"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you fighting so sluggishly? Are you a Berserker?" Mordred laughed wildly, swinging her massive sword relentlessly at Frankenstein.
She had already been annoyed by the sneaky tactics of the Assassin, making that fight incredibly frustrating. Her frustration only grew when Atalanta had stolen her opponent. Now, facing the Berserker, Mordred had no intention of holding back, unleashing a flurry of savage attacks.
Mordred's laughter echoed as she clashed with Berserker Frankenstein. She swung her massive sword, forcing Berserker to block with her electrified hammer.
"Come on, brute! Show me what you've got!" Mordred taunted, dodging another heavy swing.
Berserker growled and charged, hammer aimed at Mordred's head. Mordred sidestepped and slashed, her sword sparking off Berserker's weapon.
Berserker staggered but quickly retaliated with a powerful horizontal swing. Mordred blocked it, the impact pushing her back but not off balance.
"Not bad," Mordred muttered, eyes gleaming with excitement. She lunged, aiming low. Berserker jumped back, narrowly avoiding the blade.
They exchanged blows rapidly, metal clashing against metal. Mordred's strikes were heavy, each swing wearing down Berserker's defenses. Berserker, fueled by rage, swung with wild abandon, each hit sending shockwaves through the air.
Mordred ducked under a wide swing and countered with an upward slash, catching Berserker in the side. Berserker grunted but didn't falter, swinging her hammer again. This time, Mordred blocked and quickly followed up with a knee to Berserker's midsection, forcing her back.
"Is that all you've got?" Mordred yelled, eyes locked on her opponent.
Berserker roared and charged again. Mordred met her head-on, their weapons colliding with a deafening clang. Mordred twisted her sword, disarming Berserker and sending the hammer flying.
"Pathetic!" Mordred shouted, showing no knightly conduct as she kicked Frankenstein in the stomach.
Focused on Mordred's sword and agitated by the loss of contact with her master, Frankenstein couldn't react in time and was sent crashing into the wall.
"Hey! Archer! Let's swap opponents!" Instead of finishing off Frankenstein, Mordred called out to Atalanta, who was skirmishing on the nearby rooftops.
Atalanta raised an eyebrow. The opposing Archer had been frustrating her as well, constantly defending rather than attacking. She aimed for his head, but he only targeted her arrows.
"Tch, fine. He's yours," Atalanta said, lowering her bow. As expected, the moment she stopped attacking, the Black Faction's Archer did too, almost as if he didn't want to fight her.
"Alright! I'm coming!" Mordred's eyes lit up as crimson lightning erupted around her. In the next moment, she shot toward the clock tower like a cannonball.
"Berserker is in danger. Given Atalanta's nature, she'll surely kill her. But that Red Saber is a tough opponent," Chiron sighed, lowering his bow. He leaned forward and let himself fall freely from the rooftop. "It can't be helped."
"A mere Archer wants to engage in close combat?" Mordred said, already at the base of the tower, sprinting upwards.
"Let's see then," Chiron smiled faintly, twisting his body as it began to glow.
"————"
Chiron's legs landed heavily on the tower's surface, kicking up a cloud of dust that concealed his form.
"Such tricks are useless!" Mordred swung her sword horizontally, intending to slice Chiron in half.
"Is that so?"
An unprecedented chill ran down her spine. Almost instinctively, her helmet snapped out from her armor, covering her head. She gripped her sword with both hands and swung.
But it was too late. As she swung, the dust cleared, revealing a hand gripping her sword and another grabbing her helmet.
The next moment, Mordred felt as if she'd been hit by a train. Her neck felt like it might snap at any moment, and her sword seemed to be stuck in a quagmire, impossible to move or pull free.
"Sorry, but it's time for you to leave," Atalanta said, aiming her bow at the struggling Frankenstein amidst the debris. "I have a wish that must be granted, and it has to be..."
"————"
Atalanta's eyes narrowed. The approaching footsteps were unmistakable. It wasn't the sound of human feet but rather... hooves!
She somersaulted backward, distancing herself from Frankenstein. In the next instant, something incredibly fast stopped there, but the dust obscured her vision. The oppressive presence was real, though.
"Bang———"
A figure was thrown out of the smoke, landing on the chair next to Atalanta. The precise control ensured the chair remained intact, but the dust on the armor indicated otherwise.
"This is our first meeting, isn't it?" As the dust settled, Chiron appeared, holding Frankenstein. This time, he was in his centaur form.
"The mentor of heroes, Chiron," Atalanta said, her expression tense.
Chiron was a legendary figure, skilled in all techniques. Learning even one from him could make someone a hero of great renown.
"If possible, I'd like to have a chat, setting aside our positions," Chiron smiled gently.
"Before that, there's something I need to hear from you," Atalanta said, lowering her bow.
"It's about Cyd, isn't it?" Chiron looked to the sky, his brown eyes reflecting the clumsy boy who once fell from a pegasus.
"Those legends... Are they true? Did you really..." Atalanta clenched her fists.
"Yes, I gave it to him," Chiron smiled.
Atalanta opened her mouth, then bent down. "Thank you."
"What are you talking about? As his teacher, it's my duty to protect my students," Chiron shook his head. "Can we end this here for today?"
"Yes," Atalanta nodded. While she was confident in her archery skills, she had no such confidence in close combat. She had never beaten Sidika in a fight, and he had never won against Chiron. She knew she couldn't defeat Chiron, especially in his centaur form.
Chiron had offered her a way out, and she saw no reason not to take it.
Nodding, Chiron disappeared into another street with Frankenstein in his arms.
Once Chiron's presence had completely faded, Atalanta looked at Mordred, who was slumped on the bench. She tapped on Mordred's helmet.
"Hey, are you still alive?"
"Crack———"
Mordred's helmet began to retract into her armor. Her hair was a mess, and she took a deep breath like someone who had nearly drowned and then started coughing.
"Cough, cough! Damn it! What kind of monster is he?"
Chiron would have crushed her head if she had not summoned her helmet in time.
Mordred felt conflicted. She hadn't expected her cursed helmet to save her life.
Frustrated, Mordred scratched her head with both hands.
"He's Cyd's teacher," Atalanta said, sitting beside Mordred. "Everything Cyd learned came from him. If Cyd's fighting skills are strong, then Chiron's are even stronger."
"First, I met a woman who stopped me with one move, and now a man who did the same," Mordred leaned back on the bench, gazing at the moon. "The Holy Grail War is something."
She completely ignored Jack and Frankenstein...