Chapter 152 As Handsome as Father
At that moment, the motorcycle shot out of the campus, turning into a long black streak on the road, racing toward the alternate dimension twenty kilometers away.
"But it's so cool, Shirou, you don't deny that, right?" Mor-chan said to the boy behind her.
Shirou replied, "Well, it is indeed cool. Compared to a car, if I had a red high-displacement motorcycle, it might suit me better. But in terms of cost-performance… maybe I should try studying the design plans and attempt to project one?"
"Oh! Then I want a motorcycle too! The best pure black, like a great black stallion. But to differentiate it from Father's bike, mine won't have headlights—ultimate black," Mor-chan said, unwilling to be outdone.
"No, that would be an illegal modification, Mor-chan. In this world, you need a license to drive. And if you act like a reckless biker, the traffic police will chase you relentlessly," Shirou said with concern. After all, Mor-chan really gave the impression of being a reckless delinquent who could cause highway accidents.
"I have riding skills, Shirou, you're so naggy! Fine, I'll wear my helmet properly and only race at night when no one's around, okay!" Mor-chan impatiently bumped her head against the boy behind her.
"Hmph," Artoria let out a light laugh.
Once they were on the highway, she twisted the throttle. The motorcycle roared, shot out of the campus, and before any bystanders could react, had become a black streak speeding past. Using her superb driving skills, she avoided obstacles almost without pause, keeping a smooth course until they quickly arrived above the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey.
Twenty kilometers, traversed at Artoria's extreme speed, brought them there quickly. Compared to yesterday, the magical energy in the surrounding space felt even denser.
The motorcycle leapt high under the influence of mana and entered the alternate world. It came to a stop on a hill, and the three of them gazed across the surrounding grasslands. Yesterday's battlefield had returned to calm; the upheaved land was now level.
As soon as Shirou's foot touched the ground, he again felt the pulsing from underground, thinking that the demon dragon had likely burrowed beneath the earth.
"Artoria, what are you planning to do?" Da Vinci appeared in a hologram and asked.
"Since firepower is needed, let's gather all the forces here," Artoria said.
Mordred rubbed his hands together and said, "Alright! Father, let's go seize Pellinore's army!"
"No, we don't need to rush with Pellinore. First, let's go deal with the Anglo-Saxon barbarians from the north," Artoria said.
"Anglo-Saxon barbarians? Coming from Northern Europe to Britain, they began occupying Britain in the 6th century. They haven't converted to Christianity yet, so the Roman-dominated world calls them barbarians. But since they're barbarians, how do we convince them?" Shirou asked.
"Of course, through combat. Among knights, we could also use competitions like sword-back striking to determine the victor and gain their cooperation," Artoria said.
"Competitions? Like polo or something?" Gudako asked curiously in Chaldea.
"No, please, don't use that kind of method," Shirou said, covering his face.
"??" Gudako tilted her head in confusion.
Artoria had actually meant one of the origins of golf: one theory traces it to China's chuiwan, while another says Scottish shepherds would strike stones with sticks used for herding sheep, seeing who could hit most accurately.
In his previous life, when Saber visited Shirou's school, she had a similar reaction upon seeing students practicing baseball. Later, Shirou studied it a little.
Games on ancient British battlefields were like in The Hobbit, where Gandalf said Bilbo Baggins' great-great-great-uncle 'Bullroarer' Took, during the Greenfield battles, struck the orc king's head hundreds of meters away with a wooden stick, ending up in a rabbit hole.
"In any case, with barbarians, no other method works. First, defeat them in battle, then discuss cooperation to gain the upper hand," Artoria said.
"Exactly, as expected of King Arthur. This is the essence of a seasoned commander," Mor-chan whispered in admiration. "Father, that cold, ruthless expression is so cool."
"Barbarian king, if you don't recognize me, surely you'll recognize this holy sword!" Artoria drew Excalibur and asked imposingly.
The barbarian king exclaimed in surprise, "This hateful holy sword—though its color has changed, there's no mistake. You are King Arthur!"
"Hmph! Since you understand, join my army! You've had enough of that demon dragon too! Come with me to subdue the dragon that's causing chaos in my territory!" Artoria said to the barbarian king and his people.
"Indeed, probably no one in this world knows better than us how tough and terrifying King Arthur is as an enemy!"
In the 5th century, with the decline and collapse of Rome, they could no longer maintain Britain's stability. Various barbarian tribes began invading Britain, fighting for resources and land. Britain's scattered local lords could only protect their own castles and often fell into disputes. Any opportunity could be exploited for loot or ransom.
As for the struggling lower-class civilians, noble knights had long given up on them. Able-bodied laborers could trade strength for food, but the old, weak, and children could lose their land, property, or even their lives at any moment during these wars.
For the invading barbarians, Britain at that time was like an automatic wheat field or livestock farm. When short on money or food, they would bring large forces to raid, returning fully loaded.
The knights could only hide in castles, helplessly watching them take the harvest and livestock.
But such days ended quickly, because King Arthur, who drew the chosen sword, appeared on the scene. From then on, even if the barbarians or foreign armies united to attack Britain, Arthur and his knights repeatedly defeated and routed them.
In the eyes of the tribes of that generation, King Arthur was terrifying, like an undefeated war god.
The barbarian king pondered, looking at the girl before him.
Over a thousand years had passed; she now wore the light, modern clothes of a new era, lacking the otherworldly sanctity she had once possessed on the battlefield, yet still exuded majesty. Her silence and serious demeanor in battle were just as he remembered.
"But it's still not enough. With only this holy sword, defeating Vortigern is impossible. That monster can't be killed so easily!"
"Is that so? Then there's no choice." Artoria raised Excalibur and pointed at the barbarian king. "Let's decide this with a battle! Send forth your strongest warrior; I will also send a knight. If we win, your tribe must choose between death or submission!"
"Hahaha! Nothing wrong with that! Our Anglo tribe never avoids a challenge! I'll be your opponent!" the barbarian king laughed heartily.
"How bold! Then I'll be the one! I, Mordred of the Round Table, will be your opponent! Hahaha!" Mordred raised her greatsword and stepped forward, laughing.
Artoria turned to the boy. "Shirou, can I ask a favor? Summon a simulated spirit-class servant to fight."
"Eh? Father? Ignored? Let me go too!" Mor-chan shouted, waving her hands, feeling left out.
"Mm, I understand," Shirou nodded.
"You have three people? Then I'll also send three! But know this: issuing a challenge to heroes comes at a price. If you lose, we will execute you on the spot," the barbarian king said with a sinister grin.
"Yes! Kill, kill, kill!!!" The barbarians welcomed this challenge, shouting loudly.
Artoria, hearing this, looked helplessly at the excited young girl beside her. "Well, there's no helping it. Mordred, you'll lead the charge."
"Alright! Father! Watch me!" Mor-chan raised her fists high and replied cheerfully.
The barbarian king was the first to fight, wielding two massive axes. He stood nearly two meters tall, muscles bulging with veins, accompanied by two sons equally strong, all possessing the power level of a servant-class warrior.
"Raaah!!!" the barbarian king roared, charging forward with both axes raised.
"Arghhhh!!!" Mordred roared back, gripping her silver greatsword with both hands, striking upward.
The two axes clashed violently against the sword, sparks of reddish-gold flying.
Under the forceful impact, the sword and axes pressed against each other, testing strength.
"No wonder this is the barbarian king who fought King Arthur on the battlefield multiple times!"
"Hmph, a rebellious knight… I thought that the one who would finish Arthur after my death would be some evil, fearsome figure. Turns out it's just a runaway little girl," the boy thought, preparing for possession summoning, seeking the optimal candidate for this battle.
"Shirou! Vortigern the dragon devours light and is the embodiment of the earth. Reinforced by black mud, it can even swallow a world with an innate barrier. Even if the reversed-attribute holy sword can injure it, it cannot be killed. Only one attack can be fatal from the start," Da Vinci said.
"The Knight King's holy lance, right?" Shirou said.
Da Vinci smiled approvingly and nodded.
His magical eyes scanned the surrounding space, locking onto a single enemy—Vortigern. Among countless worlds and possibilities, he sought the most suitable target for this battle.
"Giant Ax of Invading Nations!!!"
The barbarian king roared in anger. He activated his Noble Phantasm, which shimmered with blue, white, and red stripes and stars. His two axes fused into a gigantic striped ax, a symbol of the Anglo-Saxons—the most successful invading race in human history. They left Northern Europe, conquered Britain, absorbed the Christian culture from Rome, integrated into Europe, became the empire upon which the sun never set, later invaded Native American lands, and eventually seized Central Asian oil.
Considering human history since the 17th-year Human Order Incineration, 18th-year Human Order Freeze, and the ongoing end-of-the-year events, they may be the last true dominators in history.
The giant axe struck down.
"What!" Mordred swung her sword to block, but the impact sent her flying.
At the last moment, a golden light flashed, catching Mordred.
"You okay?" Shirou, having completed the possession summoning, caught the flying Mordred, his voice stern.
"Ah… I'm okay." Mordred finally saw Shirou's current state: clad in blue-and-silver armor, wielding a golden lance, hair now similar in color to hers, with green-gold eyes glowing slightly, exuding godlike majesty.
This possession summoning had manifested the body of male King Arthur, the boy chosen to guard the tomb of Arthur. Strangely, this summoning bypassed the unsealing of the ceremonial outfit, and the lance was no longer connected to Artoria.
Mor-chan, held by the boy, was put down and continued staring at Shirou, stunned for several seconds. Eventually, she turned away, lowered her head, clenched her fists, and waved them up and down in excitement, thinking, "This is terrible! Why?! Shirou looks so cool right now! Just second to Father's handsomeness! What's going on?!"
"Mor-chan? Hey~ Mor-chan, Mo-chan~?" Shirou looked at her puzzled, calling several times, but received no response.
Mor-chan held her flushed face and thought chaotically, "What should I do? I have no idea how to attract a man. How did that woman make men run around her?"
"The battle isn't over yet! If you don't want to fight, then die!" The barbarian king raised both axes and struck from above, the immense power cleaving the ground, creating a chasm.
"Hah!" Shirou's eyes glinted coldly. He raised the spiral golden holy lance and thrust forward.
The axes collided with the lance's tip, and the barbarian king's offense was effortlessly neutralized.
"Hahaha! So this really is the holy lance! The lance that killed Vortigern the dragon!" The barbarian king landed and carefully scrutinized Shirou, then laughed in delight.
"Whoa oh oh oh!!!" The barbarians also erupted in joy, shouting wildly.
The legendary holy lance of King Arthur, among numerous lance-class Noble Phantasms, is of the same tier as the "Declaration of the Great God." Although its brilliance is overshadowed by Excalibur, the sword representing Arthur's lifelong oath victories, it is less known to the public.
Yet it is among the absolute top-tier Noble Phantasms. During King Arthur's conquest of the barbarian king Vortigern, this holy lance pierced the dragon's heart. It could be considered the most powerful Noble Phantasm against the dragon.
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