[Semiramis: "Your smile is infuriating!"]
[A massive number of chains materialized—this time, more than two hundred—striking at Mordred from all directions.]
["You're the annoying one!"]
[Mordred fought back while dashing forward. Though she managed to destroy most of the chains, three managed to entangle her.]
[Without hesitation, she released a surge of magical energy, shattering the remaining chains before accelerating toward Semiramis at full speed.]
[Semiramis retreated to the throne, summoning divine fish scales as a barrier while simultaneously preparing to summon the strongest beast she could.]
["Out of my way!"]
[Mordred shattered the divine fish scales and attempted to press forward, but the slight delay had given Semiramis enough time to complete her spell.]
["Manifest—reveal yourself!"]
[My strongest summoned beast, one of Tiamat's eleven creations—Bašmu—!]
["Alright, Saber, let me see just how miserable you can get!"]
["Heh."]
[Ishtar: "That's Bašmu! How can a human like you summon that thing?"]
Although the others had seen Semiramis summon Bašmu during the battle against Goetia the previous night, none of them except Gilgamesh had known its identity until now.
Waver: "I recall that Tiamat's eleven monsters were originally created by the Mother Goddess of Creation to destroy the gods, right?"
Ishtar: "Yeah, they were enemies of the gods. But after being defeated by Marduk, Bašmu became a guardian, protecting the gates instead."
Ishtar: "No—this isn't the full version. I was wondering how a human could completely summon a being like Bašmu."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Even if it's only a partial summoning, it's still an incredibly fearsome entity."
Waver: "This really seems like the end of the line."
Sisigou: "No—don't jump to conclusions just yet."
[Semiramis had become overconfident. Because of her pride, she failed to recognize how different the situation was from before.]
[That fool who doesn't care about his own life. He's already charged in.]
[And in his hand, a Command Seal.]
["Use the Command Seal! Now's the time to seize victory!"]
["Master, I accept!"]
[Mordred ignored the immobilized Bašmu, making no attempt to engage it, and instead swung her sword straight at Semiramis.]
[With the boost from the Command Seal, her speed surpassed its limits. Semiramis was too slow to react, her shoulder was severed, and part of her spiritual core was destroyed.]
[Semiramis regretted not fleeing immediately, but it was far too late for regrets now.]
Waver: "This—"
Mordred: "Heh, I told you all not to underestimate me. Now you know how strong I am."
Semiramis: "Hmph. You're just relying on the power of the Command Seal."
Mordred: "And you, old hag, underestimated your opponent."
Kayneth: "Even if we assume she has recovered by ten percent, the multiple-choice answer didn't say Semiramis was eliminated. In other words, though she's been heavily injured, she's still alive."
Sisigou: "Yeah, managing to pull this off was already beyond my expectations."
[Teleportation activated—Semiramis vanished.]
[Mordred turned back, realizing that not only Semiramis but also Bašmu had disappeared.]
[That meant Semiramis had truly fled.]
[And with her departure, the poisonous gas in the hall also dissipated.]
["Hah…"]
[Sisigou weakly climbed up, managing to sit on the steps, while Mordred also collapsed, removing her armor.]
[Sisigou: "Saber, did we win?"]
[Mordred: "Of course, didn't you see?"]
[Sisigou: "I can't see anymore."
[Mordred: "...I dealt her a fatal blow. That woman's dead for sure."]
[Sisigou: "Good… To be honest, this was a complete gamble. I had no idea if it would work."]
[Mordred: "What exactly was that injection?"]
[Sisigou: "A serum made to counteract Hydra's poison. When I realized the Black Archer was Chiron, I expected something like this. After all, if it was that wicked Empress, this was bound to happen."]
Chiron: "..."
Waver: "So it wasn't just luck, Sisigou actually predicted Semiramis's move."
Semiramis: "You're rather sharp for a man, being able to read my intentions like that."
[Mordred: "Hahaha, so that's it! My Master's amazing!"]
[Sisigou: "Sorry to interrupt your celebration, but I have bad news."
Mordred: "What is it?"
Sisigou: "Saber, I'm going to die."
Mordred: "...No hope?"
Sisigou: "None. I injected myself with the serum, but it was too strong. Well, it was a gamble with terrible odds—can't really complain about the result."]
Tohsaka Rin: "So he didn't die from the poison, but from the serum instead."
Sisigou: "That serum isn't something to be used carelessly. If handled incorrectly, it can be fatal, just like in the video."
[Sisigou: "But in that situation, I didn't have the luxury of overthinking it."
Mordred: "Whatever. It was worth it just to put that old hag in her place."
Mordred: "Looks like I'm disappearing too, then…"
Sisigou: "If you hurry, you might make it. The Black Faction still has two Masters left."
Mordred: "What are you talking about? My fight ends here."
Sisigou: "...Are you really okay with that?"
Mordred: "If I were a Servant who wanted to cling to life in disgrace, maybe I'd keep fighting. But I'd rather stop here. It doesn't matter anymore."
Sisigou: "Really? Your personality really works against you."
Mordred: "I still can't compare to you."]
[Mordred murmured, "I'm sorry, Master. If only I were stronger—"
Sisigou: "No point in those kinds of thoughts. We both pushed ourselves to the limit. That's enough."
Mordred: "So? What do you think of my performance?"
Sisigou: "What do you think? You're an excellent Servant. Honestly, you were wasted on someone like me."]
[Sisigou pulled out two cigarettes, ones he had never had the chance to smoke, and lit one for himself.]
[He noticed Mordred eyeing it with curiosity and handed the last one to her.]
[After hesitating for a moment, Mordred took it, mimicking Sisigou as she tried to smoke.]
[But after just one puff, her face twisted in confusion.]
["What the hell is this?"]
[Sisigou: "Hahaha, it burns a little, doesn't it?"
Mordred: "Do you actually enjoy smoking this crap?"
Sisigou: "No, but it still burns…"]
Tohsaka Rin: "You really are a bad influence. First drinking, now smoking?"
Sisigou: "Hahaha, we're about to die—why are you still nitpicking?"
Sisigou: "But I didn't expect Saber to willingly give up on the Holy Grail."
Mordred: "Come on, I failed because I couldn't protect my Master."
[Mordred fell silent for a moment, then spoke.]
["...I don't want to pull the Sword of Selection anymore. I don't see the point."]
[Sisigou: "So you've given up on becoming king?"
Mordred: "Rather than giving up, I finally understand. I'll be happy just picking up what was left behind by the king's hands."]
["Ah… If I said I had no resentment toward my father, that'd be a lie."]
["I don't hate my father, but I do hate that country. In that era, my father had to carry everything on his shoulders—just because he was cursed with the title of king."]
["Every time I close my eyes, I dream of challenging the Sword of Selection, only to fail. I thought there was something missing, something necessary to become a king. But that wasn't the case."]
["It's not that I lacked something—it's that my father's starting point was different. My father became king because he wanted to make someone smile, even if he never knew their name."]
["So I don't care anymore. Even if our interpretations differ, even if there's a misunderstanding—it doesn't matter. I accept it. That's enough."]
Mordred: "..."
Artoria: "Sir Mordred…"
Mordred: "Hmph, don't get me wrong. I just don't want that position anymore."
Mordred: "Like I said in the video, that position isn't an honor, it's a curse."
Lancelot: "My king, this is our fault. We failed to support you and forced everything onto your shoulders."
Artoria: "It's not your fault. This was the path I chose."
["...I see. Even if I have to abandon my dream, I can still learn something."]
[Sisigou's voice grew weaker as he murmured, "In the end, all I wanted was for that girl to live… to smile at me. That would have been enough."]
["I was never cut out to be a magus."]
["I'm finally… free."]
["Magus are like that. Their lives are bound by curses and contracts. Not many get to say goodbye as easily as I did…"]
[Mordred: "...For what it's worth, Master, I was happy to fight alongside you."]
[A faint smile appeared on Sisigou's lips. The cigarette slipped from his fingers, falling silently to the ground.]
***
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