In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

Having escaped the fear of death, Shishigaki's mind subconsciously relaxed, and just as he was about to take a breath of fresh air—

A sharp dagger silently slid towards his neck.

Chapter Seventeen: Why You?

Just as the dagger was about to slit Lion's throat, Mordred, who was standing in front of Lion, suddenly turned around and slashed out with his sword, while simultaneously sweeping his leg, causing Lion to fall to the ground.

clang!

With a flash of light, the small dagger was instantly deflected by the demonic sword surrounded by crimson lightning and embedded deeply into the bluestone ground not far away.

"what......."

The attacker in the shadows let out a regretful sigh, his voice surprisingly childish.

"Assassinating my Master right in front of me, there's a limit to how much you can look down on someone." Mordred slung his sword over his shoulder, a smug smile playing on his lips.

Having survived the ordeal, Lion's Roar instinctively turned his head and found someone standing behind him. Despite being so close, he couldn't sense a single presence, as if there was only emptiness there.

However, this was not the most surprising thing for Lion's Claw.

What truly surprised him was that standing behind him was a young girl, seemingly younger than his Servant Mordred. She had messy, casually tied-up silver hair, and her icy blue eyes were wide with surprise. Several scabbards hung at her waist, but she wasn't wearing a skirt, only a leather top. Despite her youthful appearance, she exuded a uniquely alluring aura.

This is the Black Faction's Assassin, the legendary Jack the Ripper who committed a series of murders.

"I got slashed, that's so mean." Jack the Ripper muttered to himself, looking at his bleeding hand. His youthful face made Lionheart feel a little guilty.

"Excessive my foot! You're a Servant, yet you use such despicable methods as a Food Soul to replenish your magic power. You filthy trash!"

However, Mordred lacked the empathy of ordinary people. From the moment she entered the battle, she was a rebellious knight who only sought victory.

Besides, she hadn't forgotten that although this guy looked like a child, he was a serial killer through and through.

"That's interesting. Are you standing up for those guys?" Black Assassin tilted his head, his innocent big eyes staring straight at Mordred. "They're all scum anyway, so what does it matter?"

As she spoke, she threw the blade with a very natural motion without moving her arm.

Although Black Assassin's movements were very stealthy, Mordred, relying on her extraordinary intuition, still raised her arm the instant Black Assassin threw the dagger, using the magic-blessed gauntlet to deflect the entire blade away.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Black Assassin chuckled and leaped backward, the thick fog instantly obscuring her figure.

"Master, take care of yourself, I'll be right back!"

After leaving those words, Mordred immediately rushed into the thick fog. Although the fog made her body feel slightly heavier, it did not significantly affect her movements.

"Hey~ Our name is Jack, Jack the Ripper~ Can you tell us your name?"

"Shut up! You're so noisy!"

The sound came from all directions, making it impossible to determine its source. In addition to the thick fog, Assassin's inherent skill [Scent Concealment] also provided her with natural protection, making it even more difficult for Mordred to find the opponent's location.

However, there was something else that puzzled Mordred: the other party was clearly only one person, so what did this so-called "we" mean?

Before Mordred could continue thinking, several daggers suddenly pierced through the mist and attacked. Although she reacted quickly with the help of her intuition and swept them all away, she was still accidentally hit in the chest armor by one of them.

But it doesn't matter. Her armor was forged by the witch Morgan herself. Although it can't compare to the legendary dragon scales, it's still a piece of cake to defend against this ordinary dagger, which isn't even a magical construct.

And that was indeed the case. The armor was intact, but Mordred suddenly felt a strange force travel along the dagger, piercing through the armor and striking her body, leaving a shallow wound on her waist and abdomen.

"So that's how it is. You really are a 'woman'."

The Black Assassin's words immediately struck a nerve with Mordred. Her demonic helmet instantly retracted, revealing her beautiful face. Powerful magic whipped her golden hair, and her azure eyes blazed with furious rage. She gritted her teeth and spoke, each word deliberate and forceful:

"You—you damned brat!!!"

Crackling and popping—!!!

With Mordred's beast-like roar, countless crimson lightning bolts suddenly appeared around the ferocious demonic sword, raging in all directions as if the heavens were venting their rage, instantly dispelling the thick fog around them.

The black Assassin, now free of her cover, stared blankly at Mordred. This was the first time she had ever seen someone break through her fog in such a direct and violent way.

"It's over, Assassin. If you want to have a good cry, do it now. You won't have that chance after your head is chopped off."

Mordred, a sinister smile on his lips, strode toward Black Assassin, carrying the demonic sword encircled by crimson lightning.

"No way, I'm still very hungry."

Black Assassin spoke in a childlike, innocent tone, tightly gripping two cleavers used for cutting meat.

"Don't worry, you won't feel hungry anymore once you're dead."

Mordred stomped her foot, and the bluestone bricks cracked instantly. The powerful reaction force propelled her body like a meteor towards Black Assassin.

She raised her demon sword high, intending to cleave it down like a powerful wave, severing her in two. Meanwhile, the Black Assassin slid to her side with a strange movement, planning to cut her neck with his cleaver.

If a swordsman's dash transcends the realm of humanity, then an assassin's actions completely abandon human factors, reaching the level of a monster [beast].

However, how could the best Saber possibly lose to a murderer lurking in the shadows in close combat?

Watching the two fight, Shiki completely trusted his Servant in this regard. Assassins are a great threat to their Masters, but when facing a Servant, they can't make a ripple at all.

However, at this moment, Lion Robber suddenly felt a sharp pain in his palm.

This is his sacrificial artifact, a demon monkey's wrist that has turned into dead wax. The effect of this sacrificial artifact is to set up a repelling barrier to drive people away, and it can also be used to detect intruders.

This reaction at this moment... is undoubtedly a warning of intrusion by outsiders!

A nameless fear filled his heart, and without thinking, Lion's Roar shouted:

“Saber!”

The instant he finished speaking, a dozen golden chains suddenly swept out from the depths of darkness, swooping down on Black Assassin and Mordred like dragons.

A chill instantly rushed to the top of Mordred's head, and a strong intuition filled his heart: he must not be bound by these chains no matter what!

Her body moved before logic could process it. Her feet slammed into the ground, forcibly braking her powerful sprint, while she swung her demonic sword, colliding with the oncoming chains.

Clang clang clang clang—!!!

The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing echoed through the night sky, and dazzling sparks illuminated the surrounding darkness. Mordred gritted his teeth and swung the golden chain away.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mordred quickly retreated, putting distance between herself and the eerie chains.

Meanwhile, Black Assassin was using her petite frame and extraordinary agility to dodge the chains' attacks, but unfortunately, there were just too many chains and they were too fast. Caught off guard, she was accidentally bound.

What happened next caused Mordred and Lion's Claw to twitch in unison. The black Assassin, bound by golden chains, lost the ability to resist almost instantly. His head drooped limply, and his aura became extremely weak, as if all his strength had been drained.

"Watch out, Saber! Those chains have a nullifying effect on magic!"

Lion's extensive combat experience made him immediately aware of the terror of these chains. Although Servants have physical bodies and seem no different from ordinary people, they are still magical creations in essence. If they are bound by these chains and cannot break free, they will definitely dissipate completely!

Who exactly is it? Choosing to attack both the black Assassin and the red Saber simultaneously, whose side is it on?

As Lion's Robbery and Mordred stared intently at the direction from which the chains were coming, a few moments later, the sound of footsteps echoed in their ears, and a figure slowly emerged from the depths of the shadows.

Looking at those black hair and black eyes that seemed to blend into the night, Lion's heart pounded several times faster in an instant, and a strong sense of horror appeared in his eyes.

The black team's Rider! ? It's him?!

Of the two Servants currently appearing on the Black side, Rider is undoubtedly the one who exerts the strongest pressure on the Red side. After all, the Grand Duke of Wallachia gained such terrifying strength due to the local advantage, while Rider, who seems to have inherited Odin's power, is a truly top-tier Servant.

"This is bad, Saber, we need to retreat quickly!"

Lion's Roar immediately issued the order. Although he didn't know why Rider would attack Assassin, who was on the same side, the latter was much more threatening than Assassin!

However, Saber did not respond to Shishio's words. She stood silently in place for a long time before finally speaking in a hoarse voice:

Why you?

Chapter Eighteen: Revealing One's Identity

"We meet again."

Yanan looked at Mordred in front of him and smiled wryly.

Although he knew this would happen sooner or later, he couldn't help but feel a little complicated.

"Again?" Anan's words left Lion's Claw completely bewildered. Had they met Black Rider before?

Since he and Saber didn't meet anyone else after arriving in Sighishwara except for the two Masters of the Red Faction, how did Black Rider come to know them?

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Lion's mind, and his face stiffened.

No way, could it be that Black Rider really was from that time...?

"Why did you lie to me?" Mordred lowered his head, his hand gripping the hilt of the cursed sword tightly. "Did you really want to see me make a fool of myself?!"

“But I didn’t lie to you,” Yanan said with a wry smile.

"Then why didn't you tell me your true identity? Why did you use the alias Yanan to deceive me?" Mordred growled.

“First of all, you didn’t ask me if I was a Servent. Secondly, Yanan is not an alias; this is my real name,” Yanan said, spreading his hands helplessly.

"You're still lying to me!" However, Yanan's words did not calm Mordred down; instead, they ignited her anger completely. "I have never heard of any Heroic Spirit in history named Yanan!"

Lion's Claw nodded in agreement. Judging from Black Rider's abilities, he was undoubtedly a famous hero in history, but he had never heard of the name Anan, which was really illogical.

“This is not strange. The history you know is based on the current world trajectory, but the Throne of Heroes is an existence independent of time and space, so sometimes, there will be non-native summons,” Anahn explained patiently.

Lion's pupils contracted slightly. Could Black Rider's words mean that he was not a Heroic Spirit of this world?

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Anan, and I am a Heroic Spirit from another world, where I have another identity—"

Anan looked at Mordred, his tone unchanged, and said:

"Arthur, Lord of Camelot, King of Britain."

These twelve words, though brief, struck Mordred and Lionheart like a heavy hammer, causing them to instinctively take a step back.

This mysterious black Rider is actually King Arthur from another world!?

An indescribable absurdity filled Lion's mind, a feeling even stranger than when he first heard that Yggdrasil had betrayed the Mage's Association.

However, at the same time, he finally realized why Black Rider treated Saber so differently.

Who could have imagined that King Arthur's reunion with the rebellious knight would take place under such circumstances?

"Hmph, Arthur, is that it..."

After a long silence, Mordred suddenly let out a cold laugh, looked up at Anan, and pointed his magic sword straight at him: "I don't care which world's Arthur you are, but since you bear this identity, it means that a battle between us is inevitable."

"Do we really have to do this?" Yanan asked helplessly.