[Mordred stared coldly at Astolfo and said, "I'm very sorry, but I've already decided he's my enemy. If he were weaker, perhaps he could have found another way out."]
[With that, Mordred slowly raised her sword. Her target was no longer Astolfo, but Sieg.]
[Rather than dealing with Astolfo, Mordred now prioritized killing the homunculus who had dared to injure her.]
[Sieg stood frozen, staring at Mordred's imposing figure. He couldn't move.]
[The fear was overwhelming. A premonition struck him, he was going to die.]
[Mordred: "Goodbye. I'll remember your existence in my heart, nameless homunculus."]
[The sword flashed, and before Sieg could even lift his own weapon, Mordred's slash tore through his chest. The blade pierced his shoulder and drove straight toward his heart.]
[Blood sprayed in vivid colors, and yet another homunculus fell to the ground.]
[This was a scene that had repeated itself countless times on this battlefield.]
Celenike: "Hmph, just as expected."
Gordes: "What a waste of Siegfried's heart."
Astolfo: "Wow! Sieg, you're still dead!"
Sieg: "That's just the me in the video. I'm still alive here."
Astolfo: "Ah, yes, true."
Sieg: "…"
[Watching Sieg fall, Astolfo silently pushed himself off the ground. The gentle smile he usually wore was gone.]
["Unforgivable, Red Saber!"]
[Mordred sneered: "I have no right to interfere with your feelings for him, but this is a battlefield."]
["Of course, I'll kill anyone who's hostile to me. And someone who has stabbed me? That goes without saying!"]
[Astolfo: "I know that. But how could I, Astolfo, ever accept such a reason!!!"]
Tohsaka Rin: "Wow, this is the first time I've seen Astolfo get this angry."
Waver: "I didn't realize Sieg meant so much to him."
[Though Astolfo was furious, his body was battered, and his combat strength was nearly depleted.]
[Mordred prepared to approach and finish him off, but Sisigou suddenly interrupted through a voice transmission.]
["Hey, how's the Black Berserker doing?"]
[Mordred: "What? Didn't that one already…"]
[Sisigou: "Are you certain her body has been destroyed?"]
["Hmm. Now that you mention it…"]
[Mordred glanced toward where Frankenstein had fallen earlier, only to realize something alarming, her body was gone.]
[Frankenstein hadn't exited the stage. Her sledgehammer was still embedded in the ground.]
[She remembered that the sledgehammer had been in Frankenstein's hand when she fell. Why was it now stuck in the ground instead?]
[Just as she was distracted, the missing Frankenstein suddenly descended from the sky, landing squarely on Mordred's back.]
Lancelot: "As expected, this is the result of carelessness."
Mordred: "Stop talking nonsense! You don't think she can hurt me like this, do you?"
Artoria: "Sir Mordred, set aside your arrogance. As a knight, you must take every opponent seriously."
Mordred: "...Tsk, I get it."
["Let go of me, you bastard!!!"]
[Mordred instantly realized something was wrong. Her battlefield instincts told her that Frankenstein was preparing to sacrifice herself in a desperate attack.]
["Ahhhhhhhh!!!"]
[At this moment, Frankenstein resembled a feral beast. She clung to Mordred's back with unrelenting strength, refusing to let go.]
[The rapidly intensifying magical energy around her created a whirlwind that soon transformed into a massive tornado centered on Frankenstein.]
["Berserker!"]
[Astolfo shielded his eyes from the dust being whipped around and shouted.]
["This is the end, Rider. Berserker is about to unleash her Noble Phantasm. Retreat immediately."]
[Celenike's cold voice rang sharply in Astolfo's ears.]
[Astolfo: "No…"]
[Celenike: "Shut up! You'll die if you stay there. Don't force me to use the Command Seal!"]
["…"]
[Although reluctant, Astolfo instinctively retreated a hundred meters away.]
Waver: "Frankenstein's Noble Phantasm, does it take both her and her opponent out?"
Kayneth: "Given the scale of the commotion, it seems likely."
Tohsaka Rin: "It looks like Mordred is really in trouble this time."
Mordred: "You fools! Don't underestimate me!"
[Caules watched the scene from the castle, conflicted and speechless.]
[This wasn't an order he had given. It was Frankenstein's own choice.]
[He couldn't stop her because it was the most effective way to defeat Mordred.]
["...Berserker, I'll support you with the Command Seals!"]
[After a moment of hesitation, Caules decided to fully back Frankenstein's decision.]
[Frankenstein: "Woo woo!"]
[Caules: "By the power of my Command Seal, activate your Noble Phantasm and defeat the Red Saber!"]
["Hnnn..."]
[With the blessing of the Command Seal, the magical energy surrounding Frankenstein surged to an even greater level.]
[Mordred: "You bastard!!!"]
[Frankenstein: "Come with me!!!"]
["Blasted Tree!!!"]
[A torrent of green lightning rained down, creating a magnificent thunder tree that stretched from the sky to the ground.]
[The lightning rampaged across the battlefield, obliterating everything within a 100-meter radius.]
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "That's quite the display of power."
Kayneth: "Its destructive power is moderate. But even so, Mordred, who was at the epicenter, likely won't survive this."
[Compared to Artoria's or Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms, the power of Frankenstein's was indeed limited. However, it was more than enough to take Mordred down.]
Mordred: "You bastards!"
Illya: "Face it, Mordred. This might be your exit."
Sisigou: "I wouldn't be so sure."
["Is it over?"]
[Although there was some doubt, most assumed that Mordred wouldn't have survived Frankenstein's all-out attack.]
[But the truth was…]
["Damn it… I couldn't dodge it completely."]
[Mordred emerged from the smoke, her entire body radiating heat as if she had been roasted alive.]
[As for Frankenstein, she was nowhere to be found.]
[Frankenstein, exit.]
Mordred: "Haha! Now you see how strong I am!"
Caules: "What?!"
Gordes: "You survived! How?!"
Fiore: "I'm afraid the answer is obvious…"
[Sisigou: "Don't act so smug. If you're still alive, it's because you're lucky."]
[Mordred: "Shut up! If only you had used the Command Seal a second earlier!"]
[Indeed, Sisigou had used a Command Seal at the critical moment, allowing Mordred to break free from Frankenstein's grip and escape the explosion's epicenter.]
[Of course, the explosion had still inflicted severe injuries on Mordred, but she stubbornly pretended to be unscathed.]
["Damn it!"]
[Caules punched the wall, his frustration and pain palpable.]
["I couldn't do anything for her…"]
Illya: "What? So Mordred escaped thanks to the Command Seal?"
Mordred: "So what?!"
Illya: "If your Master hadn't acted in time, you'd be dead. What's the point of bragging?"
Mordred: "Ah! You little brat! I'll teach you a lesson someday!"
Illya: "Pfft, try getting to my world first."
Irisviel: "Alright, Illya, don't you have class soon?"
Illya: "It's still lunchtime!"
Waver: "It seems Caules and Frankenstein had a strong bond."
Tohsaka Rin: "That reaction… Could it be, Caules, that you…?"
Caules: "You! Don't start spouting nonsense!"
Tohsaka Rin: "Ohhhhhh ( 〃▽〃)…"
Fiore: "I didn't realize this before. It seems you've matured, Caules."
Caules: "Sister!"
[Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield…]
[Jeanne, who had been pursuing Kotomine Shirou, now found herself face-to-face with Spartacus.]
[Atalanta, who had been fighting Spartacus, had resorted to hit-and-run tactics, but she accidentally collided with Jeanne.]
[Afterward, Atalanta was recalled by Kotomine Shirou, forcing her to retreat and leaving Spartacus to Jeanne.]
[However, Spartacus didn't care. To him, anyone not on his side was an enemy.]
***
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