A national highway, illuminated by the lights of the city behind it, stretched from Trifas towards Millennia Castle. Ahead of the road lay an endless plain, with the highway extending freely across the vast land until it crossed the county border.
Though it was a wide two-lane road, there were hardly any streetlights, and no vehicles traveled along it.
At night, the highway seemed forgotten in this quiet expanse.
Few knew that deep within the plain traversed by the highway, a white beast was tearing through the midnight tranquility, speeding furiously.
It was a classic AE86, designed and manufactured by Japan's Toyota Company. Renowned globally for its simple appearance, compact design, and low fuel consumption, it was beloved by many consumers.
However, this model, not known for its horsepower and speed, now roared like a beast.
After forcefully pressing the accelerator a few times, the car's speed surged past 180 km/h. Astonishingly, the one driving this dangerously fast car was a hot-blooded young woman.
"Damn it! It's already started! Master!"
Despite flooring the accelerator, the girl continued to loudly express her dissatisfaction.
"It's obvious."
Through the windshield, one could see the Dragon Tooth Warriors, homunculi, and puppets locked in battle in the distance. However, the scar-faced man sitting next to her paid no mind to the battle, clinging desperately to the handle above the window, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Are you sure you have the Riding skill?"
Riding, the ability to control mounts, also extended to modern vehicles.
"Of course, there's no horse I can't tame! Don't underestimate the Knights of the Round Table."
Despite her confident words, the car began to jolt violently the next second, her gear-shifting technique exceptionally rough.
"Damn it, even the laws of physics have to rebel against me."
A Knight of the Round Table, rebellion—the girl's identity was laid bare—Red Saber Mordred. Naturally, the man speaking was her Master.
"That's right, I am the rebellious knight."
"But is this okay? Coming here to fight as the Red Saber—this means you'll be opposing her again."
"That—"
Mordred slightly eased her foot off the accelerator, causing the AE86 to slow down.
"Is exactly what I want."
"Is that true?"
Kairi Sisigou smiled wryly, sensing the girl's hesitation.
"You don't want to fight her, do you? In your life, you rebelled because she didn't acknowledge you. But now, I can feel that she has accepted you."
"That's just your feeling. Whether she acknowledges me or not, I need to hear it from her. More importantly, she pisses me off."
"Pisses you off?"
This time, Sisigou was genuinely confused.
He always thought the conflict between the two was about acknowledgment, and Mordred had admitted as much. But what did this "pissing off" mean?
"Hmph, she dedicated her life to Britain, finally stepped down from the throne, and now she fights for the world. Ahhh, can't she think about herself for once? Even if it's a wish to kill me, it's still better than this ridiculous reason—idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot! Just thinking about it makes me inexplicably angry."
The more Mordred spoke, the more agitated she became, almost gnashing her teeth by the end.
But Sisigou couldn't help but laugh out loud: "I see, so that's the reason."
"What's so funny, Master? Why that expression?"
Mordred glared at him.
"Nothing."
Shishigou shrugged.
"Just thinking that you do love your father."
"Ha? Master, is there something wrong with your brain or your ears? Me, like my father? How is that possible? Listen up, I hate that person the most, the most, the most, the most!!!"
"Yes, yes, I got it. You hate her the most."
Kairi Sisigou's words sounded dismissive.
"Tch, now I'm even more pissed off."
Mordred pouted.
In an instant, crimson lightning flowed from the shift lever into the clutch and spread throughout the entire power system.
The AE86 then shot up a ramp, leaping into the air—a regular sedan running so wildly was possible only due to Mordred's magical reinforcement.
"Slow down, slow down, slow down!!!"
"Shut up! Arriving late to the battlefield is too embarrassing!"
"Maybe I should drive after all!"
Sisigou continued his last-ditch effort.
"Stop talking, Master, or you'll bite your tongue!"
Shishigou could only respond with a scream: "Owaaaah!"
Thus, the consequences of angering a brat became painfully clear.
...
In the opposite direction of the AE86's wild ride, another white figure was galloping freely across the land. Unlike the former, which was a modern technological creation dubbed an iron horse, the latter was a true purebred white horse, the mount of King Arthur—Dun Stallion.
At this moment, Dun Stallion was racing towards the battlefield at a speed not inferior to that of the AE86.
On the white horse, the Knight King, clad in silver armor and helmet, held the reins, focused on the path ahead. Behind her, the saint entrusted with the duty of judgment locked her eyes on the aerial garden above, a vision flashing before her like a mirage.
A man in a monastic robe, his true face obscured, stood in the center of the garden, surrounded by raging flames.
"Yes, he is the greatest distortion, the root of the anomaly."
Hearing the saint's mutterings, the Knight King turned to inquire.
"Jeanne?"
"I've found the source of the problem. It's in that aerial garden, Artoria. I'm counting on you."
"Understood—Dun!"
At her master's call, the white horse neighed loudly, and its already impressive speed surged further, breaking past 200 km/h. The tremendous impact instantly pulverized the Dragon Tooth Warriors wandering on the battlefield's edge.
It was at this moment that they heard a piercing, shrill metallic sound.
A blood-splattered, bright red car with a dented body was barreling towards the white horse while colliding with Dragon Tooth Warriors and homunculi, dodging golems.
Realizing what would happen if this continued, Artoria patted the horse's back. Dun Stallion understood immediately and leaped over the car.
The AE86, upon passing, made a sharp turn as if forcibly twisted by a giant, and continued its relentless pursuit with a crazed honking, seemingly determined to crash into the white horse.
More intense than the horn was the gaze from within the car, piercing through the dirt-covered windshield, fixated on the figure she had obsessed over all her life, even after death.
"I won't let you get away, Father!"