me to become a king, so be it. However, as a woman born in Britain, I will do my best to save my homeland that I love."

Meanwhile, in Chaldea, all the personnel present in the control room, as well as the Servants, were shocked by the ongoing event as no one made any noise, the only audible sounds coming from the monitor and the machines.

"Damn it..." Romani muttered under his breath, breaking the eerie silence that perpetuated the room as he scratched his head with frustration.

"Forget about repairing Human History, we just changed it as a whole... Leonardo, do you think we can still repair..." He started to say as he glanced at the genius before he widened in shock when he saw her devouring a bunch of sweets like nobody's business.

But more importantly, Romani recognized the sweets she was eating as they were from his secret stash that he stored in the nurse's office.

"How dare you, Leonardo?! I was storing them for later!"

"Shut up! I need to distress quickly or I'll explode, so be grateful I'm not drinking on the job!"

"At least, leave some to me!"

"No!"

Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, Artoria could only stare at the monitor speechlessly.

For all of her youth, she had been raised by Ector to become Britain's king as it was the role that was entrusted to her by Uther and Merlin upon her birth, for she was born to save the country from wars and famine. And so, she always thought that she had to shoulder the burden of the task, to renounce her own feelings and emotions for the greater good, so that peace would come to Britain.

But to see an alternate version of herself just throwing away her right to rule over the country, her right to become Britain's king just like that, was unthinkable to her for selfishness was the last thing that would come up to her mind.

While the thought of not becoming king, of letting the role go to someone else while she remained the simple villager she was before pulling Caliburn, emerged in her mind, especially during the time nearing her death after the event in Camlann, she never thought she'd see such thing happening before her eyes.

"My king, are you feeling alright?" Artoria heard Bedivere ask her, causing her to turn to her loyal knight to see him look at her in worry, an expression that was shared by the other knights as they all looked at her.

"I'm fine. It's just..." Artoria muttered as she placed her hand over her chest, which felt tight to her, a mournful expression on her face as she stared at her counterpart who stood tall. "I suppose I'm feeling a bit envious of her..."