Chapter 164: Surrender. You're Surrounded!!!
While the Templar Knights around Molay fell one by one, fierce flames continued to blaze around him.
The flames formed from concentrated magic gathered upon the Cross Sword in his hand.
"RAAAHHHH——————————!!!"
At the very moment he closed in on Mordred, Molay swung the Cross Sword forward with all his might!!!
BOOOM——————————!!!
Mordred raised Clarent and met the strike head-on!
The searing heat relentlessly scorched Mordred's body.
"Hmph, and you call yourself the Grandmaster of the Templar Order? Is that all you've got? No wonder your whole lot crumbled under your own hands!"
Clarent in Mordred's grip surged with violent magic energy.
Both were ready to put everything into the next blow—a life-or-death duel!!!
Suddenly, from a distance, something flew toward them at incredible speed and dropped straight down above their heads.
"BOOOOOOOM————————!!!"
The object then exploded violently!!!
"Hahahaha! A blow that wipes out everyone in one go, now that's my style! I don't know who the enemy Jason mentioned is, but wiping them all out at once can't be wrong!"
From a nearby rocky ledge, Blackbeard laughed loudly, gleefully observing the chaos below.
He had taken advantage of the confusion earlier to toss a few bombs down. Even if those two weren't dead yet, surely they were no longer in fighting condition, right?
"SWOOSH————————!!!"
Suddenly, a blade of sword aura shot up from the smoke below, grazing Blackbeard's right shoulder!!!
"YAHHHH————?!"
Blackbeard flinched and fell backward in shock.
Before he could see clearly what was happening, something else came soaring through the sky toward him at high speed.
"CHIRP CHIRP————————!!!"
White Owl—Tonbi—was diving straight toward Blackbeard, who had fallen to the ground, like a bolt of lightning!!!
"AAAAAAHH! I don't like this kind of parrot! Wait, that's not even a parrot?!"
Blackbeard immediately pulled out the short gun at his hip and aimed straight at Tonbi, pulling the trigger!
"BANG——————!!!"
Tonbi tilted its body, dodging the bullet with ease. Its white wings carried a blade of slicing wind as it swooped past!
"Help me, Mary Read-chan! Anne Bonny-chan!!!"
Blackbeard instantly feigned terror, shouting for his two female pirate companions.
"——————————?!"
Tonbi, who had been diving at full speed, suddenly sensed something and immediately aborted the attack, flapping its wings and soaring back into the sky.
"Oh? Didn't expect that little bird to be so sharp—sensed the aura, huh."
From a nearby bush, a female pirate holding a long hunting rifle spoke with surprise.
"Then should I just shoot that annoying Blackbeard right now?"
Lying prone beside her, a small-statured female pirate said so.
"Mary, as much as I'd like to, that guy's got more lives than a cockroach. Haven't we already tried who knows how many times? He always comes back even more disgusting than before."
"That's exactly why I keep asking—why do we have to fight alongside that kind of person?"
The small pirate let out a sigh.
"Shooooooooo——————!!!"
Suddenly, a dangerous aura rushed toward them at blazing speed.
"Anne, watch out!!!"
The small pirate immediately pushed the one with the gun aside, then quickly rolled to the right to dodge as well.
A streak of silver light slashed through the spot they had just stood in.
"Thanks just now, Mary."
"Looks like enemy reinforcements have arrived. This time, the opponent seems a bit tricky."
The small pirate extended her hand and helped the one with the long hunting rifle to her feet.
"But hey, we're the pirates who vowed to rule the seven seas—something like this is no big deal!"
Mary Read and Anne Bonny, the two female pirates, stood together and charged back into the fight.
Right within their sight, the Popess holding a silver cross-shaped staff had appeared in the midst of the battlefield.
"You okay, Mordred-san?"
Johanna planted her silver cross-shaped staff into the ground and set up a temporary defensive barrier.
"Of course! Who do you think I am!!!"
Mordred lowered the sword in her hand, speaking with complete nonchalance.
"Still, the other side sure likes sneak attacks. Totally ruins the mood."
In Mordred's field of vision, Molay—still holding his cross-shaped sword and Templar shield—had also adjusted his stance and was now looking back this way.
"Chiu chiu————————!!!"
Tonbi flew back down from the sky and perched on Johanna's shoulder, reporting the precise locations of the ambushers surrounding them.
"Then, I'll take care of defense. You just focus on fighting, Mordred-san."
The silver cross-shaped holy staff radiated a shimmering light, and that light enveloped Mordred's body, restoring a portion of her mana.
"Yeah, I was going to do that even if you hadn't said anything."
Mordred gripped Clarent tightly once more and charged straight toward Molay.
"Shine!!!"
Countless silver laurel wreaths appeared around Johanna and shot toward Mary and Anne, who were hiding in the grass!
Seeing this, Mary and Anne withdrew while carefully looking for an opening.
"Looks like we've been spotted, Mary."
"I'll find a chance to distract them—you keep shooting."
"Got it!!!"
Tiny Mary used a short dagger that seemed far too big for her small frame to deflect the laurel wreaths, while Anne took the opportunity to kneel halfway down, raise her rifle, and aim straight at Johanna before pulling the trigger!
"Bang——————————!!!"
A bullet zipped through the air toward Johanna!!!
"Pang!!!"
The bullet let out a small pop about a meter in front of Johanna, then abruptly vanished.
After pinpointing the shooter's location, Tonbi, perched on Johanna's shoulder, immediately took off.
"Tonbi, I'm counting on you!"
"Chiu Chiu————————!!!"
From high above, Tonbi locked onto Anne—the one who had just fired—and dove at her once more!
"Mary Read-chan! Anne Bonny-chan! Don't be afraid! I'm coming to save you!!!"
Blackbeard suddenly leapt down from a rock, trying to pull off a "hero-saves-beauty" act.
Unfortunately for him, Mary instantly landed a straight kick to his butt.
"——————?!"
Blackbeard lost his balance, stumbled forward, and ended up charging right into the path of the oncoming Tonbi dive!
Tonbi flapped its wings, and its entire body burst into a dazzling silver glow!!!
"Why, Mary Read-chan! Aaaaaaaa————————!!!"
Amid Blackbeard's painful scream, Mary clapped her hands like she had just accomplished something great.
"Perfect. One disgusting problem solved."
"Oi oi, Mary, I think that Blackbeard guy's technically on our side? He's not the enemy."
Anne chuckled as she spoke.
"Really? Whatever. That guy's not going to die that easily anyway."
Mary turned her gaze back to the battlefield on the other side, where two Saber-class fighters were locked in a fierce duel.
"Chang, chang, chang————————!!!"
Mordred's assault was fiercer than ever. She repeatedly struck her Clarent sword against the cross-shaped shield in Molay's hand.
"What's wrong, huh?! Where's all that spirit from earlier?!"
Molay calmly blocked her attacks with his shield while carefully looking for a chance to counterattack.
"Ha!!!"
From behind Molay, a fully-armored Templar Knight charged in, swinging his shield toward Mordred!
"Trash like you, stay out of the way!!!"
Mordred slashed the attacker to the ground, but just then, Molay's Cross Sword came thrusting straight at her.
"Clang——————!!!"
Mordred swung Clarent horizontally, blocking the attack cleanly.
"Oi, oi, oi, don't tell me the so-called Templar Order of yours is only good at sneak attacks? In that case, don't call yourselves 'Templar Order'—just rename it 'Assassin Order' already!"
"You will not insult the noble cause of the Templar Order!!!"
Molay, enraged, poured his strength into a powerful strike!
"I reformed a Templar Order that was rotten and arrogant, and became its Grandmaster! What I seek is a Templar Order that lives up to the people's expectations! Even if I fail… I will not let you mock my ideals!!!"
Blazing flames erupted from Molay's Cross Sword, forcing Mordred to retreat a step.
"Sounds nice and all, but in the end, you're just another guy who talks big."
Mordred channeled mana into Clarent once more.
"Crimson Lightning!!"
Red lightning danced across her armor as Mordred gripped the sword with both hands and swung it fiercely forward.
"With this much, you really should know your place and just fall already!!!"
At that very moment—A massive surge of magical energy came hurtling from afar straight toward Mordred and Molay!
"Unbent, unbroken, unyielding. My spear can pierce through anything! Annihilate, Durindana!!!"
"——————?!"
Even Johanna, while still pursuing Mary and Anne, immediately sensed the anomaly. She swung her silver cross staff forward!
Just a second later, a blinding light shot from behind, piercing through Molay's right shoulder—and striking Mordred at the same time!
"Bang————————!!!"
The explosion echoed across the battlefield!
From a distance, a man stood in the stance of having just thrown a spear. Scratching his head, he muttered:
"Man, didn't think my hand would slip like that. You really do live up to the name Rebellious Knight, huh?"
Back on the battlefield where the two Sabers had clashed, a massive crater had formed!
As if struck by something unimaginably powerful, cracks radiated outwards from the rim of the hole.
"Kh…!"
Molay clutched his arm, which now had a massive hole pierced through it. He clenched his teeth, refusing to fall.
"Haa… haa…"
Opposite him, Mordred was propping herself up with Clarent, trying her best to stay on her feet.
"Mordred!!!"
Johanna rushed in from behind, immediately checking her comrade's wounds.
Her left shoulder and arm armor had been completely shattered. Beneath the armor, a deep, gaping wound had opened, and bright red blood was pouring out in torrents!
"This is too severe…"
Just earlier, upon sensing the incoming attack, Johanna had instantly deployed a triple-layer defensive barrier in front of Mordred.
But the enemy's strike had effortlessly pierced through all three layers and hit Mordred without the slightest resistance!
Had Mordred not instinctively dodged the fatal point at the last moment, she would've been wounded even more gravely—perhaps like the Saber on the opposite side.
"Hang in there. I'll heal you right away."
Johanna began chanting immediately.
"Radiant Love, be granted here!"
A gentle light flowed from her silver cross staff. As it touched Mordred's wounds, they slowly began to close.
"You don't even hesitate to hurt your allies… You really will stoop to anything, huh?"
Mordred's eyes locked fiercely onto the murderous aura up ahead.
"How long do you plan to hide, you bastard?!"
"To be called a bastard by the infamous Rebellious Knight herself… That kinda stings, you know."
From behind a rock wall, a man stepped out, scratching his head as he walked.
"Honestly… I'm a little hurt by that."
The face of Hector was now fully visible to everyone on the field.
"Why… Why go this far… Aren't we supposed to be allies?"
Molay, still clutching his now-useless left arm, turned toward Hector, confusion written all over his face.
"Sorry," Hector said, "but I figured that the only way to deal with that Rebellious Knight was to go all out. Shame she managed to survive… I guess that was a miscalculation."
Then he let out a quiet chuckle.
"No matter. Lord Jason's already ordered the area to be surrounded. You can take a break now."
Hector raised his hand, and another long spear materialized in his palm.
"Well then… I suppose I should make an effort, too."
"Aiya aiya, that damn bird scratched my face all over… It hurts like hell! I need to finish this quick and get Medea-chan to heal me~~~"
Blackbeard came storming in, his face twisted in fury as he howled up at Tonbi, still circling in the sky.
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Blackbeard. I heard you even lost your ship yesterday?"Hector smirked as he turned toward him.
"So what? The pirate's life is all about highs and lows!!!"
Blackbeard didn't give a damn about the sarcasm.
"More importantly, you're terrifying. You didn't hesitate to drag your own allies down for victory."
"Lord Jason's orders were simply to 'eliminate them.' I'm just executing the most efficient solution."
Hector shrugged.
"Hmph! Don't you dare try to steal the credit! I still want to get close to Medea-chan! My precious Medea-chan, ehehe~~~"
Blackbeard curled up and rolled on the ground in a revolting manner, hugging himself.
"So you're still alive, huh."
"Must be a miracle. Should I finish him off?"
Mary and Anne also reappeared from the distance.
"Being insulted's nice and all… but the real reward comes later."
Blackbeard pointed his pistol directly at Mordred and Johanna.
"Anyway, you two are surrounded now! Surrender immediately!!!"
"Mordred…"
Johanna gripped her silver staff tightly, staring down the gathering group of Servants.
"What a joke. You think sheer numbers can overwhelm me???"
Mordred raised Clarent high once more.
"Let me show you… Even alone, I can send every last one of you to hell!!!"
At that very instant—A massive figure dropped from the sky without warning!
"BOOM————————!!"
Both factions immediately turned to look.
A towering man with an axe-sword in hand and a massive longbow strapped to his back stood boldly in the center of the battlefield!