The black knight standing before her was Lancelot.
The moment she realized this, a powerful surge welled up inside Mash.
An urge to be angry, an urge of dissatisfaction, and an urge to deliver a devastating blow.
Lancelot, the supreme knight of the Round Table. The knight most admired by King Arthur, Artoria, and regarded as the paragon of true knighthood. Now, he appeared in such a degenerate, impure form.
It was utterly shameful and deeply disappointing.
These thoughts filled Mash's body and heart, driving her to repeatedly strike the rampaging black knight with the shield in her hand and the manifested Castle of Correction. And when she finally regained awareness...
*BANG!*
A final, crushing blow landed heavily upon Lancelot's body.
Even though he was under the curse of Mad Enhancement, his mind eroded beyond reason, after being struck so hard by that shield, Lancelot briefly regained a sliver of awareness despite his lost sanity.
This humiliating form of his had been witnessed by someone who should never have seen it.
"Have you come to your senses, Sir Lancelot?" Standing tall, shield in hand, Mash gazed down at the motionless knight lying on the ground. "Though perhaps understandable from a legendary standpoint why you've taken this form, even so, succumbing to such disgrace is truly cowardly. A knight ought to face everything honestly—wasn't that the oath you once held as your own ideal?"
"Snap out of it, Otou-san (Father)."
*KLANG!*
The black iron staff, now a Noble Phantasm, clattered to the ground.
Lying in the crater created by the Castle of Correction, Lancelot stared intently at the figure holding the shield. After several failed attempts to rise, unable to straighten his body, Lancelot lay flat on the earth, his form gradually dissolving into Mana and beginning to vanish.
Struck repeatedly—more than ten times—by both the shield and the castle walls, unprotected, not even Lancelot could survive unscathed. Moreover, Hinako's curse had taken its toll.
Lancelot's defeat was undeniable.
"Well, appearances can be deceiving, Mash."
Aoko looked at Mash with mild surprise. She hadn't expected the quiet girl to swing a shield and castle walls with such brutal force!
As someone who herself enjoyed violence, Aoko admitted she absolutely loved this side of Mash!
*PU-CHI!*
But without warning, a flagpole suddenly pierced straight through Lancelot's chest!
Mash and her companions froze in shock.
Jeanne Alter twisted the pole sharply, then sneered as she looked down at the unmoving Lancelot beneath her feet: "Utterly useless. Charging in without listening to orders, only to be defeated so easily. 'Strongest Knight'? What a joke!"
Her gaze shifted toward Aoko and the others still standing within the castle walls, then flicked toward Mash standing just outside the castle gate. Jeanne Alter swung her dragon banner powerfully: "So what if you unleashed your Noble Phantasm? I'm slightly impressed you withstood Fafnir's breath, but that's all. Just a turtle's shell—watch as I crush it completely!"
"HOOOOOH—!"
Fafnir roared again, unleashing a storm. He flapped his wings high into the sky. Targeting the castle wall below, his massive, hill-sized body plummeted rapidly like a meteor!
*BANG!*
A terrifying impact exploded instantly!
The overwhelming force slammed directly into Mash, making her arms go completely numb!
"Ugh... such intense impact... but it's alright..."
*BANG!*
A second impact came immediately!
If one strike couldn't destroy the castle wall, she would keep striking until it shattered. In a way, Jeanne Alter and Hinako were quite similar. They might have plans, but more often than not, they preferred to solve everything with sheer brute force!
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
Fafnir's colossal form kept crashing from the sky, each horrifying impact relentlessly pounding and demolishing the Castle of Correction. With Fafnir's immense weight combined with the full-speed descent, the comparison might be imperfect, but to Mash, it felt as though she were being hit repeatedly by meteors!
If this continued, although Mash's spirit refused to surrender, her body would eventually give out.
"Mash, hold on just a little longer."
Suddenly, Aoko's voice reached her.
"Aoko-san?"
Seeing Aoko step out from behind the castle wall to stand beside her, Mash was momentarily stunned.
Touching her head lightly, Aoko smiled: "You've kept protecting Fujimaru and the others. I suppose Akuta might not need protection, but you must keep Fujimaru and Jeanne safe. As for that winged lizard hopping around up there—leave him to me."
"Akuta has already eliminated all the Wyverns. Jeanne and Mash protected us all. So now, it's my turn to act. I'll show you my Magic."
*ZING!*
As Aoko spoke, a complex magical circle instantly spun into existence beneath her feet. An enormous surge of Mana erupted from her body, triggering physical phenomena and creating fierce winds swirling around her!
When was the last time she used Magic?
Aoko couldn't recall clearly. It must have been ages ago—perhaps once, in that parallel world, during her confrontation with Rei?
More than a decade had passed since then.
"—Listen well, O principal beings—"
After so long without chanting a spell, Aoko extended both hands forward.
"—Proclaim—"
Her right arm stretched ahead; her left pulled back strongly behind her.
"—I proclaim in the name of Order (Blue)—"
Like drawing a bow and nocking an arrow, layered magical circles rapidly formed and multiplied before Aoko's right arm. So many circles appeared they stretched nearly ten meters forward.
"—Everything (not.), truth (SANE)—"
Her crimson hair whipped wildly in the howling wind. Though confined to the control room and unable to see the battlefield, Naoki could imagine that the Magician he loved must be wearing a joyful smile.
Under the disbelieving gazes of Mash and her companions, as if witnessing a miracle—
"—Order (five), here shattered (timelesswords)—"
Aoko clenched her left fist, brimming with Mana, and drove it with full strength into the multi-layered magical circle stretching almost ten meters before her!
At that instant, everyone saw the same sight.
The legendary evil dragon Fafnir, along with the sky behind him, was pierced through by a single, blinding ray of light!