Arthur and Mordred

"Why it's you...?"

Hearing Mordred's question, Arkhan silently looked at her in front of him and then sighed.

"We meet again..."

Although he knew this situation would happen sooner or later, there was still a hint of complexity in his heart.

"Again?"

However, Arkhan's words left Kairi with a head full of question marks.

Did they meet Rider of Black before?

If he remembered correctly, they only met the two Masters and Assassin from the Red Faction after arriving in Sighisoara. How did Rider of Black know them?

Suddenly, a recent memory flashed through Kairi's mind, and his expression instantly stiffened.

'No way, could it be that Rider of Black is that guy from that time...'

"Why lie to me?" Mordred lowered her head, tightly gripping the hilt of her sword. "Is it funny for you to see me as a joke?!"

"But I didn't lie to you..." Arkhan sighed. 

"Then why didn't you confess your true identity to me and use Arkhan as your fake name to deceive me!" Mordred growled.

"Firstly, you didn't ask if I was a Servant, and secondly, Arkhan is not a fake name; it's my true name." Arkhan said, spreading his hands helplessly.

However, his words didn't calm her down. Instead, they fueled her anger more.

"You're still lying to me! I've never heard of any hero named Arkhan in history!"

Kairi nodded on the side, agreeing. From the capabilities shown by Rider of Black, he was undoubtedly a famous hero in history. But the name Arkhan was unheard of, which was unreasonable.

"It's not strange at all. The history you know is based on the current world trajectory, but Heroic Spirits exist independently from the time axis. Therefore, there might be situations of summoning foreign heroes... like from other worlds, for example." Arkhan patiently explained.

Hearing the explanation, Kairi's pupils slightly contracted. Was Rider of Black implying that he wasn't a Heroic Spirit of this world?

"Let me introduce myself. My true name is Arkhan, a Heroic Spirit from another world. There, I have another identity—"

Arkhan looked at Mordred, his tone unchanged.

"The King of Camelot as well as the King of Britain, Arthur Pendragon."

In just thirteen words, it felt like a heavy hammer striking Mordred and Kairi's hearts, causing them to instinctively take a step back.

This mysterious Rider of Black, his true identity was none other than King Arthur from another world?!

An indescribable strangeness filled Kairi's heart, a feeling even stranger than when he first heard about the Yggdmillennia's betrayal of the Mage's Association.

However, at the same time, he finally understood why Rider of Black attitude toward Saber was so different.

Who would have thought that the reunion of King Arthur and Sir Mordred from legend would happen in such circumstances?

"Heh, King Arthur, huh..."

After a prolonged silence, Mordred suddenly let out a cold sneer, lifting her gaze toward Arkhan, and pointed her sword straight at him.

"I don't care which world King Arthur you are, but since you carry that identity, it means a showdown between us is inevitable."

"Hahh... It really came to this, huh...?" Arkhan sighed.

"Quit the chit-chat! I'm Mordred, the Knight of Treachery, fated to bring down King Arthur! It's my fate!"

After saying that, she quickly stomped her foot, launching toward him like a cannonball, mercilessly bringing down her sword.

Arkhan sighed again, summoning Abyss Flower to block the heavy impact.

Watching the two tangled in combat, Kairi rubbed his temples, feeling a headache.

On one hand, reason told him that Saber was no match for Rider of Black, and retreating was the wisest choice. On the other hand, her behavior made it clear she wouldn't obey that command.

'Oh well, let's go with the flow for now. If my feeling is not wrong, Rider of Black won't harm Saber...'

Kairi shook his head helplessly, took out his gun, and scanned the surroundings. The intrusion from Rider of Black had disrupted his bounded field, making it impossible to detect if anyone else had entered the battlefield.

Vigilance was necessary.

*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*

The crisp sound of clashes between metal echoed incessantly. In the blink of an eye, the battle between Mordred and Arkhan had lasted for half an hour. During this time, they had clashed over a thousand times, yet both remained unscathed.

*DING!*

Mordred swung another powerful sword strike, but her strike only made him step back three or five steps.

This frustrated and angered her.

"What the fuck is your deal?! Is it more exciting when you fought Lancer of Red?! Now you're just taking hits without retaliating at all! Are you looking down on me?!"

"This battle has no meaning, and in the first place, I don't want to fight you." Arkhan said helplessly.

Mordred clenched her teeth, giving him a fierce look as if she could devour him. Eventually, with a snort, she dispersed her armor and walked toward Kairi.

"Not fighting anymore?" Kairi asked in surprise.

"Not now. There's no point in fighting someone who has no spirit to fight. Plus, I can't unleash my full power in a place like this." Mordred said, partly frustrated and partly indignant. "Next time, in a more spacious location, watch me take him down!"

'What a filial child...' Kairi's mouth twitched slightly, nodding. "Fine, we'll talk about it next time."

Watching Mordred, who already had thoughts of retreat, Arkhan also breathed a sigh of relief. This time, they managed to get through it.

'Now, it's time to deal with Assassin—'

Just as this thought crossed his mind, an inexplicable sense of danger suddenly rose from the depths of his heart.

*BOOM!*

A terrifying surge of magical energy shook the air. A magical light beam suddenly descended from the sky, rushing straight toward him.

Arkhan's gaze instantly became as sharp as a blade. The sacred lily patterns on Abyss Flower quickly lit up, emitting a pure white light, colliding with the magical light beam.

*BOOOOM—!!!*

The intense roar, reminiscent of artillery fire, resounded.

A large cloud of smoke billowed, and following it, a fierce wind suddenly swept in, dispersing all the smoke.

Arkhan quickly looked toward the top of a distant clock tower.

A figure in an indigo cloak, surrounded by several magic circles, stood there like the queen of the night.