[Astolfo continued his assault on Semiramis. The Empress summoned numerous magic arrays, releasing torrents of lightning, but Astolfo's barrier blocked them all.]
[Astolfo: "I'll take your head!"]
[Semiramis: "Ha, it seems my Hanging Gardens have been underestimated!"]
[The Empress summoned another series of magic circles, this time connecting them to amplify the lightning's power before releasing a far stronger attack.]
[The reckless Astolfo had his barrier shattered, and his griffin was disintegrated in the process, causing him to plummet from the sky.]
[Although the fall hurt, Astolfo, as a Heroic Spirit, wasn't seriously injured.]
Tohsaka Rin: "That looked painful. Falling from that height must have hurt a lot."
Waver: "It seems the defense from that book isn't invincible after all."
[Astolfo thought of using his Noble Phantasm again but hesitated. He knew it would cost the lives of the homunculi providing him with magical energy.]
[At that moment, Mordred sped onto the battlefield in her heavily damaged car, almost hitting Astolfo.]
[After Mordred got out of the car, Sisigou turned it around and drove off without a word.]
[The car was a wreck, barely holding together—a miracle it could still run.]
[Mordred: "Really? Well, whatever. The protagonist always shows up late. This battlefield needs me to take charge."]
[Astolfo: "Hey? Are you the king?"]
[Mordred: "That's right. If you surrender, I promise to make your execution painless."]
[Astolfo: "I'm afraid that won't work. I'm a Servant too, after all."]
[Despite having just fought a battle, Astolfo braced himself for a second fight.]
Lancelot: "Mordred, how dare you call yourself king!"
Mordred: "What's your problem? I should be the king!"
Lancelot: "You were not chosen as heir by the king. You're a rebel and have no right to claim the throne!"
Mordred: "And who are you to criticize me about rebellion, of all people?"
Illya: "Shouldn't we ask King Arthur what she thinks at a time like this?"
Artoria: "…"
Chihiro: "You're just trying to stir up trouble. The mother-daughter relationship just improved a little. Do you want to ruin it again?"
Mordred: "Watch your words! What do you mean 'mother and daughter'? My father and I are father and son!"]
Tohsaka Rin: "Is that really what you're focusing on right now?!"
[Elsewhere on the battlefield, Jeanne d'Arc attempted to approach Kotomine Shirou's position but was intercepted by attacks from Semiramis' Hanging Gardens.]
[After learning this, Kotomine Shirou decided to stop fighting Frankenstein and retreated alongside Shakespeare.]
[However, while Kotomine Shirou wanted to leave, Frankenstein wasn't willing to let him go so easily.]
[To fight or to flee at will—did they think she wasn't worth taking seriously?]
[Thus, Kotomine Shirou, who had just retreated a short distance, found himself being fiercely pursued by Frankenstein.]
[Seeing this, Shakespeare cast a spell to block her path.]
["Oh, I see, I see! Then, I shall have thee meet that man whom thou find dear yet full of hate. Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player... That struts and frets his hour upon the stage."]
[Countless pages of a book wrapped around Frankenstein, instantly altering the scene before her eyes.]
[Painful memories reappeared in her mind.]
[The scientist Victor Frankenstein had worked tirelessly for two years to create the perfect being, only to produce a lifeless doll incapable of crying.]
[Enraged by his failure, Victor dismantled her. But to his surprise, she pieced herself back together.]
[Despite the cruel treatment, the girl still revered her creator as her father. However, he rejected her and refused to give her a name.]
[Unaware of right or wrong, she once presented Victor with the entrails of a vicious dog that had attacked her, thinking it would please him. Instead, he called her a monster, and their relationship broke down completely.]
["Stop it."]
[Victor appeared before Frankenstein, his expression gentle and kind.]
["Bang!"]
[Seeing this familiar yet distant figure, Frankenstein was stunned, and her hammer fell from her hand.]
Frankenstein: "Woooo..."
Caules: "Frankenstein, calm down!"
Irisviel: "That poor child. All she wanted was to meet her creator's expectations, and he treated her so cruelly."
Chiron: "Without proper guidance, she couldn't even develop normal values."
Sieg: "Frankenstein… A being rejected for her very existence."
Tohsaka Rin: "I didn't expect Shakespeare's Noble Phantasm to be this sinister, forcing people to confront their deepest wounds."
Chihiro: "He's a playwright known for tragedies. It fits his character."
Shakespeare: "Ah, life is inherently a tragedy, and we are the ones who orchestrate it."
Tohsaka Rin: "What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?"
Sisigou: "Forcing people to relive their most painful memories is a cruel but undeniably effective tactic."
[Victor: "It's okay now. You don't need to fight anymore. I didn't create you for this purpose."]
["Ugh, ah…"]
[As Victor reached out to touch her head, Frankenstein's emotions exploded.]
[Though she had longed for her creator's touch her entire life, she wasn't foolish.]
[She knew the man before her wasn't truly her father.]
[Her father would never show her such kindness.]
["Woooooo!"]
[Entering a frenzy, Frankenstein smashed the figure of Victor, sending him flying. She rushed forward, swinging her hammer at his head repeatedly.]
["Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!"]
[By the time she stopped, the figure had been reduced to a mosaic. Frankenstein finally realized that it was likely an illusion created by Shakespeare's magic.]
[The "corpse" before her was nothing more than a broken puppet.]
[But the realization didn't comfort her. Frankenstein fell to her knees, her expression a mix of depression and madness.]
[Even if it was fake, she had once again harmed the person she missed the most.]
Frankenstein: "Woooo…"
Caules: "Frankenstein…"
Illya: "That was so cruel. At least it wasn't real."
Tohsaka Rin: "Shakespeare, you're awful!"
Shakespeare: "I cannot help it. This is the nature of my Noble Phantasm. Even I don't know what the victim will see."
["Ahhhh!"]
[Just as Frankenstein was about to spiral into another frenzy, Caules' voice reached her.]
["By my Command Seal, Berserker, calm yourself!"]
[In an instant, all the negative emotions clouding Frankenstein's mind dissipated.]
[Frankenstein: "Ah?"]
["Good, you've calmed down."]
[Observing from the castle, Caules sighed in relief. "Berserker, the enemy has already retreated. Don't pursue them. You've done well."]
["There are other places where you are needed. Do you understand?"]
[Frankenstein: "Ahhh…"]
[Caules: "That Master is too abnormal. The primary target we must deal with right now is the Red Servant. Don't lose sight of this."]
[Frankenstein: "Woo woo..."]
Gordes: "What are you thinking, Caules? You wasted a Command Spell like that!"
Caules: "The battlefield is constantly changing. If we let Frankenstein run wild, we'll lose another valuable combatant."
Darnic: "Enough, Gordes. Caules' decision in the video was the correct one."
Gordes: "Tsk..."
Irisviel: "Even though Frankenstein's past life was filled with pain, at least she now has a Master she can trust."
Waver: "Yeah."
[Returning to the battlefield...]
[The fight between Astolfo and Mordred continued, but due to Astolfo's previous injuries and his reluctance to rely on magic, he was completely suppressed by Mordred.]
[Meanwhile, on Jeanne d'Arc's side, the Empress directed the Hanging Gardens to fire upon her in an attempt to halt her advance.]
[Fortunately, Jeanne reacted swiftly, activating her Noble Phantasm to block the attack.]
[The Empress' intention was only to impede Jeanne's progress, so she ceased firing after the initial attack.]
[This only deepened Jeanne's suspicions, and she resolved to pursue the Red faction's Master.]
Darnic: "Kotomine Shirou, I'm growing more and more curious about you. Why are you working so hard to keep Ruler from reaching you?"
Kotomine Shirou: "You'll find out soon enough."
Darnic: "Oh? Then I'll be waiting."
Sisigou: "Kotomine Shirou, just what secrets are you hiding?"
[Elsewhere on the battlefield, the battle between the two Lancers raged on.]
[Although it seemed evenly matched, it was clear that Vlad III was at a disadvantage.]
[The problem was simple—he couldn't break through Karna's defenses.]
[From the start of the battle, Vlad III's Kazikli Bey had summoned thousands of sharp stakes. While Karna destroyed some, many struck him directly. Yet, none of them could penetrate his golden armor.]