Chapter 163: The Rebel Knight VS. Templar Knight
An island surrounded by the ocean.
A blonde female knight and a saintess holding a silver cross staff were checking the sealing talismans in the area.
"Hey, Master won't forget about us, right?"
Mordred, carrying Clarent on her shoulder, spoke with clear dissatisfaction.
"This place is full of noisy wild beasts, and sometimes there are flying ones too—what a pain. Surrounded by nothing but sea… if like my Father, I could walk on water, we wouldn't be stuck here like this."
"Of course not! After we got separated, I'm sure Master must be really worried, don't you think?"
Popess Johanna first affirmed that Ethan would never give up searching for them, though anxiety was still visible in her eyes.
"If Mash and that always-angry, fire-loving Witch are with Master, there shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Mordred looked down at the sandy shore, where a few small crabs were slowly crawling by.
"Oh, right—there's even a 'Beast' following them this time too, what was its name again?"
Mordred pondered for a moment.
"Aha! It was Beast of Sushi!! Sounds kinda tasty, doesn't it?"
"...It's Beast of Sodom, Mordred-san."
Johanna corrected her helplessly.
"But whether that 'Beast' is actually protecting Master properly or not, no one really knows."
Thinking this, Johanna's steps came to a halt.
"...Could it be that there's some kind of conflict between the Beast of Sodom and my identity, which caused us to be cast out?"
"Oh? I didn't even know you had some kind of grudge with that name?"
Mordred gave up observing the hermit crab and turned her gaze to Johanna.
"Not exactly a grudge, more like... something to do with positions?"
Johanna thought for a bit, then finally squeezed out that word.
"Actually, there's some friction between the Church and the Beast of Sodom, so naturally things turned out like this..."
Johanna tried to explain in the simplest terms possible for Mordred.
"I see, I totally get it now!!!"
Mordred grinned.
"In short, it's a mortal enemy!!!"
"...Can't deny it, it's pretty much like that."
Hearing Mordred bluntly define it as "mortal enemy," Johanna didn't even have the strength to refute.
"Since I'm inherently a fictional character, and even considered a heretic by the Holy Church, I honestly don't have much prejudice against her… but Martha-sama is a different story..."
"Oh? Seems like you folks are pretty complicated too."
Mordred acted like she understood, though not really.
"Well, that makes sense. The idiots in the Round Table never liked each other either. Stuff like that happens all the time. But why does someone as talented as me have to be ranked dead last?!"
Just as the two were chatting, a cry suddenly echoed through the sky.
"Chíu chíu————————!!!"
White Owl Tonbi flew back from the distant sea and landed straight on Johanna's shoulder.
"Chíu chíu, chíu chíu!!!"
It seemed very agitated, frantically saying something to Johanna.
"Oh? Could it be that it's found Master?!"
Mordred immediately came closer, but she didn't understand a single thing the white owl was saying.
Previously, Johanna had released Tonbi, hoping that this small flying creature would gradually expand its search area with the island as the center.
But the results had been minimal—virtually no useful information had been gathered.
"Chíu, chíu, chíu chíu——!!!"
This time, Tonbi's reaction was especially intense, as if it had truly discovered something.
But unexpectedly, after hearing Tonbi's report, Johanna's brows furrowed deeply.
Before she could speak, the seashells buried along the shore—used as part of a barrier—suddenly emitted a red light?!
They even started trembling, as if the magical energy within was undergoing a transformation.
"Southwest!!!"
Johanna immediately identified the direction of the problem.
"The barrier has been broken! Someone has infiltrated the island from that direction!!!"
"Heh, so this boring life is finally coming to an end?"
Mordred immediately became excited.
Before Johanna could say anything more, Mordred was already charging off with Clarent the Royal Sword in hand, heading straight for the southwest!
"I've already cut down most of the monsters on this island. Finally, someone invades—maybe this time there's a ship, and I can get off this damned place!!!"
Thinking this, Mordred quickened her pace.
"Whoosh————————!!!"
Suddenly, a longsword swung out from behind a nearby rock?!
Relying purely on instinct, Mordred instantly dodged to the side while simultaneously swinging Clarent toward the attacker!
A figure fell with the sound of impact, and the sword that had attacked Mordred clattered to the ground.
"————————?!"
Mordred took a closer look at the person she had just taken down — he wore silver armor of the Templar Knights.
Upon death, his body turned into sparkling particles and vanished right before Mordred's eyes.
"Clang————————!!!"
Several more knights clad in the same armor charged in from the other side. They drew longswords from their hips with a sharp metallic ring and rushed straight toward Mordred in attack!!!
Calmly, Mordred swung her sword forward—first knocking the weapon out of one knight's hand, then slashing the second one down in a single stroke!
Without even bothering to turn around, she spun and delivered a single, sweeping slash!!!
Immediately, two more knights spewed blood across the ground and collapsed on the spot!!!
Watching the four Templar Knight corpses vanish one after another, Mordred hefted Clarent onto her shoulder and scanned her surroundings with irritation.
"You should probably show yourself already. Playing sneaky like this is getting boring. And these guys disappear with one slash—are you some kind of necromancer hiding out here?"
Hearing Mordred's provocation, a figure slowly stepped out from behind the cliffside.
He wore a shining silver-white Templar armor, had silver hair, glasses, and in one arm carried a massive cross-shaped shield that stood out strikingly.
Behind him followed dozens of other knights in the same Templar Knight armor.
All of them held weapons engraved with crosses, staring warily at Mordred from behind their visors.
"So even ambush tactics are useless against you. You must be the so-called knight of Britannia."
"Oh? You know me???"
Hearing that, Mordred pointed to herself in surprise.
"Don't tell me... I'm famous even in this godforsaken place???"
"Apologies, that's all the information I have about you."
Jacques de Molay showed no intent of revealing his source of information, replying indifferently.
"The knight of Britannia… along with that sword… Could you be Lancelot of the Round Table? But I've never heard of a woman among the Round Table Knights…"
Just as Molay was still contemplating the true identity of the blonde armored girl before him—
A sharp killing intent suddenly surged toward him!!!
"——————?!"
Clang————————!!!
Mordred's Clarent slammed hard into Molay's holy cross shield.
"You… You dare piss me off twice in a row?!"
With eyes blazing like fire, Mordred gripped the hilt of her sword tightly with both hands, forcing Molay to stagger back a step!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh——————!!!"
The knights on either side of Molay simultaneously drew their weapons and charged toward Mordred.
"Out of my way!!"
Mordred roared, and the magical energy from her armor erupted in arcs of crimson lightning—instantly blasting away several surrounding knights!!!
Molay braced himself, raising the massive holy cross shield to absorb the shock of the red lightning, then quickly stepped back, narrowly evading Clarent's thrust.
Blocked by the other knights, Mordred gave up on chasing Molay and instead casually took down two more of them!
It seemed the Templar Knight armor had decent defense — the two she had slashed down hadn't yet suffered fatal blows.
The knights around Molay raised their cross shields in unison, forming a defense formation as solid as tempered steel.
Molay readjusted his stance, then raised his holy sword and pointed it directly at Mordred.
"If anything I said earlier was offensive, I ask your forgiveness."
"Forgiveness???"
Mordred's eyes were overflowing with murderous intent.
"You think you can piss me off and then walk away in one piece?!"
With that, Mordred charged forward with full force!
Clang————————!!!
Her strike slammed into the shield wall, but the effect was minimal.
Molay and the Templar Knights held a tight, unified formation, withstanding Mordred's direct assault.
Seeing her attack wasn't effective, Mordred immediately gathered strength with both hands.
"Crimson Lightning!!!"
BOOM——————————!!!
A crimson bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, slamming directly into Mordred!
The inherited Mana Burst of the Pendragon bloodline caused the sword Clarent in Mordred's hand to erupt in a brilliant crimson glow. At the same time, the lightning strike created a small gap in the defensive formation of the Templar Knights.
"Gotcha!!!"
Without hesitation, Mordred channeled her mana into Clarent and slashed straight at the opening that had just appeared!!!
Clang————————!!!
But unexpectedly—a crisp clash rang out.
Mordred's attack… had been blocked?!
"…Tch."
The gap had been sealed almost instantly.
"Since you refuse to give your name, allow me to introduce myself!"
Molay raised his head high and declared with pride:
"I am Jacques de Molay, the final Grandmaster of the Templar Order, fighting to protect the Holy Land of Jerusalem!!! Those at my side are the elite of the Templar Order—here and now, I shall restore the glory we once lost!!!"
Clang————————!!!
Mordred once again slashed down on the shield wall with full force!
"Templar Order? Hmph, fine. If you insist on behaving like a knight, then I shall answer in kind—as a knight!"
With that, Mordred gripped Clarent tightly and pointed the blade forward.
"My name is Mordred, the one true heir to King Arthur Pendragon—and the one who shall destroy all of you right here!!!"
"Mordred?!"
Behind the shield wall, Molay's eyes lit up with realization.
"A knight of Britannia… So that's it—you're the rebellious knight?!"
"Looks like you finally figured it out."
Mordred began to pour her mana into the Clarent she held with both hands.
"But… it's already too late!!!"
Holding her attack stance, Mordred channeled all the remaining mana into her sword, then slashed forward with all her might!!!
"This is the evil sword that destroyed my father—Clarent Blood Arthur!!!"
BOOM——————!!!
The compressed mana transformed into lightning and shot straight into the defensive formation of Molay and the Templar Knights.
Under the immense destructive power, the knights who could no longer hold their ground began to fall one after another, yet still resisted with all they had, desperate to maintain formation.
"Let's see how long you can keep this up!!!"
Mordred stepped forward, her presence alone enough to shatter the Templar Knights' already fragile line.
"WAAHH————————!!!"
From the outer ring, the Templar Knights collapsed one after another, and in an instant, the formation was torn apart!
Within seconds, only Molay remained, barely holding his ground against Mordred's devastating attack.
"For the revival of the Templar Order!!!"
Molay poured every ounce of strength into resisting Mordred's Noble Phantasm.
"I must accumulate victories! For behind me waves the glorious banner of the Templar Order!!!"
Suddenly, a massive surge of mana erupted from Molay's body.
"As a knight—I have been defeated. As a cleric—I have broken my vows. As Grandmaster—I have been deposed!!!"
He raised the Cross Shield high and struggled to stand!
"The regrets that have turned to ashes from a useless wretch like me—shall now be cleansed here and now!!!"
Even as he bore the brunt of a terrifyingly powerful assault, he did not fall.
Molay raised his Cross Sword, a fierce determination blazing in his eyes, and stepped forward.
"Let me end it all here! ——Pèlerinage du Temple!!!"
The Templar Knights who had fallen began to rise again, one by one, lifting their shields high and resolutely marching behind Molay once more.
With each step they took, the ground ignited into blazing flames!!!
"————————?!"
Mordred gritted her teeth, watching the Templar Knights steadily advance through the inferno. The mana within her surged once again!
As Molay and his knights drew close enough, the last remaining soldiers threw everything they had into fending off Mordred's attacks, clearing a path for Molay to charge forward!
Molay locked onto Mordred, raising the Cross Sword high overhead!!!
"Ha aaaaaaaaaah——————!!!"
Beneath the hellfire blazing all around, the valiant figure of the final Grandmaster—Jacques de Molay—rushed forth, sword raised high, illuminated in the flickering firelight.
A knight—a blade—charging forth amidst a fleeting illusion of glory!!!