[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 fshed, and before Sieg could even lift his own weapon, Mordred's ssh tore through his chest. The bde 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 Bck 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 gnced toward where Frankenstein had fallen earlier, only to realize something arming, 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, nding 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!!!"]

  ["Bsted 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 dispy 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 css 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.]

  [Atanta, who had been fighting Spartacus, had resorted to hit-and-run tactics, but she accidentally collided with Jeanne.]

  [Afterward, Atanta 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.]