An overwhelming vortex of magical power broke through the blockade of magic bullets, with highly concentrated crimson lightning shooting straight ahead.
Dazzling lights collided, instantly stirring up terrifying wind pressure at the explosion's center point.
This was Mordred's ultimate trump card, her all-out attack.
Unfortunately, since Semiramis was deemed by Mordred to be akin to her mother Morgan, a woman like a venomous snake, it was evident that reaching her wouldn't be an easy task.
The moment Mordred unleashed her Noble Phantasm, Semiramis knew she had lost this round of the clash. So she abandoned the idea of defeating Mordred and initiated a spatial transfer one step ahead.
"Tch, as expected, not so easy to deal with?"
Having her sure-kill strike dodged, Mordred pursed her lips in dissatisfaction.
"Be careful, Saber, that woman hasn't left yet."
Her Master, Kairi Shishigou, reminded her from somewhere hidden.
"I know. Let's deal with these black guys in front of us first. If that woman dares to show up again, I'll personally cut her down!"
As she mentioned cut down, Mordred indeed started slashing, targeting the nearest shadow Caster. Though this guy wasn't highly threatening, his magic was annoying. Once he was dealt with, the other wouldn't last long either.
But before she could swing her sword twice, Mordred suddenly felt dizzy, almost losing grip of her sword. Shadow Caster seized the opportunity and hit Mordred's body with several spells in succession, blasting her away.
Artoria and Jeanne weren't faring much better, being successively knocked to the ground.
"Poison?"
"Indeed." Semiramis appeared on the battlefield behind the two shadow Servants.
"Didn't you say you'd cut me down personally? I'm waiting for you, provided you can make it to me. But can you still stand now?"
"...Damn it...!!"
Her vision is distorted. As a minimal resistance, Mordred reflexively took out and donned her helmet. Although it only had the power to conceal her true name, it was still a Noble Phantasm bestowed by her mother. Even if not completely, it could barely block Semiramis's poison.
"Oh, that might let you hold on for a while—if you weren't facing me."
Semiramis let out a delighted laugh, which contrasted with Mordred's screams.
"Guh—Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
A sharp, piercing pain assaulted her entire body simultaneously, making her feel as if she were being cut by a thousand blades, driving her nearly insane.
Hearing Mordred's screams, Semiramis laughed even more joyously.
"You managed to escape last time, but this time I won't give you that chance again. Feel honored to be the first to taste this legendary poison—the Poison of Bašmu."
Bašmu is one of the eleven monsters created by Tiamat in Babylonian mythology. A divine beast at the pinnacle of Phantasmal Species, a legendary giant serpent.
"Initially, I wanted to use the Poison of the Hydra. According to legend, Chiron couldn't bear this poison and gave up his immortality, and it also led to the downfall of the great hero Heracles. Unfortunately, my Master said someone among you could create an antidote for that poison, so I had to switch to another poison. I hope you find it satisfactory."
Mordred continued to scream, rolling on the ground in agony.
"Red Saber!"
"Mordred!"
Jeanne and Artoria shouted worriedly.
"Don't worry, you will soon experience this feeling as well. Please, enjoy it thoroughly."
With a snap of her fingers, Jeanne and Artoria's beautiful faces twisted in pain, their cries of agony echoing continuously.
"How many minutes will it be until you die or beg for mercy? Until then, I'll just wait here patiently. And that little mouse hiding in the shadows, you must be Saber's Master, right? Considering you can make an antidote for Hydra's poison, if you turn and run away now, I can be merciful and spare you. Be grateful for my generosity."
By now, everyone could see that Semiramis hadn't ordered her two shadow Servants to kill the poisoned enemies immediately, purely to satisfy her sadistic pleasure of toying with them.
"Who would surrender to a venomous woman like you?"
Kairi Shishigou let out a sharp laugh and stepped out from his hiding place in the forest.
"Hmph, just as detestable as your Servant. Indeed, like Master, like Servant."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Kairi continued forward and came to Mordred's side.
"You can be stubborn now, but I'll soon make you just like her."
"No, no, you can't."
Kairi pulled out a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun and pointed it at Semiramis's head. She responded with a heavy look of derision.
"What gives you the courage to fight me, an incompetent modern magecraft? Is it this toy?"
"You'll find out soon."
He pulled the trigger, and the double-barreled shotgun spat out bullets.
The next second, the bullets hovered in front of the Empress's eyes.
"Such a boring trick—enough, I'm tired of this. Now die."
With a flick of her slender fingers, the bullets turned to dust, mingling with the poisonous gas of Bašmu that engulfed Kairi's body.
What puzzled the Empress was that Kairi, who should have fallen and been in immense pain from the poison, did not collapse. Instead, he took a deep breath of the poison.
"This is Bašmu's poison? Doesn't taste that great, not even as good as a cigarette."
"Y-You, how can this be?"
"Maybe you used a fake poison."
Kairi shrugged nonchalantly.
Semiramis, unwilling to believe it, released the poison gas again, but Kairi remained standing, unharmed.
"See, I told you it was fake. Otherwise, how could it—fail to poison even a single person?"
"Eh???"
Semiramis suddenly felt something was wrong.
The sound, the screams were gone.
Although Bašmu's poison is incredibly potent and capable of killing instantly, this poison mist had been specially diluted, so Servants should at least last a few minutes.
Could it be—!!!
By the time she realized, it was too late.
The crimson king's sword, the radiant holy spear, and the fluttering holy flag were almost simultaneously grasped by their respective masters and aimed at the overconfident Empress.
The two shadow Servants rushed out immediately, fulfilling their duty to protect her, but there were only two of them.
Artoria's holy spear flickered, creating multiple spear shadows that enveloped Yan Qing.
Jeanne, relying on her EX-ranked magic resistance, withstood Shadow Caster's spells and struck him directly on the shoulder with her holy flag.
Lastly, Mordred, facing Semiramis directly, used Mana Burst to instantly appear in front of her.
"Die, venomous woman!!!"
The king's sword swung down!