At the same time that Ryou killed Amakusa Shirou, Mordred and Siegfried also concluded their battle.
Purely from the stats on paper, the two were evenly matched.
However, Siegfried, with his legend of dragon slaying, possessed the skill "Dragon Slayer," which allowed him to deal significant damage to dragon types and reduce the damage he received from them.
Unfortunately for Mordred, as a homunculus being with the bloodline of King Arthur, she possessed the rich blood of the Red Dragon. The Dragon Slayer skill was her nemesis.
At the level of Heroic Spirits, where skills had reached their peak, even the slightest advantage could determine the outcome of a battle, let alone such a significant one.
Logically, Siegfried should have had a guaranteed victory.
But the final victor was unexpectedly Mordred.
Despite winning barely, with her current state being quite miserable, she nevertheless won.
At this moment, presenting herself before Ryou was a girl propping herself up with a sword, with fragments of silver-white armor hanging loosely on her body, exposing parts of her skin. She was covered in wounds, with even a streak of blood on her forehead, looking pitiful.
However, seeing the girl baring her teeth and claws, she resembled an injured young lion.
"I never expected you to be the winner, Mordred."
Ryou couldn't help but marvel.
Perhaps his gaze, like that of examining a rare animal, was too blatant and rude.
"Tch!"
Mordred showed an impatient expression, her tone filled with anger.
"That guy was like a robot that only knew how to follow orders. What glory is there in defeating someone like that?"
"As expected of King Arthur's offspring, truly straightforward."
Ryou praised with a beaming smile.
A flash of pride crossed Mordred's face as she deliberately put on a mature and serious expression, saying sternly:
"If you have something to say, just say it. I'm not good at dealing with your roundabout ways."
"Ahem!"
Ryou cleared his throat.
"Then I'll get straight to the point... Mordred, are you interested in joining my team?"
"I refuse!"
Mordred replied firmly without even thinking.
Ryou seemed to have anticipated this, showing no surprise on his face.
"It looks like you've already prepared yourself for a failed return. I'm just curious, why don't you leave right away, and why doesn't your Master use a Command Spell to forcibly summon you back?"
A bitter smile appeared on Mordred's face.
"My mana is almost depleted, and my Master's Command Spells were used up just now to support my victory. Now, even standing here, I'm using all my strength..."
As if to confirm her words, her body gradually became translucent, a clear sign of her mana depletion and imminent return to the Throne of Heroes.
"...Most importantly, as the offspring of my father and the only rightful heir, even in death, I must fall while charging towards the enemy!"
Mordred suddenly raised her head, her eyes shining brilliantly.
"What a shame!"
Ryou looked at her with a sympathetic and sorrowful gaze.
"Tch~"
That gaze greatly annoyed Mordred, who scornfully curled her lips.
"A child does not understand the father, and the father does not understand the child. The sorrow between father and child is nothing more than this."
Ryou suddenly uttered a profound phrase.
Ryou felt that this phrase perfectly depicted the relationship between King Arthur and Mordred.
Fortunately, the meaning of this phrase was easy to understand, even for someone like Mordred, who wasn't the best student.
But it was precisely because she understood that Mordred's eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce light, and she looked like she wanted to bite him to death.
"What do you know about the relationship between me and my father! You know nothing, so what right do you have to judge me and my father!"
Mordred, this troublesome child, usually seemed carefree, but the words "King Arthur" were her reverse scale.
You couldn't say good things or bad things about King Arthur; otherwise, she would get angry. In short, anyone talking about King Arthur in her presence would make her lose her mind.
It was clear that Mordred's obsession with Artoria had penetrated deep into her soul, becoming her inner demon.
Ryou was sure that if it weren't for Mordred's depleted mana and heavy injuries, she would undoubtedly charge at him if she were in perfect condition.
However, with a trump card in hand, Ryou wasn't afraid of her at all. The reason he chose a moment when Mordred couldn't resist was simply that she had no choice but to listen to him at this time.
As for why he did this, it was probably due to a small regret from before he transmigrated. This pair of father and child (mother and daughter) were essentially good people; it was just a lack of communication that led to their current situation, which made Ryou feel a bit regretful, so he wanted to help them as much as possible.
However, since Mordred's obsession ran deep, Ryou chose to fight poison with poison.
Ryou's face displayed an amused expression.
"What's wrong? Did I hit a sore spot? Or am I wrong?
You want to free your father from the shackles of the King of Britain. But you don't understand that her way of kingship is the way of a saint king: sacrificing herself, giving up pleasure, completely integrating herself into the country like a cog in a machine, coexisting and co-prospering with it. Your thoughts and wishes are nothing but your wishful thinking; you are stripping away the very essence of her existence.
As for your father, she completely abandoned personal feelings, transforming herself into a cog in the machine that runs Britain. She even judged you, her only child, by the standard of whether you could become a cog to inherit the throne.
But in abandoning personal feelings, she didn't realize that what a child needs most is the understanding and care of their parents. What you wanted was not King Arthur, but your father's attention.
Raising a rebellion and destroying Britain? To me, it seems like nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum to get their parent's attention.
It's just a pity that the entire country of Britain became the collateral damage of this tantrum between you two stubborn mother and daughter."
Mordred fell silent. She wanted to refute it, but a voice inside her told her that perhaps he was right.
In a daze, Mordred seemed to return to the Hill of Swords, that fateful place of endings.
She roared, she bellowed, thinking that this way, her beloved father would finally look at her, even if that gaze was filled with anger and hatred.
But she was wrong. She never understood her father from beginning to end.
In the end, she died under her father's lance, and her father's gaze upon her was cold and indifferent, like a stranger...
After a long while, she slowly spoke.
"Perhaps you are right. I was just throwing a tantrum. But unfortunately, I chose the clumsiest way to attract my father's attention. There's no way to undo it all now..."
Ryou was listening intently to Mordred's confession when suddenly his body shuddered, and a strange expression appeared on his face.
He tentatively spoke.
"Mordred... If, and I mean if, I could make everything start over, would you be willing?"
Mordred's eyes brightened but then slowly dimmed again.
"Forget it... Even if it started over, I still wouldn't know how to face my father..."
Ryou could hear the hesitation and confusion in her voice and smiled slightly.
"If we were to break the already established history, not only you but even your father would disappear because of it. So, I thought of a clever way: I, a traveler from another world, would take your place..."
Ryou babbled on, but Mordred looked at him with a bewildered expression.
Although Ryou tried to use the simplest and most concise language, some obscure and profound terms still left Mordred, who wasn't the best student, utterly confused.
Ryou took a deep breath, resisting the urge to walk away, and spoke again.
"In simple terms, you and I make a contract. I borrow your identity and go back to Britain of that time, making everything start over. After it's done, you must leave the Throne of Heroes and become my contracted Heroic Spirit. Are you willing?"
Originally, Ryou just wanted to make up for a small regret before he transmigrated. Who would've thought that, while listening to Mordred's confession, the system gave him a quest.
The system told Ryou that as long as he made a special trial contract with Mordred and then replaced her to complete the trial instance, Mordred would automatically become his contracted Heroic Spirit.
Not only that, since he has taken on Mordred's identity in the trial world, the higher his achievements, the more legendary the tales he leaves behind, and the greater the impact he causes. With the amplification of human fantasy and faith, Mordred's strength will also become greater.
In simple terms, this situation is like how Vlad's spirit base was altered and given vampire attributes due to the influence of a famous fantasy novel.
In other words, as long as Ryou's trial ratings are high, he might even create a super-modified Mo-chan that surpasses five-star, reaching six or even seven stars!
Ryou's requirement isn't high; just strengthening Mo-chan to the rank of Grand would suffice.
A Grand-ranked Mo-chan—just thinking about it makes one a bit excited.
Of course, in the eyes of the system, the reward is proportional to the effort.
Such a precious means of strengthening naturally comes with a hell-level difficulty for the trial dungeon.
This special trial dungeon not only has a hell-level difficulty, but Ryou also cannot bring any contract spirits with him; he must rely entirely on himself.
The system clearly stated that with Ryou's current strength, entering it would be like sending himself to death across dimensions.
Without any enhancements, the minimum standard for entering this trial dungeon is to have average basic attributes reaching B level.
It seems that completing this special trial dungeon will be a long and arduous journey.
Of course, first, Mordred must agree and be willing to sign a contract with him.
Mordred hesitated for a long time, almost to the point where her body was starting to dissipate, before slightly turning her head and softly saying:
"Well, seeing how sincere you are, I'll reluctantly hire you... If you misuse my identity, watch out; I'll kill you!"
Mordred suddenly remembered something and threatened with a fierce expression.
Ryou, as if he had expected her to agree, patted his chest.
"Don't worry about it."
At this moment, Mordred's mindset was a bit like a mischievous child who had broken a vase at home, wanting to tell their parents but also afraid of being scolded, especially since, in her eyes, her father was extremely strict.
Now that someone had appeared willing to take the blame for her, she naturally agreed happily.
Snap!
Ryou suddenly snapped his fingers, and a blank card emitting a colorful glow appeared in his hand.
After signing the contract, Mordred naturally learned some secrets about Ryou, this special Master, countless different worlds, and magical mutations.
She looked at Ryou with a complicated expression.
"I now believe you can fulfill my wish, but I never thought the world could be so vast that it makes me want to leave everything behind to see it."
"Don't worry; there will be opportunities," Ryou assured confidently.
Being a perfectionist, collecting all rare cards was Ryou's lifelong pursuit.
"Hey, I'm leaving my father in your hands!"
With these words, Mordred completely turned into red magical fragments and dissipated in the air.
At the same time, ten kilometers away from the battlefield, Kairi was leaning against a very old car, smoking continuously.
At his feet, there were already a dozen cigarette butts, indicating that he had been maintaining this posture for quite some time.
'Master, goodbye... and thank you...'
Mordred's final mental message suddenly echoed in his mind.
Kairi was startled, then immediately sensed that his magical connection with her had been completely severed.
He said nothing, crushed the last cigarette butt underfoot, then took out a piece of silver-white armor from his pocket, his eyes gradually becoming resolute.
"So, it's over just like that."
At that moment, a teasing voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Startled, he quickly drew his double-barreled shotgun and turned to aim behind him.
Unexpectedly, a figure silently appeared on his shoulder, a dagger gleaming with cold light pressed against his neck.
Under the moonlight, both were enveloped in its glow, revealing the figure crouched on his shoulder—none other than Jack who did not participate in the final battle.
Having temporarily submitted to Ryou, Jack's appearance here was naturally under his orders, serving as a safeguard.
Kairi was the only unstable factor left in this Holy Grail War. If Mordred were to be defeated and he still wanted to stir up trouble, wouldn't that add unnecessary complications?
Given Ryou's cautious nature, he wouldn't be unprepared. He didn't fully trust Jack, so he sent her to track down Kairi far from the battlefield. With Jack's incredibly powerful tracking ability, she naturally caught him.
"Uncle, We're right here~"
Jack smiled innocently, but the dagger in her hand swayed back and forth, sometimes close, sometimes away from Kairi's carotid artery.
At this moment, she was like a cat playing with a mouse, toying with her prey.
It truly fulfilled the saying, "An angel on the outside, a devil on the inside."
A drop of cold sweat rolled down Kairi's forehead.
"Are you here to kill me?"
Jack's face showed a teasing smile.
"Did Uncle think We came to play games with you?"
Kairi fell silent immediately.
With a Servant so close and having just lost his own Servant, Kairi knew he had no chance of survival.
Accepting his fate, Kairi smiled calmly, took out a pack of cigarettes, and pulled out the last one.
"In that case, you don't mind if I have one last smoke, do you?"