Mordred is a problem child: rebellious, stubborn, tsundere, obsessed with saving face, and never admitting mistakes. She embodies all the traits of a problem child, which is why the great magus Merlin, known for his insight and wisdom, dubbed her a "fool". Getting along with her is very simple:
Don't speak ill of King Arthur.
Don't praise King Arthur.
Don't treat her purely as a female.
Don't treat her entirely as a male.
Don't be too serious.
Don't become enamored with other heroes.
Earnestly listen to her opinions.
See, it's simple.
Mordred never thought her personality was a problem or that she did anything wrong—until this moment, when her most revered father vanished before her eyes to protect her.
She finally began to hate her personality.
Why be so contrary?
Why not be more straightforward?
Why, with so many opportunities, did she not cherish them?
Even though her Master and the Black Assassin had created opportunities for them to be alone, she never conveyed what she most wanted to say.
She waited until her father was gone!!!
Mordred wept bitterly, her tragic state causing an unprecedented shock to Kairi Sisigou.
He knelt on the ground, dazed, realizing he had once again repeated his mistakes... once again doing nothing.
Witnessing the near-collapse of the two, Semiramis rarely showed a peculiar expression. She waved her hand, relaxing the restraints on Mordred.
"What an admirable father-son bond, even I am somewhat moved. Very well, in honor of the Knight King, you may go. Cherish your remaining time. Consider it my bit of mercy."
However, before the chains could completely fall away, crimson magic erupted violently within the throne room, instantly shattering all the chains.
In the center of the magic, a young knight stripped of her heavy armor left in just a thin underlayer, lifted her head, glaring at the Empress on the throne with eyes filled with bloodlust and hatred.
"You woman, how dare you—die!!!"
With a heart-wrenching roar, Mordred, abandoning all defense and converting all her magic into attack, launched a desperate assault.
Now that her father was dead, and with little time left for her, she had only one goal: to kill Semiramis and avenge her father!
This action also caused the fleeting softness within Semiramis to vanish completely.
"Reckless fool. Since you do not value your life, I shall turn you into a wretched clay doll."
As she spoke, she extended her hand, unleashing chains, poison, and divine fish, all at once, ready to kill the rebellious knight as quickly as possible. In Mordred's current state, she would be defeated in less than a second.
However, the Empress, confident in her victory, overlooked one thing: the one ready to die was not just Mordred, but also her Master, Kairi Sisigou.
"Master, give me the final command."
"I understand."
The last Command Spell was activated, and this time, Semiramis didn't have time to stop it.
"By the Command Spell, kill Semiramis!"
Scarlet lightning surged, and the swordswoman empowered by the Command Spell unleashed a force more terrifying than her prime.
The overwhelming chains were shattered by sheer brute strength, the fearsome divine fish was sliced apart with a single stroke, and the omnipresent poison was forgotten by her, who was now solely focused on killing.
Three meters remained to the killing blow.
"Atargatis!"
The Empress projected a shield resembling fish scales in front of her. In Semiramis's knowledge, the scales of these divine fish, which swam elegantly in the perilous primordial ocean, were the toughest shields. Even with the support of the Throne Room, Semiramis knew she couldn't block the completely insane Mordred.
Zero!
At the point of contact, Mordred unhesitatingly struck with her sword. The beautiful royal sword, meant to symbolize royal authority and more beautiful than any silver, had now transformed into a terrifying demonic sword, resonating with her hatred.
This was the true form of Mordred's Noble Phantasm.
Clarent Blood Arthur was not a sword Mordred was supposed to wield. It was a sword of royal qualification, meant for those who had become kings.
However, Mordred, who had snatched this sword from King Arthur's treasury, had forcibly subdued it with her overwhelming power. She wasn't choosing a sword suitable for a king but simply wanted the sword's power.
Thus, she turned this King's Sword, which served as an exceptional catalyst for amplifying a king's power, into a cursed sword. The hatred that was amplified was Mordred's hatred for her father, King Arthur.
Later, on the battlefield of Camlann, Mordred wielded this sword to amplify her hatred to its utmost, inflicting a fatal wound on King Arthur at the cost of her own life.
However, after a long conversation with Artoria that resolved their misunderstandings, Mordred no longer harbored hatred for her father. Although the amplification power of the King's Sword remained, its destructive power had significantly diminished. During the battle outside the palace, Mordred's inability to defeat Semiramis was partly due to this.
But now, things were different. With Artoria's death, Mordred's hatred had reached an unprecedented height, even stronger than when she was alive and driven by love-turned-hate.
The power of this strike was, needless to say, immense.
"Clarent Blood Arthur—!!"
Space twisted, and a thunderous roar echoed within the King's Room.
Summoned by this hatred, the crimson lightning, with its despairing destructive power, surged towards the throne.
The crimson lightning struck against the multi-layered scale shield. The supposedly hardest fish scales were now torn apart like paper scraps.
Die, die, die!!!
Mordred frantically squeezed out her magic and hatred, and the raging crimson lightning tore through the scales, rushing unrestrainedly towards the hateful empress still seated on the throne.
Die!
Mordred was certain that no great magic could undo the outcome of being torn apart by the crimson lightning. Even spatial transfers couldn't be faster than the speed of the lightning.
Father, I—
A sudden chill overturned Mordred's perception.
It was a feeling of reversal conveyed by intuition.
Her vision twisted as if shrouded in mist.
Is it the poison—Mordred speculated in her mind.
But this did not affect the strike she had already delivered. If so, what was causing this chill?
Boom.
The throne was indeed shattered, and the detested enemy's body was simultaneously torn apart, yet there was no hint of a smile on the her face, only an endless coldness.
The torn body lacked blood, lacked substance.
It was an illusion!!!
That woman was not on the throne at all!!!
Her legs suddenly lost strength. Knees that had never knelt even before King Arthur now trembled as if insulting her.
"—You seem to have made a fatal mistake."
A pair of hands reached from behind, touching Mordred's hair as if toying with her.
"You...!"
Mordred immediately swung her sword backward, but there was no sensation of hitting anything; the sword merely sliced through the air.
At this moment, she finally understood that this scheming woman was far more cautious than she had imagined. After suffering a loss once, she had protected herself meticulously. Even if her father had unleashed the Holy Lance earlier and destroyed the Throne Room, it might not have harmed this cunning woman.
"Rebellious knight, why would you think I would fight you fairly? Is it because all the enemies you've encountered so far have been foolish like that? I am the oldest poisoner. Fair fighting is for watchdogs. Why would someone in a high position risk their life to win a fight? I don't need to fight you to the death; I just need to—wait for you to step into a trap."
Seeing Mordred tremble with fury and shame, the empress smiled maliciously:
"The game is over, Red Saber. The King of Knights is dead, and the Holy Grail is about to be activated. Come, witness this historic moment together... What???"
Before she could finish her sentence, a surge of magic power, ten or even a hundred times stronger than Mordred's Noble Phantasm, erupted. Semiramis's smug expression suddenly froze on her face.